yes we can...

As promised, here is a video of the crowd in Harlem at the end of Obama's acceptance speech.

the results are in...

I have been meaning to write on the outcome of the election but frankly I have struggled to decide how I feel about all of it. After a few days to really think about it, my thoughts are as follows:
The hope that I feel knowing President Elect Obama will be taking the reigns is great. I look forward to the changes he will bring but understand his journey, and ours, will be a difficult one. I can only hope that the country is able to unite in support of our new president. In order to succeed, we must acknowledge that he has a lot on his plate to deal with. He has said it before, things may get worse before they get better- but they WILL get better.
On election night, I was at a late dinner party with friends when the results were announced. We celebrated with toasts and cheers before taking to the streets. My friends and I found ourselves in a mass of celebration. Our parade of thousands stopped traffic and walked (chanting the whole way) from 116th and Broadway, Columbia's main intersection, to the heart of Harlem at Malcolm X Blvd and Martin Luther King Jr. High fives, hugs and screams were shared with strangers as people came together to celebrate such an important historical event. (I will post my videos/pictures soon) The excitement was palpable and as I looked around, we were making our own history. The rich, white, ivy league kids were celebrating with the homeless, people who live in the projects, people who we had been warned to avoid and who avoided us. We had not only crossed the line into the community we are so often at odds with, we had totally blended into a multicolored group of joy. We were not wealthy, poor, white, black, smart, dumb, at risk or successful. We were a united group of Americans coming together in our shared beliefs. It was a truly awesome experience to be a part of.
That being said, this voting season was bitter sweet for me. In California, many propositions were on the ballot- a few of them concerning topics that are very meaningful to me:
Prop 2 - Standards for Confining Farm Animals - passed
I was very happy to hear that Californians recognize the importance of animal life and that we have a moral obligation to reduce pain and suffering to the best of our ability. Of course this is no where near the end of the fight for animal rights, but progress is progress.
Prop 4 - Parent Notification Before Terminating Minor's Pregnancy - not passed
The right to choose is something I have struggled with for a while. Ultimately, however, I believe that it is a personal decision and the option should be available. By passing this law, we are saving many young girls from dangerous back alley procedures. Parents who have a problem with this proposition should instead look at their relationships with their daughters and consider why they need this law. I know that if I had a daughter I would want to know if she was in this position, but I plan on ensuring that by being a supportive and understanding mother- and teaching safe sex to begin with. You shouldn't need a law to ensure you know what's going on in your kid's life. It's called communication.
Prop 8 - Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry - passed (as of nov. 8)
This is where the words stop forming complete sentences. The bitterness cited above is encapsulated completely with the passage of this proposition. California, whether we like it or not, is the front runner in gay rights and liberal thinking in general. I have always been immensely proud of that but now- I am ashamed. This is not the California I love. The most difficult part, for me, is that gay marriage was legal. This was not an initiative to legalize it- to make progress. This was a proposition to take a step BACK in civil liberties; to strip rights from such an important community in our state. The LGBT community is not a hidden minority in the golden state; yes I take into account I live between San Francisco and Guernville. I just don't understand how something that was legal and not causing any problems (did you hear about huge protests and rallies against gay marriage?) could be so quickly taken away by the state in our union that is known for equality and progress. People who voted yes on 8 are not the Californians I know and love. This is not what California is about. If you voted yes on 8, I highly encourage you to move to another state- clearly you don't stand for what Californians are supposed to be about. A friend from the east coast asked me tonight, "if not California, then where?" His point was clear- California is a leader. We were doing so well to show the rest of the country that we can have gay marriage and be ok. What will they think now? We have not only ruined equality in our own state but deterred the hope for it in our country as a whole.

a moment of silence...

On November 4, at some point during the afternoon, Ralph lost his battle with his swim bladder condition. After being sick for a few weeks, we are able to express our thanks that he is no longer suffering. Together just over a year, Ralph will be remembered fondly. His body was laid to rest in Morningside Park on November 6th. The service was a private one - only a few close friends present. May he rest in peace.

