it's okay if you're a little jealous

As promised, here a few photos of my recent decorating project... still a work-in-progress:

The entry (I'd really like a Captain America poster/paraphanalia on the front of the door):



The main wall decorations (I want something X-Men on the opposite wall), Batman & Spidey hand towell, and the BatCave toothbrush holder:




And my very favorite part - badass shower curtain hooks:

bands you need to hear

Thought I'd spread some good music that you've probably never heard of...

Joe Firstman
Piano and guitar rock with just a tinge of bluegrassy soul

Carbon Leaf
Rootsy American rock with a twist of celtic

Chuck's Junk
Rock, soul, funk, and hip-hop blended into a sound you haven't heard before

you can't make this stuff up

Start your day off right.... read this post from Ehren for the kind of funny stuff you really can't make up.

the mystery coworker

(This is a true story...)

About a month or so ago, a young guy came into our office. He was wearing an old uniform (as in it's retired - we don't use them any more) and claimed he was a transfer from another office.

It so happened that the office he claimed he was transferring from is also under the supervision of my boss. She of course had no record of him being hired, much less transferring over to us.

After going back and forth with him for about 15 minutes, he finally left. He came in later that evening and told another coworker that we owed him a check. He also said that his (entire) job was running the fax machines.

The next day, his aunt called and asked where his check was. My boss repeated the conversation about how he didn't have a job there, and never had.

Then, a couple days later our boss gets this guy's child support letter. This was a mistake on his part, because it had his social security number on it. She had our corporate office confirm that he has never been employed by any division of our company. (We're a large international company). After confirming that he really never was employed with us anywhere, the boss called our legal dept. They had her file a police report, because he had involved the child support office and was now getting into fraud.

At some point during all of this, the guy's aunt called again. Our boss tried to get the guy to come in (unknowingly) at the same time the police were there, but he couldn't for whatever reason.

So a few weeks have gone by without hearing from this guy.

Today, we get a phone call from a worker's compensation office. Now this guy is trying to collect worker's comp from us. I was in my boss' office when she was on the phone. She started telling the worker's comp lady this story, and the lady just kept saying "oh..."... and finally was like "well, this is clearly fraud". My boss got her number, and gave her some other numbers at our company for HR and whatnot. She also found out that his worker's comp claim stated he was injured because he was breaking up a fight and got hit with a chair.

We're not sure if this guy is just an idiot who is trying to scam us and isn't very good at it, or if he's mentally unstable. Or maybe both.

renegade vacation

with photos

I took a short little vacation over the weekend. Silver Turtle Boyfriend was off with some of the guys at a music/camping thing. So I was on my own.

I learned how to take vacations from my parents, which means you have a general idea of where you think you want to go, and then you just do whatever sounds good on the way there. And if your ultimate destination changes, that's okay as long as you're having fun. So this is the tale of brief, renegade vacation... with some photos.

Day 1
Vacation started Thursday, when I went with Brent to see A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for $1.00 Now I really want to read the book, something friends have been telling me to do since I was in high school. Brent invited me over to hang with him, Holly and Nayson. I ended up there most of the day, and Copy Princess and Tom joined us. The night ended with me trying to teach everyone euchre. It was semi-successful.

Day 2
I had planned on driving up to Ann Arbor for 2 things: The Street Art Fairs and Carbon Leaf, who happened to be playing at the S. University Street Art Fair. I woke up Friday and did some last minute things like getting cash from the ATM. I decided to rent a car, just in case my rear wheels decide to fall off like they've been threatening to do for 2 months.

I got to Ann Arbor and found a hotel. The guy working the desk was nice and funny and chatty. I got checked in and immediately headed to the Art Fairs, arriving around 12:30 in the afternoon. I wandered around for several hours, keeping an eye out for my former roommate, who is an artist that lives in Ann Arbor. I was disappointed I never ran into her, but I did have a great time looking around. Then I headed over to S. University to check out the bands. I arrived about half way through Stephen Kellog and the Sixers' set. Indy/Acoustic feeling rock ... good stuff. That flowed into Keri Noble's set. She played piano and sang, but much more melodic than Tori Amos (who I love, just the best comparison I can think of right now) and her producer played guitar and sang some back up.

Then it was time. Carbon Leaf.



