Last night I reorganized the utility room. The roommates have moved out (and are loving their new place) so now we have all this space to play with. I cleaned the utility room and put things away and made it a nice, comfortable space for utilizing. I call it my zen space now because it's so nice and clean. May I emphasize: it's clean. I love it. Kelly cleaned up in the living room last night, too. It's like we have a brand new house to play with and figure out. I love it!
Monday, January 31, 2005
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Jameson, Cider, Friends...And A Little Philosophy
Last night, Kelly and I went out with our friend Mike Brown Anderson. He has two last names because I gave him the second one. Everyone calls him by his first and last name as though they're both just his first name, so I thought he needed an actual last name to tidy it all up. We went to Old Chicago downtown. The guys had a couple Jameson and 7's and I sipped an Ace Pear. We ended the night over a heated discussion about whether or not ethics was necessary in the study of philosophy and the side conversation of whether or not you could be considered a philosopher if you didn't take into account other people's thoughts (rather than simply your own - since philosophy is by nature the study of thoughts and its concepts are supposed to be universal). Well, needless to say, it was an interesting evening.
I'd also like to give a shout out to my boys...Kelly and Lee have both posted on their blogs recently, which is something they never do.
I'd also like to give a shout out to my boys...Kelly and Lee have both posted on their blogs recently, which is something they never do.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Hunting
I've applied for five more jobs between yesterday and today. I think the count must be somewhere around 25-30 by now. And have I heard back from anyone...Uh, that would be a giant NO. I do have an interview with Wells Fargo on Tuesday, but that doesn't make me all that happy. First of all, I already know I don't like working for that company, and second of all they won't pay nearly as much as some other places. Even as much as other banks, which is stupid. You would think that as much as Wells likes to be competitive with their customers they would also be ccompetitive with their employees. So I've applied to two other banks as well. We'll see. This is so lame. I'm starting to feel pretty awful, and like I haven't done anything in the way of getting a job because I've been home a month now and I'm still unemployed. I know that's not true, though. It's still just frustrating.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Corporate Whore
I came across this list of the worst companies from last year and thought I would share. Because I think it is interesting. And I think people should be aware and care about the companies they support because that is YOUR money supporting the degradation of society and my eternal soul. Well anyway, go here for the complete article. What you'll find on my site is merely the abbreviated explanations of the monstrosities committed by these companies.
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott makes the list for raising the price of Norvir, an important AIDS drug, developed with a major infusion of U.S. government funds, by 400 percent. The price increase doesn't apply if Norvir is purchased in conjunction with another Abbott drug, giving Abbott an unfair advantage over competitors and tilting consumers to use the Abbott products on the basis of price.
AIG
The world's largest insurer, American International Group Inc. (AIG) was charged in October with aiding and abetting PNC Financial Services in a fraudulent transaction to transfer $750 million in mostly troubled loans and venture capital investments from subsidiaries off of its books. AIG agreed to pay $126 million to resolve the charges, but it got off light, entering into a "deferred prosecution agreement" -- meaning the charges against the company will be dropped in 12 months time if it abides by the terms of the agreement.
Coca-Cola
Workers at the Coke bottling plant in Colombia have been terrorized for years by right-wing paramilitary forces. A fact-finding mission headed by a New York City Council member found, among other abuses, "there have been a total of 179 major human rights violations of Coca-Cola's workers, including nine murders. Family members of union activists have been abducted and tortured." Coke says it opposes the anti-union violence and in any case that it hasn't had control of the bottling plant (though it does now, after purchasing the Colombian bottling company). Coke's former general counsel, and the former assistant U.S. attorney general, Deval Patrick, resigned in 2004, reportedly in part because Coke refused to support an independent investigation into the Colombia allegations.
Dow Chemical
The world's largest plastic maker, Dow purchased Union Carbide in 1999. At midnight on December 2, 1984, 27 tons of lethal gases leaked from Union Carbide's pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, immediately killing an estimated 8,000 people and poisoning thousands of others. Today in Bhopal, at least 150,000 people, including children born to parents who survived the disaster, are suffering from exposure-related health effects such as cancer, neurological damage, chaotic menstrual cycles and mental illness. Dow refuses to take any responsibility. In a statement, the company says, "Although Dow never owned nor operated the plant, we -- along with the rest of industry -- have learned from this tragic event, and we have tried to do all we can to assure that similar incidents never happen again."
