31 January 2007

New Cameras All Around!

I got a nice little new camera with which I will be documenting...well, everything, from now on! I'm SO excited.

Who else got a new camera? My Brother! Rob's is decidedly more sick because he's a dead serious photog. (I think he should compile a bunch and enter them as screen saver candidates. They're all I use as backgrounds, too.)

WA HOO! To a new era of blogging--well, or an era revisited. I've been without camera for almost a year now. Hard to believe.

Need I Say More?



Thanks Seth :)

30 January 2007

I LOATHE Fox

It's about Fox (I won't say "news" at Seth's suggestion) and their BS re Obama's early education. It's offensive in more ways than I have time to go into.

Cool: US Senate Committee on Envioronment and Public Works hearing this morning with four Pres candidates. Boxer's opening remarks: Thanks, Senator Boxer (D-CA)

From: Rochester Turning

Fantasy Football For Nerds: Long Bets

Long Bets is a project to encourage long term thinking and outlooks. It's pretty interesting and more interesting to me than, say, Fantasy Football...maybe even more interesting than Fantasy Curling...

I heard about it in an article sent to me by Cassie today from the New York Times. I'm posting it here in its entirety lest it be relegated to the unread-pay-per-view online NYT.


January 30, 2007
Findings
Can Humanity Survive? Want to Bet on It?
By JOHN TIERNEY

Sixty ago years, a group of physicists concerned about nuclear weapons created the Doomsday Clock and set its hands at seven minutes to midnight. Now, the clock’s keepers, alarmed by new dangers like climate change, have moved the hands up to 11:55 p.m.

My first reaction was a sigh of relief. After all, the 1947 doomsday prediction marked the start of a golden age. Never have so many humans lived so long — and maybe never so peacefully — as during the past 60 years. The per-capita rate of violence, particularly in the West, seems remarkably low by historical standards. If the clock’s keepers are worried once again, their track record suggests we’re in for even happier days.

But there’s one novel twist that gives me pause. When the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced two weeks ago in Washington that it was adjusting the clock, it was joined in a trans-Atlantic press conference by scientists at the Royal Society in London. One of them was the society’s president, Martin Rees, a new breed of doomsayer.

Dr. Rees, a cosmologist at Cambridge and Britain’s astronomer royal, doesn’t just issue gloomy predictions. He doesn’t just move the hands of an imaginary and inscrutable clock. (Its keepers have never explained what one of their minutes equals on anyone else’s clock or calendar.)

No, Dr. Rees is braver. He gives odds on doomsday and offers to bet on disaster. In his 2003 book, “Our Final Hour,” he gives civilization no more than a 50 percent chance of surviving until 2100.

Dr. Rees is not a knee-jerk technophobe — he expects great advances as researchers around the world link their knowledge — but he fears that progress will be undone by what he calls the new global village idiots. He’s sure enough of himself to post an offer on Long Bets, a clever innovation on the Web that Stewart Brand helped start with money from Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com.

Long Bets is a nonprofit foundation that calls itself an “arena for competitive, accountable predictions.” It lets anyone make a prediction and take wagers on it, with the proceeds going to a charity named by the winner. The bets made so far are from $200 to $10,000, on topics ranging from the driving habits of Americans in 2010 to whether the universe will stop expanding. Mitchell Kapor, the software guru, is betting that in 2029 no computer will have passed the Turing test (by conversing so much like a human that you couldn’t tell the difference). The physicist Freeman Dyson’s money is on the first extraterrestrial life’s being found somewhere other than a planet or its satellite.

Five years ago, Dr. Rees posted this prediction: “By 2020, bioterror or bioerror will lead to one million casualties in a single event.” He reasoned that “by 2020 there will be thousands — even millions — of people with the capability to cause a catastrophic biological disaster. My concern is not only organized terrorist groups, but individual weirdos with the mindset of the people who now design computer viruses.”

He didn’t get any takers on LongBets.org, which seems to me a missed opportunity. So I’ve posted an offer there to bet him $200 — not a huge sum, but enough to put both our reputations on the line. I realize that betting on disaster may sound ghoulish, but neither of us will personally profit (if I win, the money goes to the International Red Cross). And I think bets like this serve a purpose.

