I am absolutely disgusted with Israel.
I cannot believe we call our country their ally.
Someday this will change.
I look forward to that day.
31 December, 2008
29 November, 2008
Giving thanks?
This past week has not been one of peace.
Mumbai was terrorized. A man was killed so other men could buy, shop, consume. I have researched what I once thought was a way to express solidarity with the marginalized of the world, and found the system fraught with the same hegemonic tendencies it fights against. It has been a year since the death of an incredible human being that I miss.
I see life around me. People in cars and coffee shops. Institutions and ways of life continuing on. Winter coldness has set in, but holiday lights breathe warmth. A few days ago I caught a glimpse of weariness on the face of a fellow traveler, and felt the heaviness she carries. It has been a long time since I have seen the incredible, genuine smile of a stranger. That smile you know is real, and given to you as a fellow human being, and for no other reason. I long to hear laughter.
I know I can never be as grateful as my situation necessitates.
That I can sit at a table, staring at more food than I could ever possibly eat; that that food is more nutritious than I could ever wish for.
That I can dream a future for myself and find a way to do it.
That I travel. That I can dream of traveling, and know it will come true.
That I am educated and can prosper because of it, no matter how bad things get.
That I, at 22, own a car, have a roof over my head, own my clothing, drink what I like, eat what I like, do what I wish.
That, should I so desire, I could get a job that, even at minimum wage, pays me more in one hour than millions make in a day - or a week.
For my friends, who I know I should hold more dear.
For the opportunities I am given every day of my life that millions will never even imagine exist.
For the grand institutions that serve me, and for the discerning mind I am given to know the nature of those institutions.
For my independence and liberty, and for the astounding ability to pursue happiness.
Mumbai was terrorized. A man was killed so other men could buy, shop, consume. I have researched what I once thought was a way to express solidarity with the marginalized of the world, and found the system fraught with the same hegemonic tendencies it fights against. It has been a year since the death of an incredible human being that I miss.
I see life around me. People in cars and coffee shops. Institutions and ways of life continuing on. Winter coldness has set in, but holiday lights breathe warmth. A few days ago I caught a glimpse of weariness on the face of a fellow traveler, and felt the heaviness she carries. It has been a long time since I have seen the incredible, genuine smile of a stranger. That smile you know is real, and given to you as a fellow human being, and for no other reason. I long to hear laughter.
I know I can never be as grateful as my situation necessitates.
That I can sit at a table, staring at more food than I could ever possibly eat; that that food is more nutritious than I could ever wish for.
That I can dream a future for myself and find a way to do it.
That I travel. That I can dream of traveling, and know it will come true.
That I am educated and can prosper because of it, no matter how bad things get.
That I, at 22, own a car, have a roof over my head, own my clothing, drink what I like, eat what I like, do what I wish.
That, should I so desire, I could get a job that, even at minimum wage, pays me more in one hour than millions make in a day - or a week.
For my friends, who I know I should hold more dear.
For the opportunities I am given every day of my life that millions will never even imagine exist.
For the grand institutions that serve me, and for the discerning mind I am given to know the nature of those institutions.
For my independence and liberty, and for the astounding ability to pursue happiness.
05 November, 2008
The Speech That Made History
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA: (Cheers, applause.) Hello, Chicago. (Cheers, applause.)
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our Founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. (Cheers, applause.)
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled -- (cheers) -- Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states; we are and always will be the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)
It's the answer that -- that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. (Cheers, applause.)
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. (Cheers, applause.) Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. (Applause.) I congratulate him, I congratulate Governor Palin for all they've achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead. (Cheers, applause.)
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton, and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.)
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama. (Cheers, applause.)
Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. (Cheers, applause.)
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Auma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given to me. I am grateful to them. (Cheers, applause.)
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe -- (cheers, applause) -- the unsung hero of this campaign who built the best -- (cheers) -- the best political campaign I think in the history of the United States of America -- (cheers, applause) -- to my chief strategist, David Axelrod -- (cheers, applause) -- who has been a partner with me every step of the way, to the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics -- (cheers) -- you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done. (Cheers, applause.)
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. (Cheers, applause.) It belongs to you. (Cheers.)
