Clearly I am a slacker. I only posted twice last year. I do find it somewhat cathartic to post random musings to a blog that no one will read. I need to write more often. For now, let's say this: I am hoping to do the Cherry Blossom 10 miler again in April and I have 4 weeks to figure out whether or not my body will be able to physically handle it. The farthest I have run lately was 6 miles back in October 2010(!) when I did the Baltimore Marathon Relay. More recently I have been running 3 miles (at the Fort or gym). I really need to start kicking it into gear and running longer distances. In addition, I have need to get back on the wagon re: weight training. I am going to Aruba in 8 weeks from tomorrow and would really like to look at least a little bit better in my swim suit than I do today.
Here's my workout so far for this week:
Sun, Jan 1: n/a
Mon, Jan 2: Yoga Video (oh yea, DR said I need to do this to help w/ my back pain)
Tues, Jan 3: Elliptical at the gym, 45 minutes
Wed, Jan 4: Yoga Video
Thurs, Jan 5: Ran 3 miles, 34:44; walked 10 minutes, 3.5 mph
Fri, Jan 6: n/a
The plan for the next few days:
Sat, Jan 7: weights; some cardio
Sun, Jan 8: Run
Mon, Jan 9: Yoga video
Tues, Jan 10: cardio
Wed, Jan 11: weights
We'll see if I can stick to the plan.
Showing posts with label Random Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random Thoughts. Show all posts
Friday, January 06, 2012
Friday, January 21, 2011
How Many Is Enough???
Re-posting in its entirety. It is disgusting that the Republican majority are never going to let any gun control legislation see the light of day.
How Many is Enough??
After Tucson, victim of Virginia Tech shooting asks: 'How many is it going take?'
By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 20, 2011; 11:36 PM
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he would hear, one navy blue suit nodding to another.
They would listen to what Colin Goddard had to say, shake his hand, then open the door for the next Washington lobbyist or constituent.
See, Goddard doesn't really warrant a second glance on Capitol Hill. He's a tall, well-spoken, broad-shouldered 25-year-old with a good suit and purposeful handshake. Plus, the arguments he was peddling on sensible gun control had been heard before.
But as Goddard was giving his earnest, wonky spiel about banning the kind of magazines that Jared Loughner allegedly used to spray gunfire in Tucson or requiring background checks on people who buy weapons at gun shows, those listening didn't know there were three bullets painfully worming their way through his body.
If he wriggled in his seat too much, it hurt. And if you touched his skin in a certain spot, you could feel the outline of one of the 9mm hollow-points poking through.
So after trying to play it straight for a while - just another young climber doing his time in the marbled halls of Congress - Goddard realized that he had to speak up about why he cared so deeply about this issue.
"The whole dynamic changed once I told them," Goddard said.
He told them what it felt like to be in French class at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, conjugating verbs one minute, then trapped in what looked like a bloody war movie the next.
He told them how feels to be shot four times - left knee, left hip, right shoulder, right hip. (No pain, at first. Just the trickle of blood.)
He told them what it's like to see a pile of bodies so high, the police can't open the door.
And he told them that the 32 people killed at his college that day by Seung Hui Cho might still be alive if it hadn't been so easy for Cho to get the semiautomatic handguns he used.
Gun control activists are often grieving parents, a Million Moms marching. Rarer among their ranks: a 6-foot-3 guy with a high and tight haircut and an easy way with a shotgun.
Goddard's a former ROTC student. He's a sportsman. Three months after he was shot at Virginia Tech, he went wild-duck hunting in Madagascar. His knee hurt a little. But firing a shotgun at Daffy? No problem.
He went on with his life - graduation, internships, job.
But when an oceanography class at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb was interrupted on Valentine's Day 2008 by a graduate student who went off his medication and fired three pistols and a shotgun into the stadium-style lecture hall, killing six, Goddard's mind went right back to that day in French class.
"I was glued to the TV watching it all. Minute by minute, reliving it all," he said in an interview this week.
And that's how he wound up taking a job at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
"I didn't even know who Jim Brady was," he said. "My generation doesn't even know about Jim Brady," the press secretary who was shot and partially paralyzed during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981. "But this is my generation's issue. We are the ones who grew up doing gunfire attack drills in class. Why shouldn't we do something about this?"
He has gone undercover at gun shows all over the nation, his hidden camera capturing how easy it is to buy an assault rifle from someone for $400, no identification necessary.
"It's like buying a TV. Or a sofa," he said.
Apparently, that's not enough for the lawmakers from both parties who are ignoring the bill introduced in the House this week by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) that aims to limit the high-capacity magazines used in these mass shootings.
Come on, now. If you're not going to listen to Goddard - a guy who knows guns and likes to shoot them, who hunts, who walks around with bullets in his body - then what will it take, lawmakers?
When are you going to stop saying "yeah, yeah, yeah" and really listen to what the folks fighting for sensible gun control are saying?
Maybe watching a movie about it will help. Goddard's journey from college student to gun control advocate was made into a documentary, "Living for 32," that will be shown at the Sundance Film Festival next week. Produced by Maria Cuomo Cole and directed by Kevin Breslin, the documentary is on the short list for an Oscar, too.
The timing for the film couldn't be better, given the shootings in Tucson.
Goddard was furious that day. And he asked the question we all should be asking.
"How many is it going take? How many?"
"I'm sitting here watching all those images again. The ambulances. The people crying. The police racing. The flowers. The candles," he said, sitting back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. "How many is enough?"
E-mail me at dvorakp@washpost.com.
How Many is Enough??
After Tucson, victim of Virginia Tech shooting asks: 'How many is it going take?'
By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 20, 2011; 11:36 PM
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he would hear, one navy blue suit nodding to another.
They would listen to what Colin Goddard had to say, shake his hand, then open the door for the next Washington lobbyist or constituent.
See, Goddard doesn't really warrant a second glance on Capitol Hill. He's a tall, well-spoken, broad-shouldered 25-year-old with a good suit and purposeful handshake. Plus, the arguments he was peddling on sensible gun control had been heard before.
But as Goddard was giving his earnest, wonky spiel about banning the kind of magazines that Jared Loughner allegedly used to spray gunfire in Tucson or requiring background checks on people who buy weapons at gun shows, those listening didn't know there were three bullets painfully worming their way through his body.