Besides stimulating public debate, they focus the issue and discipline prophets. No matter how good their intentions, prophets face strong temptations to hype. In the current issue of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Dr. Rees wryly describes what happened in 2003 when he turned in a manuscript titled, “Our Final Century?”

“My British publisher removed the question mark from the book’s title,” he recalls, “and the U.S. publisher changed it to ‘Our Final Hour.’ Pessimism, it seems, makes for better marketing.”

It doesn’t make for better public policy though. Heralds of the bioterror apocalypse have actually worsened the problem of bioterror, as Milton Leitenberg points out in a 2005 report for the Strategic Studies Institute of the United States Army War College.

Mr. Leitenberg is a scholar at the University of Maryland who has been studying biological weapons for decades — and debunking wild predictions. Dr. Rees is not alone. Senator Bill Frist called bioterrorism “the greatest existential threat we have in the world today” and urged a military effort that “even dwarfs the Manhattan Project.”

Such rhetoric, Mr. Leitenberg says, has had the perverse effect of encouraging terrorists to seek out biological weapons. But despite the much-publicized attempts of Al Qaeda and a Japanese group to go biological, terrorists haven’t had much luck, because it’s still quite hard for individuals or nongovernmental groups to obtain, manufacture or deploy biological weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Leitenberg says the biggest threat is of a state deploying biological weapons, and he notes the encouraging decline in the number of countries working on this technology. Meanwhile, though, America has been so spooked by the horror-movie scenarios that it’s pouring money into defense against biological weapons. Dr. Leitenberg says that’s a mistake, both because it diverts resources from more serious threats — like natural diseases and epidemics — and because it could start a new biological arms race as other countries understandably fear that the United States is doing more than just playing defense.

It’s possible, as Dr. Rees fears, that terrorists will get a lot more sophisticated at biotech in the next decade, or that researchers will make some terrible mistake. The technology is getting cheaper and spreading rapidly. But so are the tools for preventing and coping with mistakes.

Whatever happens, I don’t expect biotechnology to pose an “existential threat.” The disaster predicted by Dr. Rees would be horrific, but humanity has survived worse, like the flu epidemic of 1918 that killed tens of millions of people. I know there are fears of new microorganisms or nanobots gobbling up our species, but I’m confident we’d somehow stop the Doomsday Clock from striking midnight.

In fact, the wager I’d really like to make with Dr. Rees is that we’ll make it to 2100. I’ve posted that prediction on Long Bets, and I’d be glad to give him better odds than the 50-50 chance he gives civilization of surviving the century.

I even think one of us might survive to see the payoff, although my techno-optimism has its limits. I hope some version of me will be around in 2100, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

29 January 2007

T Mobile Took My Money and MY TIME

Oy. I wish I hadn't told three different customer representatives my T Mobile story. If I hadn't, I maybe possibly might have the energy to convey to you here and now what an outstanding customer I've been since 2003 (they use the year, not the number of years to denote this); how great an early adopter I am (thanks to my mother's tech-loving ways); and how many contract upgrades I've been subject to to save a mere $50 on a new phone (oh, say a Sidekick III).

I use words like abused, hurt, frustrated with them and phrases like "when we break up".

But they come at me with, "I can see how this must be frustrating for you." I mean, I used to appreciate the communication skills T Mobile (or at least teaching their people to know how to FAKE good communication with the language), but now it's mocking. And they're not really listening, they're saying the same god damn thing over and over and over, no matter the dulcet tones in which they convey the contractual agreement (also known as MARRIAGE or INDENTURED SERVITUDE) that I've committed to.

All for $50.







There is redemption. Almost--we're on the path, really. If all works out, I may not have extended my contract (which, how I described it to the lady was, "if I do this I will be with you until I'm well over 30 (white lie) and I don't plan on being with you for the rest of my life!"), I may get (FINALLY) a replacement Sidekick III, all for free.

This begs the question: why did five months ago no one tell me this?

A year and a half T Mobile. That's all you have to impress me. You should be grateful and perform fabulously. Most people only have one evening before I decide to keep 'em or cut 'em loose. But then again, I'm not married to them.

26 January 2007

Chicago...Here I Come


Susie and Rich on the Lower East side of Manhattan talking to Peggy in Minneapolis right after the campaign on their web cams (Sara, pretty cool, right??). See how each side has the appropriate back drop? That's good advance.

