New Tattoo, maybe New Direction

Not that a cupcake tattoo warrants a life-altering decision, but it may subconsciously signify one. I have several other tattoos and multiple piercings, but up until now I have always made sure to choice locations that are easily hidden by clothing. The tattoo on top of my right foot challenged  that a bit, but I rationalized it with  the possibilities of boots or dark stockings. Then a month or so ago I told Seth I wanted a silly cute tattoo, something that bespoke my personality but was more than a damn smiley face. Pie? Pumpkin pie? I knew that wouldn't translate into 'tattoo' well, with me ending up with some orange blob on some random part of my body. "What's that one, Sarah?" "Oh, just an abstract interpretation of the sun." Then 'cupcake' hit me though I think I first told Seth I wanted it on a hipbone or some easily hidden shit like that. Then yesterday I went with the roommate Ryan as he got his first tattoo on his calf and I said aloud, "I need to get a tattoo on some painless spots again (my stomach being the last site of pain; before that the top of my foot." An hour later I asked Mana if he would tattoo a cupcake on my hand. I don't question my mind or its rationality and neither should you.

I love my new tattoo. It is incredibly cute - I was squealing as Mana shaded in the pink and lilac - and at the same time silly. Seth likes it but admits that he never thought I would get a cupcake tattoo, especially one on my hand; neither did I. I think maybe subconsciously I am admitting I will never walk down the professional road I once had in mind for myself. Sure, the Foreign Service is still lightly on my radar, but that "Driving with a BAC level about .08%" conviction (which is legally different than a DUI, mind you) worries me that I will never gain the required Top Secret clearance. Regardless of clearance or even background checks, maybe some jobs won't hire me because of a silly tattoo on my hand. Then again, if a job doesn't want me because of a tattoo, would I really want the job? Probably not. And if one job doesn't want me then another one will. So I will embed cake in my flesh and eat it too.

Once I bake a batch.

Vote "YES" on Prop 19

I know, I am asking you to vote right after writing that you don't have to. And that's true, but if you are a Californian voter I highly encourage you to vote "yes" on Prop 19, which would legalize the selling and possession of limited amounts of marijuana, even if you aren't voting for any politicians.

Prop 19 won't turn California into a pothead haven (anymore than it already is, ha!), but will allow the state to tax marijuana and regulate its distribution. I don't know why that even needs explanation. Police will be able to spend more time pursuing rapists, murderers, thieves and sellers of actually dangerous narcotics, such as meth. California prisons will likely suffer less form overcrowding, as second- and third-time offenders guilty of possession will no longer take up space.* California will make money from taxes. People who didn't smoke pot before will not automatically take up the habit. Cigarettes are legal but millions manage to avoid those. Marijuana will be controlled like alcohol, so you won't be going to work in a haze of glory without risking termination and middle school kids won't be raiding vending machines for Doritos.

Legalized cannabis just makes sense. Vote "YES" on Prop 19.


*- I would love to give you statistics, which I know are readily available, but Kuwait censors the internet and my searches have been "access denied" because of "content categorization: illegal drugs".

Pledge to America: Still Empty

The Huffington Post has an interesting article on the Republican's recently unveiled "Pledge to America", which includes the lofty provision of spending control. However, it seems the "Pledge" excludes references to Social Security and Medicare, which together take the heftiest chunks from the federal budget (behind defense spending, of course) and benefit the main supporters of the GOP (the elderly and white working-class). If Democrats and liberals are so despised because of their "elitism" and "intellectualism", can someone find down-home way to explain that "spending control" can have negative effects?

Oh, also a way to explain that cutting back on Federal spending doesn't include cutting back on the defense budget or financing a ridiculous and unwinnable land war in (southwest) Asia (over one trillion dollars since 2001. Trillion with a "T"!) $100 billion dollars a year. Could we try to reign that in first?

Can Money Buy Happiness?

Currently I find myself in a bit of a quandary. Yesterday I was offered a part-time job teaching English at a language institute. The pay is 6KD/ hour (roughly $21) for a minimum of 3 hours/ day, 3 days/ week, but possibly more. I would interact with Kuwaitis on a more personal level and become acquainted with the country apart from the depressed grumblings of many of the American contractors here, plus would have something a bit substantial to put on my resume. The downside? Roundtrip taxi fare to the institute is 6KD, so there goes one hour of pay already, making my monthly pull only about $1000 - not amazing, though much more than the $0 I currently bring in. Also the hours during summer would be during the day but after summer would switch to evenings - heavily cutting into the little time Seth and I have together.

Another problem? Seth informed 3 days ago that there is potentially a job for me (finally) at his company. Having heard this for the past 5 months I did not get too excited, but was reminded that if I take a job there I would make much more money; have free access to gyms and libraries; cheaper access to Arabic classes; and our schedules would better match. Of course, it would also include having to deal with those same grumbling contractors on a daily basis, but whatever.

The actual quandary? If I take a job with the language institute they will take care of my work visa and provide me the necessary training. What if I actually get some job at Seth's company in the following weeks? Is it difficult to switch from one work visa to another? Will only my guilt keep me down? Maybe I could work during the summer but then quit when fall comes. I wonder what they would dock from my pay - shit, I need to find out what their employment contract looks like.

Honestly, I would like to start working again but I think the fact I haven't had a paying job since last July has left me frightened of revisiting the responsibility. And, of course, the fact I don't enjoy teaching English.