In lieu of flowers, please take good care of your pets. A strong supporter of animal rights, Ralph's memory lives on with the passage of Proposition 2 in California.

if magic 8 balls were real...

Dear Magic 8 Ball,
Here is a list of questions I need answered ASAP. Thanks.
Your Friend, Camille

What comes next?
Do I want to go to grad school?
Where do I want to go if I do?
Will I get in?
What schools offer comparative psychology PhD programs?
What sort of degree is needed to work with animals in a zoo?
Where do I want to live?
Am I going to Europe in the fall?
How do you use a real washing machine that doesn't have explicit directions?
Health Insurance...wtf?
When can I get a puppy?
What about love?
Am I going to talk to these friends after graduation?
What about money?
How will I pay rent, bills, for a car, for food?
Why haven't I signed up to take the GRE yet?
Why haven't I done better in classes?
Who am I going to ask for recommendations?
What about all the things in life I'm not going to get to do?
Will my worst fears come true?
Can I run away to a remote island and live in a hut?
Please?

just so you know...

GObama! and NO ON 8!

a reminder...

I came across this image today on College Humor. It less funny than sad; besides that the four issues noted are quite typical of red states. It is, however a good reminder that parts of the country don't see eye to eye with the blue states I run in (NY and CA). What's concerning to me is not the disagreement - everyone is entitled to their opinion on anything - instead what makes me cringe is the flagrant slander. Quotes around "Hussein" which is in red so as to stand out and Barack wearing a turbin are clear intentions of using Arab references to portray Obama negatively. This is just a sad attempt of hiding a racist insult by pretending its a political message just because you mention some policy standings (out of context, mind you). Obama isn't even Arab or Muslim or anything related so their racism is also incorrect. And we all know- two wrongs never make a right.

love is all you need...

Anyone who says animals can't love... I have no words.
My mom originally showed me this story a while back but I recently came across it agian. Stuff like this brings me to tears. Happy, happy tears.
(Please ignore the cheezy music)

a new direction...

Today, in an outing to Central Park with my roommate, we came across a raccoon. People commented as he made his way to a tree and proceeded to climb up. Everyone seemed to be satisfied with their sighting but I wanted more.
I quickly got my sandwich out of my bag and cautiously made my way over to his tree. I had his attention as the scent of turkey and bread made its way to him. Within a few minutes he had climbed down to get pieces of bread I'd laid out for him. I could tell he didn't quite trust me yet so I kept my distance. Every once in a while I'd put a piece a little closer, slowly closing the gap between us. After some time, and lots of patience and pictures, Ricky (as we now refer to him) was taking bread out of my hand. I could feel his leathery little hands and his pointy little nails scraping the crumbs from my palm. He even sat back and looked around while eating next to me- letting me know that he trusted me. I ran out of sandwich pretty soon but that didn't stop him from going through our bags. He took the wrapping from my hand (I hadn't offered it but he insisted) and inspected it for leftovers. Finding none, we said our goodbyes. He went back to his tree and Becky and I began our journey home. I left the park beaming.
Most people who know me know I love animals. I love taking care of Ralph, often brag about my cat Pumpkin, have spent time volunteering in an animal shelter, and am passionate about animal rights and cruelty issues. Seeing an animal in pain is the worst thing in the world to me, even worse than seeing human suffering. I have always taken pride in my ability to gain trust from and interact with animals but now I am realizing - this is something I want to pursue.

are they kidding?

I'm just going to be honest: I, as a woman in the United States, feel offended and ashamed of the republican party's candidate for Vice President. Clearly when Senator McCain looked at his list of possibilities, someone said "Oh HEY! Maybe if we pick a woman we'll get Hilary's old votes! LOOK THERE'S ONE! SARAH PALIN!"
And so, Sarah became, as we so lovingly put it, literally a heart beat from the presidency of our country. I've heard all the hype about the unbelievable gossip and controversies going on in her life, I've read the reports on her lack of experience or foreign policy thoughts, and I watched the SNL spoofs, laughing along at the obvious overtones of sexism and stupidity. Surely she can't be as bad as they say. Surely the republicans don't think that americans will fall for such an obvious move.

