Life as Me

New Blog!!!

2011-01-07T12:03:00.002-05:00

I'm leaving this blog behind; however, I have officially started a new blog with two good friends of mine. It's going to be slightly more focused (although, apparently not if I can help it) on historical fiction and relationships. I've included a like below. I hope you enjoy!

3 Bluestockings

This is why

2010-10-12T22:00:00.000-04:00

This is why I love Sesame Street!

Bee mystery perhaps solved

2010-10-07T16:27:00.002-04:00

If you recall in my very first post, I wrote about bees mysteriously disappearing.

It appears some scientists along with the US Army might have discovered the cause. It seems to be a one-two punch brought on my a virus and fungus.

You can read about it in this New York Times article by Kirk Johnson.

I'm in a web comic!!!

2010-09-28T23:38:00.002-04:00

I'm super excited because I had an awesome Sunday this week. (I've been busy and am just now catching up with myself.) I went to get a book signed by the fabulous, awe-inspiring Neil Gaiman - who shook my hand and was generally amazing! While waiting in line, I met three remarkable Gaiman fans and we talked for about half an hour or more. It was one of those serendipitous city moments that makes me love Boston so much!

As it turns out, one of the three people I met is a cartoonist/graphic designer, and he wrote about his stupendous Sunday on his web comic. Guess who makes a tiny appearance at the end?

Check it out!

My Apologies!

2010-09-22T09:21:00.003-04:00

I have been super busy lately, and have not had much opportunity to update this; sorry. But now for a life update! Get excited.

New/Interesting Things in Life:

1. I've moved! Yay!

2. I have moved into a boarding house with other graduate students (mostly anyway) and a big 10 year old dog named, Cocoa. It's fun so far.

3. I have officially started my real job search. As much as I want a real job, the prospect of all the rejection is a bit terrifying. Plus, in all likelihood, I'll have to move yet again which I'm not too enthusiastic about.

Fall has already begun here, and while I don't like the idea of freezing my behind every time I have to wait for the bus, I do appreciate the different season and all the wonders that it entails. Especially Pumpkin Coffee at Dunkin!

Vacation!

2010-08-13T17:56:00.000-04:00

I'm going to the beach!!!

Coolest Internship Ever! aka I Will Have the Coolest Job*

2010-08-10T23:15:00.004-04:00

*assuming I can actually find a library that's hiring, and will hire me. Cross your fingers in September (when I start my search) everybody!

I love, Love, LOVE my future job! I mean, I really love it! It's awesome! I spent the morning working out programming ideas for October, including pumpkin decorating, monster movies, and a murder mystery pizza party! Score!

Later I did some shelf reading, not so cool, but it wasn't for long. After which, I worked a bit more on the BPL Teen Blog, inputting reviews by teens themselves (check the book reviews! What I did today is under the "summer reading" part.) Since I was working at The Desk, I got to field several patron questions, talk to people, suggest books, help people find books, all the great stuff that makes a librarian's job awesome.

Sweet!

Girls' best friend

2010-08-06T20:17:00.002-04:00

No, not Lizzy. Although she is fantastic!!!

Maybe I should lay off Marilyn Monroe for a while. It's starting to seep into my doodles.

Whale Watching!!!!

2010-08-03T20:55:00.005-04:00

The whale watching in Provincetown was amazing! We got to see three different species of whales, Minke, Finback, and Humpback! Apparently, the port side also got a view of some dolphins, but, unfortunately enough for me, I was starboard. It was pretty great, though. We got to see the whales bubble net feed, or surface feed. It was only the second time our guide had seen it. It's just amazing! The whales use bubbles to drive their fish and krill to the surface of the water, then the whales open their mouths and scoop all the fishies in.

I hope the you enjoy the pictures!

Whales!!!

2010-07-30T10:55:00.002-04:00

Summer vacation is so close to being "here" I can taste it! I don't have any more classes, just one more assignment to turn in on Monday, then I'm done. But first, I have a small weekend getaway with me two best friends here in Boston! I'm so excited!

Whale Tail!

One of the things we'll be doing this weekend is going on a whale watching tour! How cool is that?! Hopefully, we'll be able to see some whales and get some good shots. I'll post any cool photos I take, fear not.

Librarian-themed fan-fic

2010-07-29T16:10:00.001-04:00

I just had to pass on this short story fan fiction written about some of my very favorite things:

"After" by Valerie

I hope you enjoy!

Awesome Austen!

2010-07-25T17:26:00.001-04:00

As I'm sure most of my friends and family are aware, I love Jane Austen. So you can imagine how excited I was when I caught wind of this new film:

heheehehehe I love it!!!

More love!!!

2010-07-23T18:25:00.003-04:00

Some amazing news I got over the weekend made its way into one of my doodles!

Can you guess what it is? I know the doodle was pretty enigmatic, but I have faith in my clever readers.

Congrats!

Emailz

2010-07-20T13:42:00.003-04:00

Just checkin' my emailz.

Lizzy stole my seat on the loveseat, and was just oh-so cute, I couldn't help but take a picture.

Sea Cow

2010-07-16T08:43:00.002-04:00

lady manatee

This started out as a mountain, but I decided it looked more like a pretty manatee. And what's a pretty manatee without a bow?

I think I need to work on the nose portion. Not nearly stubby enough.

It reminded me of this Veggie Tales song I saw a looong time ago, Barbara Manatee.

more library-related fun!

2010-07-15T00:04:00.001-04:00

mmmmm

2010-07-14T19:07:00.001-04:00

Love it! Go libraries!!!

First Doodle Day!!!

2010-07-09T20:18:00.004-04:00

I doodle a lot. A. Lot. And in the interest of keeping things interesting around here (this blog that is), I have decided to develop a weekly installment: Doodle Day! From now on I will be posting one of my doodles every Friday. Get excited!

This is the first doodle, or rather doodleS of Doodle Day.

Awesome Manga!

2010-07-07T19:49:00.005-04:00

The manga collection (a definition of what that is will follow for those who need it) at the BPL flies off the shelves, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I started out with something quasi-familiar, Return to Labyrinth. I've only read the first two in the series (of 4), but so far it's ok. The drawings are cute and everything, but I think I like it more because I like the movie and the nostalgia rather than the actual manga.

However, this really interesting manga came into the library, and I must say, I freakin' LOVE IT!!! It's Biomega by Tsutomu Nihei. It's a science fiction manga complete with zombies, motorcycles, guns, explosions and a grizzly bear! Seriously, how could a person not like this? The art is breathtaking, the story is fast-paced, and did I mention the grizzly?

Now, I am probably violating about 20 different kinds of copyright laws, but I wanted to show some of Nihei's artwork. Behold the zombies! The only downside to this one is that it's so fast-paced it's over too quickly.

Manga - comics or print cartoons in the Japanese style, read right to left. Manga can be written for nearly any age group or about pretty much anything at all. If you have the opportunity, you should check some out at your local library.

Small joy: I got to use the tag "zombies" again! Yay!

Happy Independence Day!!!

2010-07-04T00:02:00.002-04:00

Some days I get a bit more patriotic than normal. Every year, this is one of those days. I just love Independence Day. So, in honor of one of my favorite holidays, I'm sending people to an online exhibit by the Smithsonian Institute: July 1942: United We Stand.

Also, this is a good day to remember those fellow citizens of Earth who do not enjoy all the liberties we have here in America. One of my favorite organizations is Amnesty International, who work to protect the human rights of everyone no matter where they reside.

I hope everyone has a lovely July 4th!

Best Internship Ever!!!

2010-06-11T23:01:00.003-04:00

I WORK HERE!!!

(well, technically, I work in the other uglier wing, but it's much less impressive)

Yes, I'm a bit too excited about my new internship this summer. Today was my first day on the job, and I couldn't be happier. I am interning at the Boston Public Library with Teen Services. I'll be working with two amazing librarians, Jessi and Anna.

Day One:

I was given an in-depth tour of the department complete with mice stories. I got to meet some of the "regulars," who were so welcoming and fun! I talked to a couple of teens about books. I shelved some books in the sections the librarians personally tend (not the whole thing, just Test Prep, Graphic Novels and DVDs.) I learned how to mark a book as "missing" in the BPL catalog. I got to go to the super-secret Staff Only area of the library. (Let me just say, as beautiful and amazing as the McKim or older, beautiful part of the library is, the staff area is drab. Sad times.) Also, I got to teach a girl how to use the catalog to find a book. Yay!

I can't wait to do even more! When I go in on Tuesday, we're going to start work on a new summer program for YAs.

My only concern is that I'll be able to spend as much time on the internship as I want to and not be too hampered by my classes this summer. I love my classes, don't get my wrong, but I think the internship is more important.

So Spoiled!

2010-06-09T23:01:00.003-04:00

You discover certain things when you're on your own, away from family, single and all. I have discovered much about myself. A list follows:

1) I don't like chores. I really detest chores. Some people like cleaning, or at least clean to put off other work or de-stress or something. I don't. I don't like it at all. I have to literally force myself to do it, and then it's usually because I can't walk through my house barefoot without getting those annoying dirt-particle-things on my feet. If I ever have the means (which I probably never will) I would hire a maid like that!

2) Despite the hatred of chores, I am unusually OCD about strange things. My DVDs and books have to be in alphabetical order. My dishes and cookware is either in the sink, or it has to be stacked just-so. Lastly, but certainly not leastly, I like my peanut butter and ice cream to be level. (Yeah. Seriously. It's weird.)

