Me and Jesus

Okay, so this post was supposed to be some simple observation about religion and the pope's funeral/passing...I don't know at what point it became this HUGE stream of consciousness essay...read at your own peril.

As the Hollywood T-Shirt De Jour clearly proclaims...Jesus is my Homeboy! Does anyone else find it kind of ironic that these shirts are produced by a company called Teenage Millionaire and worn by stars like Demi Moore (a very public follower of the Kabbalah)? Oh religion today...what a murky pool of fun! You have the standard ones; Judaism, Muslim, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism...and the not so standard ones; Scientology, Church of Latter-Day Saints, Kabbalah, Seventh-Day Adventism, Hare Krishna, Wicca... And that's not even expanding upon the various sects within these religions...orthodox, reformed, evangelical, born-again, semi-reformed, semi-conservative, half baked, fully-baked, unevenly baked because I forgot to rotate the cookie sheet half way through the cooking time!

Did you know there was a Christian denomination called the 'Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod'? How did those Wisconsinites get there own Christian sect and how do I sign up to form my own? Apparently it's more conservative than the Catholic church. Here's a little excerpt from their website:

"The biblical principle of role relationship applies also to the gatherings of the church. All believers, men and women, will participate at gatherings of worship, prayer, Bible study, and service. The scriptural applications that a woman remain silent (1 Co 14:34) and that a woman should not teach a man (1 Ti 2:11,12) require that a woman refrain from participating in these gatherings in any way which involves authority over men."

Follow this link for more "wisdom" from the WELS church. Ahhhhhh!

And now with all the media coverage surrounding the death of Pope John Paul the II (I'm not going to comment lest my soul be condemned to purgatory)...what on earth (or heaven) is a person exploring their faith supposed to do?

I feel extremely fortunate that I grew up in a household where faith and critical thinking were heralded as equally important qualities to possess. Basically, while my parent's instilled in me a strong yearning to explore my spirituality, they were equally adamant that I don't fall prey to every peddler of snake oils and express trains to redemption. How'd I end up so lucky? I was taught that living a spiritual life is not about accepting the blanket statements of any one man or woman. I learned that calling myself a faith based person requires a constant willingness to explore, examine, and question my own belief in God (or gods), in goodness, in humility, in selflessness (and selfishness), in greed...you get the picture. My familial history with the church taught me that religion is not some simple cure all, a balm for what ails you, it's not about necessarily making your life easier and less complex. In my exploration of faith, I've come to understand that my belief in God makes my life richer, more meaningful, and more intangible. My spiritual exploration challenges me to question what I do, question how I live, question how I love and hate. It challenges me to think beyond the boundaries of my own flesh and examine the impact I have in the community and environment I play in.

Jesus said "Love thy neighbor as you love yourself." (I think I'm paraphrasing a bit there)...I suppose the superficial interpretation of that statement would be "Be loving to those around you." That's pretty harmless. But here's my radical spin on the statement. What if Jesus was trying to say "You are also your neighbor, you are in essence every person around you. And because you are every person around you, you have a responsibility to care for every person as you would care for yourself." That's a pretty tall order and not something that can easily be done.

I think it's very funny whenever I encounter religious sects that require devotees to follow a rigid system of rules and obligations...the 10 Commandments, keeping kosher, the separation of women and men in Muslim temples. Do people really believe their soul is saved or they get an express ticket to the Elysian Fields by avoiding pork, keeping vegetarian, or condemning gays? Is self-redemption and self-actualization that easy to buy? And if it is, why can't people agree on the exact rules? I'm sure I'm not the only person who would appreciate such an instruction manual.

Of course, by stating my opinion that religion forces us to question and examine, I'm not saying that all life is suffering and struggle. That life inherently involves suffering is one of the basic tenets of Buddhism and one of the reasons why I have never been able to jive with Buddhist teachings. Surely, a big component of my faith is also based on the exquisite sense of peace, fulfillment and joy I derive from my exploration. But that's the thing...faith and spirituality is not black and white, it is an ever evolving painting of vibrant and muted colors, shades and hues that we can appreciate with our senses but can't possibly begin to articulate with our limited vocabulary.

...Side bar...

I was reading the news today and came upon this quote made by a liturgical scholar. It is in reference to the late Pope John Paul's will...

"You get a feeling when you read this of a man very alone, alone with God, and agonizing over his worthiness and ability to carry out the task before him," Dr. Pham said, "and someone who despite all that places a great confidence in that divine mercy."

I find it very comforting to know that even the pope 1) questioned his worthiness before the eyes of God, and 2) that he felt alone. Those are the surest signs that the pope, at the end of the day, was human. It also provides some solace to us fools who question our own worthiness all the time.

...End side bar...

You know...for a long time I struggled with the concept of prayer. Prayer for me has always been a highly private and intimate conversation I have with the big mama. Late last year, I met a friend, who was himself, on a rather intimate journey of faith and self-definition. Through his own journey, he challenged me to think outside of the smug little faith world I encased myself in. For that I thank him entirely. In my brief encounter with him, he helped me explore my hang ups with prayer. Part of my prayer process involves the act of asking for forgiveness of the 100s of misdeeds I commit on a daily basis. I've always struggled with this aspect of prayer. Not because I believe I'm incapable of sin. I struggle because the articulation process is so extraordinary self-revealing. Then one day, during a meditation session, I came to a realization...Naming your sins is a lot like naming your thoughts during meditation. I was once taught a meditation technique involved the naming of thoughts. Whenever a thought comes into the mind, rather than getting involved with the thought, you name it and let it go. For example, if I'm thinking about a conversation I had earlier in the day, I'd name the thought "That is a thought about the past." Then I'd let it go. By articulating and distilling the thought, I'm able to let it go rather than allowing it to fester. Enumerating my sins is much the same thing. By naming my sin, I can let it go...and with that letting go I also give up the sense of unworthiness that often accompanies an act that I deem bad. We often feel bad about ourselves because we do something bad (in our minds if not in reality). Because we feel bad, we don't feel that we can have an intimate relationship with the spirit (whether it be God or our own soul)...we let these bad feelings about ourselves fester...and next thing you know we are consumed by self-doubt and loathing. But what if, by naming the misdeed...by giving it a voice, we are able to let it go...and thus feel more connected to the spirit, the soul, to our own inherent goodness. That's some pretty powerful stuff. Oh course, this observation is very western Christian centric (with just a little yogic philosophy thrown in).

I've had the great fortune of communicating with many of you about my faith journey and the fact that, on occasion, I have considered attending seminary and possibly becoming an ordained minister. Other than the fact that there aren't to many young, Asian, female ministers out there (and I'm always up for shaking things up a bit), I want to have the luxury of exploring my faith in an environment created for that sole purpose. Will I ever attend seminary? I don't know. At this point in time, considering the amount of mortgage and grad school debt I have, I don't think it's a possibility. Unless I marry rich or win the lottery, an further education is out of the question for the time being.

House warming gift to myself

In honor of my new home I've finally ordered some new checks...

Strawberry Shortcake Checks

You think I'm joking, but I'm not. AND I purchased the matching mailing labels and checkbook cover!

LOL...I AM SO EXCITED.

I'm such a girl.

It's official!

I am now the realization of the American Dream...I'm up to my eye balls in debt!

After many, many, many, many, many months...6 to be exact...I closed on my new place today. I can now call a little 750 square foot plot of space on the island of Manhattan my very own (well, technically...since I purchased a co-op I can call 10,000 shares in the Owner Corporation my very own...but 10,000 shares is a bit difficult to snuggle up to at night.)

I'm both relieved and completely stressed-out. Relieved because it's finally done...stressed out because now I've got a whole lot of debt and I have to move...again!

But anyway, I'll be sending out an email with my new address shortly...this way, you can always find a free pull out couch to crash on when you're in the hood!

