Phew, Out of the Kitchen

Thanksgiving dinner a rousing success, and so begins the week(s) of turkey leftovers. Whipping up a turkey pot pie tomorrow. Tried today but realized at checkout that I'd forgotten my wallet and had to lurk around Billa putting back puff pastry and tossing potatoes back in their bin and then sneaking out the entrance... and by sneaking I mean running into the crowd as the alarm went off. Ohhhh, Monday.

Describe your family dynamic as a child versus your family dynamic now.

I think in general, we're all much more relaxed than we were when I was younger. We're a lot closer than ever before and it's great having siblings and parents who are also really great friends. Love you!

If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and what would you eat?

Hmmmmm... this will just highlight my inner nerd, but I'm gonna go with Anne Boleyn. She's gone down in history for her intelligence, wit and charm, so I'd imagine she would make for excellent conversation, and there is so much mystery and misinformation about her. Plus, this way I could see for myself if the rumors about six fingers and three boobs are true, plus gossip about all of those alleged affairs. Juicy stuff.

What popular notion do you think the world has the most wrong?
Where to begin, where to begin?

Jeeeeeez, there's a lot, isn't there? But I think the one that most succinctly sums up what I think is just totally off base is that there is this assumption, particularly in the US, that religion has a place in politics. It seemed like the 2012 elections were focused so closely on issues that divided people on the basis of faith. Whatever you choose to believe or not believe is fine, but when it starts to dictate who is eligible for basic rights, we need to step back. The place for those discussions is not in the government buildings.

I think the reason this bugs me so much is it's so closely tied to social issues which are incredibly important to me, and I think a lot of young people - marriage equality, birth control, women's rights... all of these came under attack from politicians this year and the arguments made over and over again were based on pick-and-choose religious "evidence". I believe there is certainly value in having a free enough society in which people can debate and express their views and feel safe enough to do so, but if we are going to have a government that's truly "of the people, by the people, for the people" then we need to remember that not all of those people adhere to those religious tenets, and certainly shouldn't be governed by them.

I know the election is over and we have a good three years before we all need to be debating who can marry who and when does life begin and whose rights trump whose, but I hope that in these next few years the US can make some strides and start acting and governing itself and taking care of its citizens in the progressive manner it likes to think it has.

Plus, this video.