A blog in the life of Jessica

National Parks: Part II

2012-01-08T04:09:00.000-08:00

I am not much of historian and think sometimes that I should write a letter to Richard Lyman Bushman for his advice to the novice historian. Much of the history I learn feels distant and disconnected from my personal life. Recently, I made an interesting personal connection while watching to the history of Grand Teton National Park on the Ken Burn's National Park Series

Yellowstone was the first U.S. National Park, established in 1872. If you are a fan of national parks then it's a good thing that Wyoming was not yet a state, otherwise Yellowstone could easily have been a state park, like Yosemite started out or not a park at all. Years after becoming a park more and more people took notice of the beautiful jagged mountains south of Yellowstone, and in 1908 the Teton mountains themselves were made a national forest.

I have vivid memories of sitting in the front room of my grandparent's house or out by my grandpa's extensive garden watching cars go up the highway, a road that if one continues to drive 45 minutes east will wind along a beautiful reservoir and by taking the right forks in the road will land one in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park.

While sitting in my grandparent front room or by the garden I have listened to numerous stories told by my grandpa. Grandpa, being a farmer, talks and thinks of land the same way most people talk and think about the weather, which means daily. (Don't worry the weather is also a common topic of conversation, especially for a dry farmer). Many times these discussions elicit not-so-friendly comments about how certain neighbors, the government and oddly, the Rockefellers are affecting local land prices. Growing up and even now I have not been involved or much interested in real estate nor the factors that change prices. I always thought my grandpa's statement a little odd, but after watching this National Parks series, I realize grandpa's statement may not be off the mark.

According to the NPS:

The original Grand Teton National Park, set aside by an act of Congress in 1929, include only the Teton Range and six glacial lakes at the base of the mountains.
The Jackson Hole National Monument, decreed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt through presidential proclamation in 1943, combined Teton National Forest acreage, other federal properties including Jackson Lake and a generous 35,000-acre donation by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The Rockefeller lands continued to be privately held until December 16, 1949 when impasse for addition to the national park was resolved.
On September 14, 1950, the original 1929 Park and the 1943 National Monument (including Rockefeller’s donation) were united into a “new” Grand Teton National Park, creating present-day boundaries

After congress set aside the original 1929 land including only the Teton Range and six glacial lakes at the base of the mountains, John D. Rockefeller Jr. who thought the park should be bigger with an unobstructed view from the valley, was quietly buying up land in Teton Valley. He hoped to add it to the park. But Wyoming's was a state by now and an intense state-federal battle began. President Roosevelt sought to expand the park despite local resistance. Eventually, a compromise was reached to bring more land under protection and gave us the Grand Teton National Park we know today. But it also resulted in Wyoming being the first "state" (OK so it wasn't a state yet) to have a National Park (Yellowstone) and the only one that by law will never have another one created. As part of the Teton's compromise the Federal Government agreed to never again use the Antiquities Act (the act used to create National Parks) to protect land inside Wyoming.

Apparently some of the Rockefeller's posterity must be meddling again in the local real estate, and grandpa's stories are more than just the reveries of a retired farmer.

Here are some pics to show it is a real pretty place, is it any wonder rich people would want to move there and drive up land prices:)

National Parks: Part I

2011-12-31T08:27:00.000-08:00

This last month I watched Ken Burn's The National Parks: America's Best Idea and loved it. I'd seen some of it a few years ago but this was the first time I've watched it beginning to end. It is a hearty 12 hour endeavor and I did over a few weeks, but it was worth it.

A few years ago I decided to make some lifetime goals. One of these goals was to visit every National Park (NP) in the US. I already had a good start, being from Utah and having a parents who must have loved NP --or were just cheap-- because it seemed we visited a NP every family vacation whether we wanted to or not.

Even though I may have complained on a few of those trips, I love National Parks, in idea and actuality. They may be the only form of federal government involvement some members of my family and I will ever agree on. It is easy to get caught up in owning very tangible and proximal items like electronics, cars, clothes and real estate, these things usually belong to one person or a family, we don't have many opportunities to experience what it is like to have ownership and responsibility for communal goods.

I recently visited two NP in Florida, the Everglades and Biscayne. Each park has it's own beauty. The Everglades are like the where's Waldo of National parks, keeping one ever alert i hopes of glimpsing a Heron, Anhinga, Alligator or some other wildlife. Whereas the Western parks of my youth demanded great hikes and quiet contemplation as one looks upon God's natural temples.

National parks are filled with people from all over the US, the world and from every walk of life. I have met people both from the US and other countries with whom I have very little in common but can talk about the grandeur of delicate arch in Arches NP or the acrophobia inducing Angel's Landing of Zion NP. Talk to Europeans who once they know you are from Utah want to re-live their trips of Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion's to you. A national park is a place where I and a Latina teenager from Florida can stand side by side and watch in wonder an alligator on a log staring at a turtle. It is a communitarian experience that people from the entire political spectrum can appreciate.

Everglades: If you look real close you can see an alligator

Everglades

Glacier

Glacier: Brother Mike and I on a sibling bonding hike.

Without a car no more

2011-12-11T17:34:00.001-08:00

I made it a whole week without a car. I've felt real blessed--I have to use that word is it such a Southern word, do you know how many times I've heard "bless her heart" and this time of the year "have a blessed Christmas," What wrong with the word merry people?-- to have so many great friends who were happy to give me rides. In all, I got 10 rides from 7 people in 5 days. When I finally picked up my car Friday afternoon I was glad to be back in the drivers seat.

I was surprised at how well I did without my car, a blog post by by Dan Ariely about Flying Frustrations reminded me of this. He shares a story about how a two-hour flight to Chicago ended up taking 6 hours due to weather. Knowing myself, I was surprised that I didn't have more frustrating moments like this. The only one I can recount was upon learning how much it would cost to fix dear Regina. So while I definitely had to adjust to others schedules and had some of the idle moments Ariely talks about, my trick was to always carry a book with me.

A week without a car...day three.

2011-12-07T19:04:00.001-08:00

Think about what you do when you are in a car by yourself... do you listen to the radio, talk on the phone (I don't recommend this but understand if it happens), make mental lists? I mainly listen to NPR and if I'm driving during the classical music hours then I listen to my ipod. Not that I have anything against classical music but the voice of the DJ sounds like she also works for a 1-900 number--sometimes it makes me a little uncomfortable.

Well this week everywhere I went was with someone and usually when I in a car with someone we chat, and I had some great chats. I decided to count up how many different people have given me a ride this week, it adds up to 6 so far. That means at least 6 conversations. It's been nice to have a little more informal human contact in my life. I have enjoyed learning more about the people giving me a ride.

Here's a few things I've chatted with people about:

The absence of official dietary guidelines for children 0-2 years old.
Birth control.
Musical talents, or lack thereof.
The fact that one of my coworkers husbands stayed home and cooked Thanksgiving for his neighbor who has cancer while his family went to New York.
More than I ever needed to know about Sons of Anarchy.
Someone who got married on 11/11/11.
HBCUs

A week without a car...day two.

2011-12-06T18:01:00.001-08:00

If you ever need a ride just ask me. It's only day two and feel like I owe the whole world a ride to somewhere.

My perception of time has changed over the past 2 days. Having a car means I decide when I come and go. Even to the extent that I can get very stressed if I am not out the door or at the office at certain, almost arbitrary deadlines I set for myself.

Depending on someone else for transportation has lessened this stress and anxiety. For example, today my ride was supposed to pick me up at 8 am. She called and said she had to talk to her son's teacher and get gas. So after 45 minutes of waiting and another 15-minute stop at Star Bucks we arrived at work. Usually this would be a very stressful experience, but I took it in stride and used the time to practice my banjo.

Being so dependent also means I feel like a pre-driving teen, bumming rides all the time. This feeling was not lessened by the fact that had to ask no fewer than 5 people for a ride home. It wasn't that they couldn't give me a ride but that I wanted to find a someone leaving as close to my normally-scheduled-departure time as possible. As I trudged out to my rides car laden with books and work so I can telework the next few days and explained how to get to my house, I was glad my coworker didn't ask if I had any homework or my adolescent feelings would have been complete.

Here is a random stats from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics:

From 2004 to 2008, the median age of automobiles in operation increased by 0.5 years and reached 9.4 years.

This stat only means something to me because after I found out about my car I had to decide whether I wanted to pay for repairs or get a new car. My car has relatively low mileage but is coming up on it's tenth birthday, putting us right at the median. I just hope Regina (that's my car's name) will make it through this to have a many more years and become an outlier. Here's picture of what she looks like in case you forgot (however, my car has a ski rack making it look all the cooler).

A week without a car...day one.

2011-12-05T19:36:00.001-08:00

I was informed today that I blew a head gasket in my engine. I really have no idea what that means but it makes your car overheat, is expensive and takes a long time to fix. Hence this week I am without a car and this situation seems like a good writing gimmick.

One thing I am already learning from this experience is people are great. Within a few hours of finding out I would be without a car for a week I had found rides for the next few days to and from work, to a party and my banjo lesson thanks to coworkers, a visiting teacher and friends. Oh, I almost forgot to mention my great home teacher who picked me up from the mechanic. It's not often that I have to ask people for help--I try to avoid it as I hate to bother people-- but it was really nice to have so many people come to my rescue. They are great examples to me.

I may be a psychopath

2011-10-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

I came across this article this morning and it left me a little unsettled. Self diagnosis is a dangerous thing and I am very prone to it. I have already diagnosed myself with chronic congestion disorder, degenerative hip disease (which seems to be getting better so I guess I wasn't irreversible), bad knees and perhaps a slow growing brain tumor (I forget things all the time, simple things... like the word for the holiday where people dress up in costumes and then go ask for candy, oh yeah that's called Halloween). Now I may have to add to the list psychopath.

Most people would read an article entitled Can you tell a psychopath by the way they speak? and start to think of the people they know how might fit the profile. I on the other hand start to wonder if I might not be a psychopath because I say "so" a lot and am easily annoyed with people, especially Atlanta drivers, they're crazy. It's moments like this that I wonder why I even went to school as I conflate association and causation and violate a number of other rules of statistical application and just plain common sense. I also wonder if a psychopath ever thinks they are psychopaths. If this article is to be believed there are far more psychopaths than we think and I swear they are all giving public health webinar that I am forced to listen to, and grate my teeth with every "umm" and "uh" and other disfluences used. I'll let my reader(s) make their own judgements.

Here's my favorite comment on this article: "Uhh… Hmmmm… This post is so-so."

Goats and Mountains

2011-10-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

I took a quick trip to North Carolina with K and E this weekend. We had a grand time staying at a co-workers cabin and making a quick trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a pleasant trip and good times were had by all, though E may emphasis the low-temperatures a bit too much. The temp in Atlanta has dropped and in the mountains that means it was down right chilly. It got down into the high forties at the cabin and below freezing at the summit of Clingmans Dome, the highest point of the Smokys. It's really a beautiful park and free I will definitely be going back.

But we couldn't go all the way up to North Carolina without stopping in one of North Georgia's most famous, classy destinations: Goats on a Roof.

K&E with goats on roof.

You can feed them by putting food in a cup and then peddling it up to the goats.

Goats eagerly anticipating goat food.

Luckily for me and them, the goats can set food on solid ground if wanted.

An abandoned chimney on Kephart trail.

This is what it looked like at Clingman's Dome.

The view at a little lower elevation.

