Really sad. I'm sorry for the family. It looks like the dad and two other kids, also in the car, may survive. Not all the kids have the last name so perhaps the parents were driving relatives or friends.
The drunk driver, at three times the legal limit, drove over three miles on the wrong way of the freeway before hitting their minivan. The family was on their way home from Christmas.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Complicated human/tiger tragedy
Wow, really sad story about the tiger tragedy at the San Francisco Zoo this Christmas. I have a lot of thoughts but I really want to know more. But I'm not sure that's going to happen - that the two surviving boys will tell the truth. To be honest, it's not "in their best interest" to tell the truth especially if they taunted the tiger and then ran away as their friend was being killed which it looks like could be likely.
As someone who has researched tigers and becoming a tiger trainer, and has been to the SF Zoo and other zoos several times, I have a lot of things to say - based on what I know, the many many articles online about the incident and online comments I've been reading.
First, I would like to say this is a "tiger tragedy" and not a "tiger killing." The latter implies murder vs the former implies a tragic incident. A commenter from an SF Chronicle article came up with this and I'm going to copy him/her.
In no particular order:
1) Tigers can't be tamed. They're wild animals, and will and can attack. They are not social animals (vs lions) and don't run in packs. They live solitary and don't see other mammals as friends. They are dangerous. I think our GBox generation (and my gen BTW) doesn't get that; we're too distanced from the animal kingdom reality of killing.
2) The boys most likely taunted the tiger. Not sure the extent of the taunting but for the tiger to chase the two boys 300 yards into the cafe area to attack them, it appears to not be light taunting. And for the tiger to jump that barrier. Yes, the barrier might have been shorter than completely necessary but Tatiana has never jumped it before. Something must have really really provoked her to jump. Tigers aren't cold-blooded murderes, they're animals that will protect themselves. There isn't emotion like for humans.
3) Tigers are the only cats that swim in water. Lack of water in the moat does not signify negligent action by the SF ZOO; water would not have stopped the tiger from going in the moat.
4) The SF Zoo sucks tiger ass. It's small and dinky. Yes, I know nothing compares to my native San Diego Zoo but the SF Zoo is just hard to be at. Do I believe commenters online that say they worked at the zoo and there is neglect from management and it's run poorly? Yes. Should they have had cameras? Maybe but cameras 24/7 are expensive. There are reasons only newborn pandas have 24/7 cameras on them (Seriously, ppl LUV those panda cams); they cost monies, people. But... with Tatiana's history of appearing more agitated and stressed than the other tigers, cameras should have been installed. And no, I don't think Tatiana's incident last year with her trainer was entirely her fault. She acted like a tiger when the trainer put her hand into her feeding area. I'm sorry it happened but Tatiana was not being malicious.
5) Why wasn't the zoo called or notified when Tatiana got out? And who made the 911 calls? We definitely need more facts.
6) Should Tatiana have been killed by the police? Yes. Humans are always more valuable than animals, even endangered Siberian tigers. Seriously, this should not be a consideration. I love tigers and all but c'mon. There were no stun guns around and even then, they take 30 seconds to go into effect. Would you like to be mauled for 30 more seconds by one of the strongest animals in nature? Stupid question.
7) I find it unsettling that Wednesday night, the tiger exhibit at the Oakland Zoo was busier than normal.
8) If forensic evidence and honest testimony shows that the boys taunted the tiger by throwing sticks at it and crossing over the security fence and possibly dangling limbs over the edge, I believe they should be held responsible for the deaths of the boy and the tiger. They endangered other people's lives if they provoked the tiger to escape, just as if they unlatched the gate and released Tatiana that way. The SF Zoo cannot protect against idiots. Just like when someone climbs drunkenly over into the polar bear exhibit and gets ripped to shreds. Not the zoo's fault.
I wish cameras had been operating on the exhibit just so we could see what really happened. I sadly don't think the two boys, who reports appear to show them as punks and aggressive toward police, will tell the truth. Articles are saying they wouldn't give their names to police and wouldn't even give their dead friend's name. I understand not trusting police but when a tiger has just mauled you, who doesn't give all the info needed?
Should the SF Zoo be shut down? I don't know. But I don't think the zoo or tiger should be blamed for this. I will be really really angry if the families sue the zoo or city.
As someone who has researched tigers and becoming a tiger trainer, and has been to the SF Zoo and other zoos several times, I have a lot of things to say - based on what I know, the many many articles online about the incident and online comments I've been reading.
First, I would like to say this is a "tiger tragedy" and not a "tiger killing." The latter implies murder vs the former implies a tragic incident. A commenter from an SF Chronicle article came up with this and I'm going to copy him/her.
In no particular order:
1) Tigers can't be tamed. They're wild animals, and will and can attack. They are not social animals (vs lions) and don't run in packs. They live solitary and don't see other mammals as friends. They are dangerous. I think our GBox generation (and my gen BTW) doesn't get that; we're too distanced from the animal kingdom reality of killing.
2) The boys most likely taunted the tiger. Not sure the extent of the taunting but for the tiger to chase the two boys 300 yards into the cafe area to attack them, it appears to not be light taunting. And for the tiger to jump that barrier. Yes, the barrier might have been shorter than completely necessary but Tatiana has never jumped it before. Something must have really really provoked her to jump. Tigers aren't cold-blooded murderes, they're animals that will protect themselves. There isn't emotion like for humans.
3) Tigers are the only cats that swim in water. Lack of water in the moat does not signify negligent action by the SF ZOO; water would not have stopped the tiger from going in the moat.
4) The SF Zoo sucks tiger ass. It's small and dinky. Yes, I know nothing compares to my native San Diego Zoo but the SF Zoo is just hard to be at. Do I believe commenters online that say they worked at the zoo and there is neglect from management and it's run poorly? Yes. Should they have had cameras? Maybe but cameras 24/7 are expensive. There are reasons only newborn pandas have 24/7 cameras on them (Seriously, ppl LUV those panda cams); they cost monies, people. But... with Tatiana's history of appearing more agitated and stressed than the other tigers, cameras should have been installed. And no, I don't think Tatiana's incident last year with her trainer was entirely her fault. She acted like a tiger when the trainer put her hand into her feeding area. I'm sorry it happened but Tatiana was not being malicious.
5) Why wasn't the zoo called or notified when Tatiana got out? And who made the 911 calls? We definitely need more facts.
6) Should Tatiana have been killed by the police? Yes. Humans are always more valuable than animals, even endangered Siberian tigers. Seriously, this should not be a consideration. I love tigers and all but c'mon. There were no stun guns around and even then, they take 30 seconds to go into effect. Would you like to be mauled for 30 more seconds by one of the strongest animals in nature? Stupid question.
7) I find it unsettling that Wednesday night, the tiger exhibit at the Oakland Zoo was busier than normal.
8) If forensic evidence and honest testimony shows that the boys taunted the tiger by throwing sticks at it and crossing over the security fence and possibly dangling limbs over the edge, I believe they should be held responsible for the deaths of the boy and the tiger. They endangered other people's lives if they provoked the tiger to escape, just as if they unlatched the gate and released Tatiana that way. The SF Zoo cannot protect against idiots. Just like when someone climbs drunkenly over into the polar bear exhibit and gets ripped to shreds. Not the zoo's fault.
I wish cameras had been operating on the exhibit just so we could see what really happened. I sadly don't think the two boys, who reports appear to show them as punks and aggressive toward police, will tell the truth. Articles are saying they wouldn't give their names to police and wouldn't even give their dead friend's name. I understand not trusting police but when a tiger has just mauled you, who doesn't give all the info needed?
Should the SF Zoo be shut down? I don't know. But I don't think the zoo or tiger should be blamed for this. I will be really really angry if the families sue the zoo or city.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Control
I'm been thinking about control (does Janet Jackson's song instantly pop into your head? does for me) and how contradictory God's views of control is for us.
It's a big issue for me, wanting to have control over things in my life and feeling frustrated/stressed/overwhelmed when I feel out of control. Control, control, control. Wanting to know what's going to happen, with whom, when, what do I need for it... Hating when I feel out of control and like someone else is more powerful than me, making my decisions and I am powerless.
God has been saying lately two true and seemingly opposite things to me. That I am in control of my life. I make all my decisions. If I don't want to do something or be somewhere, I have the full ability to change it. Like leaving my job, for example. There isn't anything I'm not able to do or say no to, no one higher I have to answer to (well God of course but not another person) before I do something.
But also, at the same time, I cannot have control. Life is so messy and unplanned and more frustrating and inefficient than I ever thought. God telling me to let go, to be ok with how things turn out "wrong" and to have a wider margin of error. I realize I want to widen my expectations - not lower them which I think is having lower standards but widening them which is enlarging my expectation of what I think would be ok to happen.
And forgiving and letting go of what I wanted to happen.
It's a big issue for me, wanting to have control over things in my life and feeling frustrated/stressed/overwhelmed when I feel out of control. Control, control, control. Wanting to know what's going to happen, with whom, when, what do I need for it... Hating when I feel out of control and like someone else is more powerful than me, making my decisions and I am powerless.
God has been saying lately two true and seemingly opposite things to me. That I am in control of my life. I make all my decisions. If I don't want to do something or be somewhere, I have the full ability to change it. Like leaving my job, for example. There isn't anything I'm not able to do or say no to, no one higher I have to answer to (well God of course but not another person) before I do something.
But also, at the same time, I cannot have control. Life is so messy and unplanned and more frustrating and inefficient than I ever thought. God telling me to let go, to be ok with how things turn out "wrong" and to have a wider margin of error. I realize I want to widen my expectations - not lower them which I think is having lower standards but widening them which is enlarging my expectation of what I think would be ok to happen.
And forgiving and letting go of what I wanted to happen.
New Orleans housing
From ColorofChange.org
Dear Jen,
While New Orleans faces its worst housing crisis in over 100 years, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insists on carrying out a plan to bulldoze 4,500 units of affordable public housing, much of which could be made available to residents.
If HUD is allowed to proceed, it will eliminate the majority of affordable public housing in the city1, shutting out thousands of low-income Katrina survivors who have been fighting for over two years to return home. It would be a shameful slap in the face.
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John Edwards, and the leaders of both houses of Congress--Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid--have called on President Bush to issue a moratorium to stop the demolition. But HUD hasn't budged, even with HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and his staff under federal investigation for corruption in their handling of the contracting for the redevelopment plan.
It's time for everyday folks to take a stand. As early as Thursday, the New Orleans City Council will vote on whether to permit HUD to carry out its demolitions. You can let them know that you expect them to reject any plan that uses federal dollars to gentrify New Orleans. And you can add your voice to the public demand that Bush hold HUD accountable and block any action until problems with the plan are addressed and the investigation of Alphonso Jackson is complete.
It takes only a moment: http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2530-234965
New Orleans Housing Crisis
With New Orleans in the middle of a serious housing emergency, it just doesn't make sense to destroy housing that's in good condition.2 Rents have gone up 45% since Katrina, the city has already lost 9,000 units of affordable housing, and half of the families that want to return home make less than $20,000 a year. In the last two years, New Orleans' homeless population has more than doubled--12,000 New Orleanians have no place to live.3
Many of the units HUD plans to destroy are in very well-constructed buildings that were barely damaged by Katrina, and would require a minimum of renovation to provide quality housing, even if only temporarily.4 Rather than addressing the pressing, immediate need for affordable housing, HUD's plan threatens to make the problem worse.
HUD's flawed redevelopment plan
Whatever your views are on public housing, HUD's redevelopment plan is ill-conceived and irresponsible. The plan calls for replacing New Orleans' current public housing with mixed-income housing, which many believe is a better model for public housing. But in making the switch, HUD refuses to rebuild the same number of affordable public housing units as it destroys. HUD's plan would destroy 4,600 affordable public housing units, while the new mixed-income housing would only include 744 units of affordable housing, and building those units will take several years.5 The inevitable result will be thousands of low-income residents--most of whom are Black--pushed out of the city.
Questions have also been raised about the motivations behind HUD's plan. The head of HUD, Alphonso Jackson, and his staff are under criminal investigation – by the FBI, Department of Justice, and HUD's inspector general -- for corruption in HUD/Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO)'s process for handing out contracts related to the redevelopment plan. The contract for demolishing and rebuilding the St. Bernard housing project was given to a firm that owes Jackson at least $250,000 (and as much as $500,000). Scott Keller – Jackson's right hand man and point person for dealing with New Orleans public housing – pushed hard for that firm to receive the contract. Investigators are also focusing on the fact that HUD/HANO paid $485,000 to one of Jackson's golfing buddies for work as a construction manager over an 18-month period.6,7
No Demolition without a solution that makes sense
At best, HUD has a goal that many think is good (moving towards mixed-income housing), but a deeply flawed plan that will be disastrous to New Orleans residents who need the most help. At worst, HUD is pushing a plan that will help enrich its secretary and his cronies, while leaving working-class people out in the cold and dramatically reshaping the class makeup of New Orleans. Either way, it would be a huge mistake to let HUD push forward with demolitions until these issues are addressed and resolved.
Tomorrow, the New Orleans City Council will decide whether it's going to allow HUD to continue down this reckless path. Council members need to hear that people across the country disapprove of HUD's plan. Will you join us in calling on the city council to reject the plan, and on President Bush to stop HUD from proceeding?
http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2530-234965
Thank You and Peace, -- James, Van, Gabriel, Mervyn, Clarissa, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team December 19th, 2007
References: 1. Fewer Homes for Katrina's Poorest Victims, PolicyLink, December 2007 http://www.policylink.org/documents/nola_fewerhomes.pdf
2. Condition of the Four New Orleans Housing Projects Slated for Demolition, Gulf Coast Fair Housing Network http://fairhousingnetwork.org/node/10
3. Speaker Pelosi and Reid Urge President to Halt Demolition of Public Housing in New Orleans, The Gavel, December 15, 2007 http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1001
4. See reference 2.
5. HUD Sends New Orleans Bulldozers and $400,000 Apartments for the Holidays, Common Dreams, December 3, 2007 http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/03/5568/
6. HUD Probe Heats Up, National Journal, December 14, 2007 http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/071214nj1.htm
7. Questionable Contracts, National Journal, December 18, 2007 http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/071004nj2.htm
Dear Jen,
While New Orleans faces its worst housing crisis in over 100 years, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insists on carrying out a plan to bulldoze 4,500 units of affordable public housing, much of which could be made available to residents.
