Clandestine

WHOA!!

2008-11-05T08:19:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it????

I have "Proud to be an American" in my head. I can't believe it!!

I can only imagine what sort of change will come from this for all of us, but I am SO proud and excited!

WAHOOOOOOOO!!!!

Missing the old bloggers

2008-07-09T20:18:00.002-05:00

I was just reading old posts and remembering when we all blogged all the time. I miss that! Of course, for me, I did it at work, and stopped regularly blogging as soon as I got a job that didn't require me to be at the computer all day (and doesn't give me time anyway), but I just miss all of the bloggers!

Ah well...

But remember how fun it was??? What happened to everyone??? SMAX, Blogzie, Inger, Mary, etc. Who knows! But I hope everyone is well, and I'm glad to still see Alan, Crackerlilo, and some others blogging around...even if I don't comment much.

I miss you!

2008-03-24T05:53:00.001-05:00

Monday, March 24th, 2008

Friends,

It would have to happen on Easter Sunday, wouldn't it, that the 4,000th American soldier would die in Iraq. Play me that crazy preacher again, will you, about how maybe God, in all his infinite wisdom, may not exactly be blessing America these days. Is anyone surprised?

4,000 dead. Unofficial estimates are that there may be up to 100,000 wounded, injured, or mentally ruined by this war. And there could be up to a million Iraqi dead. We will pay the consequences of this for a long, long time. God will keep blessing America.

And where is Darth Vader in all this? A reporter from ABC News this week told Dick Cheney, in regards to Iraq, "two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting." Cheney cut her off with a one word answer: "So?"

"So?" As in, "So what?" As in, "F*** you. I could care less."

I would like every American to see Cheney flip the virtual bird at the them, the American people. Click here and pass it around. Then ask yourself why we haven't risen up and thrown him and his puppet out of the White House.

The Democrats have had the power to literally pull the plug on this war for the past 15 months -- and they have refused to do so. What are we to do about that? Continue to sink into our despair? Or get creative? Real creative. I know there are many of you reading this who have the chutzpah and ingenuity to confront your local congressperson. Will you? For me?

Cheney spent Wednesday, the 5th anniversary of the war, not mourning the dead he killed, but fishing off the Sultan of Oman's royal yacht. So? Ask your favorite Republican what they think of that.

The Founding Fathers would never have uttered the presumptuous words, "God Bless America." That, to them, sounded like a command instead of a request, and one doesn't command God, even if they are America. In fact, they were worried God would punish America. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington feared that God would react unfavorably against his soldiers for the way they were behaving. John Adams wondered if God might punish America and cause it to lose the war, just to prove His point that America was not worthy. They and the others believed it would be arrogant on their part to assume that God would single out America for a blessing. What a long road we have traveled since then.

I see that Frontline on PBS this week has a documentary called "Bush's War." That's what I've been calling it for a long time. It's not the "Iraq War." Iraq did nothing. Iraq didn't plan 9/11. It didn't have weapons of mass destruction. It DID have movie theaters and bars and women wearing what they wanted and a significant Christian population and one of the few Arab capitals with an open synagogue.

But that's all gone now. Show a movie and you'll be shot in the head. Over a hundred women have been randomly executed for not wearing a scarf. I'm happy, as a blessed American, that I had a hand in all this. I just paid my taxes, so that means I helped to pay for this freedom we've brought to Baghdad. So? Will God bless me?

God bless all of you in this Easter Week as we begin the 6th year of Bush's War.

God help America. Please.

Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T10:22:00.001-05:00

Happy 2008, everybody!

You're it!

2007-10-21T22:47:00.000-05:00

Like my good friend Mamalicious, I have never been 'tagged' before. Since she's my first blog friend, here it goes!

1. Link to your tagger and post rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random and some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of post and list their names.
4. Let them know they were tagged by a comment on their blog.

So, here goes:

1. My favorite animal is a skunk.

2. (Mamalicious - I saw you on the documentary!) I absolutely LOVE my job, and it involves 80 middle school students (that's right - 80 kids aged 10 to 13 all at once). However, I do not want kids of my own.

3. I have lived in New England for all but 3 of my 30 years and do not like, and have never gotten used to, the extremes in temperature in the summer and winter. I do not like anything that has anything to do with snow EXCEPT snow days, now that I work in a school.

4. I'm still scared of the "Bloody Mary" story and won't look in mirrors at night. If I am sleeping in a room with a mirror in it, I have to position myself so that I can't see my reflection.

5. I am currently watching the first full-length baseball game I have ever watched (Go Red Sox!) and I am interested in it, and I have NO idea why I suddenly want to stay up late to watch baseball...I didn't even pay this much attention when they won the World Series!

6. I will not wear turtle necks, don't like to wear shirts with collars, and won't wear scarves. In fact, when people I love wear turtle necks, I fight the urge to pull the collar to "rescue" them from (what is to me) extreme discomfort.

7. I love Bette Midler. LOVE. I have seen her in concert many times and cry every time. I LOVE HER!!

Okay, time for me to TAG:
Alan
CrackerLilo
Butler
Mary
And our beloved Blogzie, if she returns! :)

That's all...the Red Sox just won (YAY!), so I have to go to bed...I'll tell the people I tagged them tomorrow!

Goodnight!

Wahoo!

2007-08-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

I am not a very good blogger. It was much easier when I had such a boring job and had nothing to do all day but blog, blog, blog.

In any case, I hope perhaps some of the old blogging friends will read this post. Because I have such exciting news and feel that really, the blogging friends will appreciate it much more than most of the people I know in person.

Ready?

WE'RE GOING ON THE ROSIE CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, it's what - 11 months away?! But I'm so excited I can't stand it!

And, when I called (of course this would happen - but it was still great), the woman asked how many people, and when I said 2, she said,"You and your partner?" I mean, maybe it's silly, but I just enjoyed that she said partner and not husband/boyfriend.

That's all my news for now. YAY!

FINALLY!

2007-06-15T20:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like (and I'm almost afraid to believe it) marriage equality in Massachusetts it here to stay! Yesterday, the legislature voted 150 (ish) to 45 to not put the ammendment to the Constitution on the ballot in November. Which means that the next possible time this whole thing could come up again would be in 2012. Everyone says that means this is over, which would be a huge relief. I hope this is the beginning of a trend.

In other news, not too much is new around these parts. My job is fantastic. Right now there are no kids involved, of course, but it ended really well.

I hope that anyone who happens to read this is having a lovely summer!!

still here

2007-02-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

I don't really have any particular reason for not updating this, actually. My job is crazy and fantastic. I work with middle school kids at a "disadvantaged" middle school, which means, as far as I can tell, that they just aren't that lucky and for some reason that means they are treated pretty badly all the time - as if everyone is waiting for them to seriously screw up. You get what you expect, you know? So, after school, we try as hard as we can to expect them to do well, and hope that if we care enough, and if we work really hard, maybe at least some of them will start to believe that the people who treat them like they're budding criminals are wrong. There are some amazing, dedicated teachers at that school. And I'm sure that most of the teachers at least were dedicated at some point. I can see why they lose that, too, actually. Caring about these kids really sets you up for heartbreak. One 11 year old girl today told me that she didn't know if she'd be in the school after vacation anymore because she was put in foster care because the only person left in her family who was able to take care of her punched her in the face and now she doesn't know where she'll end up. There are at least 10 kids in the program of 55 that don't read at even a first grade level. Over half read at an elementary level or lower. I try to be realistic. We care about them now and hope that even if they don't "make it," at least they'll have known that someone cared about them, wanted them to do well and believed they could. And it will break my heart when I read about one of them in the paper years from now. But I'm determined not to let myself stop caring. What else is there to do, really? They're kids, no matter what they do. To do anything less is to continue to deny them what they deserve.