3) I am considerably more productive domestically if I have a job or I'm at least in classes. If not, I do practically nothing. I literally laid around the house reading, watching TV and walking Lizzy for two days straight. I should never ever be allowed to be a housewife.

4) (And what this post is really about) I enjoy spoiling my dog waaay too much! I buy her treats, I give her nice bathes, I give her long belly rubs, etc, etc. I am constantly looking for new cute things to buy her (whether I actually buy them or not is dependent upon my income, or lack thereof, at the time.)

I just love going into the posh dog stores around the city. I especially love it when I can take Lizzy in with me. She's so cute! Plus, the pricey shops don't usually see mixed dogs like her, and I love how they try to guess which pedigree she is. I love how they ask me about her, and tell me how beautiful she is, "What lovely lines! Her coloring is so symmetrical! Such strong neck and hindquarters!" She is lovely after all.

This probably has something to do with the lack of productivity, but I've been really trying not to buy her a new collar, bed and leash. I mean, she could probably do with a new leash, but I'd want to get a matching collar (which she doesn't need.) And she really doesn't need a new bed, but I really like the looks of this, and this, and this. But I won't. At least not yet.

Love! Love! Love!

2010-06-07T01:37:00.004-04:00

I just got word that two of my favorite people are getting married! I couldn't be happier for these guys. The will have a beautiful life together, I am sure. I can't wait to dance at their wedding. (If you are reading, I damn well better be invited to that shindig or I will throw an absolute hissy fit. I'm not above that.) I just love them!

The happy couple

All of these engagements and such also bring into sharp contrast all of those in our country who cannot marry their loved one. This makes me sad. Luckily, I live in one of the five states which issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.) It just breaks my heart that not every couple who is in love can enjoy the rights, protection and union of marriage.

I really hope this will change in the very near future. If you want to do something about changing this situation, Human Rights Campaign has information and a petition to sign asking for marriage equality. Please sign the petition, and get involved in the fight for equality. Drag your significant other to the computer and have him or her sign, too. I'd hate for two people to miss out on the happiness that my friends are and will experience just because they happen to be the same sex.

Library Donkey

2010-06-05T23:33:00.002-04:00

Yeah for Libraries! I particularly love the sentiments expressed by this fellow about books informing children of the world, and bringing up the future citizens.

And here's an update:

AQUAPOCALYPSE!!!

2010-05-03T18:10:00.004-04:00

BE AWARE! Consuming tap water in Boston could result in what some scientists are now calling "biologically challenged," or in more common vernacular, zombification. This could mean a desire for raw flesh, jerky body movements, no recollection of previous life, and, most importantly, no pulse. Please be advised to boil Boston water prior to use.

Picture by thivierr on Flickr's Creative Commons

Seriously, though. I'm not sure if the news has made it down to the rest of the country or not, but since Saturday afternoon all of Boston, and about 37 other communities, have been put on a "Boil water Order."

According to my college, "this drinking water ban is due to the water main break in the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) system. Water currently being supplied is not suitable for drinking without boiling for at least one minute. Please note this means that tap water should not be used for brushing teeth, brewing coffee, washing dishes or making ice prior to boiling. Tap water is still suitable for showering, flushing and fire protection. However, the MWRA is asking that you limit water use as much as possible." For more information (like you'd want more) see the MWRA website.

While I generally look forward to any excuse not to do dishes, I've been forced to buy disposable travel coffee styrofoam mugs, plates and purchase microwavable food. I'm not too thrilled. No one in Boston is too thrilled. Fear not, though, Lizzy and I have been consuming filtered and boiled water since I found out about the leak, and we do not intend to turn into zombies anytime soon. I am considering carrying around my french rolling pin during our walks lest we be set upon by the flesh-eating undead.

Doctor Who Musical Montage

2010-04-30T22:17:00.003-04:00

This might not make sense to those of you who are unfamiliar with the wonderous nature that is the BBC show Doctor Who. You'll just have to trust me, this is amazing!

Lord of the Libraries!

2010-04-27T17:25:00.000-04:00

Brilliant!

Beware the death teddy!

2010-04-26T23:39:00.001-04:00

I don't have time to post anything real, so I'll just put up this awesome video by one of my favorite bands, Muse:

flight

2010-04-06T16:01:00.003-04:00

I just saw a snippet on the History Channel (got to love it!) about the Wright Brothers. I am always amazed at how quickly flying took off. Just think, the first flight was in December 1903 and by 1910, the Army had a contract for airplanes, commercial flight began to rise in the 1920s and 30s, and of course by 1961 we were flying into space. I'm curious if any other invention has taken off so dramatically.

hehehe I almost want to apologize for all the shameless puns. Almost.

Rainy day list

2010-03-30T21:41:00.003-04:00

"Mama said there'd be days like this."

I'm pretty sure the song is referring to days when it's cold and rainy. Days when you have to walk a dozen or more blocks back home at night without an umbrella because it broke in the crushing wind. Yeah. Days when you have a project/paper to finish. Days like this.

I find on days like this, it helps to make a list of things going well in life. So I shall.

1. I find great strength in solidarity with other wet Bostonians. For example, the nice strangers waiting on the T in the rain who will commiserate with a stranger over the flooding and seeming monsoon. Or the delivery guy, also cold and wet outside, waiting on someone to pay him who smiles and says, "I'm sorry." At least we are all cold, wet and nearly miserable together.

2. I am reminded by a Networking event at my college that I will soon being joining a noble and rockin' profession. The huge conference room was filled with helpful librarians, taking time out of their lives to assist up-and-coming grad students with questions. Plus, abnormal-colored hair, tattoos and piercings abounded. Yes, I truly have found the best possible occupation.

3. I have amassed the best collection of friends possible. Great friends in Boston, great friends in Tennessee, great friend spreading all over the country. In fact, the only bad thing about my friends is that they can't all hang out. I'm not entirely sure how I got so lucky with all these amazing people, but I'm very grateful.

4. I may also have the best family possible. They are funny, loving, supportive, generous, and all-around good people. The sort of family that when I say, "I've decided to go $40,000+ into debt for a career that I can only hope I will make nearly that much in one year." Not only do they say, "Hell yeah! Whatever makes you happy," but they drive a cramped 900 miles to help me move in! Awesome!

5. I have a wonderful puppy-dog. It's true, sometimes she eats my chocolate, sometimes she gets in the trash, but really, when it's a Saturday morning, I was out late the night before, and I can trust Lizzy not to wake me up to go outside, I wouldn't trade her for the world. Plus, she is ridiculously adorable in a raincoat!

New Layout!

2010-03-19T16:42:00.002-04:00

I got tired of the old, dark, drab one, so I decided an update was needed. A good friend of mine has a blog, which was (haha! past tense) much prettier than mine, and I stole her idea.

mwahahahahaha!!!

Thank you lovely people at Shabby Blogs for designing beautiful and free backgrounds, etc for personal use. I love the new look!

Animated movies!

2010-03-15T18:39:00.003-04:00

Dreamworks has come out with their newest movie How to Train Your Dragon. This means one of my favorite times of the year is coming up, the time when Pixar comes out with their funnier, more touching, better animated, and another award-winning movie! Yay! I can't wait!!!

St. Patrick's Parade

2010-03-14T18:03:00.020-04:00

My first (and maybe only considering the weather) St. Patrick's parade in Boston! I went to see it with two of my good friends from Simmons. We went out to a pub the night before, and a house (sausage) party after that. I had fun! Plus there was tasty food. Elizabeth made these lovely alcoholic cupcakes, and I made brunch today.

The parade was wet, bone-chillingly cold and not well-organized. In fact, it was such a miserable disaster, that we were laughing pretty much the entire time. It was great! The sky had opened up and was pouring down on us, and the wind was bitingly freezing. The water from our pants got into our boots, and we all ended up standing in our own little frigid personal puddles. But there were quite a few good marching bands playing. We didn't stay the entire time because it was so inhospitable. Shame really. I was so looking forward to it. I do like parades.

In Honor of Women's History Month

2010-03-10T17:20:00.002-05:00

A funny cartoon by Kate Beaton:
Susan B. Anthony

Black History Month 2010

2010-02-22T16:04:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know, I'm seriously behind this year. And I'm sorry to say, that I won't be adding too much here. Very sorry. However, I saw this video on a library website, and I thought I'd share it. It looks like a beautiful book. The illustrations are wonderful!

Mexican White Boy - Review

2010-02-16T16:04:00.004-05:00

Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena

I enjoyed Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena quite a bit. The story and the writing would stand alone for young adults, but combined, it it a truly engaging read for any age. I would recommend this to young adults, male and female, but particularly the guys, as well as adults with an interest in multi-cultural America and maybe even baseball fans wanting something a little different (maybe.) Of course the book deals primarily with teenagers struggling with identity, but there is much more to this book than that.

The characters were both likable and realistic. Pena wonderfully describes individuals, both their physical characteristics as well as their attitudes. He makes them come to life. There’s not a flat character among them. Even side characters are treated to multi-dimensions by the author, such as Uncle Tommy and Cecilia who are shown as more than just sideline adults in the chapter “Don’t Worry, They’re Asleep.” Despite all of the seemingly similar teenagers, every single one is given his or her own distinct voice, and I never once confused them with one another. Pena does an excellent job of showing the strange phase between childhood and adulthood. He shows the balancing act of drinking and gambling along with the wish-fulfillment games on the sign.

