I go by Jill

This is 2010, people

2010-10-27T20:51:00.005-05:00

Every time I get back into the news, I'm shocked all over again at the fact that our society is STILL debating gay rights. I feel exhausted just thinking about arguing over this issue yet again. Isn't it perfectly clear to anyone with a brain that LGBTQ folks are not a menace to society and that said society will keep on functioning just as well or better if they are allowed civil rights?

Seriously. Just get the fuck over it, bigots.

Holy lord it's October

2010-10-27T20:40:00.002-05:00

Oh hi. Where has the time gone? Blah, blah, blah.... lame excuses for not blogging.... blahblahblah.

So. Chicago Friends School opened on September 7!!! That was a huge relief. An even huger relief would be if we didn't have a $4,000 monthly deficit. Working on that now...

Jane and Hillary are coming to Chi-town in November. So far I've planned their first day here, which will include an airport pickup by Bradley and a beer tasting/tamale eating shindig with a few select friends. The next day will probably be a Nature Museum trip and some sort of ethnic cuisine that's new to them.

Also, Brad gets to come home with me for Thanksgiving!!! After over three years together, it's about time.

Dreams

2010-08-01T17:28:00.003-05:00

I've been having some memorable dreams lately. A lot of them have been about work, which is somewhat odd, because I don't feel that my job is stressful at all - usually it's the stressful parts of my life that make it into the dreams I remember.

In one recent dream, I was in a shared office with a coworker (one who is way more powerful than me at work, and who has a penchant for paranoia and unjustified firing of good people). My computer screen faced his desk, so he could see whatever was on it. My workspace was a mess. Papers stacked high, dust everywhere, trash strewn on the floor. This is something I don't tolerate in real life. I was desperately trying to tidy up in the dream when I noticed on my computer screen several pop-up video chat windows. My friends were on screen trying to get me to talk to them and make plans for the evening. I was so afraid that my coworker would see them and think I was deliberately chatting on the job. This is such an obvious work-life balance dream. The thing is, I don't feel like my work and life are out of balance... so why did my brain create this dream?

Another one was much more fun. In the dream, I had applied for another volunteer management job. The interview was a huge party. Candidates were to come to the party, and the one who was deemed the coolest person there would get the job. I showed up at the party and had a great time. I chatted with everyone, made friends, all that good party stuff. The next day, they called me to say that I was indeed the coolest person at the party and offer me the job. The salary was $53,000 (way more than I make now). This was one of those dreams that you believe really happened when you wake up. My first thought upon waking was "Oh man, how am I going to tell the Nature Museum?" Then reality set in, and I made the mental leap back to my current salary. But what does this dream say about me? Do I just want to be cool? I thought I passed that hurdle in high school.

Brad said I was talking in my sleep last night and trying to tell him something. Apparently he told me I was sleep-talking and I said "Oh okay," and stopped.

I love dreams. And I'm glad I remember most of mine.

You know what's sad?

2010-07-21T20:36:00.002-05:00

I have no idea what's going on in the world right now. Couldn't tell ya what the Senate is voting on tomorrow.

I miss activism.

I need a good protest. Luckily, the Air and Water Show is coming up next month. See you there, American military might.

The list

2010-07-19T20:58:00.005-05:00

Remember that list I made of the things I wanted to do post-graduation? Well, here's a status update.

1. Join the gym down the street: CHECK. And I've even worked out at it! My routine so far is running one mile on the treadmill at 5.4 mph, free weights for arm toning, leg press, thigh machine, pilates for the abs, and then another mile on the treadmill at the same speed. It hurts so good. I'm thinking I might even run in the Museum's 5K in October if I can keep this up. My boss is running, too, so I figure that'll score me some brownie points.