If he wriggled in his seat too much, it hurt. And if you touched his skin in a certain spot, you could feel the outline of one of the 9mm hollow-points poking through.
So after trying to play it straight for a while - just another young climber doing his time in the marbled halls of Congress - Goddard realized that he had to speak up about why he cared so deeply about this issue.
"The whole dynamic changed once I told them," Goddard said.
He told them what it felt like to be in French class at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, conjugating verbs one minute, then trapped in what looked like a bloody war movie the next.
He told them how feels to be shot four times - left knee, left hip, right shoulder, right hip. (No pain, at first. Just the trickle of blood.)
He told them what it's like to see a pile of bodies so high, the police can't open the door.
And he told them that the 32 people killed at his college that day by Seung Hui Cho might still be alive if it hadn't been so easy for Cho to get the semiautomatic handguns he used.
Gun control activists are often grieving parents, a Million Moms marching. Rarer among their ranks: a 6-foot-3 guy with a high and tight haircut and an easy way with a shotgun.
Goddard's a former ROTC student. He's a sportsman. Three months after he was shot at Virginia Tech, he went wild-duck hunting in Madagascar. His knee hurt a little. But firing a shotgun at Daffy? No problem.
He went on with his life - graduation, internships, job.
But when an oceanography class at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb was interrupted on Valentine's Day 2008 by a graduate student who went off his medication and fired three pistols and a shotgun into the stadium-style lecture hall, killing six, Goddard's mind went right back to that day in French class.
"I was glued to the TV watching it all. Minute by minute, reliving it all," he said in an interview this week.
And that's how he wound up taking a job at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
"I didn't even know who Jim Brady was," he said. "My generation doesn't even know about Jim Brady," the press secretary who was shot and partially paralyzed during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981. "But this is my generation's issue. We are the ones who grew up doing gunfire attack drills in class. Why shouldn't we do something about this?"
He has gone undercover at gun shows all over the nation, his hidden camera capturing how easy it is to buy an assault rifle from someone for $400, no identification necessary.
"It's like buying a TV. Or a sofa," he said.
Apparently, that's not enough for the lawmakers from both parties who are ignoring the bill introduced in the House this week by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) that aims to limit the high-capacity magazines used in these mass shootings.
Come on, now. If you're not going to listen to Goddard - a guy who knows guns and likes to shoot them, who hunts, who walks around with bullets in his body - then what will it take, lawmakers?
When are you going to stop saying "yeah, yeah, yeah" and really listen to what the folks fighting for sensible gun control are saying?
Maybe watching a movie about it will help. Goddard's journey from college student to gun control advocate was made into a documentary, "Living for 32," that will be shown at the Sundance Film Festival next week. Produced by Maria Cuomo Cole and directed by Kevin Breslin, the documentary is on the short list for an Oscar, too.
The timing for the film couldn't be better, given the shootings in Tucson.
Goddard was furious that day. And he asked the question we all should be asking.
"How many is it going take? How many?"
"I'm sitting here watching all those images again. The ambulances. The people crying. The police racing. The flowers. The candles," he said, sitting back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. "How many is enough?"
E-mail me at dvorakp@washpost.com.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
OK, I'm a slacker
I've been sticking w/ South Beach pretty well for breakfast, lunches, and snacks about 75% of the time. Dinner has been more difficult since Husband isn't a big fan of fake mashed potatoes (steamed cauliflower in a food processor w/ cream and butter).
Just can't seem to lose these 15 lbs that seem to have snuck up on me over the last two years.... I need to go to the gym more.
Just can't seem to lose these 15 lbs that seem to have snuck up on me over the last two years.... I need to go to the gym more.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Welcome Back
It's been a while so I thought I'd say Hi. I'm sorry I haven't been around much but you know how things go. Life just kind of gets in the way. That and I don't think anyone reads what I write anyways.
So.. What's new? Let's see. I just had a birthday. Fun times. Not a milestone or anything, just your middle of the decade birthday. Had a nice dinner.
Christmas was cool. Husband got me a Kindle. Pretty Sweet. Looking forward to giving it some action tomorrow on the train ride to work.
Work is super slow right now which is a good thing. People are in some really shitty situations. I always wonder how they got there. Everyone has a different starting point and I know life is a series of decisions and choices and I will always believe that but sometimes I think no matter how many correct decisions people make LIFE happens and bad stuff happens. I gotta leave it at the door when I leave work otherwise it will make me nuts.
I am glad to be back working for my previous boss. It just feels comfortable. I know they say being "comfortable" is not always the best way to feel about a job but I think in this case it is a good thing. I am comfortable with my boss and co-workers so I think doing new things with this job will be fun and hopefully interesting.
Things on the home-front are good. Husband is happy with his new-ish job and we are doing well together. Everyone is busy busy but we are all trying to make time to see our friends. Family is another issue.
Christmas dinner w/ my folks was canceled b/c of the snow storm and we haven't rescheduled yet. I spoke w/ Dad on Xmas day but he was the only one. Sis sent me a msg on facebook. Never heard from mom. Apparently she is on a little vacation with her new boyfriend. I guess I could have called her but... didn't.
I guess that's it for now.
Here's hoping 2010 is better than 2009, that VT wins the Chick-Fil-A bowl on Thursday night, and that everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve.
I'll try to write more.
Peace.
So.. What's new? Let's see. I just had a birthday. Fun times. Not a milestone or anything, just your middle of the decade birthday. Had a nice dinner.
Christmas was cool. Husband got me a Kindle. Pretty Sweet. Looking forward to giving it some action tomorrow on the train ride to work.
Work is super slow right now which is a good thing. People are in some really shitty situations. I always wonder how they got there. Everyone has a different starting point and I know life is a series of decisions and choices and I will always believe that but sometimes I think no matter how many correct decisions people make LIFE happens and bad stuff happens. I gotta leave it at the door when I leave work otherwise it will make me nuts.
I am glad to be back working for my previous boss. It just feels comfortable. I know they say being "comfortable" is not always the best way to feel about a job but I think in this case it is a good thing. I am comfortable with my boss and co-workers so I think doing new things with this job will be fun and hopefully interesting.
Things on the home-front are good. Husband is happy with his new-ish job and we are doing well together. Everyone is busy busy but we are all trying to make time to see our friends. Family is another issue.
