extraordinary machine

Seattle

2010-09-13T00:13:00.003-04:00

The Tetons

2010-08-09T01:12:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I went over those.

My Teton Pass-climbing buddies, Liz and Brittany, with me on top of the mountain.

We love you, Paige.

2010-07-22T17:26:00.009-04:00

For those of you who haven't heard, here's what's been going on.

One of our leaders, Paige Hicks, passed away this past Tuesday, July 20, as she was struck by a truck carrying an oversized load in South Dakota. Thankfully the other ride who was with her at the time was unharmed.

More information about what happened and about the steps that Bike & Build is taking can be found here.

Thank you so much for keeping our group, and all of Paige's family and friends, in your thoughts and prayers. The outpouring of support we have received is such a blessing. Right now I'm just struggling to make sense of it all - it doesn't seem possible that someone so full of life and presence could have been taken from us so suddenly.

We're currently in Chadron, NE and will be taking a bus to St. Louis, MO for the funeral on Monday. We then plan to skip about a week of our route to get back on schedule in Wyoming. The bonds we have formed as a group are hard to explain in a way that would do them justice, but we are finding strength in one another. I believe that the best way for us to heal is to stay together and continue on this journey as the family that we are.

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure...it's the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."

All my love to everyone. Please stay safe wherever you are.

the other side of the Mississippi

2010-07-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

Hello from Mt. Vernon, Iowa! How to summarize the last week...I'm going to do bullet points and no pictures this time, to make sure it gets done.

-To paraphrase Anthony, who has a penchant for getting lost, "Even when you're going the wrong way, you're exactly where you're supposed to be." Being able to experience the country from the seat of a bicycle is an experience unlike any other, and even the toughest miles are worth it because they're all part of the journey. It's amazing to see the landscape change as we go - from rolling hills and even mountains to flatter and flatter fields of corn and soy. We're now on roads that stretch on for miles and a car passes us maybe every ten minutes - perfect for biking side-by-side and having in-depth conversations with fellow riders.

-We got to stay in a dorm at Kenyon College and we had real beds with sheets!! It felt like staying in a hotel. Also, they have a great dining hall. Yum. On the ride that day we passed a horse and buggy and ate lunch at a firehouse where we took pictures with the fire truck because we get excited about the same things as ten-year-olds do.

-The ride to Dayton, Ohio was confusing - we went around in circles trying to get out of Columbus for a while and then had to cross a highway to get to a bike path. We had a fantastic lunch surprise from the parents of someone who had done the Southern US route, and got to enjoy BBQ pulled pork in a veritable oasis - a beautiful old farmhouse in the midst of cornfields and hay bales. Once we got there, Dayton was awesome. We stayed at Sinclair Community College, which is one of the top community colleges in the country and has a crucial impact on those in the area who have been faced with unemployment, as it has allowed them to go back to school and completely change careers. That weekend, there was a folk festival going on, so we went down to the riverfront and walked around for a while. The city was actually a lot of fun to explore, and we found some cool restaurants and shops, including a fantastic used book store called Bonnett's Books where Anthony and I spent about an hour and a half.

-We had a build day in Dayton, where we put up drywall in a Habitat house. I was too short to be of much use on the ceiling, but the walls were fair game. We finished probably about half of the house and got to work alongside the homeowner, Christie. That night, the local Habitat chapter got us awesome seats to the fireworks display, which was a really good show. We ended the night with a euphoric (if off-key) rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

-Best 4th of July OF ALL TIME. Our first century (ended up being about 103 miles) and we passed the 1,000 mile mark of our trip, as well as the Indiana state line (marked by a lovingly hand-painted wooden sign). We started the day with a police escort out of the city at about 6:30 a.m. - someone remarked that we were the first 4th of July parade in the country. We even had a dog escort...in that a dog started running in front of the police for at least a mile. After we were dropped off at a bike path, we burst into another round of the national anthem as Gabe waved the flag. Team Hailey (the affectionate nickname of the group I rode with that day) had a great day of singing and telling stories. It got almost unbearably hot by the afternoon, though, and we had this wonderful moment somewhere in the home stretch where we were just sitting in the middle of a gas station island putting ice in our Camelbaks, in our clothes, anywhere that would help us cool off.

-We finished Indiana in two short days and headed over to Gilman, Illinois. The headwinds have been picking up and it's pretty discouraging to be pedaling as hard as you can and feel like you're not getting anywhere - especially when the roads are straight and flat enough to see the destination from miles away! On the other hand, at one point we caught a tailwind and cruised along at 20 miles per hour with little to no effort, providing a much-needed ego-boost.

-Day off in Pontiac, IL. Honestly, I mostly slept and wandered around the town - it was completely uneventful but exactly what my body needed to recover a bit. Pontiac has some swinging bridges, murals, a Route 66 museum, and a statue of Lincoln outside of the courthouse.

-Yesterday we crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa! Now it really feels like we've gotten far along in our journey. That day was supposed to be a 90-mile day, but I ended up with 99 miles, so I biked loops around a cul-de-sac until I reached 100. I also got an awesome surprise that day - my good friend Marc from the Saxtet, who did the same route in 2006, came down and biked the last bit of the day with us! We've had a few alums bike with us so far; I love the fact that people who have done Bike & Build are still so excited about it and about their friends participating in it. That evening we got completely massacred by a group of kids in dodgeball. No joke. We had about three times as many players, and were bigger than them, and they were absolutely terrifying. Still a lot of fun, even if I am hopeless at throwing and catching. I'm okay at dodging, which is important.

-Now I'm in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Had a funny moment this morning when the group I was riding with realized that a crop duster plane was flying low over the road directly toward us. It looked like it was headed straight for us, so we all freaked out a bit and slowed down. Of course then the plane started ascending again and we could see the pilot laughing at waving. We all laughed for a good five minutes about how we had all just panicked. We also got our second downpour of the entire trip today! It didn't last long but we got good and soaked, which cooled things off quite a bit (and cleaned some of the grime and Gatorade off of my bike).

We're in the midst of a tough week - lots of long mileage days between our last day off and our next build day in Sioux City. My bike and body are both holding up well so far (knock on wood) apart from minor soreness. Hopefully I'll post some more pictures soon! Until then you can check out everyone's pictures on the Bike & Build website under our P2S route tracker.

Build day in Youngstown, OH

2010-06-28T20:10:00.000-04:00

Today we had our first build day since Providence. We shuttled over in the van to a street with four beautiful Habitat for Humanity houses - three finished and one unfinished. The unfinished one, which we were scheduled to work on, was the closest to completion I've ever seen; in fact, we were the last volunteer group scheduled to work on the house! All that was left when we were done were finishing touches like blinds and carpet.

I worked with Anthony, Mary, and Gabe, putting up soffit and fascia. Soffit is the underside of the roof overhang and fascia is the trim on the edge of the roof. Mary and I mostly measured and cut while Anthony nailed the stuff up and Gabe contributed his technical expertise. At one point I volunteered to go on the roof to hold up the long pieces of fascia, which was exciting. The four of us had a great time singing songs, from slow jams to Disney tunes, and generally laughing like crazy. I'm proud of the work we did - we were as precise as possible (measure twice, cut once!) and the finished product looked very professional.

Others in the group worked on moulding, painting, caulking, doorknobs, and other details. Monica, the executive director of the local Habitat chapter, was extremely helpful and friendly and had even done a cross-country bike trip several years ago, so it was fun talking to her. It was really satisfying knowing that, when we finished, the house was basically complete except for carpet and landscaping. I wish we could have met the homeowner - apparently she really wanted to be there, but since it was Monday, she had to work. All in all a successful day, despite the brief downpour in which our sneakers (and just about everything else) became caked with mud.

Here are some pictures from the day! Though I managed not to be in any of them...

Anthony nails up soffit in the rain.

With the sun out again, Anthony puts the final touches on soffit while Mary holds the ladder.

Justine cuts a piece of moulding.

Theise and Noam install a doorknob.

Roof edge before...

...and roof edge after. Look, the sky is even bluer now that we're done!

Here in Youngstown

2010-06-27T22:33:00.000-04:00

Brittany demonstrates our favorite sign.

Yesterday we rode into Franklin, PA. The ride was pretty flat and we even got to ride on a bike path for a while! Unfortunately I had a really stupid fall on the bike path, in which I was deeply absorbed in a story I was telling and didn't realize that I was going off the edge of the path. Of course when I tried to get back on the path, I just went down hard. My bike is fine, and so am I - just a little bruised. It was my first fall on my road bike, so I guess it had to happen sometime! We got into Franklin early enough to relax - I lay on the grass in the park for a while and it felt delicious. That night, we all went to a place called the Celtic Cafe, where the awesome owner/bartenders gave us all free t-shirts. We essentially took over the back room and just had a blast hanging out and singing along with the jukebox. Someone else on the trip made a comment about realizing every day how awesome it is that we're doing this. It felt like last night was a celebration of all that - every evening, I'm exhausted, but so happy to be where I am with all of these amazing people and to have made it through another day.

Theise and me at the Ohio state line

As of today, it truly feels like we are on our way. Crossing into Ohio marked the first state I had never been to before, and meant that we were no longer on the East Coast, but in the Midwest. Definitely felt like a milestone. Today was so hot and humid, though, that the ride wasn't as enjoyable as those of the last few days. Nevertheless, having been fortified with double my usual PB&Js at lunch, I made it to Youngstown. The funny thing about PB&Js is that, even though we eat them every single day for lunch, rather than getting sick of them, I actually like them more and more each day. After my body has been working hard all day, they're somehow more satisfying than any other meal could hope to be.

