Update. And If this were the soundtrack to a movie, I'm pretty sure I'd like it.

Hello. My name is Charity. Do you remember me? It has been a long time. I have been very busy. Doing what, you may ask? What HAVEN'T I been doing?

It's funny; I don't think I've written in my blog regularly since before I started improv. It's like improv satisfied my need to ... whatever blogging does. Express?

Anyway, last night I got an email from my girl Nikki and it hit me that I needed to write. I love you girl. I don't know if you'll read this, but I do.

I finished 6 months of improv class and loved every minute of it. Well, there were a few scenes I didn't love so much I guess, but mostly it was awesome. I made a lot of neat swell friends, and went to some parties, and flirted with a lot of boys. :) Recently I've been seeing one special boy, but I don't want to write about him here. Just trust me, he's special!

I'm starting improv again next Monday. It's the advanced class, so I'm a bit nervous, but overall I think it will be good--the teacher is tough, and the games are harder, but I think that will be good for me.

I'm not teaching this semester, and it's been really nice to have some time off from that. I'm finishing my dissertation in the next two months (SWEET!) so I will be walking next May. You better save that date, bitches!! I just got some good news about my job, too. They're going to try to hook up a post-doc for me. Yay! That way I will have a job and benefits, but I will also not have to start a new job in this crappy economic climate. Hopefully by next year the economy will be better so I can start a new job making more money than I would this year.

My confirmation to Episcopalian went through and I love my church. Oh, and I'm learning Hindi. So things are good.

Love,
Charity :)
___________________________________________

Opening Credits: State of Clarity (Guru ft. Common and Bob James)

Waking Up: Paper Planes (M.I.A.)

Average Day: I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Kay Starr, Stuhr Remix)

First Date: Down Home Girl (Old Crow Medicine Show)

Falling In Love: I Can't Get Next to You (Al Green)

Love Scene: Colors (Amos Lee)

Fight Scene: Dangerous Type (The Cars)

Breaking Up: Basketball Jones (Cheech and Chong)

Getting Back Together: Mutha'uckas (Flight of the Conchords)

Secret Love: Do You Love Me? (The Contours)

Life's Okay: Feeling Good (Nina Simone)

Mental Breakdown: Lush Life (Sammy Davis, Jr.)

Driving: What Am I Going to Do With Myself (Al Green)

Learning A Lesson: It's Been a Year (Greg Laswell)

Deep Thought: My Best Friend's Girl (The Cars)

Flashback: I'll Be There (Jackson 5)

Happy Dance: The Band Played Waltzing Mathilda (The Pogues)

Regretting: Cruisin' (Smokey Robinson)

Long Night Alone: Sailin' (Harry Nilsson)

Death Scene: And Then You (Greg Laswell)

Closing Credits: The Race is On (George Jones)

two things you do with your fingers.

Namely, vote:

"I look at these people and can't quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention? To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. "Can I interest you in the chicken?" she asks. "Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it? To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

- Author David Sedaris, on undecided voters

...and play the piano:



I'm having a posting struggle lately. I'll post something interesting and personal again soon.

Probably.

Charity :)

Oakland Cemetary, early October 2008

Photos coming soon. I made a slideshow with iPhoto but the image quality was terrible so now I have to do it in Picasa. And frankly, I'm in the middle of watching Lost, so it will have to wait.

(See how I've started prioritizing my needs? Motto bene.)

Charity :)

i was never a fan of the rocky movies.

here's why:


"i mean...come on." (a la cartman. i was a fan of south park.)

oh, and speaking of south park... i mean, sponge bob square pants... oh, and foul language...

oh, wait, is it the weekend??

This week has been crazy busy. Luckily I've been productive (other than the slip up on Monday--but I only missed it since I was working so hard!!), but I haven't been able to do anything fun!! Well, that's not true. I went to a friend's birthday dinner last night. Now that was fun--more Indian food (yay!), board games, a little baby that cried as soon as I picked her up (but even then, she was SOO CUTE!!!!).

Now I'm going to be at school all day doing my applications, which it will feel MARVELOUS to finish, then probably all night, too.

Tomorrow I have a lunch date, and then IMPROV day one, and then Les Mis!!! This week will definitely pay off this weekend. :) It will actually pay off Saturday, and then Sunday will be icing on the cake! Church, where I'm moving one Sunday at a time from "Inquirer" to "Episcopalian." Then, I'm going to visit my friend in Alpharetta, using my NEW GPS (!!!), whom I have never yet visited!

I can't wait! Just a few short hours! Maybe I'll even watch a Doctor Who on You tube when I get home tonight.

Charity :)

By the way (I had to add this):

did you ever have one of those days?

I had such a great weekend! Then today, I was supposed to give a quiz in my friend's class and meet with one of my own students. I remembered this morning, and thought about it all morning, and then just didn't go. An hour later, my friend emailed, and I still can't figure out how I forgot. It's like I've been in a black hole since 11 am.

How embarassing. What is the matter with me?

Charity :)

best birthday ever!

I had such a wonderful birthday! Thanks for all the birthday greetings and wishes and cards and gifts and meals. And the flowers! I got flowers from Nikki and Olivia.

I went to the pool with Katie in the morning (her birthday is today--happy birthday, Katie!), my friend Mike took me out for a late lunch, Katie and I got mani/pedis, I went out to dinner at Cafe Bombay (yum!) with many wonderful people from school, and then I went to Borders by myself and wondered around, collecting an armful of books to peruse while drinking my decaf soy latte (yummy!). I ended up buying The Shadow of the Wind, which I've been wanting to read for a long time, Flight of the Concords DVDs (the funniest show ever), and The Golden Notebook which I will read later.

Big hugs and kisses all around. I hope everyone's 31st was/is that pleasant.

Now I'm going to go to church and learn more about the Anglican Communion! Too bad I know where it is, so I don't have to use my new GPS (YAY!). Maybe I'll use it anyway.

"...Recalculating..."

charity :)

salute to companions.

This is a nice tribute to the companions of Dr. Who over the years, although it stops at 2006 so Martha's not in it. I am posting it in honor of my dad, who instilled in me my love of Doctor Who from a young age (although at first the love could be more accurately described as terror) and also in honor of all of my companions over the years. Maybe that's why I like Doctor Who so much--he is always reinventing himself, and he can't stay with only one companion, since he never ages, but they do. In the same way, my life takes me around to different companions, and over the years they have all been crucial in making me who I am and keeping me alive and well. Like Doctor Who, I can win out over the scary monsters I face, but like Doctor Who, I usually can't do it without my companions. So maybe that's why I like him.