If HUD is allowed to proceed, it will eliminate the majority of affordable public housing in the city1, shutting out thousands of low-income Katrina survivors who have been fighting for over two years to return home. It would be a shameful slap in the face.
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John Edwards, and the leaders of both houses of Congress--Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid--have called on President Bush to issue a moratorium to stop the demolition. But HUD hasn't budged, even with HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and his staff under federal investigation for corruption in their handling of the contracting for the redevelopment plan.
It's time for everyday folks to take a stand. As early as Thursday, the New Orleans City Council will vote on whether to permit HUD to carry out its demolitions. You can let them know that you expect them to reject any plan that uses federal dollars to gentrify New Orleans. And you can add your voice to the public demand that Bush hold HUD accountable and block any action until problems with the plan are addressed and the investigation of Alphonso Jackson is complete.
It takes only a moment: http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2530-234965
New Orleans Housing Crisis
With New Orleans in the middle of a serious housing emergency, it just doesn't make sense to destroy housing that's in good condition.2 Rents have gone up 45% since Katrina, the city has already lost 9,000 units of affordable housing, and half of the families that want to return home make less than $20,000 a year. In the last two years, New Orleans' homeless population has more than doubled--12,000 New Orleanians have no place to live.3
Many of the units HUD plans to destroy are in very well-constructed buildings that were barely damaged by Katrina, and would require a minimum of renovation to provide quality housing, even if only temporarily.4 Rather than addressing the pressing, immediate need for affordable housing, HUD's plan threatens to make the problem worse.
HUD's flawed redevelopment plan
Whatever your views are on public housing, HUD's redevelopment plan is ill-conceived and irresponsible. The plan calls for replacing New Orleans' current public housing with mixed-income housing, which many believe is a better model for public housing. But in making the switch, HUD refuses to rebuild the same number of affordable public housing units as it destroys. HUD's plan would destroy 4,600 affordable public housing units, while the new mixed-income housing would only include 744 units of affordable housing, and building those units will take several years.5 The inevitable result will be thousands of low-income residents--most of whom are Black--pushed out of the city.
Questions have also been raised about the motivations behind HUD's plan. The head of HUD, Alphonso Jackson, and his staff are under criminal investigation – by the FBI, Department of Justice, and HUD's inspector general -- for corruption in HUD/Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO)'s process for handing out contracts related to the redevelopment plan. The contract for demolishing and rebuilding the St. Bernard housing project was given to a firm that owes Jackson at least $250,000 (and as much as $500,000). Scott Keller – Jackson's right hand man and point person for dealing with New Orleans public housing – pushed hard for that firm to receive the contract. Investigators are also focusing on the fact that HUD/HANO paid $485,000 to one of Jackson's golfing buddies for work as a construction manager over an 18-month period.6,7
No Demolition without a solution that makes sense
At best, HUD has a goal that many think is good (moving towards mixed-income housing), but a deeply flawed plan that will be disastrous to New Orleans residents who need the most help. At worst, HUD is pushing a plan that will help enrich its secretary and his cronies, while leaving working-class people out in the cold and dramatically reshaping the class makeup of New Orleans. Either way, it would be a huge mistake to let HUD push forward with demolitions until these issues are addressed and resolved.
Tomorrow, the New Orleans City Council will decide whether it's going to allow HUD to continue down this reckless path. Council members need to hear that people across the country disapprove of HUD's plan. Will you join us in calling on the city council to reject the plan, and on President Bush to stop HUD from proceeding?
http://www.colorofchange.org/hudhousing/?id=2530-234965
Thank You and Peace, -- James, Van, Gabriel, Mervyn, Clarissa, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team December 19th, 2007
References: 1. Fewer Homes for Katrina's Poorest Victims, PolicyLink, December 2007 http://www.policylink.org/documents/nola_fewerhomes.pdf
2. Condition of the Four New Orleans Housing Projects Slated for Demolition, Gulf Coast Fair Housing Network http://fairhousingnetwork.org/node/10
3. Speaker Pelosi and Reid Urge President to Halt Demolition of Public Housing in New Orleans, The Gavel, December 15, 2007 http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1001
4. See reference 2.
5. HUD Sends New Orleans Bulldozers and $400,000 Apartments for the Holidays, Common Dreams, December 3, 2007 http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/03/5568/
6. HUD Probe Heats Up, National Journal, December 14, 2007 http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/071214nj1.htm
7. Questionable Contracts, National Journal, December 18, 2007 http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/071004nj2.htm
Thursday, December 13, 2007
After the Funeral
I finished After the Funeral by Agatha Christie late last night after starting it earlier this week.
Wow, really good. I think one of her best written novels, up there with And Then There Were None or also called Ten Little Indians.
This one was written in 1956 and again Christie slips in her opinions of post-war England and the beginnings of the artsy, bougie generation that is growing up with little or no memory of World War II. Surprisingly, Poirot plays only a small part in most of the novel but comes in the end to unveil the murderer.
I know I say this a lot about her novels but I really didn't see this one coming. She's soooo good at laying down false clues. And the full diverse fascinating cast of characters made the plot so interesting. How she writes the characters, ordinary people, yet so right on the money as matching people we all know. It would be a great movie but could never be because the producers would cast a well-known person in the murderer role and the audience would be able to tell from the beginning who did it. Ideally A+ actors and actresses would vie for all the roles and make it a confusing wonderful mess with the murderer kept very secret until the end. As After the Funeral involves a multi-generational family meeting over several large scenes, it would be a very interesting movie.
Grateful 12.13.07
1) I am grateful for my womens' group.
2) I am grateful for Agatha Christie novels.
3) I am grateful for God speaking and His deep caring.
4) I am grateful for email and gchat that helps me keep connected.
5) I am grateful for the Bible, the words of truth which is so relevant to me.
2) I am grateful for Agatha Christie novels.
3) I am grateful for God speaking and His deep caring.
4) I am grateful for email and gchat that helps me keep connected.
5) I am grateful for the Bible, the words of truth which is so relevant to me.
It's cold out there, kiddies
This morning there was ice slush covering my windshield. Windshield wipers, spritzed cleaner and a warmed up car finally dislodged the frozen water shield. Wow, where's an ice scraper when you need one?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
My name on google
I am not:
C) A CPA
D) "Fashion expert" and owner of a "Atlanta-based exclusive loft shopping locale and fashion event"
E) A dog therapist in New York
F) Writer/commenter/not dead zombie (?) on a horror website
It is interesting where my name (both the not-me's and me) comes up though. Very different from even a few years ago. This is all one reason I don't put my real name on this blog. I have it open so people from all over find me through searching on google or clicking on Blogspot's running name list. I know most people only click for that one post (I think only my friends are repeat readers) but still... you never know. I don't want my blog to come up in a Google search of me. When you put your name on Facebook, an Evite, LinkedIn or other sites, your name will come up in searches. FYI in case you're job searching. Recruiters are hard core part-time coders - they can find ANYTHING on the web.
C) A CPA
D) "Fashion expert" and owner of a "Atlanta-based exclusive loft shopping locale and fashion event"
E) A dog therapist in New York
F) Writer/commenter/not dead zombie (?) on a horror website
It is interesting where my name (both the not-me's and me) comes up though. Very different from even a few years ago. This is all one reason I don't put my real name on this blog. I have it open so people from all over find me through searching on google or clicking on Blogspot's running name list. I know most people only click for that one post (I think only my friends are repeat readers) but still... you never know. I don't want my blog to come up in a Google search of me. When you put your name on Facebook, an Evite, LinkedIn or other sites, your name will come up in searches. FYI in case you're job searching. Recruiters are hard core part-time coders - they can find ANYTHING on the web.
Not having a TV
People have been asking about I like not having a tv and if I've have been having any cravings. It's going even better than I expected. I feel really relieved to not have a tv in my place. Esp in Nov, the month when I was just counting down the days to move in, it was a hard month with job searching and decision-making, and I would come home and just watch tv for a long time. I didn't want to but with my life slowly getting packed into boxes, there wasn't much else to do. It was depressing and even as I gave into watching my addiction everyday, I was eager to move and be away from the temptress box. I realize my difficulty in controlling how much I watch and I just wanted a clean break. And it feels just as nice as I thought it would.
I've been so busy (as it feels like my activity level has shot up living around ppl; good but I feel a bit "needing alone time." How do introverts in our community do it?) that it's nice to not feel like I have all these tivo'd shows to watch when I get home. Like a chore. Even though I would carefully monitor the shows to not record too many and I could always delete a show without watching it, I still felt compelled to watch if it was there. It feels like a relief to not have it.
I've gone on the web twice to watch a show and I've gone over to Marjie's to watch FNL but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have missed them that much. I like how tv viewing now for me is intentional and I have to choose into it, not just simply picking up the the controller.
I do wish sometimes I had a tv to watch movies - the laptop doesn't quite do it. Perhaps in Feb when there are Super Bowl sales.
But as of now, I really like the tv absence.
I've been so busy (as it feels like my activity level has shot up living around ppl; good but I feel a bit "needing alone time." How do introverts in our community do it?) that it's nice to not feel like I have all these tivo'd shows to watch when I get home. Like a chore. Even though I would carefully monitor the shows to not record too many and I could always delete a show without watching it, I still felt compelled to watch if it was there. It feels like a relief to not have it.
I've gone on the web twice to watch a show and I've gone over to Marjie's to watch FNL but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have missed them that much. I like how tv viewing now for me is intentional and I have to choose into it, not just simply picking up the the controller.
I do wish sometimes I had a tv to watch movies - the laptop doesn't quite do it. Perhaps in Feb when there are Super Bowl sales.
But as of now, I really like the tv absence.
Grateful 12.12.07
1. I am grateful for crunchy apples.
2. I am grateful to be able to find all kinds of recipes on the web like a Moroccan apple dessert that uses (yey, finally!) my orange blossom water, which is the oddest ingredient by the way.
3. I'm grateful for my cats who make each day entertaining and warm.
4. I'm grateful for choices and dreams.
5. I'm grateful for running water and clean water.
2. I am grateful to be able to find all kinds of recipes on the web like a Moroccan apple dessert that uses (yey, finally!) my orange blossom water, which is the oddest ingredient by the way.
3. I'm grateful for my cats who make each day entertaining and warm.
4. I'm grateful for choices and dreams.
5. I'm grateful for running water and clean water.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Grateful 12.11.07
1. I'm grateful Target is taking back my purchases with no pesky questions.
2. I'm really grateful the meter at the post office already had 21 minutes on it because I had no change and Burlingame police are sticklers.
3. I'm grateful for my little cute cottage home.
4. I'm grateful that most everything is put away and that I had time to go to the gym yesterday.
5. I'm grateful my boss got called into jury duty today and I got to sleep in, lounge for a bit, then come in late.
6. I'm grateful for a washer and dryer that doesn't need quarters.
2. I'm really grateful the meter at the post office already had 21 minutes on it because I had no change and Burlingame police are sticklers.
3. I'm grateful for my little cute cottage home.
4. I'm grateful that most everything is put away and that I had time to go to the gym yesterday.
5. I'm grateful my boss got called into jury duty today and I got to sleep in, lounge for a bit, then come in late.
6. I'm grateful for a washer and dryer that doesn't need quarters.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Michael Vick - prison sentence determineed
As this SI article mentions, Michael Vick has been sentenced to 23 months in prison. The article implies the sentence is for the federal crime and that Virgina could prosecute for state crimes and he could be in prison longer than 23 months. I don't know the details.
As I''ve commented before, his crime was atrocious and worthy of being arrested for and going to prison for. His arrest revealed on a national level the ugly world of dogfighting. Yet as I heard this recent news, I thought of two things.
How arrests, prosecution, judges, jury, police, and lawyers are all subjective. There is no machine cranking out arrests and putting people behind bars - human, fragile, biased men and women are that system. Shouldn't be there a lot more arrests than just Michael Vick? If there is so much evidence to get him on so many levels of crimes (which I agree there is), then where is the punishment for his cross-state collaborators? He can't be the only one they have dirt on. Are they waiting to build a bigger case because I'm sure Vick was a big player based on how many dog pens were on his property but there have to be bigger players.
And then another thought came to mind. Thinking of how many people raised a (righteous) ruckus about the dogfighting and how horrible it all was (true) and how that finally got the NFL and sponsors' attention, seeing how much America loves their pets and hate people who abuse animals. And others wrote good pieces questioning America's love for animals and wondering if Vick had beaten or raped a woman, would he still be so hated? Or would forgiveness come quickly. Is a dog worth more than a woman? Good question to ask.
Asking myself, why is there so much public support for animals? Why do we take the time and energy to call and write letters about a case like Vick but we simply say "eh" when we see another news piece on murder or abuse on a human. Asking myself the question, too. And the first response people will say, in protest, "But the animals are helpless and innocent. They can't protect themselves and can't stop the abuse." True yet... that implies that children and women that are abused are not innocent or helpless, that they perhaps had some part in their victimization or they had some ability to stop it. Now, we don't mean that but that's what we're saying.
I think fighting for the protection of animals can feel easier. There is no way the animal was "asking" to be hit or put in a fight or hurt. We can have no doubt that we're on the right side (though of course we disagree on subjects such as hunting and other I believe cultural topics) and look down on those who are so clearly cruel. It is easy to climb on the high horse and sit confidently up there.
