Kids Say the Darndest Things

two highlights from thanksgiving day...
in second place, sarah...my eldest neice. we are playing our traditional thanksgiving day game of trivial pursuit. sarah insisted on reading all the questions, which was quite cute. but then came one she could answer.

q: what ballet term literally means arab.
beth: sarah, what word from ballet sounds like arab.
sarah: nutcracker??
family: laughs
beth: no, sarah. sounds like a-r-a-b.
sarah: arabesque??
family: cheers.

and, then the grand prize...awarded to my youngest niece, rebbeca.

throughout the evening, rebbeca asked every one of the twenty guests or so for a quarter. no one had one to offer her. but she kept asking. finally, my father...the generous individual that he is said to her, i dont have a quarter, but here's a dollar. rebbeca took it eagerly and went on her way.

about an hour later, she came out to ask her dad to come back to the room where she and sarah had been playing. in the room, there was a gumball machine left over from the family's days in retail. the gumballs were probably twenty years old. rebbeca took her father over to the machine.

she had torn the dollar into several pieces, and she had taken one of the pieces into the gumball machine's slots. she told her father that she thought that would help her get a piece of gum.

we all had a good laugh, and i gave rebbeca a piece of trident...which i did have, despite not having a quarter.

One More Thing to be Thankful for

...making it to herrin alive. i hate driving. everyone knows this. but even worse than driving over the eisenhower pass on the way over the rockies into denver, is driving in unplowed snow. for hours. and miles.

i left chicago at one with designs of being home by dinner at around 6:30. first, the on ramp at 55th street was closed. then there was a trafic jam on 94. by the time i was smoothly onto i-57 it was snowing...hard. by the time i got close to kankakee all of the signs on the road were covered with snow so i couldnt tell where i was or what the exits were. and, the state hadnt yet started plowing the roads, so people were plodding along through inches of snow, sticking close to the tail of semi-trucks because of the wide paths of relatively clear road ahead. i passed by overturned cars, people off in the median, and a couple semis who had lost control of their load. i kept telling myself that i was going to get off at the next exit -- i needed gas anyway. i passed about 5 exits because i couldnt see the signs or the exit ramps. when i finally got to mile 283 i was able to stop and fill my tank with gas.

fortunately, by the time i got back on the road, they had finally begun to plow. so i was able to plug along toward champaign. there was even a small amount of time where i could more or less see the grass and drive about 50 miles/hour. then the snow came, and once again i was driving in unplowed snow. except at this point it was getting dark. i kept telling myself i should just pull off, but i passed some relatively large town and the road was once again plowed. so i could maintain almost 60 and keep on my way.

it's weird driving in the dark through pounding snow. it's like one of those virtual rides at a theme part...the snow flies past you and your headlights give you a bit of tunnel vision.

my leg was cramping, my knuckles were white, i had a head ache...and then i hit effingham. and, as i passed the big cross that shines like a beacon on this north-south venture the snow magicially went away. there was still a bit of rain, but no snow at all. and suddenly, i coudl drive at almost 70.

i made it home by just after 8, but it was definitely the worst driving experience of my life...well, except all the crashes.

The Search Begins

yesterday i went to walgreens, and began the search. the search for peppermint toostie pops. every year i go from store to store searching for a product that i fear will be discontinued. will i find it this year?? so far, im oh for one...

Apparently I Took the "Proper" Next Steps

in attempt to make up for the fact that at least half of the university's graduates are unemployed, the university hosts an event called taking the next step. at this event they invite all third years to a hotel to listen to graduates talk about how to succeed and how to put your liberal education to the test.

at this event, you can choose to hear from doctors, lawyers, entertainers, writers, and...this year...asylum project paralegals. that's right, the CPO has invited me to be a lunch time panalist at this year's taking the next step. when i asked them "aren't i too young for this" the response i got was: "well, you'll certainly be our youngest participant," but i'm sure you'll be able to contribute.

so, in early january, i will sit and eat with bright eyed third years. half of them will scoff at the thought of taking advice from the class of 04, and the other half, if i do my job, will ask me for internships.

Chocolate Chips

i've recently been testing a variety of chocolate chips, and i have come to the, not suprising, conclusions:

in the milk chocolate variety giradelli wins out by a long long shot. nestle comes in a distant second, and hershey even farther into the realm of wax. the thing about giradelli's milk chocolate chips is that, aside from being made of real chocolate and a minimal amount of wax, they are not shaped as chips should be chaped. they are larger and more disk like...sort of mini versions of like those candys i recently learned are called nonpareils.

in this little taste testing venture, i did however discover two note worthy things. first, giradelli semi-sweet chips are not an odd shape. they look just like any other chocolate chip, and do not out distance their competitors by nearly as much in this variety.

second, the rececipe for chocolate chip cookes provided by nestle and giradelli are almost identical. i dont know if i should be suprised by this, but it seems like there may be vague trademark issues at stake. though, if you're going to put the recipe on the package, i guess you may be giving up some of your rights to its exclusivity.

the process has given me ground on which to bond with my roommate and made me lament the continued absence of a mixer in my life.

