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Ok, it snowed. But I am still worried.

This winter's weather prompted me to rent Al Gore's An Inconvienent Truth a few weeks ago. Not only did I watch it, but I also made sure my family did too. It really made me snap out of my blissful pseudo-ignorance about global warming and CO2 levels. Of course I learned all about global warming in school, but somehow it just never seemed real or terribly important. It was just another one of those things that teachers said was happening but I could never see for myself.

But now I feel like I am really seeing firsthand a change in weather. I know people say that this unseasonably warm winter is due to El Nino or something, but I just don't buy it. I am sure wind and water currents are having an impact, but there is no way this is all because of El Nino.

My genuine sadness over the weather probably merits a bit of an explanation. While I like temperate climates just as much as the next guy, I also really really love snow. It may sound strange, but part of me really believes that snow is magical and pure, and that every place looks more beautiful covered in white. This is also the first winter that I am spending home, in the area I grew up in, since I graduated high school. And some of my fondest memories of being home involve snow days: the sheer joy of waking up to a white landscape and a day off from school. I really can't imagine that thrill not being a part of life in this area, for both me and my future kids. (my family has also lived in the Princeton area for over 300 years, so chances are that I will end up settling down here)

Now I am just really worried, about the future of this planet and what life will be like in 50 years. This has gone from something that I thought about rarely to something that I think about at least once a day. I have really tried to change my lifestyle and make small improvements in the way I live.

just "W"ondering

Does anyone else remember back around the last presidential election, how there were so many cars with George W Bush stickers on them? (Maybe I saw a disproportionate amount because I was in western PA, but based on election demographics almost half of the people in this country voted for Bush... at least some of those folks no doubt had W stickers on their cars) Anyway, I have been spending a lot of time recently in my car, driving around, and I almost never see a W sticker.

Where did they all go?

At what point did George W. Bush fans decide it was time to stop declaring their endorsement to the road community? I'll bet it was a pain to get all those stickers off -- they never come off easily and always leave behind some pasty residue. I wonder if those former supporters got out the Goof Off glue remover and pulled their car into the garage so the neighbors wouldn't see them doing the deed. Or maybe they removed the sticker in the driveway for all to see, as if to say, "yup, I made a mistake".

And then I also wonder about those people still driving around with George W. Bush stickers on their cars... are they just too stubborn or proud to admit their endorsement was misplaced?

And finally, I wonder about which cars probably once had a W sticker on them... I'll bet some of more than a few Hummers once did. Environmental policy is clearly not a key issue for those folks.

Meanwhile, I am depressed because it is never going to snow again, and I am going to have to explain to my future kids what snow is.

jobs jobs jobs

I had a job interview today in NYC for a job working on exhibitions at the Japan Society.

I am also a semi-finalist for a job in DC working for the government, probably in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Too soon to tell for sure what will happen with this one, the application process is pretty drawn out and it will be at least a month or two before I know anything.

I also have an interview for a research position with a Buddhist studies journal on Wednesday...

so far I am loving January. Suddenly everyone is hiring.

Copycat

I would just like to share that my green suit jacket is currently being worn by a woman in a Singulair commercial...Those of you who were hanging around the Tri Delta house during spring of 2005 know which suit I am talking about.

I still love that suit, even though it would NEVER have been suitable for the BOC.

Can I just say...

that this article made me want to shoot myself in the face?

http://michaelrobertson.com/archive.php?minute_id=226

I particularly enjoyed the part where he writes, "There are no mentions to avoid majors like art history, medieval literature, philosophy or other degrees with low earning potential."

Did I mention that I recently got a job at Bath and Body Works for $7.35 an hour? Yup, that Master's degree investment is definitely paying off.