The guys were amazing. They always are, but I hadn't seen them live in a little over a year and I think I forgot the exact energy they bring on stage. Incredible musicians, lots of fun, good music. Jordan played an incredible intro to Paloma, and had I known it was coming I would have recorded it. It was on his Lakland, and I've never heard him play like than on the electric bass before (his jams are usually on the upright).

Since I don't have any audio, here's some a lot more pics:







And some fangirl pictures of me with the rock stars, too*:


Me with Carter (guitars, mandolin, effects), Me with Jordan (basses) and Terry (guitars)

*After raving to Jordan about his intro/solo, I asked if I could get a fangirl pic with him. He asked Terry to shoot the photo, and Terry started to get in the picture and hand the camera to another guy. Jordan kicked him out declaring it was his photo and no one asked Terry to be in it. So after that photo, we were nice and let Terry join in the one above.

After the show I roamed around Ann Arbor for a few minutes longer, and I'm amazed that it is almost the same as when I lived there in 1997. As I was returning to my hotel, I realized I could call a mutual friend to get Mary's (our former roommate the artist) number. I also stopped to pick up stuff for dinner and breakfast at the exact same corner store I frequented when I lived down the street.

Day 3
I woke up and packed up my stuff. Then I called Mary but just got voice mail. I waited around awhile, but was anxious to get on the road. I had told my mom I'd stop in later than night and spend a day or so at her house. (She lives in NE Ohio). I checked out and headed south. I still have a small pang of sadness every time I leave Ann Arbor. I really do enjoy that town.

I decided I was making good time, and could stop in Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. I've wanted to go for several years, and my friends have all either gone and didn't like it, or don't want to go. This is a pic of Cleveland with a blimp flying overhead:



The Rock Hall was a little pricey at $20, but I absolutely loved every minute I was there. I actually enjoy museums, and thought this was one of the best I've ever been to. There were guitars and basses (including the one Paul Simmonon infamously smashed on stage that appears on the Clash album) and clothes and posters, but also drawings Jimi Hendrix made for his dad at age 10, and Jim Morrison's cub scout uniform, and that sort of thing. There was a chronological wall of rock that also talked about the cities that produced certain sounds. There were a few movies I didn't have time for. There was an interactive thing where you could select a band, and it would show their influences and bands that they influenced so you could see how they were all connected. It was wonderful.

So if you like music and/or history, go here:



After reluctantly prying myself from the story of rock-n-roll, I drove to my mom's. Shortly after I arrived, we went to visit my sister in her new digs - she and a friend just moved in to a super dope apartment. We ate dinner and decided to catch a movie. We saw March of the Penguins. It was the perfect length and really well made.

Day 4
I stayed at my mom's Saturday night, and Sunday we drove back to Cleveland to visit the Western Reserve Historical Society Museum. But not before shopping, and that's where I got all of the sweet decorations for my bathroom. About half of the museum was closed off for renovations and changing exhibits, so everything was free. My favorite was the Maurice Sendak exhibit... you know him... he wrote Where the Wild Things Are.

Since everything was free, my mom took me out to lunch. We stopped by my sister's again, and then eventually I headed home. Once I got home I really felt like going out for a pint, but when I called Copy Princess she was at some othe friends' house. So I went there and we played Scruples and then I had to return my rental car before midnight. Once I got home, I put up decorations. I couldn't sleep, so I kept getting up until close to 3 AM.

Day 5
Despite my lack of sleep, I managed to get up around 9. I had a doctor's appointment, the only bad thing all weekend. It went smoothly enough. Then Silver Turtle Boyfriend got home, and we took care of some business. Then we went and ran errands. Then I met a guy Jesse to jam with. He plays acoustic guitar and sings, and is casually jamming with people. We got along quite well. I'm sure it's partially because I've gained some experience jamming with people I don't know, and partially I hadn't touched my bass in 4 days so I was eager to play stuff, but I thought we played really well together... a very complementary style. I'm supposed to call him later this week and set up another jam time, and then we might hit an open mike together in a few weeks.

The End

interior decorating

I now have the world's sweetest bathroom.

At least the world's sweetest bathroom decorations... it would have to be a bit bigger and have a jacuzzi to be THE sweetest. The important thing is that I have finally realized my dream of a superhero-themed bathroom. Actually, I'd like to get a couple posters - probably X-Men - to finish it off.