So far Youngstown seems completely deserted - I haven't really seen anyone in town except the wonderful folks from the Youngstown State University Catholic center who fed us dinner. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where we're staying, is a majestic stone building resembling a castle. I got chills when I stepped into the stunning sanctuary, all stone and wood and stained glass. We haven't seen much else of the town, besides the abandoned campus, but it definitely seems like an economically depressed area. I hope to get more of a sense of the place tomorrow at our build day - the first one since Providence! It'll be a relief to have a day off the saddle and a real treat to sleep in till - wait for it - 7:30.

Hello from Warren, PA

2010-06-25T22:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been on the road with Bike & Build for 10 days now, and we've made it to Warren, PA. It's been a blast so far - definitely physically challenging, but the people in the group are all so fantastic and fun and interesting that it gets me through even the toughest days.

The trip began with a three-day orientation in Providence, in which I learned to change a flat tire and painted the interior of a Habitat house. We headed out on the 15th after dipping our wheels in the "Atlantic Ocean" near the Brown boathouse. It was strange feeling like I was finally leaving Brown and Providence for good this time. There are four of us from Brown on the trip, pictured below in front of some reservoir in Connecticut.

L-R: me, Paige, Chaz, Theise

So what's a typical day on the road like? We wake up at 6 (or earlier if we have a long day) and have our stuff packed and out at the trailer by 6:30. Breakfast and get ready by 7:00. Clean the host site, pump up tires, and leave by 7:30. We head out in small groups (usually two to six riders) and go at our own pace throughout the day. Lunch happens somewhere around halfway - we stop wherever we see the van pulled over. PB&Js have never tasted so good. After lunch, we have until 4:00 to get into the next host location. We average about 70 miles per day - so far the range has been 30 to 85 miles. We've been staying in churches, schools, and YMCAs, and they've all been incredibly hospitable. Most places have provided us with an awesome dinner, often a potluck during which we get a chance to meet members of the community. Between arrival and dinner, we take showers and, time permitting, explore the town. Between dinner and lights out at 11:00, we usually relax and play games.

Chris seems to have gotten taller...

Connecticut was full of rolling hills, which I knew about, because I live there. The day we went to Granby was fun because we passed through a corner of Ellington, my hometown!

New York was, well, pretty tough. The trip to Poughkeepsie was supposed to be a nice short day, but everyone took a wrong turn. Luckily, I had been riding in the last group, so we actually went the least far out of the way and ended up arriving first! That may never happen again...I tend to be among the last to roll in to the host location. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

The trip to Roscoe was definitely the most difficult day yet, and perhaps will be the most difficult day of the whole trip. It was a hot, humid day, and I was feeling sluggish, as were the people with whom I was riding. Maddy dubbed us the Struggle Bus - truly an accurate description. Each time I saw a new hill I wasn't sure I would make it, and when we got to the accursed Mulig Road, the steepest hill I have ever seen, I almost cried. Somehow I made it up the hill, and got into this machine-like zone of exhaustion and just wanting to finish the day, and I booked it the rest of the way to the host site. I guess it was a good test of my ability to just push through when I'm hurting and tired. Everyone was in bed and sound asleep by 9:00 that night.

Binghamton was our longest day yet, at 85 miles, yet after Roscoe it didn't seem so bad and ended up being a pleasant journey. We got a day off in Binghamton, as our build day had fallen through. It was just what I needed to recharge from a grueling two days. We found a pool, went to the movies, ate at a great little diner, and just relaxed.

L-R: Ben, me, Maddy

Pennsylvania has been gorgeous so far, with mostly scenic rides past farms, mountains, and lakes. Route 6 was a bit scary because there were so many trucks passing so close to us, but otherwise it's been great. Yesterday, on our ride to Coudersport, we got caught in our first real downpour. Luckily there didn't seem to be much thunder and lightening, but it was raining hard. The four of us who were riding together had fun, though, continuing to shout through the rain, and we were on level ground so we didn't feel unsafe. On the contrary, it was a welcome cooling shower. We made it just fine to the top of the 2424-foot summit.

L-R: Amy, Jake, Brett, Vidya, me

I have a few videos that might be fun to post, but I'm getting pretty tired at this point so it may have to wait till next time. I'll try not to go so long without an update next time! Tomorrow we bike 67 miles to Franklin.

one last drive to Providence

2010-06-11T17:30:00.007-04:00

It's finally come. I head back to Providence tomorrow for Bike & Build orientation, and we ride out on Tuesday the 15th. I'm ridiculously excited to meet everyone after a fair amount of Facebook stalking, and to tie up some loose ends in Providence. I wonder if it will finally sink in that I've left.

At one day to departure, I have raised a grand total of...drumroll please...$4,273.69! (The 69 cents comes from a bandie, of course - one Sara Powell.) Special thanks goes to the amazing Adrienne, whose donation tipped me over the edge of the $4,000 minimum. Remember, if you donated but haven't yet requested a postcard, it's not too late! In any case, I couldn't have done this without the help of a whole lot of amazing people. Family, friends, and community members have shown me so much support and given from their hearts to the cause of affordable housing. If you meant to donate but didn't get around to it, there's still time! Just go to www.bikeandbuild.org/donate and find my name.

I would also like to give a big thanks to Landry's Bicycles. If you're in the Boston area, check out Landry's for the best quality bikes, equipment, and expertise. Landry's also happens to be owned by my uncles and aunt, and they are support of bike advocacy and lots of charity causes. In any case, they not only sold me my beautiful Trek Pilot 1.2 WSD a few years ago, but in preparation for Bike & Build, they also gave me a fitting and helped me choose all the equipment I needed. Everyone who works there is wicked friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help. Without Landry's (and especially my Uncle Peter), I would not have had the same level of confidence and comfort with my bike/equipment that I do. My Uncle Tom even took me on a few training rides last week (see the picture at the top) and completely revolutionized the way I cycle. Seriously. After riding with him, I felt like I could easily go for days without a problem.

If you want to track my progress across the country, the website has a handy route tracker with links to a photo album and other goodies. Speaking of goodies, there will be a number of mail drops along the way if you feel inspired to send me a letter (Grandma, I know you will!). I haven't decided where I am going to post pictures (since not everyone can access Facebook), but I'll let y'all know when I do. Finally, I will intermittently have computer/internet access, so I'll try to update this as often as possible, and emails will reach me eventually. If you'd like a more reliable way of contacting me, however, I'll be available by phone. Unless I'm in the middle of nowhere, in which case I can't always guarantee that Verizon will come through.

That seems to be all of the housekeeping details. I can't wait to get out there and start riding! Portia* and I have been through a lot of good times together and I anticipate many more. Just as soon as I learn to change a tire.

*Fun fact: I chose the name Portia because it sounded supremely elegant (and Porche-like?), and my bike is a stunning creature. I suppose I wouldn't have thought of the name if it hadn't been for Portia de Rossi, also a stunning creature, so I must give her credit. For added adorableness, I later decided to name my other (hybrid) bike Ellen.

The Graduate

2010-06-11T16:43:00.003-04:00

As May 30, I am officially a graduate of Brown University.

I'm still kind of in denial about the whole thing. It feels like I'm just on break, like I'll go back to Brown at the end of the summer - even with all the preparations I've been making for next year. Having been to three prior Commencements, a lot of it felt like I was just pretending to graduate. A few moments made it real, however. Standing with the band seniors as we danced along to the band's performance of "Bad Romance." Walking through the Van Wickle Gates with my amazing friend Adrienne, surrounded by rows and rows of cheering friends, professors, and alums. Hearing Ruth Simmons congratulate our class on the grounds of the First Baptist Church in America. Feeling my heart swell with pride at the amazing accomplishments of my friends who had graduated Magna Cum Laude or who had made various honor societies. Trying not to cry as I gave a goodbye hug to my housemate, Masumi, one of my best friends since freshman year.

So here I am, graduated, with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender & Sexuality Studies. It feels like a big accomplishment. Even if we Brown students are, as honorary degree recipient Morgan Freeman put it, "a raucous bunch of miscreants," we've worked hard in school our whole lives and it's come down to this. I'm excited to leave, though. There is much that I will miss about Brown - being able to choose from myriad free concerts, plays, lectures, films, etc. on any given day/night; beautiful College Hill and quirky Providence; the general atmosphere of constant questioning and inquisitive learning; being able to take for granted (most of the time) a certain level of curiosity and understanding about social justice; and most of all, the close proximity to some of the most incredible people I have ever met. The friends I have made at Brown are worth every penny of the student loans I'll be paying off for what seems like eternity. At the same time, I am beyond excited to get out into the world. There is something about the college atmosphere that frustrated me after four years - I'm excited to have more of a work/life balance, to not constantly be at school. Most of all, I can't wait to dig in and get some hands-on experience, to directly affect change after years of intellectualizing it. And I can't wait to get to know a new city - in many ways, the ultimate city.

The day is best captured in pictures.

The band seniors celebrate.

Brown Band and seniors.

Conductors of past and present!

(L-R: Eli '08, Bryan '11, Scuzzo '10, D-Wash '07, Matt '05)

Some of my best friends.

(L-R: Adrienne, Baird, me, Masumi)

Deodorant was essential.

Always wear sunscreen.

Heading down the hill amongst cheering crowds.

Posing at the Van Wickle Gates.

My beautiful family.

A toast to the Gender & Sexuality Studies graduates.
(L-R: Ana Carmen, Alanna, me, Ryan, Daniela. Not pictured: Jini)

And now, for your entertainment, Morgan Freeman.

Long-overdue update!