2. Read whatever the hell I want to read: CHECK. I'm reading a friend's unpublished novel right now, along with an autobiography of a former Latin King - My Bloody Life. I just finished A General Theory of Love, a fantastic throwback to my days as a psychology major. And before that it was Arundati Roy's wonderful novel, The God of Small Things. I was incredibly moved by this book. I enjoyed every single word of it. It almost doesn't matter that the story line is compelling (and it most certainly is). Her language is so rich and deep that you can't help but be lost in the words. I cried on the train as I read the last chapter. Plus, the story is set in Kerala, India, which is where I was in 2007 and where I bought the book. This is definitely my new favorite novel. Sorry, Anne Tyler, I promise I still love you, but I really need to check out some more Arundati Roy.

3. Go for drinks with friends after work: CHECK. Enough said.

4. Start planning an awesome overseas vacation: sort of check. Debra and I have started a conversation about Mexico in January. We will see.

5. Start paying Mima and the government back for my loans: sort of check. Mima is letting me wait until I finish paying Brad's dad back for the loan he gave us for our down payment. That will be April next year. My first payment to the government isn't due until December, but I'm going to start paying sooner. I just have to log on and schedule the auto deductions. At the rate they suggest, it'll take me 10 years to pay off a measly $5,500 debt. That's ridiculous. I'll probably do some large lump sum payments to get it down quick. I do not like to pay interest, my friends.

Another thing I'm adding to the list is getting back into Spanish. I can't really afford to take lessons again, but I'm going to try to read at least one Spanish news article per day out loud to myself (or to Brad, if he's unlucky enough to be home at the time). I just read the one for this evening, and I totally got it. Almost every word. Now if I could just speak it when I need to or understand it when spoken to...

Chocolate chip cookie-induced empathy

2010-07-18T14:33:00.003-05:00

I'm in pain. I bit the shit out of the corner of my lip a few days ago and the wound refuses to heal. This is a fairly embarassing injury, as it resulted from me getting way too excited about a warm, chocolate chip cookie. I had just gotten off work, and Brad and I stopped at a coffee shop to buy a bag for home. I spotted the delicious cookies in the display case and just had to purchase one. In my excitement at taking the first bite - you know, it had been a long day at work... I was happy that Brad was off... there was the anticipation of a nice night at home together... plus the very real joy of eating a cookie - I over-chomped. I bit right into my lip and tears came to my eyes.

Alright, fine, I thought. There goes the cookie ecstasy for the time being, but no biggie. Mouth sores heal quickly.

Five days later, this clumsiness wound is worse than ever. It's right at the spot where my teeth (which have always been a size too big for my mouth) scrape it constantly, so it never really gets the chance to recover.

This sounds so dumb, but it's shocking how much this one little injury is affecting my life. I can't smile right, I can't talk right. And worst of all, it's affecting what I eat! A moratorium on Indian and Latin food is in effect until this goes away. An addiction to Orajel is looming in the near future.

I am being such a baby about this. If you don't believe me, just ask Brad. In a search for something noble (or at least less whiny) in the situation, I've thought about one of my good friends who has a condition that leaves him in almost constant pain every single day. The fact that my whole life is affected by the pain from a tiny little puncture wound gives me just a teeny bit of insight into what his life is like. I feel like I understand him a little better.

So thanks, damn chocolate chip cookie that did this to me, for the nugget of empathy you've created.

Inspiration

2010-07-17T16:37:00.003-05:00

Hey y'all! Check out the newest blog on the block by Maggie and David: http://mdeats.wordpress.com/

They're just great, and so are the first two posts.

...

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know it's been almost two months since I've written anything. I blame three factors: the euphoria of graduation (I'm a Master of Public Service, by the way), the beautiful Chicago summer weather (I haven't seen a cloud in like a week), and the fact that my laptop died (leaving me with only Brad's desktop to use, which would anchor me inside and out of the sunshine - unacceptable).

More later, I promise. I've been inspired to write by Fooding Around.

Couple Things

2010-05-25T21:19:00.004-05:00

First, I am officially trained to handle snakes, turtles, salamanders, stick bugs, and hissing cockroaches.

