A Note About Movies followed by a Recommendation

So I saw that AOL had a link to their Top 25 Romance Movie. Naturally being an ENORMOUS sap I had to check out their ratings. Actually I mostly agree...plus I got the names of some older films that I have to check out as well.

They start their list with #25 Sleepless in Seattle. Love that movie! Then there's The Notebook. Honestly, sometimes I don't even watch the end. Because at heart, I am a teen girl, LOL. 22 is Amelie, another favorite of mine. I love foreign films in general and I love the quirkiness of Amelie, though I do love Audrey Tautou's performance in a much stranger, darker not really love but sort of love story, Dirty Pretty Things. 20. Jerry Maguire. Tom Cruise. Heh. 18. Atonement. Which was amazing(ly sad). Amazing though. Good stuff. Not a light fluffy romance though. 17. Lady and the Tramp. Awrrr. 15. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a movie I saw but don't remember but remembered that I quite liked it. Hmm, maybe I should see it again. 11. The Princess Bride. So I heard ALL about this movie and how it was great and funny blah blah BLAH and refused to see it. Then in college I saw it during a movie weekend my house had. And I learned it IS funny and pretty great! "The six-fingered man!" 10. Ghost. It made me want to learn to make clay vases for like, 5 minutes. 7. Moonstruck. I.Love.This.Movie. *smack* SNAP OUT OF IT. Plus having been to the Met a couple times helps, you get a feel for everything that's happening. Plus the movie is hands down ridiculous and hardly believable: "He took my hand! He took my bride!" eh well, still love it. 6. The Way We Were. ha ha about this AOL says "Because she wants it to work out so badly, so do we" Oh how true, because Hubell is such a little bastard (ok not always. but like 50% of the time!). 5. Gone With The Wind. Ahh the so un-PC classic that is one of my favorite all-time movies. "Scarlett, you need to be kissed. Often, and by someone who knows how." Sign me up, Rhett!!! 4. An Affair to Remember. Cary.Grant. OMG. "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories...we've already missed the spring." "If you can paint, I can walk, anything can happen, don't you think?" Tissues please??! Seriously though, I was thinking about the beauty of this movie the other day - it's the subtlety. Sure I love to see people rolling in the sheets every once in a while, heh, but this movie wasn't about that. The romance seemed truer because it wasn't in your face...the scene where the characters are on the stairwell on the ship and all you see are their legs? Love it. 3. Wuthering Heights. Haven't seen this '39 version, saw the Ralph Fiennes one (ugh) and the PBS one (good). It's dark, it's twisted, it's perverse, I LOVE IT. 2. Titanic. Which was awesome. In 1997. Now I think of it and kind of laugh. Oh well. Leo and Kate. 1. Casablanca. LOVED IT when I finally saw it in 11th grade. Oh classic. Ingrid Bergman can do no wrong in my eyes as it is (Notorious, Spellbound, Anastasia, Inn of the Sixth Happiness) and this film is IT.

So all these are great and all, some even freakin' brilliant, but then I was like "wait. if we are doing romance, and including sappy favorites such as Titanic and The Notebook, where is my Meryl Streep representation? Where is Out of Africa, one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen where Robert Redford washes her hair on the banks of the Mara with hippos in the background? WHERE IS IT?


Have no fear, they have a Fan Favorites list. Excellent.
25. Love Actually. How cute. 24. Somewhere in Time. THANK YOU. This is so cheesy, but it's a classic. Christopher Reeve in all his glory and Jane Seymour looking hot and weird time travel? YES. 23. When Harry Met Sally. I love this movie, even if the Billy Crystal sex scene creeps me out. The end rocks though. 21. To Catch a Thief. Ah Cary Grant again, and Grace Kelly. And Alfred Hitchcock! Fabulous. Oh that fireworks scene....19. Before Sunrise/Before Sunset. My friend told me about these movies and how they were incredibly romantic and amazing because they were one long conversation *yawn* I thought. Then I saw them. And bought them. "Baby. You're gonna miss that plane" 17. Pretty Woman. Yup. Gotta love the hooker with the heart of gold line. 15. Dirty Dancing!!! She's like the wind.....though the last scene always left me wondering...if "Baby's going to Mount Holyoke in the fall" where does that leave Johnny? Ahh if she had only chosen Smith...11. Out of Africa. THANK YOU PEOPLE. I do think this is my favorite movie ever, and it is not because my dear friend David Livingstone Otieno makes a split-second appearance as an extra. Or because I've been to Kenya twice, and am deeply and spiritually in love with the place and its people (ok it is kind of why I love this movie) This movie is plain and simple beautiful for so many reasons, cinematically, musically....and as my friend pointed out once the beauty in it is that the love Karen has for Denys is the romantic love, but her love for Farah, is the true love, and while I totally bawl during Denys's funeral scene, it is the moment she tells Farah they must part that really gets me. Sigh. 9. The African Queen!!!!! I adore this movie. I adore Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, and they make such a pair in this film. 7. Now Voyager. Never has an eyebrow wax made such a profound difference in a woman's life. "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars" Oh honey. 6. The Bridges of Madison County. Yes, people mock it. I don't care. I love it. Robert paints a nice picture of Africa when asked about his favorite place: Well, it's the obvious choice, but I think I'd have to say Africa. It's another world. Not just the people and the cultures but the land, the colors you see at dawns and dusks -- and the life there. It charges every molecule of air. It's tangible--the moment to moment of life and death, the cohabitation of man and beast, of beast and beast, who'll survive, who won't--and there's no judgment about it. No right or wrong or impose morality. It's just life. It's a voyeur's paradise. 5. Sliding Doors. This is such a great and random movie. Heh. "Remember what the Monty Python boys say: No one expects the Spanish Inquisition." 4. The Sound of Music. As Amy once said "This movie has everything! Singing, Nazis, Music, Nazis, Nuns, Nazis, Romance....Nazis!!!!!" Even though I know they backlit the gazebo scene because Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer were giggling, it still makes me swoony. Ha, and I hated that scene as a kid, funny.

So I'm continuing this post from the LimoLiner. Believe it. Ok, so maybe you don't know what exactly the LimoLiner is....we-ell it is a "luxury" bus and I only put "luxury" in quotes because a true luxury bus would have an on-board masseuse, LOL. Seriously though, this bus is amazing. In the almost 3 years Jam and I have been dating, I've tried every mode of BOS-NYC transportation available except flying - because seriously? WHY FLY? It's a pain in the ass as it is and by today's security standards, I imagine it takes a good chunk out of your day, showing up at least an hour early to the airport to get screened, delays, blah blah blah. I'm sure there are people who would contest that, but flying is just not for me. So that left me with 1. Greyhound bus, driving myself and taking the Metro North in (parking is difficult by Jam) 3. Regional Service Amtrak 4. Acela Express. I've tried them all, and frankly, they all suck. Greyhound, cheap super-cheap but super slow, crowded, cramped, uncomfortable, and frankly, unsanitary. Driving myself? Awesome, but increasingly expensive given the price of gas, I worry about leaving my car at the Metro North (though most stations are in rich white neighborhoods, so it's not like my Subaru amidst the flock of BMW's, Jags and Mercedes will be jacked, LOL. I also get drowsy at the wheel. No good. As far as Amtrak goes, it's over-priced, especially compared to the rest of the nation, which is annoying, it's rarely on time, it's only slightly more comfortable than the train, and someone obnoxious still sits with me....all of this frustration led me somewhere good though.

The LimoLiner.

So the LimoLiner is great, and actually quite luxurious in comparison to other modes of transportation. It IS $89 each way but here is what you get: an assigned seat, which, if you plan far enough ahead, could be a single seat, leather reclining seats (ahhh), a meal, drink, snacks and magazines, a power outlet (my phone and computer are both charging right now), a movie or two, a CLEAN bathroom, and a ride without any dumb rest area stops that eat up all your time because the 400 lb man just had to wait in the Burger King line and everyone on the bus is waiting for him to come back so we can leave (this has happened to me AND Jamaal). Oh yeah, there's that whole wireless internet connection deal. Awesome. I'm actually supposed to be writing a paper right now, hee, but I felt the need to write about this instead so other people can enjoy their Boston/New York experience.
*the woman across the aisle is making quite a show of typing faster than me. Ok, so there are annoying people on this bus, they're everywhere! At least she's quiet!!*

Here is a busted pic of me on the LimoLiner. Sexy. You know you love it.

The Day After

So Valentine's Day was kind of sucky - ha and not for all the cliche reasons, either, LOL. Not like "Oh I'm single and everyone around me has someone and is getting presents" or anything - though Jamaal, my love, did send flowers, but to the wrong office. They are sadly long gone and I was very bitter. I mean the poor guy tried, absolutely, but I was bitter that they went somewhere that was pretty much the point of no return. I handled it not maturely either, LOL, sighing as I saw women carrying their roses and proFlowers boxes on the commuter rail, thinking about some jerk down the street who has MY FLOWERS on their desk. RRR". Sigh. Though I must be grateful, Grandma and Grandpa did send me $10 in a card, which is totally awesome. I guess a lot of people might scoff at $10 in this day and age, but to me money is money, and 10 bucks is gonna cover my eyebrow wax today, so I was grateful.