Big excitement for the Sooz.

I'm going to Chicago a week from today (could have been Tuesday, but I'm hosting an Blake alum event on Thursday) to build crowd for Barak Obama. That's right, people, you read it here first. Quiting a job you loathe only leads to good things. Cause when you open yourself up to the universe and state clearly what you want, or in my case, what I didn't want, it will likely happen. Or something will. Because it has to.

Having good friends helps, too.

SO. Off I go!

I'm getting in touch with folks: Sara's there, Kate's coming down the weekend of the rally. Tara and Larissa live there, I think Liz G does, too. Jimmy V wants to volunteer and meet campaign folks, hopefully finding a new direction for his life and I think that's everyone? That can't possibly be everyone, but I'll figure out who else is there. My mom sent me a massive list of folks who are there who I'll have to recruit to volunteer.

My loyalties are not resolute, but I'm looking forward to getting to know the Senator's staff and their ways. This year could be a whole lot more interesting than anticipated. Or just interesting in a different way.

Photos from the last time I did this...in 2004. For John Kerry. What a disaster that turned out to be.

(Speaking of which, anyone going to the anti war march in DC? I, unfortunately, cannot make it...)


Susie and Mike in Green Bay. Bon Jovi decided to stay on the plane with Kerry and all the sudden we had a rock concert on hand. Mike lives in Red Hook and works at SEIU where one of my oldest, most impressive mentors, Mike Dolan, does something really important, but I can't remember his title. All my jobs from here on out shall include walkie talkies and bull horns. All of them.

Mike Dolan first introduced me to the wonders of the bull horn with his very own GOLDEN bull horn at the event that got me hooked on production: The Rolling Thunder Down Home Democracy Tour.

Mike was in town to see his friend's film "Fired!" which has partnered with United Professionals to bring the org far and wide. Mike is somehow involved with UP...probably through SEIU or Barbara Ehrenreich. I met her Wednesday night after the screening, then Mike, his niece Beatina and I went out and had a great night on the town. So much fun. Big Wednesday this week.


This is Team...ugh, somewhere in Ohio. I can't remember where. We started out in one city, met each other, had lunch and then got a call that we had to go to a different city. So we did. This was the trip I met Rich on. He works for Spitzer now and he's the one who I, essentially, moved to New York City with. Thanks, Rich ;) What we're doing here is staking out the exit point of a Bush rally. We call these "visibilities." Just being out there is good. Rich is on the right. He's absolutely hilarious! I have a movie of this, too. If I ever figure out You Tube, I'll post it.


Dan, Pam, Susie and Tammy. At the rally for election night in Boston. I had to go home early that night, per Rich, because I was crying and that was not good for morale. We stayed at Doug's house in the South End of Boston. The next day Spencer, Mike and Dan picked us up and we all went to DC for the final party. It was party after party for about two weeks before Rich and I wound up back in Manhattan. It's like these people who are exhausted by travel just can't stop...so we didn't.


Ah...the lights. Those are the press stands. Those are all their lights catching the glaring details of Kerry's election night rally. Bon Jovi showed up here, too.


Crowd builders '04. Mary Beth Cahill was kind enough to treat the advance staff and whomever else was in Boston to an open bar after Kerry's concession speech. We didn't know it yet, but Elizabeth Edwards had been diagnosed with breast cancer just three days prior. I'm going to Chicago with Dan, the guy behind and to the left of me. Good old friend-we built a crowd at CMU in Pittsburgh together in '04. I had a seminal crowd builder moment at CMU. I ripped up someone's ticket who I knew to be a republican protester. When I did that a beefy union guy stood behind me and said, "you'd better listen to her." I think the protester almost cried. Oh well. Serves him for being an idiot at my rally.


The line to our Des Moines rally. Pretty rockin, my friends, pretty rockin! It was the largest political rally to date in Iowa. And who decided to join me, but...


My folks! Peggy came down and she checked in press at their hotel while Bob drove all over Des Moines trying to track down THK (Teresa Heinz Kerry) to give her her dinner. They really got a taste of my job that night! The other woman, Sarah, and I went to high school together. When I walked into the Des Moines campaign office I went in to the Communications portion and who was there working her butt off? Sarah! Small world. She lives in Manhattan with her fiance Marty. Justin and I ran into them a few weeks ago at Spice in Chelsea. Whew....


