protesting the end

Oh, Sunday night, the saddest of all moments. You are more melancholy than Monday morning, even. At least on Monday, there is a bit of motivation to face the week head-on (the desire to face the week non-withstanding). But on Sunday night, you are still technically sitting in the weekend, but without enough weekend left to grasp. Like accidentally dropping an earring down the drain, that moment when you can only watch it disappear, helpless.

But i'm being melodramatic, and I know it.

I knocked a few things off the to-do list this weekend, which is encouraging. The biggest news is the fires. To all my far-away family friends, we are thankfully safe. The sky is perpetually smoky gray, and being outside makes eyes sting and throat burn, but that's only a minor inconvenience compared to anyone directly affected. My heart goes out to the thousands of people who've experienced extreme loss, and prayers for the firefighters who engage in battle against the flames.

Not to give the impression I live in a bad neighborhood (because it's really pretty average), but Friday night the sound of sirens woke me up from *just* falling asleep. I looked out my window to see a random car speed by, followed by FIVE police cruisers with lights and sirens blaring. One of them even pulled to the other side of the road to try to cut of the guy. No high speed chase was on tv so I have no clue how it ended, but it was kind of exciting to watch for a few seconds before going back to sleep.

In other non-relevant news, I am totally ready for the holidays. I do refuse to jump into Christmas until after Thanksgiving (with the exception of some light Christmas shopping, but really that's reasonable). Thanksgiving is really such a lovely holiday, why rush it? I am burning a gingerbread candle (food smells count for multiple holidays, not strictly Christmas), and I got apple cider at Wal*Mart. Though, for the record, it is not as good as the local ciders I used to get back in Ohio in the jugs like milk jugs. The cider was darker than this stuff and tasted better, fresher, and cider-ery. But i'll take what i can get. I'm trying to hold off watching my Charlie Brown Thanksgiving dvd until at LEAST next week. And i'll be contributing no-bake jello oreo pie to this year's family Thanksgiving dinner.

On Thanksgiving, the family does a drawing for who-buys-for-who for Christmas. This requires creating a Christmas list. Other family members have also asked for my list, as I will not be returning to Ohio for the holidays. I've faced an internal dilemma. First, I thought, "I don't need anything for Christmas. I'm very blessed, especially in light of recent events. I would rather people donate to fire victims or World Vision or something instead of buying me a present." Then, selfishly, I thought, "Though it really would be kind of a bummer to have nothing to watch everyone open gifts on Christmas and walk away empty-handed." This was followed by, "Holy cow, that was a pretty selfish thought. I should definitely just ask for donations to charity instead of gifts just to teach myself a lesson!" The flow of thought ended with, "But that wouldn't be very good motives. If you're going to suggest such a thing, you better mean it sincerely. Like, SERIOUSLY." Then I wondered why I sounded like such a valley-girl in my head. A decision has yet to be made.

Friday night I'm going to see "Twilight" with work friends. V. fun. Much looking forward to it. However, it does represent how much i'm killing NOvember this year. With work craziness, the Christmas play, and the occasional social event like this one, November resembles all the hectic months before it. Vacation was the best, most NOvember-like thing I've done all month. Otherwise, it's just been church play/kids kingdom stuff. I did turn down a trip out to eat with Soph and a friend. However, I WAS going to Magic Mountain Saturday, had it not been closed due to fire......

Can I take a true sabbatical for a month? How do people afford that?

This entry had turned rambly and unfocused. I just have one more thing to say:

While I strongly believe in being active in your community and standing up for what you believe, I would suggest those who oppose Prop 8 to move forward instead of whining about how it passed. I say this not based on my own personal opinion on the proposition (though, for the record, I did vote yes after giving it much thought and prayer), but because waving a sign and ranting on myspace isn't going to accomplish anything. Become involved in an activist group or take a part in local government instead. If you feel strongly about ANY issue, then you should do something proactive about it. Educate yourself about all sides of the issue, know why you believe, and search for positive solutions. As for Prop 8, it's over, it's passed.
Also, if you don't live in California, thanks but no thanks for your input. Again, do something proactive in your local community. If you feel that strongly, move here so it becomes your community and do something proactive. There were other angles to Prop 8 besides yes or no that most of the country didn't pay attention to- for instance, the fact that it had already been voted on, then overturned by the court despite what the people wanted. No matter what the issue is, our system of government is built on giving people as much power possible. When judges or leaders use their position to overturn what the entire state voted on, it only undermines the power of the vote. If enough people want to overturn the original decision, there are proper ways to put it on the ballot again. I'm assuming, all of you who have sent me Keith Olbermann's video, that you do care about these details as well. ;)

Alright, the news is on with fire updates. I'm praying that the three firetrucks who raced by here a bit ago don't mean anything serious.