I just loved how Pena describes National City. He shows the beauty in lower-class urban life without glossing over the problems. One particular passage stands out in my mind, when Danny is looking out at Carmen’s apartment complex, “The signs are all rusted out and hang crooked, and the roads into the place are potholed and worn down. The huge faded red walls of the plant are covered in graffiti. Years and years’ worth of taggers leaving their mark, Danny thinks. Like the entire history of the city has been written into the metal walls. A permanent record. Original. While everything inside is recycled” (p. 187.)

ALA Mid-WInter coming up!

2010-01-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

This weekend is my first professional conference. It's the ALA Mid-Winter conference. For more information on ALA. I'm pretty excited! The only problem is that I'm not sure what to do yet. There's a whole lot going on this weekend. I'm volunteering for a couple of hours at a booth for a woman who is campaigning to be the next president of ALA. Other than that, I'm pretty open. There's so much going on! Here's the wiki that was setup for the conference.

Oh the choices!

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-07T17:29:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year again. The time when we all gear up to make our lives better in one or two tiny ways. I realize I'm about a week late, but any time is a good time to make improvements. Here's my list of resolutions for 2010:

1. Graduate from library school in December without going insane.

2. Find a job so I won't be homeless when I graduate.

3. Teach Lizzy to roll over and dance.

I realize that's only 3 things, but the first two are pretty big, so I think I'm good for this year.

The Wreck

2010-01-05T23:46:00.003-05:00

Mom and I were driving back from Knoxville, (Mom was driving and I was in the front passenger seat) when we saw a silver four-door car make a left-hand turn right in front of us! All I got out was a measly "Uuhhh..." before the. It happened so quickly! We rolled onto my side first. I heard a window crack, possibly shatter and covered my face with my hands because I didn't want glass in my face. I remember seeing some grey (which turned out to be the airbags) and I thought "You should try and relax and not brace yourself so you won't get hurt. Like a drunk driver. But HOW THE HELL DO YOU RELAX WHEN YOU'RE ROLLING?!?!" because by this point I could tell that we were upside down and might do it again. However, with my hands covering my face and being so short, I couldn't really brace. next thing I know we were right side up (thank god! if we had landed upside down I would have been really freaked out) and stopped. (Turns out we flipped three times, seemingly once on the silver car, once on the guard rail and once in the grassy area.)

I lowered my hands and saw that I was covered completely by glass. Mom asked if I was ok. I said I was and asked about her. My right hand had a prickly feeling, and when I looked down at it I saw two big pieces of glass sticking out of it, and blood just dripping off. (It's not that bad really, but you know how easily your hand bleeds.) The windshield had sort of cracked all over my half of the car, but it was still hanging up there. The moon roof and passenger winder had both shattered and apparently all the debris had fallen on me. (It's a good thing it was cold out, and I was in jeans, a sweater and my wool coat. If it had been summer time I'd be really cut up right now.)

Several people seemed to come to the car at once. All very concerned about the two of us, asking us lots of questions, if we were alive, if we were alright, etc. Mom opened up her door and stepped out of the car. I didn't even try because of all of the glass. I didn't want to get cut. I did move around a bit just to test everything. Ankles working? Check. Knees? Check. Neck? Check. Etc. A lady came running up to the car practically yelling at Mom to get back in and sit down and that she was a nurse. Another man told us we were leaking anti-freeze and that's what the smell was, but to turn off the engine if we could. Some other lady said she had called 911. A young lady about my age ran over and said she had emergency training, and she and the nurse opened my door. (I didn't find out until later that impact of the rolls were mostly sustained by my side of the car, and I certainly would have looked like the one who needed the most help. My side of the roof had crumpled up, and my door was bent all our of shape.) They told me to stay as still as possible, and asked if I was alright. I replied that I was alright, except that I was very cold. (It was 19 degrees outside.) The youngest lady, with the emergency training, took off her coat and laid it over me. I think the ambulance crew returned it to her later. Everyone was being very helpful and nice and all.

Soon enough the ambulances had arrived along with some fire trucks. The first two guys to come over were not that competent. They told us to be still and all, but walked away all too quickly. A fireman came over to me. While talking to me, he poured peroxide over my hand and took out the two biggest pieces of glass from my hand. Mom and I were ill-fitted with neck braces (which would have done more harm than good if we had any neck injuries I think as the braces were too big and tilted our heads up instead of straight like braces should.) Finally a second ambulance pulled up, and they were much better. The first group looked after the people in the silver car and the second group (who seemed much better to me) looked after Mom and me. I kept trying to tell them to take Mom first, (again, not knowing exactly what had happened and what the car looked like) but I was worried about her, and really I wasn't feeling all that badly. They didn't listen to me and took me first.

The rest is pretty uneventful. All the doctors and nurses were super surprised by two things A) How calm both Mom and I were, and B) by the fact that we both seemed unharmed. I think some of the reason we were so calm is that we were pretty much unharmed. The team at UT medical center was great. Big kudos to them all around.

It was all pretty surreal, and I'd rather not repeat the experience, but I figure most people get in a bad car crash once in their life, and this is probably the best way to do it. Hopefully I'm done.

Christmas Shopping

2009-12-16T22:37:00.003-05:00

Tis the season and all! I really do love Christmas shopping! I love trying to find great presents for people I love. I think I've pretty much got everyone taken care of. I even managed to get a couple of things for myself. (Ssshhh! Don't tell Santa.) I hope everyone likes what I get them. If not, feel free to return it. Or, if I got it here in Boston, let me know, and I'll return it and send you something else (I'm sure we can work something out.)

Also, sorry I'm been bad about posting. I'll try to do better in the future. I went up against graduate school this last couple of weeks. It was neck and neck for a while there, but I'm glad to say I won out in the end.

You're doing what?

2009-12-05T00:27:00.004-05:00

For those of you who have been wondering what it is I do with my time, I'm going to let you in on one of my projects this semester. Granted, this was not the most complicated of projects, but it was fun!

Preservation of Pop-up and Moveable Books: A Web Guide
This may look like another blog at first glance, but really that's just the web-medium we've choose to present our web guide on. I've been working with two fellow Simmons students to complete this site. My contributions were mainly technical and the web-based items, such as setting up the site, inputting the girls' information in an accessible format, and of course finding other online sources relating to pop-up books and their preservation. Here's the introduction I wrote to the site:

"Pop-up and movable books have become a staple of childhood; kids pour over the delightfully covered pages for hours and hours during their childhood days. Many of these books are considered works of art, as well. They are a beautiful part of the history of the book. Taking their importance into consideration, (both to individuals’ pasts and to society as a whole) it is crucial that pop-up and movable books be preserved.

The question then becomes whether and how we can preserve these books for future generations. This web guide intends to introduce readers to the basic preservation needs of pop-up and movable books, direct those interested to other sources for further investigation, and provide some entertainment pertaining to pop-up books as well."

I hope you enjoy!

Practice with iMovie

2009-11-17T20:27:00.001-05:00

I have foolishly volunteered to film and edit a small clip for a class project. I'd tested out some thing I could do on iMovie. Here are the results:

Korean!!!

2009-11-04T21:03:00.008-05:00

Years ago I went to South Korea to teach English at a kids' summer camp. I had loads of great food, and I made one great friend in particular. But the food is really what I'm going after here. One of my favorite dishes was bulgogi. I had it a couple of times in Korea, and that's usually what I order from Korean restaurants (because I don't go very often.) I'm not a fan of kimchee, the traditional side dish, but generally the food is quite good. If you do have a Korean eatery in your town (and there's at least one in Knoxville to all of you from there) I highly recommend going.

I do love asian food in practically any form and from any Asian country. Yesterday I went to Borders to pick up a cheap general cookbook, which I found quite easily. Whilst looking about some more, I noticed a huge cookbook of Korean recipes. And it was only $5! I purchased it of course. The first dish I made had to be bulgogi!

It didn't look like much at first. This is the meat in it's oh-so complicated marinating sauce.

The finished product! Rice, bulgogi and spinach namul. Not presented in the traditional Korean way, but it did taste spot-on.

On a side note, someone asked me if I wasn't cooking the days I don't post. I am still cooking, but I thought I'd leave pictures for food that looks appetizing and that I would recommend to others. Plus, I can't go on blogging about every meal. I'm in school.

Medusa

2009-11-02T23:27:00.003-05:00

I went as Medusa this year for Halloween. The snakes were a bit more difficult to affix to my hair than anticipated. I started out with the complete rubber snakes, then moved to the snakes, hot glue and hair clips, and finally what worked was super glue on a cut-off half snake and the hair clips.

Despite the trouble I think it turned out pretty well. The only real problem was the freak storm that came through Boston. However, I was in excellent company and now it's a fun story to tell.

Me as a Modern Medusa

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-30T23:36:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry I've been remiss of my blogging duties, but I have been absolutely swamped with schoolwork.

I did find this adorable I Has a Hot Dog? picture that I wish to share.

Cooking!

2009-10-20T22:11:00.005-04:00

I've decided in order to both cut back on my personal upkeep costs, as well as trying to keep my resolution about being more healthy, I'm going to start cooking more! Yeah! Starting tonight!

I just wanted to point out what I'm working with. Not a whole lot of space. Especially when I've got my doo-dads and appliances working. (Yeah for my rice cooker and grill!)

I made a meal of summer squash, bell peppers and rice. It was a bit bland, but I know to spice it up a bit the next time. Any advice would be welcome. I also wouldn't mind other recipe tips. But please keep in mind, I don't have a whole lot of room for crazy ingredients or really elaborate meals. Plus, it's only for me after all. No need to go crazy.

Also, the horror continues with A Haunting in Connecticut. Whoooo!

Let the Halloween Movie-watching begin!

