today i had a meeting with my thesis advisor about my thesis. i had read some before, and although i had thought and thought and thought, i would open my computer, stare at the little blinking cursor on the blank, blank screen, shrug, and start surfing the net. i met with him at 8:30 this morning. i typed the last line of my full proposal (basic idea, because i know you want to know: a theology of motherhood that is informed by and beneficial to mothers in the inner city) at 8:11.
my stuff gets done. it always gets done. i have never turned in an assignment late (without permission at least, but even then it's rare). i just am INCAPABLE of starting anything early. i thought before that i WAS capable, i just didn't want to, but now i actually think i am quite literally incapable. literally in the authentic sense, not in the "she was literally 3 times my height!" sense.
this may not bode well for a 100 page paper, or, as my advisor put it, "a small book"
Friday, September 22, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
the thing about blogging once you've abandoned your blog for a while is there's all this angst attached to it. like, do i apologize profusely? do i pretend like nothing happened? do i lie and say i tried to blog but my computer's been funny and i couldn't get through and didn't you get my voicemail? huh. weird. i swear i called...
so....
i'm in chicago. this has been birthday week. i threw a birthday party for myself on Friday and danced until my sweat make my mascara run. and then danced some more. for those of you who are scratching your head, yes my birthday is in July, but i was one of those kids who always wanted to bring in cupcakes to school or have my friends wrap up my locker in birthday paper, but it never happened. so i threw my own birthday-at-school party.
plus friday was my sisters birthday, monday was friend #1's birthday, today is roomate's birthday -- it never ends!
this is a sucky return to blogging post. but i'm angst ridden. i don't know what else to do. i'm just listening to the cries of the masses. look what you've brought me to.
in the meantime, everyone, see little miss sunshine. tune in to the premiere of grey's anatomy. read some lucille clifton (she's my favorite). cross your fingers and hope that by 8:30 tomorrow morning i have some concrete question for my thesis.
so....
i'm in chicago. this has been birthday week. i threw a birthday party for myself on Friday and danced until my sweat make my mascara run. and then danced some more. for those of you who are scratching your head, yes my birthday is in July, but i was one of those kids who always wanted to bring in cupcakes to school or have my friends wrap up my locker in birthday paper, but it never happened. so i threw my own birthday-at-school party.
plus friday was my sisters birthday, monday was friend #1's birthday, today is roomate's birthday -- it never ends!
this is a sucky return to blogging post. but i'm angst ridden. i don't know what else to do. i'm just listening to the cries of the masses. look what you've brought me to.
in the meantime, everyone, see little miss sunshine. tune in to the premiere of grey's anatomy. read some lucille clifton (she's my favorite). cross your fingers and hope that by 8:30 tomorrow morning i have some concrete question for my thesis.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
annabelle? thinking?
i keep all of my earrings, large and small (for those of you at NPTS, yes, i do have small earrings) in a shallow dish on my dresser.
in keeping with the "knocking crap off" thing, annabelle walked across my dresser, put her foot in the dish, and knocked all of my earrings into my open dresser drawer, where i then had to fish them out from amongst all my pants, shorts, and capris.
i said "annabelle! you knocked all my earrings off."
she looked up at me, with a certain sort of cat look. i can think of all sorts of things she might be thinking, but i want to turn it over to you, my faithful (one or two) blog readers. what was she thinking? what would she say?
in keeping with the "knocking crap off" thing, annabelle walked across my dresser, put her foot in the dish, and knocked all of my earrings into my open dresser drawer, where i then had to fish them out from amongst all my pants, shorts, and capris.
i said "annabelle! you knocked all my earrings off."
she looked up at me, with a certain sort of cat look. i can think of all sorts of things she might be thinking, but i want to turn it over to you, my faithful (one or two) blog readers. what was she thinking? what would she say?
annabelle wrecks the house
one day i was letting this girl drive my car. 21, practicing for her driver's exam. she worked with me at emack & bolio's. she was trying to do a three point turn (in my car) while smoking (in my car), hit the curb (in my car) and came dangerously close to a stone wall (in my car). "they will fail you for that." i said.
"really?" she said, all wide eyed, actually surprised that she would be failed for hitting the very object you are avoiding in a three point turn.
"yes. really." i said.
i decided to take her far from busy streets and obnoxious leaping stone walls that come out of no where, so we were driving some back roads of hyde park, and we came upon little kids and a box of kittens. (p.s. i am realizing the irony of all this -- that i take this girl far from anywhere she can hit a curb or a stone wall but in close vicinity to kittens and little kids -- don't worry, i get it.)
she somehow convinced me to call my sister and convince my sister to get this little orange white and gray kitten, which is annabelle. who is now in my house because my sister is at a wedding in the poconos.
annabelle is very cute. but she knocks crap over. she sticks her face in my food. she's not mellow. when she knocks crap over she looks down at it like "well, that's less crap i have to deal with when i walk across this mantle." she gets pissed when we replace the crap. she has a vendetta against my dad, and if i'm sitting on the couch, and he stops in the door way, she'll go from nuzzling my foot to leaping across the room, racing up the chair, and swiping at him.
my sister was trying to kick her of the habit of jumping up on the counter when she was little, and the vet said spray her, and when my sister sprayed her, annabelle was so startled she fell off the counter and sprained her leg...which i think makes me sister reluctant to try any new training techniques, which means when annabelle is scratching our antique (ok, old) sofa and we clap our hands and shout "hey. HEY!" she just pauses, stares, and continues. kind of like a little kid who's coloring on the wall, and you say "don't color on the wall!" and they pause and look at you as if trying to gauge what's really going to happen if they keep coloring. annabelle is not scared or intimidated by us at all anymore. we need supernanny or something, except for cats.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
just for funsies
Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be.
