.wampanoag.

.today, i orchestrated an excursion to plymouth.
or plimouth, as they like to call it.
i love excursions, by the way.
anyway, plymouth is beautiful. i expected a corny little bum of a place, and although the town was slightly kitschy (everything was 'pilgrim this,' 'pilgrim ale,' etc), it was a really quaint little town with lots of fun shops.

and the surrounding harbor and islands and forests were beautiful. it was a great day; it was warm, but not excruciatingly hot like it has been, and the sun kept peeping out and giving us bright blue smiles. lovely.

we took a harbor tour, which was fun because we could see some of the surrounding islands. very pretty. plymouth rock was bigger than i imagined, but the portico around it was under construction, so we couldn't get very close. oh well. still cool.

i love this picture! i love the colors. it looks like watercolor paints.

we also happened across some crazy festival in the middle of the main street, and there was irish dancing going on, so we stopped to watch. so awesome. it made me think of dublin. except these people all had crazy colors on. their hair is out of control too. so crazy! i love curls.

little marys!

crazy curls.

so, all in all a very satisfying day.

.cheers.

.slr.

.and another post. i'm crazy!

but i felt like posting some more galapagos/ecuador pictures.

i love flag pictures.

cheers.

.ice.

.and to continue my earlier rant about the state of the world today/americans specifically/humanity in general...

why is no one else freaking out about the possibility of the north pole melting??? has our society become so immune to these massive frightening changes to our fragile world that they just completely ignore the fact that boats may be able to cross the north pole? for the first time ever?

maybe that's the problem. our world is not exactly fragile, it's pretty much a beast, but in the span of about, oh, 200 years (industrial revolution, anyone?), we have pretty much shot it to hell. seriously. the weather is out of control, species are dying off, honey bees are disappearing, and no one seems to care. or notice. that's a lie, actually - they do notice. for about three seconds. and then other things come along and they forget all about the fact that the planet that we inhabit, the planet that sustains us and has sustained us for thousands of years, is slowly suffocating.

and that's why wall-e is so disturbing. because it exposes (in a children's movie, for god's sake!) a very grim, very real future for us if we continue on as we are now. sickening.

at least i have my plants.

cheers.

.wall-e.

.saw wall-e with constance and tiffany last night.
best
movie
ever.
well, maybe not the best, but
it was pretty dang good. there were probably
20 lines of actually dialog in the entire movie,
but it worked. it was very cute,
but it was actually sort of disturbing.

a world where the world is so polluted and full of
junk that everyone has to go live on a massive
spaceship? where they become so obese and
lackadaisical that they drink every food
from a cup and everyone has to use a
hover-chair to get around? it makes my skin
crawl.

but all in all, a very sweet movie. i love pixar.

cheers.

.beast.

.there was another
beast in the bathtub
this morning, crouching
low against the white curve.
his long feelers and whispy legs
hardly moved but i knew he was
watching me. half-asleep at 5am (i
should have been up but i need my
beauty sleep) i stood there still in
the morning heat that tingled
my skin with a veneer of
sweat. he knew i was
there. i could feel his
eyes watching.
not cowering.
i was cowering.
in my stupor i
grabbed jeff's nice black shoe.
peered over the edge, looking
down at the splotch of brown
against white.
the shoe fell
as quick
as lightning and
with an echoing groan that

probably
woke the neighbors

a miss.



he ran eights
in crazy figure

as i slammed the shoe
again
again
again
and worried he would escape.




finally a direct .hit.
and his legs were scattered
like eyelashes along the bottom
of the tub.


.cheers.

.light.dark.

.by the way, although i love
photography/
taking pictures/
cameras,
i have never actually
taken a photography class.

could someone tell me why so many
of my pictures (example in first one below)
wash out the sky? what do i need to adjust?
or is it just because my digital camera
is not as good as a D-SLR/ SLR?
advice
much
appreciated.

.cheers.

.the day the music died.

.another uneventful and awesome trip to the big apple. or the big onion, as they used to call it - i imagine because of the stench? or maybe the many layers of the city. who knows. (which reminds me - sue, if you read this, the reason why we missed the walking tour is because the harlem one was at 11am that friday; i checked the schedule online.)

for the actual fourth, we met up with
a friend of jeff's from work
who goes to
yale law and went to
prospect park to
toss ye old frisbee
around
(don't worry
he was very nice and not
pretentious).
then went to a bbq
at a friend of jeff's from work/
harvard.
we hung out in her backyard
for a while with a bunch of their friends.
it was fun. a little awk at first,
but toby was there after being
deathly ill with a stomach virus,
and he drank an entire bottle of
$6.99wine.

keep in mind that $6.99 wine here
is not as good as
$6.99 west coast wine,
and not nearly as good
as $6.99 vino d'italia.
obviously, the terrible wine killed
all of the viral cells in toby's body,
plus a few of the good cells, i'm sure.

after that, we went to a party of
jeff's friend from yale's friend,
and basically, i was gossip girl.
it was at the most ridiculous
brownstone/flat/whatever
they're called. seriously,
this place was definitely worth more
than i will ever make.
we walked in and there were
crystals or geodes or something
gem-like all over, and himalayan
rugs and tapestries.
it was beautiful.
and a stocked bar, and
heaps and heaps of food.
and the best guacamole i've had
since the west coast.
(i think it was just because it was homemade - but still)

i almost felt like i was in college again,
except i've never been to a party
as ridiculous as that.
not that it was ridiculous-wild; there really
weren't that many people there,
and here parents were mingling and
chatting.

saturday, we went to the statue of

liberty and ellis island
in honor of our country
and my ancestors
(jeff thinks his ancestors were too cool
for ellis island,
apparently).
it was so cool being there,
particularly ellis island,
but we got drenched.
absolutely soaking.
it looked like jeff pushed me into
the water.
so wet.
emma lazarus got it right with the 'huddled masses' - we
were all definitely huddled
in the registry room of ellis island.

all in all, a very fun trip.

i got home and my plants
survived my absence. those
marigolds are greedy for water, though.
sheesh.
and there was another successful
fruit-fly massacre
today, this time via
zap! fly paper (amazing).
just ate an entire carton of
blueberries,
and an entire carton of
raspberries.
one last ode to ye olde us of a.
now to go eat corn.
i
love
summer.

- one of the original torches -

- and, for us numismatics geeks out there (ahem *mary*),
some of the currency from ellis island -

.cheers.

.quinoa.

