Rod...are you kidding me?

Like many other citizens of the great state of Illinois I was only moderately shocked that our governor was awoken by the Feds and hauled over to the FBI office on Roosevelt. I expected that he would be indicted for something to do with Rezko or some other shady deals at some point. I was shocked at the extent of the corruption.

Where does Rod get off thinking that this was ok? So, let's say that the snippets from the wiretaps were taken out of context. I could buy that for one of the allegations. But, really. How could that be true for the Tribune extortion, the shakedown of Children's Memorial, AND filling Obama's Senate vacancy? There is just too much here for Rod to be innocent.

So, here's the question..what's wrong with Illinois? How can our former gov be in prison for selling driver's licenses for campaign cash and now Rod??? Is Rod just stupid or is it arrogance? How could this happen? I guess everyone needs to have a moral compass to guide them. What happens to some of these folks when they get into office? What about Illinois sends the signal to some of our elected officials that this is ok?

I hope this is a wake up call to Stroger and his cronies at Cook County to clean up. I can only imagine the corruption there.

Illinois is a great state and Chicago is even better. We deserve better than this. I hope that Springfield calls a special election to remove any taint from Obama's replacement. I hope Lisa Madigan gets Rod thrown out if he's stupid enough to not resign. I hope that Obama's ppl are clean in on all of this. Hey, they probably helped turn Rod in.

I hope so.

The sky is falling...

What a weird financial time it is. In less than 1 month, the easy money, easy credit, stock market always goes up times have come crashing down resulting in a hangover much worse than may of us have ever seen. I can't remember a time when the beginning of most conversations starts with how much our 401k/529 have gone down and how we are trying to be frugal. I can't believe a $700 billion bailout and counting has not worked. I can't believe I know so many folks who have lost their jobs, know someone who has lost their jobs, or are afraid of losing their jobs. I also have an eerie feeling that the system is going to convulse again and accounts will be frozen. The fact that i couldn't access our money in the money market account was enough of a warning to have more than $20 in my wallet-or at least build up a fair amount of cash in multiple accounts. So..I discovered that Sears has nice appliances and good quality kids' jackets, eating at home really does save a lot of money, and blockbuster is a great place to rent videogames. Some of you might be saying, congrats for joining the real world. Yea, I know.

But out of the darkness, I think good will come.

Maybe America will rediscover who we are-that we have a long tradition of being an innovative, resilient country. We can figure this out. We are the country that gave the world microsoft and apple, dell, and for heavens sake, GM and Ford. Perhaps it starts with having faith in this country and a shared vision of where we are going. Perhaps it is about sacrificing for the common good. Perhaps it is about saying "I'm as mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore". Whether it be pursuing energy independence so we stop sending our money to ppl who do not like us (or bastardizing our foreign policy so we can buy oil from the ppl who do not like us). Or something smaller like protesting $1.25/20 minutes parking rates in little Oak Park :)

First 90 Days

It has truly been an interesting adventure starting/building the business over the past 90 days. I am pleased that we now have business cards, stationery, quickbooks, invoices, 1 project completed, 1 booked for August, a couple in conversation, and now a website. Woo hoo. You can check it out at www.leftexitllc.com

I am really enjoying my more flexible life. I feel like I am connecting more with the kids and have a better sense of what's going on in my life. It's funny how I have created a new "routine". When Alan decided to work from home this morning I was like, "whoa, what do I do now?" He was very respectful that I had a client call and had things to do. If anything I think he has an appreciation that I actually work and not just work out, do the rosary, and volunteer at Ascension! It's funny how I still feel to dress in my uniform (solid color short with khaki pants or shorts), put on makeup, and go somewhere to work for part of the day. I am an expert at finding free internet locations in the greater Oak Park area. Even when I was in Ohio this week with the kids I was able to pickup a free IHOP connection at Starbucks. God Bless Ohio. I am also obsessed with eliminating everyday expenses like switching from a big garbage can to a smaller one ($2/mo), finding coupons on the internet, using the back of paper for the printer unless it is for a client, negotiating a lower cable rate, actually cooking, etc. I know it's not a lot but I feel it's some contribution to offset the loss of a stable salary.