GlaxoSmithKline
Following revelations and regulatory action in the UK in 2003 and 2004, the story of the severe side effects from Glaxo's Paxil (as well as other drugs in the same family) -- notably that they are addictive and lead to increased suicidality in youth -- finally broke in the United States in 2004. In June, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed suit against Glaxo, charging the giant drug maker with suppressing evidence of Paxil's harm to children, and misleading physicians. Glaxo denied the charges, but agreed to a new system whereby it would make public results all of its clinical trials. In October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Glaxo and makers of drugs in Paxil's class to include a "black box" warning -- the agency's strongest -- with their pills.
Hardee's
The fast-food maker is bragging about how unhealthy is its latest culinary invention, the Monster Thickburger: "First there were burgers. Then there were Thickburgers. Now Hardee's is introducing the mother of all burgers -- the Monster Thickburger. Weighing in at two-thirds of a pound, this 100 percent Angus beef burger is a monument to decadence." The Monster Thickburger is a 1,420-calorie sandwich. Eating one Thickburger is like eating two Big Macs or five McDonald's hamburgers. Add 600 calories worth of Hardee's fries and you get more than the 2,000 calories that many people should eat in a whole day, according to Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which calls the Thickburger "food porn."
Merck
Dr. David Graham, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug safety official, calls it "maybe the single greatest drug-safety catastrophe in the history of this country." Testifying before a Senate committee in November, Dr. David Graham put the number in the United States who had suffered heart attacks or stroke as result of taking the arthritis drug Vioxx in the range of 88,000 to 139,000. As many as 40 percent of these people, or about 35,000-55,000, died as a result, Graham said. The unacceptable cardiovascular risks of Vioxx were evident as early as 2000 -- a full four years before the drug was finally withdrawn from the market by its manufacturer, Merck, according to a study released by The Lancet, the British medical journal. Merck says it disclosed all relevant evidence on Vioxx safety as soon as it acquired it, and pulled the drug as soon as it saw conclusive evidence of the drug's dangers.
McWane
McWane Inc. is a large, privately held Alabama-based sewer and water pipe manufacturer. In a devastating series, the New York Times revealed the company's egregious safety record, and the utter failure of regulatory agencies to control the company's workplace violence. Nine McWane employees have lost their lives in workplace accidents since 1995 -- and three of the deaths were the result of deliberate company violations of safety standards. More than 4,600 injuries were recorded among the company's 5,000 employees. According to the Times, McWane pulled the wool over the eyes of investigators by stalling them at the factory gates, and then hiding defective equipment. Accident sites were altered before investigators could inspect them, in violation of federal rules. When government enforcement officials did find serious violations, the Times reported, "the punishment meted out by the federal government was so minimal that McWane could treat it as simply a cost of doing business."
Riggs Bank
An explosive report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, issued in July, revealed that the Washington, D.C.-based Riggs Bank illegally operated bank accounts for former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and routinely ignored evidence of corrupt practices in managing more than 60 accounts for the government of Equatorial Guinea. Although these and other activities seem to violate U.S. banking rules, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) did not take enforcement action against the bank after it learned of these matters in 2002. That presumably was not unrelated to the fact that the OCC examiner at Riggs soon thereafter went to work for Riggs. In May 2004, the bank paid $25 million in fines in connection with money-laundering violations related to the Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabian governments, and it is the subject of ongoing federal criminal investigations.
Wal-Mart
While Wal-Mart is presently on a bit of a public relations defensive, the company remains the colossus of U.S. -- and increasingly global -- retailing. It registers more than a quarter trillion dollars in sales. Its revenues account for 2 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product. For two years running, Fortune has named Wal-Mart the most admired company in America. It is arguably the defining company of the present era. A key component -- arguably the key component -- of the company's business model is undercompensating employees and externalizing costs on to society. A February 2004 report issued by Representative George Miller, D-California, tabulated some of those costs. The report estimated that one 200-person Wal-Mart store may result in a cost to federal taxpayers of $420,750 per year -- about $2,103 per employee. These public costs include free and reduced lunches for just 50 qualifying Wal-Mart families, Section 8 housing assistance, federal tax credits and deductions for low-income families, and federal contributions to health insurance programs for low-income children.