.so basically, w-b is amazing.
yesterday, we left work around noon.
we got to sel de la terre, and there were little personalized w-b menus.


so here is what i had for lunch yesterday:

1. eggplant-goat cheese puree with olive oil and toasted walnuts (on bread)
this was amazing on bread
-2002 westport rivers, "brut rjr," westport, ma

2. chilled cucumber soup with citrus creme fraiche
the soup was nice and light, and it smelled very cucumbery and summery. the creme fraiche was surprisingly a little heavy and overwhelming in the soup
- 2006 chardonnay, hook & ladder, russian river valley

3. skillet roasted scottish salmon with black quinoa, grilled zucchini and baby carrot-tendril salad; curry creme fraiche
apparently this place likes creme fraiche. but the salmon was awesome. i had never had quinoa before - it looked like caviar, but it's a small grain, a little more firm and chewy than couscous. very yummy
- 2004 merlot, benziger, sonoma

4. assiette de fromage

5. vanilla creme brulee with fresh fruits and homemade cookies
i'm getting hungry again just thinking about it

amazing. it was the only meal i ate yesterday, and i didn't eat again until lunch today. so full. but it was awesome. halfway through the meal, we all got up and changed seats so that we could mingle with different people. it was so much fun; great ambiance, wonderful food. so awesome. i know you're jealous. it was fun too because they had someone come in with each course to talk about the wines.


so, it was a bit difficult going back to work this morning. let's just say that, with this four-day weekend coming up, it felt a bit like the last day of school.

after work today, i met up with frank, diana, kelsey, and connor. while i was waiting at harvard square for them, there was a 'free tibet' rally going on. it was kind of cool, with lots of flag-waving, painted signs, and 'no more communist china!' apparently they are there every wednesday.

i need to go to more rallies.


so it's off to nyc again this weekend! should be a fun 4th, although who knows what we're going.

i hope my plants don't die while i'm gone.


cheers!

.north korea south korea marilyn monroe.

.to be honest,
i am a huge nerd for posting pictures of
my plants. but, since i don't have a kitten or a puppy,
plants will have to do.

Deirdre got her kitten this weekend from the
shelter. well, she couldn't take him home yet, because
he needed to be neutered, but we saw pictures.
adorable.
i want one.

this week is going to be amazing, and by amazing,
i mean
i will need to pack in as
much work as i can in basically
20 hours. tomorrow we have
our little summer celebration
lunch. apparently wiley-blackwell
(particularly the blackwell
social sciences and humanities - ssh - book part)
did extremely well this year. so,
we get to leave work around
11:30 and go to Sel de la Terre,
a sweet restaurant in downtown
boston right on the water.
i am very excited.

then, full day on wednesday, and
again, since w-b is amazing, we get
thursday off.
and friday
off.
i love life.

on another note, i made a
kick-butt bolognese sauce last night
but my fingers still
smell like garlic.
which is annoying.
i read, though, that a
little bit of garlic every day will
help keep arteries from clogging.
which is great, although
i don't think i want to
eat garlic every day. apparently
the chemicals in garlic that fight the
clotting is activated
by crushing/cutting the garlic.
so make sure you cut the garlic
as much as you can before using it in food.

also, kung fu panda was the best movie i've seen in a while.
somewhat silly/predictable, but awesome.
just thought i'd throw that out there

skadoosh!
and cheers.

.shem and japheth.

today at work, i would have to say around 3 onwards, there was torrential rain.
wind
wind
rain
lighteningthunder
it was all there. well. maybe not hail.
but it was rainy and wet.
and when i got off work promptly at 5pm (when does that happen?!)
the streets, the sidewalks, the cars - everything was bone-dry.
new england is so weird.

cheers

.legs.

i walked into our bathroom last night around 10pm and pulled back the curtain to wash my feet. perfectly innocent and unsuspecting.

and sitting there by the drain, hardly moving, was the most monstrous millipede/centipede/some-kind-of-pede ever. ever. it was the grossest thing, and on top of the recent fly infestation, i couldn't help but think about all of the insects that could be crawling into my open mouth while i sleep, all the eggs that could be in the food i eat or on the dishes in the drying rack.

and so i just stood there, sizing up the miniature monster for a good three minutes - trying to figure out what to do with it. trying to figure out if he had seen me. trying to figure out how i could defeat something one hundred times smaller than i. he had totally seen me. he was plotting his escape that very minute - ready to mount an attack. what if i turned on the water and it leapt up and crawled into some crevice and multiplied into millions of baby monsters? what if i tried to smoosh it with toilet paper and it bit me? so i ended up grabbing jeff's shoe (he left me; what else am i going to do with his stuff but kill bugs?), and set about to kill the beast. but it didn’t die. with the first whack, it was squished, but it was still flailing around against the white porcelain. so, i wacked it again. and again. and it was still alive and moving and its little tentacle feelers were taunting me with little waves and winks. after about 5 whacks, there were enough pieces of it smeared around the bathtub that i was sure it was dead, so i turned on the water and washed it away.

now i'm worried about a massive millipede uprising originating in the tub. if no one hears from me for a while, they may have gotten to me in my sleep.

cheers.

.swift.

.i was making dinner today
and as i was slicing the chicken
for a nice burrito, i thought wow
this chicken is almost as white as
i am. and of course, as any normal person's
thought process would naturally progress towards,
my next thought was i could be chopping up human
meat and never know the difference. that was
when i decided that i didn't want a burrito
anymore. it still grosses me out. and
that is my lovely cannibalistic,
modest proposal-esque
thought of the
day.


in slightly more happy news, i walked over to the pea patch near our apartment. i love pea patches. well, i don't think that i actually love pea patches, but i love gardens and plants, and it made me feel at home. my little basil and tomato and marigold plants are awesome, but they are definitely not the same as a full-sized garden. speaking of, i transferred my little marigold seedlings today because they're hardly seedlings anymore and their roots were taking up the entire mini-bucket that they were in, but i'm wondering if i did it too soon. hopefully they'll buck up tomorrow in the sun.

mary, for your basil, make sure they're in the direct sun/light for a long time. it helps when you first plant the seeds to put a little saran wrap over it to kind of give it a greenhouse effect. i started mine off under a hot lamp; that gives them a direct source of light consistently for a good few hours.

also, apparently i have a picture in the 2008-2009 national geographic expeditions catalog. it's underwater, with a sea lion, covered in snorkel and wetsuit, but i swear it is me and scott. so now i can tell people that i've been in national geographic. (expeditions)

ha.


Cheers.

.sprouts.

.mary's blog has inspired me -
i know that my public clamors for more more more (moulin rouge style), so
i should probably update more often.


-nyc this weekend-
walking tour of harlem. central park. mamma mia on broadway. walk across the brooklyn bridge. worked our way upstream of a horde of asian protesters in orange shirts; they literally spanned a quarter of the bridge. metropolitan museum of art. lombardi's. pinkberry. st. Patrick's cathedral. top of Rockefeller center. Jeff.


i am excited because my plants are finally sprouting and growing and amazing. when i rub the little basil seedling, it smells so good. it makes me want to dive into a kiddie pool of fresh basil leaves.

i love plants. and my camera. just imagine what i could do with a D-SLR!










Cheers!

korphe

.It is truly amazing what one person can do to change the world.

I have almost finished reading Three Cups of Tea, and I think that every American today should read this book, which tells the story of Greg Mortensen's struggle to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I find it fascinating (and disturbing), when I come across people who are under the impression that we need to obliterate the Middle East, because all people in the Middle East hate Americans, and we need to eradicate terrorists. Don't get me wrong, I am all about getting rid of terrorism and terrorists. But there is a vast difference between carpeting an entire region in bombs - killing innocent children, fathers, and mothers in order to get at a select group of individuals (especially when etremist groups, such as the Taliban, often are making life extremely difficult for the local civilians anyway) - and eradicating terrorism by digging out the root of the problem. Do we really think that we can fight our "War on Terror" by creating more terror? It hardly seems logical that we will gain the respect and admiration of the Middle East by killing innocent civilians, failing to provide adequate relief aid, creating poorly equiped refugee camps, etc. These things only cause more animosity towards Americans.