2009-10-19T21:00:00.002-04:00

Actually, I've already been watching a couple of Halloween movies, but this week I start in earnest. And I being with the great

Practical Magic!

One of the more girly Halloween movies, but a good one nonetheless.

If you don't already know, I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary movies, so this might mean some unintentional all-nighters. Luckily, however, I am surrounded by tasty Dunkin coffee, and pumpkin flavored to boot! Yay!

HOCKEY!!!

2009-10-16T21:47:00.003-04:00

I'm going to blame this on my landlord. No, he's not a hockey fan that I'm aware of (although you never can tell), but he does supply my with awesome satellite channels such as NHLN. As it turns out, the professional sport which I've always had a soft spot for (yeah Ice Bears!) but never really paid too much attention to, makes excellent background chatter. It's interesting, but I'm not glued to it (like I sometimes do with stuff on the history channel.)

However, I just found out that there are student tickets available to some Bruins home games, and I can't live in Boston and not see some professional sports team. I hope some of my friends are interested in coming along with me. It will be so much fun! Hockey, especially live, is always fun!

Go Bruins!

Music Man

2009-10-12T22:22:00.003-04:00

The thing I like about the Music Man is that Marian learns all about Prof. Hill and loves him anyway. No "love is blind" sentiments in this movie, just acceptance. It's really something more fairy tales should have.

This was brought up because the Music Man is on TV, and I figured "Marian the Librarian" would be appropriate for my blog. Unfortunately, the one on TV is the version with Matthew Broderick, not nearly as good as the Robert Preston version. Fear not, the song I've posted is from the Preston movie.

Enjoy the song!

So windy!

2009-10-07T17:38:00.003-04:00

It's so windy in Boston today, while I was walking Lizzy, I felt like the Barbie paper dolls Kate and I had when we were kids with the hair permanently out to one side. I couldn't find an example from my childhood, but it looks like they have not changed all that much since this Barbie paper doll was around.

ARRGGHHHHH!!!!!!

2009-09-30T15:29:00.002-04:00

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE, THESE CLASSMATES OF MINE THAT HAVE ALL THIS EXTRA TIME TO POST ON THE CLASSROOM FORUMS, AND GIVE US EXTRA WORK (no, I'm not kidding. more on that later.) DO THEY HAVE NO LIFE AT ALL?!?!?!! ARE THEY ONLY TAKING ONE CLASS?!?! IF SO, DO THEY NOT HAVE ANY COMPASSION FOR THOSE OF US WITH MULTIPLE CLASSES?!?!?!!

Granted, there have been days when I've slacked off some...well, not even days so much as some hours. Every single bloody day I do at least 2 things related to graduate school. Most days it is far more than that. I would not particularly complain about this, except for the bloody forums! Two of my professors want us to post onto classroom forums to discuss the readings, if we don't have time in class to do so. Which seems like a fine idea to me. I read, I comment, I do my other work. What's bothering me is that some of my classmates are spending so much time in the forums. How do they have time for this? Am I just that slow of a reader? Do I spend too much time socializing? (Which really isn't all that much, I don't think.) I have a sneaky suspicion the problem is these people are only taking one class a semester. Again, this would not be a big deal to me except they're making me look bad. I truly hope the professors take this into consideration, but my past knowledge of professors and academia in general tells me otherwise.

And another thing! One post-middle-aged one-class-taking doof has added onto our workload!!! WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! We had an assignment which isn't particularly difficult: we were meant to comment on, give our own opinion on items in the popular press with related to preservation work. Not too bad in and of itself. Then this twit asks, "Should we back up our opinions with scholarly articles?" ARGH!!! "Oh," say Prof, "I hadn't thought of that. Yes, that would be even better." Which translates into, if we don't now we'll look like total slackers. ARGH!!!!! You could literally hear over half of the class, the portion with other classes I might add, sighing. It's ridiculous! I cannot express how happy I would be if she stepped out into the street and was run over by a huge bus.

Alright, back to work.

NOOoooooo!!!!!

2009-09-25T01:46:00.002-04:00

Granted, I don't like bugs at the best of times, but what the hell?!?! That thing is HUGE!!! Bugs = not cool. On the other hand, those two dogs are awfully cute. They almost balance out the ickiness of the bug...almost.

Ubiquitous School

2009-09-21T23:01:00.004-04:00

I am in graduate school. I think it's beginning to show. I swear I see what I'm studying everywhere! I was just watching something about spies in the 1980s on TV, and they showed a tape and recording systems used by one spy. Do you know what I thought? "Gosh, I hope they are storing those tapes properly. She's about to touch the tape! Don't touch the tape! Doesn't this lady have any idea how much damage that could do to the information stored on the tape?!" That's about the time I snapped myself out of it.

The odd thing about grad school is that it is quite literally all you do. You go to class, you read the required readings for class, you explore the websites suggested or mentioned by your professors in class. It is all you do. It's really only a matter of time before you're doing something completely unrelated and you make the connections yourself. It's a bit sad really. Of course, now, even my blog is relating to my education.

I need help.

HARRY POTTER!!!!!

2009-09-15T21:00:00.002-04:00

Universal Studios has Finally announced it's opening date for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Amusement Park in the Spring of 2010. I am already mentally planning a trip to Florida next summer. I cannot express how excited I am about this! It's going to be awesome! There's a Three Broomsticks, a roller coaster, Olivander's, and Hogwarts Castle!!! This is going to be wicked amazing! Watch the First Look Webcast and get ready for magic!

: D

Keytar!

2009-09-14T00:03:00.003-04:00

I just finished watching Three Men and a Little Lady, (amazing movie!) when the music for the credits came on. I found myself a little more sad that the movie was over, until I heard the heavenly chords of the keytar! I was messing around the internet at the same time (oh, the multi-tasking!) and ran an image search of a keytar. I found an amazing picture! I just thought I'd share this with everyone because it's so funny!

PS - If anyone is looking for Christmas or birthday presents for me, I do not own either of the Three Men movies. I'm just saying.

Classes this semester!

2009-09-08T00:10:00.004-04:00

I'm pretty excited about my classes this semester! I've got Reference/Information Services on Tuesday mornings, Preservation Management for Libraries and Archives on Thursday afternoons, and Technology for Information Professionals on Saturday mornings. I'm a bit bummed about the Saturday morning part, but I registered for that class so late, I should probably feel fortunate that I got a seat at all. Otherwise, I'm very pleased with my schedule. Hopefully, I'll find an internship or part-time job or something this semester so I can get more experience. I'm particularly excited about the Preservation course. Apparently the course will consist of "guest lectures, field trips, demonstrations, and individual projects." I'm most excited about the field trips. Yay!

Here's hoping for an exciting and educational semester! : )

Boston to a T! hehehehe

2009-09-02T23:33:00.003-04:00

A little excerpt written by an author who lives in Martha's Vineyard (and Sydney):

"I hate driving in Boston. It's the traffic that drives me spare, and the absolutely terrible manners of the motorists. Other New Englanders refer to Massachusetts drivers as "Massholes." But there's a whole other reason no to drive there: the tunnels. It's really hard to avoid them; you're always being one-wayed or no-left-turned into their gaping maw. In general, I don't have anything against tunnels. I don't have any trouble with the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, for instance. It's bright down there, clean and shiny, confidence inspiring. But when you go into Boston tunnels, they're creepy. They're dim, and the tiles are leak stained, as if Boston is oozing its way through flaws in substandard concrete that some Irish mafia conned the city into buying. They look like they're going to crack open and minute, like something in a Spielberg movie, and the lat thing you hear will be the roar of the freeing water. The T is the oldest subway system in the United States, and I figure if it has lasted that long, it must have been built right in the first place."

-Geraldine Brooks in People of the Book

(Which is an excellent read, particularly if you are a GSLIS student reading this. And if you're my friend, you can borrow it from me.)

UN considers not teaching the Holocaust

2009-08-31T14:35:00.004-04:00

I cannot believe this is happening. I literally read this article twice because I was so taken aback.

Most of the schools in the Gaza strip are run by the UN, and recently the UN actually asked locals whether or not the Holocaust should be taught in schools. Why even ask?!?!! Yes, it should be taught! Why is this even up for debate? The Holocaust had such a profound impact on mankind, and still impacts current affairs, it would be impossible to get a firm grasp on reality without knowing about this horrific event. OVER 6 MILLION PEOPLE WERE MURDERED! That's not even going into how many people had to flee or be hidden away for the duration of WWII. Honestly, I'm not sure what we can do about this. I did send an email to the United States Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice expressing my concerns. If you feel compelled to do likewise here is a link to where you can contact our team at the UN. I'm not sure how far that will go, but at least it's worth a shot. I also tried sending my concerns directly to the Secretary-General, but I kept getting an error message. (Don't worry. I'm going to try again later. A little computer malfunction won't sop me.) Here's a link to the form; hopefully you will have more luck than I.

I am positively outraged by this.

Honey bee update

2009-08-25T13:03:00.005-04:00

The first blog I posted was about honey bees and colony collapse disorder (CCD.) Today, there seems to be an explanation for CCD. It seems the is a virus (or rather possible virus) that essentially attacks the honey bees' RNA (the protein-making portion of DNA) which makes the bees more susceptible to various viruses. Scientists are still unsure what precisely is causing the attack on the RNA. But now that they know what is wrong, they can find out what is causing it and, hopefully, a possible cure.

If you want to know more, you can find the article about CCD findings here.

Awesome evo devo book!

