mail!

today i received the most mail i've ever received in one day. it was incredible. it felt like someone combined my last ten sets of birthday cards into one day. okay, maybe a bit less than that, but i got at least fifteen pieces of mail. that's a lot!

in my pile of glorious mail came two packages. amish grace: how forgiveness transcended tragedy was the first new buy. i know that i have two tests and a paper next week, but all i want to do is read this book. it's about real forgiveness and real grace by real people in a real tragedy. and of course, sister helen prejean has a quote on the back. 27,000 cool points right there. i'll let you know how it is.

next was a film that is on the list over there on the left: once. i am so excited. i already have people lined up to borrow it so they can share the joy with me. have you seen it? did you enjoy it as much as i did?

side note: sarah and i (and nikki and kristen) went to the emergency department (did you know that it's the ed now, not the er?) last night. her arm was getting worse. yep, it was worse. she fractured her radius. speaking of fractures, did you see the film fracture? totally mysterious but good. not making the list on the left, but worth a $4 rental if everyone pitches in.

poor sarah!!!

it was a beautiful day and three students, sarah, molly and jamie went roller blading (with out the appropriate knee pads, elbow pads, and helmets) through golden gate park. i got a hysterical call from jamie, "sarah's hurt! there's blood! come pick us up in the park. hurrrrrrry!" so off i rushed to the park searching for the three bladers. there she was. bloody face, hands and knees. (this is a blader that calls herself a professional!) holy smokes. we got her back to the house and realized that none of us knew what exactly we should do. we didn't think we needed to be at the emergency room but we were unsure. luckily, my new and wonderful friend, pryor, lives two blocks from the house. and, she's a nurse! the southern bell arrived and comforted sarah by applying hydrogen peroxide ever so gently as all of us watching encouraged sarah to scream or yell expletives, but she didn't do either. she just kept taking deep breaths. what a trooper! thanks to pryor for applying her nurse skills and coming to the rescue.

a note from sarah: "don't wear helmets because they are totally uncool. however, when [roller] blading down a hill that doesn't seem steep, veer to the grass asap. if you can't do it asap, you might look like me. try falling on your butt, not your face."




*i have permission to post these photos here.

three oscar thoughts.

here are my thoughts on last night's academy awards... 1. the best speech was by tilda swinton; best quote: "thank you life, thank you love" 2. i am so happy that glen and marketa won. well deserved. and good decision to let marketa walk back out there; she is so eloquent and beautiful 3. diablo cody definitely deserved the best original screenplay for juno, but glad it didn't get best picture.

down-up-down-up.

two thumbs down: vantage point.
two thumbs up: san francisco freeze.
two thumbs down: rain which inhibits me from scootering.
two thumbs up: dim sum with the family.

completely enthralled with: schizophrenia disorders (lie!) and the
oscars tonight (truth!).

geico.

i'm not a huge fan of salamanders and lizards, or what i would assume to be slimy creatures. i don't hate them but i would prefer they keep their distance. i feel the same way about the geico gecko. he annoys me. until today. today i want to embrace him and stroke the top of his head with my index finger. he really did save me money by switching to geico. ie: i called around about getting insurance for my new scooter (who still needs a name, by the way) and geico was the cheapest, by far ($200!). so, i thought to myself, "i wonder if it's cheaper for me to get my car insured with geico, too?" got a quote and it's $42 cheaper. is $42 really worth it? YES! $42/month x 12 months = $504 in savings! holy cow. everyone should call to see if it's cheaper to switch to geico.

i own a scooter!

pictures to come soon.

random thursday, part II.

have i told you about good magazine? i subscribed about a month ago and then just got my first issue. seriously, so great. (or, good, rather.) when you subscribe to the magazine one hundred percent of your payment goes to the nonprofit of your choice. you get twelve choices including 826 national, kiva, teach for america and more. i chose 826 national because 826 valencia is home to at least one urban intern every semester and they have one of the best internship programs for our students.

tomorrow is scooter day. ahh! excitement all around.

saturday is the freeze mob at the cable car turnaround at powell & market. if you don't know what the freeze mob is, check out what happened in new york a few weeks ago. thanks michele for informing me..

not that juicy of a debate tonight on cnn. blah.

if i emailed you for my art&politics project, can you email me back? and forward it on to your parents, please. that will make my demographic a lot more interesting.

i passed!