Check out SNL's portrayal of the woman of the hour...


Now, watch the REAL Palin speak with Couric. Here
Let's revisit some of the REAL dialogue:
Katie Couric:When it comes to establishing your world view I am curious what papers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped...
Sarah Palin: I have read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media
KC: like what ones specifically, I am curious?
SP: all of 'em, any of 'em that have been in front of me over all these years
KC: can you name any?
SP: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news to.
Are these people serious? Of course we are all familiar with politicians avoiding answering tough questions... But all Palin had to say was "Time" or "Newsweek" or something like that. It didn't even have to be true- just drop a name! Instead she gives us that stupid grin SNL makes so much fun of. Adorble it may be, but effective- no.
I'm usually not a fan of re-blogging, but My friend Jimmy had some great thoughts on this issue. He writes...

Does anyone find it offensive that McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate?
I remember thinking during her first speech at the RNC (about her and Hillary Clinton breaking the glass ceiling) that this has to be the most offensive political tactic in a long time. Not only is she running against Hillary Clinton's (whom she claimed as her partner in this) party, she is pretty much the polar opposite of HillDawg as far as their views are concerned.
To me this feels like the republican party is simply saying, "Here you go feminists. Here is your woman. Happy? Please vote for her and get back to what you were doing in the kitchen." Palin is simply a tool that is being used to steal woman voters, women who were originally going to vote for Hillary. The Republican party and McCain are basically saying vote for this woman regardless of her views because she is a woman, not because she has anything to bring to the White House. It seems as if though they are expecting women to vote only on the basis of description and not substance, as if they are trying to trick women into voting for them by throwing Palin at them.
This shows no respect towards what women were fighting for when they were supporting Hillary. This is a slap to the face of Hillary's cause. This is idiotic and offensive and it demonstrates clearly how low McCain is going to go to steal votes. There is no glass cieling being broken here, she is not even the first female VP candidate. Don't be fooled.

I couldn't have put it better myself, James. And that's why I stole yours. :)

and the winner is...

I found this "game" on CollegeHumor and kept it in mind while watching the Presidential Debates. I'm glad I didn't play along because McCain definitly said "bipartisan" more than enough times for me to reach my limit.

On another note- Obama was heard saying "That's not true" many times while McCain was talking. I feel like during a presidential election, and the debate especially, this is not a time to not have checked your facts.

I'm just excited for the VicePresidential Debate. I missed Palin's speech during the RNC so I'm excited to not only hear her talk, but see her under the pressure of a debate. More on her later...

never have I ever...

One of my favorite social/drinking games is "Never Have I Ever." For those who don't know, the basic version of the game is that everyone starts with all ten fingers up and each player takes a turn finishing the phrase "never have I ever..." Whoever HAS done that persons example has to lose a finger and/or (depending on the rules) take a drink. Last person to have a finger up/beverage left wins.

I am incredibly bad at this game for two reasons: 1- I apparently have done a lot of things and tend to get out quickly. 2- Since I have done a lot of things, I can't think of things I haven't done and therefore get yelled at for taking to long to come up with something when it's my turn.
So, I am taking to my blog to try and come up with things I haven't done. I'd really appreciate if those of you who read this thing and can think of things to add to the list would hit the COMMENT button below and help me out. On that note, friends, I am aware that the game itself, due to its nature and environment of play, can get sexual and inappropriate very quickly. Let's try to keep it clean here. (On second thought, these are technically things I HAVEN'T done, so Mommy and Daddy can't get mad!) Either way, I am trying to come up with obscure, entertaining tidbits that most people have done, that I have not.
Here's what I have so far: Never have I ever...