And defending people is not as clear. Was that woman really raped as she says she was? Who are we to tell someone how to raise their kid, even if abuse is there? What are our real motivations in helping other people - are we acting out of a race bias or arrogance? I believe these internal and sometimes voiced questions block us from acting when we need to act, from stepping in when the people would really like someone to step in. But it's not clear, it's hazy and gray and full of lawsuits and hurt feelings and miscommunications. And yet Jesus went there, to those places, and I want to go too.
Let's enlarge our love for innocent animals to include the difficult task of loving people, the ones modeled after God's image.
As I''ve commented before, his crime was atrocious and worthy of being arrested for and going to prison for. His arrest revealed on a national level the ugly world of dogfighting. Yet as I heard this recent news, I thought of two things.
How arrests, prosecution, judges, jury, police, and lawyers are all subjective. There is no machine cranking out arrests and putting people behind bars - human, fragile, biased men and women are that system. Shouldn't be there a lot more arrests than just Michael Vick? If there is so much evidence to get him on so many levels of crimes (which I agree there is), then where is the punishment for his cross-state collaborators? He can't be the only one they have dirt on. Are they waiting to build a bigger case because I'm sure Vick was a big player based on how many dog pens were on his property but there have to be bigger players.
And then another thought came to mind. Thinking of how many people raised a (righteous) ruckus about the dogfighting and how horrible it all was (true) and how that finally got the NFL and sponsors' attention, seeing how much America loves their pets and hate people who abuse animals. And others wrote good pieces questioning America's love for animals and wondering if Vick had beaten or raped a woman, would he still be so hated? Or would forgiveness come quickly. Is a dog worth more than a woman? Good question to ask.
Asking myself, why is there so much public support for animals? Why do we take the time and energy to call and write letters about a case like Vick but we simply say "eh" when we see another news piece on murder or abuse on a human. Asking myself the question, too. And the first response people will say, in protest, "But the animals are helpless and innocent. They can't protect themselves and can't stop the abuse." True yet... that implies that children and women that are abused are not innocent or helpless, that they perhaps had some part in their victimization or they had some ability to stop it. Now, we don't mean that but that's what we're saying.
I think fighting for the protection of animals can feel easier. There is no way the animal was "asking" to be hit or put in a fight or hurt. We can have no doubt that we're on the right side (though of course we disagree on subjects such as hunting and other I believe cultural topics) and look down on those who are so clearly cruel. It is easy to climb on the high horse and sit confidently up there.
And defending people is not as clear. Was that woman really raped as she says she was? Who are we to tell someone how to raise their kid, even if abuse is there? What are our real motivations in helping other people - are we acting out of a race bias or arrogance? I believe these internal and sometimes voiced questions block us from acting when we need to act, from stepping in when the people would really like someone to step in. But it's not clear, it's hazy and gray and full of lawsuits and hurt feelings and miscommunications. And yet Jesus went there, to those places, and I want to go too.
Let's enlarge our love for innocent animals to include the difficult task of loving people, the ones modeled after God's image.
Grateful
1. I'm really grateful for Pin and Esther who came over last night to help me put stuff up (Pin) and completely unpack almost all of my books and boxes (Esther). I only have a couple boxes for my desk left but my books are out and the couch is free from crap. It feels more like home now, esp to see my books. I really needed some help and support in the unpacking arena so it was really what I needed.
2. I'm grateful for my health.
3. I'm grateful for community and partnership and great fundraisers not organized by me.
4. I'm grateful for being able to laugh at life and make fun and be teased in friendship.
5. I'm grateful for hope and opportunities.
God, I'm grateful to You, for everything. For drawing me to You so many years ago and always being there and available and responsive during the hard times. I can't even put into words how much You care for me, and lead me exactly the way I need to be led. I can't imagine my life without You. I'm so so so grateful.
2. I'm grateful for my health.
3. I'm grateful for community and partnership and great fundraisers not organized by me.
4. I'm grateful for being able to laugh at life and make fun and be teased in friendship.
5. I'm grateful for hope and opportunities.
God, I'm grateful to You, for everything. For drawing me to You so many years ago and always being there and available and responsive during the hard times. I can't even put into words how much You care for me, and lead me exactly the way I need to be led. I can't imagine my life without You. I'm so so so grateful.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Designers from Appel and Frank
I got some earrings for my mom from Christmas from this designer Mediums to Masses. Dar got a necklace from her.I got chocolates from Coco-Luxe Confections; the box to the left is a Christmas gift for my mom (no worries, she doesn't read this blog). I also got a smaller box from my bro Mark, coffee flavored. I've seen their website before and always wanted to buy from them :)
I LOVE meeting the designers when I buy their pieces - love the connection and talking to them about what inspires them. And they're all Bay Area based - go buying from local artists!
I loved the cards from Motormouthpress and bought a ton for Christmas cards and presents (and of course saved a few to send out myself, hee hee). I couldn't transfer any pics from her site over unfortunately but they're really really cute. Click "Homemade Goods" at the bottom of the main page. Laurie Coughlin designs the prints - she was super sweet and cool. I'll be saving her site as a Favorite under the category "Designers." I LOVE cool original cute stationary and cards, one of my biggest weaknesses but I do mail out about 3-4 cards/letters a week so I think the splurging is usually justified :)
I got this amazing necklace from Eliza Designs. The matching earrings weren't available there so she's making and shipping them to me. I think I left most excited about this set! It matches a nice dress I got last month.
I got earrings from Peggy Li designs including some really cool purple quartz (?) see-through ones that I'm wearing today. A lot of the designers offered wholesale prices, cheaper than their website prices.
And then I got this bag from Flowie Designs - wow, a lot cheaper than her website price. The designer was there with her husband - really sweet and cool, too. Yaling Hou, the designer, creates the textile design herself.
Dar and I were at her booth forever, with me trying on her different bags and figuring out which to buy. There was another cute one but bigger for like farmer's market shopping. In the end, I just kept going back to this brown bag throughout the night and decided this was the one I'd regret not getting if I left without it. We decided it's a "library book bag." It's hanging from my front door, ready for a library adventure.
Appel and Frank
I had a great time last night at Appel and Frank's Stockings and Stilettos event in SF with Dar(lene). She's so busy with her house remodeling and projects, and church volunteering, and hubby that it's hard to see her anymore. I love our friendship and miss hanging out with my fellow artistic, crafty, book-loving, cat-loving and -owning friend. I have a few ppl leftver from college that I exchange "meows" with in emails - she is in that small group of people who love/tolerate/bond with my cat eccentricity. So it was REALLY good to spend time with her :)
And I also got some great jewelry, a bag, lovelovelove this one designer's stationary and gifts for people including deluxe chocolate. Let me see if I can rummage up some pics from the designer's sites...
I realize one way to cheer me up when I'm down or discouraged by the world is to surround/submerge myself with creative people like going to a writer's book reading or a Bay Area designer's event like Appel and Frank or go to a museum and see art or hear beautiful music. My heart becomes happy as I see creative people expressing themselves, putting their energy and vulnerable spirits out there, and even trying to make a living off of it. I feel like, "Oh, the world isn't so bad if [this beautiful creative energy and talent] exists. Look at how God has passed on His own creative spirit and ability, just a little down to us, so that we can create these things. All is well."
And I also got some great jewelry, a bag, lovelovelove this one designer's stationary and gifts for people including deluxe chocolate. Let me see if I can rummage up some pics from the designer's sites...
I realize one way to cheer me up when I'm down or discouraged by the world is to surround/submerge myself with creative people like going to a writer's book reading or a Bay Area designer's event like Appel and Frank or go to a museum and see art or hear beautiful music. My heart becomes happy as I see creative people expressing themselves, putting their energy and vulnerable spirits out there, and even trying to make a living off of it. I feel like, "Oh, the world isn't so bad if [this beautiful creative energy and talent] exists. Look at how God has passed on His own creative spirit and ability, just a little down to us, so that we can create these things. All is well."
Dark gray cat plus a new cat
The dark gray cat was sitting and staring in again to my place this morning. I went over to say hi (through the glass door) but he ran away and hid under the car.
Later I looked up and another cat was sitting on the back porch and looking in. He was bigger and white with colors on him. "He" looked like a he, and also had a collar on.
Kinda cool that all the cats are coming by but also makes me want to get a curtain up asap on that door. Beings besides cats may also be able to stare in.
Later I looked up and another cat was sitting on the back porch and looking in. He was bigger and white with colors on him. "He" looked like a he, and also had a collar on.
Kinda cool that all the cats are coming by but also makes me want to get a curtain up asap on that door. Beings besides cats may also be able to stare in.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Dark gray cat
When I came downstairs this morning, I glanced toward the back door and saw a dark gray animal staring inside. I wasn't sure if it was a small dog or an odd-looking cat. It looked kinda spooky like a ghost cat because of the dark gray fur and light blue/gray eyes. It just stood and stared at me, Mitch, and Nora. When I went over to it, I saw it was a cat with a collar of some sorts with an odd large flat nose which made it first appear non-catlike.
It was sad seeing this cat just stare at us. It felt like it was an orphan cat looking into a warm home. I thought, Nora and Mitch don't even realize how good they have it with their loving owner, full food bowl, and warm house.
I know it was just a cat, and not even a stray cat, but it made me feel grateful. And wanting to invite the cat in, but that really wouldn't work. Nor would trying to feed the strays as that becomes quickly an overwhelming task.
The cat ran away when I got close to the back door but then came back to gingerly sit and stare at us more. Nora and Mitch were curious but not going into crazy cat meow mode.
It was sad seeing this cat just stare at us. It felt like it was an orphan cat looking into a warm home. I thought, Nora and Mitch don't even realize how good they have it with their loving owner, full food bowl, and warm house.
I know it was just a cat, and not even a stray cat, but it made me feel grateful. And wanting to invite the cat in, but that really wouldn't work. Nor would trying to feed the strays as that becomes quickly an overwhelming task.
The cat ran away when I got close to the back door but then came back to gingerly sit and stare at us more. Nora and Mitch were curious but not going into crazy cat meow mode.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Funny clips
Ah, this day isn't going to be productive. Here are funny clips to pass the time and make me laugh.
Adorable pets are supporting the writers' strike by not being adorable. "meow-adorable" hee hee. I think that's David Cross as the scab cat. I may have to watch this one again.
(Did you know "The Landlord" clip has over 49 million views? crazy. Have you seen it? Totally funny. "I need to get my drink on.")
Adorable pets are supporting the writers' strike by not being adorable. "meow-adorable" hee hee. I think that's David Cross as the scab cat. I may have to watch this one again.
(Did you know "The Landlord" clip has over 49 million views? crazy. Have you seen it? Totally funny. "I need to get my drink on.")
Agh v2
Dumb me. When I went back to Bed Bath and Beyond to return the curtain rings and looked at the other rings, a light went off in my head. Ohh, you're supposed to slip the curtain through the narrow side then put it back toward the wide balled side. Ahh. Oh well. I returned them for a cheaper set that I like better.
But does anyone have a brain or 10 hours of sleep I can borrow?
But does anyone have a brain or 10 hours of sleep I can borrow?
Agh
Ok, I'm done. I'm done with new things, things needing to be improved, things needed to be unpacked or returned or purchased or cleaned up or refilled. Oh, and I'm tired of traffic and commuting. Sooo tired of commuting.
I came in this morning to Outlook 2007 which I'm glad for but it's a change, and I'm trying to get used to the new look. And I'm having to make all the little changes to make it the way I want it. Then I said, shoot, let me try Mozilla instead of IE bc I've heard it's better. But it's not set up the same and my gmail button isn't on the top and it's annoying. I closed it all and opened IE back up. I can't handle any more changes.
I feel like I'm going to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond everyday - both to purchase things but also to scout out options at various stores before buying. I went to BBB yesterday and got among other things a shower curtain liner and curtain rings. I get home, it's late, I slowly take down the old curtain to put the new one up, only to discover that the rings are too big for the liner. WTF? There's no way around it, these rings are S-shaped and end with a big silver ball. The ball doesn't go through the liner's circles. Shit. What do I return, the liner (which I just ripped the packaging for bc it wouldn't open easily) or the rings (which were a pain in the ass to get out of the box and will be an equal pain to get back in)? I am tempted to just throw the liner away and buy a new one. But no, I decide on the rings, take ten minutes to put them back in (sidenote - stupid wireless keyboard that keeps skipping letters when I type fast and makes me go back every other word), fish the old curtain out of the trash, and slowly put it back up with the old-school plastic rings. Great, nothing accomplished and 30 minutes wasted. Plus back pain.
I'm in a grouchy mood today. Fair warning.
My landlords came over last night to look at some things I brought to their attention. You know, I feel frustrated with this. Shouldn't all these things be done by the time I moved in? If I left an apt the way I got it, I would definitely not have gotten my full deposit back. I'm trying to be patient but I feel like everyone wants patience and flexibility from me. I have nothing left, and really need to be either left alone or not have all these problems.
I'm venting. I'm happy to be here but I'm now just tired. Things I want to do, but there are things every night this week. Boxes are still there, things are messy, I can't find things, I can't set the cats litter the way I want it so they're tracking litter around. There's no extra room to put anything and it's raining so the few boxes I put outside are ruined.
Can I go home now?? My back hurts and I want a massage.
I came in this morning to Outlook 2007 which I'm glad for but it's a change, and I'm trying to get used to the new look. And I'm having to make all the little changes to make it the way I want it. Then I said, shoot, let me try Mozilla instead of IE bc I've heard it's better. But it's not set up the same and my gmail button isn't on the top and it's annoying. I closed it all and opened IE back up. I can't handle any more changes.