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott makes the list for raising the price of Norvir, an important AIDS drug, developed with a major infusion of U.S. government funds, by 400 percent. The price increase doesn't apply if Norvir is purchased in conjunction with another Abbott drug, giving Abbott an unfair advantage over competitors and tilting consumers to use the Abbott products on the basis of price.
AIG
The world's largest insurer, American International Group Inc. (AIG) was charged in October with aiding and abetting PNC Financial Services in a fraudulent transaction to transfer $750 million in mostly troubled loans and venture capital investments from subsidiaries off of its books. AIG agreed to pay $126 million to resolve the charges, but it got off light, entering into a "deferred prosecution agreement" -- meaning the charges against the company will be dropped in 12 months time if it abides by the terms of the agreement.
Coca-Cola
Workers at the Coke bottling plant in Colombia have been terrorized for years by right-wing paramilitary forces. A fact-finding mission headed by a New York City Council member found, among other abuses, "there have been a total of 179 major human rights violations of Coca-Cola's workers, including nine murders. Family members of union activists have been abducted and tortured." Coke says it opposes the anti-union violence and in any case that it hasn't had control of the bottling plant (though it does now, after purchasing the Colombian bottling company). Coke's former general counsel, and the former assistant U.S. attorney general, Deval Patrick, resigned in 2004, reportedly in part because Coke refused to support an independent investigation into the Colombia allegations.
Dow Chemical
The world's largest plastic maker, Dow purchased Union Carbide in 1999. At midnight on December 2, 1984, 27 tons of lethal gases leaked from Union Carbide's pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, immediately killing an estimated 8,000 people and poisoning thousands of others. Today in Bhopal, at least 150,000 people, including children born to parents who survived the disaster, are suffering from exposure-related health effects such as cancer, neurological damage, chaotic menstrual cycles and mental illness. Dow refuses to take any responsibility. In a statement, the company says, "Although Dow never owned nor operated the plant, we -- along with the rest of industry -- have learned from this tragic event, and we have tried to do all we can to assure that similar incidents never happen again."
GlaxoSmithKline
Following revelations and regulatory action in the UK in 2003 and 2004, the story of the severe side effects from Glaxo's Paxil (as well as other drugs in the same family) -- notably that they are addictive and lead to increased suicidality in youth -- finally broke in the United States in 2004. In June, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed suit against Glaxo, charging the giant drug maker with suppressing evidence of Paxil's harm to children, and misleading physicians. Glaxo denied the charges, but agreed to a new system whereby it would make public results all of its clinical trials. In October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Glaxo and makers of drugs in Paxil's class to include a "black box" warning -- the agency's strongest -- with their pills.
Hardee's
The fast-food maker is bragging about how unhealthy is its latest culinary invention, the Monster Thickburger: "First there were burgers. Then there were Thickburgers. Now Hardee's is introducing the mother of all burgers -- the Monster Thickburger. Weighing in at two-thirds of a pound, this 100 percent Angus beef burger is a monument to decadence." The Monster Thickburger is a 1,420-calorie sandwich. Eating one Thickburger is like eating two Big Macs or five McDonald's hamburgers. Add 600 calories worth of Hardee's fries and you get more than the 2,000 calories that many people should eat in a whole day, according to Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which calls the Thickburger "food porn."
Merck
Dr. David Graham, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug safety official, calls it "maybe the single greatest drug-safety catastrophe in the history of this country." Testifying before a Senate committee in November, Dr. David Graham put the number in the United States who had suffered heart attacks or stroke as result of taking the arthritis drug Vioxx in the range of 88,000 to 139,000. As many as 40 percent of these people, or about 35,000-55,000, died as a result, Graham said. The unacceptable cardiovascular risks of Vioxx were evident as early as 2000 -- a full four years before the drug was finally withdrawn from the market by its manufacturer, Merck, according to a study released by The Lancet, the British medical journal. Merck says it disclosed all relevant evidence on Vioxx safety as soon as it acquired it, and pulled the drug as soon as it saw conclusive evidence of the drug's dangers.