That and the sonic screwdriver.

charity :)



PS: I heard that David Tennant might not be in the next season, which won't come out until 2010. I hope I am wrong on both counts, since 1) I don't know how I'll wait that long and 2) David Tennant's Doctor Who is sooooooooooo delightfully yummy.

another funny way of looking at it.

speaking of sexism...


charity :)

reality is crazy enough.

Today my mom sent me the now-famous (infamous) picture of Sarah Palin supposedly in a bikini with a gun (below) and it took me forever (well, a few minutes) to find out that it is photoshopped. Quite well, it is true, but nonetheless, it is a fake.

I agree with many others, who argue that instead of making stuff up about her, all we have to do is look at the scary facts, none of which have to do with flag bikinis. That's just a bizarre, and in my opinion cheesy, fashion choice. And the gun, well that's just weird.

To me, it's like making a joke of the real danger she poses (to women in and) to America. Really, I find her nomination terrifying, but hopefully it will at least be the nail on the coffin of John McCain's Republican presidential campaign.

I was not surprised to find that the original was taken in Georgia, by the way. Good old Georgia. I love it here. No, I'm serious!

I mean, dang. How could you not?

charity :)

Carolina Beach pictures.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

family feud of sorts.

I am spending two days with my parents in Asheboro. I love them. They are nice people. But I am stir-crazy. I want to be at the beach, and instead I am spending the afternoon going through Christian thrift stores (I forgot to bring my dress-up clothes for COURT) and watching movies.

We just watched Blame It On Fidel (see below) which was awesome and I highly recommend it. Richard wanted to go straight into Nacho Libre, but I need a break. I played the piano for a while, enjoying the barely recognizable (and not-frequently practiced) songs of Tori Amos and Coldplay. Now I'm doing this while they watch Family Feud. It's hard to compete with John O'Hurley I guess. Maybe it's the hair.



We're heading off to the beach tomorrow--FINALLY--so until then, I guess I'll rummage through all my junk that I've left in storage here.

I might be able to post an entry at the beach, but probably not. Either way, I'll definitely post some pictures when I get back.

Love, Charity ;)

ps-oh, and my mom is paying for me to go to Improv classes for my birthday! This will be the best birthday present ever, I think!!! Yay, 31! (God, I'm old.)

overthinking.

Overthinking is a bad habit of mine. It always has been. The drive home to Asheboro today was a long one. For some reason I was listening to my "bad-ass lady" music: Ani DiFranco (Not a Pretty Girl), PJ Harvey (Rid of Me), and the Breeders (Last Splash). And I was thinking. Dwelling in decisions I have to make, decisions I want to make but can't, decisions I know I should make but won't, and the like.

Driving down Highway 49 through the outskirts of Charlotte, I hit traffic. I found myself behind a car with personalized tags. I struggled to figure out what their tag meant: 4ARESON, and then I realized it was "for a reason" and I felt so silly because of what I had said the other day, and yet here I was, so easily slipping into the familiar pattern of worrying over every little thing.

I don't want to do that any more. I guess I'll just have to keep reminding myself. It was nice to get some help today.

I'm off to the beach tomorrow. I'll post some pictures afterwards.

Peace and love to you if you find yourself reading this,
Charity :)

whoa! what was that?

I will say this: when you honestly give something to God, or fate, or whatever--when you honestly let control of something go and quit trying to bend reality to your will, amazing things happen. It's pretty great!

Here's why:

1) you don't have to worry about the outcome anymore, and can relax knowing that the outcome is predetermined and will be the same whether you stress about it or not.

2) amazing things might happen--things you never expected. You will be surprised by good things that come into your life.

3) bad things that happen don't seem so bad anymore. The Avett Brothers describe their past loves:

"And I've known others,And I've loved others too
But I loved them cause they were stepping stones
On a staircase to you"

Everything that happens, even if it seems yucky, is just a step to something else. It's just a matter of seeing the eventual outcome as positive, rather than negative. Everything is temporary, and if you try desperately to stay on that happy step rather than moving forward, you'll just make yourself unhappy in the long run. Because you can't stay there. And who would want to, since the step beyond is better than you can even imagine!

Charity :)

PS-Um, 30 is really old. I'm feeling it today. It's ok, but I'm just saying. It's old.

i guess i'm just on a video-posting kick.

love these guys!

charity :)

transcribing.

I know I should be... I'm just SO INCREDIBLY BORED with it. I think I'll move on to analysis first, and come back to this interview. I think I conducted it summer of 2007. Yes, over a year ago. Surely that's a record. Over a year to transcribe an interview? That's like one word a day.

Hmm, meaning if I had only done just one word a day, I would be done by now. Missed opportunities...

I've been listening to The Wailin' Jennys lately. I really like them. The video below isn't my favorite song by them, but it's good, and it's the only one I can find that's not recorded live and weird sounding. Plus, it's kind of fitting. I hope you like it!



charity :)

six flags photos.

That's that, Mattress man.

charity :)

simply the best...

...musical ever.



I saw Curse of the Golden Flower yesterday; very good. Very lush (luscious?), just like they said. I also saw The Dark Knight again yesterday. It's still as good as I remembered. I really like the new series, and I'm sad about Heath Ledger again. His performance is top notch.

I miss church. My cousin's in town so we didn't go. :( Hopefully I'll be able to go next weekend, although chances of getting my little brother to go with me are pretty slim. But oh, yeah, SIX FLAGS here we come!

Last week saw Nights of Cabiria recently ("the Fellini film"), and my oh my was it heartbreaking. I don't know why I read that movies are described as "heartbreaking" and yet every time I'm surprised. It was amazing, though. It is now my favorite of Fellini's I think. The lead, Giulietta Masina, is AMAZING. Cute and gives a very touching and convincing performance as the prostitute who can't find happiness (I wonder why?). It's better than Pretty Woman, at least, although that's really not saying much. I worry about people who like that movie. Very much I worry.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the clip. Liza Minelli is no joke. Love her.

(source)
Charity :)

PS-I got Wicked tickets for October! Unfortunately I couldn't get them for the weekend that my mom could come with us, but Rich and I will surely have a blast!

parenting.

While I have just about given up on having kids of my own, I imagine I will never give up judging others for their poor parenting choices.

In that vein, I read a really interesting article today; it was actually a blog/opinion piece, but very well-written and apt.

My cousin is here, otherwise I'd write more, but since no one read this anyway, I'll just pretend I wrote Judith Warner's blog entry...


Some photos I also didn't take (Jill Greenberg did).
Charity :)

i'm all about balance.

When I used to do yoga in Greensboro at a fancy friendly healthy nice yoga studio (which I still miss tremendously), I would stop on the way home to buy a bag of Doritos. It's all about the balance, I would laugh guiltily. I'm doing something great for my body, so now I need to eat some Doritos or I'll be all out of whack (I actually lost weight that year and was in great shape by the end of it, incidentally).