yep, it's official. i have my m-1 permit. party!

also, no more yamaha in silver or raspberry red. i'm going for the honda in cherry red. i think i should name it. any ideas? i pick it up on friday!

it's really happening.

yesterday i did my research.
today i bought a helmet.
tomorrow i take my motorcycle permit test.

that's right. i'm getting a scooter. it will hopefully look like this:

or, it could look like this:

which color do you like better?

gentrification, etc.

lesley and lori came to san francisco. so fun to hang out.

also... erin, julie, lori and i went to a play at berkeley rep. we saw taking over and it was incredible. it definitely challenged my ideas of what gentrification means and how it can impact so many different people, in both good and bad ways. don't know what gentrification is? it's "a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture. the term is often used negatively, suggesting the displacement of poor communities by rich outsiders. but the effects of gentrification are complex and contradictory, and its real impact varies." read more about it here.

city wide pillow fight.

this video was from two years ago, but i'm sure it looked the same tonight. wish i could have been there. had class.

the rules:
1) Tell everyone you know about PILLOW FIGHT!!!
2) Wait for the Ferry Building clock to strike 6:00pm
3) Don’t hit anyone with out a pillow (unless they want it)
4) Don’t hit anyone with a camera
5) HAVE FUN!!!

can you imagine?

the prettiest stamp i ever bought.

go to the post office and purchase the louis comfort tiffany stamps titled magnolia and irises. it makes sending mail seven times more fun. even bills!

z-i-double g-y

i love walking ziggy for the following reasons: (a) it's license to talk to anyone who has a dog. you can't just stand there awkwardly as the dogs sniff each other's butts. i mean you can, but you shouldn't. it's the same way people drink to feel more comfortable at bars. if you're not into the bar thing, just move to an urban city and walk a kick ass dog that everyone wants to know about and pet. (b) it is great when the dog walkers are hot. like today. hot dog walker + his hot accent + 75 degrees outside = a happy ziggy walker (me).

happy birthday, lesley!

calling all parker palmer fans.

growing up i would always say "i'm bored. there's nothing to do here [for free]." i even remember saying it regarding night life in santa barbara (perhaps it was before the era of turning 21). my point: i have never been able to say those words while living in san francisco. not once.

this sunday at grace cathedral parker palmer is the guest at the forum. it's free. 9:30-10:30. free. free. free. i am not bored in this city.

thanks to michele for encouraging me to read let your life speak!

jealous californian.

my friends sarah and kristy are residents of washington state. translation: the lucky ladies got to caucus today! seriously, so jealous. if i think going to the poll booth is fun, i can't even imagine how much fun i'd have caucusing.

i assume you heard the news: barack swept hillary under the rug. triple booyah. (yah, that's my new thing, bringing back the word booyah, that's right. booyah.)

willem and emma entertained me tonight, as well as writing cover letters and watching law and order: svu. clearly, my saturday night has been eventful.

up-grad-ed.

i just got upgraded. you're reading the blog of a residence life director. i've never been a director. i think i could get used to that. boooyah.

(re)learning good lessons.

i have a very unique privilege: whenever i want, i can sit in on the urban studies class and listen to the guest speakers, particularly, dave batstone. he comes twice a year and it never gets old. today was no different; he shared about his vocational journey and i left inspired, refreshed and pleasantly surprised that one can share the same message in so many different ways.

here is what i (re)learned today:
our biggest obstacles in finding and following through with our vocation are 1. disappointing the people who have dreams for us (ie: fear of upsetting or letting down the goals our parents might have for us) 2. romance / sex / marriage (ie: romantic relationships need to be a partnership on the journey, not a destination) 3. the acquisition of material things (ie: what i have to own and want, which quickly turns into a need). as much as people say "i can't go there- i can't do this- it costs money- money is what separates me from my vocation" etc, that's actually false. when we use money as an excuse, we probably don't want -whatever it is- bad enough. i write all of this not to say that you can't follow through with your vocation if you don't disappoint your parents, you happen to be married or have acquired [unnecessary] material goods-- it's more that when we put those things first, before our vocation, that's when things get sticky.

