10 things that freak me out.

I think issues make one interesting.

1) When I check my mailbox and there's nothing in there. Like not even a catalogue. Did the mail(wo)man forget to come today?

2) Waking up one minute before my alarm clock is set to go off. How did you do that body? HOW?!

3) Paper cuts. So tiny, SO painful. 

4) When I go to a favorite restaurant & decide to branch out & not order my "usual" item. What if I'm disappointed? 

5) The smell of asparagus pee. What happened in there?

6) Cats.

7) When I get stuck with the "Do Not Walk" hand at several consecutive crosswalks. Am I walking too fast or too slow? How do I fix this!?

8) The word (and idea that anyone would eat something called) "leeks"

9) The recurring daydream (nightmare!?) of a serious trip-and-fall wipeout in the work place. I would have to quit. 

10) People who don't like Disney World (what is wrong with you?)

We the people...

Voting. So hot right now.

I've spent a lot of time debating whether or not to get political on SeektobeMerry. As you might imagine, this girl (a Washington DC university attending (go GDubs!) poli sci major, who digs a good constitutional conversation and crushes on George Washington) is acutely focused on the current Presidential election and has some well researched and highly opinionated thoughts on all things Obama v. Romney. However, I have made the executive decision (a "Blogger Executive Order"!?) to make this a non-partisan space. Politics can be very divisive and with a mission to make you merry, I don't think my political opinion should be part of our conversation. 

But the fact is, I care. I care deeply and I think that you should too. Are the Democrats or Republicans a perfect embodiment of all your political beliefs? Probably not, but at the moment they're what we've got. Are either of these candidates going to make dramatic changes to your everyday life? Again, unlikely, but their actions will impact you and the actions they each intend to take are VERY different. I think you should be informed and you should exercise your right to have an opinion and cast a vote (a right which people fight to the death for in other nations). Your vote isn't going to fix the economy, end discrimination or stop terrorism, but it is a tiny piece of the puzzle that you get to be as an American citizen (and we all know that puzzles with missing pieces are the WORST). So this fall, take a moment to educate yourself on where these two candidates stand on issues that you feel passionately about. Few of us will have time to know every detail (lord knows I'm trying!) but we can think about things that have meaning to us (education? financial reform? gay rights? the environment? student loans?) and cast a vote for the candidate who comes closest to representing our beliefs on those issues. We the People must always believe in the possibility of a more perfect union, and we must do what we can to achieve it. VOTE!

* To check your voter registration status, find your local polling place or request an absentee ballot, click HERE.