Christmas dinner w/ my folks was canceled b/c of the snow storm and we haven't rescheduled yet. I spoke w/ Dad on Xmas day but he was the only one. Sis sent me a msg on facebook. Never heard from mom. Apparently she is on a little vacation with her new boyfriend. I guess I could have called her but... didn't.
I guess that's it for now.
Here's hoping 2010 is better than 2009, that VT wins the Chick-Fil-A bowl on Thursday night, and that everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve.
I'll try to write more.
Peace.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Twitter?
Ok - so i am a nerd. I was reading a transcript of a WaPo Chat on Lost and the moderator said that she would be Twittering from ComicCon next week during the Lost panel. So... i took the leap and joined Twitter. I have no intention of ever Twittering - I just wanted the ability to follow her. I tried to "follow" her but the software was messed up or something and it didn't work so i need to log back in and try again...
in the two days that i have had my Twitter acct I already have 2 followers. I have never even posted anything... this is interesting. i wonder how many followers I can get without ever Twittering a thing....
in the two days that i have had my Twitter acct I already have 2 followers. I have never even posted anything... this is interesting. i wonder how many followers I can get without ever Twittering a thing....
Monday, June 22, 2009
Adventures with Craigslist: Part IV
"The Concert Tickets"
A few months ago we got tickets to the NIN / Jane's Addiction show at Merriweather Post. Last week we heard that the Beastie Boys were playing at Rams Head Live the same night. We took the gamble and were successful in getting Beastie tix even though the show sold out in 8 minutes. (Ticketmaster still sux tho).
As soon as we got the Beastie tix I posted the NIN / Janes tix on Craigslist. I didn't get any hits until Sunday night but that person never wrote me back. I got two more hits last night so I went with the first guy. I called him - we set up to meet at Little Havana later in the evening - and that was that. Ok so far.
So hubby and I meet up with the guy at LH, I gave him the tix and he gave me the money (which I counted there). Thanks, thanks, and the guy was on his way.
So that was easy. But why? Is it easier when dealing with big ticket items or was it this guy didn't have any drama? I'm at a loss to explain... i'd like to conduct more experiments but the rest of the stuff i have to sell isn't really worth much... i'm about ready to toss some of it. I just need to look up when it is "electronic / hazardous waste" disposal day for the city...
A few months ago we got tickets to the NIN / Jane's Addiction show at Merriweather Post. Last week we heard that the Beastie Boys were playing at Rams Head Live the same night. We took the gamble and were successful in getting Beastie tix even though the show sold out in 8 minutes. (Ticketmaster still sux tho).
As soon as we got the Beastie tix I posted the NIN / Janes tix on Craigslist. I didn't get any hits until Sunday night but that person never wrote me back. I got two more hits last night so I went with the first guy. I called him - we set up to meet at Little Havana later in the evening - and that was that. Ok so far.
So hubby and I meet up with the guy at LH, I gave him the tix and he gave me the money (which I counted there). Thanks, thanks, and the guy was on his way.
So that was easy. But why? Is it easier when dealing with big ticket items or was it this guy didn't have any drama? I'm at a loss to explain... i'd like to conduct more experiments but the rest of the stuff i have to sell isn't really worth much... i'm about ready to toss some of it. I just need to look up when it is "electronic / hazardous waste" disposal day for the city...
Monday, June 08, 2009
Adventures with Craigslist: Parts I, II, and III
Prologue:
We have a lot of crap. So much that it is really hard to park in our garage. Ever since we combined households (5 years ago), moved into our new house (3 years ago), and got married (1 year ago) we have so much stuff that we don't use and will likely never need to use again. So what's a person to do? Craigslist of course!
Part I: "The College TV and TV stand"
Hubby purchased this TV in 1996 after moving into a house with a bunch of guys and NO ONE owned a TV. After a few weeks of "getting to know you," board games, and rounds of asshole, he couldn't take it anymore and decided to purchase a TV at Walmart. I was a nice big TV (at the time) and he also bought a Nintendo 64 to go with it. Why not?
This TV made it though college and several moves before ending up in Baltimore. In '02 (i think) hubby decided to purchase one of those fancy flat screen TVs. Although this TV was a flat screen it is also 3 feet thick - a huge TV - and the old TV migrated upstairs and became the bedroom TV (see part II of this story for what happened with the "original" bedroom TV).
On Christmas of 2006 my dad gave us a really nice gift certificate to Best Buy and with that we purchased a new TV for the bedroom. The Walmart TV moved to the guestroom in the new house where it was united with my old TV stand from college that hasn't held up a TV in many years.
After sitting in a room not being used and collecting dust (also not hooked up to cable or DirecTV) we decided to get rid of it last summer.
This was our first experience w/ Craigslist. We posted pics of the TV and stand, all of the relevant info, we still had the original instruction book and remote, etc and we asked for $40.00 for the TV and $15 for the stand. After a few days we got an offer for $50 for both - and they requested that we deliver. I was working in Timonium the next day so I said I could deliver to Owings Mills, no problem.
The next day w/ Hubby's help I loaded the TV and stand into the car and went to work. On my lunch hour I went to deliver the TV.
First of all, the place this family lived was super difficult to find. Of course I google mapped it, etc. but the main road I planned on taking into this neighborhood had a gate across the road. Great. So I had to figure out another way into this neighborhood of apartment buildings and townhouses that ALL look the same. ugh.
I finally find the place and they had to buzz me into the building. I got to their apartment and they showed me where they want the TV. OK.... um... is someone home to help me carry the tv from the car? oh no. Dad is at work and the rest of the extended family that lives in the apartment (2 women, 2 children, and grandpa) couldn't help. really? ok fine.
I went out to the car and carried this super heavy tv into their house. (At least they held the door for me.)
I hooked up the tv to their cable (at least they have cable - see part II) and showed them how to use the remote. Ok works great. Thanks. The entire time I am there they keep asking me why I don't want the TV anymore.
Does it work ok? Yes. Anything wrong with it? No. Then why don't you want it? - It isn't like I can say, "well, I already own 3 tvs and this one has been collecting dust for 2 years and i just don't want it anymore because I can purchase a new tv anytime i want." Geeze. Can I have my $50 bucks so I can get the hell out of this apartment???