Anywho, so Valentine's Day blew, but I couldn't exact fill this space with yet another "I hate my teacher/my life/my school/my job post" because that would suck. Instead, I am going to give you something positive about a professor. I'm taking Plant Physiology (snooze, I know!) and the professor is quirky as hell. I love it. I find him hilarious, and not in the "oh you're a plant biologist who is so nerdy and awkward that stuff you don't mean to be funny actually is" This guy is legit funny as hell. So funny I started writing down quotes. Here you go (and if you had a crap Valentine's Day or just a crap Thursday in general, hopefully this'll be funny):

"Sure we could probably control the planet!!! Push it towards the sun, then pull it away....then we'll make a critical mistake and throw it off it's axis and go spinning out of control through space.....BYE!! See you out at Alpha Centauri!!!!!" *dead silence from class* "We-ell. OK. Got a little too excited about that."

"The water moves through the apoplast, but is then hindered by the Casparian strip. Or band. You know some people say band.....this is Valentine's Day, we will say STRIP!!"

"So trees, actually, they expand at night. Many did not believe this, but Native Americans, THEY knew!!! Tie an enemy to a tree at daytime and they'll be dead by night. The tree kills them... slowly...botanically"

"So you should put your Valentine Flowers (boooooo) in a 50% water 50% sprite solution because flowers love the sugar. I mean you could use that stuff they give you. Hey? Have you ever tasted those food crystals they give you with cut flowers? You know, cut the packet open, lick your finger, dip it in the powder and taste it? You know, the old cocaine trick? Yeah, well that powder taste like sweet tarts!!! Cause of the sugar!!!"

Or maybe the slightly dangerous blue dye?

I decided yesterday that regardless of the grade I receive in this class, even if it's the one that keeps me from graduating, this professor is going to get a rave review!!

Happy Friday peeps.

Very Much Like a Bad Dream

Did I ever post about my Animal Behavior professor?? Oh that's right, I have. Anyways, he's back in my life I'm sorry to say. He's part of a team that's teaching my seminar and not only am I still bitter about 1. his misogynistic teaching style 2. the fact that it's his class that kept me from having an enjoyable semester and 3. the fact that I think he's an assh0le, but he's also assigned us over 100 pages of reading for Tuesday's class. Now normally 100 pages is no big deal to me, hell I read that in a book during an afternoon commute. But this is peer-reviewed scientific reading, centered around the soporific subject of kin-recognition systems and genetic reasoning for altruistic behavior....snooooooooooooooooze. What's more is that I have to write my response before I leave for New York, because on the way to/from NYC, I have to study for an exam on Tuesday. We're allowed one "pass" on a paper throughout the semester, and I can't tell you how tempted I am to use this week as my pass. Three things though: 1. the semester might get worse and there may be a point where I really need to skip out 2. I like the people doing the class presentation on Tuesday and I know this professor is going to be totally hard on them in a way that this week's professor was just NOT hard on me and my partner, so I want to help them out by giving them feedback that they could use for a presentation and 3. I want to really shove it up this guy's ass. FAR.UP.HIS.ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Not doing the paper would be too easy. I have to do it. I have to fit it in somewhere in this tangle of studying plants, getting a hair cut, going to the dentist, getting my nails done, taking a conference call, getting my annual review. I will write this paper. I will. And it will be f*cking brilliant. And a certain professor won't have a choice but to accept the fact that I'm smarter than he thought I was. RRRRrraaaa! Good thing I took care of Valentine's business last weekend!!

Miserable Cities

So Forbes is out with it's list of most miserable cities, judged on an assortment of different criteria. Honestly I'm surprised Boston didn't get put on there since I hear a lot of complaints about it. I still can't get over one complaint I heard about a year ago from someone who had migrated from the East Coast to Chicago. She said "Oh my God, you Bostonians are all so neurotic. You're rushing and pushing and shoving and you never slow down and enjoy life." Ha we're rushing so we can fit all of life's pleasures into the short time we have, so we don't miss out. 'Cause you never know when an event/happening/celebrating may occur again. Need I bring up the 86-year hiatus the Red Sox took from winning the World Series?!
I guess the thing is that Forbes made their own Misery Measure based upon the Misery Index and Misery Score to judge/calculate these "miserable" cities based on commute time, crime, unemployment, taxes, etc. More of an internal measure rather than an outside judgment - I guess Bostonians are pretty ok then, but I still wonder what our score would be. Of course there are always outliers that could be bringing you down....like the one in my office today. Heh. If you calculated her into the mix, we'd probably be the #1 most miserable city. HA!
Happy Tuesday Peeps.

My Blake Incacerated!

Amy Amy Amy
Amy Winehouse
There's so much I could say about our dear Amy and her mid-rehab performance telecast at last night Grammy's....but I think I might be brief on this one.

So word on the street is that people don't think Amy deserved a Grammy because she's "crazy" or a "mess" (like Natalie Cole, who, as Jamaal informed me, is no stranger to drugs herself - though perhaps that's why she said what she did). A lot of people are seeing her grammy wins as rewards for bad behavior. While I understand that train of thought here's my deal: she got the grammy awards cause she's a good singer (when not under the influence). Her album busted into mainstream and was catchy without being obnoxious, eclectic and soulful. It rocked. So she got awards. Cause she deserved them. Ok she's a HOT MESS...true...but how many other stars are we giving awards to who are closet drunks are mainlining heroin or snorting coke at the after parties? You can't hate on Amy just because she wears her problems on her sleeve.

That being said, stay in rehab honey. We'd like your talent around for a while. And your teeth, for that matter.

Doing Nothing

Sigh. I got sooooo distracted by the internet....I thought I was going to have this extremely productive weekend too. Ah well. It all started when I signed on to look for some bio articles and have instead sat here for the last hour and tooled around on flickr. I did find an old bruise photo. I guess I didn't really get how grotesque it was. Probably because it was on me and I could never really get a good look at it. I can't believe it's finally gone either. I'm trying to get back to donating platelets but I think that the staff at the donor center and I are collectively freaked out by the whole experience. I know I have a stellar count and all but I wouldn't be surprised if the apheresis techs never want to touch me again. Eh. We'll see. Maybe week after next I'll take a stroll over there and see what we can set up....

Other People's Procrastination

Soooo yet again I have another group project to accomplish for school. I figured by the time a biology major was in grad school group work would be a thing of the past, but I have more at Tufts than I ever had a Smith! It's crazy! Maybe it's the teaching style? Not sure. Anyways, I like to nip group projects in the bud. Get in, get 'em done, get out, so I figured if I was to run class on Tuesday afternoon with my partner, we'd meet this afternoon or maybe tomorrow and get the slides finished, firm up our discussion angles, then forget about everything til Tuesday.

Oh heck no.

Instead I get an email saying that the only time my partner has free is "9am-12pm Monday." This girl doesn't work, what the hell is she doing this weekend? I was irritated by this response at first, I won't lie, probably because of the week ahead which includes a visit to the dentist, the ophthalmologist, a conference call and a big deadline, as well as the schoolwork bit, then going to NYC on Saturday. Craziness! I finally concluded that I'd just have to meet with her on Monday, and would be required to burn a personal day because I had to go to the eye doctor's anyway. Whatev. So the irritation persisted until it dawned on me - because I'm running the discussion on Tuesday, I don't have to write a paper for class, and I've already done the reading. Which leaves me with the reading and paper for Thursday's class (always a pleasure because it's AWESOME -developing sustainable communities....so sexy) and some studying for a test on February 19th (because we must plan) I sat at my desk for a minute mulling this over, then wanted to do a backflip. Why? For the first time in forever, during a weekend, I will have FREE TIME!!!!!!!!

OMG OMG OMG

WHAT TO DO?!!?!????!?!?!??!?!?!!!!!

Naturally the list is long, and I know I won't be able to do half the stuff on it, but the possibility is sooo seductive right now. One thing that must be done and cannot be avoided is a major cleaning of my room. On the surface it's much more organized than normal, but deep down, it's kind of gross. Dusty and such. Plus the bird cages needed to be sterilized practically. Oh - did I mention that Lucy's brush with death is over? Yeah! I practically had her little birdie memorial written for this blog, but she decided to live and has been back to her mischievous and destructive ways for a week and a half now. I know she won't live as long as my other birds because she still has fatty tumors, but they've regressed a bit for the time being and I couldn't be more delighted because watching her suffer was so sad. I've been looking at some ways to help with the tumors and hopefully we'll be working on those from now on (mandatory outside the cage playtime, for one. which makes me nervous because Lucy overdoes everything. For example, when I let her out of her cage, she doesn't just hang out like Lily, she does like, a zillion suicidal loops around the room then hits a wall, falls, gets up, and flies up to a curtain road out of reach and mocks me. Not cool.) So yes, clean up it is, followed by some filing and taxes, of course. Then I think I'll update my flickr account. Miraculously I am keeping up with the 365 day challenge 100%, I'm just a month behind on flickr! Then I have to be sure to send the results of this year's Focus on Feeders (a little backyard bird count, super fun) to Mass Audubon. There'll be laundry and exercise too. I still think this might leave me with almost a whole Sunday free. I'm giddy thinking about it. I'll have to finish the wee sweater I'm making for Jam's coworker's baby (a couple years ago everyone was having boys, now I'm inundated with girls!) and I think starting wedding gifts may be in order too. I've designed two wedding cross stitch samplers that will be pillows when they're finished. They're probably going to be two of the most amazing things I've ever cross stitched and I'm pleased about this because they're for really special people :) yay! Also, a certain person told me that if I spend all this time making her bday gift and don' t focus on school and/or make myself ill doing it she will be really mad. Tee hee, EE you can't get mad if I use an unexpected bonus free day to get started, can you?