-played Monopoly

-seen Scarface, the Godfathers, Psycho, Pulp Fiction, most of the Indiana Jones, Matrix II or III, or most other highly rated movies of our generation

-gone skydiving

-gotten a tattoo

-broken a bone (only my nose, twice, which is technically cartilage)

-gotten into a real fist fight

-gone further than a kiss on a first date

Additions:

-read a Harry Potter book

-watched an episode of Saved By the Bell or 90210

-watched Heroes, Lost, or Entourage

Alright folks, help me out here. If you've thought of something but you're not sure if I haven't done it, add it anyway. I'll be going through the comments and adding to the list so check back to see if your suggestions make it.

love is in the air...

In addition to the many "pets" we have in our apartment (Ralph, Fred the plant, Ted the mini plant, Curly, Binky and Felix the cat, our stuffed animals) we have a new friend. His name is Pete and he is a pigeon who lives in the shaft between our apartment and the apartment building next to us. Many nights, as I settle into bed, I am lulled to sleep with cooes outside my window. Occasionaly, Pete stops by one of our window sills to, as we interpret, say hello.
The other night, Pete had a friend over. We call her Pamela. As I was laying in bed, I heard his cooes but this time, they were joined by hers. Based on what I hear, it appears Pamela is Pete's girlfriend.
Let's just say they had a good night together.

reunited and it feels so good...

Ralph, my black moor split tailed gold fish, was returned to me Saturday evening. He had been living in Jersey with my good friend, Dean. I am happy to say he is safe and sound and is currently napping in his sea cave (as per usual). He takes after his mommy, loves to sleep. I'm sure my poor little shwoopie is tuckered out not only from the move , but party festivities last night.
So glad he's home. :)

house warming shindig...

Last night we hosted our first party at our new apartment. I say first because based on how things went, we will surely have many, many more. We prepared for the party by obviously tidying up (doing dishes and putting breakable things in safe places) but my roommate stopped me before I could mop the floors (I good idea since a- no one cares and b- they need to be mopped more now anyway). We found an awesome wholesale beer warehouse on 207th street and we stocked our fridge full with over 150 beers for only about $90. Good beers too, none of that crappy PBR shit. As we finished getting ourselves ready, we popped open a beer and sat on our couch waiting for the guests to arrive.
At about 10:45 (the party "started" at ten) we were a little worried. Maybe all those "friends" we thought we had only hung out with us because they had to. None of them would actually make the effort to come to a party at OUR house. Maybe we were no where near as semi-cool as we thought we were. No one was here.
Suddenly, the door opened and in walked two friends, closely followed by another six. Within minutes beers were in hand and a steady stream of friendly faces was coming in the door. Our doorbell (which we named "the goose" because when you hear it, you think it's a dying goose) was constantly ringing; friends calling friends and more and more people wanting to come up to our humble abode. Groups changed, people came and went, but for the most part- people stayed and enjoyed themselves. The music was playing, the beer was flowing, and festivities were being had. At the most, I'd say about 30 people were here at once. Probably about 50 total throughout the evening. Groups separated into different areas of our apartment. Becky's room served as a more quiet area for intimiate conversations. My room was a relaxing space to lounge and listen to cool tunes. And the kitchen/living room was party central with the fridge and stereo system. At around 3:30 people started to hit a max. There was still plenty of beer but our bodies were incapable of ingesting much more. The final few of us enjoyed conversation on Becky's bed with our final drinks. Shortly there after, both Becky and I found ourselves congratulating each other as we passed out in my room. The final guests said their good byes and left us to our slumber.
We awoke this afternoon to about 30 or so beers left in the fridge, not a bad mess at all (people abided by the garbage bags) and a mild, if that, hangover. Success was ours.

Obamccain...