So far there is a Batman shower curtain with totally badass shower hook thingies, a Spiderman rug, a Spidey waste basket, a Batman toothbrush holder, both Batman and Spidey hand towells, a Speed Racer penant, and the piece that was my inspiration several years ago: a metal Racer X sign.

I totally took pics as soon as I was finished, and will post them later this week when I get around to uploading them. And Silver Turtle Boyfriend is in for a surprise when he gets home tomorrow afternoon.

mmmm... play-doh

Tonight I was at the home of some friends who happen to have a kid about a year and a half old. The kid was dragging various toys in and out of his room. Eagerly, he approached with a small, brightly colored bag. He set it down and looked at me expectantly. As he watched me unzip the bag, I could see the anticipation mounting on his face. "Ball. Ball? Ball!" he repeated, having recently watched Mommy make balls out of play-doh. Slowly I removed the red lid, holding up a chunk of play-doh and repeating "red". Big blue eyes stared back. "Ball? Ball! Ball. Ball."

I quickly spun the fresh, soft play-doh into a perfect sphere. Big blue eyes were staring at me the way a puppy looks at you during your steak dinner. A smile of joy spread across his face and giggles escaped him. "Ball!" He held out his hand. I offered him the play-do ball, holding my hand against his mouth and saying, "Don't eat it"*.

Still laughing, he grabbed for the play-doh ball and made a movement towards his mouth. I reached back to pull it away. In one deft move for a one and a half year old, he quickly used his other hand to pull a piece off of the orb and shove it in his mouth.

Mommy completely died laughing. "Gross!" I shouted, despite laughing my ass off, "Ew. That. Is. Disgusting."

More laughing from the kid amidst shouts of "More! More! Ball!"



*We had heard a couple weeks ago about him getting his first play-doh set and eating it. Then we heard about Daddy trying some too and saying it wasn't too bad.

photo update

I promised some ComFest photos about a month ago. I was supposed to play photographer for the most righteous, kick-ass band in Columbus, but that was before the Great Columbus Monsoon of 2005 hit. (Oh, and now that I know B-Ill is reading this: Charlotte and I fully expect would really like to see the entire extravaganza we missed out on surface in the near future).

Anyways, here are a very few of the ComFest photos I took this year.

And since you read this far, you can check out my 4th of July photos, too!

a note on the theme week

Ok, so I've only posted 2 things for this week's theme. The week got suddenly busy with finishing design layouts and an upcoming band audition and another guy I'm jamming with and a friend unexpectedly turning up in town from California. And that pesky full time job. But I have a few more things to blog about, so the week is going to stretch into next week, too. This is Silver Turtle time, people.

Oh, and Copy Princess needs some help with a dream interpretation.

Update: Yeah.. this theme thing so isn't happening right now. I do have some other ideas related to it, but they're still swimming around in my head in a completely ADHD incoherent manner. So I'll get around to them whenever.

nirvana | why they (and other bands) matter

I was a freshman in high school. It was somewhere between late winter and early spring; the weather couldn't decide. Lunch. I was sitting at the other end of my regular lunch table, so I must have been dating Ray at the time. He and some of our friends were talking about a band I'd never heard. I asked who they were talking about.

A solemn hush fell over all of them and they slowly looked at me, and then at each other. A quick glance was exchanged between Ray and Brandon. And then Brandon leaned in towards me, across chocolate milk containers and half-eaten cafeteria pizza squares.

Without taking his eyes off of me, Brandon reached under the table and produced a cd. "You have to hear this. You've never heard anything like this band." It was a sacred moment when Brandon slowly passed the cd into my hands.

I glanced down at the cover. A naked baby swimming after a dollar bill. NIRVANA in bold letters. NEVERMIND in wavy letters.

The boys affirmed that I was going to be amazed by this band. Blown away. When I got home, I headed straight to my room where I threw on my headphones and stared at the track listing.

The guys were right. I had never heard anything close to this before. I loved it. It totally destroyed the current music on FM radio. I wondered how Brandon found it. I was happy he shared it. I couldn't wait to join in the gushing the next day.