People ask why they hate Americans. The answer is: because they are taught to hate Americans by extremist Muslims in madrassas funded by wealthy Saudis. As these madrassas are often the only education that impoverished children in the rural areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan can get, male students (because madrassas do not educate women) grow up listening to the ravings their extremist teachers, who often have little to no education themselves. They get not a moderate education, with regular teaching of history, math, etc., but lessons in extremist Islam.

Greg Mortensen is combating this extremist upbringing that breeds terrorism by starting schools all over Pakistan and Afghanistan, specifically focusing on educating the women. If only we could take our cue from Mortensen, and concentrate on helping those in the Middle East, modernizing them, build schools and hospitals, instead of fostering an atmosphere of hate and distrust. And you know what? With all of the money that we are spending on the military, we could have opened many, many schools.

Only in this way will we win the war on terror. Can we please focus more on empowering women and educating children than dropping bombs and encouraging hate?

Ciao

birthday suit

....and at 3:02am 23 years ago today, I entered the world naked and covered in nasty goo. gross...

..boston burning?..

I have decided that I have only seen one cat the entire time I've been in Boston. Is that strange? Maybe I'm used to Seattle, where the cats roam freely in herds down the sidewalks. Okay, that's an exaggeration. Obviously, cats are more solo creatures than dogs. But still, I usually can't walk outside in the summer without stumbling over some cat lazing about in the shade of a maple tree. So why is there only one cat in this city? Methinks that Jeff's mention of a YouTube video of a man chucking cats off a cliff may have something to do with it...


And how could I not start off with the most exciting event of the night? Who knows

Last night, I went out for drinks with Nick and Craig, from my Syracuse program in Firenze. We went to this fun little hole in the wall place; Tiger Lily? Or something. It was attached to a Malaysian food place, and they serve these massive chalices (chali? what is the plural of chalice?) of some sort of concoction of alcohol and juice. The flavors were: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black. And they were good. Anyway, so we were coming home, and our entire street, which is somewhat of a main thoroughfare, was blocked off by a police car and a fire truck. Which was odd. So I turned onto our street, and the entire street was LIT UP with flashing red lights. Mind you, this was around 1:30 am, so this was no small feat. There were literally 8 firetrucks outside my building, with one of them having its ladder extended up onto the roof. WTF mate?!? So, of course, I freaked out and thought Jeff was lying inside the apartment dead, and that all of our things had been burnt to a husk (ie my computer). I called Jeff, and he was like, hm, it smells like smoke.

Apparently, some idiot had left some kind of pan with plastic handles on in the oven, with the oven on. So, the firemen literally had to axe down their door. Who knows why they needed all those firetrucks, but whatever. Our apartment still smells all disgusting and smoky. Yuck. But at least we're both find and there was no damage. At least, not for us. The door of apartment 13 is a different story...

Cheers

.and the greatest of these is love.

...heretical rantings of the day...

Today, I was thinking about religion, and it astounds me to think how shocked some of my more conservative religious acquaintances/friends/family members, etc. would be at the state of my piety currently. I can see myself from their eyes, and what I look like from the outside is, well, the epitome of a heretical agnostic or even *gasp* an atheist. I have not been to mass since Christmas, I haven't read the Bible in who knows how long, etc. etc.

It's funny, though, because I find it hard to find God (or god, or Allah, or Gaia, or Zeus, or whatever, because, really, let's face it, they are all the same thing) sitting on an uncomfortable pew, or in the pages of a text that spouts genealogies and tries to warn me of the second coming. Don't get me wrong, there are many good stories in the Bible, and I love the psalms, and parables. I just find it hard to find God in a text that claims that women are the chattel of their husbands/fathers/brothers.

No, I find God in the purple crocuses I saw peeping up from the crusted New England soil. I find God in the splash of reds and oranges I saw in the Adirondacks this fall. I find God in my family. I find God in my friends. I find God in Claire. I find God in hugs and smiles and kisses. I find God in the still moments watching a movie on the couch with friends or family. I find God in snorkeling and seeing a massive sea turtle pass by. I find God in the worn pages of my books that I have read over and over. I find God in a song from a musical that gives me goosebumps. I find God in the smell of rain and snow. I find God in everything that I see, every day. Why would I need a specific religion to tell me where or how I should see God? And yes, I do find God in church, because I love the songs, and the community. And I do find God in the Bible, because I know that, in the end, "these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."




Cheers

tanzania & belize

I still have the travel itch, the kind that makes me want to go out, buy a sweet SLR digital camera and go take pictures of the sunrise on Easter Island and wildebeasts rhomping in Kenya. I don't even know if there are wilebeasts in Kenya, but hey, I'm not too picky. And getting National Geographic every month doesn't help either, with it's glossy full-page spreads of the calloused and cracked feet of salt-miners in Africa, the Sahal, was it?

Sometimes I just want to get lost on some South Pacific island, or in the Andes, and wander around with only my camera for company. And maybe a change of clothes. And deodorant. But besides those necessities, I would be set. It's really too bad that I never took a photography class, or I might actually stand a chance of doing some sweet photography-related travelling.

But alas. Easter Island and Madagascar will just have to wait a little longer.

Cheers

recycling

The other day at work I was walking by the massive recycling bin near the mailroom and saw that there was a treasure trove of books in there.

Apparently they should not have been there, and the editors took the majority of them back, but I got so excited. I wanted a million new beautiful books! There are a few left, and I think we'll probably be able to take one or two home. Awesome. It's sad that this is what excites me at work. Books in the recycling bin.

There are always journals in there too, but they're boring ones, like "Animal Opthamology" and "Wound Repair and Regeneration." Who on earth subscribes to that kind of stuff? So ridiculous. There was also a copy of "Sexual Medicine" in there, and I stole it to put on Margot's desk. She thought it was hilarious. But the funny part was when I was stealthily sneaking it out of the mailroom, and some random people came by and saw the journal I was taking. I got the strangest looks.

Ciao.

the office and philosophy

Well, nothing new and exciting here, but I realized that I have not posted in a very very long time.

Yesterday, I got to send a book to the Mayor of Scranton, who provided an endorsement of one of the books on my philosophy list, The Office and Philosophy. Pretty sweet, although it would have been way better if I could have sent it to Steve Carrell or Jenna Fischer or something.

Half-heartedly looking at History M.A. programs; right now, Brown is looking like the best option. Who knows, though, really.

Right now, all I want to do is travel. It's kind of a problem. I just sit here all day planning trips to Cappadoccia, Madagascar, Easter Island, Bhutan, Norway, Iceland, Antarctica, the Maldives, etc. etc. etc. It makes me want to try out for the Amazing Race, but sadly, no one wants to be my partner. It also makes me want to get a sweet Digital SLR camera so I can take close-ups of New Zealand Birds of Paradise and Victoria Falls at sunrise. *sigh*

On a separate note, I woke myself up this morning by poking myself in the eye. I then proceeded to freak out, thinking that I had blinded myself. Turns out it was just dark out.