The three of us with Rip Van Winkle in the background, who apparently just woke up from his long slumber.

HFJ

2011-08-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

I was watching Meet the Press this morning and got my first good look at Harold Ford Jr. (HFJ), former Democratic Congressman from Tennessee. Now, I know what I am about to say is going to make me seem like a 14 year old girl, especially considering my last post about an intellectual crush, but I find HFJ rather attractive. While scribbling down some notes and trying to understand why Peggy Noonan kept whisking back her hair like a 14-year-old girl or Ashley from the Bachelorette it hit me; I find him attractive because he is a hybrid of two individuals I love, President Obama and Rufus Sewell (please see equation below).

Despite the rough patches that President Obama's and my relationship have been through and the economy being in the crapper, I really like the guy; kind of want him as a neighbor. I'm what whispy-hair, talking-mouth Peggy Noonan calls the loyal 20%.

Rufus Sewell is an understated actor who I have loved since the first time I saw Cold Comfort Farm. His appearance in HBO's John Adams Series as the handsome economist and Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton only heightened my ardor. So HFJ, while you may not be making many inroads in the NY political scene you can sit and smolder on MTP anytime.

A New Crush

2011-08-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Many are aware that I have many intellectual crushes, mainly on older economists—these crushes are erroneously extrapolated by some friends to mean I dig old guys. Not true—well, I have a new crush that I would like to publicly announce on my blog, this means it’s serious. My crush is on Harvard University’s Justice with Michael Sandel. You may be thinking, she has a crush on Micheal Sandel. That’s not completely true. I'm more in love with the perfect combination of him, his class and the accessibility of it all than him as a person, but maybe that's because we haven't actually met.

I came across this class a few weeks ago when I was reading an article a friend sent me. The article referenced the class and I decided give it a try. Then I saw him on the Colbert Report and I knew it was meant to be.

Listening to the discussions makes me feel young and inspired again. But, I also appreciate that had I taken this class 10 years ago as a freshman I would have had a completely different experience, and that helps me appreciate it all the more. So here’s to life-long learning and coming to understand old ideas in new ways as one moves through life. One thing I know, I'm much more utilitarian than even I thought.

The clip below isn’t actually from the class but can be found on the class website.

The Thrill of Victory

2011-07-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last year on the 4th of July weekend being inspired by the competitive spirit of Wimbledon and the World Cup decided to have a badminton tournament inspired by two of the USA's least popular sports, tennis and soccer. My partner and I were runners-up last year but thanks to a stacked team and a no-show by the defending champs (Jeff and Jamie), my partner Shaun and I won the tournament (though, if you ask my room mate Carolyn she would say her team was robbed).

Here are some photos and a video from the event. It is only half way through that we realize we are being filmed. The amazingly patriotic victory cake was made by Carolyn. Warning the video below contains some graphic, fake kissing.

I added this one mainly for the people in the background trying to steal the show.

Summer Vacation

2011-06-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

I recently went on vacation and hit 6 states and 2 countries in 9 days, not too shabby. I started out in Myrtle beach for two days and enjoyed a bit of a beach vacation. Then it was off to Utah where I had dinner with my brother, his fiance and son. Then to Idaho via Wyoming for a few days to see my grandparents and gather the troops who would be making the epic journey to Glacier National Park. We spent 4 days in Glacier, one on the Canadian side. It is truly an awe inspiring and beautiful place.

I've had numerous people ask me about the trip and while it was a little too rainy, windy and cool for my taste; any trip where no one shouts an expletive at someone during the trip is deemed a success in my mind.

Here we all are in the car ready to go:)

Mike and me on our brother-sister bonding hike. James is taking the picture

Me and a bear. This (me getting out of the car) made Chenoa very angry.

Cuddly bears from Dad and Chris. They bought bears for our nieces and nephew and I may have said something about how I never received cuddly animals as mementoes from trips, and voila we magically received bears.

Looking out on a glacial lake whose name I can't remember.

Some helpful literature that enabled me to identify animal scat we came across on the trail.

On the Trail of the Cedars.

Avalanche Lake I think?

On the trail to Avalanche Lake.

Seattle to Portland

2011-05-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Remember when I said I as going to be a better blogger...neither do I.

Here's a bit of a travelogue of my trip to Seattle and Portland. It was a nice break from the warmth and sunshine of Atlanta. That may sound weird but it was nice be in a place where everything was lush and green not because of torrential rain, 100% humidity and 90 degree weather; but due to a crisp, lighter rain and weather that generally still requires you wear a jacket even on a summer's night.

I flew into Seattle and met up with my friend Amy, who you might recognize from some of my other travels. I love that she is still willing to entertain my travel whims. We stayed at a place in a central location. It was a little dingy but for $55 dollars a night I thought it was a steal. Plus it had a DVD player, which enabled the initiation of my latest addiction, watching Veronica Mars.

In Seattle we bought a City Pass. If you are into the touristy stuff I definitely recommend it. 59$ for a pass to see all the major sights. It got us into the Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Zoo, Experience Music Project, Space Needle and we took a ferry around the harbor. Another highlight was visiting the world headquarters of REI, I am proud to say I didn't buy anything, though was sorely tempted.

After two days in Seattle we headed for Portland. It was a beautiful drive. We stopped as a little mom and pop place for breakfast. We both ordered from section of the menu labeled lite breakfast choices. You know things like pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits... I imagine the reason it was peddled as lite was because it came with an orange slice and parsley as a garnish.

We tried to see Mt St. Helens on the way down but cloud cover and closed roads foiled our attempt so it was on to Portland.

Near Mt. St. Helens, you can see where the lava flowed through the valley.

Before we met up with our friend and tour guide Brian, who we know from Michigan, we stopped at a cemetery and Washington park. Upon arrival I was struck by the number of homeless people I saw in Portland-- I am told that Portland does actually have one of the highest numbers of homeless people in the US-- however I quickly realized that many of the people I pegged as homeless were indeed not, but instead just northwest hipsters. Most homeless people don't usually drive around in Outbacks or on $1000 bikes.

The night we arrived we went golfing at a temporary miniature golf fixture. I say fixture because the golf course was made by artists and despite their not being engineers worked quite well, if not a little dangerous. Sadly I didn't take any pictures.

Sunday was mother's day and we spent it with Brian's sister and family. We also took the chance to take a hike in a place where they filmed scenes from Twilight. I'm a bit embarrassed about this but in the spirit of full disclosure we reenacted one of the scenes as they had the screenplay info right there for us.

The three of us hiking around Twilight filming area.

Monday was another nature and hiking day. We hiked Multnomah Falls and Punchbowl Falls. Both were amazing hikes with great views of the water falls. We also took a tram ride, went to Powell's Book store (the biggest bookstore in the US), and Voodoo Doughnuts. Then it was off to the airport for me as I had redeye to Atlanta.

Multnomah Falls

Array of Voodoo Doughnuts

Overall I really enjoyed the northwest but fear the cloudiness might be too much. However, as I stepped out of the Hartfield Jackson Airport on to the MARTA platform after my redeye to 85 degrees and 95% humidity weather, I almost longed to be back under the cool, dreary, gray blanket of the northwest sky.

Other Pictures:

Pike's Place Market

Seattle Zoo

From the top of the Space Needle

At the Experience Music Project they had a special exhibit on the early 90s music scene and grunge (i.e. Nirvana). I took a picture of this as it incorporates two things that consume my life, music and breastfeeding.

Old Industrial complex that has been turned into a park.

Amy overcoming one of her greatest fears to pet an icky sea creature at the Aquarium.

We went to a cemetery (I love them) in both Seattle and Portland. I think this picture is from the Seattle Cemetery.

Famous park view looking over Seattle.

Me eating a Voodoo doughnut.

Did you know you can't pump your own gas in Oregon? It's against the law. Here's a picture of someone pumping our gas.

I'm Annoying!

2011-05-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've always been somewhat easily annoyed by others (though in my defense I have relaxed a lot these last few years). Today I learned how annoying I am. I've always had a hunch that I am annoying but now there is a scale to measure it by. It is brought to you by none other than my favorite news source, NPR.

While the screen shot below says I scored a 2.8 I actually got a 2.99 on my first try, which is .10 more annoying than the average person. Unfortunately I don't know if that is significant difference from the mean but I always knew I was above average. According to this scale my even saying that makes me more annoying. This scales is fun so here's the link. Enjoy and let me know if you beat my score, whatever that means:)

Slogging no more...maybe

2011-05-15T07:32:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I went on vacation to Seattle with my friend Amy and then we met up with our friend Brian in Portland. The subject of blogging came up more than once and they are such good bloggers that it has inspired me to be a better blogger myself. We'll see how long this resolution lasts. I justspent so much time revamping my blog and trying to get my header just right--it is not cooperating-- that I already feel the slogging coming on. Nonetheless I at least have some pictures from my latest adventure to post... which I am sure I will get up shortly:)

Amy, Brian and I at Multinomah Falls.

Another Year, Another Garden

2011-04-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again and what better day to blog about my garden than on Easter Sunday; as Easter always reminds me of spring and new life. Even though I moved and no longer actually live where I gardened last year, the home owner has allowed fellow gardener, Kirsten, and I to till the land once more. Since it's close to work and where Kirsten lives it works out well. I can't remember everything we planted but here are a few I do:

Mr. Stripey Tomatoes

Black Cherry Tomatoes

Roma tomatoes

Two kinds of Lettuce: Purple and Green

Jalepeanos

Peppers

Beans

Spaghetti Squash

Egg Plant

Don't Be fooled into thinking the mint in the middle is due our gardening efforts. It's invasive, annoying, impossible to get rid of and not part of our garden.

Kirsten: fellow gardener, coworker, office mate and friend.

Your's truly tenderly tilling God's green, umm..... brown earth.

Wee Goaty

2011-03-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

I like goats. I think my adoration for them stems from a culmination of reasons including: my friend Emily's love for goats rubbed off on me; I thoroughly enjoyed an outing to Grumpy's Goat Shack in Victor Idaho where I had a delicious hot dog awhile back; they make the cutest noises; I love goat cheese; my general championing for under-appreciated things. Any way, this last weekend I took part in a service project at Camp Twin Lakes in Winder Georgia-it is a summer camp for children with special needs. I laid sod all day Saturday but I took a journey to a small, wonderful corner of the camp where I met my new best friend. I named him Wee Goaty, because he is so cute and small. He even seemed to have a slight cold and we bonded over the fact that we were both congested. However, mine is a chronic disease, I hope that Wee Goaty just has a cold because I would never wish on him the debilitating condition from which I suffer from daily and that brings upon me ridicule and despair from unfeeling people.

However, this is not just a post to introduce you to my friend but he needs my help. He is stuck in pen with a huge rooster, and when I say huge I am not exaggerating. Plus the rooster seems like a bully. He bullies Wee Goaty, the bunnies in the pen and the other chickens. I am trying to get Wee Goaty a companion/lifepartner. He needs a fellow goat to help him work out his differences with the rooster. I am having a friend talk to the camp about it and hopefully they agree. I'll try and keep you all updated about very important cause.

Snowed In: Day 2

2011-01-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

For those who do not watch the news or follow weather, Atlanta had a snow storm Sunday night followed by a lovely frosting of rain. While this combination made for fun tromping noises as I emerged from my cozy house on Day 2 of no work, it also resulted in dire driving conditions. A word to the wise, if you need a pick-me -up do not tune into local Atlanta News after a storm, or any event really, as they have a knack for turning inconvenient occurrences into apocalyptic events.