we are the generation of awareness. meaning, we know about it all (or at least we think we do!). we know about aids, we know about poverty, we know about rwanda, we know about iraq, we know about this-that-and the other thing. it's been shoved in our face and it feels like the baby boomers are saying "it's messed up and you have to fix it." and we are left feeling hopeless. we are left feeling overwhelmed and constantly asking ourselves, "where do i start?" we are lost. we are over-aware. at one point we are going to tell you (older and wiser generation) that we don't want any more information because there is too much to do, too much to know, and too much need. i would say it's part of the reason colleges have tried to stop sending all campus emails unless it's vital. they are over-awaring us and then we stop caring. all together. just stop. so then people like barack obama come along and provide something new and people like hillary clinton wonder why she doesn't have what he has. barack is standing up and saying YES WE CAN. no one else is doing that. no other political candidate is giving hope to the over-aware generation. and people wonder why the youth are attracted to him?

dave has spoken all over the country regarding his book, not for sale. someone asked dave what the difference between a harvard and a westmont student was... he said the difference is in the job at the bus station. for example, harvard students are driving the bus and directing its' path while westmont students are taking the tickets from the passengers. what's worse is that the westmont staff & faculty (some, not all) are teaching and inspiring to the ticket-takers, not the bus drivers. this might be confusing, but ultimately dave was saying that the difference between the two is the attitude and the way harvard students are set up to succeed. you can also replace westmont with any other college that is not an ivy league or well known for its' amazing-ness (ie: wheaton, biola, usf, etc)

last: if you stop asking questions and stop learning and stop being curious, you get old. we don't need more old people, we need more young people. rusty, my 77 year old friend, is a great example of staying young.

good news all around.

first: brothers and sisters is back on this sunday night. I AM SO HAPPY.



second: young voter (18-29) turnout was up in a HUGE way. check out the time magazine article. again, SO HAPPY.



last: the new yorker has a good article on hillary and barack.
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.

you better believe it.

yes, we can.

it's pretty clear who i'm voting for. but that's not what this video is about for me. today i got an email from camp barack that read: "When Michelle and I talked about my running for president, one of the core goals we both had for this campaign was to leave the political process better off than we found it. You have challenged conventional thinking and built a grassroots movement for change that is sweeping this country." i got the chills. it's true, even if he doesn't win, they have, indeed, left this political process better than they found it. i am so proud to be voting tomorrow, and, to be remembering that yes, we can.



micah, cg and i will be making calls tonight at camp barack in san francisco. how fun is that?

i think the primary is about voting your heart. that's why my friend diana is voting green. that's why my brother is probably voting for huckabee (who will be dropping out soon, i'm sure). however, for all you undecided democrats out there, it might be a good idea to ask yourself if you really think hillary can beat mccain (or romney, for that matter). [i don't think she can.]

it's all about lowering my expectations.

unexpected blessings from this weekend:
a new friend, julie. a good reminder that everyone has a unique story to tell.
three passes to ski for free, thanks to my brother, carter.*
keith's parents telling us not to fill up the truck with gas.
dan, for inviting me to be with his amazing co-workers.
the sugar-shack, hands down the best cabin i've ever stayed in.**

as a kid we would stay in our ski boots all day, eat chili in the lodge and ski from 8-4, when the last lift closed. this weekend was a whole new experience for me. julie's cabin is about 300 yards from the lifts so when you wanted to take a break you could just come in, warm up by the fire and grab a cup of hot chocolate. or, change out of your ski clothes and make yourself lunch. after skiing, the sauna was warmed up and waiting for you. it was the perfect weekend. i'm feeling totally rejuvenated.

regarding skiing: i feared i'd forget how-- good news! it's just like riding a bike. and, it snowed all weekend, making fresh powder- perfect ski/snowboard conditions. the funniest part of the weekend (though, not so funny at the time) was when i ventured out with dan, keith and dillon and they promised me i could make it down a black diamond. i made it down all right-- on my ass! they also decided it would be fun to go through trees and off the trails. ultimately, i prefer blue diamond routes. thanks for the optimism and encouragement, boys!

*thanks, carter, for knowing at least someone in every corner of the skate/surf/snow world. you have, by far, the most connections of anyone i know. it's a good thing i'm not completely immersed in your industry or else i'd be bugging you all the time.

**i didn't take any pictures because i was too busy relaxing. forgive me.

glassbooth.

still don't know who you're going to vote for? go to glassbooth to find out if what you believe matches up with any of the presidential candidates. be careful, though... it might be a major let down when the candidate you most agree with isn't running anymore. thanks to michele for this great site.