tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54185592024-03-21T21:59:25.768-04:00spargelit's all in the way you look at it. sometimes you have to get off the bus and see it displayed on a table all by itself. then you realize for the first time that it has a color, a taste, a shape, a smell. you realize it because the spargel on this table has a different color, taste, shape, and smell then the spargel you've always known. but it's still spargel. and then you notice the sign advertising a spargel festival. and you think "celebrate spargel?" that's right...celebrate spargel.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.comBlogger388125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-25940736875295746002012-01-09T15:23:00.001-05:002012-01-09T15:25:32.962-05:00Good Eats of 2011One of my 2011 resolutions was to cook something new every week. I can't say with certainty that I met this goal literally (okay, I can definitely say I didn't meet it...I'm pretty sure I didn't cook anything new while on vacation), but I did uphold the spirit of the resolution, and we tried a lot of new recipes this year. Some were from cookbooks (new and old), and others were found on the web. Most of the recipes we gave a try turned out to be winners and have shown up on our plates more than once. <br />
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Although I haven't made this a 2012 resolution (okay, I haven't yet made any real 2012 resolutions), I do intend to keep trying new foods. Fortunately, we both enjoy cooking (most of the time), and we have adventurous palates, so trying new foods is fun and not a chore.<br />
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For my own reference and in case you're wanting to give some new recipes a try, I'm including links to a few of our favorites from 2011. (Some of the recipes listed below were first tried in 2010, but they were favorites of 2011, so I'm including them.) Let me know if you give any of them a try. <br />
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<a href="http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/09/a-tasty-recipe-butter-chicken/" target="_blank">Butter Chicken</a><br />
A very simple recipe for a very tasty Indian dish. I can't vouch for the authenticity of the recipe, but I can say that it tastes delicious. <br />
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<a href="http://acozykitchen.com/sweet-potato-ravioli-with-pecans-and-herb-brown-butter-sauce/" target="_blank">Sweet Potato Ravioli</a><br />
Making your own ravioli can seem daunting until you've given it a try. This recipe makes it so simple. We usually use butternut squash instead of sweet potato, but it's delicious both ways.<br />
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<a href="http://acozykitchen.com/shrimp-curry/" target="_blank">Shrimp Curry</a><br />
We both love curry of all varieties, and this is a quick, easy, and hearty one with good flavor.<br />
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<a href="http://acozykitchen.com/coconut-curried-fried-rice/" target="_blank">Coconut Curried Fried Rice</a><br />
The coconut and curry flavors really take this fried rice to the next level. After eating so much nasi goreng (fried rice) in Southeast Asia during our travels that we thought we might never want to eat it again, this recipe brought us back to this easy (one pot!) and tasty meal. <br />
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<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/couscous-and-feta-stuffed-peppers/" target="_blank">Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers</a><br />
We love stuffed peppers, and this recipe is our new favorite way to make them. The filling is so delicious, and if you make too much, it makes a great dish on its own. <br />
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<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/risotto-with-fresh-mozzarella-grape-tomatoes-basil-10000000554689/" target="_blank">Risotto with Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes, and Basil</a><br />
This is summer in your mouth. It's so good, especially at the height of summer when we could pick the tomatoes and basil straight from the garden.<br />
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<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/stuffed-piquillo-peppers-with-chorizo-and-manchego-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Chorizo and Manchego Cheese</a><br />
We made this appetizer for our holiday party, and it might have been my favorite dish we made. In addition to piquillos, we also used sweet cherry peppers, which make for a more bite-sized appetizer.<br />
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<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/light-fresh-potato-salad-10000001723426/" target="_blank">Light and Fresh Potato Salad</a><br />
This is one of our standby summer sides. With no mayonnaise and some vegetable additions, it's really fresh and scrumptious.<br />
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<a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/zesty-three-bean-roasted-corn-salad-10000001206170/" target="_blank">Zesty Three Bean and Roasted Corn Salad</a><br />
Another summer favorite, this salad is great for cookouts. It has a little kick, which raises it far beyond the typical bean salad in my opinion.<br />
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Crap. Now I'm hungry.<br />
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If you've got any great recipes to share, please leave them in the comments. I love having new things to cook up in the kitchen.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-54737798998731977532012-01-03T15:24:00.000-05:002012-01-03T15:24:24.898-05:00Books: 2011 in Review<b>A Few Statistics</b><br />
<ul><li>Number of Books Read: 39</li>
<li>Number of Books That Were Fiction: 35</li>
<li>Number of Books Written by a Woman: 24</li>
<li>Number of Books That Were at Least Partially Set Outside the United States: 18</li>
</ul><b>A Full Listing of the Books I Read (in the order I read them):</b><br />
<ul><li>Take Me Home by Brian Leung</li>
<li>Displaced Persons by Ghita Schwarz</li>
<li>The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison</li>
<li>Tinkers by Paul Harding</li>
<li>The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard</li>
<li>The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli</li>
<li>The Age of Orphans by Laleh Khadivi</li>
<li>What is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman</li>
<li>Dear Husband by Joyce Carol Oates</li>
<li>You Lost Me There by Rosecrans Baldwin</li>
<li>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz</li>
<li>Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed</li>
<li>The Gendarme by Mark Mustian</li>
<li>Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez</li>
<li>Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat</li>
<li>Solo by Rana Dasgupta</li>
<li>The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer</li>
<li>Still Alice by Lisa Genova</li>
<li>A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan</li>
<li>The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber</li>
<li>A Gate at the Stairs by Laurie Moore</li>
<li>Room by Emma Donoghue</li>
<li>Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien</li>
<li>The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith</li>
<li>Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones</li>
<li>Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones</li>
<li>Accordian Crimes by Annie Proulx</li>
<li>Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson</li>
<li>Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese</li>
<li>Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier</li>
<li>Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones</li>
<li>Jim the Boy by Tony Earley</li>
<li>The First Desire by Nancy Reisman</li>
<li>The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan</li>
<li>Swamplandia! by Karen Russell</li>
<li>The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht</li>
<li>Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell </li>
<li>Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand </li>
<li>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot</li>
</ul><b>My Top Books of 2011</b><br />
(This is hard. Very hard. But there are the six books I awarded 5 stars on Goodreads. An additional sixteen books received 4 stars, fourteen received 3 stars, three received 2 stars, and one received 1 star.)<br />
<ul><li>Tinkers </li>
<li>Age of Orphans</li>
<li>The Invisible Bridge</li>
<li>The Personal History of Rachel Dupree</li>
<li>Once Upon a River</li>
<li>Unbroken</li>
</ul>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-63951639110116126062011-12-29T15:03:00.000-05:002011-12-29T15:03:40.659-05:00Resolution Update: October, November, and December<b>Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week</b><br />
November was a very productive month for me writing-wise, as I really focused on writing every day. This fell off in December with the holidays and all the hub-bub that goes with them. I'm going to refocus on writing in the New Year and hopefully come up with some sort of "schedule" that works for me.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Two: Get a Story Published</b><br />
I didn't succeed here. I did send one story out, however, to two different places, one a contest and one a very top journal. It was rejected by the top journal. It didn't win the contest, but it was a finalist.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher</b><br />
As I noted before, I decided to call this one off. Maybe I'll revive it one day.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance Clients</b>Already accomplished. October was a very productive month for me, and November and December continued on that trend. <br />
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<b>Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog</b><br />
I'm still completely up in the air as to how I want to handle this. Some days I want to invest more in it; other days I want to say forget it.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Six: Ride a Century</b><br />
Accomplished! On October 29, we completed the Durham Habitat for Humanity Century Ride. It was the nastiest day we've had all year, I think. Temperature in the low 40s, rain, and wind strong enough that I thought I might fall off my bike at points. Definitely not the day I would have picked, but we biked anyway and were 2 of only 15 people to finish the century. (All other people, being apparently saner than us, opted for the 31 mile or 62 mile routes.)<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week</b><b> </b><b> </b><b> </b><b> </b><b> </b><br />
We continued adding new food to our repertoire, welcoming back fall favorites such as butternut squash and sweet potatoes. We also prepared a slew of new things for our holiday party: chorizo and manchego stuffed piquillo peppers, sundried tomato stuffed mushrooms, beef en croute with bernaise sauce, smoked salmon tartlets, two types of mini quiches, and more.<br />
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<b>Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear</b><b> </b><br />
Fail! My sewing machine continued to be put to use for repairs but did not create anything new. I still might get a pillow sewn before the New Year. Maybe? Maybe? But using my sewing machine more will have to be a goal for next year.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New</b><b> </b><br />
Already accomplished.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books</b><br />
Already accomplished. Over the past three months, I read an additional 10 books, and I'm halfway through one more, which I hope to finish before 2011 departs.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month</b><b> </b><b> </b><b> </b><b> </b><br />
Our adventures continued through the end of the year, but they were much more low key. In October, we didn't actually leave North Carolina, but we spent a lot of time exploring parts of it we hadn't been to before--both on our bikes and during a visit from Jeff's parents. In November, we made our annual pilgrimage to Seattle for Thanksgiving, and in December, we traveled to Louisville for Christmas celebrations.<b> </b><b> </b>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-61675280805882566052011-10-12T17:11:00.000-04:002012-04-25T22:28:50.751-04:00Gay Rights are Human RightsLast month, just three days before we headed to Spain and amidst a frenzy of laundry, packing, collations, and copyedits, I put everything on hold and drove to the North Carolina state capitol in the middle of the day. My purpose was to join the rally in support of gay marriage/in opposition to a proposed state constitutional amendment banning it. It was time for me to put actions with my words. It was time to add my voice to the chorus, to speak for myself rather than hope or expect that someone else will do it for me.<br />
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While we rallied on the lawn outside the chambers, where inside the Senate was voting whether to put said constitutional amendment on the ballot in May, speakers took to the stage to denounce not only the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage but also the fact of allowing a majority to vote on a minority's rights. The speakers represented a range of faiths, races, social classes, occupations, ages, and sexual orientations. Some spoke angrily; others spoke eloquently. In-between, the crowd cheered, waved their homemade signs, and yelled "Shame on you" at the chambers and the few lawmakers that gathered on its balcony after the Senate voted in favor of putting the amendment on the ballot.<br />
