Exploring Nassau

Well, I've finally found the time to continue writing about our trip down to the Bahamas in June. (What? It was only three months ago!) Peter and I went there for our anniversary and we had a great time. On a hot Saturday morning we walked around part of the city of Nassau, which is the capital of the Bahamas, doing some exploring. It was fun at first, but the heat got to me and I quickly became an impatient grump and just wanted to get back to the hotel and sit on the beach. I was six months pregnant, so I had that right! Here are some pictures of our explorations:

A nice pink building in the government district. Many of the buildings were pastel-colored and pretty.

Pirates once ruled in Nassau! This is my tribute to them.

More pink! This is where the governor lives.

And right across the street from the governor's place was a broken-down slummy area. What an interesting and all-too familiar contrast.

We hiked up to this old Fort, named Fort Fincastle. It almost killed me. It was difficult to find but a native led us there. It had some nice views...

A view of our hotel from the Fort.

The view looking inland from the top of the fort.

Our next and last stop (we took the bus there instead of walking...the heat was too much!) was a big open-air marketplace right on the water near our hotel. It was full of various crafts, knickknacks, clothes, and knock-off designer handbags, literally stacked up to the ceiling. Haggling was the name of the game, which I stink at, but it was fun and I got some cute things there.

I've never seen so many designer knock-offs, not even in New York City. I didn't get one, although I was a little tempted to get a "designer" diaper bag.

I spent the rest of that day back at the hotel, relaxing on the beach and in the ocean. That's what a beach vacation is all about! These are a few of my favorite pictures from there.

Our hotel was right near where the cruise ships docked. I never realized how huge those ships are! It was neat to see them go by.

This is one of my favorite photos from the trip.

Just chillin' in my pale fair skin. I'm not very interested in tanning!

I forgot my sunglasses in our room. Darn it!

Cruise ships in port.

This picture really makes me want to go back! The water was warm, clean, clear, and beautiful.

I have one more post to make about this vacation, and it's about our day trip over to Atlantis, one of the most stunning resorts in the world. I think I took around 150 photos there, but I'm going to be a good editor and include no more than 15 of the best ones when I write about it. That will be a challenge, but I think I can do it!

Nancy Pelosi Cracks Me Up!

Did you watch President Obama's national healthcare speech last Wednesday night? I had it on, and there was an unexpected and very unusual moment of suprise when Representative Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" during the President's address. I've never seen anything like that happen before, and I couldn't believe he did that! It was rude and disrespectful, and it's good that he apologized for his outburst the next day.

But I have to admit, I got a kick out of Nancy Pelosi's reaction. As the House Speaker, she was sitting directly behind the President, so you could see her the whole time during the speech. When Wilson yelled out, first she appeared to be shocked and completely taken aback, and then she looked totally ticked off. She looked like she wanted to leap out of her chair and whack that guy on the head with her gavel. It reminded me of the expression I sometimes see on mother's faces when one of their kids does something appalling and they want to punish them right there on the spot (I know this expression has been on my face before!). It was funny to be reminded of that in a most unexpected setting. Nancy Pelosi, you crack me up!

The Liberal Lion of the Senate

When I heard about the passing of Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy from a cancerous brain tumor on August 25th, I was saddened by the news. He was a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, my home state. Even though I'm not a Democrat and I disagreed with a number of his views, I respected him very much for the service he gave our country. I had an experience with his Senate office in Boston in the summer of 2000 that solidified that respect.

In the summer of 2000 I was between my sophomore and junior years at Penn. I was home in Massachusetts and looking for a good job or internship for the summer. Since I was majoring in political science and was interested in going into behind-the-scenes work in American politics, I decided to look into getting an internship with one of my state's U.S. senators, either Kennedy or John Kerry. When I called both of their Boston offices to find out about their internship programs, I found out that neither of them offered paid internships. I needed to make money for school and living expenses, so this was not good!

Senator Kennedy's internship program, however, did offer a flexible part-time schedule so that students who needed to earn money over the summer (i.e., kids who don't come from very wealthy families) could do so. The woman in his office who I talked to about it was very friendly and encouraging, and I would have loved to apply and gotten that internship. I ended up not doing so because I got another job that was full-time, but I appreciated so much that his office offered an option like that. I felt like they weren't catering just to the more privileged kids who didn't need to earn money. This to me showed that Kennedy meant what he said about helping students out and that education was important. He practiced what he preached, and I'll always remember that. I guess it's a pretty small thing overall, but it made a big impression on me!

A Little Note: I'm Back!

I can't believe I haven't done anything with my blog since the end of July. It was a busy August and it's been a September full of things to do, but I've missed blogging and I've been wanting to get back into it again. There are lots of things I've been wanting to write about. So, I'm back! At least for now. My baby was due yesterday but he hasn't arrived yet, so I have some extra time on my hands. Once he comes, I may be out of it again for awhile, but hopefully for not as long!