Within a month of hearing that first cd, Nirvana was everywhere. The "grunge" music scene was the new "it".

Everywhere I run into conversations about music, I find people who don't "get" Nirvana and declare them "one of the most overrated bands of all time". If you're someone who was born in the early 90s I can understand why you think this. Technically, they're not special.

What they were was the band that opened the floodgates for a new sound. They didn't choose the role. There were other similar bands at the time, better bands, Mud Honey, Sublime, Alice in Chains, that became popular after the Nirvana revolution. But Nirvana matters because, for whatever reason, they changed the landscape of popular music at the time. They were the band that let those others shine. They're not the only band to do this. They won't be the last. Any music fan can you tell a similar story about The Band That Changed Everything for them, whether it's on the same scale or not.

I can't wait until the next time someone presses a cd in my hand, looks me in the eyes, and says with such conviction "you have to hear this - you haven't heard anything like it before".

theme week I

My last post got me thinking about some other things I want to blog about. So this week will be a theme! Nostalgia For and the Future of Music. Or something like that. It all sort of fits together in my head.

mix tapes

As I was browsing around Barnes & Noble's music book section, an oddly shaped, colorful book caught my eyes. A brief look at mix tape 'culture'.

I'm just young enough (or old enough, depending on your own age and perception) that cassette tapes were the main media for music when I was a kid. Records were quickly becoming a thing of the past. Cassettes were more durable. They were portable - you could play them in your car if you had the money for a tape deck. And, as the aforementioned book celebrates, you could make your own copies and share them with friends.

I can still hear my brother playing his Beastie Boys tape across the basement where we both had bedrooms, back when I was just getting old enough to pay attention to 'popular' (including rap, rock, etc.) music . I vividly remember sitting in my room, painted robin egg blue, in 6th grade and hearing R.E.M. for the first time ("Stand"). In 7th grade I met Jim on the bus, who talked about The Who and Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. I had some other friends into the Cure, the Dead Milkmen, even Skinny Puppy. Every time I had to go with my mom to K-Mart for something, I'd spend my time digging into the completely unorganized music bins looking for the music these people talked about. I remember the joy at finding the Cure's Disentigration and listening to it so much it started to wear out.

By 9th grade, CDs were taking over as the preferred media and I even received my own CD player as a Christmas gift. That's the same year my friend Brandon handed me a CD of Nirvana's Nevermind and promised I'd never heard anything like this before. Even though CDs were the standard, burning your own wasn't an option the way it is today. People didn't even have the internet at their homes yet. Most of the cars my friends and I drove were equipped with tape decks. So mix tapes were the way to go. The summer mixes, the chilled out mixes, the mixes for the friend you had the mad crush on, the mix that your friend gave you...

If you've ever made a mix tape (or even a mix CD) you know the time it takes to put into it. Choosing just the right songs by the perfect artists. Arranging them in an order that makes sense and conveys your message. Reaching a balance between classics and new music. Filling the tape and not cutting songs off. High Fidelity, the book and the movie, both discuss this. I think that making mix tapes was a rite of passage for teens and young adults between 1980-1996 or so.

The book states in the introduction: "...and before long, there were warning stickers on records and cassettes, stating: HOME TAPING IS KILLING MUSIC! It was a quaint forbear to today's industry paranoia over CD-burning and Internet downloading." I don't own an iPod (yet), but it just seems like the next step in sharing music. You don't get to decorate your playlist the way you might a cassette tape, but sharing the music is essentially the same.

I'm feeling nostalgic for mix tapes. The good news for me is that I drive a smashed up 1996 Buick Regal with a tape deck, and it's about time I made myself a new mix tape to play in honor of summer. Suggestions welcome in the comments. I'll also be checking out Art of the Mix for some inspiration.

london calling

Yesterday morning I had a great post almost finished about the bombings in London. About knowing a real life friend there. About people that have grown up in other parts of the world and who experience terrorist acts all of the time - they don't know anything else. About how media coverage changes in these different parts of the world, from Ireland to Palestine. All of that ... even some song lyrics from John Lennon.

But since my computer freaked out, I'll just leave it at this:

I'm relieved my friend (and his friends there) are safe.

I'm relieved my blogging friend is safe.

I'm scared that this will just add fuel to the Bush administration's fire.