Even stranger, as Jeff and I were walking in search of frames for my posters last week (frames are so dang expensive!), I was like, hmm, that tall man looks like Erik Knechtel. Low and behold, I looked him up on facebook, and apparently he is living in Cambridge, a few blocks from our apartment! Such a small world. I think we're getting together on Friday.

Meanwhile, I will continue to be obsessed with cameras, The Office, and travel.

Ciao

rufus

Yesterday I got some seeds, which I was really excited about. Our kitchen was lacking in the plants department. So hopefully those will grow into nice big beautiful flowers soon.

Also, I have become obsessed with getting a puppy and naming him rufus. Or a kitten. Kittens are easy to take care of, huh. I just want a pet. Maybe a goldfish for now.

And put some Galapagos pictures up, because I am bored.

Interview on Wednesday, wish me luck!

Ciao

major problems in american environmental history

Some things I have learned thus far about the East Coast:

1. They do not share our love of health food. Well, more specifically, our (MY) West Coast love of Jamba Juice. Or smoothie places in general. Apparently the only Jamba Juice in the state of Massachusetts is on the BC or BU campus somewhere, and I just cannot justify spending more on transportation to Jamba than I would spend on the actual smoothie. Ah, woe is me, now I do not have my daily nourishment that I get from having a Jamba (or two) a day.

2. Their driving habits are foreign and alien to me. I saw a woman honk at a car the other day before the light even turned green. BEFORE it turned green! They honk at you for everything when you're driving. And yet, time and again I have seen pedestrians cross when they are clearly crossing illegally against a red light, and the cars just let them go. No honk, no nothing. They might even wave at them. So strange. At least I know that I will probably never get hit in this city.

And those are my wise wise observations of the Eastern seaboard. Oh yeah, and the Boston accent is incredible. Jeff and I got a ten minute tutorial on the "Chahlie Cahd" for the T by a Bostonian the other day. I swear, it's like something from the Departed.

ciao

malecon 2000

So, this is from the first part of my trip to Ecuador, and the Galapagos. Amazing.

Well, so far our trip has been amazing. After a very delayed flight on Tuesday night from Miami to Guayaquil due to thunder/lightning storms and a malfunctioning bathroom, we finally got into Ecuador around 2am! On Wednesday, we walked down the very modern, new, nice Malecon 2000, a boardwalk along the riverfront in Guayaquil. It is very nice, and I am pretty sure I saw more people cleaning the boardwalk than tourists! There are also Tons of police and security guards around.

Thursday, we took a car up north. We went to Salinas (through Santa Elena), which is considered the "resort" city of Ecuador, though it is a resort resembling Seattle's Rainier Beach. No, I'm just joking, it is very nice, but it is still hardly at a level with any of the "resort" areas in the United States, and really is an eye-opener for anyone not experiencing poverty like this before ( i.e. Claire :) It is so interesting; the huge white hotels are very clean, and the beach area is very nice, but just two or three blocks away are dirt streets and houses with corrugated-iron roofs. Montanita, up north, is also very nice; it has kind of a rasta feel to it, very Bob Marley.

Today, we hiked up the 400+ stairs of Santa Ana and Las Penas, a beautiful hill with brightly painted houses perched on the side. However, it is kind of "disney-esque," in that the facades are beautiful, but if you look through archways and down alleys, you can again see the dirt roads and one-room houses. Everywhere you turn here, it reminds me of how blessed and spoiled, really, we are in the states. The top of the hill offered great 360degree views of the city, as well as a church, a lighthouse, half a pirate ship (fake), and crumbled ruins of an old fort that harken back to the days of pirate attacks on Guayaquil. A very nice climb, very beautiful.

I have learned some things about Ecuador that you may (or may not) like to know. One is that they have an entire language of car honks, and they will honk at you if you are not rolling a little before the light turns green. Very quick to honk, which brings me to my next pearl of wisdom: there are no rules of traffic. There were several times in our taxi trips around the city that there were 3-4 cars lined up next to each other across a two-lane street. Somewhat unnerving, and leads to many a honk. My dinner tonight, too, was great: I had to wear a huge bib, as my steak was served on a sizzling piece of rock. Too bad I hadn't brought my camera! I looked ridiculous :)

Virginia Tech

I'm still having a little trouble digesting everything that happened yesterday. It just makes me so sick to my stomache that someone could just shoot 32 people. Can you imagine how it would feel if a guy with a gun just showed up in your class and started shooting people? Man.

It's made me all skittish, too. I was outside reading by the fountain today, and someone popped a balloon across the lawn. My heart stilled slightly as I saw everyone peer nervously in the direction of the sound; I think we all were thinking about the same thing.


On a slightly lighter note, I started my workout class today. It was great, but honestly, my limbs feel so weak now! It's a good feeling, though.


Now, time for a shower and reading.

And continuing to think about and pray for those at Virginia Tech.

Ciao

progressives and progressivisms

Well... I haven't written in a while. Mostly, this is due to the hermit-mode I went into last quarter, a result of my Ireland class, and particularly because of my Thesis. The beast.


But, the thesis is DONE! Yaaay.


So this quarter is looking up. Waaay up. Spring break in Maui was incredible. Hiked around Haleakala, went and visited Kristin and Kyle on the Big Island, swam with SEA TURTLES!!!!! and had a good amount of frou frou drinks with umbrellas in them (most notably the amazing Guavatini).

The only problem with this quarter is: I need to figure out what I am doing next year. *sigh*

At least this quarter should be fun! And my birthday is in two days! Awesome

cheers!

alavert

Back to Seattle,
back to the allergies...


by the way, what is up with the weather here? flying in, everyone was talking about how they didn't want to go home because they had no power. wtf mate? that's crazy. people drowning from flooding in their basements, water-covered cars... geez. regardless, it is WAY colder here than in san diego.

oh, and disneyland was amazing, as always. definitely the happiest place on earth. went on all the sweet rides, and were THE FIRST boat back on splash mountain after it had been closed for a million hours. and the fireworks and snow at night were fabulous. i love that place.

ciao

kiva

I just learned about this amazing organization yesterday. It is called Kiva, and it helps out impoverished people (in Africa, Latin America, Asia, etc.). However, it is not your typical donation "let's give to the poor" organization. Why? Because instead of just giving them money, which will eventually run out, you give them microloans, or small loans (right now they are only letting you lend $25 because of the huge amount of people that have loaned in the past few days) to help them jumpstart businesses. It is a win-win situation, because you're donating to people that need it, and the money you give helps them start businesses, and get on their feet. Plus, your money gets paid back! So, you could set aside a certain amount of money to donate, and, once it gets paid back, you can just lend it to someone else. It's great. And apparently it almost always gets paid back. And, if not, you were going to donate it anyway. At least it's going to a good cause.