I feel like I'm going to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond everyday - both to purchase things but also to scout out options at various stores before buying. I went to BBB yesterday and got among other things a shower curtain liner and curtain rings. I get home, it's late, I slowly take down the old curtain to put the new one up, only to discover that the rings are too big for the liner. WTF? There's no way around it, these rings are S-shaped and end with a big silver ball. The ball doesn't go through the liner's circles. Shit. What do I return, the liner (which I just ripped the packaging for bc it wouldn't open easily) or the rings (which were a pain in the ass to get out of the box and will be an equal pain to get back in)? I am tempted to just throw the liner away and buy a new one. But no, I decide on the rings, take ten minutes to put them back in (sidenote - stupid wireless keyboard that keeps skipping letters when I type fast and makes me go back every other word), fish the old curtain out of the trash, and slowly put it back up with the old-school plastic rings. Great, nothing accomplished and 30 minutes wasted. Plus back pain.
I'm in a grouchy mood today. Fair warning.
My landlords came over last night to look at some things I brought to their attention. You know, I feel frustrated with this. Shouldn't all these things be done by the time I moved in? If I left an apt the way I got it, I would definitely not have gotten my full deposit back. I'm trying to be patient but I feel like everyone wants patience and flexibility from me. I have nothing left, and really need to be either left alone or not have all these problems.
I'm venting. I'm happy to be here but I'm now just tired. Things I want to do, but there are things every night this week. Boxes are still there, things are messy, I can't find things, I can't set the cats litter the way I want it so they're tracking litter around. There's no extra room to put anything and it's raining so the few boxes I put outside are ruined.
Can I go home now?? My back hurts and I want a massage.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Contradictions
I'm a Board member who watches America's Next Top Model.
I love salads with lots of veggies, and candy.
I love to organize, but also sometimes like a messy desk/apartment.
I don't like trends, but sometimes want to be trendy.
I use coupons and send in every rebate offer, but will splurge on a dress.
I shop at Payless, but Nordstrom.
I love talking and learning about money and finance, but am still learning Excel and don't know Quickbooks.
I strongly prefer stickshift cars, but drive an automatic Civic.
I am energized by being around people, but really enjoy being alone.
I am a strong woman, but still like the guy to initiate the first move.
I love to wear heels, but will often wear flats to not appear taller than I already am.
I love to travel, but hate the annoyance and inconvenience of flying.
I love to donate money, but wish I had more.
I hate going to bed at night, but like sleeping.
I love God, but sometimes hate what religion looks like (esp in America).
I'm opposites and contradictions and both the "yes" and the "no." I'm me.
I love salads with lots of veggies, and candy.
I love to organize, but also sometimes like a messy desk/apartment.
I don't like trends, but sometimes want to be trendy.
I use coupons and send in every rebate offer, but will splurge on a dress.
I shop at Payless, but Nordstrom.
I love talking and learning about money and finance, but am still learning Excel and don't know Quickbooks.
I strongly prefer stickshift cars, but drive an automatic Civic.
I am energized by being around people, but really enjoy being alone.
I am a strong woman, but still like the guy to initiate the first move.
I love to wear heels, but will often wear flats to not appear taller than I already am.
I love to travel, but hate the annoyance and inconvenience of flying.
I love to donate money, but wish I had more.
I hate going to bed at night, but like sleeping.
I love God, but sometimes hate what religion looks like (esp in America).
I'm opposites and contradictions and both the "yes" and the "no." I'm me.
Bank accounts for low-income SFers
This article warms my heart today. Check cashing places, or predatory lenders, prey on people who aren't able to open bank accounts. The big banks partnering to make it easier to get an account for lower-income San Francisco residents - good news! And other cities are paying attention.
If this 71yr old woman in the article spends almost $200 a month on check cashing and money order fees, and that money can be saved simply by getting her a checking account... wow. And she's not having to carry around cash and being afraid of getting attacked? This makes me happy.
Expand this program ASAP!
If this 71yr old woman in the article spends almost $200 a month on check cashing and money order fees, and that money can be saved simply by getting her a checking account... wow. And she's not having to carry around cash and being afraid of getting attacked? This makes me happy.
Expand this program ASAP!
Monday, December 3, 2007
I'm in!
My email to the 10 people who awesomely helped me move on Sat:
Thank you so much for helping me move on Sat!! I know the load was not light nor easy to fit through the door or up the stairs :) but I really appreciate your coming on time and willingness to help in any way. Having so many people made it go relatively quickly. I feel like God was acting through your actions, and further confirming how community and friends make life easier and more fun. Especially when Josh walked a simple two blocks to get his power drill, I was like, wow, life is easier with friends who live close by. Nic, thanks for helping me in the morn with the Budget truck frustrations and Nhuanh, thanks so much for helping me return the truck all the way to San Leandro (esp helping me navigate the gas station by moving cones) and inviting me to dinner that night. Cheryl and house, thanks for the "welcome" cookies and soap - I love cute soaps and the cookies are yummy. Everyone, thanks for all the sweat and muscles :)
I feel happier already and keep thinking, "Finally, I'm here." Boxes are everywhere, furniture is still being rotated around, but I'm just glad to be here. Mitch and Nora are exploring their new terrain bravely, though they both feel safest hiding under the bed.
I'm looking forward to a TV-less existence, seeing what good things our faithful God has for me in this new time and neighborhood. Thank you again!!
I should add a thank you to Jill, who did the unpretty job of helping me Friday night pack and clean all the last things on my to-do list. Thanks for being so available and willing :)
Thank you so much for helping me move on Sat!! I know the load was not light nor easy to fit through the door or up the stairs :) but I really appreciate your coming on time and willingness to help in any way. Having so many people made it go relatively quickly. I feel like God was acting through your actions, and further confirming how community and friends make life easier and more fun. Especially when Josh walked a simple two blocks to get his power drill, I was like, wow, life is easier with friends who live close by. Nic, thanks for helping me in the morn with the Budget truck frustrations and Nhuanh, thanks so much for helping me return the truck all the way to San Leandro (esp helping me navigate the gas station by moving cones) and inviting me to dinner that night. Cheryl and house, thanks for the "welcome" cookies and soap - I love cute soaps and the cookies are yummy. Everyone, thanks for all the sweat and muscles :)
I feel happier already and keep thinking, "Finally, I'm here." Boxes are everywhere, furniture is still being rotated around, but I'm just glad to be here. Mitch and Nora are exploring their new terrain bravely, though they both feel safest hiding under the bed.
I'm looking forward to a TV-less existence, seeing what good things our faithful God has for me in this new time and neighborhood. Thank you again!!
I should add a thank you to Jill, who did the unpretty job of helping me Friday night pack and clean all the last things on my to-do list. Thanks for being so available and willing :)
Friday, November 30, 2007
Moving!!
Yey! Finally, about time! I'm packing up and will go pick Ms. Jill up soon to look over the unit then finish packing and cleaning up.
Then a whole crew come over tomorrow. I feel loved, thanks all :)
And I bought donuts and mini-SunnyDelight. This is going to be fun!! I need to put collars and their new identity tags on the cats - Mitch isn't going to love that too much.
Next time I post, I'll be in my new address. Let's see how the kittercats take the transition.
Have a good wkend all, if I don't see you tomorrow :)
Then a whole crew come over tomorrow. I feel loved, thanks all :)
And I bought donuts and mini-SunnyDelight. This is going to be fun!! I need to put collars and their new identity tags on the cats - Mitch isn't going to love that too much.
Next time I post, I'll be in my new address. Let's see how the kittercats take the transition.
Have a good wkend all, if I don't see you tomorrow :)
Foreclosure map - Oakland and SF
I found this link in a comments section of an article on the SF Chronicle.
Another commenter wrote about this article from 2005 which says half of all personal bankruptcies from 2001 were due to medical bills. That's shocking. And surprisingly more than 75% of those people had health insurance; some lost their insurance during their or their families' illnesses. I think I read somewhere else that that statistic has risen. A large percentage of personal bankruptices are because the medical bills became overwhelming.
Next time you judge someone going through bankruptcy, think on that. Politicians and even credit card companies try to market all people who are having difficult financial times as foolish and spendhappy, and hence laws protecting bankrupted folk are not needed. There ARE plenty of those people but most people are just trying to pay the bills and stay healthy. Just one layoff or extended illness spells big trouble for most of us. I know I basically live paycheck to paycheck though I'm slowly building up savings so it's not close. But no amount of money can make me "safe." You just can't control that much.
Trusting God is sounding pretty good right about now.
Another commenter wrote about this article from 2005 which says half of all personal bankruptcies from 2001 were due to medical bills. That's shocking. And surprisingly more than 75% of those people had health insurance; some lost their insurance during their or their families' illnesses. I think I read somewhere else that that statistic has risen. A large percentage of personal bankruptices are because the medical bills became overwhelming.
Next time you judge someone going through bankruptcy, think on that. Politicians and even credit card companies try to market all people who are having difficult financial times as foolish and spendhappy, and hence laws protecting bankrupted folk are not needed. There ARE plenty of those people but most people are just trying to pay the bills and stay healthy. Just one layoff or extended illness spells big trouble for most of us. I know I basically live paycheck to paycheck though I'm slowly building up savings so it's not close. But no amount of money can make me "safe." You just can't control that much.
Trusting God is sounding pretty good right about now.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Amazon's 30 Day Price Guarantee
I thought Amazon had an informal policy of refunding the price difference if an item becomes cheaper. It seems like they have a formal unwritten policy of it, actually.
I would think this only applies to products purchased directly from Amazon, not third party sellers.
I would think this only applies to products purchased directly from Amazon, not third party sellers.
Google and renewable energy
Glancing quickly through this article, I thought two things:
1. This is great! I'm glad a big well-known company like Google is investing in making clean energy easier and more affordable. They are very influential and will help lead the way in this movement.
2. Google is taking over the world.
1. This is great! I'm glad a big well-known company like Google is investing in making clean energy easier and more affordable. They are very influential and will help lead the way in this movement.
2. Google is taking over the world.
Mary J. Blige iPod commercial
I really like Mary J. Blige's commercial for iPod. I'll stop fastforwarding through my Tivo'd shows to watch it. I like how it uses iPod's standard commercial format (silhuette, dancing, one song) but also upgrades to having the artist "performing" and with backup dancers and swirling colors. And I just love me some Mary :)
I've downloaded one of her songs but this makes me want the album.
Here it is for the curious.
I've downloaded one of her songs but this makes me want the album.
Here it is for the curious.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Looking trendy
An acquaintance Susan who works in my office building stopped me in the hall today and said, "You know, me and (this other woman who works with her that I can't remember the name of) were talking the other day about how we always see you dressing so trendy and looking good." Surprised, I said thank you. But as I'm currently wearing kinda a cute outfit today (gray fitted flannel skirt with black ribbed sweater and black knee-high boots), I thought today's look wasn't really a fair assessment.
"But that's just today," I protested, thinking of yesterday's warm, casual, yet just ok outfit of black pants and purple argyle (?) sweater. She said, "No, yesterday, you were wearing those cute flats too and the whole outfit..." Now really surprised, I said, "No no, yesterday's outfit was just eh. And I always like your outfits!" A few more comments back and forth, me saying thank you, her repeating my trendiness, and we walked away.
I didn't even think that these women noticed me that much. They are two of the few ppl I make conversation in my building mostly because Susan is really friendly and kept insisting on making small talk with me in the bathroom and in the hall despite my halfhearted replies.
But the really weird thing is Susan is really trendy with the latest clothes, accessories, and styled hair. She sells expensive cars to assumedly rich people and has a great happy attitude with a polished look to match the job. Sometimes I think she's too chipper and peppy. But who am I to talk - I'm the sarcastic, realistic one. Susan, who dresses cute and always has the whole outfit coordinating but not too much, thinks enough of seeing me randomly for ten seconds to comment on my clothes? Wow.
So anyway, I started to write a post about how I don't have trendy nice-looking career jewelry because I either don't know where to find it or have a hard time dropping money on a necklace or a bracelet. And yeah I could search on the web but it's hard to fall in love with earrings on a site. And then it goes back to not wanting to pay for it! I wish I could outsource this - have someone buy me cool silver sometimes-chunky jewelry for work and fun, and I'd pay them back. Is that odd? Would I still feel like it's too much?
But then I remembered the interaction with Susan, and I still feel surprised especially as my current thoughts were on my lack of cool jewelry. I try to buy trendy clothes but I didn't grow up in any way stylish and will always feel a bit stylish-insecure. I remember talking to my friend Mark in/right after college about my clothes and that I would like to dress better, and he was like, "What are you talking about? You're totally trendy." Surprised me then too.
No, I'm not writing this to get compliments or critiques on my clothes!! But just an observation about what we think about ourselves doesn't always match how other people think of us.
"But that's just today," I protested, thinking of yesterday's warm, casual, yet just ok outfit of black pants and purple argyle (?) sweater. She said, "No, yesterday, you were wearing those cute flats too and the whole outfit..." Now really surprised, I said, "No no, yesterday's outfit was just eh. And I always like your outfits!" A few more comments back and forth, me saying thank you, her repeating my trendiness, and we walked away.
I didn't even think that these women noticed me that much. They are two of the few ppl I make conversation in my building mostly because Susan is really friendly and kept insisting on making small talk with me in the bathroom and in the hall despite my halfhearted replies.
But the really weird thing is Susan is really trendy with the latest clothes, accessories, and styled hair. She sells expensive cars to assumedly rich people and has a great happy attitude with a polished look to match the job. Sometimes I think she's too chipper and peppy. But who am I to talk - I'm the sarcastic, realistic one. Susan, who dresses cute and always has the whole outfit coordinating but not too much, thinks enough of seeing me randomly for ten seconds to comment on my clothes? Wow.
So anyway, I started to write a post about how I don't have trendy nice-looking career jewelry because I either don't know where to find it or have a hard time dropping money on a necklace or a bracelet. And yeah I could search on the web but it's hard to fall in love with earrings on a site. And then it goes back to not wanting to pay for it! I wish I could outsource this - have someone buy me cool silver sometimes-chunky jewelry for work and fun, and I'd pay them back. Is that odd? Would I still feel like it's too much?