1. Who was your best friend?
lisa, liz h, liz w, erica, thao were the main peeps
2. What sports did you play?
i think i had given up on all that by then
3. What kind of car did you drive?
sometimes erica would let me drive her dads car, without my license, but i drove like 2 miles an hour and once i ran over the grass in the emmanuel college parking lot (oops that was in sean's car), and i took a 17 point turn on cummins hwy to pick up andre holding up traffic for approximately 45 minutes.
4. It's Friday night, where were you at?
if erica had anything to do with it, nantasket beach.
5. Were you a party animal?
heh. no.
6. Were you a considered a flirt?
double heh. NO.
7. Ever skip school?
in fact, erica used to drop me off at school so i could go when the rest of them skipped.
8. Ever smoke?
no
9. Were you a nerd?
the definition of!
10. Did you get suspended/expelled?
what do you think?
11. Can you sing the Alma Mater?
da da da dah...um...FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT...uh.. dear old latin evermore!
12. Who was your favorite teacher?
mr. tarpey
13. Favorite class?
humanities
14. What was your school's full name?
Boston Latin School
15. School mascot?
a wolf
16. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
yeah
17. What do you remember most about graduation?
somebody's chair broke, i threw my hat up half an inch so i wouldn't lose it, my hair was way frizzy, thao had a supercute dress
18. Were you 18?
was i? i think
19. Favorite memory of your Senior Year?
oh, i don't know. that's too hard.
18. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall?
what's a senior wall?
19. Did you have a job your senior year?
whittemore's! cutting boxes, hauling supplies, all in a dress and nylons
20. Who did you date?
no one. but i got asked out for the first time!
21. Where did you go most often for lunch?
where we were allowed -- the school cafeteria
22. What did you do after graduation?
party hopped
23. When did you graduate?
june, 1996.
Friday, August 04, 2006
once there was this girl who used to blog
ok, see, the problem is twofold maybe
i have a lot of stories from the hospital that i'm not supposed to talk about.
i have a lot of stories that are semi-depressing/annoying that i don't WANT to talk about.
so here i am. looking at my blog grumbling.
a good thing: i had a birthday. i am now 28. i had a mad phat birthday bbq with just about 100 guests -- you really can count on church people!
another good thing. my awesome friend brad every once in a while comes across these great red sox tickets -- and the first time we used them this summer was at the rain delay suckface game that started with me in my dad's overcoat and ended with me cleaning out torgo's fridge. but THIS time, the day was clear, the red sox not only won, but were still in first place, and i got free popcorn (because i went to get brad's drink). anyhoo, i took a bunch of pics.
the one below is my closest player pic. hot to Trot right fielder. i also got a picture of Manny Delcarmen, newbie pitcher who grew up right down the street from me, and of Papelbon (the two of them running out from the bull pen, but i don't know which is which, so i decided against posting them. but unless one of them ran out and assumed the ready position in the field, i'm almost positive this is Nixon.
i also had to throw in a pic of my boyfriend (Big Papi, David Ortiz, or Teezy, as i like to call him when we're going for one of our moonlit walks). this is an impossibly silly picture, as it's more of the fans and the light as it is of Teezy, but it's the best i could do. the ump is right in the way of our viewing homeplate, and although brad's mom (who gets the tickets and passes them along to her offspring) called to see if they could move him, whoever makes those ump-goes-there decisions was not swayed.
this pic is of the crowd who went, high school peeps i've known forever and for some reason still like me (or hang out with me at least). this is seconds before "Wally," the Red Sox mascot comes trotting by.
i have a lot of stories from the hospital that i'm not supposed to talk about.
i have a lot of stories that are semi-depressing/annoying that i don't WANT to talk about.
so here i am. looking at my blog grumbling.
a good thing: i had a birthday. i am now 28. i had a mad phat birthday bbq with just about 100 guests -- you really can count on church people!
another good thing. my awesome friend brad every once in a while comes across these great red sox tickets -- and the first time we used them this summer was at the rain delay suckface game that started with me in my dad's overcoat and ended with me cleaning out torgo's fridge. but THIS time, the day was clear, the red sox not only won, but were still in first place, and i got free popcorn (because i went to get brad's drink). anyhoo, i took a bunch of pics.
