I just came home from a truly delightful shopping trip at the brand-spankin'-new Harris Teeter store in Adams Morgan. It just opened on Wednesday, after what feels like an eon of anticipation.
Now, I know there's all kinds of controversy and fear about how this will affect the neighborhood. The locally-owned markets are scared it will hurt their businesses, the neighbors are worried about increased traffic and crime (though we've got plenty of that already). And those are all valid concerns, I can't argue with them... but I can ask for folks to give it a little time to see just how the new Harris Teeter might fit in.
Because I gotta tell ya, after 4 1/2 years of really only having the Columbia Road Safeway, with all its problems, shopping at Harris Teeter today felt like a dream. They want to make a good impression, for sure, but it's hard to resist a clean, bright, fully-stocked store with super-friendly employees all wishing you a happy Friday. There's a melon bar! And a sushi bar! And a full bakery! It's still fairly small, but there's a wide selection and especially a good produce department.
Frankly, I think the biggest threat Harris Teeter presents is to Safeway itself. Cuz now that HT's open, there's no reason for me to ever go back to that Safeway. I'll still go to the small markets for little things and for their convenience, but my regular shopping will now be at Harris Teeter. That store is so nice, and so close to where I live, that it's *almost* enough to make me wish I wasn't moving. Almost.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Lost - "The Shape of Things to Come"
Sometimes LOST is a supernatural show, sometimes it's a romance, or about time travel, or a buddy comedy. Tonight, it was pretty much non-stop taut action. Yeeeeeow.
*****Spoilers!*****
There was a lot that happened tonight, and since LOST has moved back to that deadly 10 pm time slot, this very tired blogger is gonna just capture it all in bullet points, por favor:
* Where in the World is Ben Linus? -
Ben showed himself to be quite the world-traveling action star, and I think his first flash forward pretty much confirms there's some sort of wormhole between the Island and Tunisia. He seemed to jump in time as well. I expect to see more mind-bendy explanations of this in the future.
* Shock and Awe -
At 10:36 pm, I literally stopped breathing. I gasped, threw my hand over my mouth, and just sat there for a good minute, shocked. Ben's mastermind tactics didn't work this time, when the stakes were their absolute highest. I *never* expected that Alex would die. Shocked. Sadly, neither did Ben, and now we clearly see his motivation for escalating the real world war.
* The Schism in the Jungle -
After Locke and Sawyer's armed showdown over Hurley's fate, everyone's curly-haired favorite begrudgingly decided to go with Locke and Ben to find Jacob. This has to be the moment that future Hurley regrets, when he said he shouldn't have gone with Locke. I think some bad stuff's coming on or as a result of this little Jacob hunt, and though Hurley and Ben both at least survive, it's probably gonna be a doozy.
* Beware of Dog -
So, Ben can summon Smokey for some righteous vengeance? That was the scariest incarnation I've seen of Smokey yet, as he just went on and on forever. His wrath is mighty and swift. What in the heck is he????
* To Tikrit and Beyond -
LOST gives us more answers, and fills in gaps, pretty quickly these days. Now we know how Sayid became Ben's assassin - it was at Sayid's own request. I hope we see another Sayid flash forward of his happy days in the Oceanic 6, reuniting with and marrying his beloved Nadia, before she is killed by the vast Widmore conspiracy.
* Back on the Beach -
This week's B-Plot, or "Dead Doctor on the Beach," really just served to demonstrate that Team Rescue, or Team Jack, is actually Team Idiots. They've been totally snowed by Faraday and Charlotte, and they've finally learned that rescue was never in the plans. I think there's a lot more action to come before the 6 actually do leave the Island.
* On the lighter side -
I enjoy any episode with more Sawyer screen time, and he was pretty perfect tonight. Tough, protective, decisive, a leader, and even showing his funny side. That game of Risk was pretty hilarious.
And, okay, that final scene... the instant Ben jimmyed the key for the Penthouse Suite, I started saying aloud "He's not going to kill Penelope! He can't kill Penelope!" It's perfect parallelism, right? An eye for an eye, a daughter for a daughter? So I breathed a sigh of relief to see that Ben was actually surprising Charles Widmore in his sleep, and sat back to enjoy a master class of acting from Michael Emerson and Alan Dale. Then, horror, it came true after all... Ben's oath to kill Penelope has now cleared away all the fog and dust and made LOST make perfect sense to me now. Indeed, "The Shape of Things to Come" - the series will end as a race between Desmond and Ben as to who gets to Penelope first. And just like our beloved Pen is hiding, so is the Island, and these two dads will continue to compete for possession of what might just be the most mysterious, and most dangerous, place on Earth.