Why I Love My Job, Redux

on thursday, i got to go to a fancy luncheon at the chicago hilton for the american refugee committee (ARC) giving me cause to dress up for work two days in a row... anyway, for some reason, the luncheon made me feel more in touch with the weight of the kind of work im going. it's easy to forget when im sitting in an office on the 18th floor of a chicago loop office what the people who come to ask for our help have been through. not only is it easy, it's necessary for me to be able to do my job. but, a twenty minute slide show of refugees and camps really served to drive the point home.

and then seymour hirsch spoke. and it was more gloom and doom. he told everyone to buckle down for a long four years. he predicted that the economy was going to suffer and we as americans will as well. he explained that our president is driven by blind belief in his ability to bring democracy to the middle east, flowing from a fountain in baghdad. this blind belief is what has enabled him to ignore the fact that we've already lost the war and that there's nothing we can do about it. what was the bright point of this celebratory lunch you may wonder? well, as hirsch put it, at least gonzalez won't be appointed to the supreme court...yet.

Why I Love My Job

today i heard one of my co-workers argue a case before the seventh circuit court of appeals. and she rocked. there is no way the case could have been any better argued. regardless of the opinion the judges render in the end, MIHRC and the family could not have asked for a better argument. so today, mirna is my inspiration...

and, because everything that happens in federal court is a matter of public record, i an able to talk about how it went here in this lovely format (not that my readership of 3 doesnt already know about this).

mirna was nervious (it was her first federal argument), the clients were nervious (they have no idea how federal court works). mirna is fluent in french, but speaks no spanish. hooray for my ability to speak spanish...though sometime to a limited level (dont know the word for brief, as in legal brief. a rather important word when talking about the federal appeals process. so, i've been able to help this woman on her case. and if she wins, we will have a new way to define "membership in a particular social group" in federal case law.

i just hope some day i can present myself with the composure and grace mirna did...

if you want to listen check out this site.

The Highway to Happiness

i have been wondering about my path to happiness for sometime now, and i've even done a bit of soul searching on the way. if i'd known the answer would have been placed in my hand on the corner of dearborn and adams, i would never have spent all those nights wondering.

normally, i dont accept things people try to put in my hands on the street. i believe it encourages them to do something that i find both annoying and wasteful. (the recent jesus checklist is a noted exception to this rule. but, in my defense, those people were standing on the corner where i had to wait for five minutes for the bus. what was i supposed to do?) anyway, i recently accepted propaganda on the street, without really knowing it. i was fixated on the anti-war protest between the post office and the federal building, the protest with more police officers than protesters. so fixated was i by the line of police officers on horse back neatly in a row that i didnt even notice when a sly individual slipped a copy of the way to happiness in my hand.

so, i took the literature. and when i got on the bus, i was delighted to discover that this was not in fact another piece of jesus material. rather, it was a guide to happiness. i began to flip the pages, and in them i found such fabulous advice as "do not murder" and "do not do anything illegal." there were some less obvious ones like "be competent" and "practice good oral hygiene." the absurdity of the categories is not what facinated me most about this book...the fact that it included nearly 50 footnotes intended to define such works as "happiness" and "industrious" for the reader did however make it most enjoyable.

now i know what i was missing in that class called happiness: "a condition or state of well being, contentment, pleasure; joyful, cheeful, untroubled existence; the reaction of having nice things happen to one." all of this brought to me by one mr. l. ron hubbard and the church of scientology.

A Proposition of Questionable Legality

president bush won on tuesday by around 4 million votes and 34 electoral votes. now, the democratic party has four years to turn this around, and should probably begin working toward achieving that goal right away. they could do this by trying to work to convince people that the evangelical right shouldnt be telling the rest of us how to live our lives. but, lets face it. this strategy didnt work this year, so what's to make them think they'll do it any better next time around. so, assuming the current plans cant get a democrat into the white house, we need another way to do so. i've got a way. but, grace tsiang taught me well, so let's start with some assumptions. so, let's assume 1) minimal population growth 2) the population's political opinion remains static and 3) states maintain the same number of electoral votes they currently have (this might actually be the case; im not sure how often they reassign them.)

so, given all these assumptions. there is a simple way the democrats can retake the white house. massive relocation. more than two million people voted for kerry in texas. now, i think it's safe to say that there's no way texans are going to turn around a 60/40 republican sentiment. so, instead of spending money on campaigning, the democrats need to convince 2 million texas democrats to move to ohio and florida. now, maybe some of those texans like their ranches. they can keep them. they just have to live for one year in a small apartment in ohio or florida, you know, long enough to establish residency. if they decided to stay, this tactic would have the long term benefit of moving the population out of a red state into swing states, thus shifting the population density and distribution of electoral votes.

now, obviously the democratic party can't go around promoting this plan. so, like moveon.org. some group like moveout.org needs to take up this project. and, moveout.org only needs to achieve around 30 percent success to make a real race in four years...provided hilary isn't on the blue ticket.