In the spirit of balance, then, of my previous post, in a not serious but delicious way, I'd like to share the recipe of one of my favorite Spanish tapas, the Spanish Omelette (tortilla de patatas). Enjoy! And namaste!

(Also, the recipe I used before was much simpler and did not have garlic but did have black pepper. I like the black pepper. Also, I would slice the onions thinly rather than chop them, but that's just my preference.)


Ingredients

* 1/2 pint of olive oil
* 5 medium (40 oz each) baking potatoes, peeled, sliced and lightly sprinkled with salt
* 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 5 eggs
* Salt

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a 9-inch skillet and add the potato slices carefully, because the salt will make the oil splatter. Try to keep the potato slices separated so they will not stick together. Cook, turning occasionally, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain into a colander, leaving about 3 tablespoons of oil in the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt. Add the potatoes, and stir to coat with the egg. Add the egg-coated potatoes to the very hot oil in the skillet, spreading them evenly to completely cover the base of the skillet. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, shaking the pan frequently, until mixture is half set.

Use a plate to cover the skillet and invert the omelette away from the hand holding the plate (so as not to burn your hand with any escaping oil). Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and slide the omelette back into the skillet on its uncooked side. Cook until completely set. Allow the omelette to cool, and then cut it into wedges. Season it with salt and sprinkle with lemon juice to taste (optional).

Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves four, prep time 35 minutes. (source)

things we should be eating (NYT).

June 30, 2008, 8:50 am
The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating
by Tara Parker-Pope
New York Times/Well Section

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.'’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,'’ it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.

In my own house, I only have two of these items — pumpkin seeds, which I often roast and put on salads, and frozen blueberries, which I mix with milk, yogurt and other fruits for morning smoothies. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?

--------------

I'm off to buy some frozen blueberries! After working on my dissertation for a few hours (blegh, but yay!)

Charity :)

i went to church this weekend.

Yep, you read right. It was pretty fun. I'll be back. The spiritual guidance, the pageantry, the pigtailed little girls and boys in argyle sweaters, the prayer, the communion. Yeah, I'll be back.

In other news: I saw the new Batman movie (did I already tell you?) and it was AWESOME but that was last week. Let's see, I also did some transcribing (but not enough--it is NEVER ENOUGH), went to the pool a few times, worked out at the gym quite a bit (Yay!) and babysat a few times.

I'm really going to miss the Elliotts. It is only when someone leaves that you realize how much you will miss them, I think. The way I'm feeling now, that means I'm in for a sad sad September. (August I will be spending several weeks in North Carolina and the other weeks preparing for my class to begin and getting caught up at work).

I guess the good news is that there's always my dissertation to keep me busy and hopefully distracted.

And now, there's also church.

charity :)

as if i needed another reason...

druthers.

I'm just saying. (source)

feeling better!

That's it. I'm just feeling better. I started to read this great book: Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships by John Welwood and it has me feeling very calm. Also, my decision not to feel sad today helped, and my decision to spend all day transcribing, and my decision to go to the gym and start doing yoga every day again, and my decision to go to church next weekend. I won't tell my parents, though, because I don't think they'll approve of the denomination, but I'm pretty excited about it.

Charity :)

Michigan rag.

As performed by Marley Cat Manasse.

I can't remember if I posted the video above already. It was from my visit to Baltimore in like March or whenever.

I'm feeling sad now. So sad I couldn't even fill in the Myspace survey Erin posted. So I'm just going to post this and then go to bed and hope I feel better tomorrow. At least I finally finished transcribing that doctor's interview. He was from New Jersey and talked SUPER fast. Now, I just have ten more to go... Hmm, and I told my advisor I'd have them done by the time he gets back from Sweden. Um, Thursday. Yeah, I don't think that's so much going to happen...

God, this has been a stressful weekend. I'm so glad it's Monday tomorrow. Oh wait, that means it's Monday tomorrow. And one day closer to Thursday.

Dude.

NYT story about the economy (spoiler: we're in trouble).

New York Times, July 19, 2008
Uncomfortable Answers to Questions on the Economy
By PETER S. GOODMAN

You have heard that Fannie and Freddie, their gentle names notwithstanding, may cripple the financial system without a large infusion of taxpayer money. You have gleaned that jobs are disappearing, housing prices are plummeting, and paychecks are effectively shrinking as food and energy prices soar. You have noted the disturbing talk of crisis hovering over Wall Street.

Something has clearly gone wrong with the economy. But how bad are things, really? And how bad might they get before better days return? Even to many economists who recently thought the gloom was overblown, the situation looks grim. The economy is in the midst of a very rough patch. The worst is probably still ahead.

...

Article posted here if you're interested. I'm cutting it because it's too long and I'm tired of seeing it on my blog.

fun for the whole family!

Above: A slideshow of photos from the recent Welch Family Reunion at Natural Tunnel Park in Virginia. Enjoy!


Above: A Brief Tour of the Natural Tunnel at the Natural Tunnel State Park, Virginia.


Above: The Welch Family Singers; my camera was being weird so I only got a brief clip, but we had a lot of fun. People in the crowd were singing, kids were running in and out and everyone was just having a wonderful time. True family fun. Plus more ham that you could possibly know what to do with. If you're into that sort of thing...

Anyway, so much for my early bedtime tonight! I've been meaning to get these up for some time, though!

Charity :)

ice skating and middle school math quiz.

I went ice skating today at the Marietta Ice Center and boy was it FUN! I hope I can go again very soon. I highly recommend it. It feels kind of like walking smoothly, balanced on the dull edges of two knives, on a big ice cube. Because that's what it is, essentially. Also, when we left there were people playing hockey on the big rink and I got to watch it. How fun, and they move really fast! Maybe someday. When I get a little more comfortable moving on a big ice cube.


Well, it wasn't exactly like this, but pretty close (source).

OK, here's the quiz:

Question: How long will it take Charity to get home from ice skating given that the skating rink is approximately 20 miles away from her house if she is moving approximately 2 meters per hour due to REPAVING THAT HAS BEEN SCHEDULED ON WEEKENDS TO CLOSE 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC GOING SOUTH AT ONCE ON A FIVE LANE PORTION OF TWO MAJOR HIGHWAYS THAT IDIOTICALLY UNITE AND THEN RUN THROUGH A MAJOR CITY?

Answer: 4 hours.


My view for most of the four hours was something like this.

I had to cancel babysitting tonight, which luckily turned out to be not a problem. What a day. So now, it's Charity's favorite meal of nachos, beer, and candy, I guess. At least I've been working out lately.