Bla bla bla.

I don't really know what else to say. I have five days off in a row now and am SO excited about that. I don't know what we'll do, but hopefully something fun. Maybe I'll let you all know! Which begs the question - will anyone read this???

is anybody still here?

2006-09-30T21:24:00.000-05:00

I wonder if anyone still reads this...since I haven't updated in a looooong time, I'd be pretty surprised! Right now I'm visiting my grandparents and it's quite relaxing. I spent most of the day doing my grandfather's sudoku puzzle book. I finished 2 "moderate" ones and probably spent about 3 hours on a hard one. Those things are crazy! But, I guess it was only a matter of time before I actually did do one of those puzzles. I'm sort of a nerd and I like those type of puzzles (you know, the ones in the puzzle books), but I had never tried sudoku (sp?) for some reason. ANYWAY, aside from that fascinating tale, we also went out for pizza and I watched "Numbers" with my grandpa. I love that show, and apparently he does, too. He fell asleep, of course, but I watched it.

So my job has been taking up so much time and energy but it's fun and I love it so far. I know better than to commit to loving it yet - I have to let more time pass. I'm also getting a new boss one of these days, and that will also determine my job satisfaction, I'm sure. I'm loving working with kids again, though, and the particular program is really up my alley.

And now anyone who does bother to read this can see why I haven't updated - I really don't have anything particularly interesting to say! I know I should have said more about my Habitat trip, but it seems a bit late for that. If anyone is interested in seeing more photos, you can email me and I'd be happy to send them along.

Things are peachy right now and I hope they stay that way for a while!!

I'll try to come up with something more interesting to say soon :)

ta da!

2006-08-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

Hi!!

I'm sure you're all anxiously awaiting this post. I'm sorry I've been out of touch for the summer! I've read some blogs, but I really don't know what's going on out there. I'll try to catch up!

So this summer, as I'm sure you can tell, has been crazy. I left the tax accounting job on the 13th of June. I started at camp on the 14th. I've worked at camps a lot in the past, so I was able to work it out that I could go there full-time until the 15th of July and then leave if I got another job, which I was pretty sure I would by then. Okay so at that point, I had turned down one job because they didn't offer enough money, and had gotten an email from the job in Santa Barbara saying that I'd get an offer starting on July 15th. SOO I went to camp, and as July 15th approached, I had received another offer from the job I had turned down and hadn't heard from the SB one. SO then I heard from the SB one, who said they couldn't find funding for the job :( and I took the other job. I started that on July 17th, but I have still been going to camp a few nights a week. So things have been CRAZY. This week, I had training all day everyday for my new job. The job is in my city, but the training was in Boston, so it's a hassle. But I like the sound of my new job, and camp is ending in one week (PHEW!) and things are calming down at least to their usual frantic pace.

My new job sounds great. I can't give details but it's a program for kids, and I'm psyched to go back to my roots. :)

So that's my story! How's everyone's else doing these days????

gone

2006-06-19T21:09:00.001-05:00

Howdy!

I miss you blog friends! I am at camp for a month, and can't really post or read too much. I'll try to catch up on everything with everyone this weekend.

Don't worry - chapter two is coming soon! ;)

xoxo

why

2006-06-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is so big...

Okay, the only way I can think of to actually portray my trip is in chapters. Presuming I'm interesting enough (or that the story is) to compell you to read all this, of course.

Chapter One

I guess the best way to start is to talk about why I did this, and why people need to continue to do this. I did it because people need help. I knew that Habitat for Humanity actually helps people - helps them build homes for themselves, own homes themselves, and helps build community. Every morning, we recited,"Habitat is not a hand out, but a hand up," and that's why I did it.

I'm not trying to exploit damage or destruction or tragedy. But I know I had no idea what had really happened in New Orleans before I went, and I know now that what I saw just scratches the surface. Behind every smashed house, there's a family. Behind every picture, there's a story of someone's profound loss. We only went to one neighborhood, and from the safety of our warm, dry cars, saw one little part of a huge, unimaginable disaster. We made a promise to each other to come back and tell people what we saw, and to try to communicate to people how much there is to be done. I don't know, of course, where the people are, or how they are doing. But I do know that there aren't many people who can afford to pay a mortage on a house they can't be in, at the same time as they're paying rent. They may not have jobs, they may not have cars, they have lost so much. And as far as I can tell, there are not a lot of people helping them. And even the people who are can only do so much because our government is clearly doing nothing.

We didn't go to the Nineth Ward because there wasn't time - we went into New Orleans only once and only for a few hours. One of the people on the trip had been there before, and said that the houses are leveled. I don't want to think about what has happened to the people who lived there. I don't even want to think about the people who lived in the houses we saw. But how can you not?

I don't know how to make the pictures so you can click them and make them larger, so I hope you can see them well enough...

There are a lot more pictures. If you want to see all of them, email me and I'll send them to you. I promise the next "chapter" (so ridiculous) will be up soon, and will be more uplifting...

I don't know what to do with this, but here it is. Ten months later.

Above: I found this one particularly disturbing. Interesting what hits us, really. If you look closely, you can see the clothes hanging in the closet (on the left).

The hole on the roof was kicked out by the people inside so they could escape when the water came.

In case you can't read it, the sign says, "Allstate paid $10,113.34 on this house for storm damage."

One of the few signs of hope. There are a couple (out of hundreds) of houses that have been fixed (on the outside, at least), and have people living in them, but imagine what's in their water and air...

The spray paint there says "Michael where are you" and there's a phone number.

We saw a few people working on their homes. One man was sitting on a wall with his head in his hands. We saw a woman I can only describe as stately, probably in her sixties, standing outside her lovely brick home, right along the levee wall. She was in the driveway, dressed in nice clothes you'd expect someone to wear to church. Her house had big boards on the windows and doors, and had serious, visible damage. She was alone in the driveway, hosing it off. As if she couldn't manage to deal with the enormity of the situation, and was taking control of the one thing she could manage.

i'm ba-ack!

2006-06-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

I had an absolutely amazing time in Louisiana! We worked really hard, putting in floors (that's what I did most of the time), painting, putting siding on houses, framing houses, etc. The group was amazing and the soon-to-be homeowners were inspiring! I'll tell you all about it later on, but for now, here's a photo of me helping to put up the frame of a new house!

And here's one of the whole group. I'll call the people who were in my group "team members" because I feel funny putting all their names here for some reason I don't quite understand. It was great that people from all over the country (and a guy from Canada) were there.

Starting in the front row, on the right, you have - one of the home owners, team member from OK, team member from CT, team member from PA, team member from OR, team member from MN, Danny from OK (1st team member's dad), team member from IL, team member from NY, and Mary Jane a homeowner.

2nd row - two care-a-vanners (they travel to Habitat sites in RVs), Delvin (the guy with his arm around the lady) the site construction supervisor, 3 more a care-a-vanners, team member from CA, me!, Miss Ida our favorite homeowner, team member from CA, team member from Canada, team member from PA, and team member from Washington DC.

3rd row - (starting with the guy in the yellow hat) a care-a-vanner, team member from TN, team member from NY, a homeowner, team member from IA, team member from TX (with the hat), team member from WI, team member from TX, team member from WI, team member from MD, and team member from PA.

the time has come!

2006-05-26T19:37:00.000-05:00

It's time, it's time!!

I'm leaving on Sunday for Louisiana!!!

Thanks again to all of you for your help and support! I'll tell ya all about it when I get back!

xoxoxo

what is the problem?

2006-05-19T08:14:00.000-05:00

Everyone who reads this knows I live in Massachusetts. Also, everyone who reads this knows that this state is the only one in the country where same-sex marriages are legal. Do you know that in June, at the Constitutional Convention, the legislature will be voting to decide whether or not to put a question on the ballot asking people to vote on whether or not gay marriages should be legal? Some people think that's a good idea, because they think that the people should decide whether or not everyone deserves equal rights. It's not a good idea. It's a horrible idea. I don't know whether or not it would pass, of course, but the rights of a minority should never be decided by a vote of the majority. Duh.