2009-08-15T17:33:00.005-04:00

I've been reading about Evolutionary Development (Evo Devo) lately, in the book Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Sean B. Carroll (you can check it out here on Amazon.) I wanted to know more about how life began on Earth, and my good army/biology pal pointed me in Carroll's direction.

I've already learned a lot about evolution and DNA, but the most surprising thing to me is the interconnectedness of all living creatures. It's utterly staggering! For example:

A gene was found in fruit flies which, when it mutated, caused a loss of the eye in the fly. This was the same gene know in humans as Aniridia. In humans, the mutation of Aniridia causes the human's iris to reduce in size or even disappear altogether. Aniridia is also found in mice; in mice a mutation of this gene causes the reduction or entire loss of the eye formation. One of the really neat things about this discovery is that a fly's compound eyes and our camera-like eyes are so different. Also, this gene is found in animals with eyes as diverse as flatworms, which have the smallest simple eyes known (Carroll 64-69.)

Isn't that amazing?! The theory that Carroll seems to be putting forth so far (although, to be fair, I'm not done yet. Still another 4 chapters left) is that many of the genes we use today were present in all of our ancient common ancestors. The genes and the proteins that you use, right now were (at least some of them) present in very primitive creatures millions of years ago. Like my friend, the cuddly trilobite.

I still have a way to go in the book, with the intriguing chapter "A Beautiful Mind: The Making of Homo sapiens" coming up, and I can't wait! Also, Carroll does an excellent job of making all of this accessible and interesting. If you do want to learn more about this, it's a good read. Thanks for recommending it, friend!

New Gaimen-Vess!!

2009-08-13T19:26:00.006-04:00

I have a twitter account, which is sort of weird because I don't use it that much except to keep up with other people. Such as.....Neil Gaimen, author of such magical works like Stardust, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. He is also an avid twitter-er-er (or however it is one should really write that.) He just tweeted about an upcoming Gaimen-Vess collaboration! (They did Stardust together, and it is awesome!) Charles Vess will be illustrating the poem "Instructions" by Gaimen. Vess posted some of the illustrations on his blog.

Check it out!

The book is coming out in March, and I will most certainly be purchasing a copy.

Wow.

2009-08-13T00:10:00.001-04:00

I have no idea how this artist figured out she could do this, but it is amazing!

Southie Park

2009-08-09T12:04:00.009-04:00

Lizzy and I went to our favorite spot in Southie yesterday for a picnic. At least it's my favorite spot; Lizzy probably prefers the dog park. It's a lovely spot on top of Dorchester Heights, that is Thomas Park. I took some pictures to show everyone.

Our picnic spot.

Lovely view of beautiful homes and the city further off.

Trees!

Lizzy is so sweet!

Looking up at the tree we sat underneath.

Update

2009-07-30T19:58:00.004-04:00

Sorry I've not updated in a while. I've been swamped with end-of-semester work. I do have one more assignment and then I'm done with my first semester of graduate school. However, it's a fairly short assignment and I can knock it out either tonight or tomorrow.

I've finished with my internship, and my work should be available on the BPSI website under Felix and Helene Deutsch collections. It's not up, but I'm thinking maybe in the next week or two if anyone cares to check back.

I'll be spending my August off with friends (B and J are coming up from Tennessee for a visit. Yeah!) and reading about the origins of life, so be prepared and fully warned for information about both the history and current trends in evolutionary development (evo devo). M was helpful enough to suggest a sort of intro book on the subject: Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Sean B. Carroll. I'm pretty excited!

Oh! Also, I'm thinking about taking off the music when you open my page. I usually turn it off anyway (because I'm doing something else with noise like TV or other music 95% of the time I am on here) and I thought others might as well. So if you care one way or another let me know and I'll leave the music or take it away as desired by readers. (Assuming any readers care that much.)

Iraq Paper Scissors

2009-07-15T23:44:00.005-04:00

"A small group of veterans who are actively engaged in art-making."

A few veterans from the Iraqi War have created art from their uniforms and memories.

Here is the BBC piece on the exhibit. At 3 minutes, 24 seconds, it's shorter for those pressed for time.

This seems like an amazing and novel new therapy for veterans. I've shot off an email to my soldier-friend to get his opinion, so stay tuned. (I only sent him the BBC version b/c he's usually pressed for time.)

I think the whole thing is a great idea. I like that they made their own paper. I like the poetry accompanying the art. Plus, I like their sense of humor. I would like to see the whole exhibit, but I think it's touring the UK and then Europe right now.

So sorry

2009-07-13T00:59:00.004-04:00

I've not been posting as regularly as I've wanted to. Sorry. I am going to completely blame this cataloging class of mine. I have inadvertently taken one of he hardest classes in my program, with the hardest professor who teaches the class, in the shortest amount of time possible. It's getting to be quite a headache. Don't get me wrong, I'm learning a lot. I do like my professor. It's just a lot for my first class.

The only other thing to add is HARRY POTTER!!! I am so excited about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I really hope this one is better than the fifth film. I was a bit annoyed by that one. So here's hoping! Yeah!

My friend Robin Hood

2009-07-08T16:02:00.004-04:00

I follow a few blogs, which are so conveniently linked for you readers at the side of this page. I just wanted to recommend reading Robin Hood of Intellectual Property. Her posts are hilarious! Every single time I look at what she posts I laugh out loud, and usually startle Lizzy in the process.

If you ever need some more humor in your life, Robin Hood's blog is an excellent place to start.

My internship!

2009-06-30T22:43:00.009-04:00

I am interning at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (BPSI.) It's pretty cool! I'm working on papers by and about Felix and Helene Deutsch, a couple of psychoanalysts from Vienna who were in Sigmond Freud's inner circle who left Austria during the Nazi takeover in the 1930s. There are all sorts of things in the collection, published papers, glass slides, photos, notes and more.

Keys to the archival room. It's the big old silver key.

The room where I work.

Ooooh! Cool!

The Library

The BPSI building. Beautiful brick building on Commonwealth Ave, a stone's throw from Boston Common.

i made a webpage!!!

2009-06-23T21:58:00.003-04:00

I made a webpage! From scratch! It's kind of boring looking, but it fulfilled what it was supposed to for school. Now I know where to go to if I want to make a real honest-to-goodness website. And I just might. I may have caught the computer bug. Finally. It only took a decade or so. Although, don't hold your breath. I have a lot of work for school, so these dreams of a real website might have to wait until August.

In the meantime, you can check out my crappy page for school here.

update

2009-06-22T19:05:00.005-04:00

Sorry it's taken so long to write. I've been really busy with school lately.

I've started graduate school. I'm taking two classes, Introduction to Archival Studies, with an internship attached to the class, and Information Organization. I like the classes, but they are intense, especially the Info Org class. I have an awesome internship. I'm working at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (BPSI "bip-see") in their archives. I've barely started. I went in for what I thought was an interview, which turned out to be an informal meeting and a start on my work. I'm working with some papers by and about Felix and Helene Deutsch. If you want to check out what I'm doing a link to the archives is here.

I'm doing well. I'm working a lot. Schoolwork obviously as I have no paid position. But I'm certain I'm working the equivalent of full time or more.

The weather here has been icky. It's been cold and rainy for about a week, and it looks like this will continue for another three or four days. Saturday is supposed to be nice (but I'll be in class most of the day.) Hopefully, Sunday will be nice and sunny. Maybe I can hit the beach.

Have I mentioned that I hate Bill O'Reilly?

2009-06-07T20:38:00.004-04:00

This is just one more reason to hate Bill O'Reilly. He has absolutely no sense of humor.

If you're wondering what the video O'Reilly is ranting about, here's the original David After Dentist:

That's hilarious! And, once again and forever, O'Reilly is a tool.

Rose Garden

2009-06-04T00:17:00.019-04:00

I was walking through Back Bay Fens Park again today and stumbled upon a beautiful rose garden. It was perfect! The roses were in full bloom, the weather was wonderful, it was the perfect time to be in a garden. All of the roses were beautiful, so I narrowed the pictures down to ones with good names.

Love and Peace

Playboy

Starry Night

Marmalade Skies

Golden Showers

(my personal favorite. hehehehe)

Just Joey

Rainbow Sorbet

Golden Unicorn

Flutterbye

Carefree Wonder

Gourmet Popcorn

(OK, really, this one is my favorite. Plus, the roses are so delicate)

Sexy Rexy

Long Monday Walk

2009-06-02T21:05:00.006-04:00

I went on a long walk yesterday. I'm trying to get Lizzy used to my new school schedule. It's been a month since we've moved, she's used to our new home, our new neighborhood, and now she must get used to my school schedule. I started out by going to my school to see how long it would take to get there by the T (Entirely too long if you ask me. I'm trying out the bus tomorrow.) I decided to walk from Simmons to the BPL (Boston Public Library) and check out the rare books and manuscripts again.

This is awesome. A huge chunk of the Back Bay Fens park has been set aside for "Victory Gardens" like the kind around during WWII. Most of the gardens were flower-centered, but I did see quite a few vegetables growing, too.

BPL! It's the first public lending library in the United States.

Beautiful!

I stopped for a tiny break. I called Mom, and read a couple of chapters in my book. (I'm reading In the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. It's quite good. I recommend it.)

When I got back home, I felt sorry for Lizzy. We went to the M St park and I read some more while she sniffed around. All in all it was a good day.

Walk to South Boston Harbor

2009-05-28T16:00:00.005-04:00

Lizzy got a new licence! Isn't it cute and bad-ass?!

I got it from the Dublin Dog Company. Great!