So, I don't have the financial security I had 90 days ago. I hope my accountant agrees with what I consider business expenses. I am stressed out that I need to carry a balance this month on my credit card because I have not rec'd my payment from my June project yet. But,I feel great and am enjoying life.

A Mind-Opener

As some of you know, I recently started my own company and was on a project in NY this week. It was a great week! It felt great facilitating and brainstorming innovation platforms.

I still can't get out of my head one of the "experiences" for the workshop a pulse reading by a Chinese medicine doctor. I have always been a big fan of Western medicine, big hospitals, and the ability of pharmaceuticals to solve my medical problems. Perhaps that is why i am shocked by how fascinating I found the Chinese medicine approach. I know some folks from the office have successfully used acupuncture to help with fertility issues, so I have had a very rudimentary exposure to non-Western medicine. So, when they asked if anyone wanted a pulse reading, i thought, why not. He explained he was using three fingers to evaluate the blood, heart, and liver (if memory serves me). So, he did the reading. He seemed a bit puzzled and then asked me if I had children. i indicated that I had 2. He then decided to feel the pulse on my other wrist. He asked me the date of my last period. Since I did not have my chart with me I said 3-4 weeks ago and that I should be menstrual in the next few days or so. He asked if I could be pregnant. I said that was impossible (yea, welcome to my world!). He wasn't so sure he believed me but I reinforced that i definitely was not. He sensed that I had a lot of heat in my core/low. He then asked if my hands/feet got cold. I indicated that this happened to me all the time. He asked me what I ate-i said chicken, pork, some fast food. He said I need to drink warmer beverages, eat beef, and wear socks when I am menstrual to release the "blockage". I was absolutely fascinated when I got my period an hour later (3 days early). I was also befuddled about the hold hands/feet comment since the venue was so hot and my hands/feet were definitely not cold at the moment. This of course got me thinking whether there was something to it. A 10 min reading can only get one so far. So then I was thinking, should I go see a Chinese medicine doctor? Would that make me an official nut? What else should I change about my diet? What is this blockage? Or is this just another step on my current midlife crisis???

1988

I was just reading a friend's blog who was reminiscing about what she was doing 20 years ago. So, I started thinking about what I was doing 20 years ago. I just finished my freshman year at Miami. It was a great year. I realized I was not going to be a math major but did realize history or poli sci would be just fine. I decided to join student govt and student union board. I really enjoyed living on my own. I learned that I liked Blue Hawaiians and wine cooler bongs (I didn't like beer bongs). I really liked crashing at Mark's :)

Since I had no money, I had 3 jobs when I got back to the valley for the summer-lifeguard, swim teacher, and bakery girl. I HATED being a bakery girl. 1st, I was called bakery girl. I realized how rude ppl were. Noone ever spoke up when they ordered their pastries and I could never hear them. People were also very impatient. Of course, the fact I was incompetent probably didn't help. While I like donuts and cookies, that's about it for pastries. i had no idea what was in 90% of the bakery case. I also hated working off the clock. Why shouldn't I get paid overtime since I was making $5/hr? Just thinking about it makes me shake!

What's most interesting is thinking about what I thought life would be like in 2008. I never actually thought about it. Now, I am a planner so of course I thought about post-college. I expected that Mark (my high school sweetheart who I followed to Miami) and I would get engaged his senior year and we would get married after I graduated. i figured we would wait a few years and have 2 children (Alexandra and Andrew). I wasn't sure where we were going to live. I figured somewhere in Ohio-maybe columbus-or DC since I was interested in govt. Definitely not in our hometown. I thought Mark was too much of a momma's boy for us to live to close to home anyways.