After I bring in the TV stand the woman tries to only give me $40 b/c the TV stand is scratched. I told her that the scratches were clearly visible in the pics on the Craigslist ad and that I won't take anything less than $50 otherwise I will carry the TV back to my car. OK she says and gives me the $50. Sweet. I am out of there.
Does it work ok? Yes. Anything wrong with it? No. Then why don't you want it? - It isn't like I can say, "well, I already own 3 tvs and this one has been collecting dust for 2 years and i just don't want it anymore because I can purchase a new tv anytime i want." Geeze. Can I have my $50 bucks so I can get the hell out of this apartment???
After I bring in the TV stand the woman tries to only give me $40 b/c the TV stand is scratched. I told her that the scratches were clearly visible in the pics on the Craigslist ad and that I won't take anything less than $50 otherwise I will carry the TV back to my car. OK she says and gives me the $50. Sweet. I am out of there.
I am barely down the driveway when my cell rings. The sound button on the remote doesn't work. huh? I just checked the damn thing before I left. Damn it! Ok, so I turned around and went back in. The button was just sticky. It worked just fine - you just needed to press really hard to make it work. Again they tried to ask for some of their money back. No way. Once I showed them they just needed to press hard on the button I got the heck out of there and headed back to work.
whew.
Part II: "Grandma's TV"
Hubby's grandmother died in early 2000 and he inherited a small 12 inch TV which became the original bedroom TV. This TV was the bedroom TV until 2002 when hubby purchased the flat screen referenced in Part I.
For the last seven years this TV was brought along on all of our moves but was never hooked up anywhere since we already had more than enough TVs.
Since our last Craigslist adventure was SO successful we decided to finally list a bunch of stuff - an old (and totally unused) Palm Pilot, a diskman w/car adaptor and headphones, an i-river MP3 player w/ headphones, and grandma's old tv for $15. The only hit we got was for the TV. The responder asked if we had an antenna for the tv since they don't have cable. Actually we did have an antenna - an HD antenna - that we didn't need anymore. We said we'll throw in the antenna for an extra $5 - and I volunteered to deliver the TV since I was "working from home" the next day anyway.
The respondent indicated that she only had $18. We said fine. I just wanted to get rid of the thing and we could use the cash to see a movie later that night. So i get to her apartment building - a really fancy building I might add - and she meets me out front. She doesn't want me to bring up the tv to her apartment. She wants me to bring it to the computer lab off of the lobby and plug it in there and hook up the antenna to show her that it works. Really? Ok, if that's what you want. So I hook everything up, turn on the TV and we have snow. Of course we have snow. We are in the basement of a huge apartment building surrounded by computers. uuuggghh.
OK, so I move the antenna around and show her how to get a signal and we sort-of get 3 or 4 channels. I explained to her several times that it will be better in her apartment and oh by the way, i told her that she is going to need cable in an month or a DTV converter box otherwise it won't work (this info was also in the craigslist ad). After 20 minutes! of going over all of this with her - showing her how to use the remote (Apparently she is a Hopkins Grad student from "overseas" and wasn't sure how to operate the thing. great.) she said that since she couldn't get a better picture she only wanted to give me $15 bucks. NO WAY. Look lady - we already came down from $20 to $18 and I delivered it. If you don't want to pay the $18 we settled on then I will take it home. - This was what hubby and i decided. $18 or nothing. - in reality if we didn't get the $18 for it I was going to head straight to goodwill and just donate it. It is the principle of the thing.
So fine - $18 it is. She hands me a wad of $1's which looks like $18 and I leave. I get back to my car (no ticket thank goodness. The woman kept me 10 minutes past my meter) and I counted the money. The woman only gave me $17!!! AAAHHH!!! Geeze - how stingy can you get?? She totally knew that she only gave me $17. It wasn't a mistake. Of course I wasn't going to go back in to get my other dollar - likely she was already upstairs in her apt anyways. Damn. Seriously.
Part III: "the futon"
We have two rooms in our house that we rarely go in. One is the guest bedroom and the other is the "random furniture w/ bookcases" room. This is the room that the Walmart TV and old college TV stand lived in. Also in this room was my futon that I purchased when I got my own apartment in Alexandria after college. The futon hasn't really served any useful purpose for several years but has made all of the previous moves with us... In my effort to eventually turn this "random furniture" room into a study/reading room I decided it was time to get rid of the futon.
I didn't want to deal with haggling over such small amounts of money (like we had to do w/ the TV's) so I decided we would list it for free - as long as the "buyer" picked it up. No delivery this time. We cleaned it up, got all of the cat hair off, took pics and listed it. We got several hits within minutes of posting it. Wow! I wonder if people get notices or something when free stuff gets listed or what. It was super fast. I was kind of surprised at how many people wanted our free futon. One respondent "want to know how much for our stuff?" - um yea. it's free. says so right in the listing in big letters. That guy didn't get it.
We went with the Hopkins student whose boyfriend was going to pick it up later that night. Perfect.
The guy shows up... wait for it.... in a freaking tiny little hatchback civic. Seriously? You do know how big futons are, right? Geeze - nothing is easy around here....
The guy says that actually he only needs the mattress as they already have a frame. Um no. You cannot have only the mattress. Who is going to take a futon frame w/out the mattress? The whole point was to get the entire thing out of the house. AAAAHHH!!!
OK. So the guy says that he will take it but needs to get a different car. So he calls his dad who lives in Columbia and they arrive back at our house around 9 pm. With Hubby's help they get the futon frame and mattress into dad's minivan. Finally - that damn thing is out of the house.
Selling was a hassle 3 of 3 times we tried... These events have made me think...
Are all Craigslist purchasers totally high-maintenance or did we just pick the wrong people to sell our crap to?
whew.
Part II: "Grandma's TV"
Hubby's grandmother died in early 2000 and he inherited a small 12 inch TV which became the original bedroom TV. This TV was the bedroom TV until 2002 when hubby purchased the flat screen referenced in Part I.
For the last seven years this TV was brought along on all of our moves but was never hooked up anywhere since we already had more than enough TVs.