Brain Experiment

It's weird to work for a think tank...There are many days when I literally sit at my desk and just think; Come up with new ways of conceiving and creating diversity, inclusion, and gender equity in the workplace. Other days I make upwards of 30 calls to various people or speak on the phone for 6 or 7 hours. I like to take copious notes on my computer when I speak on the phone. For this reason, I have one of those nifty phone headsets - kind of like an operator. The headset is designed so I can wear the ear piece on either my left or right ear. I started noticing, a few months back, that when I wear the headset on my right ear I capture far more verbatim quotes then when I wear it on my left ear. I summarize more when I'm wearing it on my left.

The difference in the quality of the notes is subtle - but as someone who is dyslexic and hypersensative to how my brain processes information - this subtle variance really surprised me. I'm sure it has something to do with the whole left brain/right brain phenomena. This got me thinking about how humans, overall, take in and process information. Would I have a different conversation with someone if they stood to the right side of me as opposed to my left? If they stand to my left side, I may not be hearing the exact words they say and instead I might be more holistic in the way I process the conversation (and I might be at risk of misinterpreting what they have to say.) If they stand to my right, I may be hearing the words but not getting the overall message. Could this be the reason why humans prefer to speak with people face to face? When you speak face to face, not only do you get to absorb all the non-verbal cues transmitted through a person's facial movements, you also receive the same volumn of information in both ears at the same time. You hear the overall message and the individual words - you get a fuller appreciation of what is being communicated.

So, what does this mean for a person who has lost hearing in one ear? Does their communication style change?

Just something to think about. Then again, my brain wiring has always been a bit crossed to begin with.

Simple Pleasures

• Long runs during warm summer thunderstorms
• Hot showers on cold mornings
• Glazed chocolate cake doughnuts
• Watching a dog sneeze
• Hugs
• Organic Fuji apples that are so crisp and ripe the juices run down your hand
• Pretty full skirts and cute sandles
• A red umbrella on a dark stormy morning
• The last stitch on a newly knitted scarf
• Handstands
• Winning a set of Strawberry Shortcake glass tumblers on ebay for $4.25
• Winning the matching Strawberry Shortcake juice carafe for $3.75
• The overtones created when two people sing in harmony
• A very good cry
• Baking bread smell
• Grocery shopping
• Warm socks straight from the dryer
• Making someone laugh
• Playing a new song, from start to finish, on the guitar without making one mistake
• Having someone gently brush the hair out of my eyes
• Buying a new CD and playing it to the end without feeling the need to skip a song
• Falling asleep while someone else drives
• Getting your back scratched
• Walking around barefoot
• Sticking your first Pincha Mayurasana in the middle of the room after only 6.5 years of trying
• The threat of rain
• Having your head cradled
• 64 count boxes of Crayola crayons
• Being read to
• Unsweetened, unsulfured, dried pineapple rings (preferably from Trader Joe's)
• Singing to a child
• Making dinner for someone you love (or at a minimum like)
• Hand washing dishes
• Seeing someone offer a seat to a pregnant woman/elderly person on the subway, or offering your own seat
• Karaoke
• Painting at 3AM whilst MTV plays in the backround
• Natural Peanut Butter (preferably Trader Joe's) and Strawberry Preserves (preferably Bonne Mamon) sandwiches
• The smell of someone's neck when you go in for a hug (provided they are relatively clean)
• Freshly squeezed watermelon juice
• Finding forgotten money in a coat/trouser pocket
• Good porn
• Magazines
• Poetry slams
• Having a cute someone stop you on the street and ask you out on a date
• My friends' blogs
• A nice debate about...almost anything
• Dressing up every once in awhile
• A fresh orange about four days into a long hike
• Free email
• Learning new words

Petting the Ego

Please get your minds out of the gutter!!!

I'm quoted in an article!

Busy Times = Quiet Times

Posting will be a little sporatic over the next several weeks as I have become quiet busy. Business trips, shakes and shimmies, new opportunities etc... etc...

I have been writing a lot though, so I may post an occasional story or poem. I wish I could post pictures as I've been doing a lot of drawing/painting and I'd love to share some with all of y'all. Unfortunately, I'm quiet technology retarded.

Living Will

While I don't like to be too predictable...I gotta keep you on your toes!...most anyone who knows me probably already knows how I feel about all the nastiness going on in Washington DC these last couple of days. There is already enough being written about the destroyers of freedom so I'm not going to add to the hurly burly.

However, I am going to comment on a little side bar that seems to get lost in the minutae of everything else...why Terri Schievo's heart stopped in the first place. In 1990 her heart stopped, most likely due to a potassium imbalance caused by an eating disorder. A potassium imbalance is one of the many life threatening side effects of years of bulimia and anorexia. Few people realize that people who suffer from eating disorders, of all psychological disorders, have the highest mortality rate...higher than people who suffer from depression. Think about this for a second. All the media attention of late has focused on her post-heart failure life. However, if you consider that Terri Schievo was likely a victim of bulimia or anorexia...her life pre-heart failure wasn't all glowing and lovely. The life of a bulimic/anorexic is not a happy one...I know from personal experience. It's a desperate existance...you feel as though your life is spiraling out of control. Desperate to control something, you turn to your most precious belonging...your body...and you slowly destroy it. You hate what you see every time you look in the mirror...nothing is good enough. You are constantly tired, constantly hunger, constantly neurotic, never at peace, never at rest. Your thoughts are solely focused on food, exercise, and your own imperfections. I know a great many people who have/currently suffer from eating disorders and several have suffered irrepairable damage to their hearts, livers, and kidneys due to their constant starvation. In order to reach a physical state where a chemical imbalance would actually cause a heart failure, someone must be actively bulimic for years, or actively anorexic for months - possibly years. The human body is exceptionally intelligent and will do almost anything to preserve itself. What psychological hell was Terri Schievo living prior to her heart failure? No one but her husband really knows. This whole case is a very sad ending to what was likely a very sad existance.

SPRING!!!

Before I forget...

IT'S SPRING!!!!

I'm currently writing my spring love manifesto but it's gonna be a crazy couple of weeks for me so I'll not likely get it out until mid-April. In the meantime:

IT'S SPRING!!!!

Which means...

The lovely spring smell has started...part rain, part green, all goodness.
It's almost skirt season.
Warm rain runs are just around the corner.
Did I mention the spring smell?

This is what I missed when I lived in SF. It was always too nice...you take it for granted. I love seasons!

Here's another thunk for the day...

The greatest act of social rebellion and discent is to live uniquely, rejecting all the established gender and cultural roles that do not honor who you want to become. No one should be made to feel guilty for being too masculine or feminine, too gregarious or too taciturn, too intense or too lackadasical...if the choices make them happy. It's not about simply embracing your whole self, it's about realizing that bringing your whole self to every aspect of your life - professional, familial, fraternal - can create massive, unprecedented social change. It's not simply about being the change you want to see in the world, it's about bringing it on.