We went on a long walk today through Southie. We walked all the way to the South Boston harbor where I took a couple of pictures. I was going to go to Castle Island, but it was so cold and windy, I decided to skip that. Maybe on a prettier day. I did take some pictures, though.

Tug boat and some smaller boats anchored in the harbor.

South Boston World War II Memorial

Statue in the middle of a rotary of Admiral David Farragut of the Union navy. (Whom the Tennessee town is named for. Yeah for Boston-Tennessee connections!)

Icky, rainy day projects

2009-05-27T12:09:00.003-04:00

On cold, rainy days for the next little bit I'll be doing some Jessi-research on my new home. Never hurts to learn. Oh! Also, I got my BPL (Boston Public Library) card today, and it's red! So cute! I'll be doing some stuff for school, too, but when I'm not doing that, I'll be browsing through these books. Of course, I got the picture books because those are the best.

Shoah Memorial

2009-05-26T23:32:00.012-04:00

The New England Holocaust Memorial is in.......drumroll......You guessed it! BOSTON! (Because most important things are in Boston....well, a lot of important things anyway.) The memorial, also called the Shoah Memorial, was dedicated in October 1995. The memorial was designed by Stanley Saitowitz. It is made up of six glass towers which are 54 feet high (I'm guessing about 3 stories.) A granite path runs through the memorial space. On the ground in front of each tower is the name of one of the six main death camps, Majdanek, Chlemno, Sobibor, Treblinka, Belzec, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Below each tower is a grate covering a six-foot deep chamber with smoldering coals which give off an eerie steam. Inside of the towers are quotes from survivors expressing the horrors, the acts of resistance, and the sheer tragedy of what happened.

The entrance, or at least where I entered. On the other side is the famous quote of Pastor Martin Neimoeller:

"They came first for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Etched in the granite walkway. The real message of this structure.
Six million numbers are etched into the glass towers. That is the estimated total of people killed in the holocaust, although some historians argue as many as eight million could have died.

Here are the quoes on the walls:

"Nothing belongs to us anymore. They have taken away our clothes, our shoes, even our hair.

If we speak, they will not listen to us.

And if they listen, they will not understand.

They have even taken away our names.

My number is 174517. I will carry the tattoo on my arm until I die."

Primo Levi

a chemist living in Italy captured while trying to join the partisans,

became an author after the war

"When my parents were sent off to the camp, I gave my good shoes to my father

because I thought he's need them if he did physical labor.

When I saw my mother for the last time I hugged her

and said I hoped she didn't have to work too hard.

I never dreamed they'd be dead within such a short time of their departure."

Jack Polak

captured by the Nazis in Amsterdam

"At first the bodies weren't burned, they were buried.

In January, 1944, they were forced to dig up the bodies so they could be burned.

When the last mass grave had been opened, I recognized my entire family -

my mother, my sisters and their kids.

They were all there."

Motke Zaidl

deported from Lithuania and forced to work the death detail at Chelmo

"My younger sister went up to a Nazi soldier with one of her friends.

Standing naked, embracing each other, she asked to be spared.

He looked into her eyes and shot the two of them.

They fell together in their embrace - my sister and her young friend."

Rivka Yosselevscka

young mother who witnessed the murder of her entire family

"From our barracks we could see the gas chambers.

A heart-rending cry of women and children reached us there.

We were overcome by feelings of helplessness.

There we were, watching, and unable to do anything.

We had already worked out a plan of escape.

But at that moment I decided -

We must not simply escape.

We must destroy the fascists and the camp."

Alexander Pechersky

captured Russian soldier who led the prisoner revolt at Sobibor

"I was chosen to work as a barber outside the gas chamber.

The Nazis needed the women's hair.

They told us, "make those women believe they are just getting a haircut."

We already knew it was the last place they went in alive."

Abraham Bomba

barber who escaped and survived in hiding

"In one transport, people refused to be taken to the gas chambers.

A tragic struggle developed.

They destroyed everything in sight

and broke the crates filled with gold taken from the prisoners.

They grabbed sticks and anything they could get their hands on to fight.

But the guards' bullets cut them down.

When the morning came, the yard was still full of the dead."

Jacob Wiernik

construction worker forced to build the gas chamber

"I was assigned to work outside digging ditches.

We dug in the freezing cold and rain,

wearing only the thin, striped dresses issued to us.

The ditches weren't to be used for any particular purpose.

The Nazis were merely trying to work us to death.

And many did die of sickness, cold, exhaustion and starvation."

Sally Sander

dress maker who was forced to make uniforms for German flyers

"The transports arrived every day, mainly from Poland,

but also from other European countries - Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, an others.

In one transport there was a Ukrainian woman.

She possessed documents proving she was a genuine Aryan,

and yet, she went to the gas chamber.

Once you crossed the gate to the camp,

there was no chance to get out of there alive."

Chaim Hirszman

metal worker imprisoned at a Belzec

"Some Catholics, including Father Amyot, invited me to join them in prayer.

Seven or eight of us gathered, secretly of course, in the shed used as a lavatory.

In prayer we laid before God our suffering,

our rags, our filth, our fatigue, our exposure, our hunger, and our misery."

Aime Bonifas

French resistance fighter who later became

pastor of the French Reformed Church

"I remember stooping down and picking up a piece of something black near the crematorium.

I realized it was a bone.

I was going to throw it down and thought,

Oh God, this may be all that's left of someone.

So I wrapped it up and carried it with me.

A couple of days later, I dug it out of my pocket and buried it."

George Kaiser

participated in the Liberation in 1945

"Ilse, a childhood friend of mine, once found a raspberry in the camp

and carried it in her pocket all day to present it to me that night on a leaf.

Imagine a world in which your entire possession is a raspberry

and you give it to your friend."

Gerda Weissman Klein

deported from Germany as a teenager; later married a US Army officer

Vet visit

2009-05-23T15:15:00.002-04:00

I had to take Lizzy to the vet today. And, unfortunately, she was nervous at this new vet office, too. I was kind of hoping that a new office would mean less anxiety, but no such luck. The vet (very friendly, talkative lady. I liked her.) told me to stop by when we're out for a walk and bring her in for some treats so Lizzy would be less nervous next time. I thought it was a great idea.

Lizzy is fine by the way. She had an allergic reaction to something, and was prescribed eye drops and some allergy pills. The vet said she should be better by Monday.

A Day at Carson Beach

2009-05-21T20:45:00.008-04:00

Lizzy and I spent the better part of today at Carson Beach. It's very close to my place, and since it was Thursday, it wasn't crowed at all. It was a beautiful day. About 90 degrees, sunny with a slight breeze. OK, to be perfectly honest, it was a little more than a slight breeze. We did not let it deter us from spending a day sunbathing and reading. OK, I read and Lizzy people-watched or sniffed around.

Freedom Trail

2009-05-19T21:43:00.021-04:00

I went on Boston's famous Freedom Trail. A little red line that runs through the oldest pars of the city going past most of the historic stops in Boston. Here are a few choice pictures I took; (certainly not all of them...maybe a third) I did not include much background. You'll have to come up to Boston for the personalized tour.

The famed path. Usually marked in two red brick lines like so or a painted red line.

First Stop: Boston Common

The New State House

Graveyard #1: Granary Burial ground

Graveyard #2: King's Chapel Burying Grounds

Site of Latin School

Old State House

Site of the Boston Massacre

Paul Revere House

Old North Church
(sorry it's sideways, I couldn't figure out how to rotate the picture)

Graveyard #3: Copp's Hill Burying Ground

Site of 18th Century Tavern

Bunker Hill Monument

(again, sorry.)

USS Constitution

Beautiful Boston!

Bark Park!

2009-05-16T22:32:00.007-04:00

Luckily enough for Lizzy, Southie has a dog park, and even more lucky, the park is only four blocks from our place. Lizzy and I go there quite a bit. She loves playing with the other dogs and running around like mad. Lizzy has made quite a few four-legged furry friends.

Look how happy she is!

Sniffing around. In the foreground is Brandon, a very friendly, exceptionally well-trained

golden retriever.

Brandon by the water bowl, Lizzy leaving thus ruining my shot.

Yeah for friends!

I'm very grateful for the dog park. It lets Lizzy run out all her energy (well, most of it) and all I have to do is supervise. I still take her on long walks, don't worry. But this is just lovely!

Mother's Day

2009-05-09T22:54:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to write a big shout out to my beloved Mama.

I LOVE YOU, MAMA!!!

Thanks for everything. I hope you have a great mother's day.

Washington's First Victory

2009-05-05T20:41:00.006-04:00

Boston has a great number of firsts in its history. Periodically, as I come upon them, I will post pictures and information about the firsts of Boston. Beginning with my own little corner of the Athens of America, Dorchester Heights

The Battle of Dorchester was barely a battle at all. Not a single shot was fired. After Gen George Washington lost the Battle of Bunker Hill (which was actually fought on Breed's Hill), he wanted to free Boston which had been put under martial law since 1773's Boston Tea Party. Washington was low on men and the men he did have were low on guns. Washington sent Henry Knox (whom Knoxville, Tn is named after. Oh! Connections are so much fun!) to relieve the British of some of their canons at Fort Ticonderoga. The nights of March 2 and 3 1776 the few soldiers of Washington who did have muskets fired on the city of Boston. The rest of the men placed cannons around Dorchester Hill to fortify it. It wasn't until March 4th that British Gen Howe noticed the firepower positioned to fire on any British ship in the harbor. Howe at first planned to attack the Continental Army, but he choose instead to negotiate a move to New York. This was Washington's first victory of the Revolutionary War.