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I heard a lot of arguments that afternoon about why the ban was bad news. They ranged from it being bad for business, to there not being a need for a ban because NC law already prevents gay marriage, to there being bigger and more important things for the NC legislature to worry about. All of these are true. And I'm in favor of any argument that will get people to come out in May and vote against the amendment (or stay home in May if they planned to vote for it). However, I find all of these arguments to be superfluous. As far as I'm concerned there is only one argument, and it is spelled out in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_men_are_created_equal" title="All men are created equal"></a>, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.<br />
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Denying homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered people the right to marry the person of their choosing is a declaration that they are, in fact, not equal. It is a denial of their right to Liberty and their right to pursue Happiness. Because we live in a secular country, it is as simple as that. <br />
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Today is National Coming Out Day. Next week is Ally Week. The fight for equal rights in this country is not one that should be fought alone by those whose rights have been denied but one that should be fought by all people who believe in a just world, who believe in that second sentence of our Constitution. It is our job to speak out not because we are gay or know someone who is, but because we are human and because this is an issue of human rights.<br />
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Please take the time to stand up and make your voice heard. Even if this isn't an issue on the docket in your state right now, it is a pressing issue nonetheless. Our voices need to be heard constantly and consistently until all people in this country, regardless of sexual orientation, have full and equal rights. Don't say this isn't your fight. You are human, aren't you?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Comments, as always, are welcome, even those with conflicting viewpoints, so long as those views are presented in an inoffensive and rational manner. Any comments I deem to be inflammatory or hateful will, however, be immediately deleted. It's my blog, and I believe in civility. If you don't, please go away.</span>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-22798883712485500382011-09-30T14:16:00.000-04:002011-09-30T14:16:56.219-04:00Resolution Update: August and September<b>Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week</b><br />
Basically, this isn't going to happen as spelled out here. The one hour a day five days a week thing doesn't work for me. I've tried and I keep trying, and I want it to work, but it doesn't. And I've decided I'm okay with that. I can't write on a schedule. Creativity doesn't work for me like that. But I am writing, sometimes multiple hours in one day and sometimes no hours at all. I think I need a goal that is more accomplishment/final project oriented. I'll have to think more about this, but in the meantime I'll keep writing and keep trying to find some sort of "program" that works for me.<br />
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<b>Resolution Two: Get a Story Published</b><br />
Well, I've got three stories I plan to send out. I'm almost finished with revises on one (I need to get rid of a pesky 120 words or so that just won't go), and the other two are in progress in terms of revises. I have a couple of contests I want to enter in October, so I'm hoping to do a mass send out this month and see what happens. I'm starting at the top with the places I'd most want to be published, so I don't expect success this round, but I figure why not start at the top.<br />
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<b>Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher</b><br />
See last update. On hold indefinitely.<br />
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<b>Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance Clients</b><br />
While having already achieved this goal for the year, I'm always working on evaluating and improving my freelance business. In the past two months, I haven't gotten any new clients per se, but I have picked up some new long-term work from some of my clients. I've also been recommended by one of my clients to another potential client, so I'm waiting to see if that goes anywhere.<br />
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<b>Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog</b><br />
This continues to be an epic fail. I don't really have any more to say about it than I did last time, but you may be seeing some new action from me in the next month, so check in both here and at Lives of Wander.<br />
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<b>Resolution Six: Ride a Century</b><br />
This is the goal I've probably made the most progress on. We've been going on long rides every weekend with some shorter rides thrown in on weekends and we're now up to 60+ miles of riding. We're also officially signed up for the event on October 29, so basically I have one more month of training left. Unfortunately, it's also a busy month with some weekends already spoken for. I am, however, only planning to train up to 75 miles or so. I've found that it hasn't been that hard to increase our distance each week. Sure, it takes more time and I'm good and tired afterwards, but I'm pretty sure that even if the event were this weekend, we'd be able to pull it off. As long as I keep myself fed (I eat a ton while riding!), then most of riding long distance is mental for me, and since I'll be riding with Jeff and our neighbors Carl and Kristen (who we also train with on occasion), I think I'll have the support I need to finish it. <br />
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<b>Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week</b><br />
Though I haven't been keeping track of this, I think we do pretty well on this front. It doesn't hurt that I very easily get tired of eating the same things, so I'm always looking for something new to try. <br />
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<b>Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear</b><b> </b><b> </b><br />
Looks like it's going to have to be a fall or winter piece or maybe even something for next year, since this hasn't happened yet. I don't do very well at indoor projects in the summer. As the sun sets earlier and earlier each night, I think the chances for this goal being achieved increase. <br />
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<b>Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New</b><b> </b><br />
I've already checked this goal off the list. Hooray. No overachieving to report. <b><br />
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<b>Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books</b><br />
Completed! Woohoo! I have now read 27 books this year. In the last two months, I read <i>A Gate at the Stairs</i> by Laurie Moore, <i>Room</i> by Emma Donoghue, <i>Going after Cacciato</i> by Tim O'Brien, T<i>he No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency</i> by Alexander Smith McCall, <i>Silver Sparrow</i> by Tayari Jones, <i>Accordian Crimes </i>by Annie Proulx, and <i>Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe</i> by Bill Bryson. Of these, I would most recommend <i>Room </i>and<i> </i><i>Silver Sparrow</i>. <br />
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<b>Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month</b><b> </b><b> </b><br />
Our adventures continued in August with a weekend trip to Chicago to visit my brother Gregory. We ate a lot of good food (Xoco and Little India being my favorites), took an Art Deco architecture walking tour, and went to an art fair. We were also able to visit my cousin Elizabeth and her awesome kiddo Jack and see their new home. In September, we headed off to Spain for a combined business/pleasure trip (well combined for Jeff, all pleasure for me.) We started out in Barcelona, where Jeff had a conference. I then headed south during the conference to visit Ronda and Cordoba. After the conference, Jeff met up with me and we traveled to Sevilla and Granada. It was a great trip. We loved the Alhambra, the entirety of Sevilla, and all the good food to be had. We don't yet have an adventure lined up for October (that century ride is taking precedence), so we're taking suggestions. We might have to opt for a micro-adventure this month.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-69927709062095510862011-08-02T22:05:00.000-04:002011-08-02T22:05:12.720-04:00On Politics, Lost Hope, and Feeling DupedI remember what HOPE felt like. I remember feeling it in Nicaragua, sitting on a hostel couch as election night results poured in, and in Africa, where Obama adorned everything from shop walls to wrap skirts. I remember it from before then, from standing in a parking lot outside my office with a coworker, listening to Obama give a speech in the months before the primaries were decided. I remember that feeling....but I don't feel it anymore. Now all I feel is disappointment.<br />
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Politics are ugly. Politicians are never who they seem to be (unless they're members of the Tea Party, and they are exactly who they seem to be). To be a politician, you have to have a huge ego, to believe yourself capable of things that no human is capable of, to be certain that you---yes, you---are the change this world needs. I know that the person who will be president will not be the same person we see as candidate for president, but I expect that they will at least maintain the outline of that person, that the shadow they cast will fill roughly the same space. With President Obama, I feel, however, as though I've been duped.<br />
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Is it me? Did I expect too much? Did I fall too easily for words? Did I overlook hints, clues, signs, messages from beyond that said that as president, Obama would fail to lead, that he would throw his own party under the bus, that he would not stand up for the things that he, as a supposed liberal, believes in. Did I fail to recognize that he is, at best, a moderate conservative with a weak spine? Was I that easily tricked?<br />
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I believe in compromise. In general, I think it's a good thing. But I don't believe that compromise and lying down and playing dead are the same thing. I don't believe that allowing radicals to hold you and a country hostage has anything to do with compromise. I don't believe that throwing away your principles can count as victory, no matter what it says on paper. I don't believe in giving and giving and giving without ever demanding one thing in return when we're talking about the game called politics. I believe that when the other side isn't willing to do their part you have to stand up and lead, compromise be damned. The Republicans don't seem to have trouble understanding that. So why, why, why do you Mr. Obama, the man we elected to be president, the man we elected <b><i>to</i> <i>lead</i></b>? <br />
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I'm not saying that if it were November 2008 all over again, I wouldn't vote for Obama. You better believe I'd vote for him over McCain and the crazy woman he partnered with. But if I, if this country, could go back to the primaries, would I still want to see him chosen as the Democratic nominee, knowing what I know now (and I'm not just speaking in relation to this debt ceiling debacle but in relation to the sum of his presidency thus far)? I don't think I would. Hope, it's been said, is a good thing, maybe even the best thing, but as it turns out, that's not applicable in the world of politics. In politics, it's not hope that counts, it's action. And that just doesn't seem to be something our president has in him. <br />
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I'm not looking forward to the 2012 elections. Surely, I'll be voting Democrat (have you seen the crazy lady leading the Republican field this time around???) but I'll be doing it with a heavy heart, wishing that I had the option of choosing a true liberal, not a moderate conservative who, in the era before the Tea Party, would have made a damn fine Republican.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-1749894922998062092011-07-31T18:32:00.000-04:002011-07-31T18:32:49.209-04:00Resolution Update: April, May, June, and JulyGood thing I didn't make a resolution to actually make monthly updates about my resolutions. I managed to only do that once. Next time it was a two month update. This time it's a four month update. It seems you shouldn't expect the next one until the end of the year, considering the pattern I've established. Or maybe I'll change and become a diligent monthly updater. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. But without further ado, here's wehre I stand on my resolutions with 7/12 of the years behind us.<br />
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<b>Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week</b><br />