Today I made the 1/2 mile trek to the main road to see if it had been cleared. Unfortunately, it had not but was in better condition than my road which ends in a culdesac. The only non-TV, non-Netflix entertainment we've had in the last two days is observing the ingenuity of our neighbors to either deal with or enjoy the snow. My neighbors are using a big plank board to shovel their driveway; I'm pretty sure the kids next door were sledding on cookie sheets; and I passed a boy sledding on what I think was a garbage can lid.

Snow days can be fun for a day but I am ready for my routine to start again. I can only watch so many episodes of Psych and answer work emails before I start to feel really lazy and a little guilty. Sadly I just heard school is closed again tomorrow and perhaps the rest of the week. Help!

O Tannenbaum

2010-12-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

I bought my very own Christmas Tree this year. I have been fortunate to enjoy various Christmas Trees throughout the years since leaving home, a few of these include: many elaborately decorated twigs, a real tree when I lived with my brother and sister-in-law in Cheyenne, and a fake, but elegantly decorated tree compliments of my roommates in Michigan. I have in no way been lacking in trees over the years, but I never had one of my own.

I contemplated a real tree but had too many personal and practical objections and went instead with a fake tree that I could live with. I found my pre-lit tree-mate at Target. It is a four foot spruce look alike and is perfectly framed by the front window. On it's stand the tree and I are about the same height, thus no Elf-like scenes necessary to put decoration on the upper branches. I really like the lighter color it takes on when it is lit up, it has a slightly flocked look. A special thanks to Warren for helping me pick out the color scheme.

Thanksgiving pat down

2010-11-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed this article, but was sad that so few of the topics in it came up over Thanksgiving break, with the exception of the new TSA body scanners. Everyone had something to say and opinions did not necessarily fall along traditional political lines. While I am not going to argue whether these scans actually heighten security or not I would like to direct you to Lewis Black's take on the issue. I think he offers a valuable perspective one the issue. As for me, the next time I fly I'll take into account the attractiveness of the person doing the "patting down" and then decide. If I do decide to go through the machine I think I will ask for a copy of my scan as a keepsake.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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Halloween: a break in slogging

2010-10-31T09:39:00.001-07:00

I have been a lazy blogger long enough and this week forces combined to bring about enough momentum that resulted in a blog post. First my sister in law knitted me a lovely beanie which adorns my head in the picture. Second, my disgust that "teen advocate" and "worst dancer ever in her age group" Bristol Palin has not yet been voted off Dancing With the Stars- yes I am a little ashamed to admit I watch it almost weekly. I justify it as room mate bonding time- nonetheless I needed to showcase the beanie and channel my Bristol frustration in a more productive manner, hence my Halloween costume: me trying to look like a pregnant teen indicated by the leggings and Ugg boots.

Fortunately, I don't look like Bristol Palin and have about twice as much rhythm than her, which isn't saying much. (I think my Bishop might have an incriminating video of pregnant Jessica dancing to the song "Dancing with Yourself," I am astounded by the number of people who fought the urge to bust a move during that song, its so danceable.) Any ways, at the Halloween Party I went to Friday night I had to put Juno on my name tag and Future Breastfeeder for anyone to figure out that I wasn't just looking for an excuse to walk around knocked up.

In conclusion, I love my beanie, I hope Bristol gets voted off DWTS soon, but fear the conservative conspiracy that is keeping her on will last at least through the elections this week, and can only imagine how hard it is to get around when one is really pregnant. It was hard enough to bend over and such with just a pillow duct taped to my abdomen.

My weekend as a hipster

2010-08-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

What better way to describe my weekend as a hipster then by rekindling one of my long lost hipster-like habits: blogging. While I did not go to NYC for the express purpose of being a hipster it quickly became the theme of the trip.

This weekend was as much about understanding the meaning of the word hipster as being one myself. In addition to discussion of the word with various people throughout the weekend I also defered to two reliable web sources on the subject: urban dictionary and wikipedia.

Regardless of the definition it is how one uses the word, either to disparage or flatter that matters. In order to be the best hipster possible I brought along Brooke, my hipster coach, who unabashedly embraces her inner hipster. With Brooke's help and some consultation from Carissa--who claims she is not a hipster but if being a hipster is all about being cool she is inherently one-- you would think I couldn’t mess it up.

I even bought a hipster purse and aviator glasses. Unfortunately, as hard as I tried to be ironic and look cool and unconcerned about everything around me, my wonder of NYC and love of pop culture media references won out and I found myself saying things like, “Hey, where’s Fox books and the Little Shop Around the Corner?” "isn’t that where they filmed (insert any number of NYC based films here)" and "where's Woody Allen or John Stewart?"

Though I don't consider myself a hipster (though many disagree) I had a great time in NYC and am perplexed that many things I enjoy such as listening to indy rock, gardening, recycling, long boarding, rebuilding old bikes and riding said bike to work have been co-opted by hipster culture. My only consolation is I perhaps am less apathetic.

Hipster consultant, Carissa (center) and Hipster Coach, Brooke (right)

Us crossing the Brooklyn bridge, Brooklyn being a hipster haven.

Brooklyn bridge from the Brooklyn side. I recommend going across to anyone. I hear it is even more amazing at night.

Much to my delight there was an actual hipster exhibit going on at the Met.

More Pictures:

Hot Chocolate at Max Brenner's, or more appropriately describe- a melted chocolate bar. So thick and delicious.

Nice Policeman who saw me struggling with a self take and offered to take our picture but after one person in our party refused to be photographed he agreed to be in our picture instead. Then gave us a NYC police patch, although I like to refer to is as a NYC badge of honor.

Time Square

Brooke on Wall Street in front of the NY stock exchange

I bet you can guess the topic...Gardening!

2010-05-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

I swear some day I will find another topic to blog about, but until I receive the necessary creative inspiration I will continue to blog about my garden. Kirsten and I planted our little garden about 6 weeks ago. At that time our "children" looked like this:

Now they look like this:

We have many blossoms and even small fruits forming, however we are realizing how unprepared we are for our "children" to grow up. Thus, like any good parents we will be hitting the books (or wikipedia) again to figure out when one should pick Kale or Collards or just how often does one need to cut back cilantro?

Here's a pictures our of Zucchini and Butternut squash the two plants that in a few short weeks may grow so big that small children will become lost in my back yard.

Zucchini blossom

Roma tomatoes

Planting

2010-04-25T08:21:00.001-07:00

This weekend is the first that I haven't done something garden related since my last soil preperation post. When Kirsten and I started this garden, we didn't think it would take up about a month just to get it planted. We were so careful to prepare the soil buy the seedlings and seeds, by the time it came to planting we were a little lax and just kind of threw the stuff in the ground. The plants seem to be surviving regardless of our planting haste.

Kirsten and I joke how this gardening venture is a bit like parenting. I hope our gardening partnership works out because if it doesn't visitation rights and weeding responsibilities could get messy, not to mention divvying up the harvest. Just in case something goes awry here are some picture that show of us taking care of our plants, but please notice who is actually watering:)

Here's what we planted (that I can remember):

Tomatoes

Serrano Peppers

Red Bell Peppers

Tomatillos

Carrots

Green Beans

Collards and Kale

Romaine

Egg Plant

Zuchini

Butternut Squash

Pumpkins ( we don't really know how these will turn out but decided to give it a try)

Cilantro

Seedlings that we got at a community garden. They were so cheap. After we bought these we picked up some seeds a Home Depot and our were so much cheaper than theirs. We celebrated like and good Americans by spending the savings on brunch:)

Me giving the crucial nectar of life (water) to the plants.

Kirsten "taking care" of the plants

A newly planted garden.

Gardening: Soil Test and Prep

2010-04-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

There are two garden plots in the backyard of the house I am currently living in Atlanta, crying out to be planted. I heard their cries and solicited the help of my coworker and office-mate Kirsten to help me plant a garden this season. Neither of us have extensive gardening experience. Even though my family had a garden growing up, my memories recall the weeding more then the preparation or planting. Fortunately, we work in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the CDC and are surrounded by people with who know and know people who know.

Before

After

Last week we started our gardening efforts in earnest. We bought a soil testing kit and tested our soil to see if it was conducive to planting. While the PH was neutral, it was very low in Potassium, Nitrogen and Phosphate. That meant that yesterday we headed over to Farmer D's for fertilizer and 14 bags of compost. Even though my little Mazda has made it from Utah to Michigan with all my belongings, and from Michigan to Atlanta packed to the brim, these 14 bags of compost provided it's greatest test of strength yet.

Soil Test Results

Car of compost

Yesterday morning Kirsten and I set to work incorporating all this compost and fertilizer into our two plots. I think the before and after pictures demonstrate well enough how strenuous the task was. Lucky for us it was a beautiful morning and we are much closer to being ready to plant our garden.

Before

After

What Health Care Reform Means for Me

2010-03-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today, was just like any other day. I got up, I went to work, I exercised, etc. However it is not just another normal day. Today 32 million people who were not insured, now have hope of becoming insured. This is amazing! As a public health professional it is not hard to guess why I would be an advocate of health care reform. I don't hide the fact that I think health care is a necessity, that everyone should have access to primary care and appropriate tertiary care (though I will not define what that means here). It has been a long year fraught with political tension, fear and misinformation. Fortunately, while misinformation may never die, in the end fear lost.

Through my schooling and work I have learned a lot about how health care works in America, why it is so expensive and what might be done to "fix" it. I am not naive enough to think that this reform bill is a cure-all, however it is a good step in the right direction. Now that it's done-although it hardly done with actual implementation and crazy lawsuits all ready being file- I hope that other measures to decrease health care costs will be implemented. There have great examples, one is close to my heart as it come from IHC in my home state.

I am a huge advocate of structural and policy change, but one thing that is lost in all the political debate is what health care reform means for me. I am not talking about the New York Times calculator that requires my income, marital and insurance status in order spit out how I am affected. I am talking about what personal reforms do I need make in order to help myself, my family and my community be healthier? True health is not just the absence of illness. I'll leave you to decide what health means for you, but I hope it has something to do with connecting with and helping others whether it is codified in law or not.

Oakland Cemetery

2010-03-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I visited Atlanta's historic Oakland Cemetery. I love cemeteries. They are ever so peaceful, even when they are located in metropolitan areas or right next to a MARTA station. A few friends and I took a tour of the cemetery that focused on symbols throughout the cemetery. Unfortunately, I didn't listen very well and can't tell you much about the symbols but I am pretty sure about half the people on the tour were Dan Brown wannabes doing research for a debut novel.

Oakland can boast of some prominent residents:) Margaret Mead, author of Gone With the Wind is buried in Oakland, as well as golf legend Bobby Jones, famous for his Grand Slam sweep, winning all four golf tournaments of his era in the calendar year 1930. Oakland also has numerous sections, I didn't make it to all of them and need to go back but I loved the Jewish section and it was the first cemetery I have visited with its own confederate section.

I thought this was a really unique headstone with apparently a lot of symbolism since our tour group spent a lot of time there. The cross, the wreath, the open book, even looking up all means something and someday I will look into it further.

Here's the resting place of the great Bobby Jones. As you can see his grave is littered with golf balls and on top there are lots of tees and score cards.

A grave in the confederate section being swallowed by the trunk of a tree. I don't dare touch on what I personally think that might symbolize for confederate goals.