The monument was erected in 1898 by the General Court of Massachusetts. It was designed by the architectural firm of Peabody and Stearms.

Sources:

http://www.hobart.k12.in.us/cside/American%20Revolution/revwar/dorchest.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/285638/the_battle_of_dorchester_heights_in_pg2.html?cat=37

http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/dohe.htm

Pictures of post-moving

2009-05-04T23:54:00.004-04:00

The walk helped both of us a lot. Also, I got a phone call which helped a great deal, too. (If you're reading: thank you.)

Here are some photos I took when my family was in and I was showing them the town. (Although not very well since I don't know it very well yet. I promised them next time I would know more. I fully intend to read some books and take a couple of tours, so the next time the come up, or friends come up, I can be their personal tour guide if they so choose.)

My beloved family in front of the library where I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time.

My school. Isn't it pretty?

The beach that is mere blocks from my place.

Day 1

2009-05-04T20:59:00.005-04:00

My family left me, and I tried really hard not to cry. I actually mostly succeeded, that is until I found the lovely notes left by my sister.
I put my bedroom a little more together, but I've not organized my clothes.
My kitchen is together. I would like a shelf or two for my plates & glasses, but I can make do for now.
I got lost three times. Just today.
I gave Lizzy a bath and everyone was terribly friendly.
The bank I was going to put my money in closes at 4pm. I got there at 4:10.
My landlord hooked my up to his wireless network (obviously.)
Lizzy still seems depressed.
I'll be babysitting my landlord's adorable little girl Saturday.
I got my first letter! Thank you Lucie and Mitch!

I'd give to day a C+. But tomorrow has potential. I'm going to walk Lizzy to see if we can cheer each other up.

Last post from TN

2009-04-29T23:48:00.003-04:00

I'm moving tomorrow (later today?). I'm all packed up (I can't believe everything I own fits in such a small space!) and I'm ready to start a new chapter in my life. (If by "ready" you mean terrified and exhausted.) I just keep thinking about the way I left some people. I'm wondering when I'll see my friends again. Trying to think of things I'll need when I get to Boston. Hoping I've not packed something I'll need before I get to Boston (too late!) And wanting very badly to see some friends again.
Sorry. I meant for this to be more uplifting so anyone reading this would think, "Wow! Look how together this chick is!" It didn't really work out like that. Maybe next time from Boston I'll be looking up (but don't hold your breath or anything.)

not going to cry....maybe

2009-04-25T13:14:00.003-04:00

I leave in less than a week for my new home. My new home in a city where I don't know anyone at all, leaving all of my loved ones behind. I'm trying really hard not to get too down about all of this, but it's not working so well.
My going away party is later tonight, and my only goal is not to cry when people start to wish me well. Seeing as my eyes are watering right now at the mere prospect of this, I don't think I'll meet my goal.
I will truly miss everyone here. All of my friends here in East Tennessee are amazing! I don't know how I'll ever find friends as cool, funny and supportive as all of you. Thanks!

I have a home!!!!

2009-04-10T12:55:00.002-04:00

SUCCESS!!! I have found a place to live in Boston! It's an incredibly good deal at $900/mn all utilities included. (And yes, that's a very good deal for Boston to all those Tennesseans scratching their heads.) Plus, I'll get to decorate it however I want, and the landlord is very cool with Lizzy. Granted, it will need to be decorated and a couple of repairs are planned. However, it has a lot of potential, and I've got a little over a month prior to school in which to get it all done. It should work out just fine. I'll post pictures, but I think I'll wait til I have before and after so expect some in mid-May-ish. (Wishful thinking perhaps, but I think I can do it.)

: )

Yeah for Equal Rights!

2009-04-03T18:47:00.002-04:00

Iowa state supreme court ruled unanimously today that a 2007 ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Iowa is now the third state (after Massachusetts and Connecticut) to allow same-sex marriage.
We're on way way to equality! It makes me smile a lot!

Not moving and you can't make me

2009-04-01T14:20:00.003-04:00

I've decided it's just too difficult. I won't know anyone, I won't have any money. Hell, I can't afford it now, and I've barely begun. I'll just stay here where it's comfortable.

April Fools!
Sorry.
I had to do something for April Fool's Day.

Realtors!

2009-03-31T22:45:00.002-04:00

I got a phone call at 9pm from a realtor. He called to tell me that he was going to send me an email about some listing he found. While I do appreciate his enthusiasm, is this really necessary? I mean, couldn't he have just sent the email? Or maybe waited until tomorrow? Another thing, as of right now, I've not received an email yet. Therefore, it couldn't have been that important. On the other hand, if I must pay a broker fee (I really super don't want to) I'll feel better about paying this very enthusiastic young fellow.

I'm getting a bit exasperated by all of this. I just want to find a place and be done with it. I do have at least one promising appointment scheduled.

Cross your fingers for me.

Solidly Agnostic (for now)

2009-03-24T14:37:00.004-04:00

I've noticed in times of unrest or personal struggle people tend to cling to their faith stronger than ever. And why not? If you have faith, then going to that in a time of despair (or possible despair) it would be very comforting.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about religion again. I say again, because I spent most of my time from 17 to 20 thinking about religion and where I stand on the subject only to put it on the back-burner for a while. I thought, "I'm only 20 and that's a pretty big question, it can wait til later." Well, it appears later has come at last. I suppose this started a couple of months ago when I watched Religulous in theaters. I laughed, I mostly agreed with Maher, and I started to think about religion again. Started, but it was still in the back of my mind. I saw a couple of friends turn away or further from their original religion; I saw some friends move closer to a religion. I just thought.
I started listening to Infidel Guy show. (I was out of that loop for a while due to some technical difficulties. Mostly due to my complete and total ineptness at working a computer, but difficulties none-the-less.) The show is really quite interesting, and I like where this guy is coming from. He tries to get people to think rationally and rationally explain their beliefs. Today, I was sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather before I had to go to work and listening to the Infidel Guy (IG) show. I decided to look up some more information on the host. I started wandering around his site and came across some simple definitions he posted. Interesting stuff. To save you some time of god-forbid clicking the link and reading before I continue, I'll sum up. (Although you should click and read anyway.) He said that when a person asks "What to you believe?" and you respond "I'm agnostic," you're an atheist who is chickening out. This grabbed my attention because that was my precise response. Anytime since I was 18 if someone asked me what religion I was or to that effect I would reply with agnostic. IG explains that that's incorrect because agnostic means that you don't know while atheist means you don't believe. (Belief being trust in, accepted as true, and a conviction.) Therefore if you don't know then you don't believe so...atheist.
I'm still a bit shaky on calling myself an atheist. I think it's more that I've not decided yet. I feel I've not given the other side enough chance to prove their case. (The other side being honest-to-goodness believers in God.) Granted this is mostly because what they come of with is flimsy proof or reasoning at best if not outright fear-mongering. However, there is something to be said for a pattern or design to life. Something to be said for Fate. On the other hand, that could just be my human rationality trying to a pattern in all the madness and chaos.
See? I just can't seem to get anywhere in these discussions in my head. Sigh. I think I'll stick to agnostic until I know more about how I feel. it just seems saying I'm an atheist would be too much of a commitment right now. Of course, saying I was anything else would be a lie......Nope. Agnostic. I'm sticking to it until I can answer some of my own questions.

Abuse is Never Right

2009-03-17T12:27:00.004-04:00

A survey of Boston teenagers (which troubles me even more than usual because this is where I'll be living soon.) showed that 46% believed Rihanna to be responsible for what happened to her. 52% said both Brown and Rihanna were responsible. This is outrageous! She had to go to the hospital for the wounds that he inflicted on her. How do so many young people think this is the woman's fault?
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to the radio at work where they were discussing the Rihanna/Brown incident. The radio hosts could not understand why Rihanna was taking Brown back. Why would she after what he did to her? Then a lady called into the show. She said that she was involved in a relationship in which her boyfriend had beaten her. When asked why she was still with him, she replied that she deserved his abuse because she had cheated on him. The radio hosts were completely taken aback! Why was she still with this guy is she had cheated on him and he had beaten her. She said they were in love. The hosts tried to explain to her that neither what she had done nor what her boyfriend had done demonstrated love, and that she should get out of the relationship. They also repeatedly told her that no matter what she had done, she should not be physically abused for it, her boyfriend should have broken it off instead of resorting to violence.
This is completely unacceptable! By 2009, we should realize that no one is worth being abused for. Abuse is not love, and neither is cheating for that matter. There are so many resources out there to help those who have suddenly found themselves in an abusive relationship. Here are just a few:
womanslaw.org
enddomesticabuse.org
ncadv.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
I hope women (and any men who may be physically or verbally abused) will see that this is never a way to resolve conflicts or arguments. Hopefully, we can use the example of a celebrity couple to discuss how abuse is not love and how to stop abuse when it does occur.

Lizzy and my Bike

2009-03-14T15:08:00.002-04:00

I forgot to update. I took Lizzy out on my bike, and she's a natural! She runs be side me and watches me when we come to street crossings. The only hiccup we've had really is that the last time I took her out, we were going to my sister's place. She pulled a good deal of the way there. It wasn't all that bad because she wasn't pulling me off the road or anything. However, that's still no good and it kind of bothered me when she started to pull me on a busy street. I've got to get her to stop that. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to do that. Hopefully, we'll figure something out.
My next Lizzy adventure will be this weekend when she'll be backpacking with me, B and J. (hehehe BJ hehehe they'd love that!) She's done that a couple of time already; she has her own backpack and everything! It's so cute! Hopefully I'll actually take some pictures of this trip so you can see how cute little Lizzy-girl is in her pack. Cross your fingers.