*****Spoilers!*****
There was a lot that happened tonight, and since LOST has moved back to that deadly 10 pm time slot, this very tired blogger is gonna just capture it all in bullet points, por favor:
* Where in the World is Ben Linus? -
Ben showed himself to be quite the world-traveling action star, and I think his first flash forward pretty much confirms there's some sort of wormhole between the Island and Tunisia. He seemed to jump in time as well. I expect to see more mind-bendy explanations of this in the future.
* Shock and Awe -
At 10:36 pm, I literally stopped breathing. I gasped, threw my hand over my mouth, and just sat there for a good minute, shocked. Ben's mastermind tactics didn't work this time, when the stakes were their absolute highest. I *never* expected that Alex would die. Shocked. Sadly, neither did Ben, and now we clearly see his motivation for escalating the real world war.
* The Schism in the Jungle -
After Locke and Sawyer's armed showdown over Hurley's fate, everyone's curly-haired favorite begrudgingly decided to go with Locke and Ben to find Jacob. This has to be the moment that future Hurley regrets, when he said he shouldn't have gone with Locke. I think some bad stuff's coming on or as a result of this little Jacob hunt, and though Hurley and Ben both at least survive, it's probably gonna be a doozy.
* Beware of Dog -
So, Ben can summon Smokey for some righteous vengeance? That was the scariest incarnation I've seen of Smokey yet, as he just went on and on forever. His wrath is mighty and swift. What in the heck is he????
* To Tikrit and Beyond -
LOST gives us more answers, and fills in gaps, pretty quickly these days. Now we know how Sayid became Ben's assassin - it was at Sayid's own request. I hope we see another Sayid flash forward of his happy days in the Oceanic 6, reuniting with and marrying his beloved Nadia, before she is killed by the vast Widmore conspiracy.
* Back on the Beach -
This week's B-Plot, or "Dead Doctor on the Beach," really just served to demonstrate that Team Rescue, or Team Jack, is actually Team Idiots. They've been totally snowed by Faraday and Charlotte, and they've finally learned that rescue was never in the plans. I think there's a lot more action to come before the 6 actually do leave the Island.
* On the lighter side -
I enjoy any episode with more Sawyer screen time, and he was pretty perfect tonight. Tough, protective, decisive, a leader, and even showing his funny side. That game of Risk was pretty hilarious.
And, okay, that final scene... the instant Ben jimmyed the key for the Penthouse Suite, I started saying aloud "He's not going to kill Penelope! He can't kill Penelope!" It's perfect parallelism, right? An eye for an eye, a daughter for a daughter? So I breathed a sigh of relief to see that Ben was actually surprising Charles Widmore in his sleep, and sat back to enjoy a master class of acting from Michael Emerson and Alan Dale. Then, horror, it came true after all... Ben's oath to kill Penelope has now cleared away all the fog and dust and made LOST make perfect sense to me now. Indeed, "The Shape of Things to Come" - the series will end as a race between Desmond and Ben as to who gets to Penelope first. And just like our beloved Pen is hiding, so is the Island, and these two dads will continue to compete for possession of what might just be the most mysterious, and most dangerous, place on Earth.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
A Weekend of Message Movies
I watched three very contemporary new movies this weekend,* all of which I think could be included in that growing post-9/11, post-Iraq War genre of dramas with big messages and only varying degrees of cinematic success:
First, I popped in Robert Redford's latest directorial effort, Lions for Lambs. I was hoping this movie would be better than the reviews, but alas... it really was just a big talkfest. Each of the main characters - played by heavyweights Streep (as a reporter), Cruise (as a GOP star Senator) and Redford himself (as a liberal lion college professor - and even several of the minor characters launched into long diatribes about immorality and the injustice of war, about the need for the country to wake up, about the apathy of the American people, about the evils of corporate media. I agree with most of Redford's liberal views, but that doesn't mean this was a good movie. I get plenty of monologues from one-dimensional characters on cable new shows, but I expect more out of My grade: C-.
Next up, I watched Tommy Lee Jones's Oscar-nominated turn in In the Valley of Elah. The title refers to the Biblical battle between David and Goliath, tied to the movie's theme of the imbalance between the American soldier, and the American people, and the military-industrial complex. This is a really devastating story, based on true events, examining the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder. Tommy Lee does give a memorable performance, injecting anguish into his usual craggy strength as a father seeking answers and ultimately justice for the memory of his son. There's a strong cast all around, as Charlize Theron wears a serious ponytail as a serious small-town detective battling the larger forces of a military base-town, and the supporting cast talent includes everyone from Susan Sarandon to James Franco to Jason Patric and Frances Fisher. I can see why this didn't play very well at the box office, cuz it's just about as dark as The House of Sand and Fog (my personal barometer for the want-to-kill-yourself-afterwards movies), and bleakness doesn't really translate into a big opening weekend. But the movie addresses a topic that will be of growing importance as this War goes on and another generation of veterans come home. So it's worth seeing now that it's on DVD. My grade: B.