2010-05-12T09:59:00.001-04:00

Wow, so I have completely neglected this blog for an entire semester. Boo. In that time, much has happened. I finished my capstone paper on Christian-based reproductive rights activism. I turned 22. I wore pajamas while playing sax while ice skating. The Huskies won again (love my UConn women). I ran my first ever (two!) 5k races and survived. I went to DC for spring break and saw the cherry blossoms. I started to manage my OCD. I took an amazing (and intense) Malian dance class. I got my bike fitted and upgraded and did a ton of training to prepare for Bike & Build. Which brings me to the three current, most important updates:

Update the first: I had to get my appendix out this weekend. Very unexpected, but mine actually ended up being a bizarre and lucky case. I'd had abdominal pains for about two weeks before anyone realized that it was appendicitis - normally the appendix will burst within 48 hours of the first symptoms, but mine somehow never even perforated! Things certainly could have turned out much worse than they did and I feel incredibly lucky. The surgery happened in Providence (luckily my mom was able to get there by the time I got out of surgery), but I have been home recuperating since Sunday. The plan is to go back to Brown today, though I will still need to take it easy.

It was actually good timing, if having one's appendix out during finals of senior spring can be considered good timing: a week or two later and it would have interfered with graduation. But as it is, I should be able to get all my work done and hopefully will be feeling back to normal by senior week, and it shouldn't affect my biking plans at all (except put a dent in my hard-fought training). Related fun fact: Apparently my heart rate was so low that the nurse wrote "Athlete" on my info sheet so that no one would be alarmed! Looks like all my training really has done me good - I'd never been classified as an athlete before!

Based on the fact that at this time last year I was about to get my tonsils out, I can only conclude that my body is shedding its vestigial organs and making me into a more streamlined, efficient human being. Excellent.

Update the second: I have a job starting in September!! I just got the job offer and accepted it yesterday. It's an AmeriCorps position in New York City, working at a school-based health clinic at a public high school in Manhattan. Students in this school don't get sex education until 12th grade, at which point, as you can imagine, it is often much too late. So my main role will be to teach sex education to 9th and 10th grade classes! I will have a lot of flexibility about the curriculum and the structure of the classes, which is really exciting. I will also be doing some one-on-one counseling in the health clinic as well as potentially coordinating a peer sex ed program. This sounds like the perfect job for me right now and an amazing chance to get a lot of hands-on experience and training in the field. I couldn't be more excited! Next step - find inexpensive housing in NYC!

Update the third: I have now raised $3,606 for Bike & Build - which means I need just $394 more to reach my goal! I'm in the home stretch! As I mentioned, I've been working hard at training (biking, running, spinning, dancing) and have also gone on a build with Habitat for Humanity in Providence, where I put up siding on a house. I also have another build planned for next weekend with some of the other Brown students on my trip. The next step will be working on a presentation that will be shown on the road involving case studies of Habitat and Rebuilding Together homeowners, in conjunction with fellow P2Ser Anthony. I'll do my best to post any relevant and interesting info that I come across!

In conclusion, if you find it in your heart to help me through the home stretch, it would be much appreciated. Simply go to www.bikeandbuild.org/donate and find my name. Any little bit will help make affordable housing a reality across the nation!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T01:09:00.000-05:00

I've reached 3.4% of my fundraising goal - help keep it coming!

2009-11-09T14:01:00.001-05:00

Okay, now is the time when I begin fundraising in earnest for Bike & Build. I've already gotten a few donations from amazing people. My dear friend Saskia (who did the same B&B route last summer) gets the prize for being first, and most enthusiastic.

As I've mentioned before, between now and June, I have to raise $4,000 for the cause. Most of this money will go toward affordable housing initiatives, including Habitat for Humanity in Providence, with a small amount spent on program costs. This trip is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, for a cause that I feel very strongly about, and I need your help. Your donation, in addition to helping to make this entire trip possible, will go directly toward putting a roof over someone's head. Lots of people giving just a little can make an enormous difference.

As an added incentive, if you donate, you can request a postcard from one of the states I'll be biking through (RI, CT, NY, PA, OH, IN, IL, IA, SD, NE, WY, ID, MT, or WA). I'll also be updating this blog as often as I can, so you can keep up with my progress. And if you're going to be near the route this summer, I'd love to meet up with you. That especially goes for Seattleites!

For more information, or to check out my profile, go to www.bikeandbuild.org - the easiest way to contribute is to do so online by clicking on "Donate" and scrolling down to my name. If that doesn't work, you can send a check to Bike and Build with my name in the memo section (instructions included on the "Donate" page).

Thank you in advance for your support - it really means a lot to me. Feel free to spread the word and let me know if you have any questions! I also hope to do some blog posts very soon about the affordable housing issue.

Next step - START TRAINING!

"His music never stops praying."

2009-10-18T16:37:00.000-04:00

From Alex Ross's new (New Yorker-sanctioned) blog, a beautiful quote from contemporary Hungarian composer György Kurtág, upon being asked if he was a believer:

I do not know. I toy with the idea. Consciously, I am certainly an atheist, but I do not say it out loud, because if I look at Bach, I cannot be an atheist. Then I have to accept the way he believed. His music never stops praying. And how can I get closer if I look at him from the outside? I do not believe in the Gospels in a literal fashion, but a Bach fugue has the Crucifixion in it—as the nails are being driven in. In music, I am always looking for the hammering of the nails…. That is a dual vision. My brain rejects it all. But my brain isn’t worth much.

...this is going to be the greatest summer of all time. OF ALL TIME.

2009-10-16T12:43:00.060-04:00

I may not know what I'm doing next year, but I do know what I'll be doing for the three months immediately following graduation: riding my bike from Providence to Seattle.

For those of you who haven't heard of Bike & Build, it's a phenomenal organization that raises awareness and money for affordable housing projects by organizing cross-country bike trips. On my particular trip, we will start off building at a Habitat for Humanity site in Providence, before heading west for the next two months. Averaging about 75 miles per day, we will also stop at 7 more build sites on our way to Seattle. At each host location, we will give a presentation about the affordable housing crisis, to raise local awareness for this important issue. When more than 5.1 million Americans live in "worst-case" housing conditions, and more than 13 million Americans are forced to pay over 50% of their income on housing, this needs to be a pressing national issue.

Personally, I have been invested in this issue since the beginning of high school. I was a part of a very active youth group that, on the week-long service trips we took each year, would inevitably be told by the organization with which we were working that we were so efficient at building that they had to scramble to keep up. During my first trip, I helped to rehabilitate houses in Appalachia. I had never seen the effects of economic inequality as dramatically as I did in this Virginia coal-mining town, and the experience stuck with me. I loved the hands-on work of building, the feeling that we were tangibly making a difference in the lives of others, with a product we could see by the end of the week.

If I know you personally, you'll definitely be hearing more from me about this, since I have to raise $4,000 for the cause. But if anyone out there is feeling generous, please don't hesitate to visit my profile on B&B's website and donate!

Throughout the trip I'll be updating this blog as regularly as I can. If you'd like a postcard (from any of these states), give me a donation and then email me your address and which state you'd like.

And like I said - don't worry; you'll be hearing about this again. My level of excitement about this summer is essentially off the chart. Biking + Building = a surefire recipe for success.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers

2009-10-15T12:25:00.006-04:00

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

One of the things I was working on at NARAL (other than updating pretty much all of their online content) was researching Crisis Pregnancy Centers. During this time, RH Reality Check came out with this great video about the deceptions spread by CPCs.

From NARAL Pro-Choice California's website (i.e. me):

Crisis Pregnancy Centers, also known as CPCs, are fake clinics and counseling centers that often use deception, inaccurate information and intimidation to prevent potentially pregnant women from accessing abortion and/or birth control services. Commonly, their goal is to impose their anti-choice agenda on women especially in so-called “at risk” communities (low income, minority, non-English speaking, etc). Many of these centers also provide sex education services and therefore have received significant funding both at the state and federal levels from abstinence-only education programs. In trying to make an important and constitutionally protected choice, women should have medically accurate information and counseling that is free of political or religious agenda.

It should be a given that women are provided with complete and accurate information before making choices about their bodies and their reproductive health. And yet.

San Francizzle

2009-10-14T22:57:00.028-04:00

I am terribly sorry to have abandoned my blog for so long! It's more than a bit ridiculous. There is much to talk about. But for now, I know you've all been waiting for stories from San Francisco...well, I don't want to spend too much time here, so here are a few photos from an amazing summer.

A ~~gayble~~ cable car (but not a real one, shh) decked out for the pride parade.

The lovely Pacific coast.

Posing with my pal Harvey Milk.

Long story short: I had the opportunity to go to an Oscar de la Renta fashion show at Lake Tahoe with the family I was staying with. It was awesome. More importantly, I wore an awesome hat.

Gorgeous Asilomar State Beach, near Monterey.

A sampling of NARAL interns on my last day at the office! (Side note: if you click through that link, you will see how amazingly fantastic the website looks, courtesy of yours truly.)

Alcatraz from the ferry.

Downtown from a distance. And palm trees, which I never did get used to seeing.

Self-explanatory. Unless it's not.

The famous Castro Theatre.

My brother came to visit during my last weekend in San Francisco - definitely one of the highlights of the summer.

The Little Hater

2009-07-18T00:09:00.004-04:00

It has been way too long since I last posted. The main reason: my computer pretty much stopped working and had to be rebuilt. No big deal - everything was backed up. But it was a hassle, and meant I didn't always have access to a computer, and most importantly, didn't have access to all the lovely pictures of San Francisco I wanted to post. I've also been meaning to do a post on some of the stuff I'm researching at NARAL, but we'll save that for very soon, I promise.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I love Jay Smooth, but I do. He's incredibly smart (and obviously feminist, anti-racist, and anti-homophobic) and provides great critiques of pop culture, but also seems like a friendly and compassionate guy with whom I'd feel comfortable striking up a conversation. In any case, this video here is a perfect description of what it feels like to be a blogger, a writer, a musician, or anyone who puts out a creative product for others to see. Personally, I feel like that "little hater" is always in the back of my mind. When he said the part about procrastination, I instantly gave him snaps (without considering the fact that no one could see/hear me).