I think I need to take a long scorching hot bath and then fall asleep right in front of my box fan. No one can say CHARITY doesn't know how to have a good time on a Saturday night...

charity :)

last night (Tubby del Toro).

Last night I dreamed I that Benicio del Toro came to call. He was even better looking than I remembered, and younger. He and I were talking in my parents' kitchen, and when my dad came in, the first thing he did was stick out his hand for a handshake and ask what ethnicity he was.

Benicio turned to me with a knowing smile and responded that he was Seminole, from Guadalcanal. Then he told us his real name was Yes Fire Hot. We went for a bike ride in the park, but it started snowing, so he dragged me around on the ice and we had a delightful time.

I wish the Dog Whisperer had been on last night. I might have dreamed of puppies instead.

****

I found out last night that my sweet sweet sweet cat Tubby was found dead and buried by some nice Vietnamese people who live across the street from my mom. Poor poor Tubby. Now she will fertilize some strangers' garden, but I don't mind. I miss her terribly. She was my sweet little old lady kitty, the most beautiful cat in the world. When I used to pet her head she would stare up at me with big beautiful eyes lined in black and orange and flat ears and freckles and I called her my refugee kitty, so I guess it's fitting that her final rest be in some nice immigrants' garden.

RIP Tubby, and I pray that in the great cat beyond you have all the triangle food and piano serenades your little kitty heart desires.

charity :)

speaking of independence... [updated]

I want to write more, but for now I'll just write this: did you know that home birth is illegal? Yes, against the law. I knew that already but it's one of those things that I thought surely this is a violation of privacy and has been reversed by now. But I looked it up, and sure enough, it still is.

Physicians were behind making it illegal. I read a very interesting book recently about birth, called, um, Birth.

Check it out.

Childbirth sounds really scary, but the thought of going to a hospital makes it much scarier for me. Why shouldn't I be able to choose home birth? I just can't understand. It's ridiculous. If you're at all interested, I highly recommend the book. It's a fascinating read, and a very quick one as well. Check out the website for Georgia group Citizens for Midwifery or their blog for more information about the midwifery situation specifically.

Sorry about the short entry but I have so much to do today!

Charity :)

Update: Thanks to the comment, a word of clarification. You are legally allowed to have your baby at home (home birth). However, it is a violation for midwives to attend the birth. Ironic, isn't it? Since the home birth laws presumably are made with the mother and baby's safety in mind.

Also, there will be a film festival in Augusta sponsored by Better Augusta Birth Experience this weekend, but unfortunately I will be out of town at a family reunion. I hear it will be coming to Atlanta in the next few months, though. I'll try to keep you posted.

Charity :)

this weekend.

Since I know yall are all crazy interested in how my weekend was, I figured I wouldn't waste any more time and just get it out in the open.

Yes, it was a good one!

It started Friday afternoon, when I met my lovely friend Alison with her lovely son Jack to walk around mindlessly in first Target, then Barnes and Nobles. Finally we decided on what we wanted to do (tough decision for two indecisive people such as ourselves!). We drove out to Decatur to go to Little Shop of Stories in Decatur. I have so say I wasn't really impressed. I wanted to like it better than Barnes and Nobles and Borders, but it didn't have the book I wanted (I had held off buying it earlier in order to support local business, and see what lesson I learned), and it was also much more sterile seeming. It was strange, because I guess I expected a store like the one in You've Got Mail. (Yes, I've seen You've Got Mail. Drop it.)


(source)

Plus, it was weird because Decatur Beach Party was going on, where they dumped a bunch of sand in downtown Decatur so kids could shovel it and parents could stand around in it looking uncomfortable but trying to bond over how much they loved their kids and let them run their lives.

Alison had to go home so I ended up going out later with my friend Katie to a place called Pozole which was great for two reasons: 1) the food and drinks were great, and not too expensive, and 2) it was an AWESOME place to people watch. These drunk guys tried to get us to go up to The Warren with them but that didn't work out for several obvious reasons. All in all, it was a great night. Katie is my new going out buddy, and I hope we are going to go out more. Drunk old frat boys are wonderfully entertaining. :)

Saturday, Michael and I played tennis and then sat out at the pool, which was heavenly. We grabbed a burrito afterwards and relaxed at his home. It was nice to be able to spend some time with him. He's been so busy (as I should be) that it's hard to schedule. Saturday night I went out to Planet Bombay and I had the Tofu dal sabji. Highly recommended! Be sure to ask for it spicy. :) MMMMMMM!!!

Sunday, I meant to do a lot of work but I ended up playing video games and watching Law and Order. I did some other things, too, but I won't bore you with the details. I meant to watch Hellboy, but Michael was unable to join me. Very sad, but then again, I do love me some Law and Order: CI and In Plain Sight (both were new last night!). I guess I'll watch it tonight if I get home in time. I've been going since before 8 am. I had to take the recyclers and do laundry; now I'm at work and will be until 7, then when I get home I'll have to write an exam and finish writing an article that my co-author has almost finished (oops).

Wish me luck! I should have done a little more work yesterday, I see now!

Charity :)

love the title: "wronged by a thong"

"In terms of money, that's really not what we want here. Again, we want to make sure that Vic-Marcrida Patterson is fully redressed for her grievous injury. Again, she's had some injury, she's missed work, she's gone through a lot of suffering as well. We basically want to make Marcrida whole again."

[blows raspberry]

dancing and dissertation defending.

Cyd Charisse died Tuesday at age 86 (source). I thought I'd post a clip. She was really amazing (but this isn't her singing).



In better news, Michael defended his dissertation! One more friend out of graduate school (great for my friends, mixed blessing for me). I'm so happy for him. We went to the Brick Store to celebrate. Now that's entertainment!

Charity :)

ninja warriors and old video games.

After a conversation with my brother, I was looking up clips of this show:



when I found this short film:



Extra credit to the first one who can figure out the connection!

Charity :)

in honor of Nikki's and my healing tongues.

25 Signs You've Grown Up*

25. Your houseplants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.

24. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.

23. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.

22. 6 AM is when you wake up, not when you go to bed.

21. You hear your favorite song on the elevator.

20. You watch the Weather Channel.

19. Your friends marry and divorce instead of hook up and break up.

18. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.

17. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."

16. You're the one calling the police because those damn kids next door won't turn down the stereo.

15. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.

14. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.

13. Your car insurance goes down and your payments go up.

12. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonalds leftovers.

11. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.

10. You no longer take naps from noon to 6 PM.

9. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.

8. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.

7. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.

6. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff."

5. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.

4. "I just can't drink the way I used to," replaces "I'm never doing to drink that much again."

3. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.

2. You no longer drink at home to save money before going to a bar.

1. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn't apply to you.