April-July: This was an overall fail. I'm not really sure this is a good goal for me. I've honestly been trying to do this for years, but I've never been able to. I write in spurts, which works to an extent, especially if I'm content to write short stories, but I'll never be prolific or be able to turn out a novel with the sporadic writing schedule I maintain. My other problem is that I've been swamped with paying work. I know you have to "pay yourself first," but when I have paid work hanging over my head, I find it really hard to put my creative work first. For the month of August, I'm going to make a concerted effort to actually stick to this goal and thus have a better idea of how I feel about the concept of writing for one hour every day.<br />
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<b>Resolution Two: Get a Story Published</b><br />
April-July: No success of this front either, though I have decided on three stories I plan to submit to journals come fall, and I've had two of the three reviewed by fellow writers. I need to make some final revises this month and then send them out in September.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher</b><br />
April-July: I may be throwing the towel in on this one, and I'm going to do it without guilt. I'm just not into this goal right now. With the limited amount of time I have for creative writing, this isn't my highest priority. It will remain living on my hard drive, and I may one day bring it back out, but for now, it's in hibernation.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance Clients</b><br />
April-July: Technically, I already achieved this goal, but I like to overachieve (and there' s the other matter of never knowing when you might lose a client). In this period, I did both---gained and lost. On the success front, I won a bid for a job from the Freer & Sackler galleries that involves editing an entire catalogue. On loss front, I am no longer freelancing from Groupon. They decided to end their entire freelance program, which was, honestly, a relief as that company is one hot mess and they were not paying me anywhere near what I'm worth (and I'm not even valuing myself that highly at this point!). Overall, the freelancing is going quite well, keeping me busy on a full-time basis these days.<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog</b><br />
April-July: My enthusiasm for blogging has definitely waned. After busy days of work (some stretching late into the night these days), it's just not what I want to do. I also haven't been reading too many other blogs. I keep up with friends and pop in on favorite blogs every now and then, but I've found myself disconnecting from the online world lately and feeling rather fantastic about it. To put it simply, I've been more interested in living and enjoying my own real life rather than reading about the adventures (or more often the banalities) of people that I don't really know. That's not to say I'm going to become an online hermit. There are blogs I get enjoyment from reading. I do love to read about what my friends have been up to. But I've given up on keeping up with the masses online. It's just not me, and I like me the way I am...live and in person and, when I feel like it, online.<br />
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<b>Resolution Six: Ride a Century</b><br />
April-July: There's definitely been progress on this front.<b> </b>Most importantly, I've finally gotten a road bike. Hooray! I've also been doing some riding, both short little trips during the week and longer weekend rides, and I'm on track with the training plan I have for the October 30 event I plan to ride. Progress. Good stuff.<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week</b><br />
April-July:<b> </b>I don't know if we've literally cooked one new thing each week, but we are regularly cooking new things, so I consider this goal a success. Our menu for this upcoming week is loaded with new items, all making meals out of our garden abundance, particularly in regards to tomatoes.<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear</b><b> </b><b> </b><br />
April-July: I'm not going to be wearing a new piece of clothing sewed by myself this summer, but I did use my sewing machine to fix a bag, and I'm working on altering a dress I bought on clearance, so, again, progress.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New</b><b> </b><br />
April-July: I've already checked this goal off the list. Hooray. No overachieving to report. <b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books</b><br />
April-July: I put the hurt on this goal over the last few months, and I'm already at a total of 20 books read for the year. I have all confidence that I will surpass this goal. Books I've read in the past four months include:<b> </b><i>The Age of Orphans </i>by Laleh Khadevi, <i>What is Left the Daughter </i>by Howard Norman, <i>Dear Husband </i>by Joyce Carol Oates, <i>You Lost Me There</i> by Rosecrans Baldwin, <i>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</i> by Junot Diaz, <i>Black Mamba Boy</i> by Nadifa Mohamed, <i>The Gendarme</i> by Mark Mustian, <i>Wench</i> by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, <i>Breath, Eyes, Memory</i> by Edwidge Danticat, <i>Solo</i> by Rana Dasgupta, <i>The Invisible Bridge</i> by Julie Orringer, <i>Still Alice </i>by Lisa Genova, <i>A Visit from the Goon Squad </i>by Jennifer Egan, and <i>The Personal History of Rachel DuPress</i> by Ann Weisgarber.<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month</b><b> </b><b> </b><br />
April-July: We kept the adventures rolling over the past few months. April was busy with a trip to Houston for Cristina's wedding and then a spur-of-the-moment roadtrip to Florida. We hoped to see the launch of the space shuttle Endeavor, the second to last NASA launch, but technical difficulties kept the launch from happening. Instead, we met up with friends Taylor & Courtney in Daytona, toured St. Augustine, and wandered Savannah all in one weekend. It was great fun, though I really wish we could have seen the shuttle launch. In May, we drove to Louisville for the Derby, Jeff's first. It was fun, maybe a bit too much for one person in this partnership, his name to be withheld :-) Our other May adventure was a weeklong trip to the Litchfield Beach in South Carolina with my family, which was relaxing and fun per usual. In June, we actually kept our adventures in state, enjoying our own town. We did, however, make it to the beach, checking out North Carolina's Kure Beach for the first time. In July, we headed out to Seattle for the Fourth of July. While there, we made it to the Olympics (my first time), saw the Mariners, and took part in a lot of Bainbridge traditions. It was an adventuresome first seven months. Hopefully the next five prove to be so as well.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><b> </b><b> </b>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-7505500073273946122011-04-07T13:37:00.000-04:002011-04-07T13:37:03.026-04:00Resolution Update: February and MarchSo it's April. How did that happen? I'm going to blame the fact that I was in Hawaii during the February-March transition for my failure to post a resolution update then. As for March, well, I can't really post about March if I haven't posted about February, now can I? Reasons, excuses, whatever. The fact is I am behind. And so I'm going to pull a double shift here and provide both February and March updates in this post.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Resolution One: Write or Edit Creative Works for at Least One Hour Five Days a Week</b><br />
February: Fail<br />
March: Fail<br />
<br />
I really did a poor job with this goal for both February and March. Thankfully, I'm a member of a writing group that expects me to submit a piece for critique once a month, so I did manage to produce two pieces, but I did not go above and beyond that. I blame the fact that I was traveling and working in an office for much of February and March, but again, excuses. I will do better this month (or what's left of it...).<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Two: Get a Story Published</b><br />
February: Fail<br />
March: Fail<br />
<br />
It's hard to get a story published if you don't submit it for consideration. I did enter one contest, which I apparently did not win, but I didn't submit my creative work anywhere else. Submission season for most literary journals is actually approaching a hiatus, since most run according to the academic calendar. So I'm probably going to have to wait until fall to have a chance at accomplishing this. In the interim, I need to write, polish, pick markets, and have multiple pieces ready to submit once the fall comes around. <br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Three: Submit Chapter Book to Agent/Publisher</b><br />
February: Fail<br />
March: Fail<br />
<br />
I've really lost steam with this project. I honestly can't remember the last time I looked at it. Time to dig up the file and give it some love.<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Four: Get Two New Freelance Clients</b><br />
February: Success<br />
March: Success<br />
<br />
Finally, some success! All those fails at the beginning were feeling a big discouraging. But honestly, if I want to maintain my sanity and enjoy my life somewhat, I'm not going to be able to accomplish all my goals every month. They are goals for the year, that's what I have to remind myself, though monthly progress would be good. Anyhow, February and March were really great months for my freelancing business, so I'm pumped about that. I began getting a substantial amount of work from the Smithsonian, the one client I already had, and I added two new clients to my roster: Groupon, for whom I am writing daily deals; and Oxford University Press, for whom I am providing copy editing and production editing services. I also attended a social venture job fair, where I made contacts with three other businesses that could potentially use my services. Things are looking good on this front. Now just to maintain the momentum.<br />
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<b>Resolution Five: Reenvision, Relaunch, and Maintain Blog</b><br />
February: Success<br />
March: Success<br />
<br />
I've been posting fairly regularly to Lives of Wander, and I feel good about where it's at now. It's not ever going to be anything more than my personal travel blog, and I'm 100% okay with that. Now to launch the KY Blog...<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Resolution Six: Ride a Century</b><br />
February: Fail<br />
March: Progress<br />
<br />
I've made some progress on this goal in that I think I've chosen the event in which I would like to ride: the Habitat for Humanity Durham Century Ride at the end of October. I've also begun my quest to find the perfect road bike. I still have to buy the bike and most importantly, get riding!<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Seven: Cook One New Thing Each Week</b><br />
February: Success<br />
March: Success<br />
<br />
Aside from the weeks when we were traveling, we've done a good job of adding new meals to our menus. I need to compile a list of favorite new meals and share them. <br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Eight: Sew a Piece of Clothing to Wear</b><br />
February: Fail<br />
March: Fail<br />
<br />
We did finally clean up the front bedroom and rearrange it so that my sewing machine has a place to live that is easy to access. I need to pick a pattern and some material now and get sewing. Though first I need Jeff to wrap me in duct tape...<br />
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<b>Resolution Nine: Take a Class to Learn Something New</b><br />
February: Success<br />
March: Goal Accomplished<br />
<br />
I'm not sure I have to call March a failure, because CHECK, I accomplished this goal. I wanted to learn something new this year and I did. I took a class and learned to surf while in Hawaii. Woohoo! Goal Accomplished! I'd like to maybe take another class to learn something else, but we'll see. Lots of other resolutions to tend to.<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Ten: Read a Minimum of 25 Books</b><br />
February: Fail<br />
March: Fail<br />
<br />
Wow. This is the most surprising fail for me, but both February and March were lean months for me in regards to reading. Things turned sour when I spent forever trying to read Lotus Eaters and just could not get into it. Then I took some books with me on vacation but never got to them. Then I was working in an office by day and at home by night. Reading in all forms took a major hit. I'm almost caught up on New Yorkers, and I just went to the library and got two books, one of which I'm 50 pages into, so I'm back in the game, but good thing I did so much reading in January!<br />
<br />
<b>Resolution Eleven: Have an Adventure Every Month</b><br />
February: Success<br />
March: Success<br />
<br />
We headed to Hawaii at the end of February and stayed into the second week of March, and I'd say Hawaii was a pretty big adventure, so great success on this front. I also spent a weekend in Houston for Cristina's bachelorette party, so lots of adventure in February and March. The upcoming months look good on this front too!Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-83814725625006066832011-02-01T13:33:00.000-05:002011-02-01T13:33:00.748-05:00Eleven for '11: The January Check-InThis year I decided to stick to the beaten path and create a set of resolutions for myself. Needing a clever way to decide just how many resolutions to make, I opted to go with 11 resolutions for the year 2011. Yes, what can I say, I'm just <i>that</i> clever.<br />
<br />
The resolutions are<br />
<ol><li>Write or edit creative works for at least one hour five days a week.</li>
<li>Get a story published.</li>
<li>Submit chapter book to agent/publisher.</li>
<li>Get two new freelance clients.</li>
<li>Reenvision, relaunch, and maintain blog.</li>