Second, I am going to start eating meat again.

I don't really feel like explaining either of these two things right now, so I'll leave you to ponder them until I do. Enjoy.

Top five things I'm going to do post-graduation

2010-05-11T18:45:00.004-05:00

Join the gym down the street
Read whatever the hell I want to read
Go for drinks with friends after work
Start planning an awesome overseas vacation
Start paying Mima and the government back for my loans

Happy Birthday to G'da!

2010-04-30T20:47:00.001-05:00

It's G'da's 81st birthday today. Love you very much, G'da, and can't wait to see you at Christina's wedding in August!

Dear Anonymous Commenter,

2010-04-25T13:44:00.002-05:00

WTF? I'm not publishing your comment about circumcision on my post that had nothing to do with that topic.

Am I going to have to password-protect this blog? Come on folks, relevant comments only, please.

Reptiles, Volunteers, and more

2010-04-17T20:17:00.002-05:00

Where to start... First, an apology. I've been MIA from many important parts of life for the past couple weeks. Essentially, my life consists of: work, school, Chicago Friends School, Brad, family, friends, the great city of Chicago, various intellectual pursuits, and activism (in no particular order). All but the first two have been cut from my mental energy budget recently.

At work, the annual volunteer appreciation dinner was Thursday. This is a yearly event, and it is a rather lavish affair, with a cocktail hour, a catered dinner, and a formal awards ceremony. Being the new gal in charge of it, I didn't feel comfortable scaling down the event to the more modest style I prefer. So I kept tradition and planned a fancy evening for our volunteers. I invited various staff members to present awards - my boss, the CEO, several heads of departments - and I emceed the ceremony, making opening and closing remarks. Even though this was not expressly stated, I felt it was the first test of my capabilities as the new volunteer manager. It is the first time the higher-ups have really seen me in action as opposed to hearing my updates in staff meetings.

Somehow, everything went perfectly. Chicago bestowed on us the best weather of the year - 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Attendance was higher than last year. The food and booze held out for the whole evening. And I even managed to conceal my nervousness at the podium and by the end of the ceremony actually began to enjoy being up there (without a drop of alcohol to help, by the way). My bosses seemed happy, and more importantly, the volunteers seemed happy. Thus, I am happy - mostly that this thing is behind me and I can focus again on building personal relationships, which is the real essence of my work.

Going back to last weekend, Reptile Fest was... Well, it was many things... A great people-watching experience, for one. I know what you're thinking - lots of greasy-haired, pale, socially inept guys with snake fetishes. But they made up only, like, 10% of the total attendance. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of females present. Also, tons of families brought their kids, many of whom had amazing knowledge of the creatures on display. I don't remember being that into anything when I was younger. I mean, I read a lot of books. But was I really into one particular subject to the point that I knew more about it than the average person? I don't think so. I feel like I missed out on that.

Remember the alligator story from last year's Reptile Fest? (The one that got out and made its way to the university swimming pool to wait for the swim team to arrive for practice the next morning?) Nothing quite that dramatic happened this year. But not ten minutes after setting up on the first day, they made an announcement over the loudspeaker that if anyone happened to run across a 2-foot black and white lizard to please return it to table 143. I looked down at my sandal-clad feet, imagining what it would feel like if this lizard crawled across them, and made a mighty effort to put the issue out of my mind. I never heard an announcement saying they'd found the thing, so it's probably made its way into someone's dorm room by this time.

Right in the middle of the Reptile Fest weekend and the big volunteer shindig was the due date for an enormous portion of my final project for school. I still am not sure how I got that done. But it was submitted, almost as if by an unknown hand, on Tuesday last week. I have all my interviews scheduled that will give me the major data for my research. They are all happening in the next two weeks. After that, I'll code and analyze the data, write it up in my report, and by June 8 submit my final project and have a degree. I absolutely cannot wait for that glorious day to come. I feel like I'll be a different person then.