The Jewish section was a bit like a metropolitan skyline- the tombstones tend to be tall rather than wide and were so many different heights. I also like to find names I like in cemeteries. Since previous cemetery jaunts have provided with me names for female progeny I focused on male names. Do you think a non-Jewish person can name a son the first name Cohen? I really like that name.

I don't think this one needs much explanation.

After we ate at the ever-so-appropriately named restaurant- Six Feet Under.

My Mom, ahead of her time

2010-02-25T16:46:00.000-08:00

Mom

I have been thinking about some of the issues and ideas that I deal with daily in my job, either from my work or those of my coworkers. Ideas such as eat local, grow your own garden, know where your food comes from, breastfeed, exercise regularly, limit TV viewing, don't drink sugary drinks and eat fruits and vegetables. My whole division is dedicated to these issues. While none of these things are novel to me I have always chalked that up studying public health, but the more I reflect, I realize it is thanks to my mom.

My mom was the daughter of a farmer and had a green thumb- I think Matt stole those genes from the rest of us siblings- so we always had a garden and used home-made compost for fertilizer. I have vivid memories of carrying buckets of grossness behind the house to dump into the compost pile. Since my grandpa had cows most of the meet we ate growing up was various types of beef that came from the slaughter of his cows, so we knew where is came from.

Uncle Brian's wedding, mom's the one on the far right. This really is a great picture that captures so much family awkwardness all at once.

As for breastfeeding, one of my fondest memories as a child is leaning on moms shoulder and watching James, my younger brother, breastfeed. Breastfeeding was never a gross, inappropriate or something that should be covered up-except maybe at church- but was a natural part of life. The fact that James breastfed at all actually surprises me because he was premature and had to be in the hospital for a 21 days. Who knows what they fed him there and how hard mom probably had to work to get him breastfeeding.

I don't remember watching a lot of TV growing up. Of course, mom let me indulge in the PBS greats like Sesame Street, Today Special and Mr. Rogers but other than that I spent time doing other things like playing with friends, annoying my siblings or working. Work! You heard me right, I had to work. Each of us children had 'jobs' that were assigned by means of a carefully-crafted job chart. Much time was consumed by jobs. This was something I detested at the time, but since have been ever so grateful that my parents taught us kids to work.

In terms of nutrition we always had great balanced meals and drank juice, not pop. Even today I mainly drink water, milk and juice; I am not a fan of soda or pop as some people call it. Due to the fact that we had a huge garden we had lots of fruits and vegetables. A vegetable garden in the back yard and and orchard and berry patches in front.

Mom not only exercised but she took me with her. I remember spending many hours at the community pool playing by myself or with Adam in the shallow end while mom watched from her water aerobics class. Sunday walks were common and with multiple gardens there was lots of yard work.

All I have explained is really just a long way to say that my mom was ahead of her time. Today she would probably be termed a 'foodie', a hippie, a conservationist or a member of the slow food movement. However to me she was just mom, a really smart, great woman.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

While most people in the US celebrated Valentines Day today, at my house, we celebrated Chinese New Year. Our celebration took the form of a potluck dinner. The result was lots of delicious food, me overeating and developing a huge food-baby. We had wontons, spring roles, stir-fry, cucumber salad, fortune cookies and much more.

Here is the dining area with all the delicious food.

Food and Friends. Rob, Sara, Nikki, Carrie, Brooke and Your's truly around the table.

Jake, the camera-man and main planner of the event so he gets a solo shot.

Not so Hotlanta: Part Dex

2010-02-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

I just had to add some pictures from the day after the snow storm. It was quite beautiful and the roads quite treacherous. I just stayed in home.

Not-so-Hotlanta

2010-02-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

With no excuse not to blog today here are a few pictures of snow in Atlanta. I really can't complain when I consider that my DC friends have been snowed-in all week. A fact that has been reinforced over and over again on NPR. Thanks to All Things Considered, I now know what books to read when it's snowing, what foods to eat when it's snowing and what swear words to say when it's snowing; if I hear another NPR story about being snowed-in I may lose it. I was almost relieved when I heard a story about Bill Clinton being hospitalized.

Ironic that I am now the one snowed in, not because I can't handle snow but native Atlantans can't, and I don't want to be out on those roads.

Hotlanta

2010-01-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

It's about time I posted something; you would think with graduating I would have time to blog but not so. I just moved to the Atlanta area to start a fellowship with the CDC. My friends Kara and Mike graciously volunteered to accompany me so I wouldn't have to do it all alone. We arrived Friday to beautiful 50-something degree weather. Unfortunately, the weather turned sour, and rained all Saturday leaving us to have a soggy walk around down town. We did have lots o' fun at the Coke Museum, where we tasted over 60 different coke products from around the world, and the aquarium, where we met up with Jody, a fellow Michigander in town for a friends wedding. Here are some pictures documenting our adventures:

I think this photo is a bit awkward, but I swear that's how the photographer set us up with the Coke bear.

A torch from the Olympics in Atlanta.

Kara and Your's Truly

Mike, Jody and I making fish faces, although I would understand if you were confused by Mike's not-so-fish face.

Hammer-Head Shark

Random Fish

A Whale Shark

The whole gang

Please hum the theme to jaws while looking at this picture.

The Death of a Library

2009-12-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

The title should actually read The Death of Two Libraries, but the actual title is more dramatic. For the last two years I have been at the University of Michigan in the Schools of Social Work (SSW) and Public Health (SPH) and this week the library at each school is closing. SPH library closure is quite sudden and is because the school received stimulus funds for lab space. I am not too torn up about it because that library was kind of a hole anyway; although it was a quiet, if gloomy place to study.

I've known about the SSW library closure since the end of summer and as I work at the circulation desk, all semester I have been answering the question, why is the library closing? My answers have varied from the real reasons like: to reduce duplication of services, economic downturn, accese to online resources, the new head of libraries is an economist, blah, blah blah to other more Jessica-like responses like, we hate books. Regardless of the reasons I am particularly saddened by the SSW library closure.

It is such a nice space (please see pictures below). It is one of the most naturally lighted libraries I have ever been in and that is saying something considering it is located in the basement. There is just something special about having a space where one can quietly sit and be physically surrounded by millions of words. While one can perhaps browse for something on the internet more easily than a library, I love to browse actual library shelves. One of the first things I do when I enter someone's house or apartment is browse their bookshelves. Books can tell you so much about a person while also leaving you wanting to know more about them. Why do they have this book? How many times have they read it? Do they have a favorite.

Didn't the ability to write down our thoughts and keep physical records set humans apart from other species and is a criterion for civilization? Now when someone enters what will then be the space of the former SSW library they will see some computers and perhaps a student lounge. What they won't see are decades of work of social pioneers and theorists that have worked to improve the world as they saw it. They may see little that helps them understand social work.

I am sad about these libraries for all the reasons I have mentioned, but especially because the SSW library has been my like a second home. It was the first and will be the last place I worked in Michigan. So when I walk out the doors today for the last time I am not just leaving a job, I am a leaving a home and a family.

Look at the public art and great lighting!

Moving stuff.

Nights like this

2009-12-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

This is a picture I took from my window last night of the first real snow I've seen this season. Night's like this make me so happy/thankful/comforted that I can curl up in my warm bed and dream of snow blanketed landscapes instead of actually being out on one.

Objectified

2009-12-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

Before anyone breezes through this post thinking it is some feminist rant let me assure you it is not. Although I probably could go off on one of those for a few paragraphs. However, I did feel objectified today and in the most unlikely of places, a salon. Usually when you go to a salon the person cutting your hair chats it up with you a bit, not today.

I went to get a hair cut because it seems when one has short hair that is all one does with dispensable income, or in my case non-existent dispensable income. Nevertheless, vanity won out and I went to the salon to get, I am ashamed to say, my 5th haircut of the year. I use to be an every 6 months or so girl and the change to every other month is disheartening.

Back to feeling objectified. I went the the Above Ground Salon, perhaps named for it's singular distinguishing characteristic of being above ground? I actually like my hair cut on one hand I was struck by the stylists perfect melding of hair science and art. She really knew what she was doing. But the hour and a half process, the number of people watching and running their fingers through my hair and the fact that my stylist stated that she could "conquer my hair" left me feeling a little subhuman.

At one time there were four people standing around watching my hair... not me, my hair. When I made a joke about it they either looked at me like I was an alien or ignored me. Most of the time my hair was in front of my eyes so there was no connection between them and me. I felt a little like a model, not the kind that gets lots of attention and gets to tell people they make bad clothes, but the kind who has to sit in art class in their underwear or in the nude so people can sketch.

Here's a bad self-take of the end result. It is probably the only day it will look as shiny and straight as she did it. The hair cut wasn't enough so I had to jazz it up by wearing this hoodie:)

Public Bathrooms

2009-12-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

This post involves some bathroom humor, literally. I just went to the bathroom to tinkle and the only other person in the restroom was a girl pacing back and forth talking on her cell phone. This bothers me for many reasons:

1- I think it is disgusting to talk on a device that you hold to your mouth in a room used by the public to urinate and defecate. I won't go into leaving toothbrushes in the bathroom but in your own house you have some control.

2-I think it's an invasion of privacy, my privacy. If I wanted someone in a remote location to be privy to my bodily processes I would have peed in the street.

3-Finally, I think it is awkward. What do you say as you come out of the stall? "Tell your mom Hi for me!"

Am I wrong to assume some level of privacy even in a public bathroom?

All right, I am done with that rant.

Al v. George

2009-11-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

I find myself playing two roles of late and I bet you can never guess what roles they are if I didn't tell you. Those of Al Gore and George W. Bush. I was just reading The Partly Cloudy Patriot which would lead one to conclude that I have been playing the role of Al Gore more frequently. However, the past few days I have felt more like the intellectual iconoclast, George Bush, who disdains erudition in general. To boot I have been dreadfully over-using the word pretentious. I blame that on my room mate Katherine because it is so easy to use it to make jokes about her and all English PhD students- love you Katherine:).

The inspiration for this post and my dual roles has been trying to find a balance between being knowledgeable in my field and taking myself too seriously. The climax of this occurred last Sunday at ward choir practice. I have sung in a few choirs and performed in duets and such in my life, none that would be considered "serious" by music types but nice ditties that helped a 10th-grade-orchestra drop out still feel like she has some ambition. I have also been a participant in the Hill Street Choir for the last two years, but have not attended since returning this summer. In all my second class music ventures I have never flailed my arm so as to project my voice nor buzzed through my lips to warm up in the way we did last Sunday. As a result I couldn't stop laughing. I think my voice warmed up more from my ill suppressed laughter as it did from the warm-ups.

You may be wondering at this point how did we get from Al Gore and George W. Bush to a recounting of Jessica's B-side musical adventures. The point is I hope I never get so caught up in what I am doing that I can't appreciate the humor of arm flailing and lip buzzing in my own profession no matter how seriously I take myself. As to the Al and George, ever since Al had a cameo on 30-rock I think I will lean his way.

Vertigo

2009-11-17T10:47:00.001-08:00

Sunday I had what I can only describe as a bout of vertigo. It was very uncomfortable and even a little frightening. However now I feel like I can better relate to two stars that don't have vertigo but play like they do on TV or in the movies, Jimmy Stewart and Liza Minelli. I hope this condition doesn't turn chronic and debilitating like so many of my other chronic conditions that are not recognized by the medical world.