But then I remembered the interaction with Susan, and I still feel surprised especially as my current thoughts were on my lack of cool jewelry. I try to buy trendy clothes but I didn't grow up in any way stylish and will always feel a bit stylish-insecure. I remember talking to my friend Mark in/right after college about my clothes and that I would like to dress better, and he was like, "What are you talking about? You're totally trendy." Surprised me then too.
No, I'm not writing this to get compliments or critiques on my clothes!! But just an observation about what we think about ourselves doesn't always match how other people think of us.
Sad story
I just read a sad story about a pizza delivery man who got shot in Richmond when he was delivering a pizza. He was trying to save money to bring his mom over from Cambodia. He had just become a citizen in September. The people who killed him didn't even take any money. He ahs lived here 13 years and has two kids, a 3yr old and 18mo old.
Is there a fund being set up for his wife and kids??
Is there a fund being set up for his wife and kids??
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving
I spent most of this wkend with my family; two days in Salinas at one brother Joe and sis-in-law's, one day at the other brother Mark and sis-in-law's, and one day at church with parents, Mark, and Rebecca, Mark's wife. A lot of details I just typed :)
Our family can be pretty flexible especially around the holidays. So on Thursday in Salinas, we went on a short hike, at a late lunch at Denny's (what? you didn't have a Denver omelette at your TG dinner?) and played Settlers. The next day we did some light Black Friday shopping and ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant, family style. And my family pushed me helpfully to get a nail/screw thing stuck in my tire fixed. Good thing, bc the whole tire needed to be replaced.
Saturday Mark and Rebecca hosted us and it was very yummy. She made hot cider in their crock pot (love the idea), Mark finally lived out his dream of deep-frying a turkey, and there was asparagus, rolls, meatless-stuffing, mashed potaters, and apple and pecan pies for dessert. They showed us their new backyard with tile they put in and their new built-in grill. They did a lot of the work themselves which is mighty impressive. It looked really cool.
Church on Sunday was really cool and I'm glad my parents, Mark, and Rebecca came. I'm especially glad they made the extra effort to be on time :) There were a lot of people at church which was a pleasant surprise. Three people shared their family's immigration stories and it was really honest and lovely. I felt like I was home, being surrounded by so many friends and friendly faces. It also felt easy to bring my family there - very accepted as we are. Having a casual dress-code helps. I was grateful for people who came up to talk to my family, who said they gave a quick prayer when they saw us, who helped me merge my worlds.
Showing my family my new place went better than I expected. Mark and Becca had a ton of helpful things to point out about the place; things to repair and cute ideas about utilizing the unique corners and nooks. They all thought it was super cute and were excited to see what I would do with it. It made me feel better about moving into a small space.
So yep. Now starting today with a new branch manager and moving this Sat. This week is going to be full times 10. I'm glad to get back to my life, my friends, my space.
Our family can be pretty flexible especially around the holidays. So on Thursday in Salinas, we went on a short hike, at a late lunch at Denny's (what? you didn't have a Denver omelette at your TG dinner?) and played Settlers. The next day we did some light Black Friday shopping and ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant, family style. And my family pushed me helpfully to get a nail/screw thing stuck in my tire fixed. Good thing, bc the whole tire needed to be replaced.
Saturday Mark and Rebecca hosted us and it was very yummy. She made hot cider in their crock pot (love the idea), Mark finally lived out his dream of deep-frying a turkey, and there was asparagus, rolls, meatless-stuffing, mashed potaters, and apple and pecan pies for dessert. They showed us their new backyard with tile they put in and their new built-in grill. They did a lot of the work themselves which is mighty impressive. It looked really cool.
Church on Sunday was really cool and I'm glad my parents, Mark, and Rebecca came. I'm especially glad they made the extra effort to be on time :) There were a lot of people at church which was a pleasant surprise. Three people shared their family's immigration stories and it was really honest and lovely. I felt like I was home, being surrounded by so many friends and friendly faces. It also felt easy to bring my family there - very accepted as we are. Having a casual dress-code helps. I was grateful for people who came up to talk to my family, who said they gave a quick prayer when they saw us, who helped me merge my worlds.
Showing my family my new place went better than I expected. Mark and Becca had a ton of helpful things to point out about the place; things to repair and cute ideas about utilizing the unique corners and nooks. They all thought it was super cute and were excited to see what I would do with it. It made me feel better about moving into a small space.
So yep. Now starting today with a new branch manager and moving this Sat. This week is going to be full times 10. I'm glad to get back to my life, my friends, my space.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Amazon's Kindle - thumbs down
Have you heard about this new product from Amazon, a wireless reading device? It's called the Kindle and it's a simple electronic book with web access to download new books. Priced at $399, it's the size of a paperback.
I couldn't download a pic of it so here's the link to the Kindle on Amazon.com. You know, I love Amazon.com and all, really strong love, but this thing sucks. And it's disappointing. And I don't care how many reviews with 4 or 5 stars from ppl who got to preview it you put up there that exclaim "It's AMAZING!" I'm not buying. I'm not buying the product, the hype, or the tall-tale you're trying to push down my book-loving throat.
I can't sum it up better than this reviewer named Griffin Fariello "Grif" from San Francisco (emphasis mine):
"[Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos] doesn't seem to have read a well-published book if he thinks they "disappear" as you read them. The experience is there in your hands, from the jacket to the binding to the texture and shade of paper. How all that fits with the typeface and enhances the author's words makes the book a vibrant artifact of craft and art. This he wants to replace with an ugly sliver of plastic? I have a wall of books in my apartment. They are as warm and reassuring as the art on my walls. What Bezos, in his entrepreneurial haste, does not understand is that the object itself, not just the words within, is of great worth as well.
"And we are to pay $400 for this device? What if we happen to forget it on the bus or it is lifted from us? If a book I can easily buy another, or take another down from my shelf. With Kindle I'm out 400 smackers and there goes my library as well. What if it gets rained on, dropped in the bathtub, spilled upon? What if the dog chews on it or a child takes a hammer to it? And what of our friends who wish to borrow a book? Must they own a device as well and we then bluetooth a copy across to them? Or is a loan out of the question for we have a license for only one copy that can't be duplicated? And what a paltry gift a digitized book would make. What is there to unwrap and admire?
"And what of the author? When someone asks what I have written, or when I turn to my shelf, in those doubtful moments wondering why I didn't go to law school instead, what will be there? An empty shelf? A solitary slice of plastic? And with digitized books selling for $9.95 or less, how are the majority of writers, those in the great middle in sales, to eke out a living? Almost all major publishers are owned by a handful of tight-fisted conglomerates. Contracts already include "all future technology." The longest section of contracts these days is that covering author royalties - every reason imaginable, no matter how paltry, to cut your royalties in half or even more. With the future Bezos imagines we'll be making .25 or less for every copy sold. Thank you very much, Mr. Bezos.
"As someone who is not only an avid reader, but as someone who's been in the book business from selling, writing, and publishing most of my adult life I hope this thing falls flat on its face."
I don't want to read books electronically. I don't care if the font looks more like book font than computer font. The fact that it's not in color really does not impress me (seriously black and white? I know it saves power but ugh). I want to hold a book, smell the ink and paper, turn the pages, turn a page back if I want to reread an especially delicious sentence or remember a character's name, and look at the pretty cover. Yes, I do sometime pick books based on their covers. Yes, I do remember that a clever quote was on page 84 or that a certain book had 1084 pages (to my best memory: Gone With the Wind). How is a book a book without a number of pages? How do you retrack your steps if you want to reread something that was around the first third of the book, right after a new chapter, on the top left-hand side? I admit I hesitantly tried audio books and liked them when I had a long bus commute but I probably stuck with Audible.com bc I had an one-yr commitment to fulfill my $100 iPod discount. I canceled it right after. I've considered buying another audio book but am ok so far.
And to the reviewer who loved that she could read the NY Times on her Kindle in the morning without having to climb out of the bed to get the physical paper? I'm all for alternate news sources as I get 95% of my news from the internet and 5% from Jon Stewart, but do you really want to skip the experience of getting out of bed, grabbing the rough inky heft of news and reading it? If you're a person who reads the paper daily, I'm befuddled that you'd prefer this Kindle thing. I use my MotoQ to check websites when bored or my email when urgent but at least it's in color. And just when the iPhone has come out with color websites that really look like websites, you'd choose this black and white device?
And to people who are glad the Kindle saves them from having to carry a book? It is a small inconvenience but I like carrying a book too. Maybe bc I have my MotoQ for web access and my PalmPilot for Solitaire and jotting notes that I don't feel the need to carry a book everywhere if I have 10 minutes of "bored time" (which I am not mocking; I totally understand the desire to not be bored). So maybe the Kindle is for people with just a simple cell phone, and the Kindle's dazzling ability to download a book in a few seconds is like magic? Sorry, that's a bit mean. But true??
Technology is changing so many things. But books are books. I welcome technology to come in but for Amazon to have all these authors flaunt their new love for this Kindle, my head just turns sideways, confused. Don't you authors love holding and devouring the physical book too? Isn't that part of the experience? Don't you want to share a book with a friend? Audible and Kindle let you only buy a new book, not an used one or share with someone else.
I don't know how to end this. Would I like it better if Kindle came in color? If Amazon had paired technology with the iPhone instead of trying to create their own product? Or if they just let us readers alone to read our books.
I couldn't download a pic of it so here's the link to the Kindle on Amazon.com. You know, I love Amazon.com and all, really strong love, but this thing sucks. And it's disappointing. And I don't care how many reviews with 4 or 5 stars from ppl who got to preview it you put up there that exclaim "It's AMAZING!" I'm not buying. I'm not buying the product, the hype, or the tall-tale you're trying to push down my book-loving throat.
I can't sum it up better than this reviewer named Griffin Fariello "Grif" from San Francisco (emphasis mine):
"[Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos] doesn't seem to have read a well-published book if he thinks they "disappear" as you read them. The experience is there in your hands, from the jacket to the binding to the texture and shade of paper. How all that fits with the typeface and enhances the author's words makes the book a vibrant artifact of craft and art. This he wants to replace with an ugly sliver of plastic? I have a wall of books in my apartment. They are as warm and reassuring as the art on my walls. What Bezos, in his entrepreneurial haste, does not understand is that the object itself, not just the words within, is of great worth as well.
"And we are to pay $400 for this device? What if we happen to forget it on the bus or it is lifted from us? If a book I can easily buy another, or take another down from my shelf. With Kindle I'm out 400 smackers and there goes my library as well. What if it gets rained on, dropped in the bathtub, spilled upon? What if the dog chews on it or a child takes a hammer to it? And what of our friends who wish to borrow a book? Must they own a device as well and we then bluetooth a copy across to them? Or is a loan out of the question for we have a license for only one copy that can't be duplicated? And what a paltry gift a digitized book would make. What is there to unwrap and admire?
"And what of the author? When someone asks what I have written, or when I turn to my shelf, in those doubtful moments wondering why I didn't go to law school instead, what will be there? An empty shelf? A solitary slice of plastic? And with digitized books selling for $9.95 or less, how are the majority of writers, those in the great middle in sales, to eke out a living? Almost all major publishers are owned by a handful of tight-fisted conglomerates. Contracts already include "all future technology." The longest section of contracts these days is that covering author royalties - every reason imaginable, no matter how paltry, to cut your royalties in half or even more. With the future Bezos imagines we'll be making .25 or less for every copy sold. Thank you very much, Mr. Bezos.
"As someone who is not only an avid reader, but as someone who's been in the book business from selling, writing, and publishing most of my adult life I hope this thing falls flat on its face."
I don't want to read books electronically. I don't care if the font looks more like book font than computer font. The fact that it's not in color really does not impress me (seriously black and white? I know it saves power but ugh). I want to hold a book, smell the ink and paper, turn the pages, turn a page back if I want to reread an especially delicious sentence or remember a character's name, and look at the pretty cover. Yes, I do sometime pick books based on their covers. Yes, I do remember that a clever quote was on page 84 or that a certain book had 1084 pages (to my best memory: Gone With the Wind). How is a book a book without a number of pages? How do you retrack your steps if you want to reread something that was around the first third of the book, right after a new chapter, on the top left-hand side? I admit I hesitantly tried audio books and liked them when I had a long bus commute but I probably stuck with Audible.com bc I had an one-yr commitment to fulfill my $100 iPod discount. I canceled it right after. I've considered buying another audio book but am ok so far.
And to the reviewer who loved that she could read the NY Times on her Kindle in the morning without having to climb out of the bed to get the physical paper? I'm all for alternate news sources as I get 95% of my news from the internet and 5% from Jon Stewart, but do you really want to skip the experience of getting out of bed, grabbing the rough inky heft of news and reading it? If you're a person who reads the paper daily, I'm befuddled that you'd prefer this Kindle thing. I use my MotoQ to check websites when bored or my email when urgent but at least it's in color. And just when the iPhone has come out with color websites that really look like websites, you'd choose this black and white device?
And to people who are glad the Kindle saves them from having to carry a book? It is a small inconvenience but I like carrying a book too. Maybe bc I have my MotoQ for web access and my PalmPilot for Solitaire and jotting notes that I don't feel the need to carry a book everywhere if I have 10 minutes of "bored time" (which I am not mocking; I totally understand the desire to not be bored). So maybe the Kindle is for people with just a simple cell phone, and the Kindle's dazzling ability to download a book in a few seconds is like magic? Sorry, that's a bit mean. But true??
Technology is changing so many things. But books are books. I welcome technology to come in but for Amazon to have all these authors flaunt their new love for this Kindle, my head just turns sideways, confused. Don't you authors love holding and devouring the physical book too? Isn't that part of the experience? Don't you want to share a book with a friend? Audible and Kindle let you only buy a new book, not an used one or share with someone else.