So tonight was the Service Nation discussion at my school which featured appearances by senators John McCain and Barrack Obama (and celebrity guest, Toby Maguire?). Their talks were nationally televised so I won't go into a revision of what all was said. All I can say is that going into the event, I had pretty low expectations for McCain and equally high expectations for Obama. Frankly, in this instance (and this one alone) I have to give it to McCain. He exceeded my expectations and delivered thoughtful and interesting responses to the questions posed. Obama, on the other hand, seemed less interested and, dare I say, cocky, with his responses. It has been well publicized that he has little pride in Columbia, his undergraduate Alma Mater, and he appeared to carry that with him in his talk, despite the overwhelming support he received from the institution. McCain, who's daughter just graduated from CU last year, spoke positively of our school and paid special attention to not offend his host.
One thing that had me exceptionally angry, which has nothing to do with with of the candidates speeches, was the poor planning that went into this even on Columbia's part. The lottery system that decided which students would be present in the room of the event made sense. Obviously such a popular event needs a fair and equal opportunity way to decide who can go. However, after stressing that the audience would be made up of entirely CU students, only about 150 actually got tickets into the event (the auditorium holds well into the 1000s). The rest of us had to settle for the "jumbo-tron" in our quad. Here's where things got tricky- for the first half of the event (before the candidates began) the screen either had no sound, was in black and white, or was just wonky looking. After resetting the system, administrators did their best to keep the picture and sound rolling and it became less distracting as the words of our possible future president took over our attention. However, the initial complications made the event all the more disappointing.
On a lighter note- as I was walking to get a seat at 5pm, I was passing brigades of secret service and police officers. One of the secret service men said to his comrades that it was time to "Begin Operation [unintelligible]." In response, a police officer leaned in to one of his comrades, near me, and said "how about some Operation Dunkin' Donuts!" True story.

this just in...

So for the summer I usually leave my TV with a friend since putting it in storage is expensive and I can't exactly take it on the subway to my uncles. I usually have friends staying on campus or that live nearby who offer to take it off my hands on the condition they get to use it (which I'm totally fine with.) Last Spring I was scrambling to find someone to take it when my neighbor at the time offered to help me out. When I came back to school this Fall we hung out a few times and spoke often. Phrases like "Oh, I have to get you your TV!" or "Hey let me know when I can get my TV back from you" were exchanged fairly often.
Cut to just now... I received a post on my wall of one simple word: "Fuck." Being that both of our lives are filled with drama I thought nothing of it and IMed her to see what the problem was. She promptly called me and informed me that her mother THREW OUT my TV.
Who the fuck throws away a perfectly good television? Especially without asking where it came from and if it belonged to someone.
BUT- here's the catch: she is not offering to replace it in any way. Granted I found the TV at school and "borrowed" it for free, but it is still of monetary value. Now, if I want a TV, I would have to buy a new one. To me, if you are responsible for someones belonging, regardless of what it is or how much they spent on it, and you lose it, you should do your best to replace it. No questions asked. Perhaps common decency is not as common as I would have hoped.

oh Columbia...

This is awesome.

Also- James Franco (and other celebs) go to my school. I passed him on the way to class and we made eye contact. Dreamy, you ask? Dreamy.

update on computers...

I got my dell back today. As I turned it on I held my breath, praying the display didn't short out on startup as it had done so many times before. As of now- it works! It's so nice to be able to type on a keyboard with working keys. (I had been using my old computer that, due to an unfortunate tea accident, lacked working G, H, ", and Backspace keys.) Now I can take my computer to class and take (better?) notes...
On a similar note- I'm trying to figure out a plan of attack for transfering my itunes library from my ipod/old computer to this one. Anyone know how I can get it in its entirety, playlists and all? (Even the songs that aren't on my ipod?)
Oh and speaking of ipod, my ipod touch is now officially tricked out. For some reason I was unaware of all the applications you could get for FREE! I always knew I was missing random, useless, timewasting, gems of entertainment that I can take with me wherever I go. :)

a new motto...