Since our last Craigslist adventure was SO successful we decided to finally list a bunch of stuff - an old (and totally unused) Palm Pilot, a diskman w/car adaptor and headphones, an i-river MP3 player w/ headphones, and grandma's old tv for $15. The only hit we got was for the TV. The responder asked if we had an antenna for the tv since they don't have cable. Actually we did have an antenna - an HD antenna - that we didn't need anymore. We said we'll throw in the antenna for an extra $5 - and I volunteered to deliver the TV since I was "working from home" the next day anyway.
The respondent indicated that she only had $18. We said fine. I just wanted to get rid of the thing and we could use the cash to see a movie later that night. So i get to her apartment building - a really fancy building I might add - and she meets me out front. She doesn't want me to bring up the tv to her apartment. She wants me to bring it to the computer lab off of the lobby and plug it in there and hook up the antenna to show her that it works. Really? Ok, if that's what you want. So I hook everything up, turn on the TV and we have snow. Of course we have snow. We are in the basement of a huge apartment building surrounded by computers. uuuggghh.
OK, so I move the antenna around and show her how to get a signal and we sort-of get 3 or 4 channels. I explained to her several times that it will be better in her apartment and oh by the way, i told her that she is going to need cable in an month or a DTV converter box otherwise it won't work (this info was also in the craigslist ad). After 20 minutes! of going over all of this with her - showing her how to use the remote (Apparently she is a Hopkins Grad student from "overseas" and wasn't sure how to operate the thing. great.) she said that since she couldn't get a better picture she only wanted to give me $15 bucks. NO WAY. Look lady - we already came down from $20 to $18 and I delivered it. If you don't want to pay the $18 we settled on then I will take it home. - This was what hubby and i decided. $18 or nothing. - in reality if we didn't get the $18 for it I was going to head straight to goodwill and just donate it. It is the principle of the thing.
So fine - $18 it is. She hands me a wad of $1's which looks like $18 and I leave. I get back to my car (no ticket thank goodness. The woman kept me 10 minutes past my meter) and I counted the money. The woman only gave me $17!!! AAAHHH!!! Geeze - how stingy can you get?? She totally knew that she only gave me $17. It wasn't a mistake. Of course I wasn't going to go back in to get my other dollar - likely she was already upstairs in her apt anyways. Damn. Seriously.
Part III: "the futon"
We have two rooms in our house that we rarely go in. One is the guest bedroom and the other is the "random furniture w/ bookcases" room. This is the room that the Walmart TV and old college TV stand lived in. Also in this room was my futon that I purchased when I got my own apartment in Alexandria after college. The futon hasn't really served any useful purpose for several years but has made all of the previous moves with us... In my effort to eventually turn this "random furniture" room into a study/reading room I decided it was time to get rid of the futon.
I didn't want to deal with haggling over such small amounts of money (like we had to do w/ the TV's) so I decided we would list it for free - as long as the "buyer" picked it up. No delivery this time. We cleaned it up, got all of the cat hair off, took pics and listed it. We got several hits within minutes of posting it. Wow! I wonder if people get notices or something when free stuff gets listed or what. It was super fast. I was kind of surprised at how many people wanted our free futon. One respondent "want to know how much for our stuff?" - um yea. it's free. says so right in the listing in big letters. That guy didn't get it.
We went with the Hopkins student whose boyfriend was going to pick it up later that night. Perfect.
The guy shows up... wait for it.... in a freaking tiny little hatchback civic. Seriously? You do know how big futons are, right? Geeze - nothing is easy around here....
The guy says that actually he only needs the mattress as they already have a frame. Um no. You cannot have only the mattress. Who is going to take a futon frame w/out the mattress? The whole point was to get the entire thing out of the house. AAAAHHH!!!
OK. So the guy says that he will take it but needs to get a different car. So he calls his dad who lives in Columbia and they arrive back at our house around 9 pm. With Hubby's help they get the futon frame and mattress into dad's minivan. Finally - that damn thing is out of the house.
Selling was a hassle 3 of 3 times we tried... These events have made me think...
Are all Craigslist purchasers totally high-maintenance or did we just pick the wrong people to sell our crap to?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hillary Clinton Looks Like Tang
So... did you see Hillary Clinton yesterday at the unveiling of the new Sojourner Truth bust at the Capitol Visitor Center? Horrible. That's all I can say. Apparently she wore the same suit at the Dem convention last August.... Top pic is from yesterday and bottom is from the convention.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Random Stuff
I know its been a while - blah blah blah
I'm watching HBO. I love "Flight of the Concords." I don't know if other people dig this show or not but they are starting a new season on Sunday. The humor is just so funny. I just find it hilarious. The songs and the dream sequences are awesome.
After FOC is a Chris Rock special filmed in the fall of 2008. Very timely and relevant. He is sooo funny. His stuff about Barack Obama and McCain/Palin is priceless. If you have an opportunity to see this special i highly recommend it. It is called "Kill the Messanger"
I'm watching HBO. I love "Flight of the Concords." I don't know if other people dig this show or not but they are starting a new season on Sunday. The humor is just so funny. I just find it hilarious. The songs and the dream sequences are awesome.
After FOC is a Chris Rock special filmed in the fall of 2008. Very timely and relevant. He is sooo funny. His stuff about Barack Obama and McCain/Palin is priceless. If you have an opportunity to see this special i highly recommend it. It is called "Kill the Messanger"
Monday, December 08, 2008
Birthday: The Big 27 + 5
Yep. I'm 32. If he were alive it would be his birthday too. I used to love Jim Morrison....It's funny when you get into your 30's and it's your birthday. No one really cares too much - including me. I think I got more emails from retailers wishing me a happy birthday (My Hair Salon, Gap, Corrigan Sports, Borders, etc.) than from people I actually know. I'm not complaining or anything - it's just funny.
When you are 32 all of your friends have kids so no one can go out to celebrate on a week night - AND being the holiday season getting folks together on the weekend is just as hard....
Hubby and I celebrated my birthday on Saturday by spending the afternoon in 2 different bars to watch VT beat Boston College in the ACC Championship Game. We went home, took a short nap and then went to Sotto Sopra for dinner. Food was great but a little overpriced. I think next time we will just go to Paza Luna...
I guess that's it for now.
Other than I feel the need to comment on some recent posts by Capitol Swell.... I love the B52's.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
So Sorry
It has been a while since I've written. Sorry.
Hubby had foot surgery and then Thanksgiving came and went and now i'm back at work. Fun Times.