Sigh. I've really rambled in this post, forgive me. I just haven't felt carefree in a long while. I kind of love it. It's ironic too, cause I still have a crapload of school stuff too!!

Oh, and an update. I'm also very happy because I've now heard from all three of my Kenyan friends who are no longer on staff at the study abroad program. I knew the staffers were safe, but worried a great deal about Maraka, Mboya and Salaash. Maraka was the one person I hadn't heard from, but out of everyone, he's actually the one I'd worry about the least. Ahem, this is Maraka:
Ok no, he doesn't normally pack an AK-47. Usually he is more like this:
Which is still somewhat intimidating. Basically he is this hulking Turkana man who doesn't take bullsh*t. So I wouldn't mess with him, but given Kenya's tenuous state, it seemed no one was safe. Naturally it was a relief to hear from him, and he actually didn't ask me for money, LOL, not like the other two! Ah well, what can you do? Maraka is the only one that has a steady job, but he told me he had to move his family out closer to him because they were in Northern Kenya, where the status quo is generally dodgy, not counting election strife. He also has to send his nephews to school. I feel bad for him because like the 60% of the population that's employed (unemployment in Kenya, last I checked was around 40% could be worse now) he has these immense responsibilities which include supporting the rest of his family. He tells me this is why he hasn't married......although sometimes I wonder what he's holding out for, because his email said "call me any time love, maraka" rrrrrrright. LOL. Luckily this does not threaten Jamaal. Perhaps the 7,180.5 miles between here and Kenya helps, LOL. My point: my "people" (yes I think of them as my people) are safe. Thank goodness.

Well I've rambled on enough. I think I might check and see if my boss is around. Maybe sneak out early. There's a new palm pilot waiting for me at home, just wanting to organize my life. yay!

Happy weekend all.

*so irritating*

The way my new coworker clears her throat drives me absolutely insane. And she clears it every 5 minutes. She starts out with the low rumble that goes progressively higher til she ends the process with this high-pitched 'mmmmmm' It almost sounds disapproving. Sometimes I want to offer her a cough drop. Or a spittoon. Just get it up and out already.


oooh I am such a bad person...

An Energizing Meme

Ok so maybe it won't be particularly energizing, but I'm hoping that it will get the internet out of my system and I'll be able to write my response paper!!

1. How old will you turn in 2008?
The big 26

2. Do you think you'll be married by then?
ha ha nope and I don't think, I know, lol.

3. What do you look forward to most in the next 3 months?
Let's see....I'm looking forward to getting one step closer the finishing grad school, visiting Jam in NY, taking the day off on my bday and doing something really fun with Amy, seeing friends and family etc. Oh, yeah, and Jam and I are celebrating 3 years together at the end of March and we *might* go away. That'd be fun.

4. Do you like to say "I told you so?"
No. I hate saying it cause I hate hearing it. I do think it though!

5. Who was the last person to call you?
An unknown # from the San Diego area code. sweet.

6. Do you prefer call or text?
Depends- if answering/asking quick question texting is better.

7. Do you have any pets?
1 cockatiel, 2 parakeets, 9 fish

8. What were you doing at 1:30 am?
Driving. Ugh.

9. What were you doing at 3:00 am?
Sleeping.

10. When is the last time you saw your mum?
Um 10 minutes ago.

11. What is your mood?
Sleepy but pretty relaxed.

12. How many houses have you lived in?
3 Not counting semester abroad:
344 Union Street, Holbrook
Hubbard House, @ Smith
Deborah Road, here.


13. How many city/towns have you lived in?
Three

14. Do you prefer shoes, socks or bare feet?
Bare feet whenever possible/allowed

15. Are you a social person?
I try to be at parties, out and about, but am content being solitary every so often

16. What was the last thing you ate?
CUPCAKE!!!

17. What's your favorite color?
I think green...

18. What are you doing for your next birthday?
NOT WORKING. Beyond that not sure, as the Spanish art exhibit won't be at the museum yet. We'll see...

19. What is your favorite TV show?
Shows: Lost, Grey's Anatomy, ANTM, Pushing Daisies, Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl

20. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
Raspberry

21. Do you like coffee?
OMG. YES.

22. What are you listening to?
Rilo Kiley's "I Never" and Lily interjecting with a chirp

23. Do you have an iPod?
Yes, a (Product) Red Nano, I love it.

24. How do you feel about the last person you kissed?
Tee hee. Very good, it was Jamaal!!

25. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
Umm I guess mostly on the right.

26. Do you know how to play poker?
Not really!!

27. What are you thinking about right now?
How I really should be doing my response paper....

28. Any plans for this weekend?
SUPERBOWL SUNDAY IS TOMORROW! I am going to swing by to see my friend's new baby (even though I've seen her twice. Can't.get.enough. and then going to the g'rents cause they've got the biggest tv!

29. Have you cut your hair this week?
No but I wanted to.

30. Last picture you took?
Last night's daily pic. No no, it was with my cell at the library today, so I could remember the names of 2 books I saw that I thought my dad would really enjoy.

31. Are you a tease?
I don't think so, but ask Jamaal.

32. Have you ever been in an ambulance?
Not for a ride, just to see what kind of setup they had going on.

33. Do you prefer an ocean or pool?
Ocean, except for the pool that's right in my backyard :)

34. Do you smile often?
I try

35. What color are your bed sheets?
boring gray

36. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
hahahhaha um clothes, shoes, nail polish, purses, and crafty stuff.

37. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7?
No, I have too many favorite things!

38. Have you heard a rumor about yourself this week?
ha ha I don't think so....

39. Who is the funniest person you know?
Amy, my sister, is pretty frickin' hilarious. I am lucky though because I know a LOT of funny people!

40. What happened to question #40?
You mean this one?

41. Where do you want to go to college?
Dude, I'm getting my second degree, I have no plans to go to another. Though secretly, if I ever want/decide to get it, I'd like to get a PhD from an Ivy. Cause I'm a snob like that.

42. Who was the last person to make you cry?
Dude, it was totally myself. I made myself cry like 4 times this week lol.

43. Do you shut off the water while you brush your teeth?
ABSOLUTELY.

44. Do you wish you were with someone right now?
Of course, but it's better I'm not so I do my homework!!

45. Are you mad about anything?
errrrmmm.....let me think.....nope.

46. Last person to IM you?
Uhhhhh. Oh! It was Alex! Hi Alex!!!

47. What are you doing besides this?
Trying to stay awake again. Gonna go do some conservation biology.

perfect baby girl Alexa. 123 awrrrrr..

Why I haven't posted, eaten, slept, etc

My oldest friend in the world (on right, who would kill me for putting up this pic because she looks not so like herself and was nowhere near this heavy, only gaining 20 lbs with her pregnancy!!) had this beautiful baby girl on Tuesday. Doesn't she look fetching in the arms of her aunt? I believe that's an Austen quote, lol. She is beautiful and impossibly small and makes all the bad hectic tiredness in the world go away. Seriously, my sister and I sat for two hours in a small hospital room just to hang out with this little one. Of course this led to several past 12 am nights as I tried to finish the schoolwork I had put off for hospital visits. And seeing Atonement, ha ha.

Anyways, tonight my sister and I are having a big-ish party at our house and there's a ton to do here at work before I go home and do a ton more to set up. Things are looking a bit brighter this week though, and even my birdie Lucy has taken a turn for the better, now playing, singing, eating and trying to kill her mate Charlie Brown by preening him innocently and then attacking him. She's practically back to normal, a literal miracle in the world of bird sickness. I never would have predicted that! Who would've thought?!

Sigh. There is nothing like a fresh new baby to put life in perspective...and to have someone knew to knit for!!!!

Stank

Ha ha that's how my coworker Rochelle described our new office mate. While I want to give this girl a chance and obviously still will, it's hard not to agree when this person will neither speak nor acknowledge you. I mean I know she's new to the office and all but she doesn't even lift her head to say "good morning." She keeps her back turned and doesn't speak. As Rochelle said "that's kinda stank." Um yeah, dude, you don't even have to be nice to us or talk to us, be we are requesting some politeness PLEASE!