I would have never guessed that I would wait to have kids until my 30s, have an MBA, and would be living in an 80 year old house! Obviously Alan wasn't even a thought in my head. Alan and Mark are so very different so I don't even know where to start on that one. I should have realized when Mark went to Miami that it was not going to work out. i should have realized my close friendship with Mike in my senior year of high school was a sign of something missing. But, what can i say? Stability has always been a virtue for me. I do wonder what might have happened if Mark and I would have broken up and I would have gone to OSU with Mike. Would it have ended in a fiery crash? Now that i think about it, I think i did think about this question 20 years ago...Obviously I wouldn't change the path that brought me & Alan together. If it wasn't for Mark, Mike, and Alan S, I wouldn't have realized how incredible Alan was when we first met and then started dating, and then lived together. It all happens for a reason...

New Beginnings

Isn't vacation wonderful? I am sitting in our room here in the Bahamas, watching Brayden sleep and listening to the ocean. Alan & Kaitlyn are awake, of course, and are hanging out in the living room with a few members of the Blair family. Ahhh...a peaceful morning in the Bahamas.

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. From my departure from the Infuser to the setting up of Left Exit, I am so thankful for the support of my husband and my attorney as we work through all of this!

It's really cool working with Alan on Left Exit (our LLC). We complement each other really well. He gets so excited about the marketing communications aspect of the firm. He created a temporary logo for me so I could send out a proposal (which was approved...my first sale!) Since he wasn't happy with the logo he created, we now have a firm designing a new logo. Once the logo is done we will have stationery and a small website created.

I am amazed at how quickly the days go by. Last week I did all of the glamorous stuff like setup a bank account, get a EIN, design a temporary powerpoint template based on the temporary logo, set up email accounts, order quickbooks, etc. I also did more exciting things like buy an iphone! Woo hoo. I love having an all MAC environment! I also have learned who has free internet access (library, caribou, panera), and how long you get free parking (2 hours) and how quickly the price rises ($5 for 3.5 hours at the library).

Alan & I have agreed that I am not trying to bill a million dollars here. The firm is a way for me to use my business skills, make some money, and have a home life. The kids seem to like that I am around in the morning before they go to school. Alan definitely likes that he has more schedule flexibility. Of course when I am on a project it will be like the old days. But with 1-2 projects a month (my goal), it should be manageable.

I also like being able to work out 3-4 times a week. Ok..3 times. I swim 1 day, treadmill/nautilus 1 day, treadmill 1 day. I need to talk to the trainers to see if they have an alternate suggestion for day 3 because I am worried about injuring my knees and ankles again (an old ballet injury if you can believe it!)

Since joining/leaving the Infuser, I lost 15 lbs. and bought some clothes that actually fit. I feel like the "old Lisa"-the pre kids Lisa is starting to come back. My energy level is better. I don't fall asleep on the couch during the news every night. I am active in the school, church, and politics-to some extent. It's taken me almost 7 years and leaving Unilever to get there. So, despite the recent Infuser drama, it was a good decision to join. I learned about the "little touches" that help build client relationships. I also learned that I can do this. The experience enabled me to learn what I like to do/not do. It also gave me the space to be with my family more, work out and be involved in the community. Now I look to continue the journey with Left Exit. Woo hoo!

Yes, SHE can (are you kidding me?)

Yes, this is the fundamental problem with the Clinton campaign. Is it the shameless copying and twisting of Obama's slogan? Annoying, but no. It's the fact that it's all about HER. It's that SHE is a FIGHTER. It's that she will do anything to win.

Obama is about WE (yes, we can). Obama is about bringing ppl TOGETHER (the UNITED states of america)

My home state disappoints me again.

Hopefully the media will remind us that the Clintons said they needed to win Ohio and Texas. Hopefully they will remind us that Hillary should have won Texas by a landslide given her strength among Hispanics. Hopefully someone will do an analysis on why she gets the redneck vote and he gets the educated 100K+ HH income vote.

It's not over yet.

But mark my words. If Hillary is the Democratic nominee, McCain will be president. And Hillary and the media will have destroyed our best hope for change and enfranchisement for a generation. God, I hope that does not happen.

All About Obama

Yes, the regular readers of this blog (both of you!) are probably tired of my postings about Obama. So, apologies in advance!

