Dear Diary,

I know, long time no talk, right?

Well I just got done talking with my friends in the Philippines. It was really cool just being able to see them again, and really awkward again like I knew it would be. Since tonight is a time change, we're going to be thirteen hours apart from them until the spring time. That's super confusing.

It was awesome, though. We even got to sing with them. Right now they're getting ready for church. We're getting ready for bed. Crazy.

One of the pastors really hit home for me tonight, though. He asked where my mom was and said that they were all praying for her that she would become a sister in Christ with us someday. That really touched me very deeply. Then he told me that I was beautiful. I didn't know what to say. I've been struggling with my self image for a very, very long time and recently it's been especially hard. The Spirit totally used him to comfort me, and I really needed it.

My brother is on the phone with me now. His voice makes me want to tune out. I guess I am tuning out if I'm typing to you instead of listening to him. Heh. I'm not good at this whole paying attention thing anyway.

And we're talking about politics now. This is the first year he's ever gotten a chance to vote. I don't vote anymore. I refuse to waste my life supporting a lie that my vote actually chooses a president. The electoral college does that. I refuse to be another gullible American. The election is a bunch of crock and it has always been that way. Besides, the president doesn't have as much power as they lead us to believe. Congress has control. There's only so much one human being can do. I'm sick of being led by a country full of young, stupid, blind, crass, impulsive, empty-headed human beings who are passionately uninformed and committed to being brazen, argumentative, abusive, inflammatory, and lazy. There's a reason we keep changing presidents but nothing ever gets better.

And that's my rant for the night.

So long, cow poke,
La Habanera