The State of Ellen

For those of you that like a more humorous take on politics.

State of the Union Address

Please hold your applause until the end.

Last night, the President of the United States gave his State of the Union Address. This two hour long program aired on almost every channel I have available in my dorm, so I decided to watch it. The following are my thoughts on this Address, and though I will poke fun at much of his speech and the ordeal in general, this post is in no way intended to disrespect President Obama.

"Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States!". Cue loud and cheerful applause. President Obama then began his walk to his podium, but spent at least six or seven minutes shaking hands and sharing a few words with his fellow congress men and women along the way. Each person in his path fought for their ten seconds with the President, and their ten seconds on national television. Hugs, laughs, and smiles were exchanged between President Obama and many of his friends. Meanwhile...the whole room is still applauding this man as he takes ten minutes to make it to his podium.

After delivering special super secret envelopes to the Vice President and the Speaker of the House, the applause stops. But only briefly. The Speaker then formally presents President Obama and the applause resumes for another solid minute. This guy hasn't even said anything yet and he's gotten more applause in ten minutes than most people get in a lifetime. When President Obama finally does begin to talk, I will admit, he makes you listen. He is a very good orator and I think that is most of the reason why I sat through this Address. Throughout the introduction of his speech, Obama highlights all of his accomplishments as President these past three years. Typical politician. And of course, more standing ovations and applause. If each congress man and woman put two pound weights on their arms and quads, I guarantee they get an amazing workout from all of the applauding and constant standing and then sitting.

As President Obama got into the more "nitty gritty" part of his speech, I became really entertained. As Obama would throw out strongly Democratic suggestions, half of the room would stand and applaud, and the other half remain silent in their seats. Awkward, but hilarious, camera shots show McCain silent and statuesque through most of the speech and fellow Republicans holding their tongues. Obama threw out not so subtle attacks at Bush's campaign by mentioning "For the first time in eight years..." and such when talking about war and jobs. When Obama proposed that everyone pays their fair share of taxes, has the same opportunities, and plays by the same rules....there was a strong awkward tension that fell across the room as exactly half of the room (the side he greeted upon entering) cheered and the other half fell silent.

President Obama also kept asking congress for bills to be put on his desk throughout his Address. "Send me a bill that does .... and I will sign it!" "Put a bill on my desk tomorrow that does ... and I will sign it!" My goodness, sir. Quite demanding tonight, aren't we? Most of these suggestions (demands) were about education, healthcare, taxes, and energy. A few of his main points included: 1) Make college cheaper and available to everyone. Cool, I'll buy that. 2) Require kids to complete high school or until they turn 18. Sir, you think the rate of teen suicide is bad now? The last thing you want to do to teens is place more demands and restrictions on them. 3) Use American resources and natural energy. Consensual applause from the audience. 4) The progressive tax system, claiming that "The American people know what the right choice is. And so do I." Bold statement, sir. 5) "Subtle" attacks at the way congress operates followed by an awkward, obligatory applause.

Throughout this speech, I noticed a few things about politics and found them rather amusing. The camera shot, for one. With the Vice president on his left (in a blue tie), the Speaker on his right (also in a blue tie) and the President in the middle (wearing a red tie), he managed to convey a sense of unity within the parties. His red tie was staring at the nation for two straight hours. Well done, Obama. While talking about oil spills, Obama brought up a bill "my Republican predecessor" passed regarding tests that prove that farmer's can contain a milk spill because it is somehow classified as oil. He then interjected possibly the worst joke of the year: "I guess then it would be worth crying over spilled milk"....Obligatory applause and laughter from the audience as the Vice President rolls his eyes and chuckles. While talking directly to the American people, President Obama said "Let's agree right here, right now. No sh--, *pause*, side issues, no drama..." Excuse me Mr. President, but did you just almost curse on national television? Boy, that would have been great.


President Obama ended his speech with a quote from Abraham Lincoln "A Republican President" talking about unity between the parties and how we can all just work for the country's interest and not in our own. Nice touch, but...yeah right.

Superbowl XLVI

After a competitive, and somewhat surprising playoffs, the two teams playing in this year's Superbowl game will be the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. The game is scheduled for February 5th, 6:30 p.m, and many sources say that this game is perhaps the biggest party of the year.

Few can forget just four years ago when the 18-0 Patriots lost a grueling game to the New York Giants. The Patriots were looking to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins in accomplishing a perfect season, but were abruptly stopped by Eli Manning and his team. That game was the talk of the nation for weeks, and now this year's game will be the epic rematch the Patriots have been hoping for. Although the Patriots are not 18-0 this season, it was no surprise that they made it to the Superbowl. Tom Brady and his offense are just too consistently solid to doubt. Although, the Baltimore Ravens did give them a run for their money.

Perhaps the more surprising team in this Superbowl is the New York Giants. Most football fans, myself included, expected the Green Bay Packers to be in the Superbowl. With an undefeated season until Kansas City, Green Bay was the team to beat. Following that game, the Packers unsuspectingly lost again to the New York Giants, allowing them to advance in the playoffs and beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to secure their spot in the Superbowl. Eli Manning truly is a great quarterback, and this year with Peyton out of the spotlight, he was able to shine and gain more credibility as a quarterback. With Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Ahmad Bradshaw, Manning has plenty of talented players to throw the ball to downfield and possibly once again triumph over the Patriots.


While many fans would have like to seen different outcomes, it's hard not to get excited about the rematch we have ahead of us. Will the Patriots redeem themselves, or will the Giants stomp all over their's and Bill Belichick's ego again?

