My Thoughts on Republicans Taking the Senate

I'd like to preface this post with a little description of my political affiliations. Technically, I'm a registered democrat - and I'd say for the most part I lean left. When it comes to social issues (as I'm sure is made evident by my historical blogs) I am a pretty hard core democrat. I'm very pro-choice, highly supportive of marriage equality and while I do not oppose guns, I support gun regulation. Fiscally I'm a little more moderate. My point in drawing attention to this is because I think it contradicts the fact that I am happy that Republicans took the Senate last night.

Let's face it, Washington has been at a stand-still for a number of years. Republicans have held the House, while democrats have held the Senate and the White House. Neither party agrees on anything and both parties have made it a point to completely oppose anything the other tries to pass. As a result the productivity in our Nation's capital, specifically in Congress, has stopped.

While President Obama (whom I support) still holds 1600 Pennsylvania Ave down, the Republicans are now in control of both segments of Congress. This means that very few potential laws to be will not make it to Obama's desk. He will be faced with two choices: 1) He can sign off on the bill, creating new laws; and 2) He will reject it. I think Barack is a rational human being. He understands how low his approval ratings sit and he knows that if he refuses to play ball, they will sink even lower. I therefore think that the majority of the time, he will choose option 1. If this ends up being the case, his last two years in office could be (from a domestic standpoint) his most productive stretch.

I'd like to end this by drawing attention to the fact that B.O. has really done a pretty good job thus far as our Chief. Our economy is one of really only two developed economies in the Western world that is experiencing decent, consistent growth. Our unemployment is the lowest its been since before the Great Recession. I believe the wage stagnation we are experiencing could become problematic, but that is no fault of Obama's, as he has actively sought to increase the minimum wage.

While I think his eight years in office have been solid, I do not disagree that a change of pace could be refreshing. I just hope that our President has the guts to grease the wheels in Washington... And kickstart our government once again.

My Thoughts on Ebola

Currently in the world, we are being hit with the worst medical catastrophe that has come about in my lifetime. Of course, I'm talking about Ebola. Let me be clear, I'm no medical expert. But I really think we, as Americans are drastically overestimating the danger this poses to us.

We have the most advanced medical technologies in the world. The finest international doctors come to American schools to get their degrees. There is a reason that this epidemic broke out in West Africa, and (for the most part) has been contained there. So calm down everyone. However, this brings me to my main point...

It really bothers me that everyone basically ignored this issue until it touched down in American and European soil. Sure, the news gave it a little coverage, but not nearly its due. This disease has plagued West Africa for months now. It continues to run rampant through countries such as Liberia. Furthermore, experts do not anticipate it slowing down for some time. So why are people just beginning to care?

I think it can be traced back to how selfish this country is. Americans have reacted just as you'd expect: ignorance until they realize they could be affected, and then fear that they alone would be affected. The thing I think is important is recognizing that this disease will most likely not spiral out of control in countries like the US and Spain. It's the countries where thousands of lives that have been taken that need help. It's the ones that continue to be plagued that need first-world support.

My Thoughts on Batman

As many of my close friends know, I'm a big fan of Batman. I own comic books, t-shirts, lunch boxes, movies, video games, underwear, a mask, a drawing, and coffee mugs that all commemorate the Dark Knight. It started off a few years ago with a couple birthday gifts from my mom, and now it's starting to become a legitimate collection.

First of all, Batman is the coolest super hero of all time. Let's start by discussing his super powers... Oh wait, that's right! He doesn't have one!! He's just super rich and has all these cool gadgets. The idea of a man who is really no different than the average joe fighting crime is a fascinating one. It makes losers like myself hope that one day, we can be badasses, fighting crimes by the cover of night. Batman represents everything that a good, generic person wishes (s)he could be.

One thing that I don't mention much is why I collect paraphernalia that represents Bruce. It's because of my mom. The reason she first started buying me stuff was because when I was a toddler, I had this batman action figure that I could not be separated with. It's because of this 'terrible-two'-toy that my mom started buying me stuff: she thought my obsession with Mr. Wayne extended to my teenage angst years. Spoiler alert: it didn't. But I welcomed the gifts with open arms because the smile my mom gets when she reflects on how I was at that age is absolutely breathtaking.

So I started collecting stuff. I started buying stuff on my own. And I will admit - I do love batman, and I love have a developing collection of batman toys. But the reason I love it is because it makes me think of Deb, and how happy she gets remembering my innocence. An innocence that Batman attempts to preserve.

My Thoughts on Cooking

As you know, I wrestled all through high school and college. I've posted about wrestling before: about the grueling demands of each workout, the time commitment that each athlete must be willing to devote and about the miserable routine of starvation that accompanies all of that. Every wrestler has a different way of dealing with the hunger that is inevitable with cutting weight. Mine was rather peculiar - I watched the Food Network TV channel every day. While others thought of this as self-inflicted torture, for me, it was as close as I could come to enjoying food without even coming close to enjoying it. A consequence of this obsession with shows like 30 Minute Meals and Guy's Big Bite came a hobby that I find to be therapeutic: cooking.

Let's make one thing clear. I hate baking. I don't care for desserts overall, but the real reason I hate baking so much is because of the precision. Every recipe needs exactly 1.23 cups of flour or 42 grains of sugar. I'm not a fan of taking measurements when I cook. I prefer to improvise. I think that's why I like it so much. It's an art that I can participate in where every meal I make can be different, and at the same time, they can all be tasty (not to say I'm a great chef - I made chicken marsala recently that basically tasted like straight marsala wine). But it's something I can create which occasionally is enjoyable.

