Seriously, though

Well, my has been most occupied with... snowboarding!!!  Hoo-rah!  I went snowboarding for the first time two weeks ago and--after three runs down the bunny hill--I was going down a real run!  I'm going again this coming Saturday (night skiing at Brighton.)  

Over Spring Break, I journeyed with Michelle and Alec to the magical land that all the goblins call "Portland."  It's a pretty awesome place.  It's very urban but also extremely clean because of all the rain.  It's green, literally and politically--the most bike-friendly and dog-friendly city in these United States.  While we were driving to Cannon Beach (so named because of a one-foot long, fake cannon at the entrance), I saw some sad sights.  There were areas of the forest leveled for you greedy tree-eaters.  That one trip made me decide to focus on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, and Portland State University happens to teach a master's certificate in that area.  So, in the near future, you may have to drive twelve horrible but beautiful hours to visit me!  

School has become a joke.  I skip two of my classes regularly to work my new job.  I skip Survey of Jazz (the class that I do absolutely nothing for) and Microeconomics.  Now, you might think it peculiar that I would skip micro when econ is my major.  But I'm really just applying what they teach to my life.  See, every decision you make has its corresponding opportunity costs.  Every hour I waste in class, I could be earning a wage.  So really, the prof should give me bonus points for taking his teachings to heart.  

So yeah.  

It's Been Awhile...

Hello, community of fellow bloggers.

It has been awhile since I've blogged--a good four or so months.  I guess nothing very interesting has happened to me lately...  But that's a lie.  So, I'll satiate all your appetites for more fun-filled stories of Stefan's life.

I moved back to Utah and started attending the U.

The end.  

Uh...

The other night, I was coming back from the library.  I heard this loud rustling around the corner, and for a second, I thought it was someone hiding, waiting to jump me.  I turn the corner and, lo and behold, I saw two squirrels paw-locked, fighting each other.  They were ramming their bodies into each other's backs.  I felt like I should've broken them up.  And yes, they were fighting; I made sure.  So, I just continued walking, wondering to myself, "How often do you see two squirrels fighting each other at midnight on the sidewalk?" 

Careers, Anyone?

Have you ever had a brief moment of panic when the question, "What am I gonna do with my life?" crosses your mind?  Well, a lot of people here are considering transferring schools, and it got me thinking.  There's a really cool liberal arts college called Eugene Lang College in New York City that I was thinking of applying to.  I was also considering George Washington University, which is more in the center of DC.  But before I could even contemplate applying, I had to think about what I want to do with my life.

Being exposed to so many internationally-related ideas here at American really did something to me.  In the past, I've considered being a social worker, a psychologist, and now an employee for the government or a nongovernmental organization that focuses on international development.  Yeah.  Being a social worker or a psychologist is grand and all, but it makes me feel like I would just be a little pinprick on the map - kind of absorbed in my own world.  Internationally-oriented careers make me feel like I'm part of something bigger than myself, like I'm more connected with the people of this earth.

So I know that I'm going to continue studying International Studies.  But I might apply to George Washington University...  

Politics in Utah?

So, this is what I decided.

Obama and McCain are NOT the lesser of two evils. This "lesser than two evils" phrase is a Republican concoction, created because of denial and of the social taboo associated with the word "liberal." I can guarantee all of you that the Democratic platform will improve America's shape, in the international sense as well as the domestic one.

Bush really screwed up on the international stage. Approval ratings of the US right after 9/11 were really high from across the world. Most European countries were well over 75%. Today, the ratings are as low as 11% - and don't forget this is Europe we're talking about (England, France, Germany, etc). This is because Bush has broken so many international laws and is continuously at odds with the UN. His policies have been very arrogant. For example, a branch of the UN is the International Criminal Court (ICC), which tries people for breaking international laws and committing crimes against humanity. The US does not support this court and refuses to take part in its processes. Know why? Because they are seriously concerned that Bush will get tried there.