Memories

2009-11-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

I heard an interview on NPR this week with author Zadie Smith. The interviewer asked about a few essays Zadie wrote about her deceased father. She seemed torn about writing about her father saying it is a betrayal, "once you write about someone that's died, what remains is what is written." She goes on to say it is a dangerous act as words replace memories just as photographs replace real things.

I understood that to mean once you put down into words your thoughts about someone those words influence forever your memories and thoughts of that person and events. I have been thinking about this concept lately, as my little brother has asked for stories about our mom, who died when he was 6.

I talked to him a few days ago about how we might go about recording the stories. I have mixed feelings. On one hand I'm excited to learn more about her, on the other part of me is afraid. I know it is important for historical reasons and probably for proper mourning etc. Hearing other's stories may also crystalize what "really" happened in certain cases. Nonetheless, I have very specific memories that I am afraid giving voice to may change forever.

Sometimes I think I treasure the "crafted" memories I construct in my head more than reality. I hope reality in this case doesn't bite. Here are some very cute, cool , classic pics of the lady herself:

Mom's the one in the red dress.

Mom with Mike and Kirsten

One on the far right.

Halloween Hair

2009-11-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Last week it was that time of year again, you know the time of year when kids dress up in cute costumes and adults dress up in inappropriate ones. I think they call is Halloween. I am admittedly not a huge fan of Halloween. It does have some nostalgic value but since I hate scary movies and am without small people to dress up in cute clothes I have to live it vicariously through friends and family who do have small people to dress up. Thanks to all of you who posted pictures of your terribly cute children.

Nonetheless despite my general apathy for the holiday I am not a total scrooge. When my roommate Kara requested to do my hair up in rag curlers, I was game. I think the idea intrigued me more for familial reasons than a desire to dress up. You see there are two kinds of hair in my family- stick straight and outrageously curly. Actually maybe three kinds because Mike doesn't have much hair at all but that's because he shaves it. However, two of my older siblings, Matt and Kirsten have very curly hair which at times I have envied, that is until I remember how long it takes my sister to straighten hers, then I am content with my own straight hair.

Thanks to Kara I was able to live, if just for a day, the life of a curly haired person. I noticed people weren't as nice to me, I was served smaller portions of food and lots of stuff got caught in my hair:) Overall I'm not sure it's worth it. The process to get it curly was painful enough for tender headed person like me. All the teasing was a little much for a head that is lucky if a brush even touches it once a day. On the bright side in the three hours it took to put in the rags I finished watching season two of Arrested Development. Below are pictures of the process, end result and family members who pull off the curly hair much better than I do.

And a special thanks to Kara for the experience and may I also add she has fabulous curly hair.

Brother Matt with baby Evan

Curly haired Kirsten with Rowan

The rag curls. It was a bit of a restless night with these in.

Final product

Kara and me.

Cemeteries

2009-10-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today was stake conference, meaning church ended at noon, leaving the rest of a beautiful fall afternoon open for adventure. My adventure took the form of a jaunt through the Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor with my roommate Katherine. I love cemeteries. Generally, they are peaceful, well-kempt places. I never understood trying to frame cemeteries as spooky, eery places. I think this is disrespectful of the dead.

When I lived in Cheyenne there was a cemetery down the road where I liked to jog and take walks. I love to walk around and read head stones. Where else can you carve words like Love and Wild into stones and no one thinks twice. I also found someone named Chlorene and the grave of John Lennon's wife, although i wasn't aware Yoko Ono was deceased. The little lambs on top of children's graves break my heart but are a darling tribute. Below are some of my favorite shots.

Flee to the Cleve

2009-10-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to taste of the gloriousness that is Cleveland. Friends, Stephanie and Kate were brave enough to accompany me. Saturday was filled with delicious food and amazing music. We started the day off at the Western Market where I ate the most amazing crepe ever and bought what I think will be the most amazing sausages ever. I can only guess since I haven't cooked them up yet. Then it was off to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We walked around the main exhibit for more then 3 hours before realizing we still had about 4 more stories to check out. I am afraid the exhibit for "The Boss" and Les Paul did not get due attention. We continued the rock and roll theme with a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Sunday was church history day at Kirtland. It was a bit chilly but really beautiful. The pictures demonstrate better than my feeble words. I should confess we watched the 30 Rock Cleveland clip no fewer than 3 times while in Cleveland:)

Yummy crepe being made!

Sausage I can't wait to eat.

Enviro Art?

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Kirtland Ashery. I was amazed to learn that 65 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were received in Kirtland

A great picture of Stephanie that she probably doesn't want posted:)

The three of us in the 'School of the Prophets'

Really cool books

Carolina Chocolate Drops

2009-10-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Friday night I attended the concert of what was probably one of the most entertaining, talented groups I've ever seen. The Carolina Chocolate Drops (CCD) are an old time string band from Durham, NC. My friend Katie, also from NC, raved about them and I was not disappointed. There are clearly very talented, each of them playing various instruments. But, I think what really appealed to me is that they play instruments I can relate to; there was a lot of violin and banjo throughout the sets.

They inspired me so much that the next day I removed my violin from the case while there were other people in the house that would be exposed to my scratchy discord. I wanted to try the bow hold I saw the female violinist use. You can see in the video below that she doesn't hold it at the frog like a traditional classical violinist; perhaps that is unique to fiddling? I gave it a whirl and am still unsure about the advantages but I played a rather slow song so I will have to try it on some songs with greater tempo to gauge the advantages.

The point of the story is that the CCD have inspired me not only to practice my banjo (which I do pretty often) but also to try my hand at fiddling. The downside to this all... well, you'll have to ask my roommates about that. Maybe I'll buy them ear plugs:)

I love this video mainly because of the bones player!

Life on Hold

2009-09-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have been slogging lately with exception of the awesome 80s party update. I felt like I have been holding my breath for the last month, not committing myself to anything. Last week though I was able to exhale again when I learned that I got the fellowship position that I had interviewed for in mid-August! I am excited for the opportunity and the move to 'Hotlanta' as my brother puts it. Now I can post some of the activities over the last month.

Dinner at the Flying Biscuit. Delish!

Fried Green Tomatoes in Atlanta. Yum Yum!

Donkey at the Saline Fair

Demolition derby at the Saline fair. I felt like I had a concussion and lower back pain just watching these cars crash into each other. This was to say the least a cultural experience.

Itzhak Perlman Concert. Sorry I didn't get a picture of Itzhak just the funky stage decor.

Little Joy, a band I love, opened for Regina Spektor

Regina! She's amazing

Detroit Tour

Snuck into a free screening of "Whip It." Sorry about the bleary picture of the film's director and producer Drew Barrymore

Update finished- Life no longer on hold!

Drunken Frivolity

2009-09-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Drunken frivolity is not a term that can actually describe me because I don't drink, but I have an inkling of what it might feel like after an intoxicated evening of partying--minus the hangover-- to wonder what I did the evening before. My roommate Kara is famous for throwing themed parties and this year the theme was the '80s, the 1980s to be exact, a party that would have had a much different theme had it been in the 1880s or any other centuries '80s. As I told one roommate who was weary of dressing up "This is the one time of year that we humor Kara." While I secretly love to dress up, publicly I reluctantly rummage through my clothes to find something suitable (or borrow something) and apply make-up that will inevitably make me look like a woman of the night.

Friday night I went through this whole process for Kara's '80s party, but this time had a duty beyond merely showing up in costume, I was also in charge of the play-list. As a result I have been rocking out to 80's music all week long trying to put together what I thought would be a decent play-list. The end result was a list that, if not everybody found representative of the '80s, at least inspired dancing. That is where my drunken frivolity claim comes in. I am not by nature a dancer. After practically being thrown out of tap class because I couldn't touch my toes I decided that I would be an intellectual instead; unfortunately that didn't really worked out either. Instead I find myself getting carried away, busting dance moves that incorporate little natural rhythm and are more likely to be found in an epileptic diagnostic book than at a dance party. The music overcomes me, and to put it as one friend said as she was leaving the party, and I lose all 'inhibition'. In the moment I have a really good time but the next day I find myself wondering exactly what I did and if I should regret it? Oh well:)

So here is the photographic evidence from the night.

Roommate picture

Jody and yours truly, I love the piano tie. Very '80s

Mini-skirt crew

Golf Lessons

2009-09-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

I was talking with some friend about golfing, reminiscing about the summer of my fourteenth year (or was it fifteenth) when I took golf lessons. I was not consistently good but I could hit a few drives in a mostly straight line. This conversation inspired me to try my hand at the game again. I wasn't ready for an actual course yet so I asked some golf-minded friends to go to the driving range with me. It was slow-going at first but I finally got off some great drives.

I learned most of what I do know about golf from my brothers, so I had Martha take a video so they can critique my swing and give me instruction (or anyone else with an informed opinion).

Here we are in all our golfing glory

No Impact Canoeing

2009-08-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Right before I started this blog post about my canoe trip last week with some friends I read an article about the eco-movement and "No Impact Man". As such I thought I would explore how I might have made a seeming low-impact activity in to a no-impact activity. First of all, none of us should be wearing life jackets, those are made of lots of high impact materials. Also we shouldn't be in a canoe the materials of which were stripped from mothers earths' bosom. Instead, we should have floated down the river on logs that had naturally died or fallen from the original tree. Our paddles should have been smaller limbs fallen from a tree whittled into paddle shapes. Finally, we should have broken down the two dams that allowed us to take a leisurely float down the river because who knows how many fishes' yearly migrations were foiled and Herons that went hungry because of man-kinds impulses to tame the elements.

Alas, I did enjoy the canoe trip and kind of agree with the "Save Argo Pond" people who don't want the Argo dam to be removed; but purely for selfish reasons, as I jog around that pond multiple times a week.

Just for fun, here's a Colbert interview with No Impact man.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Colin Beavan

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Protests

AB

2009-08-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

I am a little obsessed with Pitchfork's videos right now and had to post this one. Back in March I saw Andrew Bird perform at Borders in Ann Arbor and then went to his concert. I tried to record a little bit of video to show his amazing talent but this video captures it all about 10 times better than my shoddy videos. Plus, he is playing one of my favorite songs.

One day I will be his back-up whistler. His velvet whistles can't last forever, although I hope they do.

Dan Deacon Video

2009-08-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

Until I load pictures from my southern food extranvaganza I hope you enjoy this video:

5-K Glory

2009-08-17T09:19:00.001-07:00

Enough of my not-so-scary-to-other-people-but-really-scary-to-me posts and back to self aggrandizing. I returned to AA at the beginning of August and the first weekend back ran a 5-K. I enjoy running and at certain points in my life have even been termed "a runner" but I hurt my knee in the UK in May and the road to recovery was slow and arduous. I could barely run a mile without my knee starting to hurt and having to stop jogging and drag myself home like a person with a wooden leg (not that's there's anything wrong with wooden legs). Lucky for me in mid-July the higher powers of knee injuries smiled upon me and I had a break-through run exceeding 2 miles with no pain. Since then I have had few problems with my knee (knock on wood).

In celebration I signed up for the 5-K with some friends as motivation to keep jogging. The morning of the race was cold and wet. This was unusual for me as I am use to running in humid 80+ degree weather in Rockville. While the cooler weather may have helped me run faster-I heard cooler weather increases speed, from a if not reliable at least very confident source- I think it's safe to say the soaking wet shoes and puddle hopping counter-acted any gains from cooler temperature. Regardless, I must have had made some gains because I placed 3rd in my age group. This was a lovely surprise as I seldom win things. Here are some pictures offering evidence of my glorious day:)

All nice and dry before the race.