Finally, tonight I watched the movie version of The Kite Runner. As always, the book was better, but that's a very high standard in this case because the book is one of my favorites of all time. From what I can remember, the movie is very faithful to the book, including both the highs and lows of the difficult story of what becomes of two young boys in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner is beautifully shot, with locations that seem as authentic as they could be considering the modern state of the world. Marc Forster proves yet again to be able to direct powerful films that make me cry, even when I know the story ahead of time. The acting is strong all around, particularly by the man playing Baba, Amir's father, and the two young boys themselves. As I understand it, this movie's theatrical release was actually delayed earlier this year/last fall, in order to ensure the safety of those two young actors. They do a wonderful job, and I hope their involvement in the movie ends up being worth it. The DVD includes a PSA from author Khaled Hosseini, who encourages all viewers to visit www.takepart.com and support the work of NGOs rebuilding Afghanistan. Watch this movie when you've got 2 hours and 7 minutes to spend on it, cuz you'll want to really focus and get pulled in to the gripping and ultimately uplifting story. My grade: A.
*Note - These were all my DVD selections of the weekend. For a welcome change of pace, I also headed to the multiplex and saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Very funny, very sweet, and very much solidifying my crush on Jason Segel, which goes all the way back to his Nick Andopolis days.
First, I popped in Robert Redford's latest directorial effort, Lions for Lambs. I was hoping this movie would be better than the reviews, but alas... it really was just a big talkfest. Each of the main characters - played by heavyweights Streep (as a reporter), Cruise (as a GOP star Senator) and Redford himself (as a liberal lion college professor - and even several of the minor characters launched into long diatribes about immorality and the injustice of war, about the need for the country to wake up, about the apathy of the American people, about the evils of corporate media. I agree with most of Redford's liberal views, but that doesn't mean this was a good movie. I get plenty of monologues from one-dimensional characters on cable new shows, but I expect more out of My grade: C-.
Next up, I watched Tommy Lee Jones's Oscar-nominated turn in In the Valley of Elah. The title refers to the Biblical battle between David and Goliath, tied to the movie's theme of the imbalance between the American soldier, and the American people, and the military-industrial complex. This is a really devastating story, based on true events, examining the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder. Tommy Lee does give a memorable performance, injecting anguish into his usual craggy strength as a father seeking answers and ultimately justice for the memory of his son. There's a strong cast all around, as Charlize Theron wears a serious ponytail as a serious small-town detective battling the larger forces of a military base-town, and the supporting cast talent includes everyone from Susan Sarandon to James Franco to Jason Patric and Frances Fisher. I can see why this didn't play very well at the box office, cuz it's just about as dark as The House of Sand and Fog (my personal barometer for the want-to-kill-yourself-afterwards movies), and bleakness doesn't really translate into a big opening weekend. But the movie addresses a topic that will be of growing importance as this War goes on and another generation of veterans come home. So it's worth seeing now that it's on DVD. My grade: B.
Finally, tonight I watched the movie version of The Kite Runner. As always, the book was better, but that's a very high standard in this case because the book is one of my favorites of all time. From what I can remember, the movie is very faithful to the book, including both the highs and lows of the difficult story of what becomes of two young boys in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner is beautifully shot, with locations that seem as authentic as they could be considering the modern state of the world. Marc Forster proves yet again to be able to direct powerful films that make me cry, even when I know the story ahead of time. The acting is strong all around, particularly by the man playing Baba, Amir's father, and the two young boys themselves. As I understand it, this movie's theatrical release was actually delayed earlier this year/last fall, in order to ensure the safety of those two young actors. They do a wonderful job, and I hope their involvement in the movie ends up being worth it. The DVD includes a PSA from author Khaled Hosseini, who encourages all viewers to visit www.takepart.com and support the work of NGOs rebuilding Afghanistan. Watch this movie when you've got 2 hours and 7 minutes to spend on it, cuz you'll want to really focus and get pulled in to the gripping and ultimately uplifting story. My grade: A.*Note - These were all my DVD selections of the weekend. For a welcome change of pace, I also headed to the multiplex and saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Very funny, very sweet, and very much solidifying my crush on Jason Segel, which goes all the way back to his Nick Andopolis days.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Lunacy?