Anywho.
So I got up this morning and was thinking about the day ahead and all the crap that needs to be conquered and got kind of depressed. Maybe depressed isn't the exact word for it but sort of overwhelmed and sad about the fact that my life has to be so scheduled to get through it. I am able to do fun things true, but lately, unless they're really simple, they seem like such a chore. I feel kind of bad about it, like I'm being a bad friend, because I'll get invited to parties or out to dinner and I'll find ways to defer even if I really want to go because I'm tired and stressed - which is why I should really try to go! I dunno. It's just that I'm putting 40 hours in at the office, 10 hours a week of class time at Tufts, 5 hours a week getting to/from Tufts and 15 hours a week commuting. So that means that 70 hours of my week are committed to other things, plus the 42 hours a week I sleep. That leaves me with about 56 free hours a week, minus the hour or so phone call to Jam each day, plus I dunno, self maintenance like BATHING - I feel so strapped for time. So when a friend is like "let's go out to dinner after work" all I can think is "Ok, so if we meet at 6, then dinner/talking/hanging out will probably go til 9 and that means I won't get home til 10-10:30 depending on where we are in the city and I won' t be able to do any schoolwork or go to the gym. Do I give up friends for school and fitness? Seems like a shitty exchange.

I used to mock one of my friend's obsession with her planner (ok it was ridiculous considering the amount of free time she actually had at her disposal) but I'm not so sure I'd do it now since I bought a mom's planner at Borders last fall to keep my shit in order. I hate telling people I'll pencil them in, and it's practically impossible to do unless a friend is having a party or something, so I'm left being a solitary creature, because I can't just do shit on a whim anymore, which no one seems to understand. I mean my dad asked me to help out at a Ducks Unlimited event on February 2nd, and I'm already planning my week around it NOW. Sick.

I know I probably sound complain-y especially with the light being at the end of the tunnel (provided I get a B or above in all my classes, please God) but I just feel like I'm not even a person anymore, just a robot who gets up, drives to the train, takes the train to school, goes to class, takes notes quietly and obediently, goes to work, goes to train, goes home, rides decrepit exer-cycle because there is no time for the gym, reads for school, tries not to have major mental malfunction while on phone with Jam, passes out for 6 hours and the cycle repeats. Except when Jam is over, I'm pretty much in 3 places: school, work, home. And while I would love to be going out, going to the MFA (art of Napoleon. I'm going to miss it. sad.), going to concerts and out to dinner, I also know I can't right now. Christ, I've put off getting my hair cut for a month now. I bought a SUIT online the other day because I don't have TIME to go to a store. I bought NAIL POLISH online! Let's not even talk about the fact that I have fabric and yarn piling up, gifts that probably won't get made in time, if ever. Ugh. Who the hell am I turning into???

The reason for my ranting is not to complain, I promise. It's more out of fear. I wonder if I'll ever be the person I was before school, one who liked to visit Jam and go out to a bar til 4am and dance half the night away, one who could grab lunch with a friend on a whim or who could shop with her sister all day long without getting cranky or feeling stressed for time (ok we did pretty well last week at the cross stitch shop :D ) Or will I just want to retreat with a book for a moment of solitude? I also fear snapping at someone I really like - Jam, my friends, my family. I fear snapping. I'm afraid I'll be really mean about it too. Jam told me a friend who is getting married has taken the semester off - totally her decision, and it's not my business, I'm cool with everyone's personal decisions. But I fear my reaction when she finally tells me (she hasn't yet). If she just says "I'm taking the semester off" I know I'll just be like "oh do what you have to do, it's ok" but if she says something like "Oh I won't graduate til 2010" I might just lose it. Her approach to school has been different than mine since day 1 and I've often heard "you'll graduate before me and you started after!" I was always sort of patient about it, not pointing out that she took classes one at a time to begin with, etc (I've looked up her program and it does seem to be longer than mine. Though at this point, I've basically taken a semester and a half of extra classes in 2 years time, so if you suck it the f*ck up these things can be done, and I've kept my 40 hour a week too) but now I'm so strung out, I might snap and I'm afraid I'll say something nasty. Eeek, I hope I can hold onto my sh*t this semester. Seriously. I'm kind of worried.

Eh enough of my bitching. Have a good weekend all!

You Are What You Love, Not What Loves You Back*

Oh-ho ho friends, where do I even begin this one?
Perhaps we should just do a bulleted list. Ah, but certain things have gone down in the last few weeks that SO deserve more than a bullet, but I've cried, raged, and even laughed about all of this sh*t s much in the past week that I don't know if I want to dignify it with more than that. Plus most of it is stupid to anyone but me. Anyways here goes:
-One of my $3,000 grad school classes does not count towards my degree
-My adviser is a dumbass
-The head of the bio dept is likewise a dumbass and actually said "I make up the rules in this department and change them every semester so I have no idea what the rules were when you took that class" and "sorry, we're really failing you this semester as a department by not offering more classes"
-I've added a third class to my already insane schedule. Plant Physiology. Helllllp.
-My other professor insulted me greatly today by telling me that she wasn't sure I could "handle" her class because I wasn't writing a thesis and probably didn't read peer-reviewed science journals. What?! I read f*cking JAMA at work, b*tch, how's that for a peer-reviewed journal that would probably go right over your F*CKING HEAD! (sorry I'm still offended. rrr)
-My Lucy bird is slowly picking herself to death. She's got fatty tumors all over and won't stop ripping them open. At this point she's not physically suffering. I mean yeah it's gross and it's bloody, but she pierces them, they bleed, then they stop, then she picks picks picks. I know it's nasty to even write about, but that's why I'm not putting her down, because as of right now she is still performing all of her usual antics, playing with toys, eating, crapping, preening. I just hope that when she does go over the edge with the picking, it will be fast and she won't suffer.

So yeah. These past 10 days have kind of blown the big one.

There have been some good things though

-Jam visited, which automatically equals infinite amounts of goodness, no matter how short his visits always seem to be :(
-I saved a woodpecker who hit our porch window. He was laying crumpled in the snow. Of course I had a heart attack, mostly because my bird saving record is about 1/6. I picked him up to see if his neck was broken and it did not seem to be. Amy brought me a box and towel and I laid him in there, he eventually righted himself, grabbed onto my hand and when batsh*t crazy and flew a lap around my porch before smacking the window. Again. Before I did more harm than good I scooped him up, put him on one of our bird feeders and watched him like a nervous mother hen til he flew away. That was a highlight.
-The Patriots won!
-Put a shitton of music on my iPod and am working on a massive flickr update
-One of my classes is amazing and I have a friend crush on my professor. He's old enough to be my dad, yes, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to have a beer with him after class and PICK HIS BRAIN for ways to save the world. I told him that was my life's mission and he didn't laugh. He said "Why not?" You know what? Maybe this semester won't suck as hard as I thought.....


Sigh. Anyways, I feel confident about school because I have such a burning and overwhelming desire to graduate, but the professor being so insulting was really the final straw. You can't let people like that get to you (DIGRESSION HERE) but oh I relished the moment she asked where I went undergrad and I could say "S-M-I-T-H you TW@T!" Ok not really, I did the ol "Smith College, it's a smallish school is western Mass *cough cough seven sister aka ivy league for girls cough* I try not to name drop with Smith because honestly while it is a great school there are no shortage of positively wonderful schools out there that will totally open the same doors Smith has for me. But I will say that when you really need to zing someone, Smith is a positively wonderful weapon to have in your arsenal. It shuts people up. Ha, I remember this guy was talking down to me once, saying he was in law school, being polite but condescending as I listened demurely over my mojito, saying "wow" and "impressive" at all the right moments. Then he said "so. where'd you go to school" I figured this slightly chauvinistic specimen had never even heard of the place, so I just threw it out there "I went to Smith" I said. Dead silence. I figured he'd never heard of it, but whatev, that's totally fine. Then he said "So. You're actually really smart." I tried to make a joke out of it and said "Oh was I coming off as dumb?" "No no" he said "you're just really smart. That's a great school." I just said "Thank you, it is, I loved it there" even though I wanted to smack him upside the head and ask "was it the female or the polite and quiet part that was throwing you off the fact that I'm INTELLIGENT!" ARGH!

Anyways, so yeah, we can't let the "naysayers" get to us, but seriously when they're throwing this much sh*t at you it's hard to dodge a flying crap or two. Perhaps the sh*t fight is over now though. We'll see. I am really going to have to kick some ass this semester though. I've got about 105 days to do it. Phew. I really hope I can make it. Jesus and Starbucks and I are all going to be a whole lot closer from now on.






*And I'm in love with illusions so saw me in half
I'm in love with tricks so pull another rabbit out your hat
You Are What You Love
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
A fairly accurate portrayal of my life/school/career at the moment. bitches.

The Impossibility of Fitness

Ah another year, another resolution, another thing to break - right?

Well this year I decided not to make any resolutions at all, except to be nicer to people. Ha, I broke that one on January 2nd the moment I stepped on the T and was sandwiched between a baby stroller and a 400-lb man. Awesome.