ANYWAY.

Usually, I feel pretty safe here in good ol' MA. I feel, most of the time, that if people here feel that being in a same-sex relationship makes you a horrible person, or that being in a same-sex relationship = a major sin, they at least know to keep their big mouths shut. It's not a popular opinion. You can't go to work and tell your coworkers that you hate the gays here. It's not acceptable. The marriage thing is a little different, for some reason I can't quite understand. For some reason, people do think it's acceptable to say that they don't hate the gays, that they think we deserve some rights, but that they just think this whole marriage business is between a man and a woman. I don't know why. It makes no sense. But again, you are pretty safe here telling people you work with about your partner (instead of your roommate). We still have people shooting gay people in bars, as you may recall. But all in all, we've got it better than our friends in other parts of the country.

So today, I'm driving to work. In a lot of traffic, because it won't stop raining. A guy cuts in front of me in his (MA typical) old Volvo. But on his bumper are two stickers. Both start with a giant "not-equal" sign - you know, the = with a / through it. One says "Gay marriage and benefits are not RIGHTS." The other one says, "Never have been, Never will be."

This whole thing made me sad. Does he realize that he might as well have a bumper sticker on the car that says,"Clandestine, you are not as much of a human as I am, and I hate you."??? I know, he doesn't care. He thinks he's right.

What I don't understand is this - the only people who seem to give a hoo-hah about gay marriage are preaching about how it's not God's way. It's not Christian to let people get married if they are both of the same gender. "We don't hate you, we hate this sin." "It's a choice." "You can get married, you just have to marry a man (it doesn't matter if you're attracted to him or not)." Blablabla.

How Christian is it to put a bumper sticker on your car that tells people you hate them? Imagine how it would feel to a little child who has two moms or two dads. Imagine if you were one of those parents and your child was in the car. It is so hateful. It is so awful. It is just SO mean.

There is nothing Christian about forcing people to stay roomates when they live as spouses. There is nothing Christian about hating people just because you don't understand them. There is nothing Christian about interpreting one or two lines in the Bible a particular way, while overlooking other parts. There is nothing Christian about telling a child that their parents are not acceptable. There is nothing Christian about forcing your small-minded, idiotic, illogical view of life on me. And there is nothing Christian about spreading this hate around, letting it fester, until people think that killing us is acceptable. I'm sorry, but the two - fighting against gay rights and accepting violence against us - are interchangeable. Once you spread the word that someone is not fully human, you are telling maniacs that it is not as wrong to kill us.

Nevermind that there is such a thing, or used to be, as separation of church and state. But that's a whole other rant for a whole other day.

There is no reason why lgbt people have to put up with this!! We, as a group, aren't angry enough. We aren't outspoken enough. We aren't taking this seriously enough! We are not united enough! This is unacceptable, but for some reason, we let them tell us that we're not worthy of the same rights. We let ourselves believe that civil unions are acceptable, when they are not! We let ourselves believe that if the majority of people vote that we should not be able to marry, then, well, okay.

Maybe everyone needs to see this ridiculous, hateful bumper sticker so that we all can figure out, once and for all, that we deserve to be able to marry the person we love. We deserve to be treated like everyone else. Nobody has the right to tell us otherwise. ESPECIALLY maniacal, right-wing "Christians."

nuestro himno

2006-05-02T07:36:00.000-05:00

I do not, for the life of me, understand why there is such an outrage about singing the National Anthem (are those words capitalized?) in Spanish. So here it is. I think I'll learn it. For all those times I need to sing the National Anthem. Obviously, there's a lot of reason to, otherwise, why would all these people get so worked up?! <--sarcasm

I just think there are better things to worry about than whether or not someone is singing the national anthem in English or Spanish. Like why are we still proud enough of this country to sing it in the first place?? But, that's a whole other story.

Spanish
Amanece — ¿lo véis a la luz de la aurora?
Lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer;
sus estrellas, sus franjas flotaban ayer,
en el fiero combate, en señal de victoria.
Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertad,
por la noche decían: «¡Se va defendiendo!»
¡Oh, decid! ¿Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada,
sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada?
Sus estrellas, sus franjas, la libertad, somos iguales.
Somos hermanos, es nuestro himno.
En el fiero combate, en señal de victoria,
fulgor de lucha… (Mi gente, ¡sigue luchando!)
…al paso de la libertad (¡Ya es tiempo de romper las cadenas!)
Por la noche decían: «¡Se va defendiendo!»
¡Oh, decid! ¿Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada,
sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada?

(Quite literal) English translation

Do you see it arising, by the light of the dawn,
That which we hailed so much when the night fell?
Its stars, its stripes were streaming yesterday
In the fierce combat, as a sign of victory,
The brilliance of battle, in step with freedom,
Throughout the night they said: "It will be defended!"
Oh say you! Does it still wave, its starred beauty,
Over the land of the free, the sacred flag?
Its stars, its stripes, liberty, we are equal.
We are brothers, it is our anthem.
In the fierce combat, as a sign of victory,
The brilliance of battle... (My people keep fighting!)
...in step with freedom, (Now is the time to break the chains!)
Throughout the night they said: "It will be defended!"
Oh say you! Does it still wave, its starred beauty,
Over the land of the free, the sacred flag?

well...whattayaknow

2006-04-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

You are an Atheist

When it comes to religion, you're a non-believer (simple as that).You prefer to think about what's known and proven.You don't need religion to solve life's problems.Instead, you tend to work things out with logic and philosophy.

What's" Your Religious Philosophy?

home sweet home

2006-04-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

I live in a great city. It is the city that is credited with starting the Industrial Revolution. It was pretty trashy in the 70s when the manufacturers started to close/move overseas, and when workers' jobs started being given to new technology. However, now there's a major revitalization effort taking place, turning this city into a fantastic place to live. Here are some photos!

This is a picture of one of the canals and the surrounding mill buildings. Most of the old mills have been turned or are turning into artist lofts and condos. Some are being turned into shopping centers. There's also a National Park here, and so some of the mill buildings have been restored to be part of the park. I think they're all fascinating and strangely beautiful.

The city also tries to remember it's roots as an industrial center. This is a statue that is downtown to honor the 'mill girls,' who made the whole Industrial Revolution possible by providing cheap, efficient labor. Of course this isn't ideal, but they played a major role in the labor movement and women's rights, too.

Here's another picture of a mill, it's smokestack (my favorite part) and one of the canals.

Here's a gate house. The building behind it is a community college. The building on the side you can see is the newspaper. On the side the picture is taken from is a hotel.

The end! Happy Photo Sunday!
xoxo

photo sunday

2006-04-16T19:46:00.000-05:00

and now, for no particular reason....

Jellyfish!!

And some penguins...

These are from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. You all should go there if you haven't gone - even if you have to take a trip to California JUST for that!

The only weird thing about it was that the restaurant in the aquarium is a seafood restaurant. Sort of disturbing, really, but if you're as big a fan of seafood as I am, you can look past the unpleasantries and enjoy the food...I'm sure the seafood you eat is not the cousin of the fish in the aquarium...and they do hand out little cards about what sort of fish you should and shouldn't eat based on the sustainability of the type of fish...

Have a great week!