McWane
McWane Inc. is a large, privately held Alabama-based sewer and water pipe manufacturer. In a devastating series, the New York Times revealed the company's egregious safety record, and the utter failure of regulatory agencies to control the company's workplace violence. Nine McWane employees have lost their lives in workplace accidents since 1995 -- and three of the deaths were the result of deliberate company violations of safety standards. More than 4,600 injuries were recorded among the company's 5,000 employees. According to the Times, McWane pulled the wool over the eyes of investigators by stalling them at the factory gates, and then hiding defective equipment. Accident sites were altered before investigators could inspect them, in violation of federal rules. When government enforcement officials did find serious violations, the Times reported, "the punishment meted out by the federal government was so minimal that McWane could treat it as simply a cost of doing business."
Riggs Bank
An explosive report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, issued in July, revealed that the Washington, D.C.-based Riggs Bank illegally operated bank accounts for former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and routinely ignored evidence of corrupt practices in managing more than 60 accounts for the government of Equatorial Guinea. Although these and other activities seem to violate U.S. banking rules, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) did not take enforcement action against the bank after it learned of these matters in 2002. That presumably was not unrelated to the fact that the OCC examiner at Riggs soon thereafter went to work for Riggs. In May 2004, the bank paid $25 million in fines in connection with money-laundering violations related to the Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabian governments, and it is the subject of ongoing federal criminal investigations.
Wal-Mart
While Wal-Mart is presently on a bit of a public relations defensive, the company remains the colossus of U.S. -- and increasingly global -- retailing. It registers more than a quarter trillion dollars in sales. Its revenues account for 2 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product. For two years running, Fortune has named Wal-Mart the most admired company in America. It is arguably the defining company of the present era. A key component -- arguably the key component -- of the company's business model is undercompensating employees and externalizing costs on to society. A February 2004 report issued by Representative George Miller, D-California, tabulated some of those costs. The report estimated that one 200-person Wal-Mart store may result in a cost to federal taxpayers of $420,750 per year -- about $2,103 per employee. These public costs include free and reduced lunches for just 50 qualifying Wal-Mart families, Section 8 housing assistance, federal tax credits and deductions for low-income families, and federal contributions to health insurance programs for low-income children.
Monday, January 24, 2005
La La La
I had this nice little post about being tackled at the skating rink this weekend, leaving me with a hurting back and bruised knee (I don't know how the professionals take hits like that all the time), but the Internet ate it for lunch, so I guess that's that.
My holiday season is finally over. After everyone else's holidays, I have a bunch of family birthdays. Chuck, Mom, Denisha and Theodore are all now officially a year older.
Kelly and I decided we didn't like one of the colors we painted our living room, so I redid it last night while he was at a fraternity function. It's much better now.
Surita and Chris are engaged and have a date set for next summer. I'm super excited for them and Kelly and I are looking forward to traveling back east again for a couple days. Except for the promise of humidity. Yuck.
My car sold yesterday. It has been in Williamsburg just chilling...literally. I guess they've had a lot of ice storms lately and when Hannah took the purchasers out to my car, they couldn't open the doors because they were frozen shut. A gal from my cohort last semester, Audra, and her husband bought it. I feel such relief to know that I won't have to worry about it any more. I'm very greatful to Hannah for taking care of it for me, too. I really made some amazing friends in Virginia.
Hmmm...Interesting little update with very few strong opinions. I want to be more opinionated...But not right now. I'll come up with something to be opinionated about. It'll be stellar.
My holiday season is finally over. After everyone else's holidays, I have a bunch of family birthdays. Chuck, Mom, Denisha and Theodore are all now officially a year older.
Kelly and I decided we didn't like one of the colors we painted our living room, so I redid it last night while he was at a fraternity function. It's much better now.
Surita and Chris are engaged and have a date set for next summer. I'm super excited for them and Kelly and I are looking forward to traveling back east again for a couple days. Except for the promise of humidity. Yuck.
My car sold yesterday. It has been in Williamsburg just chilling...literally. I guess they've had a lot of ice storms lately and when Hannah took the purchasers out to my car, they couldn't open the doors because they were frozen shut. A gal from my cohort last semester, Audra, and her husband bought it. I feel such relief to know that I won't have to worry about it any more. I'm very greatful to Hannah for taking care of it for me, too. I really made some amazing friends in Virginia.