I don't know how to end this. Would I like it better if Kindle came in color? If Amazon had paired technology with the iPhone instead of trying to create their own product? Or if they just let us readers alone to read our books.
Bay Area - Don't eat crab right now!
As this article in the SF Chronicle discusses, local fishermen are not catching crab from the Bay until the crabs and fish are declared safe after the oil spill (decision expected Nov. 28). But Oregon fishermen are coming down, getting the crabs, and at night unloaded the crabs in Monterey Bay. Those crabs are now being sent up to San Francisco. Most distributors are not buying but some ARE. I personally am not eating crab in the Bay Area for quite awhile. I like to be healthy. There do seem to be some companies getting safe crab from other waters but who knows which is which?
So to recap:
Oil spill + crab/fish + Orangecat's tummy = bad.
Food poisoning = bad.
So to recap:
Oil spill + crab/fish + Orangecat's tummy = bad.
Food poisoning = bad.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Global drought
An article from Salon.com about the drought in the Southeast US, Europe, and Australia. The point the author writes, which I ask also, is why haven't we heard about this? Why is the mainstream media not covering this? And why aren't they asking and trying to answer the question: What happens when the water runs out? Especially as Atlanta is said to have 80-120 days of water left.
This will mostly affect the poor if widespread migrations start. Not in other countries but here in America. What if Atlanta becomes another New Orleans? And other cities follow. This is the kind of thing that history books record as ending empires.
This will mostly affect the poor if widespread migrations start. Not in other countries but here in America. What if Atlanta becomes another New Orleans? And other cities follow. This is the kind of thing that history books record as ending empires.
Writers strike
Friday, November 16, 2007
Esther and I drove to Napa today for winetasting and an impromptu dinner at At Hoc. Fun, relaxing, and full of beautiful pictures.
New camera!
I'm really excited and happy. My new camera came yesterday and I've been setting it up and playing with it last night and this morning. It's only my second digital camera and I bought my first one in 2002 - I think a 5yr average is pretty good. I'm not one to constantly upgrade on toys; I've only had four cell phones since May 2000 and the last one I upgraded to because it's a work phone (yey btw to work paying my cell bill!). I've bought one laptop in 2004 and though I dream about a Mac, this PC is working just fine.
Ok, so here are some pics from last night:
Self-pic (the day's eye makeup not completely taken off)
------------------------------------------ grrr spacing --------------------------------------
I've been wanting a new camera for a long time but going to Turkey/Greece and then Cabo and relying on friends' cameras has clinched it for me. In Cabo, I took 13 pics mostly at the airport and the first hours in San Diego; the other 300 are from Esther and Pin. I was trying to decide if I should wait for the December sales but as my family is coming up for Thanksgiving, I went for it and bought one a week ago from Amazon. I saved some extra dough with a $20 gift card.
Ok, so here are some pics from last night:
My books
Self-pic (the day's eye makeup not completely taken off)
Nora!
Mitch!
The kittercats :)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Fall
I think my favorite season is fall. Though when spring comes around, Easter is my hands-down favorite holiday with the bright colors and eggs and warmth, and summer is great as fruit season and with its popsicles and playing in the water.
But fall has leaves changing color and football and orangeyellowbrown colors and being able to wear sweaters and scarves and turn the heater on and snuggle in and new TV shows and did I mention football yet? And fall brings early winter with peppermint ice cream and pumpkin pie. I love peppermint ice cream to its peppermint death and it only is sold in fall/beginnings of winter.
Yes, I do think fall is my favorite season.
PS. I want to make this Peppermint Ice Cream Candyland Cake.
But fall has leaves changing color and football and orangeyellowbrown colors and being able to wear sweaters and scarves and turn the heater on and snuggle in and new TV shows and did I mention football yet? And fall brings early winter with peppermint ice cream and pumpkin pie. I love peppermint ice cream to its peppermint death and it only is sold in fall/beginnings of winter.
Yes, I do think fall is my favorite season.
PS. I want to make this Peppermint Ice Cream Candyland Cake.
Busybusybusy
Life has ramped up quickly. Last week was kinda slow and space to daydream and think too much. This week is full though of course I squeeze in time to think too much. It's me and that's just part of my DNA unfortunately :)
I'm going into the city tonight to meet Cary Tennis at his book reading in the Haight. I'm looking forward to it - the whole experience of listening to an author read his first book, in a bookstore. I really respect his writing and his publishing the book himself after bigger publishing houses wouldn't print it. I admire his taking the next step in living a creative life. So I guess I'm going to meet him and support someone trying to speak out his creative voice. Go writers!
"Project Runway" started last night. I'm trying not to get too into it bc I can only three episodes before I move into a new place with no TV or cable (do they show the eps on Bravo.com?) but I do love it. I was thinking this morning as I watched my tivo'd show, that it's so popular bc it's PG rated. It's not about sex or romance and the designers are really skilled. It's totally the show that as I watch, I admire their abilities more and more, and realize how different I am than them. Other reality shows sometimes make me think, "Oh, I could do that." I like a show that raises the bar and shows how they're experts and I'm not.
Time to start packing hardcore. My books are first as they need the best strongest boxes (yes, I move so much that I keep my hard-fought good fruit boxes from Safeway). I've been slowly cleaning out stuff, throwing away, donating to Hopalong, donating to Salvation Army, starting to lend to friends. I like to take a move as a month-long process of slowly cleaning out my life and making a new one. I like moving and creating a new space (looking forward to having my own space again) but the day of the move gets me anxious. I'm trying to pray through and release all the worry and just enjoy moving in. I waste a lot of time preparing for the worst and I want to think differently. Not the first time I've come to this realization but I am working toward it anew.
I'm going into the city tonight to meet Cary Tennis at his book reading in the Haight. I'm looking forward to it - the whole experience of listening to an author read his first book, in a bookstore. I really respect his writing and his publishing the book himself after bigger publishing houses wouldn't print it. I admire his taking the next step in living a creative life. So I guess I'm going to meet him and support someone trying to speak out his creative voice. Go writers!
"Project Runway" started last night. I'm trying not to get too into it bc I can only three episodes before I move into a new place with no TV or cable (do they show the eps on Bravo.com?) but I do love it. I was thinking this morning as I watched my tivo'd show, that it's so popular bc it's PG rated. It's not about sex or romance and the designers are really skilled. It's totally the show that as I watch, I admire their abilities more and more, and realize how different I am than them. Other reality shows sometimes make me think, "Oh, I could do that." I like a show that raises the bar and shows how they're experts and I'm not.
Time to start packing hardcore. My books are first as they need the best strongest boxes (yes, I move so much that I keep my hard-fought good fruit boxes from Safeway). I've been slowly cleaning out stuff, throwing away, donating to Hopalong, donating to Salvation Army, starting to lend to friends. I like to take a move as a month-long process of slowly cleaning out my life and making a new one. I like moving and creating a new space (looking forward to having my own space again) but the day of the move gets me anxious. I'm trying to pray through and release all the worry and just enjoy moving in. I waste a lot of time preparing for the worst and I want to think differently. Not the first time I've come to this realization but I am working toward it anew.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Life and stuff
Wow, the Colts/Chargers game last night on Sunday Night Football was crazzzy! I started watching in the middle of the third quarter when Chargers were leading 23-10. They had been leading 23-0. Peyton Manning is so strong and drove his team to come back SOO close but they missed a 2pt conversion (go Chargers defense!), MISSED a 29yd field goal (what the??), and Peyton threw a personal and team record of 6 interceptions (thought the 6th one was the last play of the game) to lose in the end. I wish I had gotten to watch the first half where Chargers scored two touchdowns on the opening kickoff and a punt return. And one of the Colts' 4thQ touchdowns was when Rivers, the SD QB, fumbled the ball in their endzone and the defense scrambled for it. Easy 6 points but then the stopped 2 pts.
Damn that was a heart attack game.
I finished Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie. A good one. I won't tell who did it but I love her misleading plots.
YEY to my 28 minute commute this morning. I love commuting on Federal Holidays!! Seriously though, thank you Veterans.
I started eating more organic food including organic yogurt and milk. And buying non-cage eggs (where the chickens roam free and don't have their beaks cut off). It costs a bit more but as I focus on what I eat and buy, I find I buy less - only what I need. Or at least I try my best to. Last night I got yummy food from Trader Joe's including papaya mango salsa, asparagus, organic lowfat milk, meat lasagna, oldstyle potato salad, Asian peanut vinaigrette, molasses/chocolate/sugar cookies and maple turkey slices. I can't wait for my meals this week :) When I got home, I made this meal of salad (romaine lettuce, shredded carrot, warm chicken slices, and the peanut vinaigrette), milk, and half a small prepared pizza. I'm trying to make meals more of an event so I used a placemat and sat at the table. I tried really hard to not watch TV but the above mentioned football game was on. Then I put two cookies on a cute plate and ate my dessert while I finished watching the game. I was done and didn't eat after. Let's see if I can continue the trend!
I FINALLY bought a new digital camera. Long time coming esp as my last two trips I relied on my friends' cameras instead of my ancient five yr old Kodak digital. I ordered it from Amazon and hope to see it this week. Excited :)
And I finally finished the MyPublisher album on Sat too. Four hours on Sat, maybe a total of 20 hours or so. The limit is 100 pages so I had to go back and tighten things up. I'm actually glad for that, forcing me to edit. I think it was good I did it slowly over a month, time to come back with fresh eyes and edit constantly. I'm going to wait to order it after I move so it's not another thing I have to pack and unpack.
Damn that was a heart attack game.
I finished Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie. A good one. I won't tell who did it but I love her misleading plots.
YEY to my 28 minute commute this morning. I love commuting on Federal Holidays!! Seriously though, thank you Veterans.
I started eating more organic food including organic yogurt and milk. And buying non-cage eggs (where the chickens roam free and don't have their beaks cut off). It costs a bit more but as I focus on what I eat and buy, I find I buy less - only what I need. Or at least I try my best to. Last night I got yummy food from Trader Joe's including papaya mango salsa, asparagus, organic lowfat milk, meat lasagna, oldstyle potato salad, Asian peanut vinaigrette, molasses/chocolate/sugar cookies and maple turkey slices. I can't wait for my meals this week :) When I got home, I made this meal of salad (romaine lettuce, shredded carrot, warm chicken slices, and the peanut vinaigrette), milk, and half a small prepared pizza. I'm trying to make meals more of an event so I used a placemat and sat at the table. I tried really hard to not watch TV but the above mentioned football game was on. Then I put two cookies on a cute plate and ate my dessert while I finished watching the game. I was done and didn't eat after. Let's see if I can continue the trend!
I FINALLY bought a new digital camera. Long time coming esp as my last two trips I relied on my friends' cameras instead of my ancient five yr old Kodak digital. I ordered it from Amazon and hope to see it this week. Excited :)
And I finally finished the MyPublisher album on Sat too. Four hours on Sat, maybe a total of 20 hours or so. The limit is 100 pages so I had to go back and tighten things up. I'm actually glad for that, forcing me to edit. I think it was good I did it slowly over a month, time to come back with fresh eyes and edit constantly. I'm going to wait to order it after I move so it's not another thing I have to pack and unpack.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Cat Among the Pigeons
I started a new Agatha Christie novel this week, written in 1956.
Here's the Book Description from Amazon:
Another term has begun at Meadowbank, a prestigious, well-respected British girls' school. The indomitable headmistress is preparing to retire and name her successor. There is a disconcertingly mature Middle Eastern princess among the students and several new staff members in residence. And a brand-new sports pavilion is the pride of the campus.
But the school year suddenly takes a deadly turn when one of the teachers is found shot to death. As the investigation ensues, it becomes clear that the killer was not an outsider—and equally clear that no one at Meadowbank is who he or she seems to be. It is up to Hercule Poirot to determine who is who—and, more importantly, what has drawn the killer to the school—before anyone else falls victim to the cat among the pigeons.
Another term has begun at Meadowbank, a prestigious, well-respected British girls' school. The indomitable headmistress is preparing to retire and name her successor. There is a disconcertingly mature Middle Eastern princess among the students and several new staff members in residence. And a brand-new sports pavilion is the pride of the campus.
But the school year suddenly takes a deadly turn when one of the teachers is found shot to death. As the investigation ensues, it becomes clear that the killer was not an outsider—and equally clear that no one at Meadowbank is who he or she seems to be. It is up to Hercule Poirot to determine who is who—and, more importantly, what has drawn the killer to the school—before anyone else falls victim to the cat among the pigeons.
I find it interesting that Christie likes to include the Middle East in so many of her novels.
Ok, my early guess is it's the main headmistress who built the place and runs it, knowing every detail. I'm not exactly sure what her motive is. To be honest, I don't think it's her but I think it's fun to imagine what the plot would unfold to look like if it was her.
There is yet another character named Elspeth (??).
It may seem like I own all of the series because I write about them so much. But I only have eight of the revamped novels. I guess writing this blog kinda fell in line timewise with reading the novels.
GRRR why is the format coming out all messed up? I put spacing in but it doesn't show. grr.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Being a daughter
I was touched by reading this today. It's an exerpt from "Because I Said So: 33 Mothers Write About Children, Sex, Men, Aging, Faith, Race & Themselves."
I had to stop at times and read other websites before going back to the nonficton? memoir? story. I was touched by how the author thought through her desires and motivations and struggled against her wanting to make her 13yr old daughter a friend after a divorce. It's somehow healing to see that a mother realized the temptations to befriend her almost adult but still very young daughter or the temptation to give into anger about the girl's dislike of the mom's favorite books. To set boundaries for safety. I'm sure she wasn't perfect and she made mistakes but even in stopping and considering, I think she did more than many mothers do.
