"Winning..."

Okay, so as most of you know, I am not a political person.  It gives me anxiety to say the least.  :)  HOWEVER, I want to put this out there so that I feel as though I actually have a voice, even if it isn't one that will ever be heard by these selfish people that we call public servants.

Like many Americans (say 45 million...), I watched the State of the Union Address on Wednesday evening and was disgusted by what I saw.  Yes, that is right, not by what I heard.  What I saw.  The room is divided (that word creates our first problem in this scenario...) Dems, Reps, Independents.  And on more than 25 occasions there were points in President Obama's speech that caused certain members of the house and senate to clap, stand, or both.  

Now, although I tend to have liberal views, I am by no means "pleased" with democrats at the moment. So don't think you Dems are getting off that easy.  However, when President Obama says that it is time to focus on main street Americans and tax these big banks that hurt so many Americans, or when he says that we cannot allow millions of Americans to go without healthcare any longer, and not ONE single Republican stands up or claps...that is worrying to me.  I realize that it is an election year, and that you so called "public servants" are campaigning, but it isn't about "winning."  If you receive the most votes, you will be "elected" into office.  That in itself is not a win.  WINNING is fighting for what is best for the American people.  To say that you will not vote for things or will flat out block things from being passed, just so that the other party doesn't have that on their list of accomplishments, does not punish the other party.  It punishes the American people that need those things to be passed.  Can't you see that?  And this goes for all parties.  I am not sure if you old kogers realize that the younger generation doesn't care one little bit about your agenda or what party you want to tear down.  I am tired of hearing what the other guy did wrong.  STOP IT.  Instead, tell me what you are going to do RIGHT, for the American people that you were "elected" to represent.  Or do you not have any positive ideas for the future of our country?

What do you say we put aside our political agenda and start making the American people our priority.  After all, when you are elected into office you are representing ALL Americans, not just the ones of your own party.  I recall a speech last year that said, "And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too."  It doesn't matter which party is responsible for this quote.  What matters is that ALL of you use this as your motivation to get things done in Washington.  Because it is what is best for the American people as a whole.  Not your political party. 

Like it or not, my generation is the future of this country and if you do not start putting the American people that you campaigned so hard to represent, before your own agenda, we will not re-elect you for long.  You have been warned. 

Stairway Walks in San Francisco

I recently bought a book called 'Stairway Walks in San Francisco.'  There are these amazing stairways all over the city and the book gives you a lot of history and details about each walk.  So I think Chris and I are going to try one of them out this weekend, if his studying allows him the time!  I am really excited, because it gives you a different perspective on the city and the neighborhood that the walk is in.  Some of them are "hidden" so you would never know they are there unless someone tells you!  I will try to take some photos if we get to go this weekend, and post them next week!  Hopefully we aren't too sore afterwards!  :)

Thirsty Bear Restaurant and Brewery

Wednesday night, Chris' boss was in town from Portland, and since I worked with him as well in Portland, we all went out to dinner at Thirsty Bear Restaurant and Brewery here in the city.  :)  We had been there once before and really loved the food!  It is Spanish tapas and paella and a really fun atmosphere, so we had a great time!  It was really great to visit with Jason and hope to see him again next month!

http://www.thirstybear.com/

Chris and I are part of an Indian Food Lover's group that gets together once a month at the best Indian restaurants in San Francisco and we love it!  This past Tuesday we visited Aslam Rasoi here in the city and loved it -- in fact, Chris said it was the best Indian he has had here in the states!  And being from England, he sure knows his Indian food!  :)

The creator of the group chooses the restaurants based on their health department scores so we only visit the best and cleanest restaurants!  It works out really great, plus each month there are new and different people there so we get to meet a lot of great folks!  :)

http://www.aslamsrasoi.com/

Winter Fun

Well, Chris and I have started out 2010 with a lot of fun in the snow up at Lake Tahoe.  It is about a three and a half hour drive for us from San Francisco (on a good day), but for us it is so worth it!  In fact, of the past four weekends, we have been up on the slopes three of them!  Chris warned me that snowboarding can be addicting, and he was definitely right!  I love it!