And, by the way, thanks to my wonderful blogging friends, I raised just enough money to pay for my Habitat for Humanity trip and part of my plane ticket! Yippee!! Thank you ALL for your help and support - it means the world to me. Some statistics - 25% of my donations came from my blogfriends...none of whom I've ever met face-to-face.

xoxo

on my mind

2006-04-12T07:12:00.000-05:00

Nikki's partner Sarah passed away last summer during her battle with cancer. Sarah was a blogger, and her sisters and Nikki created a blog to support her, and then kept it up. Since, they've shown more love to the blogosphere, more kindness, than words can describe. They supported other bloggers with cancer ferociously. In particular, Deb. They've been blogfriends to so many. I feel honored to have 'known' them.

Nikki went to Cambodia a couple of weeks ago to participate in the Doctor's Without Borders program.

Last Thursday, she was killed in a jeep accident.

There should be a limit to the amount of devastation one group of people has to face at a time.

It just doesn't seem possible.

Send your love to the sisters.

There are no words.

Thank you, Nikki, for your support and kindness. Thank you swlf sisters. I am so sorry.

Habitat trip update and final plea

2006-04-10T11:03:00.000-05:00

Thank you again to all of you for your support, emotionally and financially! I'm just putting this out there one more time, and I promise I won't bother you anymore.

The deadline for fundraising for the Habitat trip mentioned on the left there is Friday. I am SO close. SO close! Thank you all for your help! The support from my blogging friends has been amazing!

If you want to donate just a little bit, please do so now. The best way, at this point is either through paypal or through Habitat directly. I'll be rolling the paypal donations over to Habitat on Thursday. Any extra will be used to buy my plane ticket. Any extra after that will be donated to Habitat, too.

I don't want to be a pain, but I'm pretty broke, so every little bit helps!

Thanks again!!

photo sunday

2006-03-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

I know how much everyone enjoys a good photo montage. This one is of a trip we went on to Yosemite in the summer of 2004, shortly before we moved from CA back to MA. The people in the top row are our very good friend from SF who went with us to Yosemite and also drove with us from CA to MA just for fun (???) and me! In the next row is Ranger Dave, and in the bottom row, the people are M and me (my hair looks a little funny in that one).

Have a great day!!

Almost there!

2006-03-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

Update 3/23/06!

Thanks you all of you, I'm getting closer and closer to my 'required' goal every minute! I need to raise about $175 more to ensure my spot on the trip! THANK YOU!!!

Thank you all for your support! It really means a lot to me! :)

Clandestine's Big Announcement!
I've been particularly excited to make this announcement here because I know how strongly a lot of my blogging friends felt about the damage done by the hurricane and how much we all wanted to help. A lot of people have forgotten all about the devastation, but I know YOU haven't. Even if you can't help financially, I want you all to know how excited I am for this opportunity and how much I appreciate the support I know I'll receive from my blogging friends!

In May, I will be travelling to Louisiana with Habitat for Humanity. I will be building houses alongside people who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina. I am excited to be able to help people who have been waiting so long for their homes to be rebuilt!

I can't do this without your help, though!

The people who will benefit from my trip are people who lost their homes in the hurricanes. Even now, so many months later, many people are living in tents and trailers, other states and in hotels, because their homes are uninhabitable.

In order to help, I need to raise money. Every little bit brings me closer to my goal! The fee for my trip is $800, and I also will provide my own transportation.

Thanks for helping me build houses and hope in Louisiana!

Thank you for your support, be it financial, emotional or both! I love my blogging friends!! xoxo

photo SUNDAY!

2006-03-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

In the summer of 2004, I brought 16 teenaged girls to Maui on a GS trip (when I was working there). We stayed at a GS camp and did just about everything you could think to do. This is a picture of my cabin. There were peacocks that walked around in the morning, and it rained practically every night. But during the day it was HOT!

This is a view from the top of Haleakala (I don't know if I spelled that right), the volcano on Maui that is also a national park. We drove our mini vans up to the top and this was the view! Isn't it neat that we were above the clouds??

This is a picture of a volcano's lava that has hardened. I thought it was neat how you could tell that it ran into the ocean when it erupted...

2006-03-01T10:21:00.000-05:00

i'm taking a mental health day today. nothing too dramatic. but i did a lot of thinking on the bus ride to/from ny and realize that i need to figure out what i want to do with my life and do it. this corporate nonsense is not for me. i need my day-to-day work life to make a positive difference for humanity. i mean, my job is fine for now, but it's not fine forever. and, my heart longs to go back to camp life. it's sick, i know, but that's what calls me. and really - if you think of people who are truly successful, they're people who work at something they feel passionate about. and i do not, suprisingly, feel passionate about taxes. so we'll see what i come up with today. i am planning on working on my resume and cover letters, posting my resume at some camp job sites and things like that. i also need to decide whether i am brave enough to work at camp this summer if i don't have a full-time job by then. and, whether or not i want to be a teacher. everyone tells me i should be a teacher. what if they're all seeing something that i don't?

what do you think?

photo-montage monday!

2006-02-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

This a a photo-montage created by M for your viewing pleasure. I was going to just post a few pictures from our fall trip to Bar Harbor (Bah Hahbah), ME, but she thought it would be more fun if she created a montage. And I think she was right. I can't possibly describe each picture, but she's the one in the pinkish scarf, and I'm the one with the curly hair. The hotel is the second from the right in the bottom row. We also went to Acadia, and some of the pictures are from there, too. And there are some repeats, I see, such as my car (whose name, incidentally, is Lynetta).

Happy Montage Monday! ;)

hmmm...

2006-02-15T08:40:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a loooong time, and although I have nothing much to say, I'm getting sort of sick of that little photo journey, so I'd like to push it down the page a bit.

So, here's a picture of Regg:

Do you think he needs to go on a diet?? The thing is, he really doesn't eat more than any other cat. He just is a little large, is all :)

And here's a picture of a cave on a beach in Maui. Just because it's about 2 degrees outside here, and it snowed just a little bit (actually, 18 inches) on Sunday...

SO that was pretty arbitrary, but hey - it's better than looking at the same thing all the time, right?!

What did you do for Valentine's day? M and I don't really celebrate it - we think it's kind of dumb. We went to the mall (oy) and went to the Cheesecake Factory, but miraculously didn't have any cheescake! We also had no wait, which is at least as miraculous, as usually there's a wait to get on the list to wait for an hour or more! So silly. She bought some clothes, and I didn't buy anything.

Here's another picture for you, just because it's funny:

heehee.

The End!

cross country!

2006-01-23T08:35:00.000-05:00

I missed Photo Sunday! :( But, I'm not too late for photo Monday, right?!

Once Upon A Time, there was a girl named Clandestine who lived in San Francisco. She lived in an apartment accross from the ocean. It was cheaper than other parts of San Francisco because it was often very foggy. However, when it wasn't foggy, it looked like this:

But, she moved away from San Francisco and drove a very long way to get to her new home. She drove a small car, so it was very full.

Along the way, she drove on many, many highways and stopped in many places. One place was on the side of the road near Lake Tahoe.

She also went to Arches National Park in Utah along the way.

Along the way she also stopped in Missouri (which is an exciting place) and learned about the healing properties of a particular spring:

And her last stop was a certain giant waterfall.

How's that for exciting?!?

The End

photo credit: Me: 1, 2, 3 M (she has a vision): 4, 5, 6

2006-01-18T14:03:00.000-05:00

You are a
Social Liberal
(90% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(0% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist

Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

you can get anything you want....

2006-01-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

Although I could not possibly have photos as interesting or poignant as Blogzie's this week, I did get the idea to post these pictures from her.

My family spent 4 weeks each summer in Martha's Vineyard (my parents now spend 3 weeks each summer there). When I was an itty bitty baby, Arlo Guthrie played at the Tabernacle. We all went to see him rehearse. I was very small, and decided we should dance, or so the story goes, so I danced with him. And, this picture was taken:

Then, a couple of years ago, my sisters went to see Arlo Guthrie perform. They brought 8x10s of these two pictures, and asked him to sign them. He told them he remembered the shirt, and that his daughter wears it now.

photo sunday!