Mostly, I'm sickened and sad and confused about why people think that killing the innocent is really going to enact productive change.

summer nights

It's a typically hot, humid summer night. Quiet and peaceful except for the occassional fireworks going off, which are somehow relaxing - a reminder of the other people celebrating around us maybe.

This is the type of night that should be spent with a few friends, a couple bottles of liquor, maybe some other substances of choice if that's your thing. Hanging out in a park after hours. Sharing those random thoughts of nothing and dreams and whatever floats into your head as freely as you share the booze. Experiencing the beauty of being another human in the vast universe.

I love summer nights. I love the breif moment when the sun seems to stretch into eternity and it feels like tomorrow will never come, and that tomorrow never needs to come. For that moment I feel invincible.

That moment used to stretch into long, late nights with friends. Something happened. The feeling of invincibility is still mine for a few minutes on those nights. Connecting to other people - in the way that only shared summer nights can connect you - has gone as those friends have gotten older, gotten hitched, started careers, bought houses and condos, had kids...

I want need friends that I can experience summer nights with. I want to revel in my waning youth and be a little reckless and embrace life and nature and humanity under a few twinkling stars.

Pass the bottle...

the dvd colletion post explanation

The previous post was really just for me. Silver Turtle Boyfriend and I have accumulated quite a DVD collection. It's now to the point that we'll find something we like at the used bookstore and can't remember if we already bought it. I also have friends that always ask me what movies we have to bring over and watch, so now they have a handy reference list.

I'd love to do this with my CD collection, but it is several hundred CDs and always growing... so I just don't have the patience for it. (Silver Turtle Boyfriend's CD collection is nearing 2000!)

the dvd collection post

- A -

A Better Tomorrow II
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
A Man Apart
A Nightmare Before Christmas
A Time to Kill
Almost Famous
American Beauty
American Pie
American Pie 2
American Wedding
Any Given Sunday
Armageddon
Assasins
Assault on Precinct 13


- B -

Badder Santa
Barbershop
Batman Begins
The Beach
Beverly Hills Cop
Beverly Hills Cop 2
Beverly Hills Cop 3
Big Momma’s House
Black Mask
Blade
Bloodsport II
Blow
Blue Streak
Blue Thunder
Born To Defense
The Brothers
Bringing Out The Dead
Bulletproof Monk

- C -

Casualties of War
Changing Lanes
Chicago
Child’s Play
Child’s Play 2
Child’s Play 3
Bride of Chucky
Seed of Chucky
The Client
Crash
Cobra
Collateral
Colors
Cooley High
Cops & Robberson
The Corrupter
The Count of Monte Cristo
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

- D -

Dangerous Relations
Dead Poets Society
Deep Cover
Derailed
Desperado
Desperate Measures
Deuces Wild
Die Hard
Die Harder
Die Hard With A Vengence
Dolemite
Drive Me Crazy
Drumline
Drunken Master

- E -

8 Mile
8 MM
El Mariachi
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Exit Wounds

- F -

Face/Off
The Fan
The Fast and the Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious
Fearless
The Fifth Element
Fight Club
Finding Nemo
First Blood (Rambo I)
First Blood Part II (Rambo II)
Fist of Legend
Fists of Fury
Forget Paris
Four Brothers
Freddy vs. Jason
From Hell
Full Metal Jacket
FX2

- G -

Gangs of New York
Get Over It!
Girl From Rio
The Green Mile
Gone In 60 Seconds
GoodFellas

- H -

Half Baked
Hangman's Curse
Hard Rain
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
High Fidelity
High Tension
Hitch
Hollow Man
Hoosiers

- I -

The Incredibles
In Good Company
Internal Affairs
In Too Deep
Iron Monkey
The Italian Job

- J -

Jack Frost
Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Joy Ride

- K -

The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid II
The Karate Kid III
The Next Karate Kid
Kickboxer
Kill Bill vol. 1
Kill Bill vol. 2
Kiss of the Dragon
Knockaround Guys
Kung Fu Hustle

- L -

The Last Dragon
Lean On Me
Leathal Weapon
Leathal Weapon 2
Leathal Weapon 3
Leathal Weapon 4
The Legend
The Legend of Zorro
Lethal Weapon
Leprechaun
Leprechaun 2
Leprechaun 3
Leprechaun 4 (In Space)
Leprechaun In Da Hood
Leprechaun Back 2 Da Hood
Lock Up
The Lost Boys
Lost In Translation