So that's cool. Check it out at www.kiva.org

I'm so glad that it is finally the weekend. One more week until Immersion Trip to Tijuana! I can't wait. Next week in my poetry class, we're having a pizza party; how middle-schoolish! Ha, I love it. I really want a smoothie right now... maybe I'll run to Jamba Juice.

ciao

post script

Some pictures from this summer:

Rays

Aww! Jonathan, Me, and Todd at Discovery Park
Todd and I are clearly excited

Moon over Lake Union? Not too sure where this is

Blue Angels!

Golden Gardens!

blue seahorse

I just ate an entire bag of Swedish Fish, Aquatic Life. Mind you, it was a small bag, but I still feel slightly nauseous. Oh well, it was worth it. They were mmmm mmmmmm good. (Blue is the best) Anyway, went to the gym for the first time in forever today, and I still feel like a bum. Maybe it's the weather; it's been cloudy and sprinkly and dreary lately, though the sun did peek through today and there are fairly clear skies now. We'll see. NRAP is tomorrow, which hopefully won't last the entire day. Blah, I don't know why I signed up for it. Oh well.

ciaooo!

candy

Oh, also. Just a little side-note. Last night was Halloween, one of my favorite holidays. However, I was incredibly disappointed, because we had homeless children coming to Trick or Treat in Dunne, and right when they got there, I had to go to my Tijuana Immersion class. Anyway, I ran down to the 4th floor, and got a chance to see the little kids before class. And they were THE absolute most ADORABLE things ever (well, besides maybe my little cousins). So so so cute. There was a mini-Tiger, and a mini-witch. Ah, so cute. I wanted to steal one. So anyway, that made me want a house in a nice neighborhood with lots of kids to come trick-or-treating, and also made me want my own kids to take trick-or-treating (and by now, mom/dad are having heart attacks reading this). Whatever.

So anyway, I was on duty, which sucked, but it really worked out, because I have a midterm today that is going to be terrible. Memorize 16 poems, author, title, etc. She doesn't explain anything to us. Oh well. It'll be fine, I hope. I'm getting a bit disillusioned with Halloween, too. It's just another excuse for girls to dress up as "slutty beer wench," or "slutty alice in wonderland," or slutty whatever. Honestly. Skirts keep getting shorter and shorter. Oh, and one of my residents, Adam, dressed as Adam. Biblical Adam. Id est, he wore a palm leaf. Hahahaha. That was great. Okay, no more rambling. Time to get back to studying.

ciao

real beauty

Everyone should check out this link...



http://youtube.com/watch?v=fZoyfhG0Wwk&mode=related&search=




it is part of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. It's really interesting, and really makes you think...

And don't worry, dad. Clicking on it will not give you a virus.

lauren studios

I am so spoiled...


I have been to 13 countries so far in my life... 13. Soooo many people have never even been outside of the United States. The really sad and ridiculous part is: I miss travelling. A lot. I was just looking at all of my Europe pictures, and it made me want to go back. There are so many more places that I could have visited but didn't. It makes me all sad and nostalgic. It was really cool being over there and having so many awesome places right there. Ah. Wouldn't it be nice if I had limitless amounts of money to spend on just travelling around and seeing everywhere? I decided that I really want to travel to Russia. And Australia. And hike through Peru and South America, eventually ending up in Patagonia. So much I want to do. And so little time. And money.

But where there's a will, there is a way. For some reason, I see myself in 10 years as dirt poor, and hiking my way around some random countryside through the mountains. Is that weird? Hopefully I'll have a llama or puppy to keep me company.

Ciao

critical essay on "say yes"

Staff meeting last night was not as horrible as expected; we even got out half an hour early! Sweet. And on rounds, Josh played the theme for Ducktails on his phone, so that was amazing. Mondays are always really busy, though, and Tuesdays will be about the same level of busy-ness, now that we're meeting Tuesdays for Historical Perspectives. Honestly. Why did I say that I would co-edit this thing? I already have no time at all. At least today isn't a day that the Tijuana course meets. Then I would be insanely busy. And I haven't started editing the poems for class tomorrow. Or written my poem. I seriously dislike my professor in Poetry Writing. Seriously. She is terrible. She is so, well, pompous and arrogant, to use the words of a certain drunken someone. She thinks that she is the end all in poets, and makes us do these ridiculous writing assignments that really cramp my writing style. Eh. Oh well. C'est la vie, et I will deal avec ca. Bien sur.

Au revoir

latin american origins

I have discovered the amazingness that is Annie's Mac and Cheese Single Servings. My life is now complete.

Otherwise, not too much going on with me. Still just up to my ears in work; 5.5 classes was not a smart move... 25 units? Yeah, no problem. :) Honestly, it's not bad at all. I actually enjoy reading for my classes; they're all really interesting. Aaand, the best part about overloading this quarter is: I only have to take three classes (including capstone) next quarter, and three spring quarter! And the spring quarter ones are all for fun, because I've basically completed my requirements for graduating. So, an awesome, no pressure, fun-filled last quarter of senior year. I can't wait. Now, I just have to get through my capstone. Hahaha.

Haven't been sleeping at all lately, because of ye old lungs. I really think I have sinus problems as well. Not cool. I honestly think that I just need an entire pulmonary system transplant. Anyone have any extra lungs to spare? Sweet.

ciao

stockholm

So, had my 5-8pm class again last night. I seriously feel like my prof is constraining my poetic tendencies. Honestly, that woman makes us write these poems from models that are just ridiculous. I mean, it's one thing to write a villanelle, or sestina, or sonnet, but she makes us do these weird contemporary/modern style-poems that have a mold, and I thought that the entire point of modern poems was that they didn't really have a set style, etc. Ridiculous. Oh well, though. I'm over it.

Finally got some sweet old posters for my room. It's pimpin' now. That's right. Pimpin'. Clearly.

Ciao

bursar

Well, Welcome Weekend went well, with no major mishaps or anything. It has just been so busy and hectic around here, with everyone trying to get settled in. My wing is crazy, of course. I heard some residents talking the other day, and one said "Oh yeah, I totally hear that Dunne 5 is the party floor." Great. Out of control. Oh, and I got a parking ticket. Perfect. We had to move our cars out of the lot for Welcome Weekend so, since it was a weekend, I moved over by Alvisos in a 4 hour lot. However, Monday was crazy busy with convocation and such, and I totally forgot to move it. Dang it. Stupid parking around Santa Clara. It sucks. Ahh, oh well.

My classes look good so far. I'm taking 5, plus the Immersion Trip class that goes along with the trip we do over Thanksgiving, which I'm really looking forward to!

Oh, and last night, Mary, Gabs, Chris and I were in Chris' room watching a movie. I happened to glance at the room right next to mine, and thought I saw red cups. So I said something to Chris, and he looked, and right at that second, we saw some people making out. That was hilarious, and we were going to wait for clothes to come off and then go knock on the door, feigning a 'noise complaint,' but it never happened. Haha. Oh well. How easily we are entertained. Oh, and close your blinds people. Honestly.

So yes. My exciting life right now. Perfect.

Ciao

aranciata

Some Switzerland pictures, as I know that you all have been dying to see...

