3

Today I was thinking about which years in recent life have been my "best" or favorite years. Then I nodded and realized they occur every three years. (3 is inexplicably my favorite number)

2007 - My hair was doing amazing things this year. I also made some new and amazing friends whilst having a blast with my current friends.
2004 - I went to Costa Rica, made new and amazing friends, loved my job, did well in school, learned a LOT, and went to Bonnarooooo.
2001 - a LOT of new experiences and realizations came to me this year.
1998 - again with the great hair. Just happy times all around.
1995 - I learned the difference between respecting authority and respecting those who deserve respect.
1991 - completed 1st grade, where I had the most amazing teacher, Ms. Bobbie Gournay.

I can't get much earlier than that. So basically it seems like 2010 is going to rock. What could possibly happen?

I could (will!) pay off my credit card debt.
Dallas Mavericks will win the championship.
I could make even more awesome new friends.
Will my hair finally come through and do great things once again?

Having thought about this, I'm looking forward to 26. I think 24 and 25 have been important and valuable transition years. Bring on the awesomeness!

line in the sand

I remember when I was a Senior in high school, I started becoming interested in politics. On one of the first days of my Government class, my teacher said for us all to stand in the middle of the classroom. Then she said "If you believe abortion should be illegal, go stand on the right side of the classroom. If you believe abortion should be legal, go stand on the left side." I watched, dumbfounded, as my friends scurried to their respective sides of the classroom. My mouth hung open, slightly confused at what was going on. Was I really going to have to think about this and make a decision? Right then? Right there? Not only was I going to have to decide, but I was going to have to let everyone know what my decision was.

Ms. Howard rescued me and said "If you don't care or haven't quite made up your mind, stand in the middle." So I went to the middle. I hadn't quite decided how I felt about the very delicate subject of abortion. At this point in my life, I didn't see it as a black or white subject. But then she said, "If you believe gays and lesbians should have equal rights as heterosexuals, stand on the left side of the room. If you don't think that, if you think they should not be able to be married or adopt children, stand on the right side of the room."

There was no ambivalence or wavering for me on this topic. My best friend, a gay guy, was in that room with me. My former best friends, extremely conservative people, were also in that room. These were people who told me my gay guy friends were going to hell. At that moment there was only one place I belonged -- standing next to my friend as he stood for his basic human rights. I wasn't embarrassed. I wasn't anything but proud to be his friend. I could see their eyes uncomfortably shift, as they realized what just happened. They were facing a man whose basic rights they thought should be denied. They were facing a friend with whom bonds had been broken because of ideological beliefs.

The line had been drawn.

How do we cross that line? How do we meet in the middle, and, rather than compromising, come to an understanding of each other?

sunday funday

I woke up this morning after having slept 9.5 hours! I was completely exhausted after spending Saturday happily helping Jasmine and Jeremy celebrate their wedding. The benadryl pills I took for allergies really knocked me out.

I woke up undecided on how to spend the day. One part of me wanted to lounge around the house and watch shows on my laptop. Another part of me wanted to really take advantage of the day. So I got up and decided to visit the Unitarian Universalist Church of Eugene for the second time. I was considering going hiking at Elijah Bristow State Park after. I am SO glad I went to church. The pastor's sermon was about finding our "one square inch of silence." His message was inspired by this project. The project basically involves going out into nature and hearing ONLY sounds of nature. The man working on the project considers silent spots in nature an endangered species. The pastor went on to discuss how our own mind is often one of those "endangered" spots, in that it is rarely silent. This motivated me to DEFINITELY go out to the state park with Luna.

What a great walk we had. It was about 2.5 hours, crisscrossing creeks and walking alongside the great Willamette River. We got in for a little bit to cool off. Luna was extra curious about a snake that crossed our path, and she stared down a couple of ducks in a secluded pond area. She's doing so wonderfully off leash now. I can say "Luna, stop and sit," and she sure will stop and sit. Here are some pictures below! (my camera is broken, so all i have is my phone. sorry for the low quality.)

Then I came home to continue reading Eat, Pray, Love, where I am incidentally at the part where the author discusses quieting her mind. How perfect!

Now here I am, watching Antiques Roadshow in Houston, sipping on Raspberry Cider after eating a refreshing salad (and a couple of sugar-free popsicles, of course). What a lovely Sunday. :-)

like!

to counterbalance my last, mostly negative, blog i would like to list a few things i'm currently loving.