the one below is my closest player pic. hot to Trot right fielder. i also got a picture of Manny Delcarmen, newbie pitcher who grew up right down the street from me, and of Papelbon (the two of them running out from the bull pen, but i don't know which is which, so i decided against posting them. but unless one of them ran out and assumed the ready position in the field, i'm almost positive this is Nixon.
i also had to throw in a pic of my boyfriend (Big Papi, David Ortiz, or Teezy, as i like to call him when we're going for one of our moonlit walks). this is an impossibly silly picture, as it's more of the fans and the light as it is of Teezy, but it's the best i could do. the ump is right in the way of our viewing homeplate, and although brad's mom (who gets the tickets and passes them along to her offspring) called to see if they could move him, whoever makes those ump-goes-there decisions was not swayed.
this pic is of the crowd who went, high school peeps i've known forever and for some reason still like me (or hang out with me at least). this is seconds before "Wally," the Red Sox mascot comes trotting by.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
from a long silence
she emerges.
it's the second day of july, which means there are a mere 25 days until my birthday. i hope you have been saving money for a care package. if you haven't, rest easy, there is still time.
my goals are not going THAT great -- CPE is proving more exhausting than previously thought. more exhausting is that i can't say anything about it -- rules and confidentiality and such -- but i'm bursting with stories.
this much i can tell you -- i spend my mornings singing to babies (who can't escape!) and talking with children being "assessed." the afternoons i stand awkwardly in doorways, visit in silence or incessant chatter or easy conversation. i try to listen with a "third ear" and hear with the heart of the spirit -- sometimes it works and i feel lifted and sometimes i exit as awkwardly as i entered, feeling disconnected and unaccomplished. the rest of my time we dissect these feelings of disconnect or accomplishment, we investigate in an atmosphere of religious openness where God is in all of it.
two things i like especially: i like having boundaries for ministry. i like realizing that CPE is just as much about learning about me as it is about ministering to patients. i like knowing that i have to, as one chaplain said, "hold the patients loosely," it keeps me aware of my own limitations.
i like the ecumenical and interfaith environment. there are 3 catholics, 4 protestants (Methodist, UCC, Episcopalian, and me), and 3 nonChristians (Jewish, UU, and undeclared, so to speak). growing up, i encountered few people who didn't fall into three categories for me: those who believed similarly to me, or those who didn't really believe, or those whose thoughts i never knew because they didn't talk about it. i appreciate talking to others who are passionate and invested, all of us hanging on to pieces of the thing that is Truth.
but, i have taken no pictures.
i stopped with the verses at my last on call (but will start again tonight)
exercise is still limited to walks to and from the T, walks up and down the hill to the children's hospital, opting for stairs at the hospital instead of elevator (it's something, but i can't really count it, because i'm not really CHOOSING it)
i finally finished Blindness by Jose Saramago, which i loved and would highly recommend. i may not have finished it in a week, but i read it pretty steadily, which is something.
i am still studiously ignoring thinking about my thesis.
i'll be back sooner next time.
it's the second day of july, which means there are a mere 25 days until my birthday. i hope you have been saving money for a care package. if you haven't, rest easy, there is still time.
my goals are not going THAT great -- CPE is proving more exhausting than previously thought. more exhausting is that i can't say anything about it -- rules and confidentiality and such -- but i'm bursting with stories.
this much i can tell you -- i spend my mornings singing to babies (who can't escape!) and talking with children being "assessed." the afternoons i stand awkwardly in doorways, visit in silence or incessant chatter or easy conversation. i try to listen with a "third ear" and hear with the heart of the spirit -- sometimes it works and i feel lifted and sometimes i exit as awkwardly as i entered, feeling disconnected and unaccomplished. the rest of my time we dissect these feelings of disconnect or accomplishment, we investigate in an atmosphere of religious openness where God is in all of it.
two things i like especially: i like having boundaries for ministry. i like realizing that CPE is just as much about learning about me as it is about ministering to patients. i like knowing that i have to, as one chaplain said, "hold the patients loosely," it keeps me aware of my own limitations.
i like the ecumenical and interfaith environment. there are 3 catholics, 4 protestants (Methodist, UCC, Episcopalian, and me), and 3 nonChristians (Jewish, UU, and undeclared, so to speak). growing up, i encountered few people who didn't fall into three categories for me: those who believed similarly to me, or those who didn't really believe, or those whose thoughts i never knew because they didn't talk about it. i appreciate talking to others who are passionate and invested, all of us hanging on to pieces of the thing that is Truth.
but, i have taken no pictures.
i stopped with the verses at my last on call (but will start again tonight)
exercise is still limited to walks to and from the T, walks up and down the hill to the children's hospital, opting for stairs at the hospital instead of elevator (it's something, but i can't really count it, because i'm not really CHOOSING it)
i finally finished Blindness by Jose Saramago, which i loved and would highly recommend. i may not have finished it in a week, but i read it pretty steadily, which is something.
i am still studiously ignoring thinking about my thesis.