Hanging out by the finish line

My 3rd place medal. Please notice how it is exactly the same as the 1st place medal which Amy secured.

The whole gang after the race

Scary Memories

2009-07-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my second post about scary stuff! This post too, was inspired by a "This American Life" podcast. In the podcast the narrator is explaining how he was afraid of practically everything. At night these fears kept him from going to the bathroom, so instead he decided to pee in various places such as the carpet or the rug in his grandmas nearby room. I myself can relate to having been so scared of the dark that it caused me to wet the bed until much later than usual. However, the podcast brought to mind a nightmare I had as a child that also explained my dislike of Michael Jackson.

Recently with Jackson's death I've pondered why so many people "loved" him and I, a lover of the Jackson Five and music in general could never warm up to him as a solo artist. The revelation I had after listening to the podcast suddenly answered that question. I suddenly remember the content of that traumatizing dream 20 years after the fact.

The essence of the nightmare can be explained by a hybrid of the following two videos. The setting was hall that separated my room from the bathroom. You have to understand the hall was lined with mirrors so it made everything doubly terrifying. The night mare occurred shortly after seeing Michael Jackson's Thriller and this Sesame Street video. In my night mare Michael Jackson is wearing the same red jacket and although he doesn't turn in to a were-cat and he is dancing in the hall with alligators. The vision of that nightmare was so terrifying that I dared not transverse the hall to the bathroom. As I have grown older I had forgotten the nightmare, stopped wetting the bed and even grew out of my fear of the dark- maybe not completely, but I am a lot less scared than I used to be. However my dislike of Michael Jackson remained. I am glad I finally pinpointed where my dislike originated and only hope in my mind Michael can Rest In Peace.

Fear and scary stuff and things

2009-07-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've never had any real theme to my blog other than the usual self aggrandizing pictures, but for the next couple of posts I am going to write about scary stuff! Well, I should clarify, I will be writing about stuff that is scary to me. Here's the inaugural post:

This morning I went jogging before work and decided to listen to my i

pod. I usually jog without it as I think that it is a little unsafe on roads with no sidewalk and I am more prone to ignore what my scenic surroundings. However, today these surrounding lost there usual charm and the sounds that I usually associate with small animal frolicking through the woods along side the road turned into sinister forewarnings of potential predators. What you may be asking yourself cause this dramatic perspective shift?

This American Life!

Today I justified listening This American Life on my ipod while jogging because it's not blarring music and I would only wear one earphone, thus leavi

ng my other ear free to hear oncoming cars, small creatures, pedophiles, rapist and the usual jogger threats. The last few items have always been on the list but the story I was listening to pushed them to the top.

The story I was listening to was titled Pro Se. The first story on the podcast was about a boy who had critically harmed a homeless man and claimed he was mentally ill to avoid going to a normal jail. He heard that psychiatric hospital are cushier, so he proceeded to described heinous ideations, most of them based on horror or thriller movies he had seen. Well, the authorities did think he was crazy so they sent him not to just any psychiatric hospital but Broadmoor, the place where they send the most "dangerous" criminals, the serial killers, pedophiles, etc.

The story was really interesting and has some insight into the power of stigma and perception but I am afraid that even as I write this the more powerful idea and feelings are paranoia and fear. Especially as they described the acts of his fellow inmates while eerie music played in the background. In the end the psychiatrist and psychologists didn't believe this boy was mentally ill in the way he pretended, but instead they diagnosed him with a psychopathic personality disorder. By the end of the story the matter is unresolved but what is certain- that is the fastest I have jogged in a long time and I won't be jogging with my ipod anytime soon.

Stay tuned for more eery stories...

Broadmoor

Banjos and Birthdays

2009-07-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am officially in my late twenties.Mmid twenties only lasts from 24-26 but I turned 27 last Saturday. It was a great day and turned out to be a lot more eventful and fun than I anticipated and a lot less traumatic than turning 26 last year in Utah. It actually started Friday evening when Emily and David invited me to dinner in Virginia. We went to a great restaurant and filled up on naan, chicken tikka, some lamb curry and Lassis. YUMMY!

Saturday morning Dana and I took off to a Banjo festival at Tacoma Park. The great thing about the Tacoma Park is it has a lot of eclectic second hand shops that made for some fun browsing. Not only was the day full of banjos but amazing food starting with Thai food in China Town followed by frozen yogurt and a cup cake.

I thought that would be the end of my birthday fun but when we returned home Kathy and Dave had bought a cake and some presents for me and we had a yummy birthday meal. It meant a lot to me as well the birthday wishes I received via mail, facebook and phone. Thanks everyone and here's to another year.

I really need to get me one of these shirts, perhaps minus the floral print pants.

A real Banjo Player!

Dana and I with "the cake". We decided 27 candles was a fire hazard and went with just 1.

4th of July

2009-07-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July holiday I went Jamestown and Williamsburg with my friend Emily and her family. I must admit that I don't know a lot about either Jamestown or Williamsburg other than both were settlements so I deferred to Wikipedia for historical context.

Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14, 1607.^[1] It is commonly regarded as the first permanent Englishsettlement in what is now the United States of America, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke. It was founded by the London Company (later to become the Virginia Company), headquartered in London. Located in James City County when it was formed in 1634 as one of the original eight shires of Virginia, Jamestown was the capital of the Colony for 83 years, from 1616 until 1698. At that time, the capital was relocated to Middle Plantation, about 8 miles (13 km) distant. (That small community, which had also become home to the new College of William and Mary in 1693, was renamed Williamsburg in 1699).

I was stoked to see the Powhatan Village at Jamestown because the brochure we received upon entrance had a dishy-looking Native American. To my utter disappointment the camp was staffed not by Native Americana at all but by Caucasian females wearing Native American garb. The place did have some cool ships to tour.

We went to Williamsburg for the 4th of July to see the 13 cannon salute. Coming from Utah where the fourth of July means Stadium of Fire and a parade it was nice to see the more historic side of Independence day. They did a salute for each of the original 13 states, played the state song and shot a cannon for each . Here is the first paragraph of Wikipedia's Williamsburg entry and some pictures.

Colonial Williamsburg is the historic district of the independent city of Williamsburg, Virginia. It consists of many of the buildings that, from 1699 to 1780, formed colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of two of the original shires of Virginia, James City Shire (nowJames City County), and Charles River Shire (now York County). For most of the 18th century, Williamsburg was the center of government, education and culture in the Colony of Virginia. It was here that Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Monroe, James Madison, George Wythe,Peyton Randolph, and dozens more helped mold democracy in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States.

Pleasant Surprise: Kara's Visit

2009-06-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I was pleasantly surprised when my room mate from Michigan, the one and only Kara Stowers came into town for the day en route to a chemistry conference in Germany. I had no qualms asking for the afternoon off and left at lunch time to go tour the District with her. The Smithsonian folk fest is going on, so after a greasy lunch at Five Guys Famous Hamburgers we walked around Mall and the different attractions folkfest attractions. My favorite was the one about Wales. Made me just a little sick for the lovely few days that Amy and I spent in Pembroke, Llandudno and Snowdonia National Park.

Here we are in the sculpture garden on the Mall.

Still wading our feet. The other girl is another chemist from Michigan who hung with us for a bit. Sadly I don't remember her name now and didn't really that whole day.

Kara drinking a limeade.

Me standing in front of Welsh Scenery.

Two Welsh Children's Poet Laureates teaching Welsh folk songs.

Farmer's market

2009-06-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the Rockville Farmer's market. I went partly because I have been meaning to and partly because I watched Food Inc. last weekened and while I have been making some changes about what and how I eat I think the movie finally inspired an epiphany (MI classmates will understand that word means on multiple levels). While I hope changes I am making are sustainable, only time will tell. Here is a picture f what I bought. I paid $6.50 for it all. You farmers market buffs let me know whether I paid too much. It was my first time and I think I was a little nervous and didn't take enough time to look around. Next time I might have to find a farmer's market buddy so I don't get too nervous with all those Farmer's-Market Expert people tap their foot while I stand contemplating indecisively whether to buy the green or the purple pepper.

Another Post dedicated to HP: Part Duex

2009-06-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you left with a pit in your stomach from the last post, worried about whether I would find Harry Potter and the Half blooded Prince this post will ease your troubled mind. This morning on my way to the Farmer's market I stopped at the public library and there on the shelf stood two copies of the very book I was looking for. Who knew that libraries were places where they kept book.

But seriously, I thought it was impossible that they would have it in seeing that the movie comes out in a couple of week and all those 12 year olds (and sadly 26 year old interns) would want to beaf up on their Harry Potter knowledge or at least get inspiration for their opening night costume. Either was I am happy have found it, despite the fact that is only the American edition; which means I will be less confused.

Just outside the library in what would be Rockville Town Square, if anyone actually uses that term anymore, is found word welcome in various languages. Below is welcome in Khmae (Cambodian). Just thought I throw this in because it is cool. I have no idea why it says roost below it.

Another post dedicated to HP

2009-06-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

So I know that everyone is talking about Michael Jackson-may he rest in peace. I am cursing myself that I never bought one of his CDs I could make bank on it- but this post is about Harry Potter. I decided that I need to read the 6th book again before the movie comes out July 15, but I have had some trouble finding a copy. Instead I ended up reading the 5th book again. I really enjoyed it as it was the British edition and there are some things in there that made no sense to me and some words you would never put in a children/adolescent book in the U.S. I won't write the words but if you must know what it is email me and I will tell you.

After finishing that book for the second time I must say that I am very disappointed in the Movie Industry. I totally understand that movies can't be 5 hours long- although A&E's Pride and Prejudice was- but can't they try a little bit harder to catch the essence of the book. The Order of the Phoenix movie cut out a lot of the book, some of it that is very crucial to understanding what is going on. I am hoping, hoping, hoping that this next movie will more closely represent the book. Now if I could just find a copy of that darn 6th book....

Wow! I can't believe I just wrote that post... it's sad. Oh Well!

Cuties

2009-06-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture on the New York Times website on Monday and thought it was great. It was posted to report on Hong Kong closing schools for two weeks due to swine flu. Even know I know this picture is supposed to instill sorrow or a little fear these two miniature adults looking girls as so darn cute. Sorry for any copyright infringment.

June happenings thus far

2009-06-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a real blog post in awhile and this is my attempt at one but it will take the form of a less-sophisticated photo montage than my UK trip as I have a lot photos from various things I have done over the last few weeks.

One of my first DC adventures post UK was going to the zoo. Last August I went to the zoo with my family but we went late in the day when the zoo was about to close so I didn't get to see to many animals so this was on the top of my list. Even better than the zoo was the chance to hang out with my old long-boarding buddy from Provo, Emily. Unfortunately, I never took a picture of her (sorry Em).

Really cool jelly fish

A very unflattering picture of me and Elephants.

I thought this was odd and somewhat disturbing. These boys were holding an elephant turd. Emily and I think it had been shellacked or something but still weird that they carry that around for visitors to pose with.

I am really glad I got to see the pandas because they were not out last year and I wanted to see them.

Last week was stake conference and the stake center is right next to the temple so I decided to take a walk around the temple grounds and visitors center. At one point I found myself in the visitors center crying as I watched Mormon Ads. Those adds are so darn cute. I walked the nature trail around the temple but had to turn back because I got a bug in my eye that I did not actually get out of my eye until 5 hours later.