What a week - I along with everyone else I know have been edgy, stressed, and exhausted. Is it no small coincidence that we're in the cycle of the full moon?
My brother and I talked about this last month, when he and a bunch of coworkers all had a similar week and pinpointed it to the full moon over Indiana. Who knows? Perhaps the brighter light of the big rock in the sky that week makes it harder to sleep? And we all get crazier with less sleep...
Last night, a group of us at happy hour had the same discussion, as one person asked if anyone else had been having a particularly rough week. Sure, allergies have been bad this week and the weather has made a definite turn, which always takes a little adjusting. But, lo and behold, as we enjoyed our HH the huge, brilliant face of the moon showed its mischievous face. Aha!
This isn't a new idea, of course. The word lunacy itself is derived from "luna" - the Roman goddess of the moon. And while the lunar effect, or as it's sometimes known, the "Transylvanian effect" (ooooh!), has pretty much been written off as pseudo-science, the old wives tale strength of the idea is enough that we're still talking about it.
I'm willing to believe it, that the phases of the moon can affect human behavior. (Not so far as vampires and werewolves, though I love those legends, too.) We humans are biological entities, theoretically subject to all of the same natural forces as anything else on the planet. If the moon can raise the tides, why wouldn't it have some effect on us, who are mostly water anyway? Debunk if you want, but I'm willing to cop to my full share of lunacy.
My brother and I talked about this last month, when he and a bunch of coworkers all had a similar week and pinpointed it to the full moon over Indiana. Who knows? Perhaps the brighter light of the big rock in the sky that week makes it harder to sleep? And we all get crazier with less sleep...
Last night, a group of us at happy hour had the same discussion, as one person asked if anyone else had been having a particularly rough week. Sure, allergies have been bad this week and the weather has made a definite turn, which always takes a little adjusting. But, lo and behold, as we enjoyed our HH the huge, brilliant face of the moon showed its mischievous face. Aha!
This isn't a new idea, of course. The word lunacy itself is derived from "luna" - the Roman goddess of the moon. And while the lunar effect, or as it's sometimes known, the "Transylvanian effect" (ooooh!), has pretty much been written off as pseudo-science, the old wives tale strength of the idea is enough that we're still talking about it.
I'm willing to believe it, that the phases of the moon can affect human behavior. (Not so far as vampires and werewolves, though I love those legends, too.) We humans are biological entities, theoretically subject to all of the same natural forces as anything else on the planet. If the moon can raise the tides, why wouldn't it have some effect on us, who are mostly water anyway? Debunk if you want, but I'm willing to cop to my full share of lunacy.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
My New Baby
Meet Lucille..... (at least that's what I'm calling her for now)
She's sleek, sexy, long and narrow with her widescreen, and super-ridiculously-freakin' fast. Hooray! She's an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC, ready to handle my photographs and my music, and she even has a webcam. Fun times ahead!
(And I'll have to find lots of ways to entertain myself with this new baby in my new apartment, cuz I've dropped roughly $2,000 JUST THIS WEEK. Yowch.)
She's sleek, sexy, long and narrow with her widescreen, and super-ridiculously-freakin' fast. Hooray! She's an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC, ready to handle my photographs and my music, and she even has a webcam. Fun times ahead!
(And I'll have to find lots of ways to entertain myself with this new baby in my new apartment, cuz I've dropped roughly $2,000 JUST THIS WEEK. Yowch.)
The Upgrades Continue
Well, this little gal is certainly doing her part for the American economy lately...
... cuz today, I'm finally giving up the fight, and I'm going to replace my 4-year-old, wheezy, slow, cranky, hot-flash-having, warranty-expired laptop. It's totally on its last legs, and when it took AN HOUR last night for me to finally get past the error messages and not-responding-pop ups and such just to open a Web page, all the while racing to beat its "I'm overheated!" automatic shutoff, I knew that it was time.
The current plan is that I'll be heading over to Best Buy after work today. I'm looking for recommendations... do any of my dear readers have laptops that they love? or any cautionary tales?
It's very exciting... just watching my savings account go!
... cuz today, I'm finally giving up the fight, and I'm going to replace my 4-year-old, wheezy, slow, cranky, hot-flash-having, warranty-expired laptop. It's totally on its last legs, and when it took AN HOUR last night for me to finally get past the error messages and not-responding-pop ups and such just to open a Web page, all the while racing to beat its "I'm overheated!" automatic shutoff, I knew that it was time.