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington; it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause. (Cheers, applause.) It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy -- (cheers) -- who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the Earth. This is your victory. (Cheers, applause.)
Now, I know you didn't do this just to win an election, and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there. (Cheers, applause.)
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
MR. OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek; it is only the chance for us to make that change.
And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.
Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House -- a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. (Cheers, applause.)
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends -- though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too. (Cheers, applause.)
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. (Cheers, applause.) To those -- to those who would tear the world down: we will defeat you. (Cheers, applause.) To those who seek peace and security: we support you. (Cheers, applause.) And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals -- democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. (Cheers, applause.)
That's the true genius of America, that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. (Cheers, applause.)
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed, yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We shall overcome." Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: A man touched down on the Moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes, we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can.
MR. OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there's so much more to do. So tonight let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century, if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time -- to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can.
MR. OBAMA: Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. (Cheers, applause
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our Founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. (Cheers, applause.)
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled -- (cheers) -- Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states; we are and always will be the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)
It's the answer that -- that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. (Cheers, applause.)
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. (Cheers, applause.) Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. (Applause.) I congratulate him, I congratulate Governor Palin for all they've achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead. (Cheers, applause.)
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton, and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.)
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama. (Cheers, applause.)
Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. (Cheers, applause.)
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Auma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given to me. I am grateful to them. (Cheers, applause.)
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe -- (cheers, applause) -- the unsung hero of this campaign who built the best -- (cheers) -- the best political campaign I think in the history of the United States of America -- (cheers, applause) -- to my chief strategist, David Axelrod -- (cheers, applause) -- who has been a partner with me every step of the way, to the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics -- (cheers) -- you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done. (Cheers, applause.)
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. (Cheers, applause.) It belongs to you. (Cheers.)
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington; it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause. (Cheers, applause.) It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy -- (cheers) -- who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep. It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the Earth. This is your victory. (Cheers, applause.)
Now, I know you didn't do this just to win an election, and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime: two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there. (Cheers, applause.)
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!
MR. OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek; it is only the chance for us to make that change.
And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.
Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House -- a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. (Cheers, applause.)
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends -- though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too. (Cheers, applause.)
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. (Cheers, applause.) To those -- to those who would tear the world down: we will defeat you. (Cheers, applause.) To those who seek peace and security: we support you. (Cheers, applause.) And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals -- democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. (Cheers, applause.)
That's the true genius of America, that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. (Cheers, applause.)
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed, yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We shall overcome." Yes we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes we can!
MR. OBAMA: A man touched down on the Moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes, we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can.
MR. OBAMA: America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there's so much more to do. So tonight let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century, if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time -- to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
AUDIENCE: Yes, we can.
MR. OBAMA: Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. (Cheers, applause
20 October, 2008
Fall, spring, summer, winter
I've been feeling less than creative lately, hence the less than frequent blogging. I'm not sure anyone even reads this though, so I'm not sure the lack of spectacularly placed words makes a difference, so I'm not sure...
Old Man Winter is breathing down my neck, and his breath is bitter. Yet again life choices loom large. Stay, go; change here, change there; Montana, Utah; law school, something else. Too many choices. Not sure if they are ever the right ones. Sometimes you wonder if doing things is enough. What if you don't know the right people? What if this is the last time what you do matters, instead of who you do? And all these questions you didn't think you had to answer, all these stupid dogmas and things that are oh-so-wrong with the world. What choice do you make to fix them all? How much of you is here for you, and how much for the rest of the world? Do you eat, pray, and love, or do you command, create, and work? Go to bed at 10 sharp to be up at 5:15, work out, work hard, sleep again, or live life all hours of the night, with no care for the physical needs? But what about the emotional? Is this feeling, this state of soul, coming from the inside or from the cold death of the Earth?
These are things I don't know. These are things I cannot answer, though there is more. These are the things I am not sure of.