I had to stop at times and read other websites before going back to the nonficton? memoir? story. I was touched by how the author thought through her desires and motivations and struggled against her wanting to make her 13yr old daughter a friend after a divorce. It's somehow healing to see that a mother realized the temptations to befriend her almost adult but still very young daughter or the temptation to give into anger about the girl's dislike of the mom's favorite books. To set boundaries for safety. I'm sure she wasn't perfect and she made mistakes but even in stopping and considering, I think she did more than many mothers do.
He-Man!
I guess He-Man is in process to becoming a real action movie. This I would pay to see on opening weekend! I think my brothers played the most with He-Man and Transformers because these are the two toys I have strong memories of. I think they had the He-Man castle and I definitely remember the girls' costumes especially Teela with the gold cobra-like swirls on her boobs. (But I didn't remember the names before I saw the article).
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
FNL and Extras
I think I have a crush on Kyle Chandler's character Coach Eric Tyler on Friday Night Lights. Not sure if the crush is on the character or the actor. Let me watch more to find out :)
Watched Ricky Gervais in Extras' second season yesterday, so funny. I got the first disc from Netflix and loved the episodes with Orlando Bloom and Harry Potter, both playing caricatures/tools of themselves. Watching Gervais play the straight man and be constantly dumbfounded and shocked at what his agent, friends, and the stars say is sooo funny. I laugh right now thinking of some of his reactions. As he describes in an interview, they're not making fun of people with disabilities or homeless or whatever but making fun of the anxiety people feel around those topics. And isn't that just summarize comedy well? Yeah, I cringe and laugh frequently at the show. Seasons 1 and 2 are now on my Amazon Wish List. Kate Winslet guest-stars in Season 1 and is hilarious too. Plot summary: Gervais plays a character named Andy who is an extra on movie and tv sets. He meets stars and had completely inappropriate/embarrassing interactions with them. Ashley Jenson plays Maggie, Andy's best friend and a fellow extra. She is also on Ugly Betty playing Christina, Betty's best friend.
Here are some clips from Youtube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KmGaW-z2g3Y With Andy and his agent
http://youtube.com/watch?v=43sbtkQM6zc Andy with Sir Ian McKellen "you look confused" HA HA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=trUssiW0O5s Maggie with Orlando Bloom "everyone claps" lol "take a better look at me, see the attractiveness" LOL
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iME60JZInfw Andy and Maggie hang with Daniel Radcliffe. I guess the older woman in the clip is a well-known Dame. "Still going to use it?" "Yeah, it'll be fine." lol
Watched Ricky Gervais in Extras' second season yesterday, so funny. I got the first disc from Netflix and loved the episodes with Orlando Bloom and Harry Potter, both playing caricatures/tools of themselves. Watching Gervais play the straight man and be constantly dumbfounded and shocked at what his agent, friends, and the stars say is sooo funny. I laugh right now thinking of some of his reactions. As he describes in an interview, they're not making fun of people with disabilities or homeless or whatever but making fun of the anxiety people feel around those topics. And isn't that just summarize comedy well? Yeah, I cringe and laugh frequently at the show. Seasons 1 and 2 are now on my Amazon Wish List. Kate Winslet guest-stars in Season 1 and is hilarious too. Plot summary: Gervais plays a character named Andy who is an extra on movie and tv sets. He meets stars and had completely inappropriate/embarrassing interactions with them. Ashley Jenson plays Maggie, Andy's best friend and a fellow extra. She is also on Ugly Betty playing Christina, Betty's best friend.
Here are some clips from Youtube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KmGaW-z2g3Y With Andy and his agent
http://youtube.com/watch?v=43sbtkQM6zc Andy with Sir Ian McKellen "you look confused" HA HA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=trUssiW0O5s Maggie with Orlando Bloom "everyone claps" lol "take a better look at me, see the attractiveness" LOL
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iME60JZInfw Andy and Maggie hang with Daniel Radcliffe. I guess the older woman in the clip is a well-known Dame. "Still going to use it?" "Yeah, it'll be fine." lol
Cary Tennis Book reading
From his website:
"Cary Tennis Live at the Booksmith
The Booksmith, San Francisco's celebrated Haight-Ashbury independent purveyor of fine books, magazines and cards, hosts Cary Tennis in a reading, discussion and book signing on Thursday, November 15 at 7 p.m., at 1644 Haight Street, between Cole and Clayton. If you have not heard Cary perform, you are in for a treat. Please join him and his many fans as they celebrate the publication of this long-awaited volume."
His book drops Nov. 15th. Since You Asked: The Best of Salon.com's Cary Tennis -- Readers' Favorite Advice Columns on Love, Drugs, Sex, Dreams, Creativity, Adultery, Addiction, Abuse, Narcissism, Hyperacusis, Grief, and Where the Hell Does My Boyfriend Really Live, Anyway?
Anyone want to come with me next Thu?
"Cary Tennis Live at the Booksmith
The Booksmith, San Francisco's celebrated Haight-Ashbury independent purveyor of fine books, magazines and cards, hosts Cary Tennis in a reading, discussion and book signing on Thursday, November 15 at 7 p.m., at 1644 Haight Street, between Cole and Clayton. If you have not heard Cary perform, you are in for a treat. Please join him and his many fans as they celebrate the publication of this long-awaited volume."
His book drops Nov. 15th. Since You Asked: The Best of Salon.com's Cary Tennis -- Readers' Favorite Advice Columns on Love, Drugs, Sex, Dreams, Creativity, Adultery, Addiction, Abuse, Narcissism, Hyperacusis, Grief, and Where the Hell Does My Boyfriend Really Live, Anyway?
Anyone want to come with me next Thu?
Lots o' changes
1. Moving in Dec. 1 to the back unit of a house (owned by a family in my church, rented by three women in my church). All had happened kinda suddenly but it makes sense.
2. I've been job searching the last month. Applying, writing way too many lengthy cover letters, researching jobs, interviewing, considering job offers... and in the end, I've decided to stay with my current position at around 30 hrs with more working from home. There is something else that is possibly going to happen with it but too soon to discuss. Feels exciting, invigorating, like my life has a direction. Sept and Oct sucked big time as bad work months. This yr has had its moments but those two take the sucky cake.
What else? Let's see, I've been working from home the last three work days and I love not commuting so much. Today I'm in the office again and the stupid 880 had stupid traffic and it took me a stupid 67 minutes to get here. I hate toll booths now and carpool lanes that no one uses (I actually pray that ppl would cheat and move into the carpool lanes with only one person so that my lane would go quicker). I do sometimes struggle with staying focused at home but with the move very present on my mind, I feel naturally distracted with cleaning up/planning for it. Cleaning out my closet, donating clothes, clearing my old laptop so I can recycle it, planning to the inch where everything's going to go in my new dollhouse space. I was happy to stop by on Sunday and see that it's bigger than I remembered and I will be able to fit my couch in. I took camera pics and spent like an hour yesterday looking at them and planning where my furniture would go. Well, that and cruising Target.com to see what kitchen island would work to add counter space but maximize storage.
I'm also trying to finish up doing an electronic scrapbook through MyPublisher of my Turkey and Greece trip. For myself but more to get as a Christmas present for my mom. I have a buy one, get one free coupon and I thought it would be a great way to check off a task for myself and get my mom something she'd love. And yes, my mom will love a detailed scrapbook of my trip with lots of captions. But this thing is taking FOREVER. The software seems so slow to respond and doesn't allow a lot of words next to the pics and I have to flip back and forth between my Picasa page where I painstakingly wrote in captions in June to add them to the album. It's taking so long! I know it'll look good when it's done but grr. I finally got to Greece and am doing our ferry boat ride from Santorini to Mykonos. Getting there...
Ok, back to work...
2. I've been job searching the last month. Applying, writing way too many lengthy cover letters, researching jobs, interviewing, considering job offers... and in the end, I've decided to stay with my current position at around 30 hrs with more working from home. There is something else that is possibly going to happen with it but too soon to discuss. Feels exciting, invigorating, like my life has a direction. Sept and Oct sucked big time as bad work months. This yr has had its moments but those two take the sucky cake.
What else? Let's see, I've been working from home the last three work days and I love not commuting so much. Today I'm in the office again and the stupid 880 had stupid traffic and it took me a stupid 67 minutes to get here. I hate toll booths now and carpool lanes that no one uses (I actually pray that ppl would cheat and move into the carpool lanes with only one person so that my lane would go quicker). I do sometimes struggle with staying focused at home but with the move very present on my mind, I feel naturally distracted with cleaning up/planning for it. Cleaning out my closet, donating clothes, clearing my old laptop so I can recycle it, planning to the inch where everything's going to go in my new dollhouse space. I was happy to stop by on Sunday and see that it's bigger than I remembered and I will be able to fit my couch in. I took camera pics and spent like an hour yesterday looking at them and planning where my furniture would go. Well, that and cruising Target.com to see what kitchen island would work to add counter space but maximize storage.
I'm also trying to finish up doing an electronic scrapbook through MyPublisher of my Turkey and Greece trip. For myself but more to get as a Christmas present for my mom. I have a buy one, get one free coupon and I thought it would be a great way to check off a task for myself and get my mom something she'd love. And yes, my mom will love a detailed scrapbook of my trip with lots of captions. But this thing is taking FOREVER. The software seems so slow to respond and doesn't allow a lot of words next to the pics and I have to flip back and forth between my Picasa page where I painstakingly wrote in captions in June to add them to the album. It's taking so long! I know it'll look good when it's done but grr. I finally got to Greece and am doing our ferry boat ride from Santorini to Mykonos. Getting there...
Ok, back to work...
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Free rice - click here!
Click here and play a fun and challenging word game! 10 grains of rice will be donated for every correct answer.
Passed on from Ms. Jill K...
Passed on from Ms. Jill K...
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
5.6 California Earthquake
If you want to see what an earthquake "feels" like, watch this video. The earthquake last night was based in San Jose and the video is footage of a Cisco executive being interviewed in San Jose when the eq happens. It replays three times. It looks like what I felt last night in Oakland.
My roommate and I were watching "Friday Night Lights" while I was decorating 18 cupcakes and 81 mini-cupcakes (yes, I know!) for my church's Halloween party tonight. We looked at each other as it shook, waited, then laughed at our nonchalance and went back to watching tv. There are enough "minor" eq's that it's hard to know when to run to hide in the doorway.
Anyway, non-Californians might enjoy the video...
My roommate and I were watching "Friday Night Lights" while I was decorating 18 cupcakes and 81 mini-cupcakes (yes, I know!) for my church's Halloween party tonight. We looked at each other as it shook, waited, then laughed at our nonchalance and went back to watching tv. There are enough "minor" eq's that it's hard to know when to run to hide in the doorway.
Anyway, non-Californians might enjoy the video...
Like and Don't Like
Things I like:
1. The show "Friday Night Lights"
2. Oil of Olay soap
3. Baking and decorating cupcakes
4. Trident Strawberry Splash gum with Lime
Thing I do not like:
1. Car accidents on 101S
2. Accidents on the Bay Bridge
3. Traffic on the 880
4. Driving 15mph on the freeway
1. The show "Friday Night Lights"
2. Oil of Olay soap
3. Baking and decorating cupcakes
4. Trident Strawberry Splash gum with Lime
Thing I do not like:
1. Car accidents on 101S
2. Accidents on the Bay Bridge
3. Traffic on the 880
4. Driving 15mph on the freeway
Living simple
Ok, one change I can talk about. I decided to move into a back unit of a house owned by a family in my church. I'm moving Dec. 1. I had previously looked at the unit and decided it's too small for me and my two furry cats. It's still small - no change there - but a friend in the church Carl talked to me on Sunday about reconsidering taking it. I appreciated his talking to me, thought about it, saw the place again after church with Marjie, thought about it, talked it over with God, then thought about it some more, and decided to take it. It was one of those decisions where I knew it would happen, it felt right, and I just needed to think through the details. Or think it out so my mind could catch up to my gut/instinct.
I rely on my instinct a lot. Things just feel right or they don't. It doesn't mean everything that "feels right" will end in my favor or will even be a happy experience. But it's what I want to do or need to do or what is best for me. It doesn't mean I get everything I want but it means at least I know what I want and can deal with the disappointment if I don't get it.
It may be hard to explain to people who process and think differently. I think my disposition in this area can be a blessing from God because when something doesn't feel right (like a job for instance) and I don't get it, I can actually be pretty ok. Not hiding being sad but just "yeah, I think that's a good thing it didn't go my way. I didn't get a good feeling and it would probably have been a bad experience." I can make some decisions very quickly bc it's super clear to me what I want. And when my choices don't make sense to others, at least I know through and through that it's the right choice for me.
But the weakness in it can be overreliance on my instinct and not taking the time to do due diligence and think things through. "I feel it," I say and move forward when sometimes examining the feeling might be good too. And I can get gut feelings for others but I can't make decisions for others.
All to say, moving into the unit "feels right." Parts of it don't entirely make sense but I feel like God is leading me to choose it and make other things fall into place to make it work. And I'm beginning to hear how it all could work. The place is too small to host people which I completely love to do? Then perhaps for this season, let others host me and lean on what others can provide, not always what I can offer. Too small to store all my things, including maybe my couch? Then live simply and really think about what do I need daily to live and thrive. Meditate on our culture's reliance on abundant materialism and how I live in that too. Live simply. Think of it as an experiment and I'm always up for experiments. I'm considering not putting my TV in, party bc it's big as it's not flat-screen. I might in the end have it but I like that I'm even thinking about not having TV for eight months or so (committed until the summer). I love TV but I want more of God and pursuing my life passions and often TV feels like a hindrance to that. Not sure, just open.
I feel very open in this time. Actively waiting. Stay or go? Go where, to the left or to the right? I wait on You.
I rely on my instinct a lot. Things just feel right or they don't. It doesn't mean everything that "feels right" will end in my favor or will even be a happy experience. But it's what I want to do or need to do or what is best for me. It doesn't mean I get everything I want but it means at least I know what I want and can deal with the disappointment if I don't get it.