* I don't actually know where this comes from, since I clipped it from a newspaper before these things were all true. I looked it up on the internet and it's everywhere, so there's no way I'm going to bother with finding out who initially wrote it. Anyway. Not me.

But it's funny! Many of them aren't true for me yet, but I look forward to the day when I can mark them off the list. I'm enjoying being a grown up. I bought a new bathing suit this year. It's plain, black and sensible.

People told me my thirties were going to be awesome, but I had no idea. I'm so glad I'm single for it, too. I feel more powerful than I ever have in the past. I say this after an 11-hour workday.

Guess what?

Pretty soon, you'll have to call me DOCTOR Crabtree.

Doctor Who? You heard me. I'm going to fetch the Tardis and start solving REAL problems!!

BBC

Charity :)

last lecture: Randy Pausch.

I'm finishing up The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, which was suggested by my stepmom on my last trip home. It's really great, and I'm enjoying watching the actual lecture, too. Recommended!

Charity :)

face for sale.

Emory's bulletin board after graduation, when all the notices had been (mostly) removed. Taken May 2008.

on the brighter side.

Did you know that this year is the International Year of the Potato? What are YOU doing to celebrate? I want to have a Potato Party!!



Yesterday I went to a game of the Atlanta Dream! Below, "Atlanta Dream players Katie Feenstra (6-foot-8) and Ivory Latta (5-foot-6) model the new uniforms to be worn by Atlanta's WNBA franchise" (source).


They didn't win, but it was very close (85-81), against the Minnesota Lynx, who are undefeated this season. I'm very optimistic! I went with a friend and we were just so excited, trying to imagine what it would have been like growing up with professional basketball stars that were women.

I was for Obama all along, but it still stings a bit that we are not going to have a female presidential candidate. This helps!

Charity :)

[sigh]

Today.

I found out I didn't get the job and Guilford, and am feeling discouraged, because if I'm always up against 200 candidates (UNCG) or someone with more experience than I could possibly have at my age, then I'm not sure how I'm ever going to get a job, especially one close to my family. Or even at all. I tried not to get my hopes up, but seeing my parents so excited and acting confidently in the interview tricked me into doing just that. I'm very sad on top of being discouraged.

Therefore, I was not in the best state of mind to receive an email from a former student that was a not-at-all-veiled threatening and completely libelous attempt at blackmail.

My mom told me I should get a lawyer and keep my eyes open in case I need to get a restraining order as well. Great.

And today was supposed to be so fun in class. We are doing skits, and watching video clips. I guess it's best that I have activities planned, so I don't burst into tears halfway through. I love teaching. It gives me the most wonderful feeling, and I'm so good at it. I wish I could learn the secret to getting a job doing it full-time.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. It still looks to be a long day.

Charity

bush vs. zombies!

the Marshalls near my dad's house is way better than anything they have down in Hot-Lanta.

I'm getting ready for my interview. I don't know what this feeling is. Is similar to nervousness, but more like excitement. Kind of like I'm getting ready to go on a first date. Let's just hope the school wants to kiss me at the end of it.

Not literally, of course.

Ooh, or it's like I'm getting ready to go back to the Dr. Who exhibit at the State Fair all those years ago. I know on a literal that I'm not actually in any danger. Yet, there's still this feeling of not quite knowing what to expect.

Hoping for the best!

Charity :)

ack.

Last night I was minding my own business, eating a yummy cookie (yummy!), when I crunched down on something predictably hard and round and little. Great, the top of my tongue stud came unscrewed again, I thought. One day I'm seriously going to crack a tooth.

Something felt different this time, though, and I rolled my eyes and headed to the bathroom, fishing out the little hard semi-sphere. That's when I realized what was different. The top had actually broken off, and the stem of the screw remained in the metal bar.

I've been thinking about taking it out lately anyway. I took it as a sign, and didn't really mourn too much. It was funny to realize I still have a slight lisp, although it might go away in time. My tongue was very sensitive where the stud had been, as I imagine one's skin would be once a cast was removed.

I didn't really miss it until this morning. Drinking my tall soy latte (I have to treat myself in troubled times such as these, I rationalized), I really felt the difference. See, the metal bar used to heat up when I drank my coffee, and I didn't even realize it until now. My tongue feels like a huge, desensitized blob that I'm in danger of choking on. Yuck.

I was going to post a film, as a visual aid. Then I looked them up and remembered my pledge after I got it done that once would be enough times. I can't go back. It's too gruesome.

One has to grow up sometime, I guess.


even goonies grow up.

bouncy castles are the best kind!

I got Sam a new zip lead today. I did have an old leash that was only about 4 feet long, and seemed a bit fragile. His new one is nice and silver (matching his collar; unfortunately his harness matches his last leash, but the green provides a nice POP of color, as Stacy and Clinton might observe). Anyway, it's from Planet Dog, and I asked the nice young man at the store today if he thought my cat would mind that it says "Planet DOG" and he chuckled nervously, replying, "No, I don't think so." I was like, "Kidding."

It's embarrassing how often I have to tell people I'm joking. And worrisome...

In other news, I think I'm in love with this cat. And maybe his human friend, too. Enjoy!



It's been viewed over 9 million times. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that, even though I recognize that it's really good.

Today I went to a birthday party for a 4 year old. I babysit her and was lucky enough to score an invitation to the after party as well. SCORE! And, there was a giant bouncy castle! So. Much. Fun. And the little girl's mom, my friend Sara, even bought me Boca burgers (even though I'm the only vegetarian). What a wonderful time.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the video as much as Sam likes his new leash and as much as I liked the bouncy castle.

Charity :)

At the Zoo.

I went to the zoo this past week with Alison and Jack. What a cutie! Here are some pictures.



The weirdest thing (aside from the beautiful Kori Bustard that was obsessed with me that unfortunately I neglected to get a picture of), was the otters, who were moving in a tightly clustered group, chirping. I guess I could find out more about it if I felt like researching, but Alison and I reasoned that they might be waiting for a feeding, since it was very close to closing time. I took a video, in case I have piqued your interest.



Have a great weekend! The weather is so beautiful. I'm off to a birthday party. Yay!

Charity :)

a sustainable mind.

I'm participating in a workshop on incorporating sustainability into the curriculum of my classes and in reviewing the preparation materials required for it, I came across this video.



I love the things he's talking about, and the idea that the developing countries could use our technological advances to skip our heavy ecological footprint types of development, but I don't really know how he expects the developing world to pay for it all...

In general, the environmental crisis scares me for that exact reason. Who is going to invest in the research and development of these ideas and how will we ever pay for them in time for them to make a difference?! It's like, if we would have devoted ourselves to the pursuit of "green" solutions" about 40 years ago, it might have made a difference. Instead, we've been "farting around" as my dad might say, while the window of opportunity slowly closed.