2 more weeks until Christmas break. I can't wait.
Let's see... what's new.... not much really. I need to do some more Christmas Shopping. That's about it. Oh, I need to send out my Christmas cards too. Maybe I'll get around to it this weekend.
I have a busy weekend coming up. Friday is my office Christmas Party. I guess we can call it Christmas again since the one Jewish person on staff will be leaving soon. ;-)
Saturday is the ACC Championship game with VT and Boston College at 1 and then Hubby and I are going out to dinner for my birthday Sat night. Woo Hoo! Sunday night the Ravens are playing the Redskins at home. We might go out for a bit to watch the game.
hmm..... work is kinda slow right now. Just focusing on constituent mail. yuck - but it must get done.
perhaps i'll write something a little more interesting later.
peace.
Hubby had foot surgery and then Thanksgiving came and went and now i'm back at work. Fun Times.
2 more weeks until Christmas break. I can't wait.
Let's see... what's new.... not much really. I need to do some more Christmas Shopping. That's about it. Oh, I need to send out my Christmas cards too. Maybe I'll get around to it this weekend.
I have a busy weekend coming up. Friday is my office Christmas Party. I guess we can call it Christmas again since the one Jewish person on staff will be leaving soon. ;-)
Saturday is the ACC Championship game with VT and Boston College at 1 and then Hubby and I are going out to dinner for my birthday Sat night. Woo Hoo! Sunday night the Ravens are playing the Redskins at home. We might go out for a bit to watch the game.
hmm..... work is kinda slow right now. Just focusing on constituent mail. yuck - but it must get done.
perhaps i'll write something a little more interesting later.
peace.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Hmmm.....
This Op-Ed got me thinking.... I think smoking is nasty and will kill you and those around you (eventually) and i am really concerned that President-elect Obama still smokes. I think it would be a great publicity event if he came out and said that he is quitting and ask others to quit with him. I think a President who smokes sends the wrong message to impressionable kids who might think it is OK to do b/c the President does it.... BUT - then I read this article. I was not inclined to change my position on this issue until the last 2 sentences.... If he needs a smoke once in a while, let him have it.
Let the Guy Smoke
Obama Is Probably Fibbing About Giving Up Cigarettes. That's Okay.
By Michael KinsleyThursday, November 20, 2008; A23
It is still okay to discriminate against one group of Americans. This discrimination is not only legal, it is encouraged. You see members of this oppressed minority huddled outside in rain and snow, forbidden to seek refuge. No one feels sorry for them. And yet we may have just elected one of these pariahs as president.
Smoking is a disgusting habit that can kill you and those around you. Barack Obama claims to have quit, but the evidence is ambiguous. And the media's lack of interest in this question supports the charge that Obama is enjoying a honeymoon with the press. Compare the attention given to John McCain's melanoma -- a health problem more likely than smoking to kill him in the next four years, but also a problem beyond his control. Smoking, by contrast, is behavior. It sets a deplorable example for young people, millions of whom Obama has inspired into active citizenship.
Obama has never denied that he was a smoker for much of his adult life. He said as early as February 2007 that he had promised his wife he would quit in order to run for president. He also admitted as recently as this June -- when his presidential campaign was about three-quarters over -- that he hadn't done so. In May the Obama campaign released a carefully worded letter from his doctor, who wrote that Obama's "own history included intermittent cigarette smoking. He has quit this practice on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success." Obama has declined to amplify.
The instructions on Nicorette say to stop smoking before starting with the gum and to stop using the gum after 12 weeks. We know, because he has said as much, that Obama was still smoking the month after his doctor said he was using the gum. And even if he smoked his last cigarette on May 28, the day before his doctor said he was on gum therapy, the 12 weeks would have elapsed Aug. 20. Wouldn't you think that some reporter since then would have asked Obama whether the gum had worked? Yet no one seems to have asked.
According to Nicorette's Web site, the gum "can more than double your chances of quitting versus just willpower alone." Those chances are less than one in 20. Double that is one in 10. Obama is a man of impressive determination and self-discipline, as we are learning. But it would be astonishing if he managed to beat these odds during the past high-stress summer.
Now, I have been enjoying Obama euphoria as much as anyone. Without it, the prospect would be depressing indeed. But where is the skepticism? If Obama actually has accomplished the miracle of giving up cigarettes at the apogee of a presidential race, he should be happy to let us know this and add to his superman image. And if he hasn't? Well, if he is straight with us about it, we should forgive him. So he's not a superman. Neither are we. In a democracy, that is a good thing for ruler and ruled to know they have in common. Furthermore, as presidential vices go, this one is not near the top. As for being a role model for youths, Obama's good habits outweigh this single bad one. He's great on hydration, apparently.
Obama is 47. A recent Journal of the National Cancer Institute study determined that 49 out of 1,000 American male former smokers age 45 (close enough) will die of all causes over the next decade, compared with 91 out of 1,000 who are still smoking. If he is still smoking, Obama is doubling his chance of an early death. Of course, he increases that risk by becoming president as well. But we allow candidates to take that second risk. Whether he takes the first one is his business, too.
Another question is what effect a president desperate for a cigarette and trying to quit might have on your life expectancy and mine. Obama's steely calm is now one of our country's major assets. If he needs an occasional cigarette to preserve it, let's hand him an ashtray, offer him a light and look the other way.
Michael Kinsley, a columnist for Time magazine, is an occasional contributor to The Post.
Let the Guy Smoke
Obama Is Probably Fibbing About Giving Up Cigarettes. That's Okay.
By Michael KinsleyThursday, November 20, 2008; A23
It is still okay to discriminate against one group of Americans. This discrimination is not only legal, it is encouraged. You see members of this oppressed minority huddled outside in rain and snow, forbidden to seek refuge. No one feels sorry for them. And yet we may have just elected one of these pariahs as president.
Smoking is a disgusting habit that can kill you and those around you. Barack Obama claims to have quit, but the evidence is ambiguous. And the media's lack of interest in this question supports the charge that Obama is enjoying a honeymoon with the press. Compare the attention given to John McCain's melanoma -- a health problem more likely than smoking to kill him in the next four years, but also a problem beyond his control. Smoking, by contrast, is behavior. It sets a deplorable example for young people, millions of whom Obama has inspired into active citizenship.