Reggie Hubbard. The man. The legend. A great friend and excellent person, I met Reggie when he got on the plane with Kerry. One of the hardest working, most dedicated people I know. And incredibly intelligent AND good looking ;) We had lunch together this Wednesday at Dos Caminos in SoHo and talked about top secret life decisions. 20 minutes later I was on my way to the ER with some nasty allergic reaction...to...something. Anyhoo...


Nick, Chris, Aaron and Mike at the office in Green Bay. We talked on the phone a LOT. Aaron lives up in Boston; Nick and Chris in DC. Nick is a legend. Mike you've already met.


Kristen (white sweater) and I worked together in Boston and then we both left that company for the campaign. I had no idea where she wound up til I walked into the office in Green Bay.

Ah...the life of campaigning. Can you tell I love it?

I could go on with stories...cooking a speech writer a hamburger in a Ohio Westin at 1 o'clock in the morning with the hotel manager. Duckie, I think was his name. Great guy, super accommodating. That same night Snoop, Seinfeld and someone else were staying at the same hotel; I was nervous I was going to have to work with Secret Service to get the three to hang out. I didn't, but that would have been hilarious.

Or the time that Edwards left behind the form he had to send in to be on the ballot in North Dakota-it was due the next day (this involved shedding of shoes and running across tarmac). Or the time we celebrated Setti's birthday at Brit's in Minneapolis (my mom decorated his room); or when Michelle brought Kerry his dinner from Vincent; or when my folks cooked the Mpls team waffles one morning; or the monotonous down time one would inevitably hit; or Elizabeth Edwards exclaiming upon walking into their hotel room in Albequerque, "this is bigger than our first two houses put together!"

I can't even imagine the amazing stories organizers with history must have. I can't wait.

Off to celebrate Jenna's last day at SHNY and Ceri's first day of being 30!

Happy days.

Retitle

I would like to re-title my last post.

I would like the last post to read:

All That Matters; All That I Love: My Family, just the way I like 'em.

21 January 2007

Homage a My Dad



Yesterday was my dad's 70th birthday!








He and I have fun together.





We're lucky to have a nice family.



He lived in New York 50 years ago selling seeds. He remembers parts of New York that are now on solid ground, being swamp.



He's really smart and has an excellent command of the English language. (Here we are in Shakespeare Park in Central Park.)



He's funny and adventurous, too.



I'm really glad my mom likes him!



And I'm really glad they met.



Happy birthday, Dad. You're the best yet.

18 January 2007

It's Been Too Long

So it's been a couple days and I see that you have been visiting me! Oh, you sweet people!

I'm back at the birth place of this blog. The place I was working a year and a half ago. I'm freelancing at, what I consider, my first real job in Manhattan.

Ah, New York. I sure do love her.

Instead of having a boyfriend, I've decided to treat New York, Manhattan, specifically, as though it's my lover/boyfriend/companion. Books are our conversation, as are the faces of the people who are walking through the Subway with me (I'm becoming a committed subway rider, both by default ($) and by choice. It's so great, that lil' subway they've got here).

So, now you know. I'm in a relationship. With New York. So stop looking for partners for me. Cause I'm PRIME TIME IN LOVE!

Presenting, Mr/s. Whitlock (gender is unimportant; merely the love I feel, obviously):

15 January 2007

French Broad Luscious Chocolates...You'd Best Be a Believer!

Dan and Jael are geniuses. They've passed on their amazing personal prowess to a small human named Samuel Benjamin, pictured below.



Yes, that is an ACTUAL child. I know every child is beautiful, but Sam, who goes my the moniker, The Buddah, exceeds every precedent set.

They have passed their creative talents to another child, who would only send a picture of its logo, but not of itself, called French Broad Luscious Chocolates; logo below. My personal favorite is the "Testimonial"page.