2006-01-08T19:48:00.000-05:00

This is my oldest friend and me (with the flowers) on the night of our high school graduation. That's my bed on top of a big bureau. You can also see that I was a Bette fan even then.

cre$dit ca$rd$

2006-01-05T14:22:00.000-05:00

I love to spend money. I'll admit it! I love to go shopping and buy things. Perhaps it's some sort of psychological crutch or perhaps it's just that I like it. Whichever, it's something I like to do. I am not very fancy, and I don't buy much, but I spend much more than I have. Sometimes, I think I'll pay back my credit cards. Sometimes, I don't care. But, now it's time to stop!

I don't really regret buying/doing any of the things I've bought/done that have landed me in the situation I'm in now. Clearly, I should have saved more money, and I should have spent less. Clearly. But, I'm only 28 and I think I'll allow myself this series of missteps, as I otherwise make consistently good decisions.

And now, I just have to pay for all the fun and stuff and trips that have already happened. Because I'm such a nerd, I made a whole big excel spreadsheet with all my credit card debt and I have a big plan for getting out of debt (well, this kind, anyway) by September, 2008. Not too bad, right?

Of course, this whole plan hinges on my not using my credit cards anymore! Which, of course, is the hard part. But I'm determined!! So, please wish me luck on this endeavor. I have my full-time sell-out job and a part-time tutoring job, and with these two things, and the fact that I have a partner with a full-time job and no children, I figure I'm in a much much better position than many other people.

So, I'm going to look forward and not backwards, and fix this mess before it gets completely out of control.

crossing my fingers and toes that i can stick to this plan.....

Everytime...

2006-01-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

Everytime I hear this song, I have to struggle not to cry...and since I'm at work, it would be too bad if it didn't work!

I Run For Life ~ Melissa Etheridge

It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete

[Chorus:]
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To waken when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all
[Chorus]

And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more

Resolved

2006-01-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

I don't usually make resolutions because it sometimes seems silly. But, I figure that 2006 has a whole lot of days left, and it's a nice, clean-cut amount of time, so, here we go!

#1 - Be healthier. I want to eat more real food that is good for me and less food that is bad for me. And I want to excersize. Might as well use that gym if I'm going to pay for a membership! I also want to spend more time outside once the weather allows.

#2 - See my friends more. Since I lived far away from all of my friends for two years, it's as if I've gotten out of the habit of seeing them often and haven't quite figured out how to fix that. I will make a concerted effort this year to see my friends more. Or at least talk to them on the phone more.

#3 - Do more fun activities. Such as crafts and going places and going to the movies. After work, if I'm not tutoring, I don't need to always go home and watch tv for 4 hours before I go to bed. That is a waste of a life.

#4 - Figure out what I want to be doing for a job. Self explanatory. Is tax accounting really enough????

#5 - NO MORE CREDIT CARDS! I just don't want to use them anymore.

Happy HOLIDAYS!!!

2005-12-23T11:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays to all of you!!

That means - Merry Christmas, Merry XMas, Happy Solstice, Happy Divali, Happy Ramadan, Happy Channukah (sp?), and/or Happy Dec. 25th!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

xoxo

another survey thingy

2005-12-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

· TEN random things you might not know about me
1. I don't like the snow
2. I like filling out forms
3. I have two sisters
4. I have 10 cousins
5. I really like watching tv
6. I have a purple couch
7. I love to write real letters, but don't really have anyone to write to :(
8. I love to spend money
9. I also like to go to the mall
10. I also love sushi

· NINE places I’ve visited
1. Spain
2. Disneyworld
3. Bar Harbor, ME
4. Roanoke, VA
5. Disneyland
6. Arches National Park
7. Yosemite National Park
8. Denver, CO
9. Martha's Vineyard

· EIGHT ways to win my heart
1. Cook me lunch
2. Cook me dinner
3. Cook me breakfast
4. Cook my dessert
5. Cook me a snack
6. Cook me ANYTHING
7. Hug me a lot
8. Laugh at me

· SEVEN things I want to do before I die
1. Go back to Spain
2. Have a million dollars
3. Buy a house
4. Eliminate my credit card debt
5. Go back to Hawaii
6. Be an aunt
7. Go on a two-week or more vacation

· SIX things I’m afraid of
1. Driving in icy conditions
2. People I love getting hurt
3. Never getting out of debt
4. Strangers
5. Walking outside at night
6. Burglars

· FIVE things I don't like
1. Olives
2. Cooking
3. Salt
4. Spicy food
5. Being uncomfortable

· FOUR ways to turn me off
1. Be an idiot
2. Tease me meanspirited-ly
3. Kick me in the shins
4. Pull my hair

· THREE Things I do everyday
1. Wake up
2. Brush my teeth
3. Drink coffee

· TWO things that make me happy
1. M!
2. Being at home

· ONE thing on my mind right now
1. Time to go home - I hope the traffic isn't too bad!

food made with love

2005-11-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

Today, M made my lunch. I had leftover homemade macaroni and cheese, a little salad, and I'm staring at a homemade brownie.

And I thought,"This is how all those guys back in the days of housewives knew they were loved - they opened their lunches, and could taste it!"

There's definitely a difference to the taste of food made with love. That's why the lunch I had today was better than any lunch or dinner I could ever buy in even the fanciest restaurant on Earth!

/romantic, cheesey cheeseball entry #1

Bad Decision

2005-11-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

Don't go! That's my advice for you if you ever receive an invitation to a high school reunion. THROW IT AWAY! Of course, most people know this, as did I, but at a moment of weakness at my little sister's bridal shower, I told her new sister-in-law that I'd go with her to our high school reunion.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

First, I spent too much $$ on a new outfit. Yes, it's nice that I got a new outfit out of the deal, but it wasn't necessary and it wasn't worth it!

Also, the stupid event cost $50! Could I have found something better to do with $50?!?! YES OF COURSE! The food wasn't good, there were no activities, and I just talked to people I already talk to. Waste.of.money!

So, I got all dressed up and all that, and my sister's sister-in-law met me at my parent's house. Another girl from my class (incidentally, there were 150 people in my graduating class) with whom I was not friends, and who I have talked to only on Friendster, called me that afternoon and so she decided to go with us. So we all got into the car and drove to the place.

We went in, and there was this 'in memory of' sign near the door, with three names on it. One was a girl who died maybe our freshman year of cancer. Another was a girl who was in a stupid car accident. The third was a girl I had worked with at Brooks (like CVS) all throughout our senior year. She had a baby in maybe April or May of that year. I saw her a couple of times during my first year of college, but never again after that. She was sweet, and very quiet, and had I not worked with her at Brooks, I never would have talked to her. I was hoping she'd be at the reunion, as I hadn't heard about her at all since high school. Turns out, she married the father of the baby (who was also in our class), had another baby, and then got cancer and died in 2002. AWFUL story. Needless to say, that was sort of threw me off as the first thing I saw when I walked into an overall overwhelming situation.

My old Spanish teacher, who took us to Spain in high school, and with whom I've kept in touch, was there at the door, thank God! So I talked to her while I got my bearings (I hate walking into crowded places where I know people). I saw my friends accross the room, so the sister's sister-in-law and I walked over there.

My friend Kristin was talking to this girl who was sort of friends with us in high school, but who had TORTURED me in middle school (she pleaded for forgiveness our senior year, having decided karma was the reason she no longer had friends at that point, but that I was friends with the people she had been friends with in middle school). So Kristin has a son who's six. She told this girl that everytime she looked at his chin, she thought of her because she had made so much fun of her chin in high school. I thought to myself, "Funny. Everytime I had to discuss with an adolescent girl at camp/GS events why not to be mean to other people, I thought of her, too." I kept that to myself, though. This event did not need to be anymore uncomfortable.