Old Man Winter is breathing down my neck, and his breath is bitter. Yet again life choices loom large. Stay, go; change here, change there; Montana, Utah; law school, something else. Too many choices. Not sure if they are ever the right ones. Sometimes you wonder if doing things is enough. What if you don't know the right people? What if this is the last time what you do matters, instead of who you do? And all these questions you didn't think you had to answer, all these stupid dogmas and things that are oh-so-wrong with the world. What choice do you make to fix them all? How much of you is here for you, and how much for the rest of the world? Do you eat, pray, and love, or do you command, create, and work? Go to bed at 10 sharp to be up at 5:15, work out, work hard, sleep again, or live life all hours of the night, with no care for the physical needs? But what about the emotional? Is this feeling, this state of soul, coming from the inside or from the cold death of the Earth?
These are things I don't know. These are things I cannot answer, though there is more. These are the things I am not sure of.
16 July, 2008
HOROSCOPE
Sometimes, these things are alarmingly correct:
Taurus
The energy that is growing between you and another person is giving you two a lot of power over your surroundings -- are you guys ready to use it? Unleash your dynamic-duo-ism on the world today! Dive right in and get more involved in things. You have the time to bend things to your will -- and you definitely have the influence. The more you immerse yourself in the situation, the faster you will gain a deep understanding, so hurry up and get your team in motion.
Rock on!
Taurus
The energy that is growing between you and another person is giving you two a lot of power over your surroundings -- are you guys ready to use it? Unleash your dynamic-duo-ism on the world today! Dive right in and get more involved in things. You have the time to bend things to your will -- and you definitely have the influence. The more you immerse yourself in the situation, the faster you will gain a deep understanding, so hurry up and get your team in motion.
Rock on!
17 June, 2008
Adios, todos mi amigos!
Thursday morning, around 7:00, I will take flight yet again.
On to Mexico: beautiful, kind people; spectacularly spicy food; divine humidity. I am excited to form a true partnership there. I am nervous things wont work out at all. I am hopeful. I am glad I get to go again.
This is the work I love: being with people, forming bonds, strengthening ourselves, growing as individuals and as a world. More sharing needs to occur on our part. More knowledge, less knowing, needs to happen. And this is the only way to do it.
Much love, and see you all when I come home.
On to Mexico: beautiful, kind people; spectacularly spicy food; divine humidity. I am excited to form a true partnership there. I am nervous things wont work out at all. I am hopeful. I am glad I get to go again.
This is the work I love: being with people, forming bonds, strengthening ourselves, growing as individuals and as a world. More sharing needs to occur on our part. More knowledge, less knowing, needs to happen. And this is the only way to do it.
Much love, and see you all when I come home.
01 June, 2008
Shoe love
New running shoes = the absolute best thing ever.
I love, love, love, love, and love the art of running.
LOVE.
I love, love, love, love, and love the art of running.
LOVE.
25 May, 2008
Escape to Moab
Got back from Moab a few days ago. Absolutely beautiful, one of my favorite places. Good mix of wild desert and wild people. Oh, and a good microbrew everywhere you turn.
Beers aside, Moab has an interesting thing about it. Though it is developing and there are more than enough people to keep you busy, there is still plenty of space to call your own. We got in (very) late the first night, and incredibly found an open campsite right on the river right away. I was ready for some quality sleeping, and I cannot express how much I loved doing it under the stars. That first night was completely clear. The sky was, anyway...
I was astounded by the noise in my own head. Thoughts of REI, YouthLINC, the Bennion Center, people, places, things I didn't need to be thinking about. It took some hard concentration to make it all stop - and it didn't all happen then. From this and other events over the course of the next few days, I realized how much I need more silence in my own life. Of every kind. Just space to think. Perhaps that means more trips to Moab - or just a different way of living.
Beers aside, Moab has an interesting thing about it. Though it is developing and there are more than enough people to keep you busy, there is still plenty of space to call your own. We got in (very) late the first night, and incredibly found an open campsite right on the river right away. I was ready for some quality sleeping, and I cannot express how much I loved doing it under the stars. That first night was completely clear. The sky was, anyway...
I was astounded by the noise in my own head. Thoughts of REI, YouthLINC, the Bennion Center, people, places, things I didn't need to be thinking about. It took some hard concentration to make it all stop - and it didn't all happen then. From this and other events over the course of the next few days, I realized how much I need more silence in my own life. Of every kind. Just space to think. Perhaps that means more trips to Moab - or just a different way of living.