I did make a few sort of silent unspoken unwritten resolutions too though, I'll admit it, and one of them is, along with my continued vow to save the entire planet, is to eat better and get in shape because on June 21 I will be sliding myself into a tube of shiny unforgiving eggplant-colored fabric and walking down the aisle with Jamaal. As a bridesmaid (ha ha did I have you wondering?!). And you know, I want to look good for my friend's wedding and I do honestly want to try to eat better and get used to exercising because I'm not getting any younger and while I feel in control of my weight with every passing year it has crept up a tad bit more and now I'm at the point where another 5 lbs or so will send me over the divider on the BMI charts from "Normal" to "Overweight." I do want to be healthy first and foremost and that's my motivation for getting into shape. That and the mockery of the eggplant dress.

I started tracking everything at Prevention.com - a site I love, even though I'm probably one of the only people under 50 who religiously reads their site and magazine. I didn't get this right away, but when I received a whole issue about menopause I was like "oh. wow. I guess I'm not exactly in Prevention's demographic." I don't care though because the mag has great tips and the website is even better. On it there is a health tracker that's powered by fitday.com, another site I used to love. I've been tracking my food intake for a while now and while I am pleased by my generally healthy eating habits, I've started to notice a puzzling trend. I am totally off balance.

Yesterday I had like 2700 calories. Today I've had 700, and I realize I've yet to consume dinner, but I don't exactly see me eating a 2000 calorie dinner. My target is to eat around 1600 calories a day and some days that's no problem, but on others I'll make the worst decisions and totally binge (can you say POPCORN!!!! Amy and I have been to the movies twice this week). I mean I realize I have waaaaaay more important things to worry about, but seriously I'm wondering what is leading to such inconsistency? I suppose in the end that is the beauty of the health trackers on prevention.com. They can pinpoint my weaknesses. Sweet. For now, I'm gonna have some Special K. The cereal, not the drug, I'm not on that kind of diet, LOL.

The 5,632 Post About My Bruise

The horror continues......

*LEVITY PLEASE!*

(stolen from "SERENITY NOW!" Amy does a great impression)

So my sister had a little 07 wrapup post on her LJ and I loved it and wanted to steal it (stel it, LOL) so HERE IT IS. No Kenya drama I promise!

Best Day of 2007: There were so many amazing days in '07 and I am torn between a couple. I'll narrow it down to three. 1. Standing on the deck of a boat during the CARE Conference with my family enjoying the culmination of all of my father's hard work as we sailed through Boston Harbor at sunset. 2. Watching the sunset with Jamaal at Costa Verde even though we'd had a fight earlier that day!! 3. Again in Boston Harbor on a boat with my extended family taking pictures of my grandparents on their 55th wedding anniversary.

Worst Day of 2007: Tie between the day Aunt Elinore died and the day after her funeral. Why the day after her funeral? My whole family including my grandparents and my dad's best friend, his wife, daughter and many other people got norovirus, which was, unbeknownst to us, the catalyst that caused her death. It probably seems selfish to say that the norovirus was worse than her funeral, but in a way her funeral was rather badass and given that the woman was 95 I felt it was a celebration of her life. A family of four all puking and sh*tting with only two bathrooms? That celebrates nothing except the blessing of indoor plumbing. Not fun.

Best Song of 2007 that wasn’t officially released in 2007: Umm. Well Amy has "Fergalicious" which must count. I don't really get the whole released vs played dealie, so I'll go with Fergalicious because it was played FREQUENTLY especially in the Camry. Sad but true.

Best Song of 2007 that actually was released in 2007: Something off either of the two albums I purchased this year Rilo Kiley's "Under the Blacklight" or A Fine Frenzy's "One Cell in the Sea." I never purchase whole albums (except for Grey's Anatomy compilations, dorky I know) but these two were a must. I love "Rangers" from AFF (yeah yeah it was on VH1 blah blah didn't see it there) and "You Picked Me" and from Rilo Kiley I love "Close Call" "Silver Lining" "Under the Blacklight" and "Breaking Up." Oh and I dig "Smoke Detector" too heh heh


Purchase of 2007 after which life cannot ever possibly be the same: My digital rebel XTi. I had no idea that it would enable me to do so much, not just take better pics but get published in a book and raise money for charity too. WOOT!

Most Awkward Moment of 2007: Sitting in my boss's office, having her look me in the eye and say "It's one thing to be a slacker, it's quite another to get caught." What do you say to that?

Best Food of 2007: I had so many tasty things at Asian C in Hingham, but I do recall Jam and I having a lovely dinner at Ivy.

Best Drink of 2007: The Margarita. Tequila and I became reacquainted and it was beautiful.


Best Movie of 2007: I think I saw 2007's most superficial movies - not that I'm complaining or anything but I meant to see these deep ones like "Atonement" "Lust, Caution" "The Savages" and "Margot at the Wedding" Instead I saw stuff like "Enchanted" which was great but not exactly deep. I did love "Knocked Up" though, that was awesome, and "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." I think an underrated movie of '07 was most certainly "Breach." Slow in the beginning but suspenseful.

Most Anticipated Moment of 2007: I won't even lie: When the Red Sox won the Series. Again. OH GLORIOUSNESS.

My coworker's most memorable quote of 2007:
Anorexia, in an email: What, no way, really? when was this? and what could they possibly have to say about you? you're the nicest one in here!

This doesn't seem earthshattering BUT IT IS. This girl hated my guts 6 months ago. Guess someone told her I was the only one that went to bat for her when my boss threatened to fire her.

My friends' most memorable quotes of 2007: eeek I should write these down. One that sticks out is from a conversation I had in Arenal with Jam and Christina. We were the only folks not white water rafting and decided to go early to the booking office to choose our next adventure.

Christina: So you're saying we'd rappel down the waterfall. Wow!
Adventure guide: well not really. You more like, get pulled up there by a rope. We pull you up. To make it scary we swing you into the water. It's not really scary though. It's kinda fun. I dunno. So you want to do it?
Christina: Let us think a minute.
We get together at the other end of the room.
Christina: So what do you guys think about the rappelling trip?
Allison: (silence, so as not to offend anyone)
Jamaal: It sounds like a piece of sh*t tour.
Christina and Jamaal: *cackling*
Allison: *shocked but relieved laughter*

You kind of had to be there I guess LOL.

My sister's most memorable quotes of 2007:

I wish I had written so many down.

My favorite quote was in response to a Buffalo Bill's fan sign that referenced "spygate" and Bill Belichik It said "Beli-cheat"

Amy: BELI-CHEAT? Ummmm BUFFA-LAME!

Moving some raked leaves to the back/side yard.

Amy: The house looks good from back here
I raise my eyebrows
Amy: what? I haven't been to this part of the yard since I was like, 8.

Shoveling snow

Amy: I'm really branching out this year. I raked leaves, I shoveled snow...

and with regards to a coworker freaking out about taking expired Aleve:
It's two years. It says 05/05 and she already took it and she's freaking out because she says she's growing a brain tumor. How many cancer patients have you seen that have grown brain tumors because of taking expired Aleve?
NONE. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.

My parents' most memorable quote of 2007:
After Amy threw up in my car:
Dad: How did you get the smell out
Me: Well I washed the carpet and left all the windows open. I hoped maybe that if there was residue an animal would climb in there
Dad: *through cackling laughter* yeah, in case a raccoon wanted some chum?!

Best Work Moment of 2007: Inciting panic in my superiors after sending them an email listing out the shortcomings of my study and what they need to do about it. Awesome.

Most Traumatic Television Moment of 2007: Call me lame but the whole episode of "Didn't We Almost Have it All" (Grey's Anatomy Season 3 Finale) was TRAUMATIC. I was kind of stuck between the Meredith drowning story arc (JESUS Shonda Rhimes wtf are you trying to do to us) and the finale, but I felt the finale was more devastating for a greater number of characters, so there it is.

Most Surprising Food Craving of 2007: Sushi. I became obsessed. For the end of 2007, it was ice cream. Weird.

Best Allison Really Needs Her Own Reality TV Show Moment of 2007:
"The Time Allison Cleaned her Sister's Vomit from the Inside of her Car"


Best Line from a piece of email in 2007:

So I think we need liquor for tonight

Ha ha truer words were never spoken...

Well Happy New Year to you all, I hope you've enjoyed this break from intense and angsty posts!

Kenya Still

I hear things are calming down in Kenya in general which is good, but I was so sad to receive this email today from V-Day (the people who bring you the Vagina Monologues!) I guess this is something that is going to take a lot of time and patience, but this so isn't my Kenya - not in the sense that I 'have' a Kenya or the only Kenya that exists is the rosy golden one from the confines of my optimistic memory...it's just that I know people there do not live like this and are as horrified by it as we would be were it happening in the United States. Here's the email:

V-DAY UPDATE-THIS JUST IN FROM KENYA

The Situation in Narok

-This conflict started on the night the election results announced the victory of President Kibaki. Conflict between the Kikuyu, Massai (ugh it's Maasai) and Luo's broke out throughout Kenya. In the last few days the situation has been reported as improving in Nairobi, however it is important to know that in Narok, it is getting far worse.

-Stores are closed, there is no petrol for cars and the cost of food continues to inflate at exorbitant rates. Last week a head of lettuce was 20 shillings. It is now 150 shillings (.30us to $2us)

-On the night of Sunday, December 30th, Massai men burned the Narok food market, a primary source of income for the mostly female member of the Kikuyu tribe. Thus, in the last few days there has been no produce available in Kenya.