1. Popsicles. specifically the sugar-free kind.
2. Avatar: The Last Airbender. it's a nickelodeon cartoon that my buddy set me on. i love it, because it talks about the yin and yang of good and evil, as well as how to overcome habit for what you really need to be doing.
3. blackberries growing EVERYwhere. get ready for some pies, cobblers, and jam! i'm totally gonna make some jam this year. and listen to jam band music while i do it.
4. the incense and its holder that jasmine got me as a thank-you gift for doing music at her wedding and reception (which i will blog about once pictures are available!).
5. wyder's raspberry cider.
6. PBS. 'nuff said.
7. sweet, sweet summertime!
8. Eat, Pray, Love - an amazing book for women (or men!)
9. benadryl, to counteract the sweet, sweet summertime allergies

tired.

i am copying my friend's post "some things i am tired of." while i generally try to stay on the positive side of the street, there are things my i am tired of dealing with lately.

1. critters. each night there is a spider in my bed. each day there are ants in the house.
2. daily rememberances that in just a few short months, it will be dark at 5 and raining all the time.
3. hearing about how cash for clunkers sucks.
4. people who make comments on facebook with their own, seemingly special, anecdotes. like if i were to post, "today i tripped and fell." then someone responded with "oh that happened to me five years ago, and it was obviously a memorable event." sometimes i even do this. but really, why do people have to be SO narcissistic?
5. my computer not playing flash properly. no matter what updates i install.
6. not having a bff with whom i can go camping at the drop of a hat.
7. not being able to meditate. see video A below.
8. people talking on cellphones (or even worse, blueteeth) in public places. see video B below.

the next post will be "things i especially like right now"

VIDEO A:

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VIDEO B:

brewfest

I am back from Portland and beer-soaked weekend of fun. I signed up to volunteer at the festival, so I was able to go the day before to actually drink some brews for free. For volunteering I got a mug, 8 tokens, and a volunteer shirt! Super cool. It was extremely hot, and we walked the 2+ miles to the actual fest. So by the time I got there, I was super thirsty for some beer. It was great; I loved it. I can't wait to go back next year! Then today I worked in the tokens tent, selling tokens to thirsty folks. I was a little worried about that, what with my dyscalculia and counting the tokens, but it was fine. We ran out of mugs on Saturday, so there were no "packages" (1 mug and 4 tokens for $10). Instead it was just a free cup and each token cost $1. People had a really hard time comprehending that.

There was live music, tasty-smelling food (I didn't eat any), and of course...awesome beer! I wish I could remember everything I tried!! I did try the ginger hibiscus beer, and I have finally come to the decision that I don't like gingery things. Which is sad, because I love the word.

I am super tired! Something is really frakking with my allergies today. So far I'm two benadryl and one cetirizine in, and it looks like there will be no hope to stop sneezing.

I am going to watch some Avatar: The Last Airbender now!

some really pretty stargazer lilies in someone's garden on the way back from brewfest


A view of Portland and one of its water source reservoirs on Mt. Tabor
Hibiscus Ginger beer

A view of the brewfest from the burnside bridge

grr.

I had a highly productive day. Work was busy, and I felt focused. After work I cleaned the house up and did dishes, walked the dog for awhile, stopped by the neighborhood picnic at a local park, and played frisbee with the dogs. Then I read Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince for awhile outside. I was tired and ready to watch the most recent episode of Weeds (I was counting on falling asleep in the middle of it) and dream away.

However I checked Facebook. A debate was brewing on a friend's page regarding universal healthcare. The person who held the opposite view made several wide generalizations, which I refuted in a not-so-coherent series of sentences. No, they didn't have flow. That wasn't my intention. He then unleashed an essay of further ridiculousness, to which I had no choice but to respond. Basically it turned into a pissing contest. This is why I don't truly argue politics or religion anymore. You're NOT going to change my mind, and chances are I'm not going to change your mind. That's why we vote for our representation.

I'm so beyond frustrated right now, I can't even think straight. I'm frustrated because in the past few days/weeks, I have seen more systematic racism and sexism than I'd like to ever see in my lifetime. I'm tired of the WASPs in the senate constantly referring to Judge Sotomayor's "latina passion." What the hell does that have to do with anything? If for no other reason, given her skills and qualifications, she should be appointed solely to represent an important and vast portion of American society. Also, people still refuse to admit that systematic racism exists in America. It's almost like the logic is "well we let them drink out of the same fountains and attend the same schools, so they should have caught up by now." Well that logic is so faulted. And frankly it covers up what I think most real sentiments are.

This isn't about being "liberal" or "conservative." This is about recognizing equals rights, abilities, and basic liberties among ALL people. And until that happens, our society cannot properly function.