Strong Women

• What is it about strong women that so intimidates people of both genders?
• Why are women who aggressively and passionately pursue their dreams and desires so frequently characterized as unfeminine, bitches, castrating man-haters, and frigid?
• Why do so many organizational constructs (whether they be regligious, polticial, or capitalistic) struggle with the idea of sharing power and leadership with smart, grounded, present women?
• Why do so many able, competent, brilliant women feel they need to purposefully "dumb themselves down" in order to be widely accepted?
• Why do we teach women and young girls to see other capable women as competition?
• Why can't Muslim women lead prayers?
• Why can't Catholic women become priests?
• Why can't an orthodox Jewish man touch his wife when she is mensturating?
• Why does it seem like a situational oxymoron to talk about hiking boots and stilletos in the same breathe?
• Why are stay-at-home mothers shunned for not having "real careers"?
• Why are little girls told they can't do math?
• Why does everyone assume that Carly Fiorino's departure from HP had something to do with her gender?
• Why do most people, upon reading my resume, assume I'm a man?
• Why is it that marriages between two individuals where the man makes less than the woman statistically more likely to fail than the reverse equation?
• Why is it assumed that the woman will change her name or at the very least hypenate?
• Why do most children have their father's name?
• Why hasn't the medical industry figured out a way to make the menopausal process more comfortable but we have 3 or 4 drugs to help old farts get it up?
• Why are women less likely to negotiate their salaries?
• Why are most culinary school graduates men?
• Why are only 1/3 of all MBA graudates women?
• Why do men feel the need to ask me if I need help everytime I use the free weights in the gym?
• Why do countries like China and India continue to practice infanticide against baby girls even when they currently face signficant gender inbalances?
• Why are the boys I go camping with always surprised to learn that I can carry just as much weight as them and still keep up?
• Why are women of color more likely to succeed than their male counterparts?
• Why did nearly all of the media reports about Martha Stewart mention the 20 lbs she lost in prison and her new svelte size 12 body?
• Why haven't we had a female president yet?
• Why did Billy Graham (not the pastor) cry when I beat him at arm wrestling in the 3rd grade?
• Why does this country have such horrible paternity leave policies?
• Why are sexually experienced women considered undesirable?
• Why do men want (as the rapper Ludacris so poetically phrased) "a lady on my arm and a freak in the bed?"
• Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side?

Exciting News

I've got some very good news that I'd like to share but I'm afraid to jinx it. So I'm gonna wait until it's all over before I announce the goodness. Oh course, most of you probably already know what I'm talking about.

It's gonna be an interesting 2.5 weeks!

Observation of the Day

When did the Victoria Secret's mannequins become anorexic?

I had a couple of hours to kill earlier today and decided to stroll into the flagship Victoria Secret's store on 34th St. As I walked around I couldn't help notice that the mannequins were decidedly tall - about 5' 10" and painfully thin. I would guess they were a size 2. To top it all off the mannequins had visible hip bones that would cause paper cuts and visible front and back ribs - BACK RIBS!!! From my guesstimation, if the mannequins were real women, they would all average about 110 - 115 lbs. That translates to a BMI (body mass index) of under 15 - which would be considered severly underweight (anorexic). Healthy women are supposed to have BMIs of 21 - 25. By comparison, I'm 5' 7", 143 lbs and have a BMI of 22.5. My body fat percentage is 21%. Women usually stop mensturating when their body fat percentage drops below 16/17%.

It's obvious the mannequins were based on models and other celebrity starlets. Are the mannequins supposed to represent the ideal woman? Is this what we have reduced ourselves to? A country were the majority of the woman are borderline obese, yet the models of beauty are severly malnourished?

Why don't we idealize healthy women? Women who are physically strong, who eat, and who have a body that is attainable and real! Above all else, we need women who are real, who love their bodies and relish every variation, change, and strength.

I'm the first to admit that this country has serious obesity issues but it doesn't help the cause when the fashion industry flaunts unrealistic and unhealthy models of beauty.

I am po...

I am so poor I can't even afford the "R"...it's on lay-away.

Fact:
I went to graduate school
I just purchased a new apartment
I'm single
I work for a non-profit

Thus, I introduce you to the...

Top Ten Part-time Occupations I Have Seriously Considered To Pay-off My Debt...

10. Stunt tester for the Reality Show "Fear Factor".
9. Token Asian spokesperson (paid) for George W.'s political policies.
8. The baby-mama of an athlete/rapper/actor/billionare real estate tycoon with a bad weave.
7. An egg donor...and on the plus side I would be giving a couple "The gift of life."
6. Rap video hoochie girl...Unfortunately, my general lack of "T" and "A" disqualifies me.
5. Catwoman.
4. A mail-order bride.
3. A Mary Kay Cosmetics sales rep...Pink is my color, isn't it?
2. The spokesperson for Trim-Spa...wait, that job has already been spoken for.
1. "Escort"...I'm changing my name to Destiny LaRue tomorrow.

For A Friend

This goes out to my friend...you know who you are.

I don't want to assume that I know what shadow has befallen you. But I hope the knowledge that you are loved and cared for brings you some comfort right now. Your sadness darkens my soul because that is the way of friendship. I hope my equinimity brings some softness to your heart.

I never

I never claimed to be simple, laid back, or easy
I never said I always chose the path of least resistance
I never denyed my complexity or compulsions
I never wanted to be perfect

BUT

I do keep things interesting
And occassionally I can make people laugh

In the air

Is it me, or did anyone else sense some really weird mojo in the air this past weekend? Ever since last Wednesday night/Thursday morning I've been picking up some crazy vibes - and not good crazy. It's been making me all edgy and snappy and I've not been in a vibrant, happy mood for a number of days now. Luckily I didn't have to interact with many people over the weekend. Well, this explains the really moody blog I posted on Friday.

Weirdness.

All the news thats fit...

I'm such a little current events whore. Here are some other topics that have made me very happy and very sad over the past couple of weeks.

Who knew the Supreme Court could gets things right every once in awhile. How surprised (and completely ecstatic) was I to learn that they actually found the execution of juveniles to be unconstitutional. This follows their 2002 ban on the execution of mentally retarded defendants. Could it be possible that capital punishment might be banned entirely some day? Oh...what a glorious day that would be.

On a completely different note, have you read about the shit going down in Kansas. In case you haven't, here's a summary. The Attorney General of Kansas, Phill Kline, has demanded abortion clinics turn over the complete medical files of all the women and children who have sought late-term abortions. His "rational" for demanding the files is to investigate and prosecute statutory rape cases. Riiiight. The only reason this case has come to light is because two of the clincis filed briefs with the State Supreme Court to block the investigation. Why hide behind the ruse of investigating statutory rape? I think Phill Kline and all other mysoginists should just come out and say what they really feel. Here, I'll help him.

Dear Women of the World,

I hate you, I fear you, and I want to make your life miserable. You know that woman in Pakistan who was sentenced to gang rape because her brother engaged in sexual misconduct? She deserved it. I know she didn't actually do anything wrong...but it's all about original sin. Didn't you know that? Eve messed it up for all of y'all. Blame Eve, not me.

In my ideal world white men would control everything including your money, your mind, and your body. I wouldn't teach you how to read, write, or think.

I've still got a lot to do to create this ideal world but I'm confident I'm heading in the right direction. The media is my greatest ally and the cause had a great victory last Sunday night during the Academy Awards. What, you thought the Academy Awards was actually about celebrating artistic achievement? Please, the Independent Spirit Awards maybe but definately not the Academy Awards. Did you see all those unweight, anorexic movie starlets? You think it's an accident that ABC spent an hour and a half before the actual awards showcasing the stars as they arrived? Those images of unrealistic physical beauty should keep 90% of you so preoccupied you'll hopefully ignore my efforts to quickly usurp all of your civil rights. The media and the rest of the misogynistic world has successfully mind-f*cked you to believe that your validty and worth is contingent on the size of your waist and boobs. Silly women. Now, if I could only figure out how to convince the Academy to stop writing parts for people of color...

Yours truly,
Phill Kline,
Attorney General and minnion of the devil


If only people really were that honest...

Art and Taxes

Random bloginess

Weekend Plans

So my plans for this weekend are both ambitious and pathetic. I don't actually have anything official planned but I do have two agenda items. 1) Do my taxes and 2) Go see this show. Based on the reviews of the show, it should be awesome. Here's a description: "Gorgeous photos shown in a massive temporary structure built from shipping containers and paper tubes. Part of the Nomadic Museum."