This is the sticker that was on my box of chocolates and now it's on my bedroom door in Brooklyn :)

So, not to overstate it, and I really don't think I am, I found the chocolate company that I will be with for the rest of my life. I see big things for us, French Broad Luscious Chocolates. They sent me a box for Christmas and I sampled some of the most lovely truffles I've ever had. (They have even improved since Jael's truffles (now Dan and Jael's truffles, they weren't happily and cutely married yet and, if I remember correctly, Jael started experimenting with chocolate (although an already accomplished chef)) right around when Dan made his second batch of Mole (I've lived through two: one at his apt in Minneapolis and another at the house we rented together on singularly the best street in America: Milwaukee Ave in Minneapolis, as well. I'll see if I can rustle up some photos of that bad boy. What a house, what a Halloween party. Or of us unloading the box truck when we decided to heat the house entirely with wood stove heat.) ANYWAY, back to the subject at hand. Jael: chocolate; Dan: mole. They moved to Costa Rica for a year and then back to the US in, what I understand is, the delicious, hippie town of Ashville, North Carolina. And now, they're putting their efforts into their three children (one more human on the way!) and we are going to benefit from all of them! I highly recommend you give these chocolates a whirl. They make GREAT gifts!

I have a million more things to write. They'll have to wait for now...

Hilarious re: Book Labeling



I found this site after a completely random search for "stickers". His Flikr page is really funny/good too!

13 January 2007

We Are Family: Day Two

Day two was nice. Very chill. Peggy isn't feeling well :( so she stayed at the hotel and...I have no idea what she did, but it was probably very intellectual or world changing ;)

Bob and I hopped on the subway and went to Chinatown in search of a restaurant with the right round eye/Chinese/Jewish ratio, which we sort of found at Joe's Shanghai, which is, apparently, very famous for their soup dumplings-and rightly so. If you're in NYC reading this, you can count on my birthday celebration being held there this year! Funny enough, this is the first Chinatown restaurant Rich and I ever went to when I first moved to New York. Bob and I sat two chairs to the left of were Rich and I sat! We also had General Tso's chicken, cause that's just how we roll, and that was very good, too. The chicken was real, you know? Not processes little bits for fricking Sysco.

Then we wandered a bit, but not much. I realized what a fool I am for not doing ALL my Christmas shopping in Chinatown. There are so many treasures there! And a bunch of junk, but if you look, treasures. Next Christmas, kiddies, you'd better watch out!

Bob and I returned to the hotel room for a relaxed afternoon with Mom. I spend much of my time emailing friends as you all were at work and I was not ;) and we all rested/napped a bit.

Rob arrived at 8:15 from JFK (an arduous day of travel for him, no matter how you cut it). And I turned us right around and got us on the R train to get us to the J train. It was going the wrong direction, but we achieved train-ness right quick! We got off, and got back on going the CORRECT way (oy!) and got to the restaurant just 20 minutes late, which was not a problem.

We went to Dressler on Broadway in Brooklyn. The food was outstanding. From the scallops to the artichoke salad to the entrees: cod, duck, lamb and pork, to the desserts: a sinful chocolate cake and reason-alone-for-a-visit Apple Tarte Tatin with rum raisin ice cream we completely lucked out. Our server, my brother observed, may have been the best server he'd had in his entire life (that's almost 29 years). He gave great advice and, when he could, took time to chat with us about the changing neighborhood. All the staff were affable, seemed glad to be there and proud of their product. My family, knowing my penchant for restaurant life let me take the lead on the dinner and I always (unless I'm on a date, people. I enjoy being taken care of too. I feel I have to say this so the universe doesn't get the wrong idea-there are some downsides of getting what you ask for!) enjoy that piece of it. I do miss working in restaurants/hospitality for some things.

Two thumbs up dinner.

Then we trekked back to my apartment so everyone could see it. :) Then we walked my route to the subway; I pointed out where I was almost mugged, my poor mother. They all commented on the long walk! Welcome to New York!

We got on the train and I got off to go to my friend Paige's place where I'm cat sitter extraordinare and they back to the hotel.

Today is another big day of 1) bite to eat 2) looking for a camera for my brother's birthday 3) Wall Street Trinity Church's cemetery (including "Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, founder of The Bank of New York" 4) meeting up with Bill and Michele and their girls Alex, Mary and Colleen; Bill is the son of my dad's sister, Pat, making him Rob's and my cousin and his kids our 1st cousins once removed 4) Big dinner at the Old Homestead Steakhouse, the oldest steakhouse in Manhattan. WHEW.

Have I mentioned I love this?! Having them here has opened my eyes, as having visitors always does, and also reminds me of how much fun my family is. What a lovely group of people.