Wednesday I went to the temple and I couldn't help taking this picture if only to contrast it with the one above. We have been having some pretty wicked lightening storms here and the sky and clouds take on amazing colors and texture as a result.

Monday I went up to hill for some meetings and had a few hours in between so my friend Erin was kind enough to hang out with me. Looking at the background you may think we are in Vegas but it is just he tunnel connecting the Smithsonian Cafe to one of the art museums. I will be forever in Erin's debt for introducing me to TangySweet a cultured frozen yogurt place. Their yogurt was super yummy and I have been craving it ever since. Next time I am down in the district going there is at the top of my list.

Yesterday Dana and I went hiking along the Potomac below the falls.

Maybe some day I will write about my internship but I have to get some pictures to accompany it and some might be inappropriate for some viewers seeing that a lot of it has to do with breast feeding.

A president with a sense of humor

2009-06-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

I love this clip and love that Barak Obama is so darn funny.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Obama Orders Stephen's Haircut - Ray Odierno

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Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Stephen Colbert in Iraq

2009-05-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a video montage of most of my pictures. Unfortunately the length is such that I could only fit a songs of bands from England and Scotland, sorry Ireland. There are no captions at this time but perhaps one day when I am really bored I will include some. Enjoy!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Harry Potter! What happened to Jane Austen?

2009-05-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have returned from my 3 week jaunt to the UK and despite missing my plane, spending the night in the Philadelphia airport, losing my credit card and doing something to my knee I had a great time. I felt like my trip was a UK/Ireland sampler trip. We saw so many places in three weeks it is hard to know where to begin. I am sure I will have a series of posts about my trip but this one is dedicated to my Harry Potter adventures. When I left for this trip I thought it would be more of a Jane Austen trip- you know many a long walks in the countryside, broken up by visits to grand estates and cities famously used by Austen (Bath). However it seemed that Harry Potter was everywhere and could not be escaped.

There was one night that we had not made concrete plans to stay anywhere so we ended up staying in this cute little town in Wales called Pembroke. It was a great decision we loved it there. In our search for internet access we entered a shop called Dragon Alley (very close to diagon alley and for good reason). The super friendly shop owners informed us that nearby Harry Potter 7 was being filmed.

I am afraid that I don't remember enough from the 7th book to competently say what this place is but Dobby is to be buried near by. The house was built on the beach for outdoor shots.

These two men were part of the crew, one was a builder and the other was security. I will let you decide which one did what. They were really great and jovial. They answered my inane questions and showed us the approximate place of Dobby's grave, just behind them in the dunes.

This is the cafe in Edinburgh where Harry Potter was primarily written. We tried to get some cocoa there but it was too busy so we went across the street, fortunately for us because all the pastries were 1/2 off, yum!!!!!!

This is the Divinity school at Oxford and was also used as the infirmary in Harry Potter. That corner is the very corner that Harry Potter recovered in from one of his ailments. I can't remember which. We also toured the Bodlien Library which was used as Hogwarts library but unfortunately were not allowed to take pictures.

So maybe this was not in Harry Potter per se but it is Christ Church at Oxford and Oxford is where much of Harry Potter's Hogwarts scenes were filmed.

National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

2009-05-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

In case you were not aware May 6 is National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. I know most of you probably have BBQ and parades scheduled around the topic but for those who don't here's a heads up. As part of the national day the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy had a forum around the issue today. My supervisor signed me up for it and I was quite excited to go, seeing it was at the National Press Club and would include free food. The meeting was interesting but did not include too much new information seeing that I went to a week long conference on the issue two years ago. My favorite panel was the last one. The facilitator was Maury Povich. Yes that's the man himself.

For those of you who don't know he is a daytime talk show host that does a lot of the "Who's my baby's daddy?" episodes. After the panel I felt a bit like I had just sat through what one of his shows minus the single teen mothers berating the suspected teen fathers.

The other panel members were interesting too and included:

Kristen Alderson- I don't need to say more for all you Soap Opera fans who watch One Life to Live. She is on cast of that soap and her character is a teen who got pregnant. More compelling for me than the fact that her character got pregnant was the fact that she had been on the show for 11 years. Since she was 5. That's crazy!

Vickie Collier- Vice President of Digital Media of the Disney-ABC Television Group. Apparently in the show "The Secret Life of Teenagers" from the ABC Network one of the characters just had a baby. There was a blog for teens to talk about it and the show really tried to show the real consequences of the show. Since I have never actually see the show I can't really comment on it. She was a nice though.

Ann Shoket- Editor-on-Chief of Seventeen Magazine. I was very wary of her presence as I feel like her magazine probably does as much to objectify teen-aged girls so they feel like their main asset is their sexuality as it does to address positively address the topic of teen pregnancy. I was pleasantly surprised by her comments but would need to look at a recent edition of Seventeen magazine before I say too much more.

My favorite part was the free stuff. I got this shirt for myself and you better believe I picked one up for my 50-something year old supervisor too. When I got home Dana (the girl I live with) looked up the associated website, but it was under construction so I don't really know what it means. Maybe I should wear it to a church activity or a bar:)

I'm lazy... no Im busy... no I'm lazy

2009-05-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

I am safely in Maryland and attended a great conference in DC on Breastfeeding (details about that are forthcoming), but I have also been applying for a fellowship, trying to finish up some work and get ready for 3 weeks in the UK. Hence I am being lazy, and posting this clip of two very funny people, Ira glass and Steven Colbert.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Ira Glass

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

First 100 Days

Life Decisions continued...

2009-04-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the much anticipated blog post about my haircut. Before I unveil the results I thought I would post some picture of me and my long hair doing some of our favorite things together.

Here am I brushing my hair.

My hair and I reading a book.

My hair and I eating Marshmallow Maties.

The Cut

Here I am at the Salon. A special thanks to Amy who accompanied me and took pictures. The cut doesn't really look like any of the pictures I posted before, although picture #2 was the look I was going for. Unfortunately, my hair was not long enough after taking the 10 inches to make it work.

Here I am with Terry, the person who cut my hair, after we cut off the 10 inches. Somehow I am still smiling.

I know that this picture is not the greatest but I am not yet in love with my new hair cut so I didn't take one just of me. Here I am with some friends from the REACH Detroit project that I did my social work field study with. I liked my hair cut better today then I did yesterday so I think it will just take time.

Institute Commencment

2009-04-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have thought that I am graduating this semester, but I am back for one more in the fall. However, to appease the commencement appetite I did receive a certificate of achievement from institute. Who knew that eating pizza with a Book of Mormon open near by qualifies as an achievement? I am pretty sure that I have graduated from or received such a certificate from institute before so I was surprised that it could happen again. Here are some pictures of the event and some friends willing to allow me to milk this anti-climatic event for all it was worth. Presents and money are more than welcome:)

Life Decisions

2009-04-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

You might think from the title of this blog it is going to be something very hefty and at first the subject might not seem like a big deal, but for me it is. I am going to cut my hair and when I say cut I mean chop, at least 10 inches has to come off so I can donate it. I have had short hair before but last time I did that I cut off 10 inches and then moved to a foreign country for four months. This time I will not be leaving the country but instead move to Rockville Maryland for the summer. This is an opportunity to reinvent myself- at least my hair style. I have been rockin the psuedo-granola unkempt look for too long.

In Ann Arbor I am known for my zany attachment to my long luscious locks, cutting my hair will definitely dampen my breadth of conversation topics. Perhaps I can substitute my old hair talk with my hair cutting spiritual journey. How I found myself as I rid myself of attachment and was freed from the bad Karma stored up in my hair.

The primary point of this post though is to get feedback from all of you about how I should cut my hair? Please cast your vote using using the polling mechanism to the left of the screen. I did a little research on cuts that might work with my face and then just found some I like and these are the options I came up with:

Hair Cut #1

Hair Cut #2- Do not let the fact that she has different colored eyes affect your choice.

Hair Cut #3

Andrew Bird Day

2009-04-09T05:46:00.000-07:00

Although it was not official, for me it was Andrew Bird Day. I went to Borders at 11:30 with my friends Lisa and Carissa so I could get a seat to see him play a little show. Then last night I went to his show at the Michigan Theater. It is no surprise to most who know me that I enjoy music, specifically of the Indie genre, but Andrew Bird is set apart by my infatuation with him and his abilities. He studied violin performance at Northwestern and plays his violin while singing at some point in about every song. As a 10th grade orchestra drop out I can appreciate his talents. It almost inspires to take up the bow and string again, almost. Here are some photos from the day.

At Borders before the show. I had to put this one up because Carissa's eyes look wicked cool.

Andrew playing at Borders

Lisa and I out front of the Michigan Theater the day of the show

Anther great picture at the concert with Carissa looking eerily cool in the back

Andrew at the Michigan Theater

A short video that by no means represents nor capture his talents but is short enough to post.

A Hairy Topic

2009-03-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

It is no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love hair. To avoid gross references and inappropriate comments I will narrow head hair. It amazes me the depth of conversations that I can have revolving around hair. Just yesterday I had a conversation where I connected my hair care with the green movement with a little help from an NPR story. The story addresses how often Americans wash their hair (twice as often as many Europeans), how often we should wash our hair and then it talks about the "No-poo" movement which entails giving up shampooing completely. One person who gave up shampooing used baking soda as a cleanser and vinegar as conditioner.

While I don't see myself going "No-poo" anytime soon I do think it is important to realize we often do what we do more from habit than t be "healthy." I am trying to get my own hair washing down to twice a week, so if you see me please refrain from calling me a grease-ball, it may take awhile for my hair to adjust. Such comments may not only shatter my self confidence but also contribute to global warming and increase deterioration of the ozone.

Here is a familial etiology of hair:

Grandpa Campbell, he has a fine head of hair and still does to this day. In the picture below he is the one folding his arms.

My mom (in red) also had great hair.

We have all hair types in my family. Here's a picture of the Allen children with Grandma Allen (minus James, he was in Zimbabwe).

Me and a random waiter in Mexico, he had awesome hair.

Tribute to Kirsten

2009-03-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

It turns out my sister, Kirsten has been sick lately and I, being a very bad sister, was not aware of it, and the fact that she is in a foreign country only makes my neglect more gross. In order to make it up to her I am writing this blog as a tribute to her.

Kirsten is a uniting force. Look at her in the picture bringing together life long arch enemies, Mike and Matt, with a simple hand holding and a singing of Kumbaya.

And even though she can be a little testy sometimes...

She's not afraid to take ahold of the reins and get the party started.

She's particularly useful in orchestrating a family photo. (She's the little one in front turned around telling everyone else what to do.)

Did I mention she is really smart? Here she is reading the first draft of her master's thesis to Aunt Vicky and Uncle John.

Oh yeah, Kirsten has great hair! It's like mine but black and curly:)

I hope you are completely recovered Kirsten and know the you are loved in the old USA. May this tribute warm your heart until you meet the writer in the flesh.

Here's one more super cute picture.

The End

Holiday Ruined

2009-03-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

I would just like to personally thank all of the University of Michigan undergraduate students who have forever ruined the St. Patrick's holiday for me. I have never been so uncomfortable wearing green in my life. Yesterday, I got ready for the day and put on some khakis and a black shirt until I realized that it was actually one of my favorite holidays, St. Patrick's Day- OK so maybe it just recently became my favorite holiday as I will visit the motherland in May. When I realized this I quickly changed into a green shirt and headed to class.