NY Times Article

I found this article interesting. I've always been a pretty big critic of the private acquisition of art by individuals who clearly have no real interest in the aesthetic of the piece. It's one thing to purchase art because you love it, its another thing to treat it as a trophy.

The ways of the universe

I was writing a pretty scathing blog criticizing the way hatha yoga has manifested itself on the island of Manhattan. It frustrates me to no end. Anyway, I was reading it over again and realized two things. 1) Most of you probably could care less about how I feel about the state of yoga in New York City and 2) I don't want to destroy the yoga experience for any of you out there who enjoy it. I do want to reiterate that my criticism with Manhattan yoga has absolutely nothing to do with the physical practice itself. My criticism is aimed at all the other stuff that surrounds the practice (at least in New York). So, for now, I'll keep the critique to myself. Maybe I'll post it sometime in the future.

Current Events

Can any of you give me some insight into what the heck is going down in Lebanon? One day there's an assassination and next thing you know the pro-Syrian government is ousted. And all of a sudden people are talking about Democracy. Damn, who knew overthrowing a government was that easy? I have some theories of my own about the role of the US government in all of this but I'll keep those thoughts to myself as I don't want to get my ass hauled off by the CIA. I am part North Korean after all. Now, I'm sure Bush is gonna try and take credit for all of this.

So, as I see it, the middle east looks thusly:
Iraq - Basically the American Revolution, but this time we're the British.
Iran - Even Cheney doesn't want to start something with Iran
Israel/Palestine - Do I even have to spell this one out?
Lebanon - Got government?
Syria - I wonder what they are planning?
Sudan - Civil war, genocide, refugees, rebels...basically Hell.
Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates - Hmmm, does anyone have any idea what's up with these countries? Did I miss any countries?

Goodness, how can anyone expect to stay current with world events with all this activity? BTW, has anyone else noticed that all of a sudden North Korea has fallen out of media favor?

And yet there was a 12 page Oscar spread in the NY Post. Sigh...

Women's History Month

You don't think I'd let this month pass, do you?

Source: http://www.nwhp.org/whm/themes/history-of.html

Women Change America" 2005 Theme

The 2005 Women's History Month theme, "Women Change America," honors and recognizes the role of American women in transforming culture, history and politics as leaders, writers, scientists, educators, politicians, artists, historians, and informed citizens.
"Women Change America" also celebrates the myriad ways in which the spirit, courage, and contributions of American women have added to the vitality, richness, and diversity of American life. In 2005, all previous Women's History Week and Month Honorees will be recognized and celebrated as we explore how "Women Change America."

The Beginning
As recently as the 1970's, women's history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12 curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a "Women's History Week" celebration for 1978. We chose the week of March 8 to make International Women's Day the focal point of the observance. The activities that were held met with enthusiastic response, and within a few years dozens of schools planned special programs for Women's History Week, over one-hundred community women participated in the Community Resource Women Project, an annual "Real Woman" Essay Contest drew hundreds of entries, and we were staging a marvelous annual parade and program in downtown Santa Rosa, California.

Local Celebrations
In 1979, a member of our group was invited to participate in the Women's History Institutes at Sarah Lawrence College, attended by the national leaders of organizations for women and girls. When they learned about our county-wide Women's History Week celebration, they decided to initiate similar celebrations within their own organizations and school districts. They also agreed to support our efforts to secure a Congressional Resolution declaring a "National Women's History Week." Together we succeeded! In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution.

Overwhelming Response
As word spread rapidly across the nation, state departments of education encouraged celebrations of National Women's History Week as an effective means to achieving equity goals within classrooms. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, Alaska, and other states developed and distributed curriculum materials to all of their public schools. Organizations sponsored essay contests and other special programs in their local areas. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women's History Week, supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school boards, and the U.S. Congress.

The Entire Month of March
In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women's History Month Resolution has been approved with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Each year, programs and activities in schools, workplaces, and communities have become more extensive as information and program ideas have been developed and shared.

Growing Interest in Women's History
The popularity of women's history celebrations has sparked a new interest in uncovering women's forgotten heritage. A President's Commission on the Celebration of Women in History in America recently sponsored hearings in many sections of the country. It took reports about effective activities and institutions that are promoting women's history awareness and heard recommendations for programs still needed. The Women's Progress Commission will soon begin hearings to ascertain appropriate methods for identifying and then preserving sites of importance to American women's history. In many areas, state historical societies, women's organizations, and groups such as the Girl Scout of the USA have worked together to develop joint programs. Under the guidance of the National Women's History Project, educators, workplace program planners, parents and community organizations in thousands of American communities have turned National Women's History Month into a major focal celebration, and a springboard for celebrating women's history all year 'round.

Expanding the Focus
The National Women's History Project is involved in many efforts to promote multicultural women's history. We produce organizing guides, curriculum units, posters and display sets, videos, and a range of delightful celebration supplies. We also coordinate the Women's History Network, conduct teacher training conferences, and supply materials to people wherever they live through a Women's History Catalog.

Torres del Paine

Here is a detailed map of the Torres del Paine National Park with trails marked out. Doesn't it look beautiful? Is it weird to find a map sexy?

Time on my hand

Huh...I haven't been in this perdicament in some time...I have time on my hands and I don't know what to do with it. This week was supposed to be crazy busy for me. I was supposed to be in Atlanta today and tomorrow and in Detroit Wednesday and Thursday. But my Atlanta meeting was postponed due to the little blizzard outside and my Detroit meetings were pushed back until mid-April. And all of this happened this morning. So now I have a week to do...nothing. Well, not nothing nothing...I do have things to take care of at work and deadlines at the end of March...but now I have a free week both professionally and personally. Oh, what to do, what to do. And to top it all off, my personal "To Do" list is relatively short right now. Just 6 items (of course one of them includes "Do taxes".)

Hymn

Hymn
by Bo Young Lee

I once
Dated an older man ______________________...36
Who told me
“Your optimism

is
a result of your
youth”

As though
hope
was the

flaw

I should have
Walked out
That ________________________________moment
But at 22
My confidence

Betrayed
As did my

Validity
Fail

What would he
Tell me now
___________________________________…almost 30
If he knew
I still cry
When I sing
“Amazing Grace”

(….how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now am found

was blind but now I see)

Camping and Hiking

This article in today's NY Times reminded me of my 9 day trek through the Grand Canyon in Feb 2002. Wow, it's been 3 years. It was about 19 degrees at the top of the canyon the night before we started our descent down and it snowed while we were in our tents. Four days later, when we hit the bottom of the canyon and the Colorado River, it was about 75 degrees and perfect. One of my best memories, the kind that you keep stored away and pull out whenever you need a smile, involves practicing yoga along the Colorado River at 7 in the morning just as the sun began to crest over the canyon's edge and perfectly reflect the canyon walls along the still water's surface. The purple, green, burnt sienna, and blues were vivid and quiet and all I remember is feeling completely immersed and transported.

It's a shame that so few visitors to the Grand Canyon (or any other national park for that matter) rarely venture beyond the well hiked and populus trails. Just a day or so out, once you hit backcountry territory, you can find the real goodness of the wilderness.

Mmmm, all this talk about backcountry hiking is making me long for my trip to Patagonia. I've finally settled on a general time frame. Since Oct is the beginning of the hiking season it's still a bit nippy. I think I'll be heading south around the Christmas/New Years time frame. That way I take full advantage of the holidays and I don't have to eat up all of my vacation days. I think I'm going to do the Torres del Paine trekking circuit, which usually takes anywhere from 7 - 10 days. It covers about 70 miles and I think there is an ascent of about 5000 feet...so about the same as the Grand Canyon. My biggest debate now is if I do this with a couple of mates and we set our own agenda or if I do one of those pre-fab treks where you are led by a guide. There are pros and cons to both options.

