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sufferage

The Sea*ttle Ti*mes ran a lovely article with an informal poll if people would vote for a woman to be president. I was amazed at how many wouldn't. Here are a few sample quotes:

"Hillary can go to hell," said Alice Aszman, 66, a Democrat from Ottumwa. "I'll never vote for her. I don't think a woman should be president. I think a man should. They've got more authority."

Her husband, Daniel, 50, also a Democrat, agreed: "I think women should stay home instead of being boss."

"I am not quite sure she can be as strong as a male in that position, in a presidential position," said Dionne, of Lake Stevens. "It seems it's always been for men. Men are always the strongest."

I can't believe people honestly say that stuff. Actually I can. It's a great argument against universal sufferage.

I found the following interesting:

A July poll of likely Democratic caucus-goers by the University of Iowa found that Clinton had 30 percent support among women and 18 percent among men. By comparison, there was no difference in gender support for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who got 21 percent from both men and women.

3:35 p.m. - Aug. 21, 2007

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bears on the brain

We saw the bear pictured below grazing for blueberries during our hike on Saturday.

This is my third bear sighting. The first occurred in Den*ali Nation*al Park from the safety of a park bus. It wasn't scary. I saw an adult male as well as an adult female with three cubs. They were so far away binoculars were necessary to see them properly.

My second sighting was on Van*couver Island. We'd driven 15 miles on a dirt road (from a unpopulated area) to an empty parking lot and then hiked to the coast. We were the only people around. The area was just completely wild. We look up, and not far away but separated from us by a gully is an enormous bear. Staring at us. Gulp. We looked away. It looked away. We looked back. It looked back. It was sizing us up. We exited quickly. I was frankly terrified.

This sighting, my third, was completely different. We were in a popular wilderness area. Not far away, we could hear other hikers talking. The bear was taking no notice of us and concentrating on its blueberries. Therefore, we could stand and watch this magnificent creature at our leisure. It was amazing. Later, it basically galloped across a valley, including through water, at an amazing pace.

We saw another bear that evening from our car, but close up. That is the kind of bear sighting I prefer. Safe, but close. ;)

6:34 p.m. - Aug. 19, 2007

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sprite-ly

I realized today that I really should see a Shuttle launch before they stop flying it. I decided also that heading to Russia for a launch might also be tremendously interesting, if far more difficult. I had the good fortune to hear this man speak the other day, and it was completely fascinating. What an experience!

I received a compliment from a boss at work today. It was very nice as I have been feeling quite down-trodden lately. What was also nice is that B was as happy as I was when I told him.

This weekend, we hiked to Spr*ite Lake. It's an alpine lake at about 6100 feet. The color was that amazing aquamarine you get only from snow-melt. It was just beautiful. Also, sometimes the exercise from a good vigorous hike is just what is needed to clear the soul.

9:42 p.m. - Aug. 13, 2007

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this one should be different

I read a few blogs. Let's see: Sarah, Becca, Christina, Karen, Rosa, Mendecks, Stephanie Klein, Petite Anglaise, and Dooce. That's 9. There are a few others I read from time to time (mostly those that update only rarely) but these are the primaries. When I started reading them, only one had a kid: Petite. Now, 5 of 9 either have kids or are expecting them. I guess this is because I am a young woman and I like to read the blogs of other young women, and young women have babies. But still. It's a little weird. I feel inundated.

I'm reading An Embarrassment of Mangoes. It's a dangerous book. I'd advise folks like Becca to STEER CLEAR. Otherwise, you might find yourself quitting your job.

Friday was a really bad day at work. So was Monday. So bad, I took the opportunity to peruse a friendly job site. This perusal led me to the conclusion that I am frighteningly unmarketable. I like what I do, a lot. I like cont*rols. It's the math, the lin*ear algebra. I've always liked math. As a kid, I said I wanted to be a mathematician. This is basically what a con*trols engineer is, an applied mathematician. However, a quick search reveals there is no great demand for us, especially in the Sea*ttle area. There must be other jobs that are about math, too. I know there are. Finance, for instance. I think it's time to think about expanding my horizons. I don't want to be pigeon-holed at 35.

Anyway, if I were to move on, as it were, obvious things pop to mind. Like Pea*ce Corps. Also, if I were willing to live anywhere, not just Seat*tle, it would no doubt be easier to find a job. Unfortunately, I have become rather attached to B. I've left so many boys through the years, some much more serious than others. The majority of my relationships, in fact, have ended with separation, especially if you weight them by seriousness. This one should be different.

10:11 p.m. - Aug. 07, 2007