Whew! Must get a move on! New York waits for no one...not even a Weber/Whitlock!

I'll update/improve linkage when I have more time/better connection!

xo

12 January 2007

Day One: Mi Familia

What a fun first day of a visit!

My mom and dad landed a little early at JFK (?!?!) and were on their way to their hotel way downtown. Then, so was I!

When I walked into the hotel I saw someone who I thought looked remarkably familiar. After a second glance I realized it was my cousin (husband of my dad's brother's daughter, Anne) Michael! I went up to him and said, "Sorry, can I interrupt?" and he looked and looked at me again and big hug and, "What are you doing here?!" I told him I was waiting for my parents to celebrate my dad's birthday.

We made a plan to surprise my parents at dinner later-SO much fun.

So Peggy, Bob and I went to the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station (one of my dad's places) and had dinner (I had a pretty amazing lobster roll. $27 worth. Next time I'd split it with someone) and Michael texted me to say he was on his way. I actually had butterflies I was so excited for the surprise. Michael and my folks get along famously and he's really fun/cool and married to a woman who I've admired for, well, my entire life. It was just such a nice surprise and a great way to start off the weekend.






I'm off now, back to the financial district, to pick up my folks. A walk down Battery Park waterfront and over to Chinatown for Dim Sum. Then we'll take a walk about, probably a nap and then Rob will come meet us at the hotel. THEN back to Brooklyn for dinner! Hopefully we'll see childhood friend of mine, Peter, and his woman tonight, too.

Having a great time.

In honor of my father's love and expertise in the English language, to our small family reunion and to the unorganized, organic nature of New York (for which there IS no synonym) I'll leave you with this:

Thesaurus by Billy Collins

It could be the name of a prehistoric beast
that roamed the Paleozoic earth, rising up
on its hind legs to show off its large vocabulary,
or some lover in a myth who is metamorphosed into a book.

It means treasury, but it is just a place
where words congregate with their relatives,
a big park where hundreds of family reunions
are always being held,
house, home, abode, dwelling, lodgings, and digs,
all sharing the same picnic basket and thermos;
hairy, hirsute, woolly, furry, fleecy, and shaggy
all running a sack race or throwing horseshoes,
inert, static, motionless, fixed and immobile
standing and kneeling in rows for a group photograph.

Here father is next to sire and brother close
to sibling, separated only by fine shades of meaning.
And every group has its odd cousin, the one
who traveled the farthest to be here:
astereognosis, polydipsia, or some eleven
syllable, unpronounceable substitute for the word tool.
Even their own relatives have to squint at their name tags.

I can see my own copy up on a high shelf.
I rarely open it, because I know there is no
such thing as a synonym and because I get nervous
around people who always assemble with their own kind,
forming clubs and nailing signs to closed front doors
while others huddle alone in the dark streets.

I would rather see words out on their own, away
from their families and the warehouse of Roget,
wandering the world where they sometimes fall
in love with a completely different word.
Surely, you have seen pairs of them standing forever
next to each other on the same line inside a poem,
a small chapel where weddings like these,
between perfect strangers, can take place.

The Rest of My Life

What if I blog here for the rest of my life?

Woah.

11 January 2007

Much Better, Thanks, Rob

Thank you, my dear, sweet brother, for looking in after my health. Yes, I feel a million times better today and anticipate a similar level of recovery tomorrow.

I planned on going to bed earlier than this, but I failed. I fell in love with a book. The aforementioned book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I've just spent the wee hours reading through tears and truly truly enjoying it.

I managed to straighten up the joint a little as I'm expecting some high class folks to come my way:



So you can see why a girl would want to impress em ;)

Happy Birthday, Dad! I really can't wait to have you guys here!

One thing the book reminded me of and that, I think, at least, I know, and that I'm reminded of soo soooo often is to say I love you.

So:

I love you, my family
I'm grateful for everything-everything

I think that about covers it!

Oh! And I sent the only bear I've ever slept with practically every. night. of. my. life. to the cleaners by accident today! I hope they don't wash him. He would fall right apart. Oh Bartholomue. It's not because I don't love you! It's because I didn't want to give the other kids scarlet fever that all went to the wash today. I hope they didn't throw the baby out with the bath water. I don't know if I'll ever find another bear like you. Don't think I'd want to.

xoxo

10 January 2007

Poetry for ME

So I have to write about the end of the world to get comments? NO MORE POETRY FOR YOU!