One of the things I love about camping is all the gear. I could spend hours wandering around REI. Did you know they made ice cream makers for campers? That's 1 lb 10 ozs that I don't need to schlep around for 10 days. Anyway, I think I'm gonna finally splurge and get myself one of those nifty self-inflating sleeping pads.

And they lived happily ever after...eventually

I'm a little late in commenting on this but I was really happy to hear that Prince Charles and Camilla would be getting their swerve on in April. Whatever your feelings on the matter (or lackthereof), you can't deny that there is something geekily sweet about the whole thing. It's also nice to get an occassional reminder that fairy tales don't own the exclusive rights to happy endings.

What a whirlwind weekend/week I had...I've said this before, and I'll keep on saying it, I've got GREAT friends. Thank you KLo for allowing me to celebrate such a momentus event with you! And EF baby, I luv ya...and I'll keep on luven ya, even if we only see each other every 2 years!

Dinner with KC and friends was awesome. It also reminded me why I love the midwestern folks so darn much. I'm not a big fan of the accents but in every other regard y'all rock.

Tuesday was spent flying to and from Washington DC. These one day engagements always leave me feeling a bit crazy. It's wild to think that I woke up in NY, spent 2.5 hours in the airport/flying, spent 3 hours in a meeting, spent 2.5 hours in the airport/flying, and ended the evening in Manhattan working out/having a late supper with a friend. You'd think that after 7.5+ years of consulting, I'd have gotten used to this sort of schedule. The next week or so should be just as exciting/unnerving. Looks like I'll be flying to Atlanta and then Detroit. Oh...I may get a chance to catch up with my dear SC whilst in Altanta. Yeah!

Looks like nearly all the hotel rooms in the Coachella Valley are already booked up. I'm probably gonna skip the Coachella festival this year. Given that I'm knee deep in mortgage and I'm trying to save for Patagonia, I'm living conservatively. This means that I can only indulge in the occassional new pair of shoes or handbag. Sigh.

Today's blog was brought to you by the short attention span theater.

Why I am the way I am

For all of my parents' insanity, they are amazingly wonderful people (although this doesn't discount their mental instability) and still amazingly in love with each other. This year marks their 35th wedding anniversary!!! They still hug and kiss and say nice things about each other. They also do other sickeningly sweet things for and to each other. Very unique for an asian couple of a certain generation...but then again, they are unique people.

Take for instance this past week. My mother got very sick on Tuesday and had to stay home from work for a few days. She wasn't eating much. My dad, knowing that my mother's one weakness in the world is a certain type of cake sold in a special Korean bakery, picked up two HUGE cakes on the way home to try and entice her to eat something. He did it by his own volition and the cakes aren't cheap. Not exactly the most practical thing to feed someone when they are still sick, but utterly sweet and kind none the less.

I've said this before but I'll say it again, I'm a lucky girl. (Even when they are constantly haranguing me about something.)

No wonder I'm still single. I can't possibly find a mate that can live up to the standards my parents have set.

Something to do on Monday

Yeah...almost the start of a three day weekend...and what a weekend it will be...

Thursday night - kicking off with a night of pottery painting with the fabulous momma LB.
Friday - Celebrate KLo's 30th @ Fez!!! I haven't been to Fez since we sent EF across the pond. Wow! Full circle.
Saturday - Hopefully spend the day hitting the sample sales with the aforementioned Ms. KLo
Saturday night - Dinner with KC and friends at Chubo.
Sunday - A day of relaxation and getting centered
Monday - President's Day. An interesting activity for the day - I saw this in Time Out NY this morning: "The Spirit of The Gates" - Join Buddhist monks and other religious leaders from different faiths in a silent, meditative procession through Christo's Gates exhibit in Central Park. A short outdoor service at 72nd St. and Central Park West will take place directly after the walk. Meet at the corner of 72nd St. and Fifth Ave. 2pm - 4pm. Let's see if I can get this booty above 14th street by 2pm.

Here's a question for all you caffeine drinkers out there...How do you do it? The other day, prior to walking into a 4 hour meeting with 10 partners at a law firm, I was feeling a bit sleepy. I decided to drink a 1/3 cup of coffee. Oh boy! Big mistake!! I spent the next 6 hours oscillating between nausea and ADD. Granted I don't drink much caffeine...but man alive...it got to me. To top it all off, the caffeine left me so wired I didn't fall asleep until 3:30 in the morning. And I drank the coffee at 2 in the afternoon. Note to self, no coffee for me.

Closing and Openings

Recently, a great teacher in my life said, as explanation for why he has decided to take a new course in his life, "Sometimes you have to allow a door in your life to fully close before another will open." I think what he was trying to get at was the idea that sometimes you have to close the door in order to allow for enough silence to make hearing possible. That's when you hear what the world has in store for you.

Not long ago a door in my life closed as firmly and soundly as it opened extravagantly and gloriously. I felt sadness for the closure but it gave me the opportunity to listen in that quiet space. I began to hear some amazing things; things that told me "Don't ponder too long on the closed door. Yes, you are on the right path - both professionally and personally. Yes, keep going."

So, what is it that I heard, you ask? Well, I've been working a long time amassing skills that at times seemed unrelated and irrelevant. I'm finally starting to figure out how all the pieces fit in together. Last week, after several months of networking and then more weeks of interviews I was invited to sit on the Board of Directors of a prominent dance oriented non-profit. Dancewave is a wonderful non-profit that brings modern dance to kids in a vast array of socio-economic groups. www.dancewave.org. I'm thrilled. This opportunity will allow me to participate and give back to the delicious world of modern dance. Modern dance has given me so much joy over the years and I'm glad I can give back in this way. In a weird confluence of events, I've also recently met a ton of Board members for Danspace Project, www.danspaceproject.org, the historic and groundbreaking performance space in the East Village. They are looking for new board members and a few have mentioned that they want me to join. I don't know if I'll have the time for both organizations but we'll consider that "burden" if I'm fortunate to have it. It's like this magic melding of my professional skills with my artistic sensibilities.

Additionally, in just the last week I was invited by a certain large automotive manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, MI to sit on their Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility review board. I know how they got my name but still, the fact that they saw my resume and thought...this girl may actually be able to add some value to our discussion...is really amazing. I'm thrilled. Those of you who met me during the MBA days know how much this means to me.
Oh! Oh! and I heard back from the co-op board...we are making some headway on the apartment. Soon...very soon!

I guess my parents are right when they say..."Just try your best."

The world is an amazing place, isn't it?

On the topic of closings, I attended the funniest performance art piece last Friday night with dear friends AI and DB. My Price Point by Mike Albo was a satirical look at our modern consumer oriented culture. It was great! It combined sharp commentary with dance and comedy. I loved it! My favorite line was "I was working backstage at a concert and got to witness Conor Oberst and Michael Stipe share a hug in their strange homosexual vegan way." Normally I'd tell you to see this show but it ended its run at PS 122 last Sunday night. Oh well. It was still pretty damn funny...

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all that I love...You know who you are.

If I could, I'd give each of you one of those paper valentines with Snoopy on it and afix a little heart themed chocolate...maybe a little Snickers in a pink wrapper.

Oh...and happy 29th birthday to Ms NG! I'm terrible...I know it's in February and I know there is a nine somewhere in the mix...but for the life of me I can't remember if it's the 9th or the 19th. And you'd think I only met her yesterday. Can you believe that it's been 9 years of friendship. I love you girl.

Green Day and Storm King

I like Green Day. There, I said it. Don't hate me. I like Green Day. I know, as someone who spends 90% of her time listening to the likes of Bright Eyes, Kanye West, and Arcade Fire, I should know better. But I can't help but bop along to their infectious faux-punk. What can I say, the boys of Green Day know how to write a good hook.