The little hater is pretty much always there, telling me that my work just isn't worthy of being shown to anyone. Sometimes I can acknowledge that what I've done is good - in the case of my writing, it's not till after after I get positive feedback; in the case of music, I usually know when something special has happened (see also: most Saxtet performances). I haven't yet figured out a way to beat procrastination and self-doubt (which I think are inherently related), other than putting things off because I "work better under pressure," which means I either don't get stuff done or I don't sleep. Making detailed schedules helps with the procrastination, but not so much the self-doubt. Any sound advice out there?

In any case, go check out more of Jay's stuff while you're waiting with bated breath for me to post again.

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-05T02:22:00.001-04:00

(Via Feministe)

Greetings from San Francisco!

2009-06-24T21:23:00.014-04:00

The view from my window.

It's been a while since I last updated...but I am currently writing from the city on the hill! I just arrived on Monday and I'm here until the end of August, living with a friend's family in the Sunset District (the trees on the left of the picture mark the edge of Golden Gate Park, which is truly lovely).

The real purpose of my being here, however, is interning at NARAL Pro-Choice California. Unfortunately I won't be able to give a whole lot of details about the experience, as we have to be really careful about confidentiality (because there are a lot of anti-choice crazies out there), but suffice it to say that my first day was awesome and I'm excited to be working there. The people are all incredibly friendly and sweet, and I'm going to get a chance to work on a few different projects, which will be great for figuring out what kinds of areas I enjoy (media, communications, outreach, etc.).

As for San Francisco, I'm already a big fan. We've had great weather so far, though I'm told not to expect this in general - certainly, there has been plenty of fog in the mornings and evenings, but the days have been quite sunny and nice. Proof of the mild climate: there is a lemon tree in the backyard!

Highlight of my wandering around the Financial District (which I have dubbed "Baby Manhattan") alone yesterday: riding a cable car! Definitely an experience that is deserving of the hype.

Oh, and Pride is this weekend! Now I just need to find a friend to go to the parade with me...

Belated Commencement Goodness

2009-06-06T09:38:00.002-04:00

Ellen DeGeneres gave an awesome commencement speech at Tulane. Check it out! It's worth watching to the end. Congratulations to all of the high school and college graduates!

TGIF (Tonsillectomy Edition)

2009-06-05T00:00:00.004-04:00

My lovely suitemates from the past semester - I miss them already! From left: me, Karynn, Katie, Masumi, and Caitlin.

1. All I've been doing since my tonsillectomy has been resting at home.
2. My favorite thing for dinner lately has been black raspberry gelato...mmm.
3. One of many things that annoys me about dogs relative to cats is their bark! bark! bark!
4. A nice long walk would be nice if I had the energy.
5. Knowing that friends wanted to pay me a visit would be some good news.
6. When all is said and done, this recovery thing hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping, tomorrow my plans include watching movies and Sunday, I want to watch movies!

Awesome movies I've seen this week (the first two were the only ones I hadn't seen before), any of which are highly recommended for a sick day:
Casablanca
Milk
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Animal House
Good Will Hunting
Mr. Holland's Opus
plus Season 1 of Arrested Development

Dang, I really have nothing to talk about. My life consists of hydrocodone, movies, and frozen beverages.

Too tired for anything of substance. Later, y'all.

Klezmer Sax?

2009-05-31T13:40:00.004-04:00

For our last concert of the year, the Wind Symphony invited awesome klezmer clarinetist Margot Leverett to join us as a guest soloist. I got to play a duet with her during the Doina section of the piece that she and Matt arranged, called Klezmer Fantazi for Band. The two videos together make up the whole piece, but if you just want to hear me, I play at the very beginning of the first video. I was incredibly nervous, as I'd never played klezmer and hardly ever improvise, but it went really well. If you have time, listen to the whole thing - Margot is incredible. She's also an incredibly sweet person and I'm so glad to have gotten a chance to work with her.

a poem about grapefruit

2009-05-30T19:56:00.004-04:00

Yargh, sorry I've been a terrible blogger. Finals! Commencement week! So much has gotten in the way. In any case, I'm home, eagerly(?) awaiting Monday, when I will be getting my tonsils out. Send me healing vibes! I'll be drugged up and sore for at least a week, maybe two.

For now, I'd like to offer up a poem, written by my talented friend Leora Fox.

ways to eat a grapefruit

for devon, jon, nat, and abe

1. screaming romantically: two
fingers, frantic, scooping chunks
of pink flesh along with inner,
outer peel.

2. in series of semiquavers, in
perpendicular planes, with
thirds on the brain, on
unsteady wooden chairs.

3. with holes bored to siphon
juice, periodic compression and
release, two-palmed, downward;
fitfully at best.

4. sluiced truthfully
through the middle in
imperfect halves, with
serrated spoon.

Street Sights

2009-05-04T23:30:00.002-04:00

Check out this article by the amazing Adrienne on Street Sights, a monthly publication about issues in the homeless community of Providence. The cool thing about this paper is that the vast majority of contributers are homeless themselves - giving them a place to let their voices be heard. It also serves as a forum for discussion and a way for the community to organize. I find it really inspiring that a publication like this can exist - it seems like such a productive way to bring together and support a community that is often alienated, to say the least.

Speaking of inspiration, thanks to everyone who voted for my friend's project - ImMEDIAte Justice won the $10,000 grant!! I'm so proud of them and excited for the amazing work they're going to be able to do.

Scientific study finds that promiscuity is culturally-based. Feminists say, "No kidding."

2009-05-03T18:00:00.002-04:00

(x-posted at Women@Brown)

Jezebel had a good post the other day about a new study showing that promiscuity may be more culturally influenced than biologically/evolutionarily. Well, yeah, no kidding. But evolutionary biologists have long held that, based mainly on studies of fruit flies, males are more promiscuous than females. Spreading one's genes is an evolutionary advantage, but producing eggs is more of an investment than insemination, so females tend to have fewer mating partners while males tend to have more. While these findings are undoubtedly important, the subsequent application to human behavior has been, well, problematic. Claiming cultural norms/stereotypes as "natural" tends to lead into dangerous territory, reinforcing expectations of men's and women's roles in society.

However, a new study that actually takes a look at human behavior has shown that "Evidence for sex differences in variation in reproductive success alone does not allow us to make generalizations about sex roles, as numerous variables will influence [previous findings] for men and women." But not only is the notion of promiscuous men and choosy women culturally based, it may also be wrong. While men had more children by different partners than women did overall, number of sexual partners is extremely difficult to measure because people lie about it. The social expectation for men to sleep around and women to want committed relationships tends to make men exaggerate upwards and women exaggerate downwards when surveyed about the number of sexual partners they'd had.

This study is encouraging, because it shows an awareness by the scientific community that humans are embedded in culture - a fact that tends to be ignored in evolutionary biology. On the other hand, Elizabeth Wilson (who gave a talk at the differences colloquium a few weeks ago) got me thinking about the fact that feminism tends to ignore biology, too. To paraphrase Wilson, although nothing can be explained in purely biological terms - especially biology - feminism does need to be more engaged with biology. When we distance ourselves from the scientific community, we end up shooting ourselves in the foot when we could be focused on working through similar issues. And the last thing we want is to show how completely out-of-touch we are by suggesting that fruit fly research is unimportant.

How to engage biology is, of course, the difficult question. But I get discouraged when I end up in arguments with my biology-focused friends about things like the influence of evolution and/or culture on sex and gender, because it gets in the way of our shared commitment to social justice. I make a habit of calling out science out for its assumed objectivity - nothing is purely objective; we don't exist in a vacuum - but the last thing I want to do is alienate it because it isn't self-aware enough. It would be more productive to help it become more self-aware, and then work in conversation with it.

Saxytimes

2009-04-25T21:44:00.007-04:00

Here's a video of the Smokin' Reed Saxtet at the Everyman Bistro last Sunday. The piece shown here is "Tifa's Theme" from Final Fantasy, arranged by our own Dr. Allegretti (playing soprano).

We've also put up our spring recordings here. Ch-ch-check it out.

Also, a heads up: to anyone reading from Boston, we're most likely going to have a performance with the Saxyderms on the Common next Saturday around noon (weather permitting). Just a heads up; details will follow.

In other news, I won a Wii from AEPi's charity raffle! I've never won anything big like that before. Super-exciting. Too bad I don't currently have a TV - but I'm sure my housemates will appreciate it next year.

TGIF - and an important plug!

2009-04-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

This picture, taken last week, is already outdated...baby Charlotte is growing by the day!

1. Join me in praising God for beautiful weather on Spring Weekend.
2. Put a little Bach in your day!
3. Happiness is a handmade card slipped under my door when I was having a rough morning. Also, a warm gun (bang bang shoot shoot).
4. Trying to figure out the summer internship/job/money situation has got me feeling anxious and confused.
5. I'm waiting for the day when I finally get my tonsils out. Which will be in about a month, if you're wondering.
6. Taking a break for tea and conversation with my suitemates is hard to resist.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing Nas, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and Deer Tick, tomorrow my plans include general Spring Weekend madness and Sunday, I want to play a gig at the Everyman Bistro with the Saxtet!

And now for the plug...

Please please please go here and vote for my amazing suitemate, Karynn, and her team - they are finalists to win a $10,000 grant! Their project, called ImMEDIAte Justice, sounds amazing - "Empowering young women from South Central L.A. to make innovative films about reproductive justice." You can read more about it on the site where you vote.

