Why I Vote

I've voted in every election I've been eligible for since turning 18. Often, the issues are trivial local level stuff; I don't even know what to vote on so I just ask my dad to explain it to me. But I vote because it's a right I don't want to lose. Issues can't always be important, but I'd hate to lose my right to vote due to lack of use when something big comes around.

And this year, many somethings big have come around.

I've always hated politics; it's underhanded, manipulative, sneaky, and disgusting. You can't trust anything at face value without looking for facts (without bias!) and making your own value decisions. I won't watch political ads because I find them offensive; they seem to be undermining my intelligence, by telling me I should take everything they say at face value and assume the other party (the other party only) is lying to me. I don't respect that, and I would much rather respect an elected official or a policy. So I don't watch the ads; I don't use them to further my views, and I don't allow them to skew my views.

Instead, I watch the news. I ask questions and find the answers that are important to me. Then I start looking for multiple sources explaining which candidate will align best with my views. I refuse to be a sheep. I want my vote to count; it counts as my voice, standing for what I believe in.

I could explain now why I believe it's the moral, ethical, constitutional, Christian thing to support gay marriage and marriage equality. I could explain why I think the current Republican party promotes harmful, dangerous, and discriminatory policies for women and homosexuals. But there are many more eloquent arguments out there, elegantly laying out every argument I hold to be true. Instead, my point is this: that you should vote for something you can support. Vote for something that will not make you feel guilty or ashamed. Don't vote because a politician has manipulated you by omitting the right details and flashing a winning smile.

I'm voting because I believe we are at a crucial turning point; we can move forward into the 21st century, or we can digress back to the 19th century. I'm taking a stand and lending my voice and using my right that was hard-earned by women before me.

Big Girl Cooking (And Other Anomalies of Growing Up)

For the first time ever, I am living somewhere on my own where I am wholly responsible for...everything. I am renting an apartment in a renovated Victorian in midtown Savannah where I pay rent and help split a water bill, electricity bill, and internet bill (we've opted not to pay for cable). That's all fine and dandy, but it also means that I am suddenly responsible for every single meal, every single day. Prior to returning to Savannah for this school year, I made a decision to try to eat healthier and exercise more, in an attempt to combat some bad habits I've formed recently. As eating out isn't very friendly to that decision or to my wallet, I've had to figure out how to feed myself from the grocery store, which is an interesting task when the only things I ever make in a kitchen are macaroni and cheese or cupcakes.

But I recently found this recipe for Creamy Scrambled Eggs via Laughing Cow as I was contemplating cooking some scrambled eggs with Laughing Cow cheese in them. The recipe inspired me to go ahead and try my initial thought...with some revisions. The end result was tasty, filling, and healthier than you might think, so I figured I'd share it on my blog, even if for no purpose other than having it for my own future reference.

Using the aforementioned recipe as a starter, I whisked together three eggs (they were even cage free, grain-fed eggs). I added a dab of French's Dijon mustard with chardonnay, and then decided to put about half a spoonful of Philadelphia's reduced fat Italian cheese and herb cooking creme. I've been pretty enamored lately of the cooking creme; I usually add it to my macaroni and cheese. I skipped the pepper suggestion on account of the fact that I had no pepper on hand (it's on our shopping list).

While I was mixing these ingredients together, I had a pan going on low heat where I had a dab of butter melting. I always like to grease the pan with a little butter and a little olive oil before scrambling eggs; it helps with the cleanup later and adds a nice flavor to the eggs.

I poured the egg mixture into the pan and let it start cooking, then I pulled out my fantastic Thomas' cinnamon raisin flavored bagel thins, which I popped in the toaster for my preferred degree of toastiness (for me, that's basically just warm). Then I spread half a wedge of the Laughing Cow cream cheese on my bagel. Laughing Cow is amazing; it's lighter and healthier than regular old cream cheese, but tastes just as delicious. The remaining half of the wedge I threw in to my scrambled eggs, which were about half cooked at this time. I mixed the cheese in and let it melt in with the eggs, taking my eggs of the stove once they were fully cooked but still a smidgen goopy. Cover your bagel with eggs and you have a delicious meal, prepared in minutes.

The end result was creamy and flavorful; I especially liked the raisins in the bagels, which would occasionally produce a sweet tone to compliment the savory flavors in the eggs. This experiment was definitely a keeper. I ate my meal while watching Doctor Who.

Now if only I could figure out how to cook meat that doesn't come in a frozen meal...