On a completely unrelated topic, the installation of the Gates reminds me of Storm King Art Center in the Hudson Valley. Storm King is an open air art gallery with the mission of celebrating significant sculptures of scale within the context of nature. It's quite the experience. Imagine an open air gallery set over some 500+ acres of Hudson Valley and hill and green and stream...as you meander your way over grass and gravel and intoxicate your senses with the smell of tree and earth, you stumble across a 100 foot metal sculpter. A Cauldwell, perhaps. Or maybe Mark di Suvero's Pyramidian. First you see the singularity of the sculpture, its cold construction and foreign nature against the backdrop of lawn and woodland. Then slowly you notice the hill beyond and the trees to the right and all of a sudden the sculpture becomes apart of the landscape, an unexpected addition that adds a new harmony to the existing composition. It's inspiring. If you ever find yourself in the NYC area between April - Nov, try to make your way to Mountainville, NY to visit Storm King. You won't regret it. www.stormking.org Visit the website, at least, to see what you're missing.

I heart Jason Mraz

What can I say? Sometimes I revert to being a 15 year old teen mall-rat. Ms. SS kindly accomplanied me to one of his concerts back in San Francisco - Oh, I felt ooooollllldddd. But I had so much fun. Anyway, I thought I'd share a bit from his blog. This post made me laugh and laugh and laugh. I heart Jason Mraz.

From www.jasonmraz.com:

Valentine’s Day Advance Placement Cliff’s Notes

Okay. So I’m about to get real busy and then chase that flurry of hurry with a healthy dose of rest and relaxation, which means I may not open my computer for a solid week or so as I’ll be lost in paradise somewhere on a private tropical island in the central pacific with my imaginary Victoria’s secret model girlfriend. With that in mind I’m leaving the mainland with this advanced statement for those seeking Valentine’s Day advice.

If you’re like the former me, you’re having trouble coming to terms with the holiday around the corner. You’re wondering what you should do for your significant other, what you should buy. And I say if this is you, you’re wasting your time. Valentine’s Day is to be shared and if your partner is expecting something from you to keep the game going then they suck. If you’ve done something wrong and you think you’re big dinner plans for this Valentine’s Day are going to save your relationship than you’re still wrong. Valentine’s day is about the celebration between two people and everything they understand about each other. It is a day reserved like any other. It is one day. But it’s a day with its emphasis on appreciation. The best thing you can give your lover or long time friend is your undivided attention. Place your hands in theirs and look them in the eyes and give them a straight answer.

If you’re happily married and you already celebrate each other’s companionship daily, well, I don’t quite know what to tell you. I would say do something to surprise the other. How so? Do the opposite of your daily routine. If you watch a lot of TV, don’t. If they always make dinner, you do it. If you always drive, let them drive. If you always have to shave their back, let them do it. Carry on with life as you always would, but put yourself in their shoes for a few hours to learn more about how they contribute to the courtship.

Here are a few more specific tips to prepare for the upcoming showcase showdown.

Guys:

WAKE AND BAKE.Get up early. Girls love breakfast in bed. If she has to work, wake her up in time to enjoy it. She’ll only be grumpy for a few minutes. If you don’t have a kitchen or time to cook because you’re a lazy-ass, then take her to a local hotel the night before and order room service and treat the both of you. Besides, strange places are always the kinkiest.

FLOWER POWER.People say flowers are over-rated. This is only said by those who are uncomfortable buying flowers because of other issues. Flowers put a smile on every woman’s face and will do the same for you when you get home from work and you see the same flowers at the dinner table and then later by the bed. She will remember who loves her all day long and she’ll see them and feel pretty and think she smells good because she’ll be smelling the flowers instead of that knock-off perfume you got her for Christmas.

DETAIL.So you’ve given her flowers, your honest hand and a straight answer. You still need to make her giddy all day because you paid attention to detail. -Send a postcard today that will arrive in time for Valentine’s Day. *Write something nice on it.-Leave little notes in all her usual spots, i.e. the coffee pot, the porcelain pot, the drivers’ seat of her car, the cat, your boxer shorts, etc. *Write something nice.-Make a mix tape/cd with all your favorite love making songs for her to listen to all day and attach a note that asks her to save you a dance later. Dancing can be done anywhere; in the carport, in the kitchen, on the roof, it doesn’t matter, just don’t promise her you’ll dance with her and then not. She’ll hold it over you head the rest of the year. You’ll be sorry.-Give her a bath. Not one with you in it, but draw the bath for her. Light candles. Drop in some flower petals. Use salts. Then leave. Deep down she wants to be alone. She works hard to put up with you as it is. Besides, this will give you time alone for online gambling or finishing that jig-saw puzzle you worked on all day long while she was at work. -And whatever you do, don’t tell her you got your tips from this website. She’ll think you’re gay.-If you are gay, the same rule applies. Pretend you thought long and hard about this without any help.

*If you’re completely hopeless and/or retarded, here are a few suggestions to write on the aforementioned notes/postcards. If your handwriting sucks, I give you my permission to print this out and paste it onto the parchment. Cut this section out so you won’t give away the fact that you found it online. Parchment by the way is a nice word for paper.
- You make me smile. (My personal favorite.)
- Without you, I’d probably be in jail by now.
- I love the way you love One Life to Live.
- I love how you reduce, reuse, and recycle in order to achieve a peaceful, equitable, and sustainable earth future.
- Buenos dias con amore. Lavese los manos. (Girls love a foreign tongue.)

Or use song lyrics…
- I’m yours.
- You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. (If you’re 4.)
- Hike up your skirt a little more and show your world to me. (For advanced couples only)
- I adore mi amore. (I repeat: Girls love the foreign language.)
- Drop it like it’s hot.

Girls:
The best thing you can do for your fella is to just let him be. He won’t know what to do without you nagging him incessantly. In fact, don’t do anything. I mean, really, does he deserve it? Let him watch TV. Let him look at porn on the Internet. Just don’t let him leave the house without you. This may be a night where you give him some peace, but it doesn’t mean he can have his peace and eat it too. He’s not to go out with the boys and forget about you because you did nothing for him. He’s to learn at home exactly what you do for him everyday. You’re distance will drive him nuts. And then just before he’s about to cry or storm out of the house, take him by the hand, look him in the eye, capture his calming heart, then kick him square in the frontal intersection of his pants and tell him if he ever tries to leave you it won’t be your foot he’s coming in contact with next time. Boys are stupid. Sometimes they need to be reminded of this. I speak on behalf of all stupid boys when I say it is you who makes this relationship work. If he hasn’t left already, you’re doing something right. Take this time to torture him for the fun sake of torturing another. -Whatever you do, don’t dare tell him that you heard this from me. I don’t need your boyfriend waiting in the alley after the show. In fact, don’t bring your boyfriend to the show next time. There are five other guys onstage with me dying to be your boyfriend that night.

Loners:
Take yourself to the movies. Do something alone. Cherish the solitude and all the popcorn you can eat. Or go to dinner alone and then leave a note for the waiter/waitress. Let them know that someone is thinking of them this Valentine’s Day and that you’ll wait by their car when they get off work. This might creep them out but it’ll be your pleasure since you’ll be home asleep long before they have to be escorted to their car later that night in fear of you.

Eros

From Eros the Bittersweet by Anne Carson

"I would like to grasp why it is that these two activities, falling in love and coming to know, make me feel genuinely alive. There is something like an electrification in them. They are not like anything else, but they are like each other. How? ...They have at their core the same delight, that of reaching, and entail the same pain, that of falling short or being deficient...Both mind and wooer reach out from what is known and actual to something different, possibly better, desired. Something else. Think about what that feels like. "



Reach, love, learn, (fall)...reach again. Ah yes, that is the essence of life.