Harbor in Lac Leman, and a purty swan








Mmm, Fondue... :) ha. Obviously, I am excited







The Jet D'Eau at night...








Fountain at night







Me and Lac Leman in Lausanne... And you can see the storm rolling in... About 2 minutes later, we were soaked and running as fast as we could uphill towards the train station... Awesome

pubquiz

I feel like I am constantly starting posts these days with, "Well, I haven't written for a while..." I feel lame for not posting more often, although it is probably good of me to actually be out doing things than constantly in front of my computer updating my blog.

Let's see, what has been happening. Well, for starters, I went to Switzerland for about 5 days. It was amazing, of course, as Switzerland always is (haha, what a jet-setter I am). The flight over, might I say, was awful. Stupid Lufthansa switched my seats, so instead of a nice, comfortable seat, they sat me next to a terribly obese man who had to put the arm-rest up because his fat was spilling over into my seat. Now, normally, I do not care one cent if a person is obese; that is their health problem, not mine. But when they are taking up half of my seat on a 10 hour flight, then I get angry. I really should have complained to a flight attendant and made them give me a different seat, but, being the passive person that I am, I didn't and got stuck with half a seat for the duration of the flight. Plus, there were a million Spanish students on the flight, being obnoxiously loud, and two Italian males with the worst B.O. I have smelled since I was abroad that would waft back to my seat every time anyone walked by. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant flight.

But Switzerland was awesome. Dad had his little meeting in Lausanne, so I got to wander around Geneve by myself all day on Thursday. I went to St. Pierre, which was beautiful, and then I got to go down to see the archeological ruins underneath; apparently there has been a church of some form or another on that site since 380 C.E, and it was a site of pagan worship before that. So I got to see some really old wells and gorgeous mosaics that are still fairly well-preserved. It was awesome, you know me, the history nerd. So that was neat, went to the Museum of the Reformation too, which was interesting. Then I just wandered around the old town, and by the waterfront with the Jet d'Eau, which was really cool, but kind of random. Friday, dad and I took the train to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. Zermatt is a very sweet, beautiful, quaint town, with lots of cool shops. We got a fondue lunch, and I had a lot of fun, although it was frustrating because it had just rained, and it was clearing up as we were getting into the town by Clogtrain. But, there was one, solitary cloud in the sky and it was RIGHT over the Matterhorn. So I couldn't really get a good picture. But right as our train was pulling away later, I got a glimpse of it, and it was awesome.

We stopped in Lausanne on the way back to Geneve, and got caught in a freak thunderstorm. We were down at the waterfront eating ice-cream and we could see these black black clouds rolling up, so dad's like, we need to leave NOW. So we're running up the hill to the train station as fast as we can when it starts to POUR. Not just rain, but RAIN, like in Forrest Gump when it's coming sideways and up from under you. The trees were all swaying and leaves were blowing all over the place, small bits and pieces of them getting lodged in my eyeballs. Now, I'm wearing a skirt in an attempt to look Euro-fabulous, so I'm running up the hill with the wind blowing my skirt up. I'm pretty sure I flashed about every Swiss male and female that we passed. So, we're running up the hill, my dad yelling shit! shit! as his silk shirt and glasses are getting wet, my skirt is flying up around my ears, and I am essentially running blind because of the massive amounts of debris that are lodged in my contacts. So I start laughing maniacally as we're running. I am pretty sure that we looked insane. It was good times though.

The flight back wasn't nearly as bad as the flight over, although they did change my seat from an aisle to a center seat (Don't ever fly Lufthansa. Ever). And we made it back in one piece. All in all, an amazing trip.

Going to a Mariner's game tonight, then pubquiz at the Ram, so it should be a good time. I'm still trying to figure out all the good places to go out in Seattle. Any suggestions? haha. Anyway, that's about it.

Ciao!

band of gold

So... haven't written in a while. I am a huge huge bum, this is understood.

San Diego was amazing, and it was good to finally (finally!) see Jeff again. 6 months is a long time to go without seeing your boyfriend. But yeah, anyway. Went to the Wild Animal Park, which was really fun. We took the little monorail safari thing right around sunset, so it was beautiful, and all the animals were frisky and frolicking around after a day of heat and sun. We saw some massive rhinos up close. It was sweet times. AND we had an "animal encouter" with some Serbylls. Or however you spell that. They were pretty cool little whild cats that are somewhat like mini cheetahs. So we did that, went to the beach, went to Old Town, had a nice dinner downtown. A very good, fun week. 24 too, of course. Haha.

Oui, so seeing Jeff was good, and it was sad leaving him for another two months. Oh well. I just don't want him to go do his fellowship in Israel now, what with the whole "war with Lebanon" thing. You know, minor issues such as missiles being launched, etc. etc. We'll see what happens.

Oh, and Kristin, did you get my email? I emailed you back from my email address. Let me know if you got it, becaues I haven't gotten a response yet.

Yeah... so that's it... Oh, and I'm going to Switzerland for a few days at the end of the month. Sweet! Can't wait....

Ciao! Forza Italia

mariani mangos

Soo...


Fiorentina wine-night reunion next week?? Ashley better get her butt up here to Santa Clara. Or is it down? I don't really know where she lives... But it's close...


I'll bring the Vino Verde. Or Spumante? We'll see

Thetoric, Identity, and the Radical Imagination

Okay okay okay


Mi dispiace...I haven't posted in forever, I know...


Not really anything new down here in ye old Santa Clara. This quarter has been ridiculously busy, and this week is especially a week from hell. Let's see, I had two papers due today, 11 and 6 pages, respectively, an annotated bibliography due on Thursday, and two papers due on Friday, a 15 pager and a 4-6 pager. I think (and pray) that the 4-6 pager on Friday doesn't actually have Friday as a fixed due-by date, so we'll see how that goes. Other than that, I am in miserable shape for my 15 pager. Oh man. So, I'm just hoping that I will survive this week, and then make it through next week as well. I can't believe we only have three more weeks left of the term. What?! What happened, were did all the time go? The Haus is graduating... wtf, mate? I am not prepared for this.

Hof just sent out an email about a potential trip to Yosemite this Friday and Saturay. I think it would be awesome, but we'll see who else is going; I don't want to end up the third wheel to Hof and KD, if you know what I mean. Hahaha.

Okay, well, I probably should get back to researching. Although it sucks that I'm not a senior and couldn't go to senior ball this weekend, it was probably for the best, because I spent most if it in the library. Oh joy. Oh, and my English class today got cancelled because only 3 people showed up. Honestly, how much do we pay for this education? Go to class. Seriously.

K, will update more exciting details on my exciting life later....

Early Republic

Wow, I have been such a bum about updating this thing. I have had massive amounts of reading from my two English and two History classes, but I guess it is no excuse.

Let's see, what to write. Well, the guys are all graduating at the end of this quarter/ have graduated already/ are only taking one class, so their senioritis is kind of annoying. Because I still have work. Lots of it. And it makes me sad that they won't be around next year anymore. Okay, no more depressing thoughts...