My favorite recipe is chicken parm. Maybe it's because I love chicken parm so much, but I think the bigger reason is because I love making my own tomato sauce. I think creating your own sauces and condiments is really fun, because those are the most rare to find homemade. I know plenty of parents who cook a lot, but not many use homemade peanut butter like my mom, or make homemade hummus, like Emily's mom. Creations like these are what make different cooks unique, and my tomato sauce is something I'm proud of once I'm done.

Maybe that's why I like cooking so much. It's something for me to proud of. I'm proud of a lot of things that I've accomplished. But the pride I take in cooking is different. Being proud of something like graduating college is cool - and it's something that everyone can acknowledge. But being proud of the things I cook is just for me. If other people try my cooking, they can like or dislike it as much as they'd like, but I enjoy cooking because it's cool looking at a finished product and thinking "I created this".

My Thoughts on Derek Jeter

I know I post a lot about sports topics. Part of me feels like I should give my devoted readers some variety, but this blog is titled MY thoughts. And I think about sports a lot....

It wouldn't be write to not discuss the departure of arguably the greatest role model involved in professional sports during our this generation. The captain himself. Number 2 is playing his final few games, as we near the end of September. And what's really cool is that his last three will be here - at Fenway. I looked into tickets, but they were far out of my price range. Kind of sucks, but I'll live. Let me reiterate - I'm a die hard Red Sox fan. This year I was able to go to like 5 games at Fenway. Although the rivalry between the Sox and Yankees has dwindled in recent years, I still hate them as an organization. That being said, there are few people in the world that I re2pect as much as Derek Jeter.

Jeter has been an amazing baseball talent since I was a little kid. I remember when he lead the Yankees to 4 World Series titles in the 90s. The smile that he had after every clutch hit, the excitement he expressed after every single win. I wrote a blog last year about the beauty of  baseball. I think Jeter perfectly exemplifies this beauty. The grace by which he plays, and the class by which he conducts himself off the diamond.

It's going to make me sad watching him finish his career. I hope that in 20 years, when I have children, I hope they love baseball as much as I do. I hope they cherish the history of the sport. I hope they reflect on some of the all time greats, and ask me what it was like to watch them play. I hope that they ask me what it was like to watch Jeter so I can tell them that he was so much more than a star shortstop. He was representative of all that is right in sports; in a world where there is so much that is wrong with them.

My Thoughts on Living in the City

So I've been living in Boston for nearly three months now. I won't disclose my address to you prowlers out there but let's just say I'm basically fluent in Italian now. Growing up, I was so fascinated with cities. The vast chaos that is urban America was always something I hoped to experience first hand. Now that I've been able to fully immerse myself in one, I've come to the definite conclusion that I love living in the city.

The amount of options that I have on a day-to-day basis for activities is astounding. For example, this Thursday I'm going to a battle of the bands show, Friday I'm going to a bar, Saturday I'm volunteering at an elementary school, and Sunday Em and I will watch football (at a Vikings bar). Last Saturday we went to a free concert. The Saturday before we went on a brewery tour. The variety of activities at our disposal is enough to make an active youth content.

I think the biggest reason I'm so happy to be living here is the availability of so many sporting events. Since I moved in, I've been to three Sox games (with one more scheduled for next week) and a soccer match at Fenway. I already have tickets to two Bruins games and a BC football game as well. I love being able to watch sports as often as I do, and being able to go to games at such convenience is all I could ask for.

I know, inevitably, I'll wind up in suburban America down the road. Family, kids, etc. is sure to be in my future, and that's great. But for now, I'm perfectly content with where I am, both literally and figuratively. I could see myself living in a city for the rest of my days.

My Thoughts on Ray Rice

Whether you are a sports fan or not, it's difficult to not follow along with everything that is happening with Ray Rice and the NFL. Quick recap: Ray Rice knocked his wife (then fiancé) out in an elevator in Atlantic City a few months ago. He was seen dragging her limp body out of the elevator. He was suspended for two games by the NFL after essentially admitting his wrong, and the NFL was highly criticized for their leniency. This week, elevator footage of Rice's haymaker was released, the NFL denied knowledge of it, and just today, it came out that NFL executives had actually seen the video.

The more I think about this, the more mixed my feelings are. I think Rice is a disgusting human being. What he did is unforgivable and I could never imagine what would bring someone to physically assault someone they supposedly love. But on the other hand, he has seemed apologetic. Every time I hear him speak he sounds deeply repentant. Do I think he should be forgiven? Absolutely not. But I think there are bigger issues that some dick head's domestic disputes.

In the words of Colin Cowherd, the NFL provides the number one tv program as well as the number one sports program, which is essentially like delta airlines being the number one airline and the number one hotel chain. The power that they wield on a national level is absurd. Which makes their cover up of this scandal all the more despicable. The fact that an organization of that magnitude had knowledge of such atrocious acts by one of their employees and didn't terminate that relationship immediately is beyond me. If someone I worked with committed a similar crime, they'd be imprisoned for a long time, let alone their job security.

Basically, my point is that all entities involved need to be held accountable for their actions. Rice belongs in prison. And the NFL requires some serious personnel restructuring.