Art and Wal-Mart

Only 2 more days before "The Gates" unfurl in Central Park. I CAN'T WAIT!!! Here's another article about the art installation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/arts/design/10gate.html?8hpib

Here's a complete non-sequitor. Wal-Mart is trying to barrel it's way into NYC. All of you know what I think about Wal-Mart aka the spawn of satan. We've got to stop them. Another article from the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/10/nyregion/10walmart.html?hp&ex=1108098000&en=8c2c007ce54aa66f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Mmmmmm....Lentils

No, not lentils...Lent.

Today's Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40 day Lenton season. So you'll be seeing lots o' people with smudges on their foreheads. I'm not Catholic or anything but in years past I've considered getting ashes. Although I'm the farthest thing from a religious person (I like to think of myself as more faith based than religious - too many bad, conservative connotations) I find certain ceremonies and observations of the church to be quiet refreshing and inspiring. It's always been my thing to seek out the church when I feel weak or scared, there is comfort in the familiar. The first thing I do when I move to a new town is seek out a church...and eventually I get all misty eyed and weepy. I realize that one of my struggles with San Francisco was my inability to find a church where I felt at home.

I never really observed Lent as a child. I always saw it as something observed by more liturgical sects (re: Catholic and other Orthodox churches). As I grow older and as my spiritual practice evolves, I now find myself drawn to practices and traditions that once seemed silly or unneccesary. Take fasting, for instance. I've always been drawn to the idea of fasting for periods of time. Nearly all religions incorporate fasting as a spiritual practice...Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Lent. What is it about fasting that makes it such a universal act of spirituality? On a physiological level, fasting is often used as a cleansing mechanism. The thought is that you clean the body of toxins and renew it - essentially starting off with a clean slate - an opportunity to begin anew - let our old body fall away. (If you want a really good fasting tonic mix 32 oz. of water with a pinch of cayenne pepper, half the juice of a lemon, and a teaspoon of honey- mix and repeat for as long as you fast - oy! that'll clean you out.) On an emotional/psychological level, fasting is an act of empathy and compassion, an opportunity to experience the suffering (on a very manageable level) of those without. The pangs of hunger, the desire for certain foods, is all supposed to remind us of what we do have and be thankful for it. Personally, I don't see fasting in such "heavy" terms...for me it's basically an opportunity to focus on other things - things beside food.

So, why am I writing about this anyway? Well, in years past I've given up something relatively innocous and easy for Lent - white sugar, eggs, chocolate. This year I've decided to give up all animal based products for Lent. Basically, I'm becoming a vegan again for the next 40 days. I've had small pangs of guilt ever since I walked away from veganism about a 1.5 years ago. As most of you know, I LOVED being a vegan. It made sense to me and made me feel that my life style was more in line with my personal values. Going back to being an omnivoure was the right decision for me but I still miss being a vegan. So, for the next 40 days I'm going to avoid all dairy, eggs, meat, fish, poultry, honey, etc... No new purchases of leather stuff (bags, shoes, belts) or wool sweaters.

I've been toying with the idea of going back to veganism probably for the last 7 or 8 months. I think I'm using this Lent as an experiment to see how my body reacts. If all goes well, I might just stay vegan. I must admit though, I really enjoy non-vegan shoes (leather).

Oh dear, it always comes back to the shoes, doesn't it.

Daddy Advice

It's been called to my attention that I have been very negligent in providing wisdom from the sage teachers that are my parents. Well, my mom has been fairly sane as of late, therefore I introduce you to wisdom of my pops. Oh boy! This would be the man who taught me how to hotwire a car at the age of 6 and let me take a drag of his cigarette (before he quit) at 4.

"Sex is great. I love sex. Just don't have too much sex. It wears you out."

"I'm sorry you look like me. I was hoping that by marrying your mother you'd get some of her genes."

"You should teach yoga to our church members. Even if you weren't any good, I'm sure someone would show up. Plus, most don't speak very good English so they'll never know if you were a good teacher or not."

"Korean people eat fast because we are a rural people. We gotta get back in the fields to harvest." (Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that one out. I don't think I've ever seen my dad harvest anything.)

"Men are sneaky and deceptive. Trust me, I know. I'm one of them." (I think I was 7 or 8 the first time he told me this.)

"Wow, even I speak better English than Arnold Schwarzenegger."

"Why'd you have to go and tell on me?" (This would be after he downed an entire 1 lb box of dark chocolate covered raisins in one afternoon. He's refering to my mom.)

"I don't understand why gay people choose to stay in the middle states. If it's so discriminatory out there, they should just pack up and leave. Look at me, I barely spoke English when I came to New York. Of course I'm smart, which helps."

"I don't understand why people fawn over athelets and movie stars. It's not like they ever bought you a cup of coffee."

Lucky

"I know we are the lucky ones, dear." - Bif Naked

To all my friends near and far, you guys rawk!!!!

I am a lucky, lucky girl. No real reason for the love, just thought I'd tell you that.

Yer pretty and smart and kind and funny and sweet and huggable and sunshiny! LOL...Have a good Tuesday.

And no, I'm not on some happy pills. You know me better than that.

I know what I'm doing for my 30th!

Okay...so I realize that my 30th b-day is still a ways off (8.5 months and counting) but I've finally figured out what I'm going to do in honor of its passage. I'm gonna go and hide myself in the mountains of Patagonia! And what do you know, Oct. is the beginning of the prime camping/hiking season. I don't have any of the details planned as of yet, but I do know that I want to spend at least 5-6 days in the backcountry - it's been too long since I've last been on a good "connecting with nature" trek. This soul needs to smell trees and climb rocks and subsist on dried fruit, nuts, and other dehydrated vittles.

I need to get a new tent - any suggestions? The last tent I owned wasn't even a tent - just a one person bivy sack. 2.6 lbs. I think I want something a little larger now but I'm super sensative about weight.

On a slightly different note, we had a GREAT weekend in the tri-state area! 55 degrees! I went for two LOOOOOOOONG runs - 8 miles on Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday (Oy! My body is feeling it too). It was fabulous. And my Sunday run was out in Long Island. I drove to a nice woody park and got lost in the trees and the earth. Yum! That's the thing about having four seasons, you really appreciate the good weather when it arrives. If we had a similar weekend in San Francisco, people would have been complaining about it being too cold.

And least you think I seem a little too granola crunchy, I also scored a really cute pair of cropped black pants at Anne Taylor Loft for $12.50 (originally $60, plus tax-free week in NYC)! Good weather, good runs, and cute pants - what more can a girl ask for!

Ohhhhhhh....I can't wait to plan my trip. And I'm totally open to having one or two companions. Anyone want to join me? My only requirements is that you've been backcountry camping at least once before and you're not a wuss. Ha!

The thing about Boston

First the world series and now the super bowl. If only they could have also won the presidential election.

I WANT TO GO TO THE COACHELLA AND BONNAROO FESTIVALS!!!

I can't stand it! I can't stand it! (Can you tell it's been a slow day at work. Three posts!)

I want to go to Coachella and Bonnaroo!!!! Am I crazy? Yes!

Bonnaroo Festival Line-up (in Manchester, Tennessee) June 10 -12

Mars Volta, My Morning Jacket, Mouse On Mars, Iron & Wine, M. Ward, Joanna Newsom, Rilo Kiley, Trey Anastasio, Benevento / Russo Duo feat. Mike Gordon, Old Crow Medicine Show, Tea Leaf Green, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, the Allman Brothers Band, Jack Johnson, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Gov't Mule, Bela Fleck Acoustic Trio, John Prine, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams, STS9, Earl Scruggs & Friends, Joss Stone, O.A.R., Toots and the Maytals, Umphrey's McGee, Ozomatli, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Drive-By Truckers, Particle, Xavier Rudd, Ray Lamontagne, the Gourds, Donna the Buffalo, John Butler, Trio, Ollabelle, Citizen Cope, Brazilian Girls, and Madeleine Peyroux.