I have made it a personal mission to try and get the Ohio portion of the family to vote for Obama in Tuesday's primary. My brother (who lives in Ohio) and I have emailed about the best strategy to use. I decided to go "off script" and try a different approach. I decided to bring out the secret weapon-the kids.

It all started with me and the big guy talking about how to get the family to vote for Obama other than basic pestering. We then decided to take a picture of Kaitlyn in my Barack O'Bama tshirt from last year's St Patrick Day parade. (Alan actually got it for me from someone at his office.) Kaitlyn was surprisingly cooperative. She put on the shirt and held our Obama sign too. Brayden agreed to hold the sign. I then downloaded an Obama logo coloring page and asked Kaitlyn & Brayden to color these for our Ohio family. Kaitlyn was excited to do it.



Brayden refused to. He said he likes McCain. When I asked why, he told me it's because "i like my money." Fair point. Our taxes will probably be higher if Obama is president. So, I have to respect my 3 year old's command of McCain's fiscal policy and let him off the hook. I then mailed the coloring pages to the family. I rec'd the desired effect-they liked the pics and told their friends about them. Unfortunately my mom voted for Hillary "b/c it's time for a woman to lead". I don't even know what to do with that. I asked her how a woman president would be different. After she talked, i shared with her that is why i supported Obama-plus he's a leader whereas Hillary is a manager. I failed. But my dad voted for Obama. I'll take it.

Ohio or Bust?

I rec'd an email a day or so ago from my friends at barackobama.com. I seem to get a lot of emails from them but I really don't mind. Anyways, this email asked me if I would go to Ohio to campaign. My first reaction was, absolutely! Did they know I am from Ohio (probably not)? I was thinking I could fly on a thursday night on SWA for $49, borrow my parents car, and stay at their house. I would then fly home on Sunday. Then i thought...well maybe I should bring the kids and they can hang out with my parents. And then I thought Alan could come to. Then i realized that if I am campaigning and he is stuck with my family that would not be fun for him. then I thought, maybe just me. Alan said, sure, go for it. Then I looked at his travel schedule and realized it would be tricky to get out there before the primary. Then i thought, really? Is this really something I should do? Maybe I should just spend a few hours downtown at the phonebank calling Ohio.

yea, I think that's what I am going to do.

Lisa's Truth Squad

A few days ago I rec'd a sort of chain email about Barack Obama, insinuating that he was part of a grand master plan to destroy America because he was a Muslim. Proof of this was his schooling and his use of a Quran when he was sworn in as as a US Senator. We (and about 20 other ppl) rec'd this email from the husband of a woman Alan knew from high school in California. I felt a range of emotions as I read this email: annoyance at being spammed, anger at the lie, and disbelief that someone would actually forward these lies. So..I was mad as hell and wasn't going to take it anymore.

I "replied to all" and indicated that "Barack Obama was a Christian and that if you disagree with his positions that's fine, but let's get the facts straight." But, I couldn't let it go. I sent another email with a link to Obama's website addressing this very issue. I then decided to send an email to my dad, brother, and sister in law titled "Lisa's truth squad" with the info. (At this point Alan rolled his eyes as I told him the story the next am).

Ok..I was being obsessive but come on. If the email indicated that Obama is pro-abortion and therefore can't be supported because life issues are primary, fine, I can understand. Ditto on Iraq war, health care reform, etc.

But sending out emails against Obama because he's a Muslim is ridiculous. One b/c it's not true, two b/c it's clearly a scare tactic planted by a desperate opponent, and three b/c being a Muslim should not disqualify someone from being considered for public office.

Then last night I rec'd an email from one of the folks on the original email list with a picture of clinton and edwards with their hands on their hearts and obama with his hands at his sides with commentary that Obama does not say the pledge of allegiance. The emailers comment was "a picture is worth a thousand words." Here we go again I thought. I dutifully went to Obama's website and sure enough there was information about this as well. Yes, Obama says the pledge of allegiance and supported legislation in favor of it in schools that receive public funding. So I sent the emailer a message thanking him for sending me the email and sharing the link with him.