Hmmm...Interesting little update with very few strong opinions. I want to be more opinionated...But not right now. I'll come up with something to be opinionated about. It'll be stellar.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Mes Copains
Monday night, Kelly and I went to Krista's sister's house for supper. Krista was the first friend I'd seen since being home. It seems odd to me that it has been such a long time that I've been waiting to see friends, but there's really been a lot going on - for me and for them. But I really guess it just depends on where the effort is. For instance, I have already seen most of Kelly's good friends since I've been back and I've already seen Jana, who actually lives in Colorado (so I suppose Krista isn't the first, just the first who lives here). Krista and I have tried to get together before this week, but it just hasn't worked out. Kathy and I have tried as well, but that has also bummed. Someone thought it was a good idea to get sick. Oh, wait, that was me and it wasn't fun. Right. Well, we're hanging out tomorrow. Oh, and note to self, I need to call Karlene; I want to snowshoe with her this year! You know, I spent a lot of time while I was dating wondering and worrying about why someone was or wasn't calling me back. Usually why they weren't. And eventually I decided that it wasn't my fault or my problem, but that I just wasn't a priority to that person. The same applies to this, I suppose. The friends who have called me are the ones who are excited that I'm back home and who want to include me in their lives again. And I love that. I just wish I didn't have so many good friends who live out of state...Colorado...Florida...Virginia...California...It makes it difficult to see them often. But even still, I'm in better touch with them than I am with some people I used to be close to here. Oh well. I've tried, I've called, I've emailed. Now I guess I'll just see.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Unemployment
I can understand why unemployment rates are high in some areas. It is because obtaining a job is probably one of the worst times of a person's life. It is difficult to find places that are hiring at a decent wage, it is awful filling out applications and making sure all the right people get a copy of your resume, and waiting for someone to do something as simple as call you back is miserable. I have turned in at least 15 applications between the school district, the two hospitals in town, the city, the state, and random places from the newspaper. I wish I could just get it through to these people that I'm the type of person they want as an employee. I'm well-mannered, educated, punctual and honest. I learn quickly, handle stress well and can multi-task like nobody's business. I have myriad experiences working with people and in customer service positions, know computer systems, and adjust easily to my environment. I rarely ask for time off and I almost never call in sick. I take care of myself and I'm always well dressed. What else are they looking for? How am I not portraying all this through my applications? Maybe I should just turn this in as a personal statement in lieu of a resume in the future. I need to do something better as a selling point.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
The Plague
I've been down lately. Not down as in depressed. Not even down as in a horse. (That has been put down...) No, I've been down as in my whole body refused to get up. The last two days have been a haze of sleeping, crying, aching and trying to regulate my body temperature. I was crying because that's what I do when I get really sick. I get sensitive and emotional. A lot of people get angry and obstinate. Not me. No, sir. I was trying to take of my shoes, for instance, on Thursday night, which was the day all this hit me, but I didn't have the strength to. So Kelly took them off for me. Then I started crying because I couldn't take off my own shoes. I'm pretty sure he was trying not to laugh at me at that point, which is understandable because that's kind of a funny thing to get so distraught over. I think my fever finally broke last night, which is super cool because today I'm not flying through hot/cold extremes. I can also walk from one end of the house to the other today without getting completely exhausted, which is nice since we don't have that big of a house. Yeah, and the fact that walking from the living room to the bathroom would wear me out would make me cry too. I tell you, I was a mess. But ah, I've just eaten some applesauce and I'm actually sitting up, so the day is looking better.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Goodbye Princess, Hello New Home, Goodbye Striving Actor, Hello Wedding Politics
I've linked to two new blogs in my side bar - Julie and Jessie. I don't really know these girls; I only know what they write on their blogs. I read them often and enjoy them both, so I've decided that I should just link to them here so I can share them with other people. The only thing that saddens me is that there's no more princess...But it's a little sacrifice for the embetterment of my blog and its affiliates.