Now people can do whatever they want, and call it the wave of the future, but how can we possibly create the infrastructural changes necessary in time to avert social and natural disaster?

Just a thought.

[I've been struggling with financial crisis for the past few days, so I guess that's kind of "where my mind's at" right now. I sure would love a sustainable paycheck.]

But sure, I'll talk about sustainability in my class anyway. It couldn't hurt.

Charity :)

silly reindeer games.

OMG LOL. How do you like YOUR ramen??



I am having a pretty good day, even though I got TWO parking tickets last week. My first ever. The first was at school, and the second was in front of my house. I parked too close to the hydrant, because there were no spaces! Then today when I went to my car, there was a note from my neighbor asking me politely not to park in front of their house since they have kids and do a lot of construction. I love it. So I'm supposed to leave empty spaces there and park even farther from my own house when people who are at Fellini's and La Fonda are parked in front of MY house. Or maybe in front of the fire hydrant again? Oh, no. That's bad too.

Whatever. I don't even care. I got another interview done today (10 physicians, 22 total already!) and two more are in the works. Class starts soon, so I'm getting ready for that, too. I don't have time for silly parking games.

Charity :)

you know you're not at the top of your game...

you know you're not at the top of your game when you get up bright and early, drink your tea, take a shower, and then put clean pajamas on.

almost there... but not quite.

I have been cleaning my ceiling and other hard to reach places today.

Like, my ceiling fans, and my freezer. Here is some ice I got; when one bowl melted, I was able to fill up another and I'm still not through. The problem with renting is that I usually don't feel much ownership in problems such as these. But, as the post-it note on my bathroom mirror reminds me on a daily basis: Today's the day!!

Last week I went to Merlefest with my parents, and I wanted to post a few pictures of that.

Mom and me waiting for some music on a day when there was NOT a giant thunderstorm. (On the day there was, I happened to be on my way to see a venue indoors, which of course there were a line of people when I got there who were trying to escape the rain and so were standing in line for said concert, thus ruining my chances of being able to see it [grumbling continues under breath], which was not as bad as my poor parents, who figured they'd wait it out under Richard's poncho, which unfortunately had a hole in it, so didn't provide total protection from the torrential downpour in their seats situated right smack-dab in the middle of a slight, um, flood plain... So go the joys and sorrows of Merlefest!)

Mom and Richard while we were waiting (again, NOT in the heavy thunderstorm complete with lightning and dark gray sky which actually cleared up in about 30 minutes, which unfortunately was not quickly enough to prevent thousands of hippies and non-hippie bluegrass fans from getting completely soaked, along with my parents).

My most favorite band, even better than the Magnetic Fields (if only from a personalities of the artist perspective), the Avett Brothers performing some song which I don't remember which one it is but whichever one it was it ROCKED (they are great, and I had seen them the week before in Atlanta which also rocked, but what confused me was the extent to which the audience, made up mostly of what appeared to be a strange strange strange combination of frat boys and hippies, loved the band and sang along with a large number of their songs, a phenomenon which also occurred during the performance at Merlefest of another great band, Old Crow Medicine Show, both facts which prompt me to wonder where all these people are finding out about such great music, since most college radio stations I know of are playing mostly indie music [although Spin online did cover their Atlanta show]).

Anyway, I've also been taking Sam out on a leash lately. At first I thought it would be fun and hoped it wouldn't be too torturous for him, but I actually realized far too late that what has happened instead is that I've created a monster, as you can see below. He was waiting to go outside and he cries and cries and CRIES (also, his misdeeds have increased in both severity and frequency; the other day I was on my way out the door, of course dressed up and on my way to a baby shower with the gifts, and of course in the rain, and he bolted, finally allowing me to find him pressed entirely against the fence in my neighbor's yard, protecting himself futilely [I actually thought he was trapped at first] behind some dried out ivy stems).

Bless his heart.

since this time last week.

Since this time last week (check it out), I have done SEVEN interviews with physicians. Plus, I have three more scheduled, and one more who has committed to participate but who is out of town until June. So that's eleven, out of the 18 I need.

I can't believe how EXCITED I am! I mean, I can't believe how smoothly this is going! Of course, now I've doomed us all, but I mean, I am just walking on air right now!

Kind of like this guy. But in a different way.



Charity :)

the significance of 1649.

I found out this evening that the four digit number listed in the subject line of this entry is the dollar amount of income tax (state + federal) that I owe the government(s). Luckily, as part of the "economy stimulus package" passed in February, I will be getting a rebate of $600, maybe (why can't they tell me for certain?!?), which is great news in many ways! For example, now I won't have to sell one of my kidneys on ebay to buy gas.

In better news (hey, at least I finally did my taxes!), I went to the Pet Parade in Candler Park today with a friend. That was a lot of fun. There was actually a cat there, surprisingly. And on a leash no less! And called "Hoss" if I heard his human companion correctly. He was very curious and calm, and didn't seem threatened usually, unless dogs barked at him. And to my surprise, almost all of the dogs did pretty well with him. Some more than others, but most didn't bark. One of the most "okay" with him was a dog named Rocky.


Rocky LOVED Hoss! It was so cute! At first he bent his front body down and wagged his tail in the air, trying to get Hoss to play. When that didn't work the way he seemed to think it would, but Hoss didn't back up or seem scared, he crouched down until he was lying on his stomach, and inched his paw towards Hoss, trying to lure him into a fun game. People all turned to watch, and this went on for some time. Everyone was fascinated at his apparent infatuation with Hoss, but finally Rocky's people began pulling him home, with his lady friend promising, "We'll get you a cat friend, Rocky!" Rocky at first stood looking back at Hoss while his humans pulled him in the opposite direction, clearly mourning his inability to stay and play. Oh my gosh, how adorable.

Also, I cut my hair again. I'm getting ready to start on my interviews with physicians (hooray!) and wanted to look as professional as possible. I'm thinking about taking out my tongue piercing, but having a hard time committing to that, since I know I'll never have the guts to get it done again.



In other news, I got two GREAT air purifiers. They were on sale on the manufacturer's website, 2 for the price of 1. I'm glad I bought them before I paid my taxes, because I never would have committed to that if I'd known about the 4 digit payment I was soon going to have to make to cover the governments losses this year. Part of me would rather have two new air purifiers than an endless war, but I can see the other perspective too. Wait, no, I can't.