The current plan is that I'll be heading over to Best Buy after work today. I'm looking for recommendations... do any of my dear readers have laptops that they love? or any cautionary tales?
It's very exciting... just watching my savings account go!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Operation Home Improvement
No, this time I'm not talking about my apartment renovations.... I'm talking about improving my home overall by finding a new one!
Guess what? Mission accomplished!
I used my beautiful Friday afternoon off - wow, it got hot - to go apartment hunting, and I nailed a good one! I met my own goal... and as of mid-June, I will be moving to upper Connecticut Ave. Whoohoo!
I loved the building, love the location, love the conveniences nearby, and the sales staff was pretty darn good. They had me at hello, when they offered me a cold bottle of water. :-)
The new place will be different, for sure, and there are pros and cons to the changes...
Pros:
- Central air conditioning (don't have it now)
- Dishwasher (ditto)
- Garbage disposal (ditto)
- Carpeting (I prefer it over hardwood, which I have now)
- Laundry on each floor (now it's in the basement)
- 1 1/2 blocks to Metro (now it's about a 15 min walk for me)
- 1 1/2 blocks to lots of ideal, convenient shopping (now it's further)
- Most importantly, from what I could see, no bars in the immediate vicinity (now I can hear 18th Street)
Cons:
- The apartment is about 110 sq feet smaller, so I have to downsize. That's okay, cuz right now I've got a pretty bloated life with way too much stuff I've been carrying around for about 12 years.... and besides, my current apartment is strangely shaped and I've never been able to really use a lot of that extra space. Plus I just lost some with the stupid renovations!
- The apartment is a LOT more expensive. I knew that, and I decided it was time to upgrade and make this change ("I have earned something better" has been my mantra), but it will be a squeeze. Stef will be bringing her lunch a lot more often.
So, that's the big news. Hooray! I'll be heading over again on Monday to put down the money and seal the deal. Then, in just about 2 months, my view will finally change. :-)
Guess what? Mission accomplished!
I used my beautiful Friday afternoon off - wow, it got hot - to go apartment hunting, and I nailed a good one! I met my own goal... and as of mid-June, I will be moving to upper Connecticut Ave. Whoohoo!
I loved the building, love the location, love the conveniences nearby, and the sales staff was pretty darn good. They had me at hello, when they offered me a cold bottle of water. :-)
The new place will be different, for sure, and there are pros and cons to the changes...
Pros:
- Central air conditioning (don't have it now)
- Dishwasher (ditto)
- Garbage disposal (ditto)
- Carpeting (I prefer it over hardwood, which I have now)
- Laundry on each floor (now it's in the basement)
- 1 1/2 blocks to Metro (now it's about a 15 min walk for me)
- 1 1/2 blocks to lots of ideal, convenient shopping (now it's further)
- Most importantly, from what I could see, no bars in the immediate vicinity (now I can hear 18th Street)
Cons:
- The apartment is about 110 sq feet smaller, so I have to downsize. That's okay, cuz right now I've got a pretty bloated life with way too much stuff I've been carrying around for about 12 years.... and besides, my current apartment is strangely shaped and I've never been able to really use a lot of that extra space. Plus I just lost some with the stupid renovations!
- The apartment is a LOT more expensive. I knew that, and I decided it was time to upgrade and make this change ("I have earned something better" has been my mantra), but it will be a squeeze. Stef will be bringing her lunch a lot more often.
So, that's the big news. Hooray! I'll be heading over again on Monday to put down the money and seal the deal. Then, in just about 2 months, my view will finally change. :-)
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Renovation Report, Day 11
Ch-ch-changes....
Because they'd mostly been doing electrical work for the last week-plus, the changes in my apartment haven't really been that visible since the big initial installation of the heat pumps. Well, scratch that.
Today I got home and found.... they put up the dry wall! And now I can see *exactly* how much space I'm losing.... ouch.
Here's the living room. I am not going to be able to put my entertainment center and bookcase back in there... and that nook may actually be too narrow for even my couch. That had been my backup plan for rearranging. So I'm going to have to be more creative. Maybe my Poang chair and footrest can go in there, with a side table?
See how much they built out that wall? All of that gray part is just jutting out into the other room. Huh?
Because they'd mostly been doing electrical work for the last week-plus, the changes in my apartment haven't really been that visible since the big initial installation of the heat pumps. Well, scratch that.
Today I got home and found.... they put up the dry wall! And now I can see *exactly* how much space I'm losing.... ouch.