Not only do I love this project because I love Karynn and her passion for social justice through media, but I'm also a big fan of peer education, especially sex education, where what's available in the schools might be lacking or non-existant. This isn't just someone coming in from the outside to educate teens - this is giving young women the tools to create their own media, with both the immediate goal of providing useful sex education to their peers and the longterm goal of providing them with a way to enact change in other areas that are important to them.

Also, check out this awesome video they made to promote the project. (Not sure if it's available to everyone or just select Facebookers, but hopefully you can view it.)

Another Quick Link

2009-03-28T12:46:00.005-04:00

Here's another editorial written by my dear friend Adrienne! While it specifically pertains to the Asheville, North Carolina region, the topic of supporting your local economy is relevant to us all.

Supporting tailgate markets makes more sense than ever now

Quick Link: The Double Standard Revealed

2009-03-27T18:43:00.001-04:00

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

Via The Washington Post:

When a vaccine designed to protect girls against a sexually transmitted virus arrived three years ago, the debate centered on one question: Would the shots make young girls more likely to have sex?

Now the vaccine's maker is trying to get approval to sell the vaccine for boys, and the debate is focusing on something else entirely: Is it worth the money, and is it safe and effective enough?

Read the full article here.

March Madness - what about the women?

2009-03-27T18:36:00.004-04:00

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

March Madness is upon us. The drama, the rivalries, the brackets, the sheer passion of college basketball (which, if you ask me, is much more fun to watch than pro basketball for this very reason). And yet, at risk of pointing out the obvious, the brackets we fill out with such enthusiasm on ESPN.com are for men's basketball. The majority of the publicized and televised games? Men's basketball.

The other night I went home for a UConn women's game - though the team is undefeated and has a hugely loyal fan base, they haven't been selling out, which I'll chalk up to the economy. In any case, I was riveted. I'm no sports expert, but these women were spectacular to watch - the way they interacted both on and off the court, the intensity of play, their speed and ball-handling skills - beautiful. Equally impressively, everyone on the team performs well academically - sophomore Maya Moore (pictured), arguably the best player in the league, boasts a 3.74 GPA. Based on the team camaraderie - one player is designated to high-five everyone on the bench whenever someone scores - they seem like people I'd like to hang out with in my spare time. Suffice it to say: I'm in love with the UConn women.

So after the game, with all that adrenaline going through me, I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that the NCAA basketball tournament is essentially the only time when women's sports are given a significant amount of attention in the mainstream media - and even then, there isn't nearly the same degree of excitement about them as there is about the men's tournament. What's up with that? I'm sick of hearing comments like, "Well, men's basketball is just better and more exciting than women's." That seems like a cop-out to me. For one thing, "better" is purely subjective. If women's games and brackets were hyped up as much as the men's, would we find them equally exciting? Probably. Women's basketball definitely brings the passion and the drama - the UConn/Tennessee rivalry is one of the fiercest rivalries in sports. And even as a UConn fan, I can easily admit that Tennessee coach Pat Summitt's 1,000 victories is an unparalleled feat - by any coach, male or female. The Lady Vols' athletic director was quoted as saying, "I can’t imagine anyone doing what she has done ever again." Programs like these, with a relatively long history and a strong alumni network, draw crowds. This is the same reason why men's tournament games are played on a neutral court, while women's games are played at stadiums (like UConn's) where there will surely be a wide enough local fan base to sell tickets.

And then there's another problem: where do they go from here? The WNBA has had a decent amount of success compared to other professional women's sports. But with the Houston Comets - "the most important franchise in the history of women's professional sports" - having folded this winter, one wonders about the future of the league's popularity and subsequent success. Do players like Candace Parker and Maya Moore (who can totally dunk, by the way) get frustrated by the fact that their sport's popularity peaks in college?

Bringing it back to women's sports at Brown...Speaking personally, I hear a lot about how undeniably awesome the women's crew and rugby teams are - but at Brown, as at most schools, nothing in women's sports is even comparable to the amount of money and hype spent on men's football. I know that, "objectively" speaking, this all has to do with money. It's a tried-and-true fact that men's games sell tickets. Fine, I understand that. But is there anything we can do about it? Other than resorting to, say, something like this? Most relevantly, do we have a feminist obligation to support women's athletics?

TGIF

2009-03-26T23:21:00.010-04:00

This picture represents...maybe half of the tea supply in my suite. We live by the stuff.

Friday Fill-Ins has a first-sentence-of-books theme this week. The first one is the only real answer I know; the rest are made up.

1. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit!!!!"

2. "My tonsils are huge but that ain't no matter."

3. "After dark the rain began to fall again, as per usual in Providence."

4. "Pirates, looking suspiciously Johnny Depp-esque, streamed out from the hold of the Spanish galleon."

5. "There was a hand in the darkness, and suddenly my chicken parm was gone."

6. "Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, so always wear a helmet when riding a bike."

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping, tomorrow my plans include sleeping and Sunday, I want to sleep!

If you haven't before, check out The Low Anthem, an interesting band from good ol' Providence. Rolling Stone calls them "a trio of neo-hippie rockers...the Low Anthem craft homemade, warm-hearted Americana populated by train workers and road trippers on their second album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin." I particularly love their gorgeous, often chill-inducing, harmonies. They're probably the biggest band to come out of Prov in recent times - while they've been popular around here for a while, they seem to have had a sudden rush of fame and have been playing at some of the biggest music festivals in the country. The fun part - not only did they all go to Brown at some point, but I played with Jocie (the trio's only female member, and youngest) in the pit for "Merrily We Roll Along" freshman year! She's such a nice person - I really enjoyed getting to know her - and I'm thrilled that she's making it big, doing what she loves. Brown music concentrators, you too can go far.

2009-03-25T22:23:00.003-04:00

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

Via Feministing:

Deborah Siegel, over at Girl w/Pen, is trying to start a little infectious blog quiz. If you've got one, paste these questions and add one of your own, then post it up at your blog so we can spread the knowledge.

1. In 2009, women make up what percent of the U.S. Senate?
A. 3%
B. 17%
C. 33%
D. 50%

2. How many CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are female?
A. 15
B. 28
C. 59
D. 84

3. Who was the first First Lady to create her own media presence (i.e. hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column and a monthly magazine column, and host a weekly radio show)?
A. Eleanor Roosevelt
B. Jacqueline Kennedy
C. Pat Nixon
D. Hillary Clinton

4. The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced to Congress in:
A. 1923
B. 1942
C. 1969
D. 1971

5. Who was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature?
A. Phyllis Wheatley
B. Alice Walker
C. Toni Morrison
D. Maya Angelou

6. What percentage of union members are women today?
A. 10%
B. 25%
C. 35%
D. 45%

7. What year did the Griswold v. Connecticut decision guarantee married women the right to birth control?
A. 1960
B. 1965
C. 1969
D. 1950

8. What was the first coeducational college in the United States?
A. Oberlin Collegiate Institute
B. Andover Newton College
C. Radcliffe College
D. College of William and Mary

Scroll down for answers...

ANSWERS: 1:B, 2:A, 3:A, 4:A, 5:C, 6:D, 7:B 8:A

TGIF

2009-03-20T00:10:00.014-04:00

Happy (belated) St. Joseph's Day! Hope everyone ate lots of delicious zeppole (see above). I know I did. In related news, if you are ever in need of an Italian bakery in Providence, Scialo Bros (on Federal Hill, of course) is pretty fantastic. Nice people, great pastries, frequented by locals.

1. Why do we have to push ourselves so hard, constantly on the move?

2. Tweeting and checking Google Reader are now habits.

3. I have not yet secured a summer internship and it's freaking me out.

4. I had never heard the phrase "Moustache March" and it is not a tradition in which I think many people should participate.
5. I'm staying up late when I shouldn't, the way I always do.

6. How was I to know that I'd get so attached to my spider plants, Aragog and baby Charlotte?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping?, tomorrow my plans include heading up to Boston to visit my brother, and Sunday, I want to see Bill Nye the Science Guy give a lecture at Northeastern!

This music video is great. I feel like these guys are just having a ton of fun. And I can't pretend I don't appreciate the night/knight pun in their name, given my Ellington roots.

This song's for the people who count.

The Saturday Knights - "Count It Off" from Lincoln Leopard Films on Vimeo.

Two links and a rant.

2009-03-09T21:23:00.003-04:00

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

Here are two great articles debunking some of the myths and accusations being hurled around in the wake of the Chris Brown/Rihanna incident (the first gives a brief summary, if you haven't heard about this awful story).

Five Mistakes We Make When We Talk About Rihanna (Newsweek)

What It Doesn't Mean (Yes Means Yes Blog)

I'm going to come right out and say that it infuriates and upsets me when I hear ignorant comments and jokes about domestic violence - on this very campus. We're supposed to be this bastion of social justice, and yet the day after the story came out in the news I actually heard a friend say, "Chris Brown is my hero because he smacked up Rihanna." I wish I could walk around and hear people talking about about how incidents like this are indications of a global social illness that is tied up in questions of gender, race, and power - not petty gossip and jokes that only perpetuate the problem.

New blog alert! And the Brown Band does the Time Warp (again).

2009-03-04T23:08:00.021-05:00

Okay, I'm changing my font size to the default. I'm sick of making it smaller every time, even though I prefer smaller font. This is more bad-eyesight-friendly, I guess.

Anywho, the point: If for some reason you've clicked on my profile lately, you'll notice that there are not one, but two blogs listed there. Gasp! That's because I'm going to be contributing to a brand-spanking-new blog called Women@Brown.

From the first post:

We envision this blog becoming a community of Brown students discussing political issues, campus events, pop culture, and anything and everything relating to women or women issues. We hope to spark discussions, help people stay informed, and even be a starting point for campus activism.

