The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Life can be difficult to explain to oneself at times, let alone to others. Whether one relives an intense or traumatic life experience through a dream, subconsciously thinking it's happening again, or awaking from a vivid dream only to experience what was depicted in it shortly thereafter, life can sometimes feel surreal. That's how this past week has felt for me - surreal. It's ironic in a way, for Memorial Day (weekend) is the day where many people utter the line, "Always remember" or "Never forget," yet this past holiday weekend was one I don't feel I could exactly remember or forget. So many drastic changes occurred around me, I suddenly felt the need to rub my eyes, slap myself across the face, and mumble, "Am I dreaming?" Like in the film Office Space , however, I've yet to fully snap out of this odd hypnosis. Change is inevitable. No matter how much one may despise the concept of change, it will continually rear its head in one...

Up until about 2.5 months ago, I had owned at least one dog for 25 straight years (I think 28 to be more precise). The one I had put down 2.5 months ago was my favorite of the lot. She was an all white Siberian Husky, and while she wasn't void of her share of quirks, she was a bundle full of joy and energy, always seeming to have a big smile on her face. It took 2.5 months before I thought I may be ready to research and potentially get another. A couple of dog shelter volunteers stopped by Saturday morning with a 1.5-year-old Siberian Husky (a combination of white, black, grey, and red), and unless she has a bad check-up which confirms an earlier doctor's worry about cataracts (a later check-up countered that belief, and from what I can see, she doesn't have any problems with her sight), she's found herself a new home.  To this point, it's honestly been a rather surreal and draining experience. I was so busy with my college courses when my first husky was a puppy...

I've got nothing against Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Without much debate, he's the best college football coach in the game today, and he could very well go down as one of the greatest college coaches in the history of the game when all is said and done. In saying all of that, however, I don't buy that he's trying to slow the game down for the players' safety, so much as I think he's doing it because he is having trouble adjusting to the up-tempo teams. I also think the analogy he pulled out of his backside regarding the issue the other day was quite ridiculous as well. Speaking to ESPN.com, Saban said this: "The fastball guys (up-tempo coaches) say there's no data out there, and I guess you have to use some logic. What's the logic? If you smoke one cigarette, do you have the same chances of getting cancer if you smoke 20? I guess there's no study that specifically says that. But logically, we would say, 'Yeah, there probably is.'...

Many media pundits and talking heads like to talk about how divided we are as a nation. They tend to classify the divisions as: Liberal vs. conservative, Republican vs. Democrat, red vs. blue, urban vs. rural, but I see the division in a different manner and feel it's become more evident every four years - that's old vs. new. When looking at the exit polls from last week's election, with what demographics did Republican candidate Mitt Romney succeed? The old and the white - men, in particular, along with evangelicals. Where did President Obama succeed? With young voters, minorities, and women.  The country is becoming more diverse by the year, not only with regard to race, but also with regard to people in power - women and minorities now standing alongside white males with growing numbers. Each and every new generation of voters appears to be more liberal than the last, largely due to social issues - gay rights, in particular. Women and minorities are voting in larg...