Staying in Iraq = bad idea. Bush is occupying two countries - Iraq and Afghanistan - and he lowered taxes because of Republican domestic pressure (Republicans really, really like lower taxes). The result is a deficit of trillions and trillions of dollars. The dollar has also declined in value compared to other currencies. The British pound is worth more than two dollars, and the Euro is almost worth two dollars. McCain would like to remain in Iraq until "victory" is achieved. The idea of "victory" is blurred; there is no definitive idea of it. Is it stability in Iraq? Is it stability AND a full functioning democracy? What is it? And when can the soldiers start coming home? The Middle East doesn't really like America right now. One reason is the fact that the US is so biased when it comes to Israel. Another is past wrongdoings. Before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the CIA propped up the Shah of Iran and protected him from being overthrown. The Shah was an outright tyrant that thoroughly suppressed the Iranian people. So, why would the US keep a tyrant in power? The Shah was friendly and had access to plenty of oil. During Desert Storm, Bush Senior encouraged the minorities of Iraq to rise up and overthrew Saddam Hussein. They did so. The US didn't back them up; instead, Saddam massacred thousands of rebels - men, women, and children. How would Americans like it if a foreign country occupied the US, implementing an 8 o'clock curfew (which has been in effect for five years) and allowing citizens to break the rule of law and creating chaos? The Iraqis want us out. The soldiers want out. It's time to get out.

In regards to the oil crisis. McCain wants to drill in Alaska. Obama wants oil companies to develop the land that they've already bought until a viable source of energy is available. Drilling in Alaska will ruin the wildlife preserve, continue to worsen global warming, and allow oil corporations to continue making profits. The Republicans want to drill oil because oil executives pay them A LOT of campaign contributions to push the agenda. Cause what would happen to the oil industry if the US gets off oil? Exactly. Drilling Alaska will only make the US more dependent on oil, and there won't be an incentive to develop new technologies. Now is the time to get off oil, not later.

Well, anything beyond this will probably just be my opinion. I mean, I've put a lot of my opinion in the paragraphs above, but they are sound and logical opinions. I understand if there's one or two issues that really decide who you vote for. But I just wanted to tell you the straight facts so that you'll at least know what else it is that you're voting for.

C'est la Vie

C'est la vie.  Literally translated, it means "that is the life."  Perhaps more comparable would be "thus is life."  That's all we can say, really: thus is life/c'est la vie.  Do you ever catch yourself thinking about the fond memories of the past?  And it feels like you can just reach your hand through the surreal and fuzzy surface to get back to that past?  It feels so accessible, especially when you dream about it.  

But it's gone.  It is so difficult to grasp that fact that I wonder how many of us have really done so.  I think that during the best times of our lives, life feels like true reality.  Life feels... real.  And there is nothing more real than the moment you are experiencing.  Then there are the moments between these realities.  They feel so dreamlike.  It feels like you're just dreaming some horrid dream and you'll wake up to what is really reality in a few moments.  But as time passes, you realize that that's not the case.

Then those amazing moments of "reality" start to fade in your memory.  They get fuzzy.  You wonder if they even happened.  Then, they too, become somewhat of a dream.  The present moment feels like a dream.  The past feels like a jumble of dreams.  What doesn't feel like a dream, anymore?  Dreams don't.  The dreams that you get in when you sleep.  They feel more like reality than anything else during your waking hours.  In fact, I'm wondering if I'm actually typing a blog in the real world as I type this, right now.  

All I really want is to find reality again.  And to dismiss the past as a dream long gone that is unreachable, even unfathomable.  I want the past to become diminished, like the pasts of our childhoods - of little consequence.  In the words of Bono, "You've got to leave it behind."  Then, maybe, I can find some reality again.  It's rough, but thus is life.  C'est la vie.    

Never Blogged Before

Now that we have all gone our separate ways, I believe blogs are the way to go.  So long as everyone updates, those of us who are interested will continue to be updated.  I encourage all ya'll to create a blog, so that while I'm here in DC, I can still stalk you.  Because I love stalking.  Yum!