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If you didn't get that, "Kelly" used to follow "Grace" in my blog list, so it read "Grace Kelly." She was a princess. Now there's two "J" names in there. So now "Grace" and "Kelly" are separated.
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Kelly and I broke ground on our new home Friday. We started painting one of our living rooms. Yes, we have two. And it's a pain. It's tan and green. We like it. Now we need new furniture.
---
An ex-somethingorother called me a couple nights ago around 2 a.m. I can only imagine why. I told him I was married. He didn't know what to say. So he told me "congratulations" and "that's awesome" about eighty times and then told me about how we'll he's doing on the actor's circuit in Hollywood. None of which I believe. Somehow it felt really good to tell him I've moved on and that I don't think of him any more and that someone else makes me happy in a way he never has and would never be able to. I didn't tell him all that; it was more implied. But he understood. And he didn't know what to say.
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I went to a wedding show this weekend with Kelly and my mom. I say it like that intentionally because the two of them were more excited about it than I was. Kelly handled all the planning and talking with people. I was merely there to sign up for stuff and be labeled as the "bride." There was a fashion show that afternoon, before which the MC asked "Who here is getting married?" Kelly enthusiastically raised his hand and took my hand up with him. Her next question was "Who here is a groom?" That upset Kelly, because they were asked separately, as if to divide the population. He thought it was sexist. I told him everything about weddings is sexist.
---
If you didn't get that, "Kelly" used to follow "Grace" in my blog list, so it read "Grace Kelly." She was a princess. Now there's two "J" names in there. So now "Grace" and "Kelly" are separated.
---
Kelly and I broke ground on our new home Friday. We started painting one of our living rooms. Yes, we have two. And it's a pain. It's tan and green. We like it. Now we need new furniture.
---
An ex-somethingorother called me a couple nights ago around 2 a.m. I can only imagine why. I told him I was married. He didn't know what to say. So he told me "congratulations" and "that's awesome" about eighty times and then told me about how we'll he's doing on the actor's circuit in Hollywood. None of which I believe. Somehow it felt really good to tell him I've moved on and that I don't think of him any more and that someone else makes me happy in a way he never has and would never be able to. I didn't tell him all that; it was more implied. But he understood. And he didn't know what to say.
---
I went to a wedding show this weekend with Kelly and my mom. I say it like that intentionally because the two of them were more excited about it than I was. Kelly handled all the planning and talking with people. I was merely there to sign up for stuff and be labeled as the "bride." There was a fashion show that afternoon, before which the MC asked "Who here is getting married?" Kelly enthusiastically raised his hand and took my hand up with him. Her next question was "Who here is a groom?" That upset Kelly, because they were asked separately, as if to divide the population. He thought it was sexist. I told him everything about weddings is sexist.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Morning
I woke up this morning completely happy, like all was right with the world. It was like ice cream from the truck that drives through the neighborhood in the grass on a summer afternoon or hot tea, a warm blanket on a comfy couch and a good movie with the lights off. But it felt more personal, like when you read a letter of praise about you from your mentor or when a little kid is so happy to see you they jump over the furniture to give you a hug. I woke up in love, with that love wrapping his arm around me tightly as we slept. I woke up warm throughout and glad to be right where I was at.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Career To Us
Kelly told me the other day that the way he views his life and his future has gone from being career-oriented to being more relationship-oriented since we've been together. I think that's something I've known to be true about myself as well, but I haven't really thought about it like that.
Throughout much of my life, I've concentrated on just school. For a long time I didn't know what I wanted to do after school, so while I was in school I worked hard because someday it would all come in handy. I really don't think I stopped to consider the importance of anything else in my life.
Now I've moved in with Kelly and I'm taking time off from school. I'm finding out what it feels like to not be able to focus on this week's list of assignments, but rather on this week's goals within our home and within our relationship. And when I think of my future now, I don't think about the classes I need to take to graduate so that I can have that wonderful, magical promise-land-type job some day. When I think of my future now, I think about what Kelly and I want to be doing and where we want to be and the expectations we hold for ourselves and how we're going to get there as a team.
It really bothers me how many people gave me grief for coming home and even more for all the people who have made comments about how I've "quit school." First of all, many of those people just need to mind their own business because their opinions of my life mean nothing to me. Secondly, I've received more education than many of them and more than a good portion of people my age so I can't understand why they are disappointed in me. Finally, I haven't quit school. It's called "time off." It happens all the time. And just because I've stopped being a workhorse for six months doesn't mean that I have quit.