i'll be back sooner next time.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
goal update
goals accomplished this week:
two and a half books read (Street Girls, House on Mango St., halfway through White Woman's Christ, Black Woman's Jesus)
verse a day in both hebrew and greek (rock on with my bad self!)
no pictures taken, no exercise besides the walk to and from work.
however, in my defense, it's been raining all week. and i got blisters from all of my new shoes. this is why i'm not a professional, people. by friday, i was applying FIVE bandaids in the mornings, and i'm not even wearing high heels. (speaking of the stupid rain, yesterday my friend had front row sox tickets on the first base line, like FRONT ROW, and entrance to the Crown Royal Room -- meaning you get your fenway frank served to you, with fries, and we waited five hours for the rain to lighten up and the game to start, but i had to leave early anyway to say goodbye to torgo and clean out his fridge, and by then i was really kind of like "who even cares!" and then the sox lost abysmally, and even MORE abysmally today, and i think it's all because of my presence -- i'm a sport jinx, if i want teams to win they lose. i can't even pretend i like the opposite team because its like the sport jinx fairy KNOWS MY THOUGHTS! whoa a long parentheses)
the job is good -- gives me discipline, but i totally fall to crap on the weekends. i watched the entire second season of entourage over the past two days.
two and a half books read (Street Girls, House on Mango St., halfway through White Woman's Christ, Black Woman's Jesus)
verse a day in both hebrew and greek (rock on with my bad self!)
no pictures taken, no exercise besides the walk to and from work.
however, in my defense, it's been raining all week. and i got blisters from all of my new shoes. this is why i'm not a professional, people. by friday, i was applying FIVE bandaids in the mornings, and i'm not even wearing high heels. (speaking of the stupid rain, yesterday my friend had front row sox tickets on the first base line, like FRONT ROW, and entrance to the Crown Royal Room -- meaning you get your fenway frank served to you, with fries, and we waited five hours for the rain to lighten up and the game to start, but i had to leave early anyway to say goodbye to torgo and clean out his fridge, and by then i was really kind of like "who even cares!" and then the sox lost abysmally, and even MORE abysmally today, and i think it's all because of my presence -- i'm a sport jinx, if i want teams to win they lose. i can't even pretend i like the opposite team because its like the sport jinx fairy KNOWS MY THOUGHTS! whoa a long parentheses)
the job is good -- gives me discipline, but i totally fall to crap on the weekends. i watched the entire second season of entourage over the past two days.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
I am looking for a dare to be great situation.
i have goals for my summer.
i'm putting them out there so people can be like, "so christina, your goals? get on that." you know, so i don't get lazy.
goal 1 is thesis crap. get it together, basically.
goal 2 is reading. i have about 5 books on my dresser to be read already. goal is one a week.
goal 3 is exercise. i'm trying to be realistic, so i'm taking into account that i'll be walking at least 2 miles every day for work, but i'd like to do one fun recreation activity a week. i'm trying to get friends together for a weekly/semiweekly grilling night, so recreation could be combined. now that North Park has introduced me to the wonderful world of bocce, i may have to introduce bocce to the wonderful world of Hyde Park. yeah, i know bocce's not that rigorous, but it's movement.
goal 4 is hebrew/greek. one verse a day in each.
goal 5 is the fun one: on my last day at sarah's circle lynn gave me a list of things she wants pictures of in boston (and surrounding areas). here is what it is:
Newport: any 3 mansions of the Preservation Society
Boston proper: Paul Revere's House
Old South Meeting House
Old State House
Old North Church
Trolley
Lexington/Concord: Buckman Tavern
Hancock Clarke House
Monroe Tavern
Concord Museum (lantern picture)
The Old Manse
Misc: Martha's Vineyard -- she may have to settle for the Cape on this one.
Lighthouse
Ferry
House of the Seven Gables
there it is people. all this and project runway starts up again july 12.
oh yeah, and countdown to my birthday? t-minus 1 month, 25 days.
P.S. points if you guess where the headline quote is from.
i'm putting them out there so people can be like, "so christina, your goals? get on that." you know, so i don't get lazy.
goal 1 is thesis crap. get it together, basically.
goal 2 is reading. i have about 5 books on my dresser to be read already. goal is one a week.
goal 3 is exercise. i'm trying to be realistic, so i'm taking into account that i'll be walking at least 2 miles every day for work, but i'd like to do one fun recreation activity a week. i'm trying to get friends together for a weekly/semiweekly grilling night, so recreation could be combined. now that North Park has introduced me to the wonderful world of bocce, i may have to introduce bocce to the wonderful world of Hyde Park. yeah, i know bocce's not that rigorous, but it's movement.
goal 4 is hebrew/greek. one verse a day in each.
goal 5 is the fun one: on my last day at sarah's circle lynn gave me a list of things she wants pictures of in boston (and surrounding areas). here is what it is:
Newport: any 3 mansions of the Preservation Society
Boston proper: Paul Revere's House
Old South Meeting House
Old State House
Old North Church
Trolley
Lexington/Concord: Buckman Tavern
Hancock Clarke House
Monroe Tavern
Concord Museum (lantern picture)
The Old Manse
Misc: Martha's Vineyard -- she may have to settle for the Cape on this one.