Here's the living room. I am not going to be able to put my entertainment center and bookcase back in there... and that nook may actually be too narrow for even my couch. That had been my backup plan for rearranging. So I'm going to have to be more creative. Maybe my Poang chair and footrest can go in there, with a side table?
See how much they built out that wall? All of that gray part is just jutting out into the other room. Huh?
And here's the bedroom... harrumph.
Well, I guess it's all a good sign of progress, right? Maybe they'll actually be done soon?!?
The Passing of the Torch
I'm sitting here watching the news coverage - for the third night in a row - of the protests following the Olympic torch, this time right here in the good old U. S. of A. I have to say, it's pretty darn amazing.
Sure, I feel a little sympathy for all of those athletes who've worked their whole lives towards achieving their Olympic dream, no matter what city it's in, who will have their experience be associated with global politics. And sure, there's no reason for violence in these protests if it turns out there has been any.
But overall, I am so darn excited about these Olympic protests! For a long time now, a part of me has been afraid that we Westerners, particularly Americans, have just been lulled into such a state of complacency that very little will make us rise up and say or do anything. While the war protests do bring some people out, those numbers have been dwindling. And, for goodness' sake, we've never even protested and organized to change the crazy electoral system that has been so controversial in the last 8 years.
For years, I've had my favorite quote, from Martin Luther King Jr., as my email signature: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." And it makes me feel so proud to see people around the world using their voice to make a statement, and to take a stand, about something as basic and elemental as human rights.
Rather than giving China an automatic pass as the host of the Games - which I'm sure NBC and others would have done otherwise - the people are rising up and bringing attention to areas of serious concern, to Tibet and Darfur. It's so refreshing to see the voice of the people driving the agenda - with Nancy Pelosi standing side-by-side with the Dalai Lama and Bush supposedly really considering not going to the Opening Ceremonies, like other Western leaders - rather than the usual dominance of corporate and government interests. Sure, China just about *owns* the United States, but we can still use our freedom of speech and our right to protest.
Again, I feel for the athletes, who probably have very little interest in being political props... but I absolutely think the Olympics are an appropriate forum for discussing major world concerns. What other opportunity do we have for countries to band together in a spirit of brotherhood, even if it's to protest the host country? It's certainly happened before.
Sure, I feel a little sympathy for all of those athletes who've worked their whole lives towards achieving their Olympic dream, no matter what city it's in, who will have their experience be associated with global politics. And sure, there's no reason for violence in these protests if it turns out there has been any.
But overall, I am so darn excited about these Olympic protests! For a long time now, a part of me has been afraid that we Westerners, particularly Americans, have just been lulled into such a state of complacency that very little will make us rise up and say or do anything. While the war protests do bring some people out, those numbers have been dwindling. And, for goodness' sake, we've never even protested and organized to change the crazy electoral system that has been so controversial in the last 8 years.
For years, I've had my favorite quote, from Martin Luther King Jr., as my email signature: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." And it makes me feel so proud to see people around the world using their voice to make a statement, and to take a stand, about something as basic and elemental as human rights.
Rather than giving China an automatic pass as the host of the Games - which I'm sure NBC and others would have done otherwise - the people are rising up and bringing attention to areas of serious concern, to Tibet and Darfur. It's so refreshing to see the voice of the people driving the agenda - with Nancy Pelosi standing side-by-side with the Dalai Lama and Bush supposedly really considering not going to the Opening Ceremonies, like other Western leaders - rather than the usual dominance of corporate and government interests. Sure, China just about *owns* the United States, but we can still use our freedom of speech and our right to protest.
Again, I feel for the athletes, who probably have very little interest in being political props... but I absolutely think the Olympics are an appropriate forum for discussing major world concerns. What other opportunity do we have for countries to band together in a spirit of brotherhood, even if it's to protest the host country? It's certainly happened before.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Renovation Report, Week 2
Yes, I've made it almost to the halfway point of these pesky apartment renovations.... in theory, I should have 2 1/2 weeks to go. I hope it goes as fast...!
No pictures this week, because the work that was done only involves subtle visible changes - cuz after the big installation of last week, this time was all about the wiring. There is now lots of new electrical stuff in my apartment, with encased wires running the length of my ceiling from the kitchen through the living room to the bedroom. They've had to wire those new heat pumps, and it appears that they have actually made room for a replacement outlet to make up for the one that used to be on the wall in my living room. A lot of the wires inside the spaces that I know will be walled up are encased in those ribbed silver tube things, very reminiscent of some anime porn that I had the misfortune to watch back in college. (You don't want to know... college boys and their surround sound!) I'm glad those tubes will be covered up with the new walls!