17 May, 2008
June snorts eight times a day...and other things you don't need to know
There are certain things that I find out in my life that I just don't need to know. I do love my little buddies, especially when they snort. And talk about other awkward turtle things. If you don't understand the awkward turtle, you are too young and too awkward to understand. Obviously.
And I have a crush on everyone and the table I am currently sitting at. Except the cat. That is awkward.
And I have a crush on everyone and the table I am currently sitting at. Except the cat. That is awkward.
12 May, 2008
Little kitten
We found a homeless kitten this morning. It was mewing helplessly in the rain, shivering horribly and nothing but fur and bones. Not unlike the one in the picture, but skinnier. We took it to the Humane Society, and hopefully it will be adopted soon on account of its unbearable cuteness.
All I can say is, there should never be a creature so small, so helpless, and so in need of love left abandoned. Ever. That little kitten has starved and frozen for days. I hope it gets a loving home.
27 April, 2008
Summertime and Easy Livin'
My list of things to do this summer:
1. Midnight climb of Mt Timpanogos (the moon hike :)
2. Have a picnic at the living room
3. Climb Kings Peak
4. Visit the Great Salt Lake
5. Visit Kennecott Copper Mine
6. Do the I-15 drive from the Tribune article
7. Hike Angel's Landing (Yaz :)
8. GO TO MONTANA
9. Eat BBQ
10. Check out Lucin and the Sun Tunnels
So, this seems like a short list...but there is mucho to do! If you'd like to be in on any of this, let me know. It's going to be an adventurous summer :)
1. Midnight climb of Mt Timpanogos (the moon hike :)
2. Have a picnic at the living room
3. Climb Kings Peak
4. Visit the Great Salt Lake
5. Visit Kennecott Copper Mine
6. Do the I-15 drive from the Tribune article
7. Hike Angel's Landing (Yaz :)
8. GO TO MONTANA
9. Eat BBQ
10. Check out Lucin and the Sun Tunnels
So, this seems like a short list...but there is mucho to do! If you'd like to be in on any of this, let me know. It's going to be an adventurous summer :)
14 April, 2008
En la mañana
Recipe for the perfect day: The Beatles, Bob Marley, and the PERFECT trail run with the discovery of the ages. THAT was my morning, and how beautiful it was :)
28 March, 2008
Travels
So I spent spring break in Ghana. I could not have imagined I would go back to that incredible place again so soon. Ghana is a country I love with all my heart. It is beautiful, raw, developing, and so full of life. From the moment I stepped off the plane and smelled the burning, moist African air to the last bite of fried plantain, I savored every moment.
My last trip was when I was 18 and thought I knew everything about the world. At least, everything about myself and how capable I was. Turned out, I was completely wrong about almost everything. My last trip to Ghana was more about self-discovery and opening my eyes than about learning about Ghana. Not to say I didn't learn anything, but I certainly came away with more questions about it, and the world in general, than I began with.
At the beginning of this trip, I decided I wanted to learn more about Ghana. To really look at what the country was like, to get to know people. I feel like for the most part I accomplished that, and more. Walking through the villages and GPSing the houses and stores was like getting a map in my head of what people look at every day. And it made me realize that no matter how much time I spend there, I will never understand what it is like to grow up there, eat-sleep-breathe there every day. I also had reinforced how important it is that the people have control over what is happening in their home town. How strange it must be to have people come in, from another country, traipse around your home, holding up little electronic devices, and then they just walk away. We tried to communicate what we were doing, but often to no avail. But what else is there to do?
Far more this trip I learned to live the beauty of the place. I could go through the list of everything that hit my senses like the African rain hitting the clay, but I could never, ever do justice to the smell of burning Ghanaian trash, the incredible way you can feel the air around you, or the wave of saliva that rises in my mouth every time I think of plantain and groundnuts. If I truly only learned one thing there it is this: people live, I live, everyone lives; and in whatever way that life is lived, sometimes you just have to open up your heart and do nothing but live it. Just be there. Without trying to change anything, without trying to influence anything. Just existing, for a moment, in the world you live in. And that is the only way to really appreciate everything the world is - not what it can, or should, be, but what it is.