Otherwise, it was just boring and a waste of time. I talked to my friends, which was fun, but it would have been more fun to go out to dinner. There were no mixing activities or anything at all, so there was no opportunity to talk to other people. So, everyone talked to the same people they talked to in high school, and nobody else. So dumb.

Then the music got too loud, some dumb jock guy got the microphone and started singing, and it was finally time to go.

So that's that. It was very surreal and strange to see all those people again and to remember them.

2005-11-20T17:05:00.000-05:00

I don't have many old pictures on my computer, so here's one from the summer.

Things I like that others don't (as much)

2005-11-17T10:34:00.000-05:00

1. Ketchup!
2. Math
3. Driving to work
4. Taking taxis
5. Watching TV
6. Playing video games (only 12-year-old boys like this as much as I do)
7. Craft fairs
8. Getting coffee at a coffee shop before work
9. Having other people cook for me
10. Skunks
11. Purple
12. the movie Beaches
13. Driving the whole way during looooong car rides
14. Staying in hotels
15. The Three Stooges (me and all the 50+ men)
16. Howard Stern (I think he's funny!)
17. Lifetime Movies
18. Howard the Duck
19. Teenagers
20. Taxes

For Jojo

2005-11-10T10:19:00.000-05:00

A Child Loaned

I'll lend you for a little time a child of mine," He said,

"for you to love the whole while she lives.

It may be six or seven years or twenty-two or three,

but will you, till I call her back, take care of her for me?"

"She'll bring her charm to gladden you,

and should her stay be brief,

you'll have her lovely memories

as solace for your grief."

"I cannot promise she will stay

since all from earth return,

but there are lessons taught down there

I want this child to help you learn."

"I've looked this wide world over

in my search for teachers true,

and from the things that crowd life's lane

I have selected you."

"Now will you give her all your love

nor think the labor vain,

Nor hate me when I come to call

and take her back again?"

"I fancied that I heard them say

'Dear Lord, Thy will be done,

for all the joy the child shall bring

the risk of grief we'll run.'

'We'll shelter her with tenderness;

We'll love her while we may,

and for the happiness we've known

forever grateful stay.

But should the angels call for her

much sooner than we planned,

We'll brave the bitter grief that comes

and try to understand.'"

- adapted from Edgar Guest

This is for Jojo, a blogging friend of mine whose daughter Kristin's battle with her severe brain injuries ended yesterday. Please keep Jojo's family in your thoughts and prayers.

Happy Halloween!!

2005-10-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

(circa 1977)

2005-10-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

Through this strange world of blogging, I've come to "know" lots of people through other people. Of course, we all know this whole thing, for me, started with SB's blog. But in any case, through that, I've "met" all sorts of people.

One of those people is Jojo , a perhaps unlikely person as we have drastically different views on the world. However, she's very sweet and has a daughter with my favorite name. ;)

So, Jojo shared the story of Rebekah, a little girl with cancer, because really - families of little girls with cancer can't get enough support.

So through THAT, I learned about Maggie, another little girl with very complicated cancer.

The reason I'm telling you all of this is because Maggie passed away last night, and I think anyone who believes in anything should keep her family in their thoughts. There is nothing worse in this world than losing a child. Even those of us without kids know that.

This is a sad post, I know, but maybe a little support from some strangers will make Maggie's family's world a little brighter?

funny

2005-10-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

well, this is a funny activity. go to google. type "name needs" of course put your name in and not just 'name!' Here are the first 5:

1. Kristin needs monthly prayer and financial support as she moves to Spain (who knew?!)
2. Kristin needs to move, of course, and check other corners (I don't want to move!)
3. Kristin needs to add chlorine to the water in the hot tub (whose hot tub?!)
4. Kristin needs to coordinate/createa distribution list for press releases (no thanks)
5. Kristin needs a family who can provide her with nurturance, consistency and love.

But this is my favorite:

Now that is just what Kristin needs. More Tiffany's. God, let there be moreTiffany's.

2005-10-26T13:01:00.000-05:00

1. Name someone with the same birthday as you: Karl Marx

2. Where was your first kiss?My first REAL one was in High school.

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?No...not seriously.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? When I was a kid I always fought with these boys that lived next door. One always was bothering my little sister, so I punched him and the other one was probably, too, but I don't remember.

5. Have you ever sang in front of a large number of people? In high school

6. What do you order at Starbucks? Usually an iced latte of some kind

7. What is your biggest mistake? Credit cards.

8. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? yup

9. Say something totally random about yourself. Umm..well, I lovvvvveeee ketchup

10. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? I don't think so. I've been told I look like a particular painting, though.

11. Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows? Nah

12. Did you have braces? For 2 years, 8 months and 11 days.

13. Are you comfortable with your height? Sure

14. What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you? well, that was a long time ago, and I just don't know.

15. When do you know it's love? When you can't think of anything else no matter how hard you try!

16. Do you speak any other languages? Spanish and the sign language alphabet

17. Have you ever been to a tanning salon? Yup. I didn't know what else to do for my sister's wedding! I won't go again, I hope, and I only went 4 times.

18. What magazines do you read? Mad magazine, Real Simple, ummm...some other ones, too.

19. Have you ever ridden in a limo? Yup

20. Has anyone you were really close to passed away? Yup - my aunt, 2 of my grandparents, a friend of mine in college and a friend of mine in 2nd grade.

21. Do you watch MTV? I don't have that channel

22. What's something that really annoys you? My very boring job, stupid people, snow

23. What's something you really like? making things, watching tv, going on trips, having food cooked for me!

24. Do you like Michael Jackson? not particularly

25. Can you dance? Well, I suppose everyone can - just not well.

26. What's the latest you have ever stayed up? I've stayed up all night, of course, but I hate doing that.

27. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? Yup. I was in a very bad car accident when I was 19.

28. Do you actually read these when other people fill them out? Sure - I don't have much else to do!

hi there!

2005-10-12T11:04:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted anything in a while, and this is sort of dumb, but I thought I'd post something, and since I can't think of anything to say on my own, I'll just give you this list of my favorites!

1. color- purple
2. old time movie - Sunset Boulevard
3. board game- scattegories
4. video game- Simpsons Racing
5. cake- ice cream, but only from carvel with the crunchy bits
6. food- bolognse sauce that mg makes and most everything else she makes for me! :)
7. candy- Kit-Kat and Peanut Butter anything and gummi candy
8. Place- home!
9. drink non-alcholholic- other than water, probably chocolate milk
10. season- it's a tie- spring and fall
11. holiday- Easter!
12. sandwhich- Turkey! Preferably hot.
13. outfit- jeans, a t-shirt, flip-flops
14. card in a deck- queen of hearts
15. ice-cream- vanilla
16. soaps- Passions and Days of Our Lives
17. talk show- Ellen DeGeneres
18. cookie- sugar or m&m
19. flower- daisy
20. cartoon character- Hmm. Powerpuff Girls.
21. sitcom- Simpsons or Punky Brewster
22. shoe of choice- flip flops
23. magazine- Real Simple and MAD
24. actress- Bette!
25. actor- John Travolta
26. fruit- watermelon
27. vegetable- broccoli
28. reality shows- amazing race
29. boys name- David or Noah
30. girls name- Sarah
31. favorite number- 92
32. day/night- afternoon
33. cold/hot- comfortable
34. animal- skunks!
35. place to visit- national parks
36. instrument- piano
37. pass time- watching tv and video games
38. book- Meridian and I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
39. dream career- afterschool education program something
40. eye color- multi
41. pizza - cheese
42. temperature - 70
43. beach - natural bridges, santa cruz
44. vacation - disneyland or ragged point
45. mode of transportation - car!!