Just kidding! I would never do that to me ;)

IM Quote of the Day Goes To:

Susie: grew to not be in love with it after about 2 months
Susie: looking for the graduate school for me and thinking radical life change

9:05 PM

Adam: i hate to tell you..but your life is a radical life change..

Adam Ullian. My friend from my first year of college at UVM. It made me laugh out loud.

09 January 2007

Left My House Twice Today

Yup, sure did. Trying to get over this illness and I have to say cold doesn't feel so great on the old throat. At least it's getting a little colder, no?

Global warming is really going to dismantle us. From industrial setback on which the marketplace relies, to the coming apart of islands (this happened over the holidays and I can't find the article), to the changed migration habits of birds, this will slowly, but surely be the end of us. And that is my optimistic stance.

Sleep tight!

La la la

I don't have anything to write.

I've been in bed for a day and a half, ill with something like strep, I think. It's pretty amazing.

My neighborhood is loud. There's a crazy woman around, I learned today that her name is CJ.

Hot water feels good on my throat and I'm hoping it washes whatever this schmeck is to my unwelcoming, acidic stomach.

I have to write a professional biography. The irony doesn't escape me.

Congrats Sara on getting your booty to a (fine) graduate school. I can't wait to see how you like it and where it leads. You're a rock star of the first degree.

Preparing for the culinary tour of New York that will ensue once my folks arrive on Thursday, joined by Rob on Friday and hopefully Bill, Michele, Coleen, Mary and Alex on Saturday. We'll be quite a troupe!

That's it. Hot water and la la la

03 January 2007

Books to Read

I just came across a review of Michael Pollan's book on Dykotomy of Omnivore's Dilemma. I'm really looking forward to reading it. I've fallen off my food activism as of late, as I have from a lot of political things, and I think it may be time to get back on the train. In terms of food in NYC, this is going to take some pretty serious research. Being vegetarian doesn't solve conscious eaters' issues anymore. It feels like now, to be sure of anything, you have to raise, pick and/or kill whatever you're eating yourself.

You heard of him first when he wrote The Botany of Desire.

He's got a series of speaking engagements coming up. I'll be going on May 21 to see him uptown. There's a ton of dates on the West Coast, so Rob, Sara, Cleaver, Cole, you all may be interested in seeing him.

A class he teaches at Berkeley sums up how I feel:

J226: SCIENCE REPORTING:
COVERING THE FOOD CHAIN
It might be hard to see what transpires between a child and Big Mac as an ecological event, but of course that’s exactly what it is. Like every other creature, we are a species connected to other species, as well as to the earth and the sun, by a food chain—albeit a very special sort of food chain, one that’s been shaped by political and economic decisions as much as by biology. This course aims to develop the intellectual context in which to understand, and connect, the many food stories now finding their way to the front page: GMOs, the obesity epidemic, factory farming, animal rights and welfare, antibiotic resistance, agricultural pollution, agricultural subsidies, third world hunger, and the rise of alternatives to the industrial food system, such as organic agriculture and “slow food.” Expect to do lots of reading (from Upton Sinclair and Rachel Carson to Wendell Berry and Eric Schlosser) and writing.

He ends with a KICK ASS list of links.

For now I'm keeping Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foerby my bed, along with American Religious Poems edited by Harold Bloom and Good Poems for Hard Times edited by Garrison Keillor (the original, Good Poems is excellent, also). The poetry bug bit and stuck and I'm pretty stoked about it. My friend Ceri and I are talking about starting a poetry book club. Anyone moving to NYC anytime soon and wanna check it out ;) you're more than welcome!

Job/school search is on. I found a program with the exact description of what I want...but it's in Tampa. Doesn't matter, right? If I do it in conjunction with the Peace Corps, especially, it won't matter. I'll be a year on campus. I can do anything for a year. This is the page that comes up when I search for Health/Public Health/Nursing/International Health. And this is the description of the program in Tampa that I love the sound of:

The MPH in Global Health is a college-wide program. Students will follow a plan of study that includes core courses from each department, global health core courses, emphasis area support courses, and will complete a special project. Emphasis areas may combine courses from two or more departments to create unique specialties. Students will be prepared to: (1) understand socio-cultural, political and economic determinants of health at the global level; (2) assess the burden of disease on health and the importance of prevention; (3) analyze international health systems in developed and underdeveloped countries; (4) understand factors that contribute to the incidence of infectious disease; (5) understand problems related to infectious disease control and surveillance’ (6) apply culturally appropriate technology, interventions and ethical considerations; (7) understand epidemiologic study design; and (8) propose methodologies for evaluation public health programs and interventions.