Lighthouse
Ferry
House of the Seven Gables
there it is people. all this and project runway starts up again july 12.
oh yeah, and countdown to my birthday? t-minus 1 month, 25 days.
P.S. points if you guess where the headline quote is from.
the prodigal bostonian
here i am back in da bean. chillin' like a villian.
i'm in the calm before the storm here. one week of rest before CPE blows in full force.
1. went to the dentist -- apparently i brush too vigorously, but am in pretty good shape otherwise.
2. ensured i did not have TB (i'm sparing you a picture of someone giving a TB test, or what TB looks like, or what a postive TB test does to your arm. what i will tell you is that when a TB test is negative your arm just looks like your arm.)
3. went to torgo's yard sale (exceedingly successful despite the rain and the Little Dude Who Would Not Sleep) and scored 17 books, most on race and/or feminism which will be useful for my thesis unless i change my mind completely and decide to write on the theology of plumbing or something.
4. resigned myself to having to dress relatively boring-ly for the summer. no studded belts, no hoops. my dressy clothes are mostly black and grey which is not only boring but kind of depressing.
5. found a pair of sensible, comfortable, versatile (is that how you spell that?) black shoes and almost choked while paying $60 for them. i won't bother with a picture because they're too boring.
6. went to a discount outlet and instead bought FOUR pair of shoes for $70 (planning of course to return the pair from 5.) which include: one pair of sensible, comfortable, versat
ile black shoes, one pair of comfortable, but probably not as sensible brown shoes, one pair of hiking boots (yes, really. for when i hike. shut up! they were 10 dollars!), and one pair of comfortable but not in the least sensible or versatile sketchers boots that look like they're baskets sort of. um, but i love them, and they were only 10 dollars too! here they are:
7. read breath eyes memory, a story of the relationships of 4 Haitian and Haitian-American women, which i borrowed from a friend in JANUARY.
8. celebrated my brother's 40th birthday with cake and ice cream at his house, brought him a North Park T-shirt, played chess with nephew Seth (7), chuckled at nephew George (3) who repeats everything, was tempted by sister-in-law's new hobby of scrapbooking and selling scrapbooking materials (a tool to round the corners of a picture? a blade and
tool to cut perfect ovals? i'm in!) .
10. basically just bummed around; i kind of turn into a materialistic, lazy glutton when i'm home with nothing to do, so i'm happy work is starting.
on a side note, while looking up pictures for this blog, especially the teeth one and the TB arm one, i came up with some pretty gross stuff (just by googling "arm" for heaven's sake). by googling "teeth" i found this story of a GI who was shot, point blank in the face, and the bullet was STOPPED by his TOOTH, which, needless to say, fell out. i'll spare you that picture too.
i'm in the calm before the storm here. one week of rest before CPE blows in full force.
1. went to the dentist -- apparently i brush too vigorously, but am in pretty good shape otherwise.
2. ensured i did not have TB (i'm sparing you a picture of someone giving a TB test, or what TB looks like, or what a postive TB test does to your arm. what i will tell you is that when a TB test is negative your arm just looks like your arm.)
3. went to torgo's yard sale (exceedingly successful despite the rain and the Little Dude Who Would Not Sleep) and scored 17 books, most on race and/or feminism which will be useful for my thesis unless i change my mind completely and decide to write on the theology of plumbing or something.
4. resigned myself to having to dress relatively boring-ly for the summer. no studded belts, no hoops. my dressy clothes are mostly black and grey which is not only boring but kind of depressing.
5. found a pair of sensible, comfortable, versatile (is that how you spell that?) black shoes and almost choked while paying $60 for them. i won't bother with a picture because they're too boring.
6. went to a discount outlet and instead bought FOUR pair of shoes for $70 (planning of course to return the pair from 5.) which include: one pair of sensible, comfortable, versat
ile black shoes, one pair of comfortable, but probably not as sensible brown shoes, one pair of hiking boots (yes, really. for when i hike. shut up! they were 10 dollars!), and one pair of comfortable but not in the least sensible or versatile sketchers boots that look like they're baskets sort of. um, but i love them, and they were only 10 dollars too! here they are:7. read breath eyes memory, a story of the relationships of 4 Haitian and Haitian-American women, which i borrowed from a friend in JANUARY.