There have only been a few posts so far (like I said, it's brand new) but as they get more contributors (and as we start to, y'know, contribute), it should get some interesting discussions going. Go check it out!

Also, if you're like me and love old photographs, take a look at this Flickr album from Rosie Perera '85. Vintage Brown Band!

The Gross National Parade - Washington, D.C. (1984)

An early incarnation of Bruno. (1984)

I like the fuzzy ears. (1983)

The band bus! Awesome. (1984)

A young Matt (our faculty advisor, right) and the lookalike student conductor. (1984)

Fun Fact: This year will be the 40th anniversary of the band on skates! (1984)

Man, I wish I got to wear a white suit... (1983)

TGIF

2009-02-20T00:33:00.006-05:00

This is how I feel about all the work, practicing, and internship applications I have to get done by the coming week.

1. Give me a backrub and I'll be your friend for life.
2. Whenever I post something opinionated online, I get nervous about it. It's a terrible habit and I really should have more confidence in my beliefs and ideas.
3. I wish I were better at staying in touch with my friends who are abroad, and with others whom I have not seen in a long time.
4. Asparagus cooked in olive oil and garlic salt by Masumi was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.
5. To live in this world is a blessing, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need fixing.
6. Other than this one, Baird's abroad-in-Copenhagen blog is the last blog I commented on.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the winter trip with the band - and hanging out with Princeton bandies one last time, tomorrow my plans include more winter trip - and skating in Rockefeller Center and Sunday, I want to perform Albright's Chichester Mass with the choir!

Bleugh.

2009-02-19T14:30:00.010-05:00

Kerry Washington had a great response to the whole Chris Brown-assaulting-Rihanna situation:

"If we talk about violence against women, my hope is we don’t talk about it as petty gossip but as a social illness that must end. So if that’s what’s going on, then we need to all be aware this is a problem that goes from the Congo to Hollywood and everywhere in between." (from People)

I guess I'm having a "depressed about the crazy amounts of misogyny that exist in our society" day. Here's an incredibly moving video about the realities of pornography and the sex trade. Rap can be such a powerful medium; it's too bad that all we hear on the radio is, well, crappy and misogynistic.

And because we need something a bit more uplifting after that, this video made me cry tears of joy rather than tears of hating the world. Heartbreaking, still, but beautiful. A late Valentine's Day treat?

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

All you need is ____.

2009-02-14T13:27:00.004-05:00

No, but seriously, I hope you all have a blessed, love-filled day! Regardless of the sappy commercialism of the holiday, I have no problem with having an excuse (not that we should need one) to tell our loved ones why they're so important to us. And maybe even show some extra love to those who might not be feeling much of it today.

Additionally, Feministing and The Kitchen Table have some action suggestions for Valentine's Day. One incredibly easy one (which requires no monetary donation) is to sign this petition for CVS to unlock their condoms. Almost half of CVS stores keep their condoms in a locked case, meaning that to get the condoms out you have to press a buzzer and wait for assistance from a pharmacist - if they come at all. And according to the petition, these cases are found disproportionally in minority areas (which, I suppose, would be why I've never seen one on the East Side of Providence). Awesome, CVS. Because people don't already have enough trouble getting education about and access to safer-sex practices.

TGIF

2009-02-13T21:31:00.007-05:00

1. It seems like there's no hope for humanity when people I thought I respected are able to speak words of ignorance and hate.
2. Wash your hands when you're done, please?
3. If I thought you knew me I'd expect you to know that the Brown Band is my number one priority!
4. The mess you left when you went away (thanks, Alanis) is what I think of most when I think of you.
5. To me, Valentine's Day means sending silly e-cards...and telling loved ones why I love them so much.
6. God - often through the guise of my amazing friends - gives me strength.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going out for Julia's belated 21st birthday, tomorrow my plans include a visit from my brother, a.k.a. my platonic Valentine, and Sunday, I want to go see Nat's band (the Macrotones) at Johnny D's in Somerville!

Hey, at least I posted more than once this week...sigh.

Andrea Gibson

2009-02-13T00:33:00.005-05:00

This woman is AMAZING. I'd only seen a couple of her videos on YouTube prior to seeing her tonight at the Underground, and I was completely blown away seeing her live. Incredible poetry, raw delivery, really powerful stuff - I was riveted and moved. Here are the two pieces that got me extra choked-up - the first is an argument for gay marriage and the second one is a particularly powerful one about soldiers returning from the Iraq war:

And here is the one that finally made me cry - about being positive and affirming in difficult times:

Okay, just one more - this one is adorable and hilarious, about how pre-schoolers don't give a hoot about gender identity:

If you have the chance to see her, do so immediately. She's also really sweet and personable, and she chatted at length with everyone who stuck around to say hello or have her sign her book of poems (like I did). Also, I gave her a stick of gum, for which she was very grateful. I felt like the coolest person on earth.

TGIF

2009-02-06T22:33:00.015-05:00

(With apologies to Jezebel.)

Okay, I'm taking a quick break from the New Mexico postings to update on my (current) life. But first, I'd like to introduce a new feature...not only did Lyndsay and Mrs. Mills get me inspired to start blogging (at which I've been doing a terrible job keeping up), but they also got me intrigued by Friday Fill-Ins. So here goes, new feature! This will at least get me to blog once a week, before my weekend starts...

1. Please don't tell me I'm a bad person for being too squeamish to give blood.
2. Can you believe how lovely and peaceful campus is early in the morning?
3. The color orange makes me want to puke!
4. I have a craving for sleep.
5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it often, to get caught up on all of my reading. Argh.
6. Eyes are the sleepiest part of me right now.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed early, tomorrow my plans include Club Gallery and Sunday, I want to go to yoga and then get some work done!

General updates/impressions of the classes I am taking...

Intro. to Gender & Sexuality Studies: Fitting, because it's sort of my concentration. Hah. I love this class, partly because after fulfilling nearly all of the concentration requirements I'm pretty familiar with the concepts we're covering by now, so it's not going to be difficult. And yet - I feel like I'm still learning new things, or at least gaining new insight on old things. Also Denise Davis is awesome and always has hilarious stories about her daughter. As a good friend and classmate pointed out, professors of gender theory always have the most interesting child-rearing practices. As a side note: between this class and the next class I'll discuss, I am reading three volumes of Foucault. The same week as Butler was assigned, too. I'm sorry, but I'm in agreement with Professor Davis - Butler is brilliant, but she needs a good editor.

Religion & Gender in the Ancient Mediterranean: A once-a-week, evening seminar - my only small class this semester, which is a switch from the usual and actually quite a relief. Again, the professor is awesome - she definitely knows her stuff and intimidated me at first, but now that I've gotten to chat with her I've realized that she's a very nice, interesting and interested person. The subject matter is fascinating, because although the gender stuff is old hat, I've never taken a class that focused on the ancient world, and I feel really...academic. In a good way. The other day we looked at the writings of Artimedoros, who was a dream interpreter - the really interesting part is that while he had all of these ideas about the types of predictions you could make through dreams, in doing so he also left us with valuable information about the daily lives of the ancient Greeks, particularly their ideas about gender and sexuality systems. Cool stuff. Also, I was incredibly proud of myself the other day, because I not only spoke up in class (I'm terrible at that - I get intimidated much too easily) but I even argued my point and made a critique of Foucault with which Professor Kraemer totally agreed. Ten points!!

The U.S. Metropolis: An Urban Studies class I decided to take on a whim (and a recommendation from a friend) - and I think I'm going to end up really liking it. Professor Zipp (isn't that a great name?) is a good lecturer, and the TA also gets a mention for being quite adept at facilitating section. The class basically deals with the rise of the American city (and, of course, the suburb) from the postwar era up to today. So far we've had a lot of introductory stuff leading up to this time period - the great black migrations, the Chicago and New York World's Fairs - but I think it's going to be fascinating to trace the history of some of the major social problems that plague our cities. Also there are several films assigned for the class (I'm always tempted to call them "movies", but in college, they're "films"), which always seems to bode well. We already had to watch a funny (in the way that old movies from the 30s are funny) black-and-white propaganda-ish film about the problems with cities, as well as A Raisin in the Sun, which is one of my favorite plays of all time.

The Foundation of Living Systems (a.k.a. Bio 20): Yes, I've gone back on my word - I'm taking a science class after all. But I love it so far - quite honestly, the science nerd inside me (which essentially died during AP chem and physics) is slowly reawakening. It goes without saying that Ken Miller is an awesome and hilarious lecturer.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Kenneth Miller

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

(June 2008)

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Kenneth Miller

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

(January 2006)

In all seriousness, though, I'm 100% on board with everything he says about evolution - particularly because, as a Catholic, he focuses a lot on the fact that evolution and religion are not mutually exclusive. Thank you, Ken Miller, for practicing good science and good theology.

The biggest problem with these classes is that there is a heck of a lot of reading - but that's not really anything new. Otherwise, I'm enjoying being the head conductor of the world's only ice skating band, singing in an incredibly talented church choir with fantastic people from the Providence community, working too many hours at Orwig Music Library (I keep adding shifts - can't keep away!), and living with my amazing suitemates - who happen to be excellent cooks in addition to being spectacular people.

New Mexico, Part I: The Land of Enchantment

2009-01-28T23:08:00.020-05:00

Okay. I'm finally doing this. New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment! (Seriously, is that not the greatest state nickname?) We flew into Albuquerque on Sunday the 11th and decided to walk around. Side note: the flight in was one of the more beautiful ones I've taken. New Mexico was exactly how I had pictured it - soaring over the Rockies in Colorado, then suddenly everything was craggy, then flat, and all brown, brown, brown.

Anyway, we walked around Old Town for a while. This is San Felipe de Neri, the oldest church in Albuquerque (1706).