Rock out. Let me know what you think-about anything!

xoxo

02 January 2007

I Saw the Sign by Ace of Base

(All about me)
Advice from friends and lyrics from the old days....

Colorado says:
don't fight too long with monsters lest you become a monster; but don't stare too long into the abyss, lest the abyss stare into you.

North Carolina says:
The eagle is good. The eagle is medicine for higher vision of what you
need to do. It's funny that there was a baby eagle. It suggests you are just learning how to tap into this awesome power you possess, a new vision
that you are just learning to see. Eagles are all about courage, strength and bravery. The eagle soars highest, closest to the Great One, and this
height allows the eagle to observe the vastness of Mother Earth.

"Eagle is reminding you to take heart and gather your courage, for the
universe is presenting you with an opportunity to soar above the mundane
levels of your life. The power of recognizing this opportunity may come in
the form of a spiritual test. In being astute, you may recognize the
places within your soul, personality, emotions, or psyche that need
bolstering or refinement. By looking at the overall tapestry, Eagle teaches you to broaden your sense of self beyond the horizon of what is presently visible. In learning to fiercely attack your personal fear of the unknown, the wings of your soul will be supported by the ever-present breezes, which are the breath of the Great Spirit. Feed your body, but more importantly feed your soul. Within the realm of Mother Earth and Father Sky, the dance that leads to flight involves the conquering of fear and the willingness to join in the adventure that you are co-creating with the Divine."

I am loving looking at your photographs and, of course, reading the
poetry. I wonder what it would be like to have a traditional family
sometimes. I vicariously get to dig it when I read about yours.

Minneapolis says:
(Holiday Matthis horoscope overview) Changes are coming; it's palpable. A lot of what happens today is in preparation for tomorrow, even though we may feel we have no idea what we're preparing for. There's a mounting tension as we head toward tomorrow's full moon. Also tomorrow, Venus moves into Aquarius, so romance will soon have a lighter, friendlier resonance.

New York says:
Notice how I reiterate that New York is home. New York is Home.

Yahoo Horoscopes say:
Your involvement in an upcoming event could launch big plans for your future. Get ready to find an exciting new calling -- and this is only the beginning. Your mind is becoming aware of many new possibilities for your life, and there is no reason to limit your options right now. If you can let your confidence come out more, you will start to see what the universe has in store. Start today by chatting up a person whom you see all the time but who intimidates you.

Overheard in New York says:
Student #1: Like, oh my god, I don't know what the fuck to do with my life. Shit. I'm like, having a fucking crisis and tripping out. Like, fuck. I don't know what the fuck is going on. I, like, don't have any insight on my life right now.

Student #2: Oh my god! I forgot to tell you -- Whoopi Goldberg came into the Apple Store where I work today, and I was trying not to trip out!

Student #1: Oh my god! I love her! I just found her show on the radio the other day!

--Starbucks, Columbus Circle

Is anyone else seeing a pattern here?

Yes, Ace of Base is seeing a pattern here.

I Saw the Sign by Ace of Base

Shock!
I got a new life
You would hardly recognize me
I’m so glad
How can a person like me care for you
Why do I bother
When you’re not the one for me
Is enough enough
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
Life is demanding without understanding
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
No one’s gonna drag you up
To get into the light where you belong
But where do you belong
Under the pale moon
For so many years I’ve wondered
Who you are
How can a person like you bring me joy
Under the pale moon
Where I see a lot of stars
Is enough enough
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
Life is demanding without understanding
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
No one’s gonna drag you up
To get into the light where you belong
But where do you belong
I saw the sign and it opened up my mind
And I am happy now
Living without you
I’ve left you all alone
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign
No one’s gonna drag you up
To get into the light where you belong
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the sign



A very successful, insanely repetitive song.