Sam is hurt again, speaking of emergency expenditures. Bless his little heart. It's tearing me up to see him so uncomfortable. I'll have to take him to the vet Monday, and I hope it doesn't get any worse for the little guy. He's in a lot of pain it seems, but the vet is booked up tomorrow, so if I take him in, I'll have to wait for hours and then pay an extra $50 IF they get around to seeing him. I feel it should be one or the other frankly. Why should I pay $50 extra just for the privilege of waiting four hours for the privilege of paying for an exam and treatment (and my vet is not cheap, either!)? I mean, if you can fit us in, just take us! If not, don't. But don't take my money for no good reason at all. (Speaking of rude penalties, I had to pay $50 to the government because my employer didn't withhold enough. That is ALSO BS if you ask me.)

Finally, I finished The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, which was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended. I also saw The Frighteners (directed by Peter Jackson, 1996), which I also highly recommend. Ben Hur (directed by William Wyler, 1959), which I watched the other night was pretty good, but it's kind of weird to sit through a 3 hour movie in order to watch a 15 minute long chariot race. Of course, there were other good parts, too, but everyone seems to talk about the chariot race, which apparently was astronomically expensive. It's interesting to compare that to something like 300 or The Lord of the Rings (speaking of Peter Jackson). The crowd scenes, the fight scenes, the death scenes, the battle scenes, all done without CGI. Anyway, recommended, especially if, like me, you are trying to watch the AFI Top 100 American Films before you die. Or before they update the list again.

I hope you, whoever you are and wherever you are, are well. I've been listening to my Pema Chodron CDs (when I'm not listening to my learning German podcasts or the Grateful Dead; I don't know what it is with me lately...) but I want you to know I'm practicing tonglen for you.

Charity :)

how many times will we get fooled again?

(originally posted 9/07)

Don't get mad, Dad!
Charity :)

Another musical.

No Johnny Depp, but it's not as gruesome as Sweeney Todd either, and a lot funnier.

Enjoy!!

Broccoli Vegetable Quiche

My friend asked for this recipe many moons ago. The other day I glanced at the Post-It note on my refrigerator, reminding me to give it to her and thought, "There's no way she remembers and still wants this," and almost tore it down.

I saw her at school that very day, and despite the fact that we hadn't talked about it in a year or so, she asked, "When are you going to give me that Tofu Quiche recipe, Charity?"

That's so funny to me! So anyway, since I'm typing it up for her, I'll give it to you guys too. A good diet is so important. I recently read an excerpt (Thanks, Mom!) from a book called Your Life in Your Hands by Jane Plant that described the link between milk products and breast cancer. I want to read the book! But anyway, hopefully this recipe can give you a start in the right direction.

(I mainly like it because I hate runny eggs, though, and quiche has to be cooked just right in order to not be gross to me. Tofu is easier, plus you get soy protein.)

The recipe comes from my favorite and most used cookbook, The Compassionate Cook or, "Please Don't Eat the Animals!".

Broccoli Vegetable Quiche

1 pie crust (get a sprouted wheat one for optimal health benefits and yumminess!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup fresh broccoli
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 pound firm tofu, patted dry with a paper towel (don't skimp on this step, it makes a big difference--pat that tofu dry!!!)
pinch of grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tbsp dried (I like using dry--it tastes good, and doesn't add to the wateriness)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup soy milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Follow directions on pie crust to prepare it for filling (in the book, they use fresh dough, but I never have).

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute the onion, green pepper, broccoli, and mushrooms until cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, blend the tofu, nutmeg, turmeric, basil, salt, and soy milk until smooth. Stir the vegetables and the tofu mixture together and add pepper to taste.

Pour the batter into the pie crust. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted just off-center into the quiche comes out clean.

Serves 4 to 6.

Enjoy!
Charity :)

PS-By the way, I saw Sweeney Todd last night. The performances were great and the music was good, but overall I feel like they overdid the horror element. The original fun challenge that drew in Sondheim all those years ago was to try to make people scared in a musical. I would be interested in seeing the theatrical production of that, because I think it might be more intense. The movie felt a little schizophrenic or overdone. I kind of want the soundtrack, though. The singing was really good.

Elephant art

My mom sent me a link to this video, and I had to find out more. You can look on this website for more information. They sell these paintings in order, supposedly, to raise money for protecting the elephants, but I imagine they go pretty quick. It's pretty incredible, but I'm not sure to what extent it's actually a "self-portrait" as described. Although, apparently elephants are some of the only animals (also including apes, dolphins and humans) that we know can recognize themselves in a mirror (source). There was a fascinating article about animal intelligence in a recent National Geographic magazine. (In fact, National Geographic has posted a very interesting video about elephants on their website as well, which you can see here, and which I highly recommend watching after watching the video below).



This one is not as realistic. But funnier. (source)

Enjoy!
Charity :)

looking like your pet.

I went to volunteer orientation at this wonderful organization in Atlanta recently. It's a shelter for animals rescued from outlying "kill facilities" that have little chance of being adopted (since they are in remote locations) or animals who require medical procedures or care that their previous owners couldn't provide. I love this place. I've been wanting to do something like this ever since I saw "Year of the Dog." (I told a friend of mine that I was going to do it last week and he asked if I had seen the movie. I immediately gushed about how much I love the movie and revealed my trepidation at recommending it to friends, since I'm afraid they'll see it and be reminded of me for all the wrong reasons. He laughed and said "Yeah, when we watched it, I thought she reminded me of you.")

Being in a group of people who all want to help animals and thus do a tiny part in the work of making the world a better place was very moving. (Also, the pets were SO adorable and sweet and inspiring. The little cat I sponsored last week had almost died from a spay complication but when I visited her, she was so peaceful and friendly. I honestly think animals are an inspiration.) There was a single man in his forties dressed in his work clothes, several young college-aged women in sweatshirts and jeans, a few young professional women, and numerous sets of couples (one even brought their children, which was also moving to me).

It's funny, because I've often heard it said that people grow to look like their pets, and I think that's true, although I also think people pick pets that suit their temperaments, so they don't really have to morph that much (think "Best in Show"). I think what fascinates me more is when couples begin to look like each other. There was one couple there who looked so much alike that I stared at them a little bit, without intending to, of course. I thought, "Maybe they are brother and sister," but then I thought "Volunteering with your brother or sister once you're in your late twenties is kind of weird, too."

I have to admit that whichever way it actually is, the weirdness was still touching because like everyone else there, these two people--regardless of relation--want to give of their time and their hearts to help animals in need. And that's reassuring to me.

The whole experience reaffirmed my faith in humankind. It turns out that there are many humans who are interested in helping animals with no reward other than the unconditional love of a puppy or kitty, which of course is one of the greatest rewards you could receive in my opinion.

In a way, it's like the Grinch--my heart grew THREE SIZES that day.

Plus, I fell head over heels in love. With a beagle. I wonder what that says about my personality. I guess growing to resemble a joyful little beagle named Danny Boy wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Charity :)

scarier even that octopeds.