Technical Difficulties

where would we be without technology? i certainly know that i depend on it every day. without my digital alarm clock, i wouldn't be able to see the time without my glasses. without my ipod, i'd have to listen to the dumb boys who commute with me every day (them to school, me to work) punch each other and laugh about it. with out my computer, well god knows what i'd do without a computer. without my phone, hmm. well, given that im not even sure what my home number is and i have over 100 numbers stored in my cell phone, i'm pretty sure that with out my phone i'd be totally isolated. yet for all the wonderful things i get from all my nifty gadgets, i could certainly do without the frustrations.

for example, this blog. up under my name in the left corner, there is a bit of html gone wrong. now, i don't know jack about html, but am lucky to know someone who was able to show me how to add links to the side bar (using html). unfortunately, that mumbo jumbo in the top corner is something i'm unable to fix. so, unless i buy a book, or make yitz fix it for me, it'll probably stay that way for quite a while.

then comes my watch. my watch has been broken for a couple months now. while i was able to get a new battery for it so that i could actually tell what time it is, the man who sold me the battery didn’t have any band that were acceptable and that would fit it. sigh. it looks like this will have to wait until thanksgiving. funny how i live in the third largest city in america, but i must go to herrin illinois to get my watch fixed (and my hair cut).

next on the list of technological woes, my ipod. now, ipods are the best invention ever. they work well, and they allow you to go through live with your own soundtrack. but, those little white bulbs don’t like sweat. i was running along in the treadmill and a drop of sweat somehow got inside one of the earphones. so, i had to run for the remainder of my run with crackling in my right ear. but, much to my delight, i figured out that ipod does indeed win. when i put my ipod on the next morning, the sweat had dried and the crackling gone.

and now for the trump card. yesterday i wanted to make a call to someone whose phone number is stored in my cell phone. my cell phone is cute, its small, and it does everything i need it to do. or so i thought. i went into my phone book and half of my contacts were gone. now, fortunately they are on my SIM card, so all is not lost. but, i remembered buying this phone before thanksgiving last year and signing a one year contract. so, i figured my contract is probably up and i should be able to get cingular to give me a new phone for free when i sign a two year contract. not so simple. but, not because they don’t do that, rather because the people who work for cingular don’t actually want to sell their service. i went to the new store on 53rd street, and the lady was like, ill give you the phone for free if you sign a two year contract and buy the insurance (which is $100 for two years). no thanks. i asked her, well, what if i just want a one year contract and no insurance. then my same phone would be $87. i paid less than $50 for it last year. and if there's one thing i know about technology it’s that the same product should not cost more one year later. so, i decide that i should just try to fix the phone i have. another cingular girl chimes in saying that since my one year is up my phone is out of warranty. not so. it's only the 6th of november. i bought this phone less than one year ago. so, apparently i can get a new one for free. but, i have to call the company.

hooray. so, i call cingular and explain the situation. but, even though it's my phone and i've been using it for four years, im not authorized to make any changes to the service. funny since i am the one who renewed the plan last year. but nope. only my dear father is authorized to make changes on this phone number. so i called my dad and told him to give me access to my phone. he is at a herrin tiger football game. i was in high school (and in the band) for four whole years. he NEVER went to a game when i was in school. am i indignant? i think so.

anyway, so it seems that after four years, cingular is not especially interested in keeping my business. they will be giving me a (free) new phone. and when my contract is up at the end of the month, they will have one last chance to make nice. or, ill take my number and my nifty new phone to verizon.

isn't technology great??