2005-09-07T13:31:00.000-05:00

Get your handbaskets ready, folks!

In addition to all the other debachery and mayhem happening in this country, here's an update on the marriage equality front from good ol' Massachusetts...

1. The Constitutional Convention is one week from today. There, they will vote whether or not an ammendment to the Constitution, which will turn marriages between two people of the same gender into civil unions, can be voted on in November, 2006.

2. Stupid Attorney General Tom Reilly today certified another ammendment proposition from our favorite Article 666 Alliance that would define marriage as a union between a woman and a man. However, this new proposition would maintain marriages between two men or two women that already exist. So, it shouldn't have been passed because it creates two separate classes of citizens - Gay people who are married and gay people who aren't allowed to get married. Here's the article: The bad guys who hate the gays.

What I'm wondering is, if both of these pass, would the marriages that already exist could turn into civil unions and then turn back into marriages? Or would they turn into civil unions and then disappear because they'd no longer be marriages? Ooh that's tricky.

Or, if the first one passes, is the second irrelevant?

Will it ever end?

are you kidding me?!

2005-09-02T08:38:00.000-05:00

How NOT to handle an emergency, by your Clandestine friend

1. Tell people to evacuate, but provide no transportation so that poor, elderly and disabled people (not to mention people who simply don't have cars) have no choice by to stay in the soon-to-be disaster zone.

2. Tell said remaining people that they will be safe if they go to an arena that can provide no food, flushable toilets, water or safety.

3. When the scale of this disaster becomes evident, evacuate all remaining, living people to above-mentioned unsafe arena (particularly when the arena's roof has begun to fall apart).

4. Notice that all of the now refugees are black, and so classify them all as looters and criminals and leave them there to die.

5. Continue to SAY that you are doing all you can while 20,000 people are rotting away and thus becoming lawless.

6. Deploy National Guards-people to deter looters when there are STILL over 20,000 people stuck without food or water for the 4th day.

7. Stop evacuating people when pilots (from the National Guard, by the way) are being shot at - because they've not been trained to fly when being shot at?! (Besides, since the person shooting is black and all the other people there are black, obviously they're all going to be shooting at you. It's simple arithmetic.)

8. Tell me that you'd have reacted in the same way if said disaster had left 80,000 white people stranded.

By the way, in my humble opinion, if you're not outraged at and embarrassed by the way we are (not)reacting to this, you definitely need to watch the news more. People are just dying because they have no water. The people in the hospitals are going to die because they have no electricity and no water. I know that some people are legitimately stealing things from stores that they don't need, but what do you expect when you leave 80,000 people to fend for themselves????????

It is not 1900. This is not happening in a third-world country without resources. This is happening here, in a major city, in 2005. And the people can't be rescued?

Give me a break.

awful

2005-09-01T10:48:00.000-05:00

this is an awful quote from a woman in biloxi who hasn't eaten in three days.

"A lot of people told me FEMA would help, but I don't know who he is," she said. "I don't even know where to find him to get some help."

It's just awful.

Just registered for the blog thing today - blogging for katrina

My charity is also the Human Society - poor little creatures

(i don't know how to link pictures or put this on the top so if someone wants to help me, please let me know!)

so sorry

2005-08-31T15:13:00.000-05:00

Here I am, sitting at work, thinking about how I can't wait for 10 minutes to pass so I can go home.

But there are pictures of piles of houses, cars, belongings...all in piles. And 20,000 people in a caravan to Texas to live in a stadium for two months. And then?? The people who ended up in the superdome to begin with were people who couldn't get out of the city because they were sick, had nowhere to go, no way to get out, and no money. So how are they going to rebuild their lives? What about all the poor people? What are they going to do? What about people who were just making it, but not making it enough to be able to get insurance for their apartments? How are these people going to get the things they need to live when they have a chance to try?

Besides, 20,000 people in a relatively small space for two months will end up in a Lord of the Flies-like disaster. The poor people are traumatized! They may help each other to begin with, but they will start to lose it after awhile.

And I have to figure out what to have for dinner, worry about doing laundry...

And I imagine - what would happen to me if suddenly I had no home, no job, no money for two months??

That will ruin people's lives. Won't it? I mean, they'll be glad to be alive, but they're going to have to start all over.

Of course, the people with a lot of money and resources will be fine.

I just don't know what's going to happen to the people there and it makes me very sad. And what about people in hospitals? Will they all just die when the generators run out of fuel? Will the soil be poisoned now? Will they be able to restore drinking water?

I just feel so horrible because there's nothing I can do and I wish I could do something to help those people there.....

Constitutional Convention

2005-08-26T09:04:00.000-05:00

The MA Constitutional Convention has been scheduled for Sept. 14th. That's when they'll decide whether or not to put the gay marriage ban on the ballot for Nov. 6th. We all know that the majority should never be allowed to decide the rights of a minority. That's not what the Constitution - of the country or of any state - should be used for.

"But I don't live in Massachusetts! I hope it stays there for your sake, but I can't get married there, anyway, so why is it important to me that it stays legal?"

Well, because Massachusetts is a light of hope for people in other parts of the country! Also, if it's defeated here - that is, if gay marriage is banned here, too - other states may not be willing to fight because they will think that it would get defeated as it did here.

"So what happens if the ammendment is on the ballot?"

Then, we'll have to hope that people will vote in our favor. But it would be much better for us all if it didn't come to that.

"If the ammendment voted down at the ConCon, is it gone for good?"

Yes and no. This particular ammendment will die there. However, the 'bad guys' have another ammendment they want to propose that will take away both civil unions and gay marriage.

"Why not civil unions?"

There are no federal laws regarding civil unions and no states have to recognize civil unions from other states. While you'd still have the state benefits like inheritance and hospital visiting rights, you would still not be married in the eyes of the country.

Besides, separate is never equal.

"So what can I do?"

...start plug...

Go to www.massequality.org. There, you can send letters to your legislators if you're in MA or you can send a letter to the attorney general of Massachusetts. Or, you can send letters to other legislators. You can also forward the information there to your friends and loved ones, and you can make donations if you want.

...end plug...

What Marriage Equality Means to Me

2005-08-19T11:03:00.000-05:00

In support of a local organization fighting to keep equal marriage rights in Massachusetts, I wrote this:

I am a white, healthy, educated, able-bodied woman. My parents are still married, and both have post-graduate degrees. I went to a Christian church throughout my childhood, and belonged to Christian youth groups in high school. I grew up knowing that I was privileged, and that I was lucky to not have to fight for basic respect, dignity and my own human rights. My family came to the United States on the Mayflower. I had no first-hand knowledge of what it means to be a minority. I was taught that the Constitution protected my rights, and everyone else’s, and that civil rights were something that had been fought for and won by other people, but were something I had always and would always have. So when, in my mid-twenties, I fell in love with a woman, I was thrust into a whole new world. A world that suddenly believed I was not worthy of the basic human right to marry the person I loved. Suddenly, the girlhood dream of a glamorous wedding was shattered as I realized that any wedding I had would be merely a ceremony. My marriage would not be legal. If I got hurt, my parents would still be considered my next-of-kin. If my partner and I decided to have a child, we’d still have to battle a slew of red tape and bureaucracy to ensure that ‘the law’ viewed us as equal parents. Suddenly, I was not a whole part of ‘The People of the United States of America,’ as the Constitution could no longer ensure that my rights as a human being were the same as everyone else’s.

Around the same time that I was discovering what this all meant to me, a nationwide debate began about whether or not I could get married. Because, after all, that’s what the debate is about. It’s not about this separate group of people. It’s about me. It’s about your cousin, your sister, your brother. It’s about each person who is in love with someone who happens to be of the same gender. I wondered why, at a time when our country is at war, when millions of Americans are in poverty, when millions of Americans can’t get adequate healthcare, why is it so dangerous for me to marry the person I love? Why does it even matter?