-Violence, as well, has become rampant. There have been nightly reports of Kikuyu in Narok burning Massai homes and a confirmed report of Kikuyus castrating a Luo man who later died of his injuries in Narok. Reports of sexual violence too have increased, leading to elevated concern amongst the women and girls of this region.

The Situation at the V-Day Safe House

-As an elected official and director of the V-Day Safe House, Agnes Pareyio is at increased risk.

-Although the center is secured by a locked gate and 24-hour guard, a person on a mission could easily penetrate the security currently in place.

-The girls have been watching the one television station and are aware of the current situation in Kenya, the issues that they are facing and the precautions that need to be taken. Life, on a day-to-day basis is ok. As of January 2, it has been announced that school is scheduled to resume on January 15th.

Concerns

-One of the biggest concerns is because of the size of the center and the number of people currently residing there, people will assume there is a larger quantity of food stored there, thus heightening the risk of the center and the girls.

We urge you to educate yourself about this situation, to tell your family, your friends, your coworkers. It is imperative that the worldwide community not turn a blind eye, and that the situation in Kenya not escalate. Kenya's stability is intrinsic to the stability of the region. We all must show international support for a peaceful conclusion to this conflict, we must pay attention now and not wait until it is too late.

I am especially saddened to hear of the situation in Narok. Narok is one of my favorite towns. It arises on the African landscape out of absolutely nowhere, and I think we stopped there on our way to the Mara. I love small African towns - Narok is well-developed but not as slummy as some of the places we visited, probably because the tourists go through there, or at least they must on occasion because there were no shortage of men trying to sell us various things. I think sometimes my fellow students would get quite frustrated with the whole situation. They would chastise me "don't buy from them, they're pushy, you're just perpetuating the problem of pushiness and dependence on tourism." Maybe they were right, but most times I couldn't even help myself - I loved talking to people and bargaining too - another thing some students found awkward. I remember walking through the streets of Narok to cash a check (which was not cashed at the bank. Banker: Where is your real passport (I had a copy) Me: In Athi River. Banker: Well it is doing you no good there. No sh*t.) and a young man caught my eye. "You, mzungu! (swahili for white person, usually not derogatory) You buy this!" He thrust a Maasai wedding necklace in my face. "ummm when I get back" I said. Worst comeback ever because you think that you will just be able to sneak right by sight unseen. UM NO. This never happened I was NEVER ABLE TO SNEAK AWAY! So I get out of the bank and he calls me to his display of wedding necklaces.

They were dominated by the blue beads characteristic of Maasai dress in the Narok region, so different than the colors worn by the Maasai we had known while living in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. I fell in love. "3000 shillingi!" was the price demand. That's $40. "No way!" I said "I could even get money at the bank!" I walked away to pretend as though I didn't want it, but I desperately did. I hoped that the vendor would be in the mood for bargaining. "2700!!" I heard ringing after me. "2000!" I said. "hahahhahah oh no no no" said the
vendor "no I can't my mother makes these." "Oh I understand" I said and began to walk away. "2500! Final PRICE!" cried the vendor. "SOLD!" I said "But only because your poor mama had to make all of these." "You were swindled!" cried the students when I got back in my car. "I don't even care" I said. I didn't. I didn't even care when I packed it in my suitcase and every single string of beads attached to it was ripped off (there are 23!). I fished all the beads out of my oversized duffel and restrung them so my wedding necklace could take its rightful place on my wall.

I look at it now and think of Narok and I am overwhelmingly sad to think that the man who sold it to me or his mother or his family might be living in fear or even worse. I remember Narok as a happy place. I don't even remember there being street boys there. Maybe I'm just remember things through a rose-colored lens, but even so, it sounds like Narok is out of control and that makes me sad.

I haven't heard from Mboya for a few days but the email mentions school has been suspended til the 15th, so he's probably in no rush to go to a bank and cash a money order for tens of thousands of shillings and risk walking around with that kind of money. My friend Rachel has heard from him though, and he wrote to her:
Rachel all we need is prayers in my country otherwise we will be refugees. but pray for peace.

I guess it's all we can do.

Book Roundup 2007

Well let's bring a bit of levity back to this blog....ok in 30 seconds...first let me wrap this up:

The news from Kenya still distresses me greatly, but I am very pleased to see the coverage of the situation changing. Last night on ABC News Kenyans were personally interviewed in Nairobi and they had a chance to explain that their displeasure stems from the fact that they feel their democracy was threatened by the rigging of the elections. Thank goodness someone is finally sorting out the facts. I love it that my friends and family have asked me what I thought of the situation because once you tell someone the briefest history of post colonial Kenya, everything clicks and they say "Oh. Well that makes sense." Ironically enough a lot of Americans can absolutely understand the discontented feeling that follows a questionable election, but it's hard to wrap our minds around such violence. I think people are starting to understand - I just hope that the political leaders in Kenya well come to some sort of agreement because this violence needs to stop as soon as possible.

OK. Well that being said I've decided to put together a little book roundup. I a LiveJournal with a book challenge on it and was eager to copy it. Ha ha too bad I got it totally wrong. The person on LJ wanted to read 50 books in 2007, but I got all excited and mistakenly put 100 Books in 2007 on my blog. After I realized my mistake I figured "Uh, I might be able to get to 100." Not quite - but I did make it to 70 which is pretty cool. I think I'm forgetting some but I added the two I know I completed before the end of the year and I'm leaving it at that.

I tried to pick my top 5 books of the year, but I couldn't! It was much too difficult! I decided that I'd go with my top 7 instead. These books were chosen because they either made an impact on my life and made me want to change the world or because they touched me deeply, to the point where I will often think of them or reference them as I'm going about my daily life. Here they are:

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
If my friend Rachel is reading this, she will probably laugh because she found this book rather depressing. It is that, but I also found it inspiring. Perhaps it's because I'm naive and think that one person does have the power to make an impact on the world. While Paul Farmer is certainly difficult to like sometimes, I can't help but love his vision and his drive - if we all tried to embrace a cause with even 10% of the passion Farmer embraces his, who knows what we'd be able to do.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Ha ha this is the book I heard someone talking about on the train - "Worst book I've ever read!" the guy said "don't touch it, don't open it, it sucked, you'll hate it!" My internal reaction was "AHHHHHHHH!!!" It's a great little volume about a boy's life quest for greatness. You have to read it looking for the deeper meaning, and not to be a jerk, but that's clearly what the guy on the subway was missing.

Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
This book is yet another work of non fiction that takes place in a developing nation and can at times, be quite depressing. To me though, this book was a story of the human condition, and how birth, death, and illness are things that we all have in common. It also was a wonderful example of how powerful and influential friendships between women can be, even if they're from completely different parts of the world.

Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
I'm not even sure what to write about this one - a coming of age tale that takes place in the Bronx. The way my life has gone and is going now I will never know the poverty that the women in this book faced, and by reading this book I still will probably never understand it, but now at least I can imagine. Reading about the lifestyles of the people in this book changed my opinion about a lot of things. Oft times I think of Random Family whether on the bus or subway or while watching a tv documentary. It really sticks with you.

Evening by Susan Minot
This book was positively haunting. It's one of the few works of fiction in my top 7 and ironically enough I can't put my finger on why I loved it so much. Perhaps because it's a somewhat morbid book filled with regret, or maybe because it was a love story, or a story of hope towards the end. I loved Susan Minot's stream of thought and abstract writing. Wish the movie could have been as good as the book.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I can't even begin to express the extent f my admiration for this woman. By some act of I don't know what Ayaan brought herself from a life in front of an open fire in the deserts of Somalia to a member of the Dutch parliament and tells us every horror story along the way. While I have always been a person that said that true Islam does not preach violence and extremism, Ayaan explains how interpretations of it's teachings are used to make women submit to men. Her tale is also one of incredibly boldness and bravery as she leaves her family behind to pursue a lifestyle she believes (and is) her right.

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Some folks in I0wa must've picked up this book. Before I read this book, I was a disillusioned American. I was frustrated with politics because all I ever heard were people bashing our leaders (who deserve the criticism BUT) but never suggesting any sort of solution to our problems. I didn't feel like I could trust my president and my Congress was an absolute f*cking failure, I think they pissed me off even MORE! Our country, which I know is full of good and bright people with brilliant ideas, was stagnant. No politician seemed to care enough about Iraq and our troops, developing countries, humanitarian aid, global warming, oil dependency, poor people in our own home towns, pollution, health care or our reputation. And they expect me to be able to choose a president from the arena of politicians that stands before me? WTF? Then I read this book and thought "oh.my.God. Someone who gives a damn." I'm not saying that Obama has presented himself as the strongest candidate, but let me summarize by saying this: having read his book, I would walk barefoot to the polls in the snow to vote for this man because I think he can save our nation. I don't get passionate about politics because I am a suspicious, puritanical, individual New Englander, but good lord, do I love this guy. Not as much as Jamaal ;) but enough that I am putting my faith in him, I hope he does not let me down....