"Instead of wishing you could be; do and you will become."
I used to admire those people who were confident enough to do something unique. I still do. But lately, I've realized the only thing that sets me apart from these stylish, young, go-getters is that I hold myself back. Questioning myself, "can I pull that off?" "what will so-and-so think?" The confidence I once had in myself, and trust in those around me, was gone. I needed to jump start my mojo- do something crazy to remind myself I am unique in some way; that I am the one in control of my life. So- I cut my hair off.
Now, I'll be the first to admit- it's just hair. It will grow back and it's not a big deal. And it's not like I shaved my head- the cut I have is stylish and flexible with my mood. A lot of women in my family have short hair including my mom and my always stylish cousin, Zoe. So it's not like I am in untrodden territory now. But, you'd be surprised the amount opposition I faced. Friends telling me not to go through with it; that it was a bad idea and I would regret it. But, as usual, when I set my sights on something, I do it regardless of what people say- or at least I try to. So I did it and, I'll admit, at first I regretted it. I didn't hate it- but I most definitely did not love it. But now that I am letting myself have more fun with it (faux-hawk, spiking, etc) I am enjoying it so much more.
The best part, I think, is seeing other people's reactions. People who thought I would never do something like this; those people who consider stylish/short hair only for the artsy and trendy people (as I once thought). Seeing that glint in their eye as they reevaluate me and my coolness factor has proved quite entertaining. I've realized hair doesn't mean a thing...I am the same me. It's just fun to see people wondering to themselves "when did Camille get cool?" Newsflash- always been awesome sauce- but if crazy, nontraditional hair is what it takes to share that, so be it.

I hate computers...

...and they hate me. Seems no matter what brand, model or program- I have the uncanny ability to freeze the system. Friends are hesitant to let me use their computers for this reason and I wish I had some way to explain it. Technology and I just do not get along.
Recently, my thoughts were confirmed when I purchased a new laptop in December (tea had spilled on my last one renduring most of the keys useless). My new dell arrived and it was so pretty. I turned it on a marveled at the display (I had gotten an upgraded graphics card). Everything was bliss until I tried to transfer over my files from my old computer. Apparently the program that came with the laptop to do this only worked if both computers used the same operating system. Why would someone buy a new computer with the same OS- isn't the point to upgrade? Anyway, my first call to dell ended up with them telling me I had to transfer everything manually.
A few days later, my system was running really slow- ridiculously slow. Like, you would click the start button and you could have a cup of tea before it would open the menu. Three system restores, four default resets, sending in the system, two new memory chips, and a new harddrive finally fixed that problem. It had cost me about six months for them to correctly identify and fix the issue. When I had asked to return the system because it didn't work they said I had passed the 20 day limit. (I had reported the problem in about 14 days but THEY had taken so long to fix it so now it was too late). Then my power cable wasnt working to charge the battery. Got a new one of those two. I thought my problems were a thing of the past and my new laptop and I would dance into the sunset hand in hand as I transfered my files over for what I thought would be the last time.
Cut to today- I'm getting a new motherboard because my Nvidia display chip/driver is malfunctioning. Seems like one problem gets fixed just as a new one begins. Yet again I will have to reset my settings, pick a background, add my internet favorites, download aim and begin the neverending process of transfering over my files.
I've teried my best to be cordial to the representatives I have to deal with- it's not their fault I got a lemon. What bugs me the most is at the end of every call, every online tech support chat, every dell connect session, they end with the line "Thank you for choosing dell- have a nice day."
Well, Dell, I am NOT thankful I chose you. In fact I regret it. And I would have had a perfectly fine day had it not been for you and this crappy computer. I wish I would have gotten a Mac. (They're prettier too)

how it started...

After a long time of wanting to start a blog, but being discouraged by the pressure of coming up with something worth reading, I have finally been pushed into doing it. Credit can go to my good friend Christian. I can say now that my ramblings will be neither as coherent or deep as his but I shall try to come up with things that will (hopefully) keep your attention. Since I’ve already mentioned him, let’s go with the flow and continue our little shout out to Christian. Despite our disagreements on society, morals, and other things, I have to credit Christian with helping me to better find who I am and what I believe. He pushes me on a daily basis, whether it be with his test questions which “everyone should know the answer to” or philosophical banter, he keeps me thinking and (re)discovering what I think and care about. Hopefully, after convincing me to start up this journal of sorts, it will be another thing to add to the list of things he has taught me about myself. Sorry if this sounds like a tribute to him or our friendship but just wanted to give credit where credit is due. So, thanks xtian.