It may be hard to explain to people who process and think differently. I think my disposition in this area can be a blessing from God because when something doesn't feel right (like a job for instance) and I don't get it, I can actually be pretty ok. Not hiding being sad but just "yeah, I think that's a good thing it didn't go my way. I didn't get a good feeling and it would probably have been a bad experience." I can make some decisions very quickly bc it's super clear to me what I want. And when my choices don't make sense to others, at least I know through and through that it's the right choice for me.
But the weakness in it can be overreliance on my instinct and not taking the time to do due diligence and think things through. "I feel it," I say and move forward when sometimes examining the feeling might be good too. And I can get gut feelings for others but I can't make decisions for others.
All to say, moving into the unit "feels right." Parts of it don't entirely make sense but I feel like God is leading me to choose it and make other things fall into place to make it work. And I'm beginning to hear how it all could work. The place is too small to host people which I completely love to do? Then perhaps for this season, let others host me and lean on what others can provide, not always what I can offer. Too small to store all my things, including maybe my couch? Then live simply and really think about what do I need daily to live and thrive. Meditate on our culture's reliance on abundant materialism and how I live in that too. Live simply. Think of it as an experiment and I'm always up for experiments. I'm considering not putting my TV in, party bc it's big as it's not flat-screen. I might in the end have it but I like that I'm even thinking about not having TV for eight months or so (committed until the summer). I love TV but I want more of God and pursuing my life passions and often TV feels like a hindrance to that. Not sure, just open.
I feel very open in this time. Actively waiting. Stay or go? Go where, to the left or to the right? I wait on You.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
But Halloween's tomorrow...?
I'm baffled. There are only candy remnants and a few Halloween items in stores. But Halloween's tomorrow? It's not like it was last week or something and I missed it. Right?? After this morning driving to a lot of stores trying to find Halloween baking stuff, I feel a bit like it's the Twilight Zone.
Now Christmas stuff was out in all its glory but the H'ween stuff was gone. I do think partly ransacked but also just gone - from shelves, displays, prime corner spots. Wha...??
Tomorrow night is my church's Halloween party for youth and kids. I'm baking cupcakes and wanted to get cute holiday cupcake wrappers and sprinkles to make them special. I remember seeing all this baking stuff a few weeks ago at Target so I went over this morning after a business mtg (I also went to my neighborhood Safeway last night just to check but there was nothing at all. That was the beginning of my confusion.)
But Target had been invaded by the Thanksgiving and Christmas elves. So I went to Michael's, a craft store that also is a great spot to buy baking supplies and usually goes ape-crazy over holiday decorations/crap. But nada. I asked an employee who said it's all gone and that the sale was last week. I know that Michael's does sales early but I didn't think they basically threw out ther merchandise before the holiday even happened. He said anything left would be in the middle aisle. I wandered over and found other confused people like myself poking around in the pathetic two boxes of random Halloween stuff. A woman said, "This is weird" and I said, "I know, isn't it tomorrow?" and she said, "I'll head over to Target" and I said, "There's nothing there either, just candy."
I walked over to Kmart and found random, nonsale (??) items. I picked up a sprinkle variety mix and some mini-cupcake wrappers but there weren't any normal size ones. I went to Safeway to pick up white icing (no orange icing to be found) and still, no Halloween stuff besides candy.
I mean, I don't think of myself as a procrastinator but as a "just-on-time" kind of person. But did I miss the memo that said Oct. 1 is the new "on-time" prep date for Halloween and Oct. 30 is the new "too late, so sorry" date? I feel like I remember going to buy Easter stuff the day before Easter - on sale (yey) but there. Stores understood that parents sometimes buy right before the holiday. Is Halloween different? Are we supposed to decorate a month or more in advance? Or has something else changed?
Still confused...
Now Christmas stuff was out in all its glory but the H'ween stuff was gone. I do think partly ransacked but also just gone - from shelves, displays, prime corner spots. Wha...??
Tomorrow night is my church's Halloween party for youth and kids. I'm baking cupcakes and wanted to get cute holiday cupcake wrappers and sprinkles to make them special. I remember seeing all this baking stuff a few weeks ago at Target so I went over this morning after a business mtg (I also went to my neighborhood Safeway last night just to check but there was nothing at all. That was the beginning of my confusion.)
But Target had been invaded by the Thanksgiving and Christmas elves. So I went to Michael's, a craft store that also is a great spot to buy baking supplies and usually goes ape-crazy over holiday decorations/crap. But nada. I asked an employee who said it's all gone and that the sale was last week. I know that Michael's does sales early but I didn't think they basically threw out ther merchandise before the holiday even happened. He said anything left would be in the middle aisle. I wandered over and found other confused people like myself poking around in the pathetic two boxes of random Halloween stuff. A woman said, "This is weird" and I said, "I know, isn't it tomorrow?" and she said, "I'll head over to Target" and I said, "There's nothing there either, just candy."
I walked over to Kmart and found random, nonsale (??) items. I picked up a sprinkle variety mix and some mini-cupcake wrappers but there weren't any normal size ones. I went to Safeway to pick up white icing (no orange icing to be found) and still, no Halloween stuff besides candy.
I mean, I don't think of myself as a procrastinator but as a "just-on-time" kind of person. But did I miss the memo that said Oct. 1 is the new "on-time" prep date for Halloween and Oct. 30 is the new "too late, so sorry" date? I feel like I remember going to buy Easter stuff the day before Easter - on sale (yey) but there. Stores understood that parents sometimes buy right before the holiday. Is Halloween different? Are we supposed to decorate a month or more in advance? Or has something else changed?
Still confused...
Monday, October 29, 2007
I want a nappie
I feel really tired this morning. And sore from Ben's birthday Ultimate Frisbee game yesterday by Lake Merritt. I'm totally weak sauce because I didn't even play the full two hours! But yes, I am sore. It was really fun - a lot of people came out to play/watch and then we went to Leaning Tower of Pizza for dinner after. A nice big group. Happy Belated Birthday, Ben!!
I think I'm mostly tired from the good but long wkend. A lot of change that I don't want to write about yet but change is in the air. We had a day-long JJaM cell retreat on Saturday and I really appreciated the thought and care the core team put into leading the day. It was very caring and organic - talking through how the group started, walking through a timeline with key moments/events/Scripture, and now talking about splitting into three groups bc we're so big. I've been very grateful how everyone is ok with the change. That feels so rare - to have people that really like and enjoy each other, be ok with breaking up. But I feel like we all want more growth - in terms of smaller groups will give more time for deeper sharing but also more "room" to invite new people. I'm excited and I like the peeps in my group :) I like sharing my life with these people.
I want to pull out my Pilates mat and take a nap in my office. I now work alone again after the last two employees were gone on Friday (one resigned, one "let go"). Nappy time. Maybe not though, always things to do, and especially after I'm mopping up after two left employees.
Perhaps more writing and news will come this week...
I think I'm mostly tired from the good but long wkend. A lot of change that I don't want to write about yet but change is in the air. We had a day-long JJaM cell retreat on Saturday and I really appreciated the thought and care the core team put into leading the day. It was very caring and organic - talking through how the group started, walking through a timeline with key moments/events/Scripture, and now talking about splitting into three groups bc we're so big. I've been very grateful how everyone is ok with the change. That feels so rare - to have people that really like and enjoy each other, be ok with breaking up. But I feel like we all want more growth - in terms of smaller groups will give more time for deeper sharing but also more "room" to invite new people. I'm excited and I like the peeps in my group :) I like sharing my life with these people.
I want to pull out my Pilates mat and take a nap in my office. I now work alone again after the last two employees were gone on Friday (one resigned, one "let go"). Nappy time. Maybe not though, always things to do, and especially after I'm mopping up after two left employees.
Perhaps more writing and news will come this week...
Friday, October 26, 2007
Taxing the rich (that means you, Hedge Fund Mgr!)
An article from Salon.com titled:
Why Democrats are afraid to raise taxes on the rich
subtitled
Could it have something to do with the recent affection of hedge-fund managers for the Democratic Party?
Having worked for a hedge fund (though only as an EA/Office Coordinator), I became exposed to this whole new world. Lots and lots of money. The article says some hedge fund managers bring home a billion dollars annually (ok that's rare but it is up there) and quote:
The 25 highest-paid hedge-fund managers are earning more than the CEOs of the largest 500 companies in the Standard and Poor's 500 combined.
Think about that for a minute. 25 > 500...
Working first for a top investment banking firm then the hedge fund, I started to learn about the very rich. How much money they make, how much money they have control over, what happens when one man (yes, almost all are men) makes one decision and how much that changes things for a LOT of other people.
The wealthiest 1 percent of Americans earn more than 21 percent of all income. That's a postwar record. The bottom 50 percent of all Americans, when all their wages are combined, earn just 12.8 percent of the nation's income.
Wow. Half of America makes only 12.8 percent of our national income. All those $18K and $35K jobs amount to a little over 10% of our nation's income. Income that is taxed to provide for our scho0ls, freeways, Social Security system, government.
That means that the wealthiest Americans, who are now taxed at a marginal rate of 35 percent, would go back to paying the 38 percent marginal rate they paid under Bill Clinton. So far, however, no Democrat has suggested that the nation should raise the marginal tax rate on the richest Americans above that 38 percent, as will probably be necessary if America is to avoid an economic meltdown in the years ahead.
This surprised me as I actually thought rich people were taxed higher than 35% or even 38% in Clinton's day. But then I remembered that bonuses are taxed higher, which is where a lot of hedge fund and i. bankers roll in the dough. I did not know that "i. banker" was a common term until I entered the GS world. I grew up with my dad starting his own small chemical and science supply company (with a peak of about 10 employees in two locations), having some hard times, then recovering and still working too hard at 59. My dad works ALL the time -on weekends, does dangerous all-nighters with chemicals which scare me - and I wish he had it easier. My mom works part-time as accountant and office coordinator. All to say, the corporate world and all the positions it contained seemed unknown and foreign to me for years. I didn't grow up with a parent who had a 9-5 job which in ways was good, no complaining. But along with my love for nonprofits, it took me longer to get over my wariness and a little fear of the big bad corporate monster. I'm really glad for my last three years in that world. I feel stronger for it.
Back to the program! And the author's solution:
What's fair? I'd say a 50 percent marginal tax rate on the very rich, meaning those earning over $500,000 per year. I'd also suggest an annual wealth tax of one-half of 1 percent on the net worth of people holding more than $5 million in total assets. Can't be done, you say? Well, the highest marginal tax rate under Republican Dwight Eisenhower was 91 percent. It dropped under John Kennedy to the 70 percent range. You say the rich will leave the country rather than face a marginal tax of 50 percent? Let them, and take away their citizenship.
I agree, tax the rich more. Kinda simple to me. But then I'm not trying to get elected and paying for my campaign with those very same rich people who are also probably my friends.
Why Democrats are afraid to raise taxes on the rich
subtitled
Could it have something to do with the recent affection of hedge-fund managers for the Democratic Party?
Having worked for a hedge fund (though only as an EA/Office Coordinator), I became exposed to this whole new world. Lots and lots of money. The article says some hedge fund managers bring home a billion dollars annually (ok that's rare but it is up there) and quote:
The 25 highest-paid hedge-fund managers are earning more than the CEOs of the largest 500 companies in the Standard and Poor's 500 combined.
Think about that for a minute. 25 > 500...
Working first for a top investment banking firm then the hedge fund, I started to learn about the very rich. How much money they make, how much money they have control over, what happens when one man (yes, almost all are men) makes one decision and how much that changes things for a LOT of other people.
The wealthiest 1 percent of Americans earn more than 21 percent of all income. That's a postwar record. The bottom 50 percent of all Americans, when all their wages are combined, earn just 12.8 percent of the nation's income.
Wow. Half of America makes only 12.8 percent of our national income. All those $18K and $35K jobs amount to a little over 10% of our nation's income. Income that is taxed to provide for our scho0ls, freeways, Social Security system, government.
That means that the wealthiest Americans, who are now taxed at a marginal rate of 35 percent, would go back to paying the 38 percent marginal rate they paid under Bill Clinton. So far, however, no Democrat has suggested that the nation should raise the marginal tax rate on the richest Americans above that 38 percent, as will probably be necessary if America is to avoid an economic meltdown in the years ahead.
This surprised me as I actually thought rich people were taxed higher than 35% or even 38% in Clinton's day. But then I remembered that bonuses are taxed higher, which is where a lot of hedge fund and i. bankers roll in the dough. I did not know that "i. banker" was a common term until I entered the GS world. I grew up with my dad starting his own small chemical and science supply company (with a peak of about 10 employees in two locations), having some hard times, then recovering and still working too hard at 59. My dad works ALL the time -on weekends, does dangerous all-nighters with chemicals which scare me - and I wish he had it easier. My mom works part-time as accountant and office coordinator. All to say, the corporate world and all the positions it contained seemed unknown and foreign to me for years. I didn't grow up with a parent who had a 9-5 job which in ways was good, no complaining. But along with my love for nonprofits, it took me longer to get over my wariness and a little fear of the big bad corporate monster. I'm really glad for my last three years in that world. I feel stronger for it.
Back to the program! And the author's solution:
What's fair? I'd say a 50 percent marginal tax rate on the very rich, meaning those earning over $500,000 per year. I'd also suggest an annual wealth tax of one-half of 1 percent on the net worth of people holding more than $5 million in total assets. Can't be done, you say? Well, the highest marginal tax rate under Republican Dwight Eisenhower was 91 percent. It dropped under John Kennedy to the 70 percent range. You say the rich will leave the country rather than face a marginal tax of 50 percent? Let them, and take away their citizenship.
I agree, tax the rich more. Kinda simple to me. But then I'm not trying to get elected and paying for my campaign with those very same rich people who are also probably my friends.
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