Well there it is peeps, my top 7 of '07. I'm going to save the list and take it down, cause I've already read 2 books in '08.

Finally I'll leave you with a video. A non-serial-killer-esque video (Jamaal said I looked like a mass murderer in the last one. Thanks a lot dude, you try filming in hideous light, ya jerk) that includes one cute little parakeet that we were pet sitting, Thunderbird. You can here my fabulous Boston accent when I say "Thun-dah-bird" as well as Lily screeching in the background from "lack of attention"

Kenya

Naturally I am very upset by the violence that is occurring in Kenya even as I am writing this post. I am disgusted, however, by the sweeping judgments "my fellow Americans" are making about the situation. In response to an article on ABC news were written comments such as "Africans are savages" and "African countries should be ruled by America and Britain" and "Are you surprised this happened?"

Disgraceful.

I am so tired of hearing this type of bullshit from ignorant people who have never been to Africa yet still feel qualified to make broad sweeping judgments about the political situation there. Even more frustrating are the people who think of Kenya as a white man's playground and commented that they hope the violence did spill over and affect the animals. WHAT THE F*CK?!

Here's my take on it, from someone who was IN KENYA a few weeks after the '02 elections. The current government is corrupt. People wanted a change, and the incumbent was declared the winner amongst speculation that election was rigged. The people who wanted a change got pissed. Those who were most pissed were those backing the opposition, a member of the Luo tribe, and in response, they are attacking those who are members of the current ruling tribe, the Kikuyu. It is not a deeply ingrained ethnic cleansing akin to the '94 Rwandan genocide, it is a violent uprising in response to deeply rooted political and economic distress. Kenyans are not savages, they are simply unhappy. We as Americans have a hard time understanding their reasoning because we've had election set-up speculation in our own country and didn't react violently. The thing is, Kenyans endured the ruling of a single man, Daniel Arap Moi for 30 years and their country did not progress forward and became incredibly corrupt. Though elections were held, Moi seemed unmovable. The election of Kibaki in '02 marked a huge change for democratic rule in Kenya, and I believe that people expect to have more power. If they're dissatisfied with Kibaki, and the majority is dissatisfied with Kibaki, they feel as though it's their right as a democratic nation to elect a new man fairly, and honestly, and it is clear that some Kenyans believe that this process occurred neither fairly nor honestly, and in fear of another semi-dictatorship, people are reacting.

In terms of the violence, a lot of it is occurring in Kibera and Mathare, two massive slums. Who knows what the candidates promised the poor. Could this be a reaction to a deep-rooted long-running feeling of dissent that has always run through that slum? Let me tell you, if I lived there, I'd be pissed off too, and if the opposition party offered me a chance for change and then the election was set up, who knows how I'd react? I'm not condoning violence or killing, that is wrong, totally wrong, but when the only life you've ever known is that of cardboard walls and a corrugated tin roof, who the f*ck knows how you'd react? You've never had the privilege of running water, never mind an education, maybe violence is the only way you've ever known.
I hope Americans get their heads out of their asses and see what's happening hear and put their minds to doing something effective, or just giving a sh*t about Africa. It's a continent full of great potential the western Europe and America completely ruined and then abandoned it, leaving it to its own devices. If people in powerful countries started caring, who knows what type of world in which we may have the privilege of living.

Phew. That being said, I did send off a quick email to my friend Mboya, whose sister I've been sending to school (ahem, education=positive thing for Africa=educated citizens=democratic lifestyle=rise from poverty=freedom from corruption= well, you get it) because I am obviously concerned about him and his sister, though the violence seems localized to slums and kisumu.
He wrote this in response:

Hi, my friend.
Its very true that things have been very bad for the last five days AFTER THE ELECTION, But it seems that they are calm, although lots of people lost their lives in this violence and very innocent ones. BUT ALSO I THINK the new government is planning to meet with the opposition leader to do something just because of the Kenyan people so that they conciliate and recount the totals again, so am not sure what will happen after that, but people are patient
waiting .people who have been killed so far is 147 in the country.
The other thing please don't worry we are all fine ,the whole family hoping this violence is going to to go down,Right now am not on my job at till Thursday this week,whereby i hope we will be able to resume it cause of what happening. well i wish you a happy new year with better thinks and Gods blessing,
HOPE YOU HAD A MARRY CHRIST MAS.
TALK TO YOU SOON AND I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR REMEMBERING MY FAMILY , ESPECIALLY DURING THIS TIME OF MISCOMFORT AND VIOLENCE IN KENYA, GOD BLESS YOU.
RAFIKI.

So there it is from the mouth (hands) of a Kenyan man. I ask anyone reading this post and interested in the issue going on in Kenya to STOP reading our news (yep, even the holier than thou NY Times) and get your news from AllAfrica.com. I realize that not everyone will agree with my view of this issue, but make up your own by getting something that I feel is a little more accurate than the bullsh*t they're feeding you here. Thanks and Happy New Year.

Video for YOU

My poor blog has gone so long without an update, and it's going to go longer still without a real update. For now I have a video to show you though. So most of you know that I donate platelets as often as possible; it helps the patients at the cancer hospital as well as neighboring hospitals and it's a nice thing to do. I also have a high platelet count so in a way, donation is therapeutic. I've donated 27 times now and barring one incident where the needle went through my vein, have not had any issues. We-eeell that was until Thursday.

I made a special trip to Boston to donate as I took this week off work (joy!) Everything started out quite normally. One of my favorite apheresis techs was in (he puts the needle in the best, ie least painfully, you literally cannot feel it going in your vein!) and he screened me and I passed all the tests no problem. I got settled in a bed and got to choose a movie - the Bourne Ultimatum, SCORE! The one thing out of the ordinary was that the apheresis machine was on my right, and usually I go with my left arm, cause the vein is so damn good, LOL. I didn't think much of the machine being on the right and figured I'd switch it up, not remembering the issues that were had on the right arm before.

To understand the issue, you must understand how the apheresis machine works. I know the basics, but you can find the details here. First your blood is taken from your arm and it goes through tubes into a machine that looks sort of like a dialysis machine. There the blood is apparently centrifuged and separated into parts according to weight. The platelets are separated out into one bag, while the red blood cells are mixed with an anticoagulant and cycled back into your vein. The machine used where I work is one that draws and returns in cycles, so one brief cycle is the draw and then the next is a return. Usually I can't feel the difference between draws and returns, but Thursday the returns were painful, which is weird for me. I felt a slight burning at the needle site, but then the tech adjusted the machine and a blood pressure cuff around my arm and everything seemed ok again. I was about 90% done with my donation when the machine stopped drawing and the needle site went from sore to agonizing. It hurt SO BAD. I could see my bicep was swelling. An alarm went off in the machine because it couldn't draw and a couple techs came over to figure out the problem. They were puzzled at first; the needle site looked good, there wasn't grotesque swelling of the arm or bruising. What was it? Because there was no clear answer and I was in obvious pain, they decided to terminate the donation, as there were enough usable platelets collected. Soon the pain was unbearable and I needed the needle out and to sit up. Ha, couldn't sit up with the needle in and when I tried too, I was told to "LIE DOWN!!!" I started to go under.

I have a high pain tolerance and have rarely felt faint in my entire life, but for some reason, this pain triggered a faint response. I felt like I might vomit, then I couldn't breathe, then I started to tingle. I told the techs "ummm I am really trying not to panic, but I'm going under" That did it, that brought immediate attention, lol. Luckily I neither vomited nor fainted and was ok after about 15 minutes once the techs talked me through it. They said that my blood had clotted in the machine and that the machine was sending sludge-like blood back into my body til the clot was so solid it couldn't return it anymore. They said I might have a little bruise, but I looked ok. Well.
I think that opens up the stage for the video (excuse the weird lighting and busted UP hair)
This is what actually happened:

Well That Was Just Perfect

boston.com

Suddenly It All Made Sense

This weekend Jam and I were in a bootleg taxi (ok he calls it a "dollar cab" I just call it bootleg. It makes me feel highly illegal and badass. But I digress) The driver had on a soft rock station playing Christmas tunes. One song came on and it was kinda weird. We sort of looked at each other like "WTF?!"

Then I read this post. And feel kind of insensitive that we were "WTF"-ing poor Dan Fogelberg. Whoops. At least stuff makes sense now!

Anyways, it's snowing here yet again. My ISE 5 pal had emailed me a bit ago describing her fantastic Australian Christmas plans and today I received another email saying that it's hard to imagine it's snowing somewhere while it's so warm in her neck of the woods. Ha ha I feel the same way about imaging it being warm somewhere else! She also mentioned that she should take pictures at home and post them on her blog (please do Christine!) and I think I might totally steal her idea. Stay tuned for some snow pictures and some crafty pics of what the heck I've been doing all this time I've been away from the blog!!

P to the S My Dad had an awesome bday, lots of great presents, it's been a while since I've seen him get so excited and happy about stuff. It was nice, cause dad works hard and is often overtired and kinda cranky, LOL, I won't lie, but his birthday yesterday was just great. Ha, just wait til he gets his Christmas present from my mom. He'll flip! I don't think either of my 'rents read this blog, but in case they do I won't mention what the gift is.