Yesterday was a busy day. I was busy doing stuff during the day, like meeting up with Hayley, class, a Phi Alpha Theta meeting, and then had my class from 7 to 10 pm and THEN had a volleyball game at 10:30. Which we won. I hadn't played in a year... Wow did I blow. Oh well, we won anyway. But, needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home last night.

I'm happy, though, because it has been beautiful out yesterday and today. Hopefully it will stay this nice!

ciao

marriott

Hmm, haven't updated for a long long time. Well, last quarter is finally over, thank goodness. Spring break was relaxing but uneventful; no one has the same spring break as I do. Went to San Diego which was fun. Claire got ridiculously sun burned, and she popped her little sun blister in front of me. Sick.

This quarter looks like it's going to be a good one. My classes are a lot of work, but they are interesting. The sad part is that a lot of my friends are seniors and have/will be graduating. Okay... nothing really to say.

PS We saw Lil' John at a mall in San Diego.... Yeeeeeah!

jovanotti

I'm dooooooooone!!!! Haha whooooooooo. Finally. Now I can relax and sleep in and read for leisure. Seattle, here I come... Oh yeah, and then San Diego :)

anacrusis

Turned in a paper yesterday...am turning one in today at noon.... Now, I just have a final tomorrow, and one on friday... And then Spring Break! Ugh, finally. I feel like my brain is mush right now.

This quarter has been the worst quarter ever. And I swear it's not just me; everyone I have talked to thinks this. I am just glad to be getting it over with and behind me. Now, if only I could just bring myself to study for my last two finals... bleh

women workers during World War I

Hmm, so much to talk about since I last posted....

Well, let's see. Classes officially ended on Friday, and on Wednesday I had to turn in my final draft of my History 101 paper. Theeen (and here's the big one) on Saturday, I had to present my history 101 paper at the Phi Alpha Theta (History honors society) workshop. It was kind of a big deal, because they invited me to read my paper, but it was also really intimidating because it was basically all of the senior History majors presenting their senior theses. So, that was scary. I also had to cut out about 3 pages of my paper, and it was still a little long... We only had 15 minutes to present, and then 5 minutes for questions. Thankfully, only one commentator asked me a question, and I was able to answer it. Looking back on it now, I'm really glad that I did it, because now I know what to expect for next year, but man, I was so nervous and grumpy the day before. Haha.

So I spent St. Patty's day inside, working on that paper, and also working on my Women in E. Asia paper that is due tomorrow... Ooh, to be done with Korean prostitutes and workers in the conglomerates. That will be nice. Unfortunately, I won't be finished with it tomorrow when I turn my paper in; I have a final in that class on Friday as well. And another paper due on Tuesday, and another final on Wednesday. Goodness... Oh well, I just can't wait to be done with this hellish quarter!

I'm really looking forward to the spring, and Spring Formation! I think that our Modern Perspectives staff next year is going to be great; I'm getting really excited. I'm just wondering what floor I will be a CF on.. Regardless, my residents are going to love me :)

I'm also getting really sad that all my friends are going to be graduating this spring... Blaaah. But the sooner spring comes, the sooner I get to see Jeff, so it's okay. I just can't wait for spring break!

Ciao

under construction

To Do Before Spring Break:

1. Finish History 101 paper
2. Finish reading for Women in East Asia
   
3. Write Women in East Asia Paper
4. Present History 101 paper at Phi Alpha Theta workshop
5. Write Dialogues Between Science and Religion paper
6. Take Poetry final
7. Take Women in East Asia final
8. Return my million books to the library... my room will look clean again!
9. Sell back my books from the past quarter
   

Why does that look like so much when I write it down?? *sigh*

On a lighter note, today, as I was walking back from class, I saw the old man with the toupe again. It is so funny, because his grey hair pokes out from under it. He was smoking, and it kind of grossed me out.

Also, every day, I have to use the cross-walk to get over to campus. Now, don't get me wrong, I know how to use a cross-walk. However, there is always a steady stream of students walking from Park Centrals over to campus, and I never know what to do. Do I:

1. Run and look like an idiot to catch up with the person that is currently crossing
2. Walk at my usual pace and let the cars that were waiting for the last person go, and then cross after a few cars have gone by
3. Walk at my usual pace and make the cars that were waiting for the last person wait for me as well

As you can see, it is quite the dilemma. Haha. Needless to say, I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing spring break.

ecofeminism

Today, I was waiting at the crosswalk to get to campus. There is another crosswalk right next to it, and I saw an old, homeless man pushing a shopping-cart full of cans approach the other crosswalk on the other side, waiting as well. We were standing there for a while, and finally a car stopped for me... but right in front of my crosswalk. He didn't even acknowledge the homeless man, just went right through that crosswalk and stopped next to me. It made me feel really bad, and I wanted to yell at the cars. Did they even see him? Sometimes I really think about our society, and it makes me sad.

closed form

I swear, I am the jumpiest person I know. I was walking to the gym today, just listening to some Juanes on my ipod, and a squirrel runs out in front of me. It didn't even run, just kind of sauntered. And I practically had a heart attack. Because of a squirrel! Ridiculous.

The weather has been ridiculous lately as well.... We've had numerous squalls, and last night, I swear there was a tornado. Palm fronds were blowing all over the place, and rain was coming down in sheets. What is this, Seattle?

Ps. I got the CF position. Sweet times

Ciao

amazing

Amazing Moment of the Week:

After having shot his ping pong ball a few times into the glasses that were lying around on the table after our brownie and Saw night, Mike points at a paper-towel roll standing upright on the table, and says:

"Hey, wouldn't it be awesome if I made it into that paper-towel roll?"

And he shot

and made it.

It made my life complete.

I spent the next 5 minutes curled in a fetal position, laughing

applesauce bread

Last night was probably the best night of the quarter, because guess what I did? I made applesauce bread. Just like dad and I used to make. Ha! Well, not really, because I had to eyeball the ingredients since the bread machine is smaller than the one we have at home. But it tasted the same, and reminded me of home. So from now on, I'm making bread... That is all I'm eating... Yeah... Good stuff.

Ciao

Gendering Modern Japanese History

The week is only half over...

But at least it's Wednesday, and last night was the worst night of the week. I got my outline done, thank the Lord, so the rest of the week I'm just reading and catching up on some sleep. I'm surprised I didn't drop my cheerios again this morning.

I cannot wait for the weekend.

Although the hottest date I had last night was with my computer, my Hist. 101 outline and footnote and quote assignments, Valentine's day was pretty good because I got to talk to Jeff for the first time in about a week :) Stupid broken computer... Word of advice: If you go to England, do not bring your laptop; it will break.

Ciao

notre dame

Disclaimer:
If you are going to critique my grammar and/or spelling, please refrain from reading my posts.
Thank you

tiles

So, I can't remember who I was telling about that movie I used to watch when I was little. I couldn't remember the name of it forever... You know, the one about the spaceships? And they come to earth and put tiles into place? Well, I remembered the name. Batteries Not Included....yeah.

grammar

I swear, some people never attended elementary school. Or just aren't all there, or something. But it frustrates me. You know how some people get all uncomfortable and cringe-y when people grate their fingers on the chalkboard, or there is the sound of cutting glass? Well, I get like that when people say, "Yeah, they should of done that." Should of?!?!?! Are we in the first grade? No. We are in college, and should thus speak like we are in college. I think even when I was in first grade, I knew that "should've" was a combination of "should" and "have." Imbeciles. Honestly.