Obama has never denied that he was a smoker for much of his adult life. He said as early as February 2007 that he had promised his wife he would quit in order to run for president. He also admitted as recently as this June -- when his presidential campaign was about three-quarters over -- that he hadn't done so. In May the Obama campaign released a carefully worded letter from his doctor, who wrote that Obama's "own history included intermittent cigarette smoking. He has quit this practice on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success." Obama has declined to amplify.
The instructions on Nicorette say to stop smoking before starting with the gum and to stop using the gum after 12 weeks. We know, because he has said as much, that Obama was still smoking the month after his doctor said he was using the gum. And even if he smoked his last cigarette on May 28, the day before his doctor said he was on gum therapy, the 12 weeks would have elapsed Aug. 20. Wouldn't you think that some reporter since then would have asked Obama whether the gum had worked? Yet no one seems to have asked.
According to Nicorette's Web site, the gum "can more than double your chances of quitting versus just willpower alone." Those chances are less than one in 20. Double that is one in 10. Obama is a man of impressive determination and self-discipline, as we are learning. But it would be astonishing if he managed to beat these odds during the past high-stress summer.
Now, I have been enjoying Obama euphoria as much as anyone. Without it, the prospect would be depressing indeed. But where is the skepticism? If Obama actually has accomplished the miracle of giving up cigarettes at the apogee of a presidential race, he should be happy to let us know this and add to his superman image. And if he hasn't? Well, if he is straight with us about it, we should forgive him. So he's not a superman. Neither are we. In a democracy, that is a good thing for ruler and ruled to know they have in common. Furthermore, as presidential vices go, this one is not near the top. As for being a role model for youths, Obama's good habits outweigh this single bad one. He's great on hydration, apparently.
Obama is 47. A recent Journal of the National Cancer Institute study determined that 49 out of 1,000 American male former smokers age 45 (close enough) will die of all causes over the next decade, compared with 91 out of 1,000 who are still smoking. If he is still smoking, Obama is doubling his chance of an early death. Of course, he increases that risk by becoming president as well. But we allow candidates to take that second risk. Whether he takes the first one is his business, too.
Another question is what effect a president desperate for a cigarette and trying to quit might have on your life expectancy and mine. Obama's steely calm is now one of our country's major assets. If he needs an occasional cigarette to preserve it, let's hand him an ashtray, offer him a light and look the other way.
Michael Kinsley, a columnist for Time magazine, is an occasional contributor to The Post.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Worst Movies Ever: The List
I am only listing movies I have actually seen.
A quick brouse of Rotten Tomatoes' list of 100 worst movies ever has shown me that there are many really bad movies that I have not seen. Thank god.
You will notice that many movies on my list have "A list actors". Just because you won an Oscar doesn't mean that you can't make bad movies....
The Talented Mr. Ripley (Matt Damon, Jude Law)
Fallen (Denzel Washington)
The Happening (Mark Wahlberg)
Anything with Madonna (except Desperately Seeking Susan)
Catwoman (Halle Berry)
Spice World
The Beach (Leo DiCaprio)
Galaxy Quest (Sigourney Weaver)
Die Hard 3 (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson)
You've Got Mail (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan) - yes, this movie is worse than "Joe Versus the Volcano" also starring these two actors....
Look Whose Talking and all sequels (John Travolta, Kirsty Ally)
Michael (John Travolta)
Phenomenon (John Travolta)
OK - i need to stop here... i am sure there are more that i can add to the list if I keep going further back in time. i am going to work on a new list. "Bad Movies I'm Willing To Watch Again."
Coming soon.
A quick brouse of Rotten Tomatoes' list of 100 worst movies ever has shown me that there are many really bad movies that I have not seen. Thank god.
You will notice that many movies on my list have "A list actors". Just because you won an Oscar doesn't mean that you can't make bad movies....
The Talented Mr. Ripley (Matt Damon, Jude Law)
Fallen (Denzel Washington)
The Happening (Mark Wahlberg)
Anything with Madonna (except Desperately Seeking Susan)
Catwoman (Halle Berry)
Spice World
The Beach (Leo DiCaprio)
Galaxy Quest (Sigourney Weaver)
Die Hard 3 (Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson)
You've Got Mail (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan) - yes, this movie is worse than "Joe Versus the Volcano" also starring these two actors....
Look Whose Talking and all sequels (John Travolta, Kirsty Ally)
Michael (John Travolta)
Phenomenon (John Travolta)
OK - i need to stop here... i am sure there are more that i can add to the list if I keep going further back in time. i am going to work on a new list. "Bad Movies I'm Willing To Watch Again."
Coming soon.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Random Thought: Jello
Why does Jello always have that little blob on the inside of the lid? There is no indentation in the Jello that would indicate that it was transferred from the cup onto the top...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
I Heart (not) Grocery Shopping
I absolutely HATE going grocery shopping. My Shoppers Food Warehouse (also known as the Getro) is almost** the most ghetto grocery store ever. It is really hard to find a decent tomato or any produce really in that store. The deli counter workers must be on valium or something b/c they move sooo freaking slow. I've seen some really messed up people shopping in there. Often. I try to go to the Safeway across town when i can or to a store in the 'burbs if I am out that way already but it doesn't happen that often.
A new Harris Teeter is going to open but not until next year. *** I think because of the competition with HT, the Shoppers is "trying" to get better with their produce and general food selection but they have a long way to go - and honestly any changes they make will not be enough for me to continue to shop there once the HT opens.
The worse time in the world to go shopping is on Sundays. Only half the staff is working and everyone is stocking up on food for the week. Also - the worst time to go is between 6 - 8 pm on a weekday. I seriously ran in for one thing the other day and it took me 45 minutes.
Now - this morning I went shopping before work - got there at 7:15 am. It was awesome! I could walk the store at my own pace and there weren't screaming kids or people clogging the aisles. I got everything i needed - even hit the deli counter with no wait - and was out of there in 30 minutes with all the food i need for the week.
I am going to try to do this as often as i can.
A new Harris Teeter is going to open but not until next year. *** I think because of the competition with HT, the Shoppers is "trying" to get better with their produce and general food selection but they have a long way to go - and honestly any changes they make will not be enough for me to continue to shop there once the HT opens.