The Apocalypse is Here

the world is coming to an end. in the last 48 hours, president bush has been relected, yaser arafat is somewhere between actually dead and clinically dead, john edward's wife was diagnosed with cancer, and it looks like john ashcroft won't be hanging around for another four years.

but, the real indicator: on my way home from work today, on the corner of jackson and state three men stood speaking the word of jesus christ. one had a megaphone, another responded with musical amens, and the last passed out a jesus christ check list (he also had a bottle of olive oil in his pocket??) they shouted to commuters -- "do you know where you're going after this? it doesnt matter if you use drugs or are involved in a gang bang, the only thing that matters is that you love jesus christ. you can be saved right here today."

and on the sign the amen man was holding, there was a copy of today's red eye. the article was about the end of gay marriage. but, if it doesnt matter if you're a gang banger as long as you love jesus, surely it doesn't matter if you're a guy and you like to kiss other guys...so long as you love jesus.

so, is the right to marry someone you love worth believing in a god you dont believe in? somehow i doubt it.

Time to Re-evaluate

over the past couple months, i made myself a few post election promises, and since bush has somehow managed to persuade the american people that he is doing a good job, it's time for me to start my promised re-evaluation process.

the first decision i made was that if george w. bush was re-elected, i would not apply to work as a foreign service officer. after all, how could i work for a state department led by a man who's international and immigration policies are almost totally antithetical to my beliefs. this one i may have to reconsider. after all, if i dont go to work for the state department now, when would i? waiting four years would certainly interfere with my grand life plans, or at least the domestic portions of them. but then again, making change from the inside seems to be easier than doing it at the polls.

i also promised myself that if bush won, i would begin a process of reevaluating my perception of the world and of americans specifically. maybe i've been giving americans the benefit of the doubt for too long, or mabye i've got it all wrong. are americans really fat and stupid? if so, what can i do about it? or, am i better off fighting someone else's battles by leaving the U.S? do i change the world or throw in the towel? is there a middle ground? (well, of course there is, but only time will tell where i fit into it). if i've got it all wrong, i need to figure out why people believe what they do. what exactly do people see in bush. living in a democratic bubble has made it really hard for me to see the other side of the issues. it's time to start looking, though it will be painful to hang out with republicans.

finally (not actually, but im getting tired of writing), i promised myself i'd find myself a nice colombian boyfriend. well, 4 december is my chance. that saturday, i'm giving a presentaion to colombia vive. half an hour of talking in spanish about seeking asylum. kinda terrified.

it is indeed going to be a long four years, but the good news is that it's giving me some direction in life, something i've been grasping for over the past four years at least.

I'm a Patriotic Sap

today for the first time in recent memory, i am consciously proud to be an american. i got to the polls at 6:45 and the line was already out the door. instead of feeling annoyed by the indication that i was going to have to wait in line for a while (one hour to be exact), i welled with happiness at seeing the people lining up to make their voices heard.

and when barak obama arrived to cast his ballot (we have the same polling place even though he lives in the 11th precinct and i live in the 14th), i could feel the collective admiration felt by everyone in the room. people were excited about seeing obama, and about their chance to vote. when the cameras zoomed in on obama as the election judge checked for his name in the book, our new senator bent down to ask his adorable kids and said "what do you think of all this? isn't it exciting?" yes senator, it is exciting, for your children and for the american electorate.

and later, i read about the difference the e-generation is going to make in this election. it seems we're the e-generation, and the designation has something to do with email and electronics, but today as one journalist put it, e stands for empowered. and tears started rolling down my cheek. and for a brief moment, i forgot about the somewhat terrible situation that's caused so many of us to get to the polls. instead, i thought about how great it is that young people will make a difference, no matter what the outcome is.

so as the polls continue to close this evening, i have some election day resolutions with the hope of keeping this determination and dedication to our democratic process alive in me. first, i'll read obama's book. second, i'll stay up to date (as much as possible) with what's happening in congress.

i am proud to be an american, and today the duties associated with this pride are more visible than ever.

profiles of voters from middle america

it looks like tomorrow's election could boil down to the great state of ohio. that means, the next four years are in the hands of people like the ones we met on our trip this weekend.

cat woman: when we knocked on this woman's door, her cat ran out. she explained how it was bad now that her cat had learned about going down the stairs in the apartment building. so far, a normal interaction. in fact, normal in all counts except one: while we were telling her about where her polling place was and reminding her to take her id, she was licking her cat's ear...over and over again.

watching the game: this guy turned off his blaring tv when we knocked on the door. it went from "so loud the neighbors could hear it in their apartment" to dead silence. we knocked again after the silence. he didn't answer. you can't pretend you're not home when you have been blasting the game. now, i can't blame the guy for not coming to the door, but who does he think he's kidding??

bernoulli's principle mom: one way to get your kid to stop playing with his drink is to tell explain to him that the reason his red cream soda moves across the lid of his cup when he blows air out of his straw. now that you've managed to stop his shananagans, you can move on to fight with your presumed sister and father about why you're voting for bush and they should do the same. you tell your father that you're voting for bush because kerry is a poltical machine, and this scares you. all the while, your son has resumed spitting red cream soda at the people at the next table.