Markets, Finals, and the U.S. Election

I hope everyone enjoyed Callie's last food post, and while this entry will not be nearly as attractive, we did want to update everyone on what we've been up to the last couple of weeks.  Beginning with last weekend, Callie and I returned to Paddington (see previous posts for a more thorough description) to peruse one of Sydney's many weekend markets.  We browsed through nice clothes and expensive artwork and generally enjoyed the pleasant weather.  We inspected cupcake shops and second-hand book stores and attempted to infiltrate the Victoria Barracks . . . too bad they're still in use.  We walked back along Oxford Street into the city where we met a Rotary GSE (Group Study Exchange) Team from Brazil at the home of Patricia Harrison for a cocktail party over the harbour.  And finally, we finished the evening at the Opera Bar with Dom Blahut and several of his friends.  Needless to say, Sunday was more subdued.

This past week was relatively normal: Callie is still enjoying her classes and exams have officially started for me.  I had a final in Global Environmental Politics on Thursday, but I have this week off to study before the rest of my finals.  Also this past Tuesday, I, along with another Rotary Scholar in the district, Clayton Solomon, did a joint presentation on the U.S. election to the Rotary Club of Sydney.  We discussed the state of the race (which looks to be in the bag) and ruminated on what a McCain or Obama administration might look like in the first 100 days.  The presentation was generally well-received, and I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect from a distance on the nature of this incredibly long and historic event.  

Over the weekend, we met up with some Rotary friends,  John and Jill Henderson for a food-oriented tour of Balmain and Rozelle, two neighborhoods between where we live and the city.  Callie was thoroughly excited about the abundance of coffee shops, bakeries and organic markets, and I think that she received at least half a dozen job offers when they found out she was in culinary school.  Beyond that, we are enjoying Australia's dominance in the Rugby League World Cup, and we are, like the rest of Australia, anxiously awaiting the U.S. election results.  As I mentioned earlier, it looks like Obama will win, but I will confess that I am somewhat disenchanted.  Being in Australia for the last several months has provided me with some distance and perspective on the race that I didn't have when we were at home, especially when I was working for the campaign during the primary.  As Obama and McCain have traded blows over the financial crisis and William Ayers and the strategy for Iraq and Joe the Plumber, it occurred to me that neither of these candidates are quite as good as we had hoped for and expected.  For Obama, a young, intelligent and inspiring figure: there are holes in his claim to bipartisanship, examples of politically motivated flip-flopping, and persistent doubts about the substance of his policy recommendations.  For McCain, a proven, honorable and independent public servant: there are significant questions about his nomination of Sarah Palin, his devotion to the Bush Administration, and the antipathy and vitriol that characterized his campaign over the last several months.  In a race that had so much potential, I would simply offer that each candidate has failed to be the best that they could have been . . . and that's disappointing.  Anyway, we'll see what happens Tuesday (or Wednesday here I guess).