<li>Ride a century.</li>
<li>Cook one new thing each week.</li>
<li>Sew at least one piece of clothing well enough that I actually wear it.</li>
<li>Take a class to learn something new.</li>
<li>Read a minimum of 25 books (plus all issues of the New Yorker). </li>
<li>Have an adventure every month.</li>
</ol>The problem with resolutions is that they can be damn hard to stick to, especially when no one is holding you accountable but yourself. That's why I just posted all 11 of my resolutions here for the whole world to see. I want to be held accountable. Which is also why at the end of every month, I'm going to post an update on what I did in regards to each resolution that month. Whether or not anyone else ever reads this, I think just having the monthly accounting written down will help me see where I am succeeding and where I am falling short and will thus help me do better with each new month. Hopefully.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, here's how things played out on the resolution front for January.<br />
<br />
1. I fell short on writing/editing for one hour/5 days a week. In total, I may have worked for that many hours, but I wasn't consistent, which is what I'm striving for. I have been playing around with time of day and environment to discover how I work best, but I haven't found the magic combination yet. Must work harder on this.<br />
<br />
2. I did not get a story published this month nor did I even submit one. I did, however, do some research on literary magazines in the hopes of finding the perfect home for one of my stories. This month, I plan to continue researching and actually submit something.<br />
<br />
3. I did not submit my chapter book to anyone. I have completed the entire draft of the story, but I think it needs a lot of work. I will continue to edit and polish in the hopes of submitting before the end of the year.<br />
<br />
4. Unfortunately, I did not land any new freelance clients this month, though it wasn't for lack of trying. I've sent letters of introduction to travel publishing companies in the hopes of getting freelance copy editing work. I have also sent out emails to all acquaintances in the NC area in hopes of making some connections. None of this has translated into any work yet, though one company was interested but needed me to be in NYC. Boo.<br />
<br />
5. Much of my energy in January has been spent on reenvisioning and relaunching Lives of Wander. I've got it pretty close to where I want it to be, though a few tweaks remain. I am back in the blogging spirit and expect to be able to maintain posts 3x/week. My goal now is to increase readership.<br />
<br />
6. I've got a sample training program for a century taped to my wall, and I tried to do week one, but honestly, it was too damn cold. I really don't like riding my bike when it's below freezing. So I'm putting off the training until the weather improves a bit. I also need to pick a century event to ride in. So far, the ones I've been interested in have not been on dates that work well for me. I need a commitment and a deadline however.<br />
<br />
7. I've been on a roll with cooking new foods, exceeding my goal of one new item a week. New recipes that were a hit this month include chicken cacciatorre, sweet potato and black bean burritos, and sweet potato ravioli. The ravioli was the hands-down winner. I'll post the recipe later this week.<br />
<br />
8. I haven't yet sewed anything on the new machine I got for Christmas. I'd like to make a skirt or dress before my upcoming Hawaii trip, but that might be ambitious. Goal number one is to get the front room arranged in a way that I can leave my machine set up.<br />
<br />
9. I have not taken nor signed up for any classes this month, though I have been checking out the options. I think I might like to take a pottery class that begins in late spring.<br />
<br />
10. The reading goal is going to be the one I accomplish most easily. I probably should have set the bar higher, but it's kind of nice to have one goal I feel like I'm rocking. I read five books this month: <i>Take Me Home</i> by Brian Leung, <i>Displaced Persons</i> by Ghita Schwarz, <i>The Bluest Eye</i> by Toni Morrison, <i>Tinkers </i>by Paul Harding, and <i>The Good Daughters</i> by Joyce Maynard. I would recommend all of them. I also read all January issues of The New Yorker. <br />
<br />
11. This month's adventure was a trip to Colorado, where we visited friends in Denver and Grand Junction and skied at Copper Mountain, Powderhorn, and Loveland. It was a great long weekend and set the tone for fun adventures for the rest of the year.<br />
<br />
And there you have it. The successes and not-yet-successes for January 2011. What about you? Any resolutions for 2011?Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-3935116710957227012010-11-11T12:48:00.001-05:002010-11-11T12:48:40.829-05:00Images from the Rally to Restore SanityThough we couldn't see or hear what was happening on stage for a good half of our time at the Rally to Restore Sanity, we always had plenty to look at, primarily in the form of signs, some of which were serious, some of which were funny, and some of which were nonsensical. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsky6uBLWeIEnKTMgSLFE9Xl3RZf3ojOukgWY9de8woR1lFe718lDbNHav7KVOK8GTamBV926NLlu1m4lOBKjQT08e58KxE38dF0KAXBfWn0Hwk6gCsPGMAQ2QKKL9KUu3TkB/s1600/DSC_0113-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsky6uBLWeIEnKTMgSLFE9Xl3RZf3ojOukgWY9de8woR1lFe718lDbNHav7KVOK8GTamBV926NLlu1m4lOBKjQT08e58KxE38dF0KAXBfWn0Hwk6gCsPGMAQ2QKKL9KUu3TkB/s320/DSC_0113-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign with the dodo bird on it said "Dodo birds feared nothing. Now they're extinct."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjtYLObv46Z_3ccT14MYJ6GNAY2lIXpcPjG_TmbRBvk-g_FrCfPeE36S8PMDlUap7Cz5UgDlIqz-cuM_MgG2uTI-I5PWyH9_f3ZpfSiQIcH5ys1QdkZrtu_Q83Yg9t_tsEgnK/s1600/IMG_2174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjtYLObv46Z_3ccT14MYJ6GNAY2lIXpcPjG_TmbRBvk-g_FrCfPeE36S8PMDlUap7Cz5UgDlIqz-cuM_MgG2uTI-I5PWyH9_f3ZpfSiQIcH5ys1QdkZrtu_Q83Yg9t_tsEgnK/s320/IMG_2174.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you can't read it: This sing has a word in Arabic, under which it reads "Relax. It just says McDonalds."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-74540390648248220602010-11-01T13:51:00.000-04:002010-11-01T13:51:07.761-04:00Rally to Restore Sanity: The Experience*I'm going to divide my comments on the Rally to Restore Sanity into three posts: one simply detailing the experience, one providing an analysis of it, and one with photos of the signs we saw and perhaps some other nonsense.<br />
<br />
It's 6:20 a.m., when we turn over the engine of the Volvo and drive down the quiet Saturday morning streets of Durham, destination Washington D.C. and the Rally to Restore Sanity. For 3.5 hours, we move quickly and steadily down I-85 and then I-95, trees decked in their fall colors brightening our ride. When we approach the D.C. suburbs, traffic grows heavier but continues to move. Our first back-up is at the Franconia-Springfield exit, which takes you to the furthest out Metro stop on the Blue Line. Because it's not yet 10 a.m., we decide to push on to the West Falls Church Metro Station, which is both closer to the city (inside the Beltway) and closer to the home of the friends who we are staying with that night. We don't make it much further before we hit traffic. We watch the arrival time on our GPS push back minute by minute, but we manage to arrive in the vicinity of the station around 10:15. We grab some food in a nearby shopping center and then turn down the side road to the station. That's when we get the first inkling of how big this rally is going to be.<br />
<br />
The surface lot at West Falls Church is full, and the line to get into the garage is long. We join it and creep forward. Our friends, who tried the Vienna Station, which is on the same line as West Falls Church but is further out, call and tell us that it is full. We see a few cars come out of the garage, and I'm convinced there are no more spaces. We enter anyhow, and climb up, up, up through full floors of cars. We take the last spot on the fourth floor. Success.<br />
<br />
At least until we get down the stairs and across the street to the actual station entrance. There we are confronted with a line that snakes back and forth and back and forth the entire length of the drop off lane outside the station. There are hundreds of people in this line, if not a thousand. But it is calm, orderly. People laugh, joke. No one pushes. We hop in line, and then I decide to try to pop my head inside the station and see just what is going on. I come running out two minutes later. "Come on," I yell to Jeff. "The line is for buying tickets, not getting on." Though we haven't lived in DC in two years, we still have our Smart Cards, and so we bypass the line, push through the turnstiles, and descend to the platform.<br />
<br />
I check the sign. Train in two minutes. We scan the platform and try to guess where to stand to maximize our chances of getting on. We find a regular who says he knows where the doors open, and we stand with him and wait. The train pulls in. Packed. Packed. Packed. It's brake squeal and work hard to stop. It takes longer to stop than normal. The doors are ten feet in front of us. Far too far away for us to have a chance of being among the two or three people that squeeze on. We let it go. Another one will come soon, I think, but when I check the board, it's another 8 minutes. And then another 12. Metro is running its regular lazy Saturday schedule with trains spread far apart and with only six cars on each train instead of rush hour's eight.<br />
<br />
Some people switch sides and hop on the train going in the opposite direction, their plan to take the train to the end of the line and get on there where it might not be so full. We decide to try for the next train and reposition ourselves. We chat with the people around us. When the train pulls in, it is again full. Beyond capacity. Beyond my comfort level. But this time a door is in front of us when the train stops, and we push our way in. There is no where to hold on, but there is no need to. I couldn't go anywhere if I wanted to. But still people laugh and joke, remain friendly.<br />
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The train moves slowly, each stop taking forever, as people try to push on, and the doors refuse to close. The conductor asks that when we stop and the doors open we politely tell the people on the platform that there is no room and they should not try to enter. We laugh. When has that ever worked?<br />
<br />
At a few minutes before noon, rally start time, our train pulls into Federal Station and we hop off along with all the locals. Out-of-towners continue on to the Smithsonian stop. Though closer, we know it will also be crazier. We walk past the Smithsonian museums and then onto the mall. There are people everywhere. In all the years I lived in DC, I have never seen so many people. Fourth of July looks tame, tame, tame compared to this. We mash our way into the crowd. The crowd is majority white, though there are significant numbers of people of Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern descent in the crowd. African Americans are also present. Hispanics seems to be very underrepresented. The crowd is young, but the crowd is also old. There are families with small children. There are teenagers with their parents. There are people who belonged to the Vietnam protest era. There are grandparents. There are many more people in the 40-70 demographic than most people would have expected.<br />
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We hear distant music. The capitol, which is where the stage is located, is far, far ahead of us. <br />
<br />
"Has it started yet?" I ask Jeff.<br />
<br />
"I don't know," he says. It's completely unclear what is going on.<br />
<br />
"Let's try to get closer," he says.<br />
<br />
We push forward, finding passageways here and there. We point out the signs we see. Some are serious. Some are funny. Some resonate. Some are purely silly.<br />
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<br />
The music ends. We hear words. People begin to chant: Louder, Louder, Louder.<br />
<br />
"Who is that?" I ask.<br />
<br />
"John Stewart," Jeff says. I can't tell.<br />
<br />
The talking stops. Then we hear a mumble that grows louder.<br />
<br />
"I think they're singing the national anthem," Jeff says. We stand quietly.<br />
<br />
All the while, we try to keep pushing forward. We are still a good ways south of Seventh Street, which had been designated the entrance to the rally, the idea being that everyone would congregate from Seventh east to the capital. Instead, people are packed in almost all the way to 14th Street, near the Washington Monument.<br />
<br />
The next thing we hear is the introduction of the Myth Busters. We hear bits and pieces of what they say, mainly that they want us to do the wave. We hear the countdown. We assume it begins. We wait and wait and nothing happens. We assume it dies. And then there's a rumble.<br />
<br />
"I hear the wave coming," I say. And it does come, reaching us something like 30 seconds after it began.<br />
<br />
From noon to two, most of the event passes us by. All I see are the shoulders of the people around me. Jeff says that he can sometimes see a Jumbotron, but that it is far, far ahead of us. Bits and pieces of soundwaves make their way to us. I catch a few lyrics of Crazy Town. We join a Love Train as it pushes forward. Most of the time we hear only the conversation of the people around us. Most of the time we see nothing but kids trying to climb trees and scale lamp posts for better views. Every once in a while our section erupts into cheers, but it's not for what is happening on stage, but for the kids who manage to scale the trees successfully. "Yes you can. Yes you can," the people around us cheer for the tree climbers. We have no idea what is happening on stage.<br />