Obviously we had to go to the chocolate shop. Also the sign (like everything in NM that isn't beige) was turquoise.

I washed down my delicious chocolate with some delicious...chocolate soda.

Dinner that night was yummy (and spicy!) huevos rancheros, as well as a free cup of coffee given to me by the very odd cashier at the restaurant. I think he was lonely, or maybe bored. While we ate, we (Habitat-ers) got to know each other a bit better - and I could already tell that I was going to love the energy of the group. They're all friendly, very genuine people.

Somewhere along the way, these pictures switch to Santa Fe. I'm not sure where to draw the line. In any case, one of our fellow travelers was actually from Santa Fe - and since we were all so worn out from getting in at different times, she graciously let us all crash at her house on Sunday night. It couldn't have worked out better! Then on Monday we spent the morning exploring the capital city.

Seriously, everything looked like this - beige, fake adobe, rectangular. I felt as though I were on the set of a movie. Can you imagine seeing a building like this in New England?

A line of people, mostly (if not all) Native American, out selling their wares - beautiful handmade jewelry.

A fajita cart!

Inside the church of St. Francis (the outside was being worked on, unfortunately).

The chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe - the little doll in the middle is taken down and paraded around during an annual festival.

We then walked down a road that was solely populated by art galleries. Apparently the northern NM area has the third largest art scene in the world, after Paris and New York! Following this we drove a little ways to Tesuque, where we encountered a sculpture garden and glass-blowing place (workshop? studio?).

If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it.

The whole group! Minus Sean, who was the only guy (bless him) and didn't like to be in photos.

Glass-blowing is probably the form of (visual) art that leaves me most in awe. Even though I can see how they do it, I'm still thinking...how'd they do that?!

Finally we piled in the cars and drove up to Taos, on a long highway under a big sky. Pictures taken from a car window really can't capture the beauty or the scope, or the joyous atmosphere of that car ride. We were all just...giddy, overwhelmed by the majesty of it all. The landscape was just so different from anywhere else I'd ever been - the desert, the flatness, the scrubby trees, the canyons, and then the towering mountains in the distance. Nothing short of breathaking.

We arrived that afternoon in Questa, population approx. 2,000. It had one main road and was about an hour drive to Taos, the nearest city. This is the Baptist church in which we stayed.

This is the view from the front of the church. I know that three pictures of the same view is a bit excessive, but I couldn't decide on just one angle - by the end of the week, I felt so familiar with those mountains. Now, looking at the pictures, I feel that I would recognize them anytime, anywhere.

Shopping that night was pretty hilarious. Coordinating what food to buy for the week was...well, inefficient and borderline chaotic with ten people. Then we couldn't find milk anywhere in Questa. Anywhere! All was well that ended well, of course.

Coming up next: the building begins!

M.I.A. no longer (I neither fly like paper nor get high like planes)

2009-01-22T01:57:00.007-05:00

Argh. I apologize (mostly to myself) for not posting in such a long time. Stories/pictures from New Mexico are forthcoming, I promise - for now I'll summarize and say that it was a fantastic trip.

I'm back at school and, as always, shopping period is driving me into ~~the cliffs of~~ insanity. And we've only had a day of classes. Oy vey. And the inauguration! I haven't even talked about that. Maybe I'll come back to that and reflect a bit later. For now I'll leave you with Alex Ross's take on the music, with which I essentially agree.

Ross's final point: "I liked most of all the diverse picture of the classical world that the performers presented: an Israeli-born violinist, a Chinese-American cellist, a Venezuelan-born pianist, and an African-American clarinetist from the South Side of Chicago."

I mean, John Williams was kind of a lame choice - as some other critic said, they should have just played Copland - but it fit in well nonetheless. Other than that, I nearly cried several times, including during the swearing in when he said his full name. And also, you know, everything he said. I keep on pinching myself to find out if this really happened. Now, at some point in the months and years to come, people are going to inevitably be unhappy with him because there is no way he can live up to the expectations of every single person who has entrusted their hope and faith in his vision. But I'm an anthropologist, and I believe that symbolic events can carry a lot of weight. This one, I think, has the power to inspire the world. It's been fascinating to read the accounts of my friends who watched the inauguration from abroad.

I promise that I'll write at least the first installment of my New Mexico stories tomorrow. But now to bed, because I'm worn out already. Looking forward to this weekend, when I'll be seeing Kenny Garrett in Boston! He has such a gorgeous sound. Can't wait.

And now, your moment of Zen (courtesy of my brother):

New Mexico, here I come!

2009-01-10T23:09:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow at 7:50 a.m. I will be on my way to Questa, New Mexico (near Taos) for the week, buildin' stuff with Habitat for Humanity. I'm a bit anxious right now, because packing does that to me - since we're going to be working in the cold, I'm attempting to stuff an obscene amount of warm clothing (that can get ruined if necessary!) into my suitcase. But I'm sure that once I get on the plane, I'll relax (probably to the point of falling asleep).

Overall I'm really looking forward to the trip. Building is my favorite form of service, because it is so tangible. I am creating something right here, right now, that will have a positive effect on people's lives, and at the end of the week I can see my progress. In my opinion, it's also the best way to get to know people - physically working together on a common goal. While I've done week-long service trips like this (four, actually), it'll be my first time working with Habitat and my first time traveling with a group of Brown students (as opposed to TELOS, my church youth group), so it will definitely be a unique experience. Add to this the fact that it's further west than I've ever been, and that I'll be turning 21 on the third day of the trip, and it may even be an adventure.

So au revoir for the week, and expect lots of stories and pretty pictures upon my return. Bisous à tous!

DMA in NYC

2009-01-09T18:20:00.007-05:00

Last Sunday, my friends from Drum Major Academy, some of whom I hadn't seen in years, FINALLY FINALLY had a reunion in New York. We're all about equidistant from the City in different directions, so it worked out perfectly. Seeing old friends and having the rapport be exactly the same as you remembered it being is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.

L-R: Becca, Katy, me, Christine

Being goofy at Toys 'R' Us.

Drum Major Barbie?

Christine's friend Mike was our amazingly good-humored photographer.

They're all such beautiful women, and it's funny to think that not only did we all go through the shared, intense experience of DMA (two years in a row), but that we then went on to be leaders of our respective bands. Seriously, you get four former drum majors together, and we could probably take over the world if we wanted to. I'm the only one who's still doing something similar (in that I'm head conductor of the Brown Band), but Katy is a music ed./voice major, Becca still plays her trumpet, and Christine dances (Bhangra, I believe) - so we all kept on "doing" music in some way or another. I hope it won't be another three years before we're able to do this again.

Playlist for a Penpal

2009-01-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

Here is the playlist from a mix CD I made for Lene, my penpal from Norway. I love making mixes like no other - figuring out the perfect order so that there aren't too many fast songs, or songs with female singers, or songs with "sex" in the title, in a row. Also on the mix is "Adam of Eden" by Suzanne Elizabeth Marron (it goes in between Imogen and the Roots), but iLike only had a couple of her songs and that wasn't one of them (credit to Masumi for supplying me with obscure music).

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

Oscar Grant

2009-01-07T18:12:00.005-05:00

I know this is my third post today, but this is absolutely horrifying. A 22-year-old black man was shot in the back and killed for absolutely no reason (he and his friends were putting up no resistence) by a police officer in San Francisco - and it was all caught on cell phone camera.

Warning: the video is pretty graphic.

This site lists several ways you can help, including spreading the word so that the story is picked up by the national media.

Quick Hit

2009-01-07T12:57:00.004-05:00

The distinguished Adrienne Langlois on Obama's brand of humor and why it's good for America.

On a personal note, I wish I could write like she does...

I wrote this a while ago, but it bears revisiting.

2009-01-07T09:56:00.003-05:00

My heart rate has been increasing proportionally to the closing gap of time before the song. Finally, the jazz band director announces proudly that the next piece, a Charles Mingus tune called “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” will feature me as a tenor saxophone soloist. Rising from the chair with quavering smile, I’m not certain that my knees will hold. The sax dangles leadenly from my neck strap, which I compulsively tug, adjust. Lick the reed, slurp the mouthpiece, finger the keys rapidly. No turning back now.

It takes all my willpower to put my mouth to the plastic mouthpiece, tighten my lips, and blow the first little phrase. The piece starts right in with improvisation; not only am I the only one playing, but I am also making it up. At first I think too hard about each note and the sound is unconfident. My racing, panicked mind has gone slightly into shock by the time I get into the blessedly written-down melody of the piece, my fingers numbly pressing buttons in familiar patterns. But then the moaning ache of the low notes stirs something, some feeling of sadness and longing, the word my subconscious has already detected as love. Love for the beauty of the song, the smooth pearl of the keys I press, the air hissing past my teeth and sliding through the length of the horn to erupt out of the bell. All at once I know what I am doing here: I have to share this with the audience. I have to convey a glimpse of what I am feeling right now, of my love affair with this music and this emotion and this instrument.

When I reach the second page, the notes have fallen away. Improvisation, my greatest musical fear, involving both creativity and confidence. I face a sheet of music that is blank but for chord changes, a page that under normal circumstances would have caused fear to paralyze my fingers and tighten my throat. I would have stopped, simply stopped right in the middle, tears springing to my eyes. I would have allowed self-consciousness to plant itself firmly between my mouth and the mouthpiece, stumbling and stammering to produce a single note. A legit player knows only written music, sonatas and concertos of carefully pre-meditated notes. In this classical world, intricate sixteenth-note runs call to be practiced over and over, and I am safe in comforting, concrete, written notes.