Oh, and also when my Dialogues Between Science and Religion professor gives us a handout about how our paper should be, and one section says, "There should be absolutely NO grammer or spelling errors." Like I'm going to take her seriously after that.

What is this world coming to?? Honestly people. Honestly.

history of women in industry

To do:

1. Write Hist. 101 Research Guide
2. Study for English 21 midterm
3. Write Women in East Asia Paper
4. Write Dialogues Between Science and Religion Paper
5. Read for Women in East Asia
6. Start Hist. 101 outline
7. Start Hist. 101 First Draft (Not rough draft... oh no, a 'first' draft. It must be "as perfect as you can make it")
8. Attempt to not watch any more "Lost" until I'm done with said assignments

Dang...

asthma

I read today in the paper that they're attempting to ban over-the-counter inhalers, such as Primatene, that contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) because they harm the ozone layer. I'm sorry, did I miss something? We're now going to try to ban inhalers that people use to breathe, often because they can't get a prescription and/or don't have health insurance, because they harm the ozone layer? Since when are we so concerned about the ozone layer that we will ban INHALERS? It seems to me that is like putting on one of those teeny weeny bandaids when you've cut off your finger. How can people still drive around in their huge SUVs, wasting gas, or say that they're going to drill in Alaska, or keep dumping pollutants in rivers, etc. etc. etc. etc., but we're banning inhalers? I think that the government needs to get some priorities straightened out really quickly.

Oh, and I also read that people were sueing James Frey, the author of A Million Little Pieces, because he alledgedly embellished in the story. They're sueing him for, what was the phrase, "the lost value of the readers' time." Please. That's why it's literature buddy, it's supposed to be embellished. If you sued every time you felt you were due for lost time, I would be rich. Next thing you know, people are going to be sueing for traffic jams. Honestly, what is the world coming to?

haiku

Hightlight of my day: Seeing Tchernio roll up to class on a motorized scooter

Lowlight of my day: The quiz in that class

hp deskjet

I had my first IM soccer game yesterday... Hadn't played since last year. Ha ha. It actually wasn't too bad, and the best part is that I'm not sore today. Woo hoo. Last year, I don't think I could move after the game... So it's always a good thing when you don't hurt. Although my knee is in some pain, don't know what from though. And some guy during the game kept molesting me. So I stomped on his foot a few times. Oops.

Went to mass last night, and they had the Bishop of San Jose, and someone who heads up the Jesuits in Cali, Arizona, Hawaii, and some other state there. It was nice, but LOOOONG. We didn't get out until about 11:30. So, I was pretty tired when I got home.

Aaaand......

SEAHAWKS WON!! Wooooo hoooo! We're going to the Superbowl!! Ha ha! Yes... I'm a little bit excited.... awesome... first time ever... I love Seattle...

ciao

i like lists

Why today sucked:

• had another crisis about what I'm doing with my life (seems to be a recurring theme)
• forgot to change into a sportsbra for the gym...
• have masses of schoolwork to do and no time
• this makes two nights in a row that I couldn't sleep

Why today was awesome:

• talked to Jeff
• got some pictures from Todd that I've been wanting
• got a phone call from Todd, who has Verizon (so we can talk for endless hours)
• I am making mac and cheese for dinner
• saw both Mary and Gabalabs
• I made Marzia's pomodoro sauce last night.... I'm still proud of it
• because I couldn't sleep last night, I got more reading done in Room With A View

pomodorini

I would just like to say that today I made pomodoro sauce, ala Marzia... It wasn't nearly as good as hers, and I didn't have garlic, but dang, was that sauce amazing... Cin cin Marzia

martin luther king, jr

Well, last night the Haus had the second-annual MLK day party, complete with lots of politically incorrectness. Unfortunately, Nick was not in attendance so we did not do a speech-reading, but it was still fun. Not the same without Jeff, of course... We did play Martin Luther King's Cup, which was great. Until Mike decided to make a rule that everytime someone pulls a card, they have to insult Galen. Not fun. Oh well. Still fun.

I have tons of reading that I have to do... Not looking forward to it. At least our dryer is fixed now! Ha, well, I should say that at least the breaker is on now. Ha ha ha ha. Anyway....

Ciao!

pink and brown

Brynn and Phil's wedding was beautiful. Brynn looked so gorgeous in her dress, although she always does look gorgeous :) It was so nice, and fun to see everyone. And all I can say is... finally. Ha ha. How long have we known that Brynn and Phil were going to get married? A long long time. They are so perfect together.

The only unfortunate part was when I was made to go up and sing, when I had no idea that I was going to be singing. Ah, oh well.

And now I have blisters on my feet... :)

It was good seeing Kristin again though! Yay. I need to go visit her sometime soon in Hawaii, methinks...

K, time to read... Ciao

Ridiculous

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002734799_teshekpuk12m.html

chinese femininities

Well, classes have commenced. I decided not to overload this quarter, although I think I could have managed it. Now I'll have extra time to work on Historical Writing... Awesome!

I went and declared my English minor today, and at the same time dropped my Psych major. It just makes me frustrated that I couldn't have figured this all out sooner; I really wish I had been able to add an English double major. Oh well. I'm considering adding a Women's and Gender's Studies minor as well, but we'll see about that one.

My classes look all right, and I love reading all the poetry in English 21. My Last Duchess (Browning) is still one of my favorites, I think. I've also started reading Ariel (Plath), which is good. I love Plath. Been working out, which is nice... burning off all that Italy food. Other than work and working out, nothing much else really. Just seeing old friends, etc. Reading takes up the majority of my time, although it is interesting... Okay, now that this post is thoroughly boring... I will stop

Ciao

PS my Dialogues Between Science and Religion teacher has one nostril that is noticeably bigger than the other... I don't know how I feel about this yet.

the 408

Well, I am finally back down and settled in Santa Clara. My furniture all got assembled, mostly thanks to Jeff... But I must say, I am mighty handy with the screw drivers and wrenches. We got my desk and the dining room tables and chairs all set up... I even did my desk chair all by myself. I know, I know, I'm awesome.

New Years, we went over to the Haus and man, it was good seeing all those guys again. Good times, as always, and it was nice to have Jeff there to ring in the New Year.

Just been lounging around, mostly. It's been raining and gross out for the past few days, although yesterday and today were fairly nice. We watched the entire second season of 24, it was awesome. And, I now only have one more small box to unpack before everything is done. Thank God! Ha ha.

Jeff left today, which pretty much Sucked, because I won't be seeing him for, oh... 6 months? I am not happy about that, but my parents will be pleased because I am in the process of becoming the hugest hermit/book worm in the world... Even more so than before. Straight Alpha plus plus pluses... right you Oxford scholars out there? ;) Okay, time to watch some Family Guy.

Ciao

Ps. I want some of Marzia's pomodoro sauce right now