First CDs

The other day somebody said something about how everyone is streaming music all the time instead of downloading. It made me think about how short the era of CDs were and which CDs were my first owned ever.

1.) B*Witched

Because all the girls in my class were creating dances to "C'est la vie" and I was like, hey, I want to do that, too? I think?









2.) Savage Garden

Because "To the Moon and Back" was sexy. Actually, I think this was someone else's CD and they didn't want it, so they gave it to me.









3.) NSYNC - No Strings Attached

Because Justin, D'UH.










Anyone else remember what their first CDs were? Or are you old enough to remember which your first track tapes were? LOL, 90s.

#feelthebern

Before this year, whenever I heard the term "politician" I would make a stink face. We all know why. There's a negative connotation with politicians because they're often associated with negative terms like "lying" and "money-grubbing" and "self-serving", what with any given politician voting on legislation based on what their corporate sponsors want them to do. It's clear that this nation isn't run as a true democracy.

1. Oligarchy, government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes. Aristotle used the term oligarchia to designate the rule of the few when it was exercised not by the best but by bad men unjustly.

This small and priveledged group of billionaires have been settled in and unchallenged for quite some time, and even though times are getting rougher for the greater population and the environment, not one politician with a great deal of power has had the backbone to turn down all that cash being thrown their way as incentive to make the wrong decisions (like Citizens United).

This is one of the reasons why I have so much respect for Bernie Sanders, one of the 2016 presidential candidates running for election. He is running an entirely grass roots movement, refusing corporate money, and he has done so in the whole of his political career starting from Mayor to Senator in Vermont. His presidential campaign is paid for by small donations by the masses and union groups. In fact, this is the first time I myself have ever contributed to any kind of presidential campaign in any way, and when I look at comments on Facebook it seems that there are a lot of other folks in this country who feel just the same way as I do. Getting excited about the possibilities, wanting to change this country for the better for everyone, volunteering and donating money to the Bernie Sanders campaign. I wholeheartedly believe in his viewpoints and solutions to current issues that have been constantly plaguing the country. He doesn't skirt around the issues because there aren't any corporations breathing down his neck, and it's almost surprising how much more freedom you can have talking about issues and real solutions that way.

So, why do I like Bernie Sanders so much, besides his bad ass integrity? From the education I've had in college as well as online documentaries and discussions with my peace-driven father, I have a lot of opinions on how the world should be run. I have come understand that most issues stem from money: either from wealth inequality or corporate need for profit. If both of these money issues were magically rid of, I imagine we would see a lot of societal issues dwindle and even disappear. Firstly, people would have adequate living wages and guaranteed paid family leave and vacation time. Poverty and hunger would dwindle. Nonviolent crimes driven by poverty and hunger also dwindle. Incarceration rates decrease. These would-be nonviolent offenders have more opportunities to find and keep a job. Unemployment rates would decrease. The average low-income family home is under considerably less stress and can focus on raising their children well. The extra money from holding less prison inmates can go towards education. Children would have more opportunities at a better education and then higher education. High school graduation rates would improve. These graduates have opportunities for better, higher paying jobs. These kids will steer the course of the future in a time of environmental distress. They'll be the ones making medical and technological advancements that you will benefit from. Or... maybe if minimum wage wasn't increased, they wouldn't have had the opportunity?

It seems Bernie Sanders had come to the same conclusion. But not only does he know the issues all stem from money, he has the will and determination to actually bring these dreams to fruition, and most importantly the strength to fight the oligarchy alongside your average Americans. His solution is to redistribute the wealth by closing tax loopholes for corporations and increasing tax rates for the obscenely rich. Does it not seem ungodly that 99% of new income is going to the top 1% richest people of America? He plans on increasing the number of jobs by investing this money into rebuilding the infrastructure and by increasing the minimum wage to a living wage. He has a solid plan that makes a whole lot of sense. The only things in his way are peoples' misguided selfish ideas about low income families and the corporate powers that be.

Usually when people oppose Bernie Sanders it's because he's a progressive socialist. I'm not really sure why people think socialism is a bad thing. From what I gather, they just really don't like the idea of having their money taken from them in order to pay for other peoples' health care or education, or their general lazy nature, because, of course, if someone is poor, it is because they're lazy.

I can imagine how the idea that your money is going towards someone else's benefit may be disconcerting to think about, but it's not like everyone else isn't doing the exact same thing for you. After all, isn't that what Medicare is? Isn't that what social security is? Yes, right now, part of your paycheck is going towards some senior's health care and retirement income. You mad? You shouldn't be. Younger generations will take care of you when your time comes, too. Doesn't it sound like a good idea to apply this to health care and education for the whole nation? If you're part of a low income family, you'll still have access to higher education. If you're struck with a serious medical condition, you won't need to sell your house to pay for its treatment. Isn't that nice?

One thing I haven't heard Bernie Sanders talk about yet is the current privatization of public services like prisons and healthcare. Whenever profit is the goal, the people themselves become secondary, and that's unacceptable.

Update: Never mind, Bernie Sanders just talked about the moral repugnance of privatized prisons on Facebook four hours ago.

What [lack of] luck!

When my mom was with me waiting for Costco to open their doors among a hoard of other people, she brought up the idea of postponing our northeast adventure for next year because of a "bad feeling" she's been having about the trip. If this was coming from any other person, I would scoff at her and roll my eyes. But... my mom has had several experiences in her life that solidified her belief in the existence of God and that these bad feelings she gets is a warning from Him about some impending doom if she does not stray from her current course. So, here we are, thinking about cancelling everything over a whim. I'm more concerned about finding a way to reuse funds for Jet Blue, of all airlines.

Anyway, we're on schedule to replace the dry rotted exterior window trim around the house, starting with the most grievous one. Though, once it was removed, we noticed the wood within the walls was rotted, too, including some structural supports.

The window didn't seem to be the source of the leak, however, and so it was then that a hole in the roof was found where the rain gutters were improperly installed and was essentially pouring all the rainwater into the hole in between the walls.

Now we're trying to think about how to make this claim on the house or sue previous homeowners for negligence and incompetence. It's no fun having a lot of drama in your life.