<br />
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<br />
By about 2 p.m., we have successfully pushed our way up to Seventh Street. We see the First Aid Tent that was supposed to be at the back of the event, still a fair bit in front of us. Jeff is now able to see the Jumbotron in the far back. I can still only see the people around me, but I can now hear. We hear the Stewart-Colbert debate. We hear Stewart give his final speech. We hear the final group sing-along.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
And with that, the Rally to Restore Sanity is over. We have friends we want to meet up with, but there are no phone signals. The lines are jammed. At 3:30 p.m., I receive a text that was sent at 12:30 p.m. We press against a truck as the crowds swarm pass and wait to find our friends. I look up Seventh Street. It is a mass of humanity as far as I can see in both directions. I wonder if the people waiting in line to buy tickets for the Metro ever made it here.<br />
<br />
<br />
Eventually we meet up with our friends. We don't even want to try the Metro so we set off to find a bar. We walk north and south and east and west. We walk and walk and walk. Everywhere is packed. Eventually we find a seat outside. The wind is brisk, especially now that we are not packed together person to person.<br />
<br />
<br />
Later we go to another friend's house and have dinner and drinks. At 11:30 p.m., when we board a Metro back to our car, it's still standing room only.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-17917527345767156242010-10-28T14:16:00.001-04:002010-10-28T14:22:53.929-04:00The Sunday Wedding Announcements: The South Lives OnSometimes, for shits and giggles, I read the wedding announcements in our Sunday paper. More than anything else --even the old men at the fair handing out "I'm proud of my Confederate heritage" stickers--the announcements are a reminder to me that I am, without question, living in the south. <br />
<br />
Let me explain to you how they do this in five concise points.<br />
<br />
1. The photos are of the brides only. Apparently the grooms don't matter.<br />
<br />
2. All of the brides' middles names appear to be their mothers' maiden names. <br />
<br />
3. The brides are all wearing pearls. No matter what their dress looks like, no matter how they wear their hair, no matter whether it's a fancy or a slightly-less-fancy event (I don't think Southern weddings are ever casual), the brides are wearing pearls.<br />
<br />
4. The announcements are at least eight paragraphs long and list every single member of the wedding party. They also announce how many showers were held and who threw them, where the bridal luncheon was held, and who hosted the bachelor/bachelorette parties. Of course, they also mention <i>who</i> everyone wore.<br />
<br />
5. They contain sentences like this: "The bride was presented at the 2005 Terpsichorean Debutante Ball."Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-59230279730730063952010-09-09T09:17:00.000-04:002010-09-09T09:17:00.869-04:00Garden BountyWhen we stepped outside this morning to water the garden, there was a slight chill to the air. Not cold by any means, but not hot like it has been for months, the heat and the humidity present regardless of what the clock read. I realized that fall is on its way, and there won't be many more weeks of watering the garden left. Many of our tomato plants have already begun to shrivel. We're in a losing battle with squash bugs. The overly prolific cucumber plants have only a little left to give. The okra is no longer impossible to keep up with. Our garden--Jeff's garden to be honest--has a few more meals to give us, but then it will be done. I will miss its bounty.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYmn-2yEDQTOKdngZXkqwDgbCRRerI_VYzuYLhzCmxvpmqQQMkW92XJfAd0RVQRlvmkgqJYMX_yCXWRkYU80fTdbbkG8DE1VU47g9OTIS9Kz57jCAEZvNndj-ifi2PlksvP1i/s1600/DSC_0077-1.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYmn-2yEDQTOKdngZXkqwDgbCRRerI_VYzuYLhzCmxvpmqQQMkW92XJfAd0RVQRlvmkgqJYMX_yCXWRkYU80fTdbbkG8DE1VU47g9OTIS9Kz57jCAEZvNndj-ifi2PlksvP1i/s200/DSC_0077-1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OHGRFWgdg1aSybTfeMn6iDYo0k4K8QQhBJN4FPEkZ_Thyphenhyphen2bU3Vk6yDsxkejDhjLoNBaxU26NJ1BELnF0bh08qqZtH8hxPzkRpj3Lh2uM9xfYtlGqaE3zgtVVslTVFkokaYUC/s1600/DSC_0033-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OHGRFWgdg1aSybTfeMn6iDYo0k4K8QQhBJN4FPEkZ_Thyphenhyphen2bU3Vk6yDsxkejDhjLoNBaxU26NJ1BELnF0bh08qqZtH8hxPzkRpj3Lh2uM9xfYtlGqaE3zgtVVslTVFkokaYUC/s200/DSC_0033-1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLecxWQIgii5pC13sBQvQTV21Kfmq8K-QtrnGiB4Qh9fA9wb4W4HrrgADCTK6Bz71IiuR4zz2Z7VWN1gZW5Ox8BJioCeJldTd_AOAEbGKSfPvKpE85jRe1szwH_hu7ccA3t1Ib/s1600/DSC_0040-1.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLecxWQIgii5pC13sBQvQTV21Kfmq8K-QtrnGiB4Qh9fA9wb4W4HrrgADCTK6Bz71IiuR4zz2Z7VWN1gZW5Ox8BJioCeJldTd_AOAEbGKSfPvKpE85jRe1szwH_hu7ccA3t1Ib/s200/DSC_0040-1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82XGPBjyAJ1CXVG6eXC6E2D83xFyjoVlYgXQeGmW7vXU4d_uXXnND28cP2-29ruMHTl7pASxulaa5skPYMv7R2LCVm4eLonlqgDYGiipiTlLlsFrF02mmr6GbQu8X1eSDHuze/s1600/DSC_0027-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82XGPBjyAJ1CXVG6eXC6E2D83xFyjoVlYgXQeGmW7vXU4d_uXXnND28cP2-29ruMHTl7pASxulaa5skPYMv7R2LCVm4eLonlqgDYGiipiTlLlsFrF02mmr6GbQu8X1eSDHuze/s200/DSC_0027-1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-10897542994289078722010-09-02T12:11:00.000-04:002010-09-02T12:11:10.876-04:00A Beautiful Day for a NeighborFor the four years that Jeff and I lived together in D.C., we lived in a condo building that had eleven units. It wasn't big, but somehow it wasn't small either. Though I recognized the cars in our lot--a green Escort sticks out in my mind--I couldn't have put driver with car. There were only a few people in my building that I could recognize with certainty. I didn't know any of them. In the four years we lived in our unit, we never knew the people with whom we shared a wall. On the day we moved out, as we loaded up the moving truck with our couch and TV, sheets and towels, they introduced themselves to us. I don't know if they thought we were moving in or they were doing that D.C. thing--the thing you do on the Metro when you see someone you know but you avoid making eye contact with them until you're about to get off and then, as you walk toward the door, you stop next to them, say hi, and then exit.<br />
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Though there are things about D.C. that I miss, I don't miss that. I don't miss the distance people kept, the preference for not making eye contact and not saying hello, the bubbled existence. When I'm asked how I like living in Durham compared to how I liked living in D.C., this is the difference that most readily pops into my head. Here I have neighbors who are not just people who live next door. Here I have neighbors that I say wave to and stop to say hello to, neighbors whose houses I've had dinner at, neighbors who I've gone to ball games with or walked to Ninth Street with for ice cream. <br />
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So this past weekend, in celebration of neighbors and in hopes of meeting more, Jeff and I hosted a block party. About half of the residents on our twenty house block came. They brought homemade pickles and store bought cake, homemade hummus and store bought chicken salad. We set up tables and chairs, lit citronella candles (oh, the mosquitoes here), and grilled hamburgers. Neighbors we knew came, and neighbors we hadn't yet met came. We ranged in age from twenty-five to senior citizen. We were born and raised in this area, and we were from as far away as Honduras. We had moved in last month, and we had lived on this street when the first houses were built here. I met a neighbor who runs a popular local blog, the man to go to when I want to know what they're doing with that empty building downtown or when the new restaurant I heard about it going to open. I met a neighbor with nine-year-old quadruplets (!!!). I met a neighbor who promised to alert me to any and all Greek festivals and to bring me some of any Greek pastries she might make. <br />
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We came from different backgrounds and had different interests, but we were united by where we live. Each of us shared a love of older houses and all the character they have, a preference for urban living over suburbia, a desire to live in close proximity to restaurants and bars, the farmers market and Durham Bulls. Our neighbors arrived at 5:30, mixing and mingling over the course of the evening. As it got later, people drifted off, but at 10:30, a group of us were still sitting there, chatting, snacking, finishing off a bottle of wine and a growler of beer.<br />
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There's lots of things I've come to like about Durham. I enjoy Durham Bulls baseball games, Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market, picnics at Duke Gardens. I like the city's diversity and the way it prides itself on being a little bit funky. I like all the local restaurants and the many food trucks. I like the DLC and the library's culture series and finding good talks to go to at Duke. But most of all, I like the people that call Durham home, and I like that I have a really good set of them to call my neighbors.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-70489954845750388912010-08-26T15:47:00.000-04:002010-08-26T15:47:01.277-04:00The School of LifeDuring the years we lived in D.C., I forgot about the cycle of the school year. The anticipation, in August, of a new year. The joy of getting fresh school supplies, pencils that hadn't yet been used, notebooks that weren't yet marred. The anticipation, again, in May of being set free for a summer. The thrill of the final bell on the last day of school. We didn't live particularly close to a school in D.C. or know people with kids. We rode public transportation almost exclusively, so we didn't get stuck behind school buses. And though it is full of colleges and universities, D.C. is no college town. The influx of students was not noticeable in a city that always seemed pack, and the fact that so many students came to D.C. each summer for internships and summer jobs meant that, really, numbers did not change that much. The bars in Foggy Bottom and the shops in Georgetown were packed regardless of what the calendar read.<br />
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But here in Durham, the school year imposes itself on you. In the morning, the brakes of the school bus, which picks up the girl right across the street, act as a sort of time piece. If I look out the window, I see parents walking their kids to our neighborhood school. I love that. That we have a neighborhood school and that kids still walk to it, lunch boxes swinging in their hands, backpacks bouncing with each step. On Monday, Duke freshmen arrived. Their older counterparts will join them next week. The track around the East Campus is full now whenever I drive by, girls with bodies they don't know they should be thankful for and boys wanting people to look at them as they run without shirts now outnumbering moms with jogging strollers. Next week Ninth Street will grow more crowded. It will be harder to get a seat at the Federal or the James Joyce. The line at Chipotle will be long no matter what time of day you go.<br />
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I've seen the freshmen already. They're instantly identifiable. They still have their room keys and IDs on the lanyards Duke gave them, and they wear them around their necks or twirl them around their index fingers. They wear Duke t-shirts everywhere. They move in packs, with no idea yet of who their friends will be, who they will still be hanging out with next summer, next year, on graduation day. They look young. But I guess, compared to me, they are. As we walked past a pack of the freshmen last night on our way into the Bulls game, I thought back to my own Orientation Week, when we went to the Astros game, and I realized that it was eleven years ago.<br />
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That realization took my breath away. "Eleven years," I said to Jeff, not just once, but twice, three times. Eleven years. More than a third of my lifetime. It doesn't feel that long ago, not really, and I don't know why. I don't know if it's because that's just the way life is, that we can never quite believe how quickly it passes us by, or because I still sometimes feel like a freshman, it not at college at least at life, uncertain of what it is I want to do or how to get there.<br />