Vampires!

2009-03-13T22:04:00.002-04:00

I watched Twilight last night (my blockbuster connections.) I must say, it wasn't as bad as I though it would be; it wasn't really that good either. Since it was not all that good, it left me wanting to watch a good vampire movie. Of course, that meant either Bram Stoker's Dracula or Interview with a Vampire. I went with Interview, but I might rent Dracula later.
While watching, I thought I'd do a little vampire research. I came across this news article. Pretty interesting stuff. They found a vampire! OK, maybe they didn't find a vampire so much as they found a dead body that people of the 16th century thought was a "shroud-eater" or vampire.

Feminism and Men

2009-03-13T15:02:00.002-04:00

I am sick and tired of all the anti-feminism sites/people out there that say feminists are against men or want to degrade men or hate men or the like. This is not true.
I am most certainly a feminist. There's no denying this fact about me. I believe women should be treated with complete equality as men. I recognize that there are undeniable differences in men and women, (If you don't believe me, then try to pee standing up, big difference there) but these differences do not mean one sex is any better or worse than the other.
Now that my stance on feminism is out of the way, did you notice anything? I didn't mention a hatred or any resentment towards men at all. (Well, mostly, I am a bit envious of their ability to piss while standing, but if you've gone backpacking, you'd feel my pain.) I love men! I think men are great. In fact, about half of my friends are men. I'll grant you, I do get fed up with the other sex from time to time; however, this is mostly due to a date gone wrong. There's no deep-seated loathing of men here. In fact, I don't know a single feminist that truly does hate men. Remember, we feminists have fathers and brothers, too.
All feminists really want is to be treated as equals.

Here's another article that really ticked me off. It's a bit off-topic, but if you want to get steamed, then by all means, go ahead and read it.

Eagle Forum and Anti-Feminisits

2009-03-09T21:04:00.002-04:00

Wow! I don't think I could say enough horrible things about this organization. They say they are a pro-family organization, (I'd like to know who is not pro-family. What is that supposed to mean anyway?) but they seem more like divisive, anti-equality homophobics.

Just have a look at their mission! It's ridiculous! They oppose "feminist goals," the Equal Rights Amendment, (apparently they take pride in the fact that they successfully led a 10-year battle against ERA) and courses in schools about self-esteem, diversity and multiculturalism, just to name a few of the things I highly disagree with them about.

Phyllis Schlafly is the worst of all. Shclafly is the president of Eagle Forum, and apparently bent on the submission of women everywhere in America. Apparently Schlafly has a problem with women being the equal of men. In one column by Schlafly, "Feminists Expect to Cash in with Obama," she spells out what the National Organization for Women (NOW) hoped to accomplish since Obama and a democratic majority were elected this fall. She points out such unreasonable things (did you read the sarcasm there?) NOW wants such as paid maternal/paternal leave from employers, the expansion of Child Tax Credit to include both married and non-married partners, insurance companies to cover birth control, expand hate crimes to include sexual orientation among other things.

I from all I've read, Schlafly and her eagle Forum want women to be back in the kitchen birthing babies.

If that's not enough to let you know that some people are out to get feminists, just check out this website. I started out laughing, but then I realized it was not a joke. More to come on this later.

Productive!

2009-03-09T19:33:00.002-04:00

I swear, women's history stuff is coming, I was just so excited about what I've done today.

I went to work for a very short time (9am-1pm only, company is trying to cut hours), and when I got home, I was full of energy that usually gets zapped after an 8 hour day. When I got home it was so nice out that I wanted to go biking, however, I thought I should do some real work instead. Mom and I moved an old chest of drawers that was just sitting upstairs in a spare room outside so I could prime and paint it. I only got as far as sanding down the old paint and priming the main chest, but still, that's not bad for an afternoon. It's a really nice piece of furniture. Plus, it was made by my great-grandfather Kirk, so it's even more special. I'll try and post pictures when I'm finished painting, but I don't think it will be done until Thursday.
Oh! I got my new pedals and my new lights for my bike in today. I've already put on the lights, but I'll have to grad some grease before putting the new pedals on Foxy Lady.

Yeah for pretty days and being productive!

Stupid Accelarated Reader!

2009-03-06T15:11:00.002-05:00

I was just talking to my aunt who has a daughter in sixth grade (God help her because Middle School sucks all the way around.) Apparently, a teacher, Mrs. D, has told my Aunt that her daughter, M, is on an advanced 5th grade reading level. Now, first off, I want to point our how dumb that is in and of itself. It stands to reason that if she were at advanced 5th reading level, then that would be equal to low 6th level. However, I contend that M is above that even and that the system Mrs. D is basing her judgment of M on is intrinsicley wrong. This is all based on the Accelarated Reader program (AR) which got me into trouble when I was in school. (Thus the chip on my shoulder.)

The idea behind AR is that a kid will read a book then take a computer-based test on comprehension of said book. Now, I got in trouble at school for reading about my grade level and as such the books were not on the AR tests we were supposed to take. This resulting in one of the very few Cs I received my entire scholarly career (one which is about to continue when I go on to my MLS degree.) My teacher insisted I read books that were on my grade level, or one above (since that was all they had in our computer system, perhaps it's a bit more advanced now. Although, from the sound of it, I doubt it.) so I could receive proper grading. I, of course, refused. The books on the approved list (it was much smaller then than now) were boring and I wasn't about to waste my time reading what I didn't want to read. (I had a firey temper even at the age of 12.) I actually got into an argument with my teacher about this, which inevitably got my parents involved. Unfortunately, my parents caved and told me that I had to read at least some of the approved books because otherwise my grades would suffer. They did acknowledge that the system was wrong, but they didn't want me to suffer because of bureaucracy that is AR and the educational system in my hometown.

Apparently, things have not gotten any better. My cousin M is being told she's not at a high enough level because she's scoring too high on the tests she is taking, and she needs to push herself to read more difficult books. She is reading after all, shouldn't we be happy about that? Just to show you how messed up this AR is here's what M is facing:
The book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is at a 4.9 Book Level (advanced 4th grade), but it's interest level is 9-12! So, even though kids in 9th grade are interested in this book, the AR test says it's only a 4th, maybe 5th grade level! How wrong is that?!?! Granted, I have read excerpts from Twilight, and I wasn't exactly blown away, but still, if 9th graders are interested, it must be on their level. Even Amazon has the appropriate age for this book as grade 9.
But let's move on to yet another example, the Harry Potter books (a personal favorite.) Ar would tell you that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has a Book level of 5.5; however, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has a Book Level of 6.0. IT'S THE SAME BOOK!!!! What the hell is wrong with these people!!! Apparently, if you take the AR test under it's American publishing, you are considered at an average 5th grade level, but if you take the test under the UK published title poof! you're now at a low 6th grade level. WTF!?!?!

I'm going to blame this on lazy teachers that don't want to take the time to read through book reports and instead let a computerized rote-learning-based inanimate object teach our children. How pathetic! Mrs. D and others should be ashamed of themselves.

Equal Rights Act

2009-03-05T00:09:00.004-05:00

At first I was going to write the biography of Alice Paul, a particular favorite suffragist of mine; however, when I was reminded of the ERA (Dr. Vanlandingham had told me about it in one of my feminist history classes, but, I must admit, it slipped my mind since.) I just had to write about that instead. If you are interested in Paul's biography (it's a good one) you can read it here.

The Equal Rights Amendment, first introduced in 1923 (yes that long ago) has yet to be added to the constitution of the United States. Here it is in its entirety:

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

See? It's not much at all. On August 28, 1920 women gained suffrage in America, (Thanks in no small part to Tennessee! Yeah for my home-state!) but we are still not guaranteed full rights in America. Does this bother anyone but me?

ERA was first introduced to Congress in 1923, and was reintroduced every year until 1972 when it finally passed March 22 and sent to the states for ratification. So far, only 35 states have ratified ERA. The 15 that have not? Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia have not. I've got to say, I'm glad I don't live in one of those states. I would be pretty upset if my home state did not want me to have equal rights. (Once again, yeah for big T-N!) The amendment had a seven year deadline for ratification, which was extended even further to 1982. Didn't help. Since then, ERA has been reintroduced to Congress every year. There is some debate about whether only three more states could sort of back-ratify and the amendment pass (Illinois House did so in 2003, but not the IL Senate) or whether the whole thing would have to start over again. (A bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo that you are more than welcome to read through (I did) via one of the links at the bottom.) In any case, the point remains that ERA is not an amendment to our Constitution.

Personally, I don't see why this didn't pass in 1923. It's absolutely ludicrous that I am not technically fully protected by my own government! It's almost enough to make on want to go Thoreau and quit paying taxes. Unfortunately, I don't pay many taxes as it is, so I don't think The Man would care.

If you are a female and you're not outraged, you should be.

http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/
http://www.now.org/issues/economic/eratext.html

I want to ride my bicycle!

2009-03-04T02:19:00.004-05:00

My bike got tuned up Monday, and it's just sitting ther in the front room aching for me to take it out for a spin. They cleaned it up and it's just beautiful! I tried to get some fancy new lights for my Silver Foxy Lady, but the first attempt didn't fit. (It's a XXXS bike (don't laugh. I'm short.) with double brakes.)

It's supposed to be nice this weekend, so I'm going to try and teach Lizzy how to run beside me-on-bike. Wish me luck and very strong bones!