Well I hope all of you readers (all 3 of you) have an excellent Christmas, if that's what you're celebrating, and if not and you're some place cold and snowy, I hope at the very least you're staying warm!

My Father The Hero

State police descend upon Cardinal Cushing School December 4- The Massachusetts State Police brought Santa Claus to campus by helicopter. Students and staff watched from the hill. Pictured here, Sgt. C. Afterwards, the State Police escorted the bus convoy into Boston for a Christmas party at the Garden.

Happy Birthday Dad!

(tee hee he looks freezing in this pic!)

blah blah blah angsty free verse

The people on the conference call talk nothing but crappppppppppp!

The snow is falling outside my
window

I don't give a *bleep* about the protocol table
I
just
want
to
be
at
home
like
my
ho
boss

But I shall be driving in the blizzard
BITCHES!

hahahahhaha well this amused me for 2 minutes. sigh. I can't believe we've been talking about a change in the protocol table for 14 minutes. stab my eyes with a spoon please.

I suppose since I haven't blogged for a week I should discuss something intense and real, like politics in America, issues in Pakistan and Sudan, global climate change, the health care crisis or why people can't leave Britney alone. Buuuutttttt I think I'd rather be bitter about the fact that my boss is at home. She left at noon, after telling me explicitly I could not leave because I had to be present on a conference call at 2pm. She's dialed into the call from home. From her cozy little house. Must be nice!

Normally I would not be this bitter or angry, in fact, I'd probably hardly care. I find navigating a large snow storm an adventure, about as ultimate fighter as "man v. nature" gets here in New England. Snow, I shall vanquish thee! Not today though, mostly because of what happened yesterday.

Yesterday my boss called me into her office because there was a stat of mine that was looking funky. I saw it and thought about it and I said "yeah, that stat would definitely be a little funky, but if you look at all my other stats for the quarter, you'd see that they're through the roof because I swapped my priorities. I will make this issue my new priority, this will not be a problem, and thank you for bringing this to my attention." My boss sat back in her chair and said "You know, it's one thing to slack off, but it's quite another to be caught at it." I sat there dumbfounded and eventually left her office without sticking up for myself, and I'm kicking myself for it now. I mean seriously, she's looking at one small aspect of my job!! Nevermind the fact that slacking and Allison don't go in the same sentence. I thought maybe I was slacking, maybe I was delusional or in denial til I casually mentioned it to my coworkers. They were horrified, mostly because they see me busting my ass to make my 40 hours each week and go to school and maintain a B average (requirement to stay in the program) hauling my laptop from home to school to work to maintain this frickin' project and I get called a slacker. Awesome.

Sigh. Then my boss informed me that she expects me to work here til I graduate. I don't have much of a choice to be honest, but if she thinks I'll wait to look for a new job til after graduation in May, she's the delusional one.

That being said
Off I go
Into the snow

:)

Things I'm-a Lovin' Today

I really have nothing to write, so instead, I will make of list of things I'm liking today and not be an ornery whore like I was yesterday, heh heh heh.

Here goes:

Zazzle. Why? Because I made 3 sets of customized photo stamps yesterday. If you're reading this and you're on my "Holiday Card" list, you'll be seeing them. (Said like Oprah) *Looove it*

The Daily Coyote. Can't. Stop. Looking. Cuteness. Wildness. aasldkfjalsdkfdfja

These coasters. They're awesome, and I'm gonna make some. After I finish the 3,000 Christmas gifts I'm making.

Speaking of handmade, I love this too. I think it's great. I didn't personally take the pledge, cause I was like "dude, forget buying handmade, I'm making handmade....."

Ravelry. Obsessed.

These hats. I've made one and another is on the way for two special ladies I know. Of course not having kids and not having a concept of how large an 18-month old child's head actually is sizing is a shot in the dark. The bright side is that kids grow, so I only really had to focus on making the size correct or LARGER. And since the had fits around my head and is a little short, I'm thinking I'm in the clear.

G.A.P Adventures. We went with them to Costa Rica and the experience was *amazing* Now they've added some incredible trips, including one to space (as in "the final frontier") which frankly scares the shit out of me. I like the Africa ones they've added, particularly the South Africa ones, even though my bigoted coworker thinks that if Jamaal and I went there we'd be stoned to death because we're a biracial couple. Whatev, she's clearly jealous of Jam's hot bod, LOL.

The Paper Source. Kinda makes you want to roll around in embossing glitter, eh?

MEMORABLE WOMEN. I am going to knit a shawl with yarn named after the founder of my Alma Mater. I will be unstoppable!

This site, because frankly, I don't know what the hell to say on my "email of interest" and how to word a salary requirement into a document with some modicum of class

FREE RICE Why? Because there's finally an internet game site that does something good for someone else and I feel my IQ rising as I play.

Aaaand finally, what I promised to blog about a week ago, this organization with a world-changing vision. They're amazing, I hope we're going to have a long relationship.

I think that's all I'll bore you with for now. I have a rather large natural resource law paper waiting for me, and I'm going to go see to that before I start rambling about the importance of the Conservation Reserve Program in the '07 Farm Bill renewal. Heh. Fun times.

Have a good weekend everyone!

It's a Jungle Out There

Ornery

Perhaps I am just ornery today, but I came back to my office and was sooo irritated. Why?
Because my coworker arrived and turned on the lights!
From 8AM to 12PM the most ridiculously blinding sunlight pours into our office (we're on a corner and have nice windows) so when my officemate Rochelle and I are here alone, we have a strict no-light policy because the office is flooded and the fluorescent lights give us both a huge headache (when Kim is here, it's only fair that they're on because she works in a corner and needs the lights, Laura of all people DOES NOT. She sits in the sunniest window!)
I came to work today and started everything peacefully and quietly in the natural cheerful glow of the sun. I left to wash my breakfast dishes and use the ladies and was greeted by the harsh stare of artificial overhead and ridiculously bring fluorescent. AND IT'S PISSING ME OFF BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO PUT THEM ON, FLICKED THE LIGHTS ON AND HAS LEFT. Where the hell did she go?? She's got 10 minutes to come back, and after that, the lights are going out again. Two can play this game, heh heh heh.

Le Sigh

So I was supposed to post about this wonderful organization called "Health in Harmony" but once again I am dropping the ball in order to see to grad school things.

I'm writing this paper (big paper) on the US Farm Bill that's up for renewal. I've never worked on a paper so long and felt that it still had no direction and was somewhat crappy. Seriously! As an undergrad, I never got lower than a B+ on a paper (before you accuse me of being obnoxious about that, let me have my fun, I barely squeaked by to graduate with a 3.0 - I'm horrible at exams!!!) and most papers were written only a few nights before they were due, if not THE night they were due. I had this knack for working under pressure; I'd barricade myself in my room with a healthy supply of coke (the drink!), ramen, easy mac, doritos, and sour patch kids and get it DONE, even if I had to stay up all night. I tried doing that on Sunday, but had such guilt over eating an entire bag of caramel hershey kissed that whole candy/junk food idea sort of backfired. Then I decided that maybe I'd do a little at a time. I guess a little means "one paragraph at a time." yick. It's driving me crazy! I just want to get it done because the sooner I finish up the paper, the sooner I get cracking on my midterm, then the sooner I can do my holiday crafting (which is going a bit better than I ever expected I must say...

Anyways, for the time being, enjoy this amazing website and the gorgeous photographs.

Enjoy this picture too:

A Trend?

So I have some "All Time Favorite Books," books that I read over and over again usually once a year at least. For example, spring isn't spring if I don't reread Barbara Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer." Everytime Alexander McCall Smith comes out with a new book in the Mma Ramotswe series, I reread the entire "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series so I can refresh my memory before reading the next one (given the waiting list for new books at my library and the length of my commute this is no great feat!). There are some books I just can't stop reading. I've read "Enemy Women" a bunch of time because I just adore the story, a sort of female version of "Cold Mountain" (another great one). I think "The Alchemist" will become a re-read for me too, I found it so inspirational. Of course "Mountains Beyond Mountains" will become my second bible as I start my quest to save the world.

While these books are all profound to me in their own ways, I started thinking about the books that touched me deep down in my soul. I ticked them off in my head:

The Poisonwood Bible (probably my favorite book of all time)
Snow Falling On Cedars
The Secret Life of Bees......

Then I though "Holy Crap......these books have a common theme.....BIRACIAL RELATIONSHIPS!!!! Whaaa?????" I will take this moment to point out that I read all of these books long before I met Jamaal and long before I went to Africa.....Maybe it's just plain and simple destiny or fate or something Jamaal, maybe God or whatever higher power is working up there (where is "there" exactly? hmm) was looking down at each of us studying our Mookie Wilson baseball cards and thought "These two were meant to be" (Though if God really did look down on us and think that it was a bit pervish of him/her since I would've been 4 and you 18...ok jk you would've been 9, but still!). Or maybe we just randomly met, liked each other and fell in looooooooooveeeeee. Eh, either way, I'm glad we found each other ;)

Tomorrow: A Post about Health In Harmony, and how it's saving the world ;D YAY!!!