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Though technically this school year has nothing to do with me--I'm not taking classes or working at a school--I've decided to embrace it. I've decided to look at those freshmen at Duke, to look at the elementary neighborhood kids on their way to school and to see myself. I've decided to take the time to remember what it is I wanted and hoped for way back when I was starting first grade, six grade, high school, college, and to brush off those goals that I had then that I still care about and to say a resolute goodbye to those that no longer interest me but that I have for whatever reason clung to. I'm going to ask myself what it is I want to learn this year, who it is I want to hang out with this year, in what ways I want to grow this year. Then I'm going to set myself some goals and go after them--even if my pencil has already been worn down to a nub and my notebook is already a good bit full.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-6140158352881052552010-04-05T17:12:00.006-04:002010-04-05T19:17:28.502-04:00"I never met a Kentuckian who wasn't coming home." --Gov. A. B. "Happy" ChandlerToday, I sat on my back porch and ate my lunch, looking out at the beautiful flowers blooming in my backyard. Last night, we had friends over for an Easter dinner, which was a tasty success. On Saturday, we enjoyed a lovely day of biking to the farmers market (which was bustling!) and then biking to the Durham Bulls stadium where we watched the home team take on their major league affiliate Tampa Bay Devil Rays, for whom Jeff's college teammate and roommate Jeff Niemann pitched the first four innings. On Friday evening, we met an old high school friend of Jeff's (who we just found out lives on our street!) for some drinks and conversation at a neighborhood bar. As spring blossoms and the city comes back to life, Durham grows on me. Yet still, even in the moments when I'm enjoying myself and finding positives most places I look, I know that this isn't home...at least not permanently.<br /><br />You see, today as I sat on my porch eating my lunch, I thought about how I wanted to have my mom come over and help me turn my front yard into something half as nice as my backyard. I thought about how much more fun it would be to cook out and play a few games of cornhole if my brothers could come over and join us. I thought about the Easter cookout at my cousin's new house that I missed and the baby showers for friends and family members that I've been unable to attend. I thought about how my grandpa just turned 85 and instead of being able to wish him a happy birthday in person, I could only send a card.<br /><br />When I left Kentucky, way back in 1999 at the age of 18, I did so because I thought there weren't enough opportunities for me in the Bluegrass State. The state's universities didn't appeal to me. I couldn't conceive of a job that I wanted to do that I could find at home. I was ready for change. Now, more than ten years later, I've had lots of change. I've lived in three states (Texas, Maryland, and North Carolina). I've lived in two countries (Germany and Greece). I've spent time in dozens of other countries.<br /><br />And while I've been away, Kentucky has, in some ways, changed. On simply the experiential level, Louisville is definitely a more interesting city than it was when I left. In other ways, Kentucky is still the same. If I wrote down all the characteristics I'd want in an place to live, it probably wouldn't be much of a match. It's much too conservative and much too fundamentalist. Outside a few select fields, it's been slow to attract new companies and new jobs. Its public education system leaves much to be desired. Its international airport is only international if you're willing to go via UPS. It's still poor (46th in per capita personal income with a poverty rate of 17%), falling behind in education (only 17% of Kentuckians have a bachelors degree and only 74% have a high school diploma; compared to 27% and 85% nationally), and overwhelmingly white (87%). But rejecting a place to live based on a set list of characteristics is like rejecting a potential life partner because they don't fulfill every single quality on your dream spouse list. No one and no place is perfect. It's about the total package, the feeling you get when you're with the person/place, not their ability to match 100% with your preconceived notions.<br /><br />And while the fact that I see Kentucky changing, progressing (even if the facts don't prove it) is important, what's probably more important is the fact that I've changed. As I've lived in different places and held different jobs (some with "wow" factors, some without), I've realized that it's highly unlikely that there's any job in the world that is going to play a truly determining factor in my happiness. There are jobs I will like better than others; but there are no jobs that make everything else irrelevant. I've also come to see that successful people can be successful anywhere. There may not be as many opportunities to do the things you want to do in some places versus others, but there are opportunities (or opportunities waiting to be created), and sometimes it's better to be the big(ger) fish in the small(er) pond. I know lots of smart people in Louisville leading successful lives. Finally, as I mentioned in the credo I published at the beginning of the year, I've learned that when it comes right down to it, people matter most. I can do awesome things and see amazing places, but if the people I love the most aren't around to share it with, how great can it be?<br /><br />And so, I've decided I'm coming home.* It won't be tomorrow. And it might not even be our next move.** But sooner, rather than too much later, we're coming home. I want my future children to see their grandparents once a week, not a few times year. I want them to learn how to fish from my dad. I want them to be close to their uncles, their cousins, and the family members that they don't even know how to quantify (greats and once-removeds and so on and so forth).***I want them to celebrate birthdays surrounded by people who know the second verse of the Happy Birthday song and to know what it means to give someone down the road, even if that also means they sometimes say "worsh" when they mean "wash," call Detroit "DE-troit," and carry an UM-brell-a instead of an um-BRELL-a. And when eventually, they too leave Kentucky, I want them to go out and experience amazing places and do awesome things, and then, having grown up in the embrace of family and close friends, know that while it's all well and good (and necessary, in my opinion) to see what all is out there, what counts when the day is done is people, pure and simple.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*The good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.<br /><br />**We'll be here in Durham for at least three years. In an ideal world, Jeff would then be offered a full-time job (with long term potential). In that case, we'd be looking for that job in Louisville (at U of L most likely, unless anyone knows of anywhere in the city else hiring research scientists). In the realistic world, it's likely that Jeff will end up having to do another post-doc. In that case, we would not be looking at Louisville. It is rare in the science world to take a job at the same place you did a post-doc, and since a job is the long-term goal, we'd want to look elsewhere for the post-doc.<br /><br />***Yes, I do realize that not all of our future children's grandparents would be in Louisville. But, if we're in Louisville, that means we only have to travel to see one side of the family, not both, meaning we'll have more time to make the trek out West. I also realize that there is no guarantee all, or even any, of my brothers will end up in Louisville. I do know, however, that they, like me, love Louisville. I hope that they will at least be close. I know, for certain, that even if they don't live there, it is someplace they will return to often, meaning I'd still see them more if I'm there than if I'm anywhere else.<br /><br />****And yes, by "I" I do mean "we." Jeff is aware of and onboard with this plan. </span>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-73058178809169468692010-03-30T12:04:00.002-04:002010-03-30T12:12:34.505-04:00A Contest Worth EnteringPart three of my rambling series about figuring out what I want to do with my life is coming soon, but I'm interrupting it to let you know that Epiphanie, the creator of some very cool camera bags, is sponsoring a <a href="http://www.haveanepiphanie.com/home/2010/2/28/epiphanie-give-away.html">rather awesome contest</a>. The winner gets to choose between a Canon 5D and a $2,500 Southwest gift card. Think of all the places you could go or photos you could take. Insane!<br /><br />And though I usually refuse to enter all the contests that require you to do one million and one social networking tasks (argh!), this one was too good to pass up. Plus to get one entry (which is all it takes to win!) you just have to comment on their blog, which isn't so difficult. And I decided that it was such an awesome giveaway that it was worth blogging about too (in the hopes that if you win, you'll come visit me with your Southwest gift cards...they fly to RDU!...or pay for me to come visit you.) Anyhow, the deadline is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 31, so leave a comment on their blog and hope that you (or I) get lucky.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-15605195225118114692010-03-26T09:35:00.003-04:002010-03-26T10:19:46.148-04:00Finding Focus<a href="http://spargel.blogspot.com/2010/03/plunging.html">(Continued. Read Part 1 Here.) </a><br /><br />Officially, I am now a writer. That's what I tell people I do when they ask, though a note of hesitancy always slips into my voice. What really qualifies someone to claim to be a writer? Do you have to have a certain number of things published? A business card? A website? Or do you just have to churn out word after word after word with the hopes that some day someone will read it? Writer is what my taxes will say for 2010. It is my only (sometimes) paying job. From the outside it looks like I'm finally doing exactly what I set out to do back when I was young enough to believe that you really can be anything and everything you want to be. But from the inside, things are still confused.<br /><br />You see, writer, though containing only six letters, is a big word. It has so many meanings. There are newspaper writers and television writers. They are speechwriters, screenwriters, press release writers. There are bloggers and website writers. There are travel writers. There are essayists. There are poets. There are playwrights. There are biographers. There are novelists. Behind every single thing we read--from bestsellers to the back of the cereal box--there are writers.<br /><br />So trying to sort out just what kind of writer I am, just what kind of writer I want to be, has been difficult. Because as I said before, I'm a rational person, and I can't ever escape the thought that what I do has to make money (and in the here and now, not the somewhere down the road). No matter how many times Jeff tells me that we're fine without a reliable paycheck from me, no matter how many times I smile and nod, I can't let the thought go. And so when I sit down to write, I usually don't find myself lost in a story, but instead find myself pondering what kind of writing I can do to make a buck. I peruse websites that aggregate freelance writing jobs. I consider churning out how-to articles for Demand Studios. I delve into the idea of monetizing my blog. But always, I reject idea after idea. Because when I really take the time to find my voice amidst all the noise, I realize that none of those jobs embody the type of writer I want to be, that if those are my options for writing, I'd honestly rather just take a desk job. Writing what someone else wants me to write has as little appeal to me as entering data all day ... and at least data entry pays better.<br /><br />And then there's travel writing. The road most of you probably think I want to go down. The road I myself thought I might want to go down. I've had a bit of luck getting some articles published in magazines and newspapers. I'm at work on my second guidebook. I lovingly keep up a blog dedicated solely to travel. But as I said to Jeff while we sat in a plaza in Cartagena and had a drink, "I don't think I want to be a travel writer." You see, I could care less about top hotels, best restaurants, the 10 most romantic spots in the world, or the most fashionable carry-on bags. I don't like interviewing people. I hate querying, following up, and waiting for responses that rarely come. I'm going to cancel my subscription to Budget Travel if I see Italy on the cover one more time. Writing service pieces (where to go, what to eat, where to stay) interests me once in a blue moon. I don't like working (or feeling like I should) while I'm on vacation. I hate social media (the bloodline of writing these days it seems). I prefer paper to online. And I can probably count on one hand, in this world of shortened attention spans and rapidly dying print media, the number of publications I'd actually like to work for.<br /><br />On the surface travel writing seems like the perfect fit. I love to travel, and I love to write. But it's not. When I travel--as I see new things and meet local people and come to understand once foreign cultures and histories--I take tons of notes. I file away images, both in my mind and on SD card. But when it comes time to sort through them all, what I find myself creating is not articles but stories. I don't want to tell you the facts; I want to tell you the bigger truth. I am not a journalist. I am a storyteller. Fiction is what I love.<br /><br />(To Be Continued...)Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-22671583698347947222010-03-25T12:46:00.004-04:002010-03-25T14:14:18.692-04:00PlungingYou know how some kids just know what they want to be when they grow up? They determine at age five they're going to be a doctor and twenty years later are graduating medical school. Or they spend their childhood mimicking the news anchor and then land a broadcasting job after college (after interning in the field all four years). Or they run for class president in second grade and end up a career politician. Well, that wasn't me. Not exactly at least.