Speaking of new walls, the lady who lives across the hall from me and has the same floor plan was kind enough to let me in and see how her finished renovations look. We commiserated at the big loss of usable space and the weird new configuration - she's had to totally rearrange her living room, just as I will. For the few months that I'll still live here that is!
A highlight of this week was all of the ways in which really nice people helped me out. As y'all know, I went to San Diego... and I was only able to do that cuz my amazing friend A proved to be the best cat sitter in the history of the world. She and her bf came over every day to let Cleo out of her solitary confinement in the bathroom and - bless their souls - put her back in there again for the next day's drama. I can't say thank you enough!!!!
And, proving that it pays to make nice, I have struck up a friendly conversation with the main guy whose job it is to come into the apartments every morning to cover things with plastic and then to inspect and clean up every apartment at night. He asked me the other day about how my cat was doing, and ever since he has done the extremely kind thing of opening the bathroom door and letting her out - risking harm to his life and limb - when he's done in my apartment every night. So that means she's not stuck waiting for me, for however long it takes me to get home at night. And that's a huge relief.
Even though all of this continues to be a major annoyance, it's really encouraging about the world we live in to see that people are still nice to each other, in both big and small ways.
No pictures this week, because the work that was done only involves subtle visible changes - cuz after the big installation of last week, this time was all about the wiring. There is now lots of new electrical stuff in my apartment, with encased wires running the length of my ceiling from the kitchen through the living room to the bedroom. They've had to wire those new heat pumps, and it appears that they have actually made room for a replacement outlet to make up for the one that used to be on the wall in my living room. A lot of the wires inside the spaces that I know will be walled up are encased in those ribbed silver tube things, very reminiscent of some anime porn that I had the misfortune to watch back in college. (You don't want to know... college boys and their surround sound!) I'm glad those tubes will be covered up with the new walls!
Speaking of new walls, the lady who lives across the hall from me and has the same floor plan was kind enough to let me in and see how her finished renovations look. We commiserated at the big loss of usable space and the weird new configuration - she's had to totally rearrange her living room, just as I will. For the few months that I'll still live here that is!
A highlight of this week was all of the ways in which really nice people helped me out. As y'all know, I went to San Diego... and I was only able to do that cuz my amazing friend A proved to be the best cat sitter in the history of the world. She and her bf came over every day to let Cleo out of her solitary confinement in the bathroom and - bless their souls - put her back in there again for the next day's drama. I can't say thank you enough!!!!
And, proving that it pays to make nice, I have struck up a friendly conversation with the main guy whose job it is to come into the apartments every morning to cover things with plastic and then to inspect and clean up every apartment at night. He asked me the other day about how my cat was doing, and ever since he has done the extremely kind thing of opening the bathroom door and letting her out - risking harm to his life and limb - when he's done in my apartment every night. So that means she's not stuck waiting for me, for however long it takes me to get home at night. And that's a huge relief.
Even though all of this continues to be a major annoyance, it's really encouraging about the world we live in to see that people are still nice to each other, in both big and small ways.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Idolatry
I just got back from the annual fundraising conference in San Diego (awesome scenery photos still to come), and some of the real highlights of this trip were the amazing plenary speakers I was able to enjoy. "Amazing plenary speakers???" you say? Yes, it's true! There really can be some inspiring words spoken in convention center exhibit halls...
First up, my newest hero: Jane Goodall. I'd always heard great things about her and admired what I knew of this champion of chimpanzees, but seeing her in person really made a difference. Her life story is fascinating, and the first part of her talk describing how a poor girl from England without a college education became a research scientist in the Gombe was really framed as a tribute to the wonderful role model she had in her mother. She told a few moving stories of her life studying the chimps, but where her talk really took hold was in her discussion of where her life has gone since leaving the jungle some 20-odd years ago.
In roughly the 1980's, she knew that her beloved chimpanzees were being threatened by a new threat - encroachment on their territory. And in order to help save her chimps, she began investigating why there was this new threat, which has led her to a second life in fighting poverty, disease, and economic challenges among the humans that live near those chimpanzees. And her strategy for helping to change the world? Engage the youth, and empower them to create positive change across the globe. She is a tremendous advocate for one of the programs created under the umbrella of her Jane Goodall Institute, called the Roots & Shoots program, that encourages young people to create their own projects - whether it's AIDS awareness or recycling or promoting sustainable agriculture. She's a brilliant speaker, and the way she tied together stories of her mother, and the chimpanzees, and these amazing youth service projects had a roomful of about 5,000 people tearing up. By the time she was done, I was ready to sign over my entire net worth to her, had she asked. Talk about an effective fundraiser!