Besides, how could they possibly think that what I'm doing now isn't as important?
Throughout much of my life, I've concentrated on just school. For a long time I didn't know what I wanted to do after school, so while I was in school I worked hard because someday it would all come in handy. I really don't think I stopped to consider the importance of anything else in my life.
Now I've moved in with Kelly and I'm taking time off from school. I'm finding out what it feels like to not be able to focus on this week's list of assignments, but rather on this week's goals within our home and within our relationship. And when I think of my future now, I don't think about the classes I need to take to graduate so that I can have that wonderful, magical promise-land-type job some day. When I think of my future now, I think about what Kelly and I want to be doing and where we want to be and the expectations we hold for ourselves and how we're going to get there as a team.
It really bothers me how many people gave me grief for coming home and even more for all the people who have made comments about how I've "quit school." First of all, many of those people just need to mind their own business because their opinions of my life mean nothing to me. Secondly, I've received more education than many of them and more than a good portion of people my age so I can't understand why they are disappointed in me. Finally, I haven't quit school. It's called "time off." It happens all the time. And just because I've stopped being a workhorse for six months doesn't mean that I have quit.
Besides, how could they possibly think that what I'm doing now isn't as important?
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Jury Duty
I have jury duty all this week. It is a relative pain in the neck, I've decided. I have to call each night after five to see if my number has been called the next day. Yesterday it hadn't been, but it was today. I was on standby, though, which means that I had to call again at 9:30 this morning to see if they needed me. The lady didn't know yet, though, so she called me back a half hour later to let me know that I was excused. Now I can carry on with my day. Such a pain in the neck.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Beer Cheese Soup
Last night, Kelly and I made Beer Cheese Soup for dinner with some pork steaks he threw on the grill. That man can run a mean grill. Anyway, the soup was delicious and super simple. Here's how we did it...
It is best to have everything prepared before you begin. Cook over medium high
heat - stirring constantly. Don't rush it! This recipe has been scaled to make six servings.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced celery
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced carrots
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced onion
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
3/4 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 pound shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
That's the list of ingredients on the recipe, but we altered it a little. We didn't use carrots or onions, but instead used mushrooms. I don't think we'll do that in the future, just because we didn't really taste them. We also didn't use parmesan at all. The cheeses we used were extra sharp cheddar, colby jack and swiss, all about 1/4 cup. We also used an entire bottle of beer. And the key ingredient is horseradish. I don't know how much...about a half teaspoon, maybe. I just put in a little, stirred, tasted, and put in a little more. Emphasis: little. That stuff can be potent. We used a pale ale for the beer because that's what the guy at the restaurant in McCall where we initially had this said that they use.
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter. Cook celery, carrots and onion in butter until onion is translucent. Stir in flour and mustard to coat vegetables. Pour in chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor or using an immersion blender. Return to pot.
2. When pureed mixture is hot, begin to stir in cheddar, monterey jack and parmesan, a little at a time, alternately with the beer, until all is fully incorporated and melted. Add horseradish a little at a time to taste. Serve at once.
It is best to have everything prepared before you begin. Cook over medium high
heat - stirring constantly. Don't rush it! This recipe has been scaled to make six servings.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced celery
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced carrots
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced onion
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
3/4 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 pound shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
That's the list of ingredients on the recipe, but we altered it a little. We didn't use carrots or onions, but instead used mushrooms. I don't think we'll do that in the future, just because we didn't really taste them. We also didn't use parmesan at all. The cheeses we used were extra sharp cheddar, colby jack and swiss, all about 1/4 cup. We also used an entire bottle of beer. And the key ingredient is horseradish. I don't know how much...about a half teaspoon, maybe. I just put in a little, stirred, tasted, and put in a little more. Emphasis: little. That stuff can be potent. We used a pale ale for the beer because that's what the guy at the restaurant in McCall where we initially had this said that they use.
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter. Cook celery, carrots and onion in butter until onion is translucent. Stir in flour and mustard to coat vegetables. Pour in chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor or using an immersion blender. Return to pot.
