getting into politics?

I had an odd dream last night: a group of people and I were helping to set up a political booth at a local festival. I've never cared a whit for politics… it just annoys me. This booth wasn't for a particular candidate, because we hadn't chosen one yet; it was essentially for a new party.

After I woke up, I kept thinking about it. This party could be great! The entire premise of the organization is logic. Too many politicians today are more emotion than logic, and it's painful to watch their speeches and debates. Forget mores and values—we just want a voice of reason in government.

One of the fundraisers at a promotional booth could be this: give us $10 and you can have a debate/discussion with the candidate on one topic. Take, for example, gay marriage. The conversation could go like this:

"I think gay marriage should be illegal!"

"Why do you think that?"

"It's against x religion, and that's just not right!"

"What about the separation of church and state? What political reason is there for gay marriage to be illegal? Two people getting married doesn't affect that much in the grand scheme of things. It lets them file taxes jointly. I see no reason that two persons of legal age cannot be wed."

"But they can't get married in my place of worship!"

"Then they won't. An officiant can refuse to marry someone or put restrictions on the ceremony. Many faiths already do; try to get married in a place of worship of a different faith and see what they say."

How nice would that be? Yes, things you like could get cut. If we're already head-over-heels in debt, we probably shouldn't be spending on things that don't majorly affect our economy or basic needs. There wouldn't be drama over what the candidate does with their personal life; if their work runs on logic, it doesn't really matter what they believe or what they do with their free time. Lobbyists won't affect their judgement. Yes, our candidate can be harsh at times, but their arguments will be logical.

If you ask me, it's about time we had a little more sense.

I'm torn between two party names: the zombies (we want braaaaiiiins in government) and the Vulcans (is it legal for me to use that?).

Month at the Museum

…it's like Night at the Museum, but thirty times better!

The Chicago Museum of Science & Industry is searching for a roommate from over 1,500 entries. The winner gets to live in the museum for thirty days as an experiment, documenting everything all the while. What an amazing, life-altering experience! As if that weren't enough, they get $10,000, tech goodies, and a lifetime membership to MSI. Call me crazy, but I'd take it just for the fun! …until my bills come due, that is.

This is the coolest contest I've ever encountered, and I wanted a piece of it! I applied, of course, and bought the requisite lab coat and goggles. When they announced the semi-finalists, however, I received a well-crafted "It's not you; it's us" email. Sigh. Ah, well. Life moves on. Since I'm out of the running anyhow, I thought I'd post some of my entry materials, since I worked so very hard on them.

The application included:
• a 60-second video (why you should be chosen),
• a 500-word essay (why you want to be chosen),
• the application form itself,
• and a 5" x 7" head shot.

Here's what my folder looked like (front & inside):
I had a blast just putting the whole thing together—it's the first time I've done any kind of branding in a while, and I was pretty proud of my work. I went for a clean orange-on-white look to match their branding for the contest.


The logo on the front of the folder is a white paper cutout that I based on the MATM logo. My DVD (its label was printed on the disk) is in the bottom half of a slimline jewel case that's glued to the folder. I lightly glued my picture to a labeled, folded sheet of paper that was then glued to the folder pocket, and I put my essay in the pocket behind them.


Yaaaay design fun!




And here's my ridiculously dorky video, just for your amusement:


I had a lot of fun putting everything together, and I hope the winner has an absolute blast!

MSI put up a pretty swell Thank-You video that helps show off just how popular this contest was, which was super-cool.
It doesn't hurt that mine is the first picture in the video, either. Squee!!!



Thanks, ChiMSI, for coming up with this awesome opportunity!

tweet tweet

Man... I really don't blog much. I have a twitter account, though. I find it easier to blurt out my thoughts 140 characters at a time.

Hockey Moms Against Sarah Palin

tee-hee! =D

Gettin' involved with TV

Recently I've started following along with some of the sites that accompany TV shows... namely, LOST and The Office.

LOST's accompanying site is DharmaWantsYou.com, where you apply for a job at the Dharma Initiative. You take assessment tests and such so they can judge how good a 'fit' you are for the company. It's pretty fun.

This past week, they opened it up so users can create their own quizzes that 'colleagues' can take... and, of course, I had to make one. So go take my quiz on cephalopods! It's fun! I promise! ...plus, I get points when you do. hee! Just be sure to sign up for an account. You don't have to use it, and you can unsubscribe from their emails. Ple-ea-ase!!

The other is DunderMifflinInfinity, which is more of a social site. I'm not totally hooked on that one yet, but it shows promise.