WAYT: About Me

I think it’s important to give you a little background on me. 

I already told you that the blog will focus on my attempts to figure out the answer to the eternal question, “What are you thinking?”  I think it’s only fair that you, my readers, should know what motivates what I’m thinking so that maybe you can understand some of my take-aways on almost any topic. 

I grew up in McLean, attended Olympia High School and graduated from Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.  I married a fellow IC alum, Frank Arnolts III.  My husband and I ultimately found great jobs in the Bloomington area.  We now call Downs, Illinois, our home.  We recently welcomed our baby boy Auggie.  He is just over a year old, and he is the absolute best little guy! 

The one thing that jumps out at a lot of people who meet me is that my college major was Political Science.  From what I understand, this is somewhat off-putting, especially these days.  More and more, politics has become a part of our daily lives.  I believe this is mostly attributable to the non-stop media cycle, but I think this also has something to do with the pervasive obsession with celebrity that has deeply rooted itself into the collective conscience. 

I got into politics for reasons completely removed from any of that.  I was always a good student throughout school.  But when I was in college, I found myself marking more and more options off the list.  The thought of being a teacher bored me, and my obvious lack of skill at computing and higher level scientific thinking shut me out of several career opportunities.  At a critical juncture in my young life, I asked myself one question: “What in the wide, wide world do I need to know more about?” 

Being a sophomore in college in 2003 meant a lot of things to kids my age, but to me, it meant that the world had fundamentally changed.  We spent a lot of time debating who we could even trust anymore.  Looking back on it, it was a scary time.  And I was at a liberal arts college, one that challenged the mind on every level, but most importantly, challenged you as a whole person.  The professors expected us to think and act and be involved in the public discourse.  So what did I need to know more about at that juncture in American history?  Politics first, history second, and religion third.  There you have my major and two minor courses of study. 

Politics, history and religion merge in the field of international politics, which was my focus.  It’s a place where, every day, there’s a gut-check moment.  What I learned then, and what I saw firsthand when I worked in Washington DC, was that the world truly is that cruel place you’ve always been warned about – but not here in America.  What I see now is that the United States is becoming that cruel place more and more, because things that formerly existed only for a small minority – homelessness, joblessness, helplessness – are finding their way into the lives of the “rank and file,” into the lives of the people who we know and love. 

Since I’ve been out of school, I’ve distanced myself very much from those topics.  I work in politics, but not international politics.  And I’m just an administrative assistant.  It’s not like I’m really working for a cause, per se.  But I watch and listen for the latest news about those things that made me passionate about politics, as my world revolves around my little family.  I’m definitely more interested in laid-back things like reading, stacking blocks, and Twilight.  But I’ll gladly jump into a debate any time, as long as I feel it’s reasoned.    

I’d like to sum up this introduction by welcoming you to keep reading.  I hope that even though I’m a (mostly closeted) political junkie, you’ll still read what I have to say.  I hope that you find my opinions relatable, but I hope that I’ll say a thing or two that will provoke a response.  I hope that here on my blog, we can freely and peaceably trade in the marketplace of ideas.