8. celebrated my brother's 40th birthday with cake and ice cream at his house, brought him a North Park T-shirt, played chess with nephew Seth (7), chuckled at nephew George (3) who repeats everything, was tempted by sister-in-law's new hobby of scrapbooking and selling scrapbooking materials (a tool to round the corners of a picture? a blade and
tool to cut perfect ovals? i'm in!) .10. basically just bummed around; i kind of turn into a materialistic, lazy glutton when i'm home with nothing to do, so i'm happy work is starting.
on a side note, while looking up pictures for this blog, especially the teeth one and the TB arm one, i came up with some pretty gross stuff (just by googling "arm" for heaven's sake). by googling "teeth" i found this story of a GI who was shot, point blank in the face, and the bullet was STOPPED by his TOOTH, which, needless to say, fell out. i'll spare you that picture too.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
today was my last day going to the place i volunteer, sarah's circle, before the summer ends. SC is a drop in center for homeless and low income women, and i've met some great ladies:
rosemary, who likes romance novels
sharon, who is a carpenter and an artist, who made me a rosary with a little green on it, for the irish bostonians.
brenda, who came from the south
norma, who told me "the seventh deadly sin is the reluctance to change"
mary, who told me everyone's business ("that one just acts like that so she can get her crazy check")
geraldine, who quieted tempers
jj, who told her real name to people who earned it
bunny, who couldn't leave behind the man she loved, who said she'd show me how to crochet
and lynn, the first one i ever talked to, who called me boston, who gave me a hug today, who fought with me about baseball (white sox vs. red sox), who gave me a list of sights in boston to take pictures of.
these are the few i was lucky enough to talk to -- thanks, ladies.
rosemary, who likes romance novels
sharon, who is a carpenter and an artist, who made me a rosary with a little green on it, for the irish bostonians.
brenda, who came from the south
norma, who told me "the seventh deadly sin is the reluctance to change"
mary, who told me everyone's business ("that one just acts like that so she can get her crazy check")
geraldine, who quieted tempers
jj, who told her real name to people who earned it
bunny, who couldn't leave behind the man she loved, who said she'd show me how to crochet
and lynn, the first one i ever talked to, who called me boston, who gave me a hug today, who fought with me about baseball (white sox vs. red sox), who gave me a list of sights in boston to take pictures of.
these are the few i was lucky enough to talk to -- thanks, ladies.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
study break!
i think it's hard to call it a study break when i'm not really studying -- but what can i say, i've always been a rebel. i finished my history paper on thursday, and here's what i found out about how covenant women was affected by feminism:
they weren't.
but there were a few closet rockers hiding out in amongst the rest of them so that was cool to see.
here's something else that's cool to see:
I taught this guy everything he knows
they weren't.
but there were a few closet rockers hiding out in amongst the rest of them so that was cool to see.
here's something else that's cool to see:
I taught this guy everything he knows
Saturday, May 06, 2006
so i'm doing this paper the work of Covenant Women (a women's group in my denomination) during the years of 1966-1976 or so. i found some interesting quotes. here's one in particular:
Many of our conflicts concerning femininity are false conflicts. A woman chooses not between a career and a family, but for being a person. And a man chooses not an aggressive career woman or a meek homemaker, but a full person who seeks after wholeness wherever she is.
Covenant Companion, Jan 14, 1966
i also attended a feminist/womanist/latina gathering of sorts at a professor's house the other night, and we talked a lot about this label of "feminist" and how people perceive it and what the cost of claiming it is. i myself have been struggling with why people find it so threatening -- i mean, i know why people find it threatening, especially men, but it's really not. it's about a pursuit of wholeness, an encouragement by society of that pursuit, an affirmation of life, as Elsa Tamez would say. what's frustrating is that a pursuit of wholeness causes segregation for me as a woman, causes hesitancy in relationships for others, turns on a switch in my brain that shocks me everytime someone talks about their "fellow man" or tells someone else to "grow a pair" or i hear suspicion or uncertainty in my own seminary about a Christian's woman's role as equal partner in the home, or as a leader in the church, or i see young girl's magazine stressing and restressing the importance of appearance.
i am a Christian, i am a woman, i am white, i am a feminist, i am an activist. how do i make these things work together? how do i affirm life (my own and others') the way Christ affirmed life?
Many of our conflicts concerning femininity are false conflicts. A woman chooses not between a career and a family, but for being a person. And a man chooses not an aggressive career woman or a meek homemaker, but a full person who seeks after wholeness wherever she is.
Covenant Companion, Jan 14, 1966
i also attended a feminist/womanist/latina gathering of sorts at a professor's house the other night, and we talked a lot about this label of "feminist" and how people perceive it and what the cost of claiming it is. i myself have been struggling with why people find it so threatening -- i mean, i know why people find it threatening, especially men, but it's really not. it's about a pursuit of wholeness, an encouragement by society of that pursuit, an affirmation of life, as Elsa Tamez would say. what's frustrating is that a pursuit of wholeness causes segregation for me as a woman, causes hesitancy in relationships for others, turns on a switch in my brain that shocks me everytime someone talks about their "fellow man" or tells someone else to "grow a pair" or i hear suspicion or uncertainty in my own seminary about a Christian's woman's role as equal partner in the home, or as a leader in the church, or i see young girl's magazine stressing and restressing the importance of appearance.
i am a Christian, i am a woman, i am white, i am a feminist, i am an activist. how do i make these things work together? how do i affirm life (my own and others') the way Christ affirmed life?