The worse time in the world to go shopping is on Sundays. Only half the staff is working and everyone is stocking up on food for the week. Also - the worst time to go is between 6 - 8 pm on a weekday. I seriously ran in for one thing the other day and it took me 45 minutes.
Now - this morning I went shopping before work - got there at 7:15 am. It was awesome! I could walk the store at my own pace and there weren't screaming kids or people clogging the aisles. I got everything i needed - even hit the deli counter with no wait - and was out of there in 30 minutes with all the food i need for the week.
I am going to try to do this as often as i can.
More Thoughts on the Election: 5 weeks out
I am really excited about this election because for the second time in my life (the first being 1996 voting for Bill Clinton) I am actually voting for SOMEONE. All previous elections were more about party politics than the candidate themselves.
I was and still am really disappointed in John Edwards. He was my first choice during the primaries and I would have voted for him if he hadn’t dropped out by the time Maryland had our primary election. I am disappointed in this whole affair business – but I can’t even imagine how disappointed I would be if he actually became our nominee and THEN his affair was exposed. I have no idea how I would react but I am sure that it would include a lot of anger and hurt feelings because we trusted him to lead our country.
I hope that Obama doesn’t leave us with anger and hurt feelings. I am really scared b/c I am going to vote for HIM and I just feel that it is a huge commitment. I guess I shouldn’t take it too personally, but really, this is an immensely personal decision we all have to make.
I know I am rambling so I will go now… I just wanted to share….
I was and still am really disappointed in John Edwards. He was my first choice during the primaries and I would have voted for him if he hadn’t dropped out by the time Maryland had our primary election. I am disappointed in this whole affair business – but I can’t even imagine how disappointed I would be if he actually became our nominee and THEN his affair was exposed. I have no idea how I would react but I am sure that it would include a lot of anger and hurt feelings because we trusted him to lead our country.
I hope that Obama doesn’t leave us with anger and hurt feelings. I am really scared b/c I am going to vote for HIM and I just feel that it is a huge commitment. I guess I shouldn’t take it too personally, but really, this is an immensely personal decision we all have to make.
I know I am rambling so I will go now… I just wanted to share….
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I Have A Dream
Today is an historic day. It is the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" AND it is also the day that a black man will accept a major party's nomination for President.
I have so many different feelings about this. I feel overwhelmed because we are witnessing history - good history - in the making. I am excited about what it means for progress that we are nominating Barak Obama for President. I am scared about the harsh attacks and lies that will be directed at our candidate. I am nervous that his nomination will motivate the most progressive Americans AND the most hateful Americans to action. I am hopeful that in 9 weeks we will have a Democrat back in the White House.
I can't wait to hear Obama's acceptance speech tonight. In the mean time... Here is MLK - It gives me chills everytime I hear it... for your reading pleasure:
I have so many different feelings about this. I feel overwhelmed because we are witnessing history - good history - in the making. I am excited about what it means for progress that we are nominating Barak Obama for President. I am scared about the harsh attacks and lies that will be directed at our candidate. I am nervous that his nomination will motivate the most progressive Americans AND the most hateful Americans to action. I am hopeful that in 9 weeks we will have a Democrat back in the White House.
I can't wait to hear Obama's acceptance speech tonight. In the mean time... Here is MLK - It gives me chills everytime I hear it... for your reading pleasure:
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Lessons Learned
I am a mess. i went camping last weekend and fell (was pulled down by a 100 lb dog) down a rocky cliff about 20 feet high and bruised myself from head to toe. Fun times!
Note to Self: LET GO OF THE LEASH
I also got pink eye from the river that we were tubing in. again fun times!
Note to Self: don't wear contacts in any body of water ever again.
Got it.
I have been half blind all week and my eyes are super sensitive to light. I need to wear like 3 pairs of sun glasses in order to be outside. Driving is kinda dangerous but I had to go to work. I took off Mon and Tues but.... i guess i really didn't NEED to come in this week....
uuuggghhh.
Note to Self: LET GO OF THE LEASH
I also got pink eye from the river that we were tubing in. again fun times!
Note to Self: don't wear contacts in any body of water ever again.
Got it.
I have been half blind all week and my eyes are super sensitive to light. I need to wear like 3 pairs of sun glasses in order to be outside. Driving is kinda dangerous but I had to go to work. I took off Mon and Tues but.... i guess i really didn't NEED to come in this week....
uuuggghhh.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Jury Duty
So after all of this wedding business i was called for jury duty today.
I spent most of the day in the "quiet room" working on my thank you notes. Lunch was from 12:30 - 1:45. I fell asleep around 1:30 and woke up around 2:30 to the sound of my number being called to report to a court room. Great.
I headed upstairs and took a seat in the room. We went through the voi dure - a tortureous 2.5 hours and at the end of it i ended up as juror number 11 for a two day trial starting tomorrow. fun times. the guy is charged with making a false statement to police. i'm really not sure why something so lame would end up at trial let alone a two day trial. i guess we'll see.
The jury is made up of about 6 black women (including the 2 alternates), 5 black men, 2 white men, and me. I am the only white woman on the jury and by the looks of it I am also the only person under the age of 40. This is going to be interesting.
I spent most of the day in the "quiet room" working on my thank you notes. Lunch was from 12:30 - 1:45. I fell asleep around 1:30 and woke up around 2:30 to the sound of my number being called to report to a court room. Great.
I headed upstairs and took a seat in the room. We went through the voi dure - a tortureous 2.5 hours and at the end of it i ended up as juror number 11 for a two day trial starting tomorrow. fun times. the guy is charged with making a false statement to police. i'm really not sure why something so lame would end up at trial let alone a two day trial. i guess we'll see.
The jury is made up of about 6 black women (including the 2 alternates), 5 black men, 2 white men, and me. I am the only white woman on the jury and by the looks of it I am also the only person under the age of 40. This is going to be interesting.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Top Chef
I have a few draft posts i'm working on but i wanted to get this out there before I forgot about it.
On Top Chef last week Andrew uttered the following classic quote, "I have a culinary hard-on right now."
I think that is one of the funniest things I have ever heard on Bravo. Andrew was kicked off at the end of the show....
On Top Chef last week Andrew uttered the following classic quote, "I have a culinary hard-on right now."
I think that is one of the funniest things I have ever heard on Bravo. Andrew was kicked off at the end of the show....
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