Pinterest

After three grueling days of waiting for an invitation, I was finally invited to join Pinterest. Pinterest is a relatively new, but growing, social media website that allows you and your friends to share ideas, recipes, quotes, and more with pictures and "pins". Each "pinner" has his/her own board where he/she can post their favorite pins. You can plan weddings, house decorations, events, and more just by sharing pictures and pins. The concept is somewhat hard to comprehend, but once you get started "pinning"...it's addicting.

My profile is called "gvillegoodies" (like my Twitter account). I would love for you all to join Pinterest and share pins and wonderful ideas with me! Here's the link to the website. http://pinterest.com/. You do have to be invited to join (apparently Pinterest is prestigious), but I don't think anyone has ever gotten turned down. That being said, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and now Pinterest! Have a great day!

Spring 2012

Classes started back today at the University of Florida, as well as most colleges statewide. I've been trying to think of something intriguing to post about today, but I've been super busy today so I figured I would just talk about my day. Of course, this isn't the most fascinating topic to date, but I'm sure my mom and dad will love it. After all, they are my biggest fans.

This semester, I am taking fifteen credit hours (one more than last semester). My classes include: Man's Food (a nutrition course), Environmental Hazards, Professional Business Writing, Survey of Calculus, and Principles of Public Relations. Aka I will be shortly resuming my life of studying and sleeping. I'm hoping that these classes will be somewhat interesting or this will be a very long semester. Ben and I have a class together this semester which is awesome!

I am starting back up with Crossfit tonight (in 35 minutes) and I'm oh so nervous. I haven't worked out in at least three weeks and I know it's going to be wonderfully awful. Getting back in shape is absolutely terrible, but I love it all the same. This is today's workout...

Today’s WOD:

Power Cleans 5 x 1

Complete 300 double unders for time (that's jump roping twice per jump)

Situps x 50


Wish me luck.

Ballin' on a Budget

Without trying to be political in any way, it's somewhat safe to say that the rich seem to be getting richer and the poor seem to be getting poorer. And with the new year here, and millions trying to eat healthier, how does this correlate? Eating healthy is not easy, and it is not cheap. Though there are many rich people in this country, most of us (like me) are middle class and can't afford to spend six dollars on a bottle of fruit/vegetable juice. We can't afford to buy all organic fruits and vegetables, so how do we eat healthy? How can we improve our lifestyle without cracking our budget and without having to eat Hamburger Helper five nights a week?

Know your stuff. When you're at the grocery store, start reading and comparing labels. Choose the brand with less of the fat and sodium. If you're going to have to do box meals a couple times a week (that's okay by the way) just try to make them count. Avoid brands with tons of sodium and those with trans fat (that stuff stays in your body for a very long time). Take a few minutes to compare brands to see which one is really the better.

Go nuts. Nuts are one of the healthiest foods and if you buy them in bulk, they aren't terribly expensive. They won't go bad quickly and they are a great, healthy, satisfying snack. Treat yourself to a mix of nuts with a few chocolates in them as well. Chocolate (especially dark) is actually quite good for you in small amounts.

Fruits and veggies. Pick a few that you love and use them every way possible. Not all fruits and veggies are expensive. The doctor wasn't lying when he said "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Apples are cheap, can be bought in bulk, and used a dozen different ways. Try replacing one of those Oreo's (that's my weakness) with a fruit bowl instead every now and then.

Being healthy doesn't have to cost you thousands. Sure, if you are rich and can afford to eat entirely organic, get exfoliating facials once a week, and have a personal chef choose the right foods for you, go for it. But for the rest of us, let's start with these small changes and see where it takes us.

Check out this article Healthy eating is a privilege of the rich

New Year's Resolutions

Why do we decide to change when a new year rolls around? Usually, it's for someone else; maybe a loved one, a friend, or a co-worker. The new year brings promising hope that one can drastically change their life. Many people decide what their resolutions will be way before January 1st, but wait until that day to start trying to accomplish it. Why is that? I find it odd...The two most popular new year's resolutions are to "get fit" and "eat better". So for the first three months of the year, gyms across the nation will be packed with eager people trying to lose those pounds and create a better them. Oreo's will be replaced with fruit and vegetables. But after about three months or so, everything goes back to normal. People fail, give up, and say "Next year. I have too much going on this year to do it, next year is the year." Why?

People set unrealistic goals. By completely cutting out all junk food on January 1st, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you have no access to it, you will only want it more and eventually cave. The trick is to start slow and take things day by day (or so I've heard). I'm no expert at this because for the eighth year now, I have the same resolution. Stop biting my nails. It probably seems like an easy feat, but anyone else out there that bites their nails knows that it is an extremely hard habit to stop. A friend recently told me that his new year's resolution was only for a month. Initially, I laughed. But as I think about it more, he might be on to something. Start with something that you know you can accomplish, and then go from there. The mind is easy manipulated and can turn what many people would consider a month of failure into a month of success.

So here is my advice. Not that it's credible or anything. Start this year by counting your blessings and everything that is good in your life right now. I've always been a fan of the "good news first, bad news later" concept. Then, pick one resolution and begin trying to tackle it. Don't be discouraged if sometime during this month, you fail. Hold yourself accountable to keep trying, make more progress. If all of a sudden, this resolution seems impossible, don't just say "next year", tone it down or try something else. Make this year's resolution about you, no one else. Good luck and I hope that 2012 brings great things for you all!