Coachella Festival Line-up (in the Coachella Valley, near Death Valley, on a polo field, in the desert, in May,in California - it's HOT!)

Saturday, April 30th: Coldplay, Bauhaus, Weezer, Cocteau Twins, the Chemical Brothers, Wilco, Keane, Snow Patrol, Rilo Kiley, Cafe Tacuba, Doves, Sage Francis, Armin Van Buuren, the Raveonettes, Bloc Party, Mercury Rev, Fantomas, Hernan Cattaneo, Zap Mama, DJ Peretz, the Secret Machines, Jamie Cullum, M83, Ambulance LTD, Four Tet, MF Doom, Josh Wink, Amp Fiddler, Tiga, the Kills, Donavon Frankenreiter, Spoon, Boom Bip, Katie Melua, DJ Marky, Immortal Technique, Jean Grae, Razorlight, Swayzak, Radio 4, Buck 65, Eisley, the Sexy Magazines, k-os.

Sunday, May 1st: Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Bright Eyes, Gang of Four, Prodigy, Black Star, the Faint, Roni Size, the Arcade Fire, Roots Manuva, DJ Krush, Thrice, Junkie XL, M.I.A., British Sea Power, the Dresden Dolls, Miss Kittin, the Fiery Furnaces, Aesop Rock, the Perceptionists, Jem, Autolux, Sixtoo, Tegan and Sara, Stereophonics, The Bravery, Matthew Dear, Diplo, Subtle, Beans, Shout Out Louds, the Futureheads, Sloan, Kasabian, the Blood Brothers, Matmos, Wolf Eyes, Gram Rabbit, Smokestacks, Zion I.

When I was 21

When I was 21, if you had told me that we would have an African-American woman Secretary of State and a Hispanic Attorney General within the next decade, I probably would have jumped up and down in excitement. Condelezza Rice and Alberto Gonalez were not what I had imagined. I am sad.

Becareful of what you wish for.

Stupid Racist Things People Have Said To or Near Me

"You speak English so well."
Me: "Yes, do you need any help with your English?"

"Where are you from?"
Me: "New York."
"No, where are you really from?"
Me: "Manhattan."
"No, no, I mean where were you born?"
Me: Queens (Which is not true but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.)
FYI...if you are ever curious about someone's origin, a much more acceptable question would be "What is your ethnic heritage?" Of course, this one is also a bit of a minefield. It's best to avoid the question all together and wait for the person to volunteer the information.

"English is the official language of the US."
Me: "Ummm, no it's not. We don't have an official language."

"I think I hear an accent."
Me: "Yes, it is the accent of intelligence."

"Why don't you just go back to your homeland."
Me: "Do you mean New York City?"

"Hey Chink."
Me: "I much prefer Gook. If you're gonna be racist, please use the correct ethnic slur."

"Do you speak English?" (Tourist who stopped me to ask for directions)
Me: "No, I don't. You should ask someone else."

"Do you dream in Korean?"
Me: "No. But I do dream in French and Latin."

"But you don't act Asian."
Me: "I like to save my flying kung-fu for special occassions. I don't like to show off."

"Are you sure you're Korean?"
Me: "I'm not sure. Wait a sec while I check my label."

(This next one comes from an interview I was conducting. I couldn't respond back but I wish I had.)
"The problem with the black people we hire is that they always have a chip on their shoulder. The asians and indians aren't like that. Of course, you have to watch out for them as well. They have a tendancy to exaggerate their resumes."

(If you ever want to pick me up at a bar, never, ever use this last one. Remember, I wear stilletos and I know how to convert them into a self-defense mechanism.)
"You are so beautiful and exotic and I love the special color of your skin."
Me: "Too bad. This is going to be the last time you see it." (And then I walked away.)

How Odd

It's weird to realize that people, other than my close friends, read this thing from time to time. Apparently my thoughts on racism hit a few nerves. Great! I love a good debate. I wonder how my "On Racism, Part 2" will be received. It's in the works!

It's interesting to ponder what the one dimensional Bo must look like in their minds eye? Am I tall or short? Fat or skinny? White, black, asian, hispanic, or other? Do I wear pink shirts with orange polka dots? Educated or uneducated? (Wait, don't answer that last question. Based on my horrid punctuation and spelling I'm sure I know the answer to that one.)

I wonder.

Things that make you go 'hmmmmmmm'. (I'm so dating myself.)

The goings on of my goings on...

I realize that one of the goals of this here site was to keep you informed about the goings on of my goings on...and lately I've only been ranting and raving and being quite narcassistic...so here are a few tidbits about what I've been up to.

> Still waiting to close on the apartment. Apparently, based on advise from other home owners, the process I've gone through is completely typical.
> Still volunteering with Dress for Success...I like it a lot!
> Currently in talks to maybe join the Board of Directors for a couple of prominent dance companies/dance-music oriented non-profits. If I get these, I'll let you know.
> Spoke to a reporter for Glamour magazine in late Dec. (work related) I think the article is supposed to come out in their April or May issue. I'll keep you posted.
> Enjoyed visits from a multitude of CA friends! You guys are fun!
> Saw an interesting art exhibit at the ICP examining whiteness (as in the race.)
> Indulged in Fall and Winter...Yeah seasons!
> Realized that I have the capability to not run away when I get scared.
> Tried to rationalize why I should purchase those cute red and cream flats by Charles & David...oh bother, who am I kidding...of course I bought them! But can you believe it...I purchased flats...well, not real flats. But the heel is only 1.5 inches!
> Flew to LA, gave a work related speech, and flew back to NYC all within the span of 21 hours!
> Filmed a PSA (but you already knew that!)
> Held a headstand for 15 minutes!!!
> Got a poem published...but you'll probably never actually see it anywhere it counts.
> Applied to two writing fellowships/scholarships and am still waiting to hear back about both...I'm sure I'll be rejected.
> Joined a choir.
> Joined a writers workshop.
> Considering actually finishing my MFA - I know, you're all probably thinking "She's still doing that?"

Over the next couple of weeks/next month, I'm hoping to:
> Finally select a closing date on the apartment.
> Party with the beautiful Ms K.Lo on her 30th! Oh, and see that fellow she's always dragging along. ;-)
> Hear back from the writing fellowship folks.
> Do my taxs.
> Do some more painting and writing and photographing.
> Figure out a way to not put y'all to sleep as you read this.

Should I just abandon this format and revert back to putting minute by minute accounts of my conversations with my mom?

The simpleton that I am

I'm such a little simpleton. Just about anything can make me giddy.

Like:
Eating Trader Joe rice crackers.
or
Having 'boogeybaby' as my email address. You'd think I'd have gotten over the amusement of that one by now.
or
Sharing five hours with Ms. Fong on Saturday night and gorging on tasty vittles.
or
The extra syllables rap artists tack on to make their flow more smooth. For example: "I see 'em on the block when I passes/ Lookin' like they need oxygen mask-es" Courtesy of the artist Fabolous.
or
My friend Dave "the man".
or
My huge pink bathrobe.
or
Singing a karaoke version of Camron's "Hey Ma". How can you not smile when you hear the chorus - "Hey ma." "What's up?" "Let's slide." "All right." "All right." "We gon' get it on tonight."
or
Puppies with too big paws.
or
"A Poem of Friendship" by Nikki Giovanni

A Poem of Friendship
by Nikki Giovanni

We are not lovers
because of the love
we make
but the love
we have

We are not friends
because of the laughs
we spend
but the tears
we save

I don't want to be near you
for the thoughts we share
but the words we never have
to speak

I will never miss you
because of what we do
but what we are
together