But tonight—tonight I am in love, so I stop worrying about mistakes, un-focus my eyes, and allow my fingertips to melt into the golden gleam they grasp. Tongue taps on rough reed, hot breath pushes and fingers dance. A straining wail erupts from my core out into the air, transformed into to some beautiful noise by a piece of brass, notes hanging for an instant before fading away smokily. There is nothing to decide, no physical body over which I have control, just this vessel through which I am sharing this song of beautiful mourning. I am no more aware of the passage of time than I am of the actual notes emerging; my body leans forward slightly to ground itself. Wide, breathy vibrato quivers and calms to a purr, and I savor the buzz of air that passes by my lips sounding only as a soft staccato sigh. A deep inhale, a twitch of fingers, and I gliss up the range of the horn before tumbling slowly down again to a long blue note. This is the first time I have ever been able to let go, to channel the melancholy and desire the song inspires in me through the melodies I create. The sax reveals every secret in me as I lose myself in the heartbreaking movement of the chords.

On the release of the last, high, long note, I blink for a moment until applause sets in. The spell is broken, zinging off into corners of the dark auditorium, and I am suddenly acutely aware of my dizzy panting. As the unfamiliar sensation of real satisfaction creeps up into me, I grin and take a bow.

Let's make a resolution! Let's always stay friends!

2009-01-02T00:29:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year, one and all! My eve was certainly epic. Here's to 2009 being...a better year than 2008.

Resolutions:

1. To blog semi-regularly. (Ten points for being off to a good start!)

2. To take waaaaay more pictures.

3. To exercise twice a week - yoga on Sunday and one day at the gym. Between that and conducting I should be getting a full-body workout (enough of one for me, anyway). It's not that I want to get in shape - I hate the fact that so much of the whole "New Year's Resolution" concept is based on weight-loss etc. - but that I know my mental/emotional state is just so much more chill when I exercise regularly. Makes me feel good all over.

4. To eat healthy cereal for breakfast instead of Lucky Charms. I'm off to a good start - found this really tasty cereal called Puffins or something, and it's peanut butter-flavored (yes please) but not sugary, so I feel like that's a good in-between sort of thing to wean me off of straight up marshmallows for breakfast.

5. To do something awesome this summer. Details TBA.

6. To spend less time brooding/procrastinating by doing nothing, and more time being positive/procrastinating by doing something. It's not that I'll ever stop procrastinating, but I'll certainly feel better about myself if I waste time, say, doing pleasure reading or playing sax than if I waste time, say, checking my email fifty times in a row.

7. To stop picking my skin. (To dream the impossible dream...)

8. To relax my shoulders, rather than sitting with them hunched up. Also my hands - I need a looser grip on my pencil and my saxophone. A person can get some serious problems walking around with too much tension.

Challenges of the coming year include: picking a topic for my thesis, making money (or at least breaking even) this summer while still doing something worthwhile, starting to write my thesis, paying rent.

Excitements of the coming year include: my 21st birthday, my trip to New Mexico with Habitat, Becky's wedding, my second and final year as head conductor of the band, my Sarah-filled off-campus apartment.

We're all going to be okay. Here's to a happy and healthy year with love in abundance.

French Horns and Letter-Writing

2008-12-30T23:17:00.006-05:00

I've been on somewhat of a French horn kick lately. Someone once told me that the French horn could produce the most beautiful sound of any instrument, and I heartily disagreed (I'm not sure what I offered as a counter-example). But that may have been because, at the time, I was in high school, and therefore only knew high school French horn players. In any case, I've come to realize the true merits of that gorgeous sound - and lately, I go all to pieces listening to any song with a pretty horn part.

I blame:
(a) Adrienne
(b) John and Jared playing "You Can Call Me Al"
(c) The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

No, truthfully, I'm not sure what it is. There's more to it than that. Perhaps partly owing to the fact that a good brass section has the power to make me feel like my soul's been turned inside out and upside down, in a good way. Perhaps...well.

I do love the MTC's Christmas album, though, even if every single song is overly dramatic to the max. It's sort of fun that way. My nominations for the top two best Christmas albums of all time, though, are Vince Guaraldi (the soundtrack to the Charlie Brown Christmas special) and the Robert Shaw Chorale (I think it's called The Many Moods of Christmas). Manhattan Transfer and Boston Pops get honorable mention.

Around this time, I always think of the last time I saw Jill, four years ago. Jill was my first piano teacher, when I was six years old and she was in high school. Now she's married and in the Air Force, though I'm fairly certain she doesn't fly anymore for medical reasons. In any case, here's someone who had a profound impact on my life - the first person to nurture my musical potential - and we've completely lost touch. And with the rest of my teachers, it's the same story - Mrs. Thon, the incredibly sweet (and small) Japanese woman who taught me piano from age seven through high school; Stephanie, my influential first sax teacher whom I absolutely worshipped; and even Chris, my last sax teacher, who pushed me musically more than anyone else before him. Haven't talked to any of them in years. That's depressing. Then I think of someone like Mike, one of my two closest childhood friends - we only talk when we happen to be at church together. I know we still have a lot in common; the issue isn't that we don't enjoy each other's company.

And here I am again, putting off writing a letter to my penpal in Norway, to whom I haven't written in over a year. Why am I so miserable at staying in touch? Are all of my relationships destined to be dependent on proximity? I know my mom has the same problem; we were talking about it just the other day. It's sort of a terrifying thought, especially knowing that after college, my friends and I might end up scattered across the globe.

One of the goals on my "wants" list this semester (more about that later) was "to master the art of letter-writing." Looks like I'd better get going.

To Sing the Praises of the Diva Cup

2008-12-30T00:48:00.014-05:00

So I finally got around to trying the Diva Cup that's been lying around, waiting for me to gather the courage to put the darn thing in. And I'm already completely sold. I feel like a new woman! Seriously, though, if you haven't already, run out and get one immediately. The amount of waste produced by years and years of menstrual products - multiply that by alllllllllllll the women who use them - is pretty appalling. But with Diva's help, I am on my way to a greener lifestyle. (Side note: this is part of my larger effort to stop being a schmuck and do things like recycle vigorously, waste less electricity, and so on and so forth).

Yes, the thing gets you more in touch with your inner workings than perhaps you'd like to be. But you know what? I think that's a good thing. Case in point: the first time I emptied it, my first thought was "ugh, gross." But then my immediate second thought was "oh...pretty!" It's making me laugh just thinking about it, because it sounds so corny, but my feelings toward my period are honestly more positive than they've ever been. And as a bonus, it doesn't make me feel like my organs are being stabbed, like tampons do when I've got cramps. If you're not already sold, the coup de grace: it only needs emptying once or twice a day.

I can't believe I didn't catch on to this earlier. It feels like I've just joined a cult or something...hah.

And now for something completely different:

I found this little guy in the basement the other day; apparently it was my dad's when he was a kid. His pants are a bit moth-eaten, but Schroeder has always been my favorite and I was pretty excited to find him. The Beethoven sweater just kills me. After washing him off and setting him aside to dry, I later looked over to see that he was warming his hands by the fire.

Continued Christmas Festivities

2008-12-29T14:12:00.012-05:00

I'm still in the Christmas spirit - and probably will be until sometime mid-January when the spirit(s) of "Sarah's Birthday Month" takes over - so here are more pictures and stories from the past week.

It didn't really feel like Christmas until sometime Christmas Eve, probably because this month has been so stupidly filled with mono and finals that I didn't go to a single Advent service and wrote about half as many holiday cards as I usually do. Also, I didn't finish my 20-page anthro research paper until Sunday the 21st, so by the time Christmas rolled around I was just figuring out how to relax. But that night we went to DJ and Carol's house in Hartford for a Christmas party, which was a blast. I didn't know most of the people there, other than the Smith-Horns, but it was still a lot of fun - the only thing that would have made it better is if Mr. Prenetta had showed up. This is going to sound strange, but it sort of reminded me that good times with friends don't stop when you're young - adults my parents' age know how to have fun, classy parties with the best of them. Also, everyone was wearing Christmas sweaters, which was awesome. At some point we started singing Christmas carols, accompanied by Carol on accordion and DJ on trumpet.

The boys are totally enthused about the singing.

Everyone crowds around the piano to sing.

Mom and Lisa share a laugh.

Rosie is officially the cutest Christmas pup.

Our lovely accompanists!

This was followed by the always-beautiful Christmas Eve service at church, complete with a singing of "Silent Night" by candlelight. The next morning we did presents, lazed around, and had the grandparents over for dinner. All the usual Christmas movies were watched (including It's a Wonderful Life, which leaves me in tears no matter how many times I see it), but the real highlight of the week was going to see A Christmas Carol at the Hartford Stage - the sort of "Christmas present for the whole family." It was a real spectacle and I can see why it's so popular every year. Flying ghosts! Snow falling from the ceiling! Cross-dressing humor! The play had it all. Fun for all ages.

Afterward we had a bit of a family photo shoot.

I won't make any comments about height.

The classic "three generations" shot with my two favorite women.

The most exciting gift I received for Christmas was a webcam from my brother! If you have one too, let me know and we can video chat on Skype! I'm having so much fun playing around with it.

First post! Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T00:08:00.011-05:00

As a Christmas present to myself, I'm starting a blog. Hurrah! It probably won't be terribly interesting all the time, but will be nice for people who are far away to get a sense of what I'm up to. And in the event of an adventure, things will surely pick up.

Let's start off right with pictures of (a) my new haircut and (b) my cat under the Christmas tree. My hair is probably shorter than it's been since sixth grade, and I love it - and the tree is gorgeous as always because I decorated it. The cat is, um, always really cute.

Another view:
And there's my little Jenny.

In other news, my cousin got engaged yesterday! Congratulations, Becky! I'm so excited, I've already had a bizarre(ly stressful) wedding dream.