Forgive me for reposting again. I am actually writing a few stories right now and will post one or two soon. However, when I read this I just had to share it.

It's the real nightmare, and one that I try not to think about since it's so terrifying. However, it's one that I will be living with for years to come and so will my children and grandchildren. I mean seriously, who has decided that we can't afford to provide health care for poor children or refinance loans for people who are losing their homes, but we can afford billions, nay trillions of dollars for a foreign war? If care for veterans is so fraught with problems now, who has decided that it will be sufficient to meet ever increasing demands due to an incredibly (unacceptably) long foreign war (that we were told would only last a few months, incidentally). Who has decided that cutting taxes while spending trillions of dollars on a foreign war is good for the economy?

Why does it seem that no one in power will listen to reason? Why does the American public seem complacent in securing this great nation's demise?

Sometimes I wish FDR would come help us out again. Remember when war was good for the economy and social programs actually helped keep things going?

------------

March 4, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
The $2 Trillion Nightmare
By BOB HERBERT

We’ve been hearing a lot about “Saturday Night Live” and the fun it has been having with the presidential race. But hardly a whisper has been heard about a Congressional hearing in Washington last week on a topic that could have been drawn, in all its tragic monstrosity, from the theater of the absurd.

The war in Iraq will ultimately cost U.S. taxpayers not hundreds of billions of dollars, but an astonishing $2 trillion, and perhaps more. There has been very little in the way of public conversation, even in the presidential campaigns, about the consequences of these costs, which are like a cancer inside the American economy.

On Thursday, the Joint Economic Committee, chaired by Senator Chuck Schumer, conducted a public examination of the costs of the war. The witnesses included the Nobel Prize-winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz (who believes the overall costs of the war — not just the cost to taxpayers — will reach $3 trillion), and Robert Hormats, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International.

Both men talked about large opportunities lost because of the money poured into the war. “For a fraction of the cost of this war,” said Mr. Stiglitz, “we could have put Social Security on a sound footing for the next half-century or more.”

Mr. Hormats mentioned Social Security and Medicare, saying that both could have been put “on a more sustainable basis.” And he cited the committee’s own calculations from last fall that showed that the money spent on the war each day is enough to enroll an additional 58,000 children in Head Start for a year, or make a year of college affordable for 160,000 low-income students through Pell Grants, or pay the annual salaries of nearly 11,000 additional border patrol agents or 14,000 more police officers.

What we’re getting instead is the stuff of nightmares. Mr. Stiglitz, a professor at Columbia, has been working with a colleague at Harvard, Linda Bilmes, to document, among other things, some of the less obvious costs of the war. These include the obligation to provide health care and disability benefits for returning veterans. Those costs will be with us for decades.

Mr. Stiglitz noted that nearly 40 percent of the 700,000 troops from the first gulf war, which lasted just a month, have become eligible for disability benefits. The current war is approaching five years in duration.

“Imagine then,” said Mr. Stiglitz, “what a war — that will almost surely involve more than 2 million troops and will almost surely last more than six or seven years — will cost. Already we are seeing large numbers of returning veterans showing up at V.A. hospitals for treatment, large numbers applying for disability and large numbers with severe psychological problems.”

The Bush administration has tried its best to conceal the horrendous costs of the war. It has bypassed the normal budgetary process, financing the war almost entirely through “emergency” appropriations that get far less scrutiny.

Even the most basic wartime information is difficult to come by. Mr. Stiglitz, who has written a new book with Ms. Bilmes called “The Three Trillion Dollar War,” said they had to go to veterans’ groups, who in turn had to resort to the Freedom of Information Act, just to find out how many Americans had been injured in Iraq.

Mr. Stiglitz and Mr. Hormats both addressed the foolhardiness of waging war at the same time that the government is cutting taxes and sharply increasing non-war-related expenditures.

Mr. Hormats told the committee:

“Normally, when America goes to war, nonessential spending programs are reduced to make room in the budget for the higher costs of the war. Individual programs that benefit specific constituencies are sacrificed for the common good ... And taxes have never been cut during a major American war. For example, President Eisenhower adamantly resisted pressure from Senate Republicans for a tax cut during the Korean War.”

Said Mr. Stiglitz: “Because the administration actually cut taxes as we went to war, when we were already running huge deficits, this war has, effectively, been entirely financed by deficits. The national debt has increased by some $2.5 trillion since the beginning of the war, and of this, almost $1 trillion is due directly to the war itself ... By 2017, we estimate that the national debt will have increased, just because of the war, by some $2 trillion.”

Some former presidents — Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower — were quoted at the hearing on the need for accountability and shared sacrifice during wartime. But this is the 21st century. That ancient rhetoric can hardly be expected to compete for media attention, even in a time of war, with the giddy fun of S.N.L.

It’s a new era.

they're coming...

they change colors:


they escape through tiny holes:


they hide inside things:


they kill sharks:


they walk:


and now, they are mutating in hopes of soon taking over the world, if my thoughts on the subject are to be believed (source):




predictors of the greatest tragedies have often been accused of making mountains out of molehills. think about it.

(source)

charity ;)

there will be blood. at the delicatessen.

so i made it to see this film last night. i don't know how i feel about it, honestly. i mean, daniel day-lewis, as expected, gives a tremendous performance. the movie wasn't the greatest though, in my opinion. perhaps because we missed the first few minutes (i blame the cashier--or more specifically, the cash register--where we ate prior to the movie) which made the rest of it better. slim chance, but a slim chance is still a chance after all. it was just so slow. there were moments of triumph, or passion, or emotional pull, but overall it kind of let me down. it could be because for various reasons i have the movie in the same category in my mind as no country for old men, which was stunning and intense, but i don't know. it could also be because i'd had two margaritas before the movie and was distracted by the people whispering and laughing in the row ahead of us. who knows.

anyway, since it was still early, we rented delicatessen, which i've been wanting to see for some time. it also was a bit disappointing, but it was still pretty good.

paul thomas anderson, who directed there will be blood is hit or miss with me (he also directed magnolia [overrated] and punch-drunk love [underrated]) but jeunet is basically just hit. everybody seems to think delicatessen is like his best or "classic" work, but it was not as good as his others, i think, and oddly enough, he shared director credit with someone else on this film, so the idea of it being "classic jeunet" is pretty absurd.

anyway, just some thoughts.

i've also been sporadically renting "it's always sunny in philadelphia"--which is technically a tv show and which i technically shouldn't be watching--and it has been really great so far.

i think noises off is next in my netflix queue, which my mom insists is her favorite movie of all time. i myself never commit to such dramatic statements regarding my film preferences, so either the film is truly amazing or my mom has a commitment problem opposite of mine. i'm finding it hard to believe the former, but the latter seems plausible.