<br /><br />There was one thing I've always wanted to be--a writer--but I haven't always been true to that tract.<br /><br />Through grade school, I remained primarily dedicated to my goal. I excitedly scribbled a Young Authors story and proudly accepted a medal for my writing nearly every year. I worked on the student newspaper. In my eighth grade autobiography, I wrote that I intended to study writing and become a novelist.<br /><br />But in high school, I lost focus. Though I'd never considered a career in science up to that point, in fact hadn't cared for the subject one bit, I was suddenly finding myself being encouraged to pursue that field. Apparently, I was good at it. The knowledge came easily to me, and my teachers were eager to discuss the possibilities. They didn't mean any harm. They didn't know that I really wanted to be a writer. They were just showing me all the doors that were open to me, doors that led to good jobs with good pay. Come the summer after my junior year, I was studying astronomy at Governor's Scholars rather than creative writing at the Governor's School for the Arts. At senior day for the soccer team, it was announced that I wanted to pursue a degree in engineering. My world had flip-flopped, but that just seemed a part of growing up. Most of us, after all, don't grow up to be the firefighters or astronauts or baseball players we imagine we'll be when we're children.<br /><br />In college, the conflict came to the fore. As I trudged through biology, chemistry, math, and physics classes, I looked forward only to the lone English or German class on my schedule. Late at night from the floor of my dorm room closet, I'd call home crying about how much I hated physics. When I officially submitted my declaration of major form, changing from bioengineering to English and German, it felt like a failure, but I also felt free.<br /><br />In the end, owning a piece of paper that declared me to be the holder of degrees in English and German didn't make it any easier to be a writer, or to even dedicate myself to that path. You see, I am a rational person, and being a writer did not seem like a responsible decision. Writing is a path fraught by uncertainty. It is a career that does not come with a guaranteed paycheck. It is a lifestyle marked by failure more than success. And so I meandered. I hemmed and hawed. I tried teaching. I tried research. I tried non-profit work. I tried editing. And while some of those jobs were more palatable than others, it was often again like college. While I made my way through the day, I dreamed about the creative writing class I was taking that evening or worked on the story I planned to present to my writing group. I entered a contest here or there. I won prizes for a few essays and a short story. But writing remained always on the sideline.<br /><br />Until this year. When faced with a new city and no job, I decided to jump into the cold, murky waters, bottom depth unknown, of writing. Yet still, a few months into this new career, I still don't think I'm where I want to be, doing what I want to do. I still feel like I'm treading water, pondering the descent to where it is I want to be, sticking my mask into the water to see the amazing life that's right there waiting below the surface for me, but holding on to just the slightest little bit of air in my BCD. But you know, I think I'm ready. It's time to orient myself, do one last final check, signal that I'm A-okay, and plunge in.<br /><br />(To Be Continued...)Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-72268435755587257962010-03-23T12:54:00.005-04:002010-03-23T14:00:38.156-04:00Finding My Voice Amidst All This NoiseSometimes I wish I could move somewhere where being connected required real effort on my part, where I had to make a conscientious decision to check in and see what's going on in the world. I'm not sure such a place exists, however. I've heard cell phones ring on a spit of land in the middle of the Okavango Delta and in the depths of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. I've been approached by beggars sending texts. We're nothing if not connected.<br /><br />There's a lot of noise out there. And at the risk of sounding old, I'm going to say that it's too much and it's too loud. There's Facebook. And there's Twitter. And there's some new Google Friend program-a-ma-bobby. There's blogs of friends and blogs of family and blogs of people I have never and will never meet. There are iPhones and iPads and iDon'tKnowWhatElses. There's CNN.com and WashingtonPost.com and NewsNoOneCaresAbout.com. And of course there's Wikipedia with its bottomless pit of information.<br /><br />Without putting any active thought into it, with only the twitch of a muscle, I can find out that a girl I probably never even said one word to in high school is going to have sushi for dinner tonight. I can browse the vacation photos of someone I last saw at my eighth grade graduation. I can learn that Reese Witherspoon is now dating someone new, that Heidi Montag (who the hell is she?) has reached the limit for breast implants, and that some jackass Congressman from Texas yelled "It's a baby killer" not just "baby killer" during the health care reform vote. <br /><br />Whew. What a lot of useless information. The age of information has made us repositories for junk, turned us into junkies for crap. And I'm (finally) saying enough.<br /><br />Upon turning 29 nearly two weeks ago, I decided to make this a year of taking stock, of cleaning house, of finding focus. I'm cutting out on the things I don't care about, cutting back on things that suck up my time. I want to spend my time tending a vegetable garden, riding my bike, reading good books, making ice cream. I want to live my own life, not be a voyeur in someone else's.<br /><br />And so today I'm clearing my cache, cleaning out my bookmarks, letting go of bad Internet habits. You'll still find me on Facebook (but only once or twice a day, not every time my cursor is in the address bar). I'll still be keeping up my blogs and checking in on others (though I'm whittling my visits down to the blogs of friends and families and a very few select others). And I'm sure that every once in a while I'll click on a stupid CNN.com article. But overall I'm breaking the bond. The Internet and I have been spending way too much time together recently, and I really don't like where the relationship is going. I just have too many things I want to do here in the real world.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-54985019888366216182010-03-01T11:10:00.002-05:002010-03-01T11:36:48.383-05:00Six Things I Like About DurhamBecause I love a good challenge, I'm taking on Lisa's assignment from the comments to my post on Six Things I Miss About D.C. So without further ado, my list of Six Things I Like About Durham.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Our House</span><br />Though it still needs a few pieces of furniture, though we still haven't emptied all the boxes, though some of the walls still beg for decor, I like our house. It's cozy and comfortable. It's got great architecture. It has a nice backyard. It has room for guests. It feels like home.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. The Durham Literacy Center</span><br />In searching for a way to meet people and get involved, I found the Durham Literacy Center, and recently I've started volunteering there as an ESOL teacher. I love it. The center is really well run, with a training program that empowers volunteers to really be effective. The students are amazing--smart, funny, enthusiastic, and hardworking. They work hard all day, yet manage to be eager students in the evening. A combination of refugees from countries such as Iraq and Burma and immigrants from Latin America and Africa, these people came to America for a better life and are working hard to make that happen for themselves. And the other people who volunteer at the center are like-minded individuals who I enjoy working with. I really look forward to the nights I get to teach at the DLC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. How Friendly People Are</span><br />In D.C., not talking was the norm. It was a rare occasion when you talked to the person sitting next to you, legs practically touching, on the Metro. Passing on the sidewalk was not cause for hello. Heck, half the time you could get on the elevator at work and your co-workers wouldn't even bother with small talk. Here, everyone says hello. Everyone asks how you are. Everyone talks to each other. Sometimes, after all those years in D.C., it's a bit unnerving. I want to swivel my head around to see if there's someone else behind me they're talking to. And sometimes when I really just want to grab a gallon of milk and go, the chatty cashier having long conversations with everyone in front of me makes me impatient. But overall it's nice. Not to mention that we have great neighbors. In D.C., we never knew our neighbors (even though we literally shared a wall). Here, despite the crappy winter that's kept everyone inside, we've already met four sets of neighborhoods, and they all seem great. (Not to mention that the woman across the street is also from Louisville. Small world.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. All the Stuff within Walking/Biking Distance</span><br />Since we don't have good public transportation here, and since driving involves taking your life into your hands, it's particularly awesome that we live within walking or biking distance of many things. The library, the farmer's market, the Durham Bulls stadium, Duke University (Jeff's work), and a slew of restaurants and shops are all within easy walking and biking distance of our house. Once the weather warms up a bit, we're going to be able to leave the cars in the driveway the majority of the time and explore by foot and bike.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Being Able to Grill</span><br />In D.C., local ordinance prohibited grilling within 100 feet or something like that of a building, and our condo rules prohibited grilling period. It sucked. No chargrilled burgers. No steaks. No beer can chicken. Our poor grill had to be put in storage. But not anymore. Now it's out on the porch, ready for backyard barbecues and heavy summer use. In fact, last night we grilled up a pair of steaks, and oh my were they good.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. ......</span><br />I'll have to get back to you on number six. I'm at a loss. I'm hopeful that once summer rolls around I'll have many more to add to the list. I really should be prohibited from moving to a new city in winter, because I hate winter, and I find it very, very hard to find good things about a place in the winter. But in summer everything is so much better. And also, I heard that the beach is less than three hours away. If true (and if the beach is good), then my glasses might turn out to be rose-colored after all.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-23105634441687954532010-02-23T16:32:00.004-05:002010-02-24T12:14:43.991-05:00Six Things I Miss About D.C.<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. The Metro</span><br />Sure, I got frustrated when I was on a train that broke down, and I hated those winter days when I missed the train by just a second and had to wait in the freezing cold for the next one to appear (I got on at an outdoors station), but I'd gladly take the occasional Metro upset over driving any day. With the Metro, you didn't have to worry about traffic, parking, gas, or designated drivers, which is certainly nice. But what I miss most is my reading time. With a 30 minute commute in each direction, my daily Metro rides added up to an hour of guiltless reading time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Eastern Market</span><br />Part farmers market, part craft market, part flea market, Eastern Market is a place I never got tired of. There was always something new to discover, always interesting people to watch, always something tasty to try. There was never nothing to do on the weekend, because there was always Eastern Market.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Sushi</span><br />Okay, Durham has sushi. It's not something that I can't get here. But good sushi, well, that's another story I'm afraid. I've tried different places. I've sampled from all over the menu. And it's not bad; but it's not good either. It's just kind of bland. The fish that is, and since sushi is all about the fish, that's not good news. And also, rather oddly, about 9/10 of the offerings are tuna. I like tuna, but I like variety more. Oh what I'd give for dinner at Raku...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. The Writer's Center</span><br />Tucked away on a side street in downtown Bethesda, you'll find the Writer's Center, home to a plethora of affordable, interesting, and helpful writing classes taught by published writers. I took a class there nearly every semester and loved it. I got valuable feedback. I learned new tricks. I felt motivated and inspired to write. The area where we live now is supposed to be a hotbed for writers, but there's no writer's center or any other similar organization. The best I've been able to find so far is a few writer's groups, but the huge group sizes and very, very broad assortment of skill, interest, and style make them less valuable to me than the Writer's Center.