2. When pureed mixture is hot, begin to stir in cheddar, monterey jack and parmesan, a little at a time, alternately with the beer, until all is fully incorporated and melted. Add horseradish a little at a time to taste. Serve at once.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Our
It has recently been brought to my attention that I am fooling myself about my relationship with Kelly. I don't doubt the possibility of this being true, but I also think that I have many reasons not to believe it. My first reason is that in August of 2004, Kelly proposed to me. In other words, he asked me to marry him. Since then, we have both been telling each other how we're looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together, I've moved in with him, and we've purchased a new bed together (read: both of us). Additionally, we have a marriage certificate in our shared bedroom with both our names on it as well as a wedding date set for this May. These things, in my mind, point to the fact that marriage is in our stars. And since marriage is something that has, to me, always meant that lives, possessions, dreams, etc. would be shared among the couple, I assumed the same to be true for the two of us. And thus far, the majority of people we've come in contact with seem to believe us. We received communal Christmas cards and presents from friends and family members, people invite us both to do things with them and we're always being asked about our wedding plans.
In other news, this previous weekend, Kelly and I went to McCall and spent a couple nights in a cabin up there. We went up with Matt, Jaime and Mike - all friends of Kelly's from college who, since Kelly and I started dating, have become my friends as well. It was a perfect way to bring in the new calendar year. It has been quite a while since I've seen that much snow...There was already at least a foot of it on the ground when we got there and it snowed the majority of the two days we were there. In the town a bunch of trees had colored lights on them, which looked incredibly beautiful covered in the white snow. We also had beer cheese soup. Mmmm. I'm going to look for a recipe and maybe make it for supper tomorrow.
Kelly and I are starting to work on redecorating parts of our house. Nick and Laura, two of our roomies, are fixing to move out this month into a place of their own, so that will give us more space to work with. We're going to miss them a bunch, but I think that this will be good for all of us. They've been together for five years but haven't lived together until living here, so their own space will be a great step for them. Plus, this house isn't fit for five adults to coincide here. It's a grown-up thing to do, I think...This whole "living together" thing...And the coming together of property, lives and responsibilities. I'm excited for them because I think they will love the added privacy and space their own apartment will afford them. They are an amazing couple with a bond many couples never attain. From here, they can only grow.
Ah...And now I'm off to clean up the bedroom. When I unpacked I sort of just left a lot of stuff all over the place. Add to that all our gifts and other things we've accumulated over the previous two weeks and you have chaos. A chaos worthy of driving me insane. And, as Tera says, it's a short drive. So I'm off to make myself happy with some organizing. The bliss of it all...
In other news, this previous weekend, Kelly and I went to McCall and spent a couple nights in a cabin up there. We went up with Matt, Jaime and Mike - all friends of Kelly's from college who, since Kelly and I started dating, have become my friends as well. It was a perfect way to bring in the new calendar year. It has been quite a while since I've seen that much snow...There was already at least a foot of it on the ground when we got there and it snowed the majority of the two days we were there. In the town a bunch of trees had colored lights on them, which looked incredibly beautiful covered in the white snow. We also had beer cheese soup. Mmmm. I'm going to look for a recipe and maybe make it for supper tomorrow.
Kelly and I are starting to work on redecorating parts of our house. Nick and Laura, two of our roomies, are fixing to move out this month into a place of their own, so that will give us more space to work with. We're going to miss them a bunch, but I think that this will be good for all of us. They've been together for five years but haven't lived together until living here, so their own space will be a great step for them. Plus, this house isn't fit for five adults to coincide here. It's a grown-up thing to do, I think...This whole "living together" thing...And the coming together of property, lives and responsibilities. I'm excited for them because I think they will love the added privacy and space their own apartment will afford them. They are an amazing couple with a bond many couples never attain. From here, they can only grow.
Ah...And now I'm off to clean up the bedroom. When I unpacked I sort of just left a lot of stuff all over the place. Add to that all our gifts and other things we've accumulated over the previous two weeks and you have chaos. A chaos worthy of driving me insane. And, as Tera says, it's a short drive. So I'm off to make myself happy with some organizing. The bliss of it all...
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