Ok...so I am a nut. But, why all the misinformation? I know it worked for baby Bush in SC vs. McCain 8 years ago. Clearly someone else thinks it will work against Obama. ( I will not speculate if this is being planted by democrats or republicans.) Clearly it was a contributor in his defeat in Nevada (the claim that he supported the nuclear dump when in fact he never did). All of these dirty tricks frustrate me so much.

Can't we please discuss the issues???

A true confession...

The night before the election, when Hillary got choked up and said she is in the race because she cares so much and is upset about the direction in which our country is heading (total paraphrase), my view of her changed. I watched the clip of this with Alan and was moved by it. I told him that Hillary actually seemed human as opposed to the fembot I normally see her as. I was moved. Alan said it was just an act and was ridiculous. I thought that was unfair. I actually felt sorry for her and thought maybe I was too harsh on her. I related to her getting choked up. I know what it's like to care deeply about an issue and to get so frustrated that you get choked up over it.

So, now it's election day and the media/the websites kept showing "the cry". And then I read on CNN.com about Hillary's campaign team talking about the "cry" and how it was a turning point. And then Hillay's speech indicated that in NH she found her "voice". Yes, I was disappointed that Barack lost. But more than that, I was mad.

I was mad that I was played. I actually felt sympathy for her. Clearly the women of NH felt the same way since they turned out in droves for her and were a key reason for her victory. I felt manipulated. Once again, Hillary will do whatever it takes to be elected. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. And then I realized I will vote for McCain, Romney, Paul or Huckabee before I vote for Hillary.

Then I learned what she/Bill Clinton were saying about Obama and "false" hope. That was another kick in the gut. Do they not get it?

So, yes, last night was a disappointing night...Obama narrowly lost to Hillary-even though a week earlier he was down by double digits. I was sad that he lost, especially given all of the projections that he was going to win by double digits and that the Clinton campaign was on the ropes.

But then, I found Obama's unedited concession speech on cltv.com. wow . I was so inspired. This is more than an election for president. It IS an election about America and what we want to be. It really is about choosing hope or fear. What future do we want for our country? Obama is a leader. He has vision. He believes in this country and its potential. Hillary sees the presidency as her destiny and will do whatever it takes to fulfill HER destiny. I feel that an Obama presidency will help us achieve OUR COUNTRY'S destiny to truly be the the city on the hill, to recover our moral leadership. I can't even remember Hillary's speech except for finding HER voice. Yes, this is the fundamental problem.

Iowa Chose Hope...Not Fear

What a great way to start 2008! As many of you know, I am very excited by the promise of the Obama campaign. While an Iowa victory does not guarantee anything other than lots of positive media coverage, it is definitely better than losing Iowa [and a different kind of media coverage].

I watched Obama's speech tonight and was electrified all over again. I loved his appeal across the aisle- "that our time for change has come...a coalition for change that stretches across red states and blue states"".

I am absolutely fascinated by the coverage on Fox news about Obama. Shepard Smith was almost speechless. He actually seemed to admire Obama. I love that Obama appealed not only to young ppl but also to women. Hearing Fox talk about Obama's appeal across the aisle almost caused me to fall over. I wonder if this is what it felt like at the dawn of the Reagan revolution in 1980. I can only hope that New Hampshire and South Carolina catch the Obama spirit as well. I know Illinois will deliver.

So, how does an increasingly conservative, upper middle class, working mom find herself supporting Obama with time and treasure? While I generally do not believe hope is a strategy I am looking for a different kind of politics. We need to fix health care/insurance and restore our moral standing around the world. Is he the perfect choice for me? No. I am disappointed by his stand on abortion. Is he experienced enough? probably not. But he's smart. He seems to care. And he seems to "get it". I feel deeply that our country needs a change from the Bush era. And I do not want to reinstall the Clinton dynasty.

Today is a good day for America. Change is coming to America. We are choosing hope over fear.