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. D.C. Drivers</span><br />Seriously. I know all you D.C. residents are sitting there slack-jawed wondering if you read that correctly, but you did. Now I'm not saying that D.C. drivers are good (and Lord knows there are way too many of them), but at least, in my opinion, they were bad in a predictable way. Everyone was trying to get ahead. Here, drivers are just freaking oblivious. In the few months we've lived here, I've had way more close calls than I've had in the entire rest of my life. Driving here is downright frightening. (Makes me miss the Metro even more!). Just in the past couple of weeks, we've encountered someone driving the wrong way down a one-way street (and not an alley, but the very large, very busy one-way street parallel to our own one-way street with its own Interstate exit); a person making a U-turn in the middle of the road without looking to see if traffic (aka us) was coming in the way she now wanted to go; a person who pulled out of Wachovia and almost smack into the side of my car because the two lanes nearest her were clear and who actually bothers to look both ways; a person who decided that even though his lane ended and the cars coming entering the Interstate on-ramp from the other direction had the green light he did not need to slow, stop, or merge, and instead tried to plow right into me; and a person making a turn into the wrong lane (aka the one I was in) at about 35 mph in the library parking lot. And honestly, that's no where near a comprehensive list. It's insane...and only proves the point that the driver's test here is worthless.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. My Friends</span><br />I miss chicken salad sandwiches with Jessica, pub quiz night with Jeff's lab, dinner with Lisa, drinks with Tiffany, game night with Phil and Rian. I miss having around me people who know me well, people I can make plans with at the last minute, people I can meet at a cafe for drinks, gossiping, and bitching, people who I can invite over even if the house is a little bit messy and I haven't cooked anything special, people I can ask for a favor, people that make my life more interesting and more fun.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-4426510121417125342010-02-20T10:36:00.011-05:002010-02-21T08:20:52.495-05:00Mmmm BreadIs it possible that there are people on this earth that don't love bread? Who are able to sit down at a table at which there is a loaf of warm, fresh bread and not have any? I don't believe it possible. I believe that any normal human being seated within arm's reach of such a loaf will eat not just one but many, many slices. At some point, they'll realize what they have done and for a moment be dismayed at all the carbs they've consumed, but then they'll reach out and take another slice. Good bread is just impossible to resist.<br /><br />Which is why we're in big trouble here.<br /><br />For Christmas, Jeff gave me this book.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY64X-jm9RhRry3atXnabvOgeFh8P6gzOGHbBZmr9WoFYfRuss2pVWB5HeaViYokhLPK1WrJI9H3o7EGaUA7iZzELaCeO9L-WFI7OUxEHNrqnPWMLOO39toBSmuf7hE65U5OGJ/s1600-h/IMG_0189.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY64X-jm9RhRry3atXnabvOgeFh8P6gzOGHbBZmr9WoFYfRuss2pVWB5HeaViYokhLPK1WrJI9H3o7EGaUA7iZzELaCeO9L-WFI7OUxEHNrqnPWMLOO39toBSmuf7hE65U5OGJ/s320/IMG_0189.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440685510523915122" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />In case you can't tell the title is "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." He'd sampled two loaves made by people who owned the book and was sold. He wanted this kind of bread in his life. And so I got the book for Christmas. That's how boys work in case you didn't know.<br /><br />And so, one weekend in January, when there wasn't a darn thing to do but sit inside and moan about how darn cold it was outside and how everyone we knew in North Carolina was a liar because they all claimed the winters were mild, so, so, mild, we decided to make our first batch of homemade bread.<br /><br />I was suspicious of the five minute claim. But churning out the dough turned out to be simple: throw some yeast, warm water, salt, and flour into my mixer and let it go.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rrzlJZ9FbbCFl-t996Lt5EUChS8MlpbcBcDEVjIPBohUYpptZugYcJWWFQDtg6yF51Qf1OHZY2h0Yp91SSvmhof0nLtlWVCxnHnffnX-ptKfxrSb2AsP7mjzQkBXMSGzIkn-/s1600-h/DSC_1320.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rrzlJZ9FbbCFl-t996Lt5EUChS8MlpbcBcDEVjIPBohUYpptZugYcJWWFQDtg6yF51Qf1OHZY2h0Yp91SSvmhof0nLtlWVCxnHnffnX-ptKfxrSb2AsP7mjzQkBXMSGzIkn-/s320/DSC_1320.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440355178321202514" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />A few twists and turns of the dough hook, and we've got dough. Lots of it. The awesome thing about this book and its recipes is that when you make the dough, you make enough for about five loaves. And the dough can be stored in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, meaning all you have to do when you want a fresh loaf is pull out a bit of dough, not start from scratch.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZSvf4SjfpVZNo41VK8kz9XQ-uhLKm0-7T5zDj7dLqKvmHFO86bX1ROP2za_23TlSnMTaT7lCcLfxG3I_OUMzF-PpdSadMS_9ssEiA3_nKL6-wRblcGBKX4FcKH4ZZo9YUxov/s1600-h/DSC_1327.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZSvf4SjfpVZNo41VK8kz9XQ-uhLKm0-7T5zDj7dLqKvmHFO86bX1ROP2za_23TlSnMTaT7lCcLfxG3I_OUMzF-PpdSadMS_9ssEiA3_nKL6-wRblcGBKX4FcKH4ZZo9YUxov/s320/DSC_1327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440356071498493010" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And for all you sourdough fans, the bread gets more sourdoughy over the course of the two weeks without requiring you to maintain a starter or anything difficult or time consuming like that.<br /><br />Now though the book claims you can have artisan bread in five minutes that's not really true. Though making the dough itself definitely took five minutes or less, you've still got to bake it. This part takes longer. For starters, you've got to heat the oven.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKEMvLrnqOUmCPGGyvYEPO_CN0ADL_0uEn_0qPw0xKDE5Rqpmf6DTbGUNu_kBgxEakEBxyzAEj5y7T_2gICnyZkHIsUfDw8chCkzIUUT5vHHENlMjwABq8fzzNWtms8u-q_hy/s1600-h/DSC_1363.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKEMvLrnqOUmCPGGyvYEPO_CN0ADL_0uEn_0qPw0xKDE5Rqpmf6DTbGUNu_kBgxEakEBxyzAEj5y7T_2gICnyZkHIsUfDw8chCkzIUUT5vHHENlMjwABq8fzzNWtms8u-q_hy/s320/DSC_1363.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440356436360105746" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And you've got to shape your loaf and let it rise.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMYpn9a_DrVRgJj0j_98G1IZWFr2umM6l6Sdq9qpn1Sca9THHbJTOwt1AViTPY9HWGicFOETZmy-wYj0i7fPof7tT88zQivNWhExZDjmyIXkeNlf9d2Hs8CMdkS6jWE5u6Rn_/s1600-h/DSC_1367.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMYpn9a_DrVRgJj0j_98G1IZWFr2umM6l6Sdq9qpn1Sca9THHbJTOwt1AViTPY9HWGicFOETZmy-wYj0i7fPof7tT88zQivNWhExZDjmyIXkeNlf9d2Hs8CMdkS6jWE5u6Rn_/s320/DSC_1367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440356799076503282" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Then comes the very, very, very hardest part. You have to sit and wait while your bread cooks. You have to be patient while your house fills with the smell of warm, delicious bread. You have to continually wipe the drool off your face. It's difficult. But if you can make it the twenty or so minutes it takes for your dough to transform into a loaf of delicious bread, warm and chewy on the inside, nice and crispy on the outside, then you will be rewarded greatly.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6juuBemFTJhiKv4GcXUpLLmRvprp1Ev6iMRVMZuzfoQOlEPxx-T5zI9Y7cfvyCIQiWLrrVu9acvrpuQ4yUpSkTVFJ_ntNA06bzyHAd50YV1mzMDU3UnZ3ffVSxWUdqJB9s7Nd/s1600-h/DSC_1378.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6juuBemFTJhiKv4GcXUpLLmRvprp1Ev6iMRVMZuzfoQOlEPxx-T5zI9Y7cfvyCIQiWLrrVu9acvrpuQ4yUpSkTVFJ_ntNA06bzyHAd50YV1mzMDU3UnZ3ffVSxWUdqJB9s7Nd/s320/DSC_1378.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440357128817868642" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Mmmm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZC6rAqvWe9AkunKWVeX2J_7dJe8xtUpjN_M2II13ESjvNjyv78qAKBXmpOd-T5HJ1JwvN8vadDX85HasHSyN8CYL5I0ZtyaNLn-yE2bnHebumVIEkeHB5ANUulIgYgpJvynFl/s1600-h/DSC_1390.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZC6rAqvWe9AkunKWVeX2J_7dJe8xtUpjN_M2II13ESjvNjyv78qAKBXmpOd-T5HJ1JwvN8vadDX85HasHSyN8CYL5I0ZtyaNLn-yE2bnHebumVIEkeHB5ANUulIgYgpJvynFl/s320/DSC_1390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440357469938610914" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We're addicted. Which, I guess, explains the fact that we have a 25 pound bag of flour in our hall closet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbsK8wGYayk4v_xE_XVRNeQoffbQuS3JxHbMrNTK4c4fMsTqnELofLU5SZRzbECtSR4uRBjeyjlwsClopeg2TXue70R-uxdVuhrReY6lw7dXNFix30ZPMRIaS21VdpqUjQlAQ/s1600-h/IMG_0195.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbsK8wGYayk4v_xE_XVRNeQoffbQuS3JxHbMrNTK4c4fMsTqnELofLU5SZRzbECtSR4uRBjeyjlwsClopeg2TXue70R-uxdVuhrReY6lw7dXNFix30ZPMRIaS21VdpqUjQlAQ/s320/IMG_0195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440685839916614418" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-76875287622019227932010-01-13T18:40:00.002-05:002010-01-13T19:00:41.587-05:00Irrelevant Questions from the NC Driver's Test<span style="font-weight: bold;">Question 1:</span> How many points do each of the following traffic violations incur: passing a school bus, reckless driving, littering from a motor vehicle?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer I Would Have Given If It Were Write-In and Not Multiple Choice:</span><br />Who cares? Before doing any of them, am I going to stop and think, "Oh, passing a school bus, that's 5 points, guess I better not," or "Littering, 1 point, no biggie, I'll just toss this soda cup right out my window." Does it matter how many points each incurs? They're all illegal, and if you get caught doing any of them you're going to be in trouble. Period. End of story.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question 2:</span> For how long is your driver's license suspended if you're caught driving while impaired?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer I Would Have Given If It Were Write-In and Not Multiple Choice:</span><br />Probably not long enough. And again, does it matter? You shouldn't operate a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol, because A) it's just plain stupid, and B) it's also illegal. If you're dumb enough to do it anyway, the length of time your license will be suspended probably doesn't figure into your decision. Can we just make this a true/false question stating that your driver's license will be suspended (Period. End of story.) if you drive while impaired? Thanks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question 3: </span> What percentage of traffic fatalities are caused by drunk drivers?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer I Would Have Given If It Were Write-In and Not Multiple Choice:</span><br />I have no freaking idea, but I do know that even one death is too many. Beyond that, numbers are irrelevant. Period. End of story.<br /><br />My main objection to all three of these questions is that they have absolutely no bearing on your ability to operate a motor vehicle. Because someone knows that reckless driving is going to result in four points on their license doesn't mean they're not going to do it. And it's not a fear of raising the percentage of deaths caused by drunk drivers that's going to stop someone from getting behind the wheel after drinking. These trivia facts may win me a round at pub quiz one of these days, but they're not going to make anyone a better driver.<br /><br />Why not ask questions that matter? Such as when do you not have to stop for a stopped school bus? (A: When on a divided highway or a four-lane or bigger road with a middle lane). Or who has the right of way when two cars approach a four-way stop at the same time? (A: The car to the right). Or when is it okay to run over pedestrians? (A: Never.) From my experience driving around here, those are the questions that people really need to know the answers to.<br /><br />But, I guess I shouldn't expect better. When has anyone ever known the DMV to make sense?<br /><br />(For the curious, the correct answers are: 5 points for passing a school bus, 4 points for reckless driving, 1 point for littering; 1 year; and 38%. Of course, except for the drunken driving fatality statistic, those are the answers just for here in North Carolina. You could be wrong if you provided these answers on another state's test, which I'm sure has some equally irrelevant questions.)Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5418559.post-66781111585539126332010-01-04T20:59:00.002-05:002010-01-04T21:13:12.580-05:00Why Moving Sucks1. Packing. Loading. Unloading. Unpacking.<br /><br />2. You have to to take all the furniture and decorations that fit so nicely in and went so well with your last residence and try to find a place for them in your new residence, which is a completely different size and style.<br /><br />3. You have to get a new license, which means going to the DMV. Which means dealing with people who, if not actually stupid, are trying very hard to convince you that they are.<br /><br />4. You have to activate all of your utilities, which might mean that you have to go to the actual office of the cable/Internet service where you get to stand in line behind a crapload of people who are there to inquire just how much they have to pay to avoid having their service shut off.<br /><br />5. You have no idea where the grocery store, or anything else, is.<br /><br />6. You have to spend all kinds of time and all kinds of money fixing and changing things, no matter how "move-in ready" your house is.<br /><br />7. You have to make new friends.Theresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00318735591935931977noreply@blogger.com4