As I approached campus I realized my blunder. It was only 11 am and already there were many a beer pong game going on in the front yards of fraternities. For those of you unfamiliar with this game it usually consists of a ping ping table, plastic cups of cheap beer, a group of shirtless male undergrads and a group of female undergrads wearing black leggings, huge black sunglasses and because it was St. Patrick's day, green shirts.

I wanted to go home and change my shirt but I was going to be late for class, so instead I put on a sweater and made a run past the frats to class. After class was over I went home and changed, there was no way I was going to be associated with the underage drunken debauchery.

I tried to get some footage of this really drunk kid weaving back and forth across the sidewalk but I was too slow pulling out the camera. That was right about the time that a girl supported by three friends threw up on the sidewalk across the street. Maybe next year I'll just wear orange.

Runner's Fears

2009-03-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

The title of the blog may lead one to think of rolled ankles, shin splints and for girls, sexual predators. The fear I discuss here does involve a predator, but not the human kind. The recent change in the weather has prompted me to start jogging again, since I can go outside without fear of hypothermia or slipping on ice. I went for the first time last Saturday with a member of my ward (thanks Mike) so what I noticed today as I went jogging was irrelevant then because I was distracted talking and felt secure with a jogging buddy.

The only picture I could find of a frightened runner

Today I was by myself and running around a reservoir near my house. It was about 11 am and I would meet fellow jogger every now and then, but I don't know if even they could save me from the potential threat I will identify. You may be asking yourself what terrible thing happened to me on my jog? Nothing terrible but something terrible could have happened, and it would have been due to squirrels. Squirrels are always around but at this time of year they are very visible and hungry looking. There are no leaves on the trees so there is nothing to hide these little guys and they are everywhere. Plus, they all have this winter-induced-emaciated look in their beady little eyes.

I think the squirrel I saw may have been brandishing a light-saber.

As I was jogging I felt myself being watch and happened to look over my right shoulder, and right above my head on the branch of a tree was a squirrel staring down at me mouthing the words "I will eat you." So maybe he/she wasn't mouthing anything but he looked hungry and I probably looked like a juicy morsel to him/her. You may be saying to yourself, "But Jessica, squirrels are small. You could easily overpower it." I agree, but what I fear is the combined power of squirrels. If there was ever any sort of squirrel community organizing going on I am sure a small group of these hunger-crazed rodents could easily overpower me. I didn't want to find out so I ran faster. I guess I will just refrain from jogging solo until there are actual plants growing for squirrels to eat. Although it may never be safe to run solo again as I hear the squirrel economy is not doing much better than the US economy since the squirrel housing bubble burst.

Banjo Birthdays

2009-03-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

I am almost embarrassed to post this but at heart I'm a narcissistic and I think the exposure could really help my career. My rendering of a Happy Birthday songs via banjo started last fall when I made up my own Birthday song for my friend Jonathan. This time I was feeling much less creative and just borrowed a Beatles tune, and Maggie and I co-wrote the lyrics. I am grateful to Amy and Kara who were such good sports to go along with my crazy musician wannabe notions.

Seeing and hearing myself play I realize how out of tune I sound and that I have very mechanical strumming patterns, something my banjo teacher was always trying to correct. Anywho, enjoy this attempt to make a Beatles classic into a birthday sensation. For all my faithful followers I hope to be releasing a single some time this year:)

Special Thanks to Elizabeth Downie for her camera work.

A Ring to Rule Them All

2009-03-08T07:27:00.001-07:00

This Christmas my brother Matt and his lovely wife, Elizabeth decided to spice up everyone's Christmas by roving the aisles of the dollar store and carefully selecting pertinent gifts. For me they picked out a diamond ring toy that grows 600 X it's size when immersed in water (see picture below, though it hardly is 600X it's original size).

I was not sure what to make of the gift, were they trying to tell me something? Was is a gift of hope that I may some day receive a real diamond ring? Or a gift of pity? (actually, either way I will never have a diamond ring because I am somewhat morally opposed to them, and I lose rings all the time so I don't think putting something that expensive on my hand is a good idea). I am still unsure of Matt and Liz's intentions but I do believe this expanding little ring has special powers.

I started the growing process February 21, 2009. Exactly a week later at approximately the same time that I started the growing the ring, my room mate became engaged. A coincidence you say. I think not! I think the ring, while not the sole predictor of the engagement- I'm not that superstitious- was the catalyst. If not for this little ring, and its ability to grow 600 X it's size, Maggie would be having a dreary winter wedding instead of an ideal June wedding. All hail the magic growing ring!

Neighborhood #1 (Graffiti and Animals)

2009-03-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

I am still in a bit of a slog so I am posting some pictures that I took around my house. I thought this was suiting since many of my friends and family have never seen where I live.

That is my apartment, it is actually a split-condo sort of thing with my abode being the one nearest the road.

Some graffiti on the wall of the power plant down the road from my house. If anyone knows what that says let me know.

The Huron River is about a block away. I like to jog along the path that follows it.

Ducks.

A bad picture of swans, but I do love silhouette of the trees against the sky.

A furry woodland creature. I guess I am like Cinderella in the sense that these little creatures love me. I can tell by the way they look at my head like it is a huge nut.

Valentines Picture Fun

2009-02-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Valentines Day and I do not have a valentine. However, my room mate did have a party and I got all the boys in attendance to take some pictures with me. The second shot was the concept I was going for but I had to suffer through the first one to get the second. I hope that everyone had a good Valentines Day. No matter where you were or who you were with, know that you are loved by me.

More on Opossums or is it possums?

2009-02-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday evening after a lovely ice cream trip for my friend Amy's birthday my posse and I were blessed to see this little guy. Before Monday night I would have readily agreed with anyone that opossums are ugly frightening little creatures, having only seen them dead or alive from my car, but after this personal experience I will defend opossums looks and character. This little guy was so cute and nice, especially considering how close he let me get without hissing. Enjoy.

New Camera= Lot's of pictures

2009-02-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

I thought since last week's entry was a very wordy entry about my camera, this week I would just share picture I have been taking. Here are some from a room mate plus Todd and Leilani date night (RMPTLDN) last weekend in AA. Ann Arbor has a annual ice caring festival in which businesses commission something about their business to be temporarily memorialized through ice. If everyone in these picture looks like their freezing it's because they are.

This is outside Chase bank. I thought we should vandalize it because of the mess the banking system has got our country in but I bank there, so no vandalism occurred.

One of my favorite places, a chocolate store. We went in to buy truffles and get warm, mmmmmmm!

Outside another chocolate store.

Todd by the Acme ice sculpture. He hates posing but I made him because he is an Engineer and I always equate Acme with engineering.

Stephanie and Mike outside a delicious little Italian place. For those who don't know Stephanie has spent the last couple of summers in Italy doing operas, thus she is the perfect model for the picture.

Finally Micah, (the boy who agreed to accompany me on RMPTLDN) drinking a cold one.

Camera

2009-02-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

This post about my camera is specifically for Adam, Dad and Chrys, whose financial support made this story possible. Here I will record the eventful journey of a small piece of electronics from it's original home in Kansas to Ann Arbor. Most Cameras don't get to see much until they are actually out of the packaging but this little guy made a few unanticipated stops on the way. I received Christmas money to buy a camera and set out to find the best deal. I consulted many a family member in person and via Skype about the pixels, battery life, size and capabilities. My informed consumer habits were all present until I saw yet another Canon Powershot commercial with Maria Sharapova. That's when all my research went out the window. I had to have that camera.

I returned to Ann Arbor with no camera but a pocket full of Christmas cash with which to start a focused search for the perfect Powershot. Like any good consumer I started with actual stores but thought their prices were, too high, then to Amazon, still too high. Finally, I ended up on Ebay. I am not going to lie and say I never shop on Ebay, because it is a main source for my hair care products. However, I am not one of those people who will have to hire out my first born child as an indentured servant to pay for all the things I have bought. This story demonstrates just how long it's been since I bought anything on Ebay.

I found my camera in the very color I wanted, chocolate brown, for a very good price. Plus it came with a 4 gig card! I went over all the specs and they seemed in line with my research plus the seller had a very good rating so I decided to go ahead with it. As I entered my information that's when the trouble started. I think my house is situated in some sort of worm hole or electro-magnetic field- sorry for misuse of the terms science friends- because our internet never works for very long or properly. As I entered my new address information the internet went out and apparently did not save. I was so excited to have bought a camera that I did not realize until it was too late that is was being sent to my brothers old house in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where I lived before moving to Ann Arbor.

When I realized the mistake I started an email conversation with the USPS. They are really friendly emailers but not really that helpful. After a couple of exchanges in which they assured me the post office would be calling me but never did, I just called myself. The online tracking indicated that the package had been delivered but I know it had not because I contacted the person who currently lives there- he was in my brothers ward- and was assured that the USPS had just left a slip to pick it up, not actually delivered it.

I contacted the Cheyenne post office and the lady there was really not very nice or helpful. She said if the online tracking said delivered than it must have been delivered. This is when I pulled out my wild card. I had asked my own postman, who is super nice, and he gave me a couple of scenarios of what might have happened. When I started citing information from one of her own she became much more helpful and said she would check the shelf to see if it happened to have been miss-tracked. Sure enough a half hour later I received a call from the Cheyenne post office saying they found my package. To make an already too long story not as long as it could be I called the person who owns my brothers house and asked if they could send it to me. He was more than willing to and now I have my camera. Yipee! Stay tuned for actual shots with the camera.

Here is my beauty (Taken with my cell phone):

CCYS

2009-01-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

My cousin posted this video on his blog http://greg.org/and I thought that it was just too good to ignore. My slogginess does not keep me ripping other people's creativity (technically I borrowed from Amy for the slog post). The video features surviving members of the New York Dolls covering the popular LDS hymn "Come, Come Ye Saints". My cousin informs on his blog that this tune was originally from an English drinking song. Either way it is a groovy cover.

I should add that they recorded this while the documentary "New York Doll" was being filmed about Arthur "Killer" Kane, rockstar turned Mormon. Apparently, there are a few other hymns that Greg Whiteley, the director got them to cover, another being "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" that plays during the end credits.

Slogging

2009-01-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

My friend Amy talked about slogging in one of her posts and i am definitely a slogger. According to the entry “slog,” means to slack off in writing on your blog. I think slog has a deeper meaning, rooted in artistic and creative stagnation. That is how I have felt for the last week. I guess I can't really say artistic stagnation because I really don't have an ounce of it in me, but I would like to think that some of my blog posts are creative. So while this slognation persists I might just have to depend on Colbert Videos. Please excuse my miss-conjugation of slog, these new techo-terms are just so new and foreign to me.

Snuggie Infomercial Rival

2009-01-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

My brother emailed me about this one and while I don;t think it rivals our Snuggie infomercial it is also good.

The Snuggie

2009-01-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

The culmination of events was just such that I feel like this post was meant to be. For the Snuggie novice you might want look up more info: https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next?tag=ED|SM|GO|TM|

Event #1: I become familiar with the Snuggie through my friend Elizabeth's blog.

Event #2: The Economy crashes, Snuggie commercial playtime increases exponentially (because cheap airtime increased).

Event #3: I started watching TV during Winter Break, see Snuggie Commercials and I start to Heart the Snuggie.

Event #4: My room mate returns home from break with a Snuggie.

Event #5: This epic infomercial is made.

Here it is folks my, and my room mates Snuggie infomercial: