Ralph Nader…is this on repeat or something?

Ralph Nader, that pesky, third party icon and a hope for all pot heads looking for a legalization of cannabis has announced yet again he will be running for president. I readily admit I am no expert on politics and presidential elections, but I must say that in this election it seems to me a third party candidate is more of a publicity stunt then anything else. Americans seem to be once again impassioned by their presidential contenders, and I don’t readily see an environment of apathetic voters waiting for a candidate to emerge from the bipartisan fray to sweep them out of their malaise. Last election perhaps, however people seem to have a great deal of belief and ardor, especially on the democratic side where they are breaking all kinds of primary records for voter turn out. Nader mentions that he feels people are “disenchanted with the Republic and Democratic parties.” I certainly relate to where he’s coming from in that I believe we have spent enough time dividing the country into red and blue states instead of recognizing that we are in fact the UNITED States, but thus far this election has been one of the tamest in recent memory with the low blow slanders and shameless attacks refreshingly absent I think his timing might be a bit off. In this election cycle Nader offers little more then a distracting side show where there are already 3 very viable candidates with a great deal more support and governmental experience. And speaking of distracting side shows, I must reference Lindsay Lohan’s boobs. I hate to say it, but I think she actually gained more respect from me with the powerful nude display she released in New York magazine. Those soft, pale love pillows gave me a new found image of her…breasts. Now I must be honest; I did not read the article or see the actual magazine, just the photos on some celebrity website, but I must say the lighting was very professional and the tones were deftly intimate and sensual without being overtly sexual. Pure class from the raging marijuana, turned coke, turned drunken driving mess. Perhaps she’d make a good running mate for the Nader green machine. Him appealing to a movement that was within reach 10 years ago, and her appealing to an icon that was at her peak a half century ago.

Employed and Alive…with some sobriety strewn in for good measure

A job, society’s current measuring stick of an individual. The peremptory second question after “what’s your name.” And now the single largest time consumer in my life. A brief foray of two weeks into a world centered around preparing, participating, and departing from a job has surprisingly been not the insurgent life changer that I dreaded…or hoped it might be. I spend less of my day idling around in my room listening to songs on repeat and stumbling over facebook or a few broken words, but other than that if anything it has just added structure and consistency to what was once a directionless stagger through days. I had high doubts I would ever be able to find a position labeled “financial analyst” interesting or enjoyable, but I have been pleasantly surprised at my mind’s reception thus far. Maybe it’s just the opportunity to throw my hat in the wind and learn something I had absolutely no conception of previous to two weeks ago, or perhaps it’s the exciting thrill of meeting a whole other side of people, the working side. What’s that mother of 3 like when she’s analyzing volume and brand deployment? How’s that newlywed when he’s away from his new wife and agonizing over numbers that just don’t match up? And how’s the plight of the single professional who stays late because she has nothing to go home to? It’s a fascinating mix of transition and life decisions…and some finance as well I suppose. I’m not sure if there’s humor in this piece as much as reckless observation and pondering, but I don’t see any other suitable cell for ruminations as careless as these. Now, that I get home with nothing of absolute substance to occupy my time I’m wondering which world I prefer, the dark unexplored waters of the working world waiting to be discovered, or the unnamable pull of my apartment and Manhattan, an option of endless choices and absent decisions. However, I have stopped drinking…for a limited time at least. A non practicing Catholic makes a heavier sacrifice then most devout church goers. Heavier in the sense that for the past 4 years it has occupied more of my social life then conversation, not too mention a hefty amount of my personal time as well. Going cold turkey on the old cure all is no easy task when it is still the center of all of your friends’ attention but I consider lent to be more a test of inner strength and will then a resolute withdrawal of some careless mini vice like hot dogs, a favorite brand of cookie, or a murky goal of cutting down on something without any clear guidelines. Not to say I haven’t done the traditional abstaining from soda or dessert but this year I felt like goin balls out and dropping not only my best friend Jim Beam, but his brother Jack Daniels, their Mexican cousin Patron, and all the rest of assorted alcoholic delicacies that this great planet has to offer. March 23rd has never loomed so far in the distance. Until then, here’s a toast of Gatorade to your tequila sunrise.