04 March, 2008
Finished
So, my stint at the Utah State Legislature is up. It has been a complete trip, with all the requisite scandals, lobbyists, highs and lows, inspirations, disappointments, and the occasional dirty joke about caucus. I will certainly miss the people. I have made some fabulously hilarious friends, people who I am sure will be around the political arena for years to come. I will miss the daily hustle. I'll miss the legislators, who were some of the most inspiring and enlightening people I have ever met. I will miss the dark little room I sat in, with four other people, for seven weeks, writing emails and doing research and laughing. In essence, I will miss the adventure. I have yet to truly process the experience I have had. It has changed my views on some things and solidified them in others. Like all things, it will take time to see how this experience will influence my path, but I can say it has and will continue to influence the things I do.
That said, I am beyond happy to be back at my life. Actually having time to be around my house, time to really work out, time to spend in the BC, time to do my YouthLINC stuff, time to climb (I have missed it so much!!), time to volunteer, time to do all the things I wasn't doing for weeks on end. But there is a time for everything, and I am glad I put as much as I did into my internship. But that time is over, and back to everything else.
I do, I do, love my life.
01 March, 2008
Spring Time!
The most tremendous and stupendous feeling in the world is the one I get when I hear springtime birds singing in the morning! After a long, dark, dismal winter, the only thing better than the birds is the fact that I can finally run outside without freezing my arse off! And, thank GOD my knee can finally take the running :)
15 February, 2008
The most beautiful prayer
Not all prayers are designed for a higher power. Some are meant for men to hear. This was read on the House of Representatives floor by Patrick Salaz, a fellow intern. If I could have whooped and hollered in celebration, I would have:
I believe in Justice. We flourish in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, and mistakes are tolerated.
I believe in Service. Our public servants don’t get paid because they’re worthless; they don’t get paid because they’re priceless.
I believe in Hope. It’s our ability to work for something just because it’s good.
I believe in Leadership. Tell us and we’ll listen; show us and we’ll remember; involve us and we’ll understand.
I believe in America. We aren’t American because of our race, color, or religion. We aren’t America because of the place we were born or the COINCIDENCE OF OUR CITIZENSHIP. An American is one who believes.
We believe in the dignity of all. We believe that all are created equal - that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Now, let us believe in ourselves – that we may have the courage to turn to our neighbor and say:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
Your wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
May we, together, lift our lamp beside the golden door.
~Patrick Salaz
I believe in Justice. We flourish in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, and mistakes are tolerated.
I believe in Service. Our public servants don’t get paid because they’re worthless; they don’t get paid because they’re priceless.
I believe in Hope. It’s our ability to work for something just because it’s good.
I believe in Leadership. Tell us and we’ll listen; show us and we’ll remember; involve us and we’ll understand.
I believe in America. We aren’t American because of our race, color, or religion. We aren’t America because of the place we were born or the COINCIDENCE OF OUR CITIZENSHIP. An American is one who believes.
We believe in the dignity of all. We believe that all are created equal - that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Now, let us believe in ourselves – that we may have the courage to turn to our neighbor and say:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
Your wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
May we, together, lift our lamp beside the golden door.
~Patrick Salaz
13 February, 2008
12 February, 2008
Indispensable
5 things:
Beauty - human, unnatural, personal
LOVE
Silence
Good food.
11 February, 2008
Putting it together
Have to be up at five in the morning. Had a very busy, very successful day. Success in getting a lot accomplished. Not success in feeling successful...where's the disconnect?
That said, life is good. Friends are new and bountiful, old and faithful, and I sleep in peace at night. I am still seeking certain things. Thank god.
10 February, 2008
A thought to begin with:
Tonight I sit in the park as a child
Swinging. Nothing but-
The world, nodding it's head at me
As the wind kisses my face. An airplane
Flying, like me
A man drives past, playing loud music
A neighbor lets the cat out for the night
Children, snug in their beds, whisper
Goodnight, Moon - but I,
I sing out loud to the stars,
Settling in their Ebony chairs in heaven.
My eyes closed, the world no longer exists
Forward moving for a thousand years -
Then backward again, for a thousand more
Never have I wondered at a child
Who, when set upon a swing,
Laughs - for they laugh at the ivory stars,
They laugh at the music man,
They laugh at the other children
Whispering Goodnight, Moon.
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