Massachusetts has decided that, at least while I’m within the borders of this state, I am a full human being. Now, everyday, I read in the newspaper about whether or not I deserve the right to choose whom I should marry. Everyday, I see politicians, whose salaries I help pay, debate and fight with each other about whether or not my rights matter. I am made to believe that I should feel grateful for the Supreme Court’s decision for marriage equality. In other states, I wouldn’t have this right. In this state, it could be taken away.

I don’t feel grateful because it seems that my rights should be indisputable. I still believe that I deserve ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ I am as much a human being, as much a citizen of Massachusetts and the United States as everyone who chooses to marry someone of the opposite gender, am I not?

Marriage equality means to me that the government acknowledges my civil rights, as a citizen of the United States. Marriage equality means that I can continue to believe, as I was taught, that the United States is founded on principles of equality and dignity for all people. The Constitution was not meant to deny my rights, but ensure them.

When you are deciding whether or not to support a Constitutional Amendment to ban marriage equality, and when you are deciding whether or not this question should be put to a vote, I beg you - consider my rights. Would you want to let the general population decide whether or not you should have the same rights as everyone else? Don’t you deserve the same rights as everyone else? Can you look me in the eye and tell me that I don’t?

taxes rock

2005-08-17T12:29:00.000-05:00

10 Years Ago: August 1995- I was completing my first summer as a camp counselor and getting ready to go to college!

5 Years Ago: August 2000 - I was completing my first summer as a camp assistant director and getting ready to start graduate school.

1 Year Ago: August 2004 - I was in Maui! I brought 16 teenaged girls through where I worked.

Yesterday: I had enchiladas for dinner that were YUMMY (I didn't cook them, of course, but someone else in my house did!) ;)

Today: I'm eating peanut butter pretzels

Tomorrow: I have my tutoring teach-back thing

5 snacks I enjoy: peanut butter filled pretzels, cookies (all kinds), baby carrots, ice cream, most other things.

5 bands that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs: Bob Marley, Bette Midler, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls, Dar Williams

5 things I would do with $100,000,000: Buy a house, pay off my debt, pay off MG's debt, send MG to culinary school, buy two Priuses, save the rest.

5 bad habits I have: procrastinating, too much ice cream, being lazy in general, watching too much tv, being very stubborn

5 things I like doing: watching tv, eating ice cream, going out to dinner, going on road trips with MG, going shopping

5 things I would never wear: a bikini, anything tight, a thong, turtlenecks, belly shirt

5 TV shows I like: Alias, Days of Our Lives, Passions, The Amazing Race, Law & Order

5 movies I like: Matilda, Hillary and Jackie, The Presidio, Planet of the Apes, Kissing Jessica Stein

5 famous people I'd like to meet: Bette Midler, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, Fergie, Ani DiFranco (that'd be a funny dinner party)

5 biggest joys at the moment (not including people and pets): Sunshine, my purple furniture, being healthy, that I brought lots of snacks to work today, that my job isn't stressful at all.

2005-08-09T12:11:00.000-05:00

They love each other.

bored

2005-08-09T10:56:00.000-05:00

Maybe once you have a job that actually matters to someone, it's hard to have a job that makes no difference to anyone.

I enjoy not being stressed out, being able to 'leave my work at work,' not worrying about it when I go home. I enjoy not having dreams about my job, not worrying about whether or not I'm really doing any good, as I'm not trying to do any good to anyone at all.

But it's really sort of difficult to get into a job when you know it really doesn't matter.

Or maybe that's just the sort of person I am - do I really want to spend 40 hours a week doing something that does nothing towards making the world a better place for anyone? No. I do not.

Is it enough to tutor a few hours every week? Is it enough to volunteer every so often? Can I really tolerate a meaningless, capitalist job?

I believe I am in a holding pattern. Eventually, I am going to have to land, get off the plane, and get back to work.

I wonder how long it will be until I get motion sickness from the circling...I'm starting to feel a little queasy...

Georgia's Idea

2005-07-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

I don't like nicknames - please call me by my real name.

I wore a ponytail in my hair everyday for 10 years and then got my hair cut and it's never up anymore.

I don't drink alcohol and have never been drunk.

I smoked clove cigarettes a little (probably a total of 3 packs in my life) but that's it.

I don't like soda.

I think I will live into my 90s but I don't want to if nobody else does.

I LOVE being in my car, and often wish the ride was longer.

I also love having parties.

I can't wait to own a little house in a few years when I have broken free of credit cards.

I think it is cruel that credit card companies bring applications to college campuses.

I need to do work but I don't want to.

I am very bad at fighting and usually cry, which makes me even madder than I was to begin with.

I love children but don't want any of my own.

I love math.

I wish people could know the gender of my significant other without my having to tell them. Or, I wish it didn't matter to anyone when they figure it out.

2005-07-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

It's all right, we're gonna be fine
But let's give my mama and my daddy a little time
'Cause I've been good up 'till now
They see you and they think that I have changed somehow

But I'm not being radical when I kiss you
I don't love you to make a point
It's the hollow of my heart that cries when I miss you
And it keeps me alive when we're apart.

We go downtown, some people they stare
But there are lots of people who really don't care
I just want to hold your hand
I don't feel like making some big stand

It's all right, we're gonna be fine
Even if this world is taking so much time
And though I mind what people say
Love is stronger than any words anyway.

And I'm not radical when I kiss you
I don't love you to make a point
It's the hollow of my heart that cries when I miss you
And it keeps me alive when we're apart.

~Catie Curtis

2005-07-25T11:26:00.000-05:00

I'm not being heartless or judgemental. I just want to understand.

How does it happen that a person is stuck to another who is abusive?
Children, of course, have no choice.
I know that people who get stuck don't do it on purpose or usually even know what they're getting themselves into.
But I don't understand how a person gets stuck.
And I'd like to understand because it happens to so many people and all kinds of people and I also don't want that to happen to me.
What keeps a person from leaving when they're getting hurt? Do they not have anyone to call or anyone to ask for help? Do they not understand that what's happening is wrong? Do they think that life is fear and so fear is normal?

Is it that you fall in love before the person starts to hurt you and then keep hoping it will get better?
Is it that you don't realize that you deserve better?
Is it that you are too afraid of being alone?
Is it that you're too afraid of what will happen if you leave?
Is it pride?

I think, hope I'd leave if I were being hurt. But everyone must think that at some point, right? Nobody starts out saying that it's okay to hurt them, right? So what happens that makes a person stay?

I'm sorry that anyone understands this, actually. Shouldn't it be a mystery to everyone?

2005-07-19T08:47:00.000-05:00

So what are you doing?

2005-07-19T08:46:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my baby sister and brand new brother-in-law at her wedding on Saturday.

A story

2005-07-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a girl. She was in her 20s and very happily single. She was happy with her life and her friends and liked that she could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Well, one day she met another girl. Now the other girl was very smart and fun. The two girls liked each other because they had fun doing the same sort of things - like bowling, and driving in the car, and playing outside, and going to the movies, and going out to eat. Well, before they knew it, the two girls began to fall in love. But they had never been in love with another girl before, so it was sort of surprising. But they both felt that same way. So they started off sleeping in the same bed, just like friends. Then, they started playing with each other's hair and talking and lying in bed, sometimes all day. They both knew what was going on so much that they didn't have to talk about it. One night, one girl said,"What are we doing?" And the other girl was scared, so she said,"I don't know!" The braver girl said,"Well, I am smitten." The not as brave girl looked at her, and said, "I am too."

And three years later, here we still are - smitten....

Start over!

2005-06-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

I decided I felt a little silly not having a real 'blog' when all my blogging friends do. I sort of feel like a cheater. So here we go...