Then, on Tuesday morning, Sir Bob Geldof both inspired and challenge the audience with his stories of mixing music and global relief efforts. He shared the stories of how he became the guy who launched Live Aid (magnanimously apologizing for the "two worst pop songs" ever - his words), which raised $200 million for Africa.
Those stories were interesting, of course, but what I really loved was the point he made afterwards... that raising all of that money was great, but it wasn't enough. He shared that since Live Aid, the most important thing he's learned is that while change *starts* with charity, it has to end with policy. Raising awareness and getting regular people to care about a cause is a good thing, no doubt, but we won't start to really solve the major problems of the world until we can move governments and nations to change the way they do things. With this, he launched into a discussion of Live 8, DATA, and all of the work he, Bono, and others have been doing with the G8 in their pursuit of debt cancellation and other forms of relief. Again, that $200 million in 1985 was a start, but now he's working on a plan for $50 billion per year in relief. His adamant exhortations on how to make a difference were really effective, and I ended up walking out of that room and - ever since - really trying to examine the ways that I, too, can become a real agent for positive change.
Seeing both of these speakers at the same time that I was finishing up Paul Krugman's The Conscience of a Liberal really has started me thinking... I want to do more, I just have to figure out what.
And because a conference can't be all work and no play, we did have some entertainment... on Tuesday night, after an endless awards banquet, all of us in the Marriott ballroom rocked the house with.... RICK SPRINGFIELD! Yeah!
Yes, I really was this close to him... and even though Blogger can't seem to handle the upload, I even have a full video of his performance of "Jesse's Girl." Aw, yeah!
First up, my newest hero: Jane Goodall. I'd always heard great things about her and admired what I knew of this champion of chimpanzees, but seeing her in person really made a difference. Her life story is fascinating, and the first part of her talk describing how a poor girl from England without a college education became a research scientist in the Gombe was really framed as a tribute to the wonderful role model she had in her mother. She told a few moving stories of her life studying the chimps, but where her talk really took hold was in her discussion of where her life has gone since leaving the jungle some 20-odd years ago.In roughly the 1980's, she knew that her beloved chimpanzees were being threatened by a new threat - encroachment on their territory. And in order to help save her chimps, she began investigating why there was this new threat, which has led her to a second life in fighting poverty, disease, and economic challenges among the humans that live near those chimpanzees. And her strategy for helping to change the world? Engage the youth, and empower them to create positive change across the globe. She is a tremendous advocate for one of the programs created under the umbrella of her Jane Goodall Institute, called the Roots & Shoots program, that encourages young people to create their own projects - whether it's AIDS awareness or recycling or promoting sustainable agriculture. She's a brilliant speaker, and the way she tied together stories of her mother, and the chimpanzees, and these amazing youth service projects had a roomful of about 5,000 people tearing up. By the time she was done, I was ready to sign over my entire net worth to her, had she asked. Talk about an effective fundraiser!
Then, on Tuesday morning, Sir Bob Geldof both inspired and challenge the audience with his stories of mixing music and global relief efforts. He shared the stories of how he became the guy who launched Live Aid (magnanimously apologizing for the "two worst pop songs" ever - his words), which raised $200 million for Africa.Those stories were interesting, of course, but what I really loved was the point he made afterwards... that raising all of that money was great, but it wasn't enough. He shared that since Live Aid, the most important thing he's learned is that while change *starts* with charity, it has to end with policy. Raising awareness and getting regular people to care about a cause is a good thing, no doubt, but we won't start to really solve the major problems of the world until we can move governments and nations to change the way they do things. With this, he launched into a discussion of Live 8, DATA, and all of the work he, Bono, and others have been doing with the G8 in their pursuit of debt cancellation and other forms of relief. Again, that $200 million in 1985 was a start, but now he's working on a plan for $50 billion per year in relief. His adamant exhortations on how to make a difference were really effective, and I ended up walking out of that room and - ever since - really trying to examine the ways that I, too, can become a real agent for positive change.
Seeing both of these speakers at the same time that I was finishing up Paul Krugman's The Conscience of a Liberal really has started me thinking... I want to do more, I just have to figure out what.
And because a conference can't be all work and no play, we did have some entertainment... on Tuesday night, after an endless awards banquet, all of us in the Marriott ballroom rocked the house with.... RICK SPRINGFIELD! Yeah!
Yes, I really was this close to him... and even though Blogger can't seem to handle the upload, I even have a full video of his performance of "Jesse's Girl." Aw, yeah!
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