Thursday, May 04, 2006
crunch time
mystics paper due on monday.
history paper due thursday.
that's just the assignments we're thinking about.
there is no motivation.
whatsoever.
as evidenced by my presence on this blog, and myspace, and random other sites i haven't visited forever but which i won't turn off.
if you can't come and physically remove the internet from my computer (and really, if you did that, i'd kill you, so don't), please offer some words of encouragement. tell me: you can do it! stay on course! stay strong! press on!
(and ok, i wouldn't kill you. i might weep a little though.)
history paper due thursday.
that's just the assignments we're thinking about.
there is no motivation.
whatsoever.
as evidenced by my presence on this blog, and myspace, and random other sites i haven't visited forever but which i won't turn off.
if you can't come and physically remove the internet from my computer (and really, if you did that, i'd kill you, so don't), please offer some words of encouragement. tell me: you can do it! stay on course! stay strong! press on!
(and ok, i wouldn't kill you. i might weep a little though.)
Thursday, April 27, 2006
finally! alaska
day 1 we went up to hatcher's pass, where supposedly you go sledding. but it was pretty much white out conditions so we didn't do anything. here's a picture of katie's dog norm running in the white out (there are mountains behind him):
when the sun burned off it was pretty amazing. this is my "wild God" picture:
day 2 was the hiking/puking/peeing day on a little mountain they call baldy. here i am just about as far as i made it,
and this is how i got down:
the peak behind me is where katie, katie's mom, and katie's aunt got to
day 3 we hiked some more, and saw moose poop (but no moose) (but i've seen a moose in Maine):
day 4 we hiked up the butte (like a hill to Alaskans, but a pretty good walk for me). This is a view of pioneer peak
and a view of knik glacier (way in the back ground)
day 5: this is me shooting some clay pigeons: this is momentous, probably the first and last time you'll see me holding an actual gun.
day 6 and 7 we hung out with the fam -- easter sunday and all -- so no pics -- but an amazing trip overall.
when the sun burned off it was pretty amazing. this is my "wild God" picture:
day 2 was the hiking/puking/peeing day on a little mountain they call baldy. here i am just about as far as i made it,
and this is how i got down:
the peak behind me is where katie, katie's mom, and katie's aunt got today 3 we hiked some more, and saw moose poop (but no moose) (but i've seen a moose in Maine):
day 4 we hiked up the butte (like a hill to Alaskans, but a pretty good walk for me). This is a view of pioneer peak
and a view of knik glacier (way in the back ground)
day 5: this is me shooting some clay pigeons: this is momentous, probably the first and last time you'll see me holding an actual gun.
day 6 and 7 we hung out with the fam -- easter sunday and all -- so no pics -- but an amazing trip overall.
fun with tunes
Put your music player on shuffle.
Press forward for each question.
Use the song title as the answer to the question.
No cheating!
How am I feeling today?:
sweet mistakes (ellis paul).
Will I get far in life?
don't speak (no doubt).
How do my friends see me?
there's gotta be more (stacey orrico).
Where will I get married?:
this is my world (hootie).
What song is the story of my life?
circle of life (lion king).
What was high school like?:
motown philly (boyz II men). "doin' a little east coast swing"
How can I get ahead in life?:
one thing (finger eleven). if anyone wants to know about the one thing, that'll be $25
What is the best thing about me?:
more than words (extreme).
How is today going to be?:
learning to fly (tom petty).
What is in store for this weekend?:
ms. fat booty (mos def).
How is my life going?:
redemption song (bob marley). actually, pretty darn perfect
What song will they play at my funeral?:
robin hood theme (robin hood -- disney). me & my stupid collection of disney
How does the world see me?:
kiss the girl (little mermaid). well, i kind of like this disney one. =)
Will I have a happy life?:
Jesus walks (kanye west).
What do my friends really think of me?:
i just can't wait to be king (lion king).
Do people secretly lust after me?:
One (u2).
How can I make myself happy?:
karma (alicia keys).
What should I do with my life?:
the bare necessities (jungle book).
Will I have kids?:
not in nottingham (robin hood).
What is some good advice?:
you don't know how it feels (to be me) (tom petty).
What do I think my current theme song is?:
meant to live (switchfoot).
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?:
play that funky music white boy (wild cherry).
What type of men/women do you like?:
yesterday (beatles).
that's it -- i will leave the rest of the commenting up to you.
Press forward for each question.
Use the song title as the answer to the question.
No cheating!
How am I feeling today?:
sweet mistakes (ellis paul).
Will I get far in life?
don't speak (no doubt).
How do my friends see me?
there's gotta be more (stacey orrico).
Where will I get married?:
this is my world (hootie).
What song is the story of my life?
circle of life (lion king).
What was high school like?:
motown philly (boyz II men). "doin' a little east coast swing"
How can I get ahead in life?:
one thing (finger eleven). if anyone wants to know about the one thing, that'll be $25
What is the best thing about me?:
more than words (extreme).
How is today going to be?:
learning to fly (tom petty).
What is in store for this weekend?:
ms. fat booty (mos def).