- M -

Man In The Iron Mask
Man On Fire
M*A*S*H
The Mask of Zorro
The Matrix
The Matrix: Reloaded
The Matrix: Revolutions
The Animatrix
The Matrix Experience
Maybe Baby
Mean Girls
Meet The Parents
Meet The Fockers
Meltdown
Memento
Menace II Society
Mr. Nice Guy
Murder at 1600

- N -

Napoleon Dynamite
Narc
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The Negotiator
Nightmare On Elm Street
The New Nightmare

- O -

"O"
O’ Brother Where Art Thou?
Office Space
Once Upon A Time In China
Once Upon A Time In China II
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
One Hour Photo
Original Sin
Out Of Time

- P -

Panic Room
Passenger 57
The Passion of the Christ
The Pelican Brief
The Perfect Storm
Philadelphia
Phone Booth
Pirates of the Caribbean]
Point Break
Point of No Return
The Program

- R -

Rambo III
Ransom
The Recruit
Revelations
Road To Perdition
Robocop
Rock School
Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky IV
Rocky V
Rock Star
Romeo Must Die
Rudy
Rumble In The Bronx

- S -

Saved
Saw
Saw II
Scarface
School of Rock
Selena
Shaft
The Shawshank Redemption
16 Blocks
South Central
Spaceballs
The Specialist
Spider Man
Spider Man 2
Stand and Deliver
Street Fighter
Sudden Death
S.W.A.T.

- T -

Taking Lives
Terminator
Termintator 2
The Thirteenth Warrior
Titan A.E.
Training Day
The Transporter
The Transporter 2
Twin Warriors (originally titled Tai Chi Master)

- U -

Unbreakable
Underworld
Undisputed
Unleashed

- V -

V for Vendetta
Van Helsing
Van Wilder
Veggie Tales - Gideon Tuba Warrior

- W -

Why Do Fools Fall In Love
Wishmaster
Wishmaster 2
Wishmaster 3
Wonderland
The Wood

- X -

XXX (Triple X)
X-Men

TV SHOWS

21 Jumpstreet: Seasons 1-5 [complete series]
Chappelle’s Show: Seasons 1-2, the Lost Episodes
The Dukes Of Hazzard: Seasons 1-7 [complete series]
House M.D.: Seasons 1-2
Hunter: Seasons 1-2
In Living Color: Season 1
Married With Children: Seasons 1-6
M*A*S*H: Seasons 1-11 [complete series]
The Office (U.S.): Seasons 1-2
Power Puff Girls: Power Puff Bluff and Meet the Beat-Alls
Speed Racer Limited Edition

MUSIC

The Beatles Unauthorized
Fun with the Fab Four
Dave Matthews Band: The Central Park Concert, Live at Folsom Field, Live at the Gorge, The Videos 1994-2001, Listner Supported
The Best of Kool & The Gang
Mercy Me: How to Breathe
The Best of New Edition
Purple Rain

because everyone's doin' it...

communication

Several of the blogs I read regularly have been all about Sandra Day O'Conner's resignation today.

She was conservative, but a moderate one. Which got me to thinking about my own personal theory on men and women in positions of political power.

Conventional wisdom will tell you that men are natural problem solvers. Basic gender communication theory agrees - most men want to solve problems, not talk about them. (Incidentally, I tend to be that way sometimes, too... especially when my customers have problems and I'm trying to help them and they keep on talking). Conventional wisdom and gender communication theory also tell us that women seek comprimise - they want to please everyone. Conventional wisdom also portrays women as emotional rollercoasters. Some of them are. But I live with a man, and he has little emotional spats, too.

So forever in western (and other) cultures, men have been the preferred political leaders, because they're seen as "decision makers" and "problem solvers". I expect this stems from a time when the decisions were more military. It seems logical to me, however, that women would be preferred as political leaders, if not at least considered equal, in our society - a society that is close to a democracy (yeah, yeah, we're really more of a representative democratic republic, I know...). I want someone who can look at a situation and analize it independentally and seek the solution that works the best for the most people.