How is my life going?:
redemption song (bob marley). actually, pretty darn perfect
What song will they play at my funeral?:
robin hood theme (robin hood -- disney). me & my stupid collection of disney
How does the world see me?:
kiss the girl (little mermaid). well, i kind of like this disney one. =)
Will I have a happy life?:
Jesus walks (kanye west).
What do my friends really think of me?:
i just can't wait to be king (lion king).
Do people secretly lust after me?:
One (u2).
How can I make myself happy?:
karma (alicia keys).
What should I do with my life?:
the bare necessities (jungle book).
Will I have kids?:
not in nottingham (robin hood).
What is some good advice?:
you don't know how it feels (to be me) (tom petty).
What do I think my current theme song is?:
meant to live (switchfoot).
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?:
play that funky music white boy (wild cherry).
What type of men/women do you like?:
yesterday (beatles).
that's it -- i will leave the rest of the commenting up to you.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
dumb babies
once a bunch of us were sitting around talking about babies. my friend liz said that she was not into breastfeeding and i said that breastfeeding is better for your baby's brain development (or something) and she said "well, my baby will just have to be a little bit dumb then."
so this morning i was reading the Anchorage Daily News and came across this headline: "Study links poetry and lower achievement test scores." naturally i read on, and this is what it had to say (this is from the Washington Post orginally, so if someone without dial up wants to link to it, that'd be great. i don't have the patience):
"Fill your house with books if you want little Billy or Beth to grow up to be an academic all-star. Shakespeare is good. But stay away from poetry [side note: since when is Shakespeare NOT poetry? maybe they're thinking poetry equals e.e. cummings "anyone lived in a pretty how town" or whatever that is. anyway.] -- it may dumb down your child.
A research team headed by demographer Jonathan Kelley, of Brown University and the University of Melbourne, analyzed data from a study of scholastic ability in 43 countries, including the United States.
The researchers found that a child from a family have 500 books at home scored, on average, 112 points higher on the acheievement test than one from an otherwise identical family have only one book -- and that's after they factored in parents' education, occupation, income and other things associated with academic performance.
The researchers say a big home library reflects the parents' dedication to the life of the mind, which probably nurtures scholastic accomplishment in their offspring.
They also found that not all books are created equal: 'Having poetry books around is actively harmful by the same amount,' perhaps because it signals a 'Bohemian' lifestyle that may encourages kids to become guitar-strumming, poetry-reading dreamers."
in the great words of my friend liz, "well, my [kids] will just have to be a little bit dumb then."
so this morning i was reading the Anchorage Daily News and came across this headline: "Study links poetry and lower achievement test scores." naturally i read on, and this is what it had to say (this is from the Washington Post orginally, so if someone without dial up wants to link to it, that'd be great. i don't have the patience):
"Fill your house with books if you want little Billy or Beth to grow up to be an academic all-star. Shakespeare is good. But stay away from poetry [side note: since when is Shakespeare NOT poetry? maybe they're thinking poetry equals e.e. cummings "anyone lived in a pretty how town" or whatever that is. anyway.] -- it may dumb down your child.
A research team headed by demographer Jonathan Kelley, of Brown University and the University of Melbourne, analyzed data from a study of scholastic ability in 43 countries, including the United States.
The researchers found that a child from a family have 500 books at home scored, on average, 112 points higher on the acheievement test than one from an otherwise identical family have only one book -- and that's after they factored in parents' education, occupation, income and other things associated with academic performance.
The researchers say a big home library reflects the parents' dedication to the life of the mind, which probably nurtures scholastic accomplishment in their offspring.
They also found that not all books are created equal: 'Having poetry books around is actively harmful by the same amount,' perhaps because it signals a 'Bohemian' lifestyle that may encourages kids to become guitar-strumming, poetry-reading dreamers."
in the great words of my friend liz, "well, my [kids] will just have to be a little bit dumb then."
don't get bored
i will make a huge post about alaska when i get back -- but here i am on dial up and using up katie's parents phone line, and i want to put my pictures on too, so it's just not the best time.
but to give you little morsels to tide you over:
1. hiked like every single day, and wore the same clothes
2. peed in the snow on a mountain, creating this neat little skinny hole that goes all the way down to the bottom
3. lost many, many games of ping pong
4. saw the northern lights
5. threw up half way up a mountain, and then KEPT GOING, like the wonder woman i am
6. still didn't make it all the way up, because met the rest of my party coming down
7. saw a glacier (from a distance)
8. went to a house concert
9. shot skeet with the house concert performer (first time holding a real gun)
10. joined in at "supper club" with katie's family.
but to give you little morsels to tide you over:
1. hiked like every single day, and wore the same clothes
2. peed in the snow on a mountain, creating this neat little skinny hole that goes all the way down to the bottom
3. lost many, many games of ping pong
4. saw the northern lights
5. threw up half way up a mountain, and then KEPT GOING, like the wonder woman i am
6. still didn't make it all the way up, because met the rest of my party coming down
7. saw a glacier (from a distance)
8. went to a house concert
9. shot skeet with the house concert performer (first time holding a real gun)
10. joined in at "supper club" with katie's family.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)