I hope everyone I've been neglecting recently is doing great. Glad I got to talk to Dave for over an hour tonight! We should do that more often, eh?

Managerspeak

2010-03-24T20:06:00.003-05:00

I think I've figured out what it takes to be upper-level management. The following tips, used ad nauseum in emails, should do the trick.

Describe any contact you've made with anyone as "reaching out."
Say "I'm working closely with [insert an important person, regardless of whether you are actually working closely with them or have simply emailed them once]."
Use the word "positioning" a lot.
Everything you do should be done "strategically."
State your goal to "become the premier [insert your program] in [insert your geographical region]."
Use the phrase "execute on" regardless of the fact that the preposition is unnecessary and incorrect.

I know that guy!

2010-03-16T20:43:00.002-05:00

One of my former AFSC co-workers was an Iraq War veteran. When he started working with us, he had just gotten back from shooting a movie with Matt Damon. I had completely forgotten this fact until recently when I started seeing the previews for Green Zone. This is it! Way to go, Eugene! A lot of the actors in the movie are former soldiers with no acting background.

The movie opened last weekend and didn't do that well. I've been reading various reviews and articles on why Green Zone, and other movies like it, don't appeal to more people. Here's the best explanation I've seen: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/03/green-zone-iraq-bremer-damon-greengrass.html.

Spring Break, etc.

2010-03-13T20:25:00.002-06:00

Today is the first day of my last-ever Spring Break. Wahoooo! I wrote a scathing review of the class I just finished, to the effect of: this course was a waste of my time and money. Only the final project to do and I'll have this degree. Don't forget, folks: graduation party on June 12!

In other news, Brad and I did our taxes this week. It was magical. I'm getting almost $7,000 back. Thanks, government, for rewarding us first-time homebuyers! Of course, I can't get too attached to that whopping number because $4,000 of it is going directly to Brad's dad in repayment of his loan for our down payment. But still. Not too shabby.

My birthday was great. I went out with Brad and Shaun and Julia for some delicious sushi. Then we went to my friend Karen's art show. The show was in a storage building located in a dingy, industrial, dead-end kind of area on the fringes of Chinatown. We were told to go in the red door, and I'm glad we got those instructions because otherwise this would not have been a place I'd wander into casually. Once we got to the seventh floor the scene unfolded with fantastic works from many different artists, wine flowing for all, and flamenco dancers with live music. So cool! I love this city and all its hidden gems.

Trib Article!

2010-03-04T17:37:00.003-06:00

Chicago Friends School was featured in Wednesday's Tribune!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/ct-x-c-quaker-school-0303-20100303,0,2259138.story?page=1

The picture was taken at my place because it was the only one out of all of our residences that wasn't messy beyond repair. Sad but true.

Since the article ran we've been getting tons of calls about the school. Things are looking up for us!

Birthday Month has begun!

2010-02-14T13:54:00.003-06:00

Facebook has a great application that allows you to raise money for a cause each year on your birthday. This year I'm asking for donations to Chicago Friends School.

Here's the link to my Facebook Birthday Wish: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/birthdays/276313

And here's the Chicago Friends School website, where you can also make a donation: http://chicagofriendsschool.org/

I appreciate anything you can give to help the school open this fall!

Rogers Park Love from the NYT

2010-02-11T07:42:00.002-06:00

Check out this New York Times piece about our neighborhood, Rogers Park:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/travel/07surfacing.html?scp=1&sq=rogers%20park&st=cse

The article is a bit light on substance, and I'd disagree with its statement that there's no quick way to get downtown (there are two quick ways - they're called the Red Line and the Purple Line). But it showcases our little Jarvis Square shopping center! Brad and I live just around the corner from Charmers!

Yay for Rogers Park!

FUPS

2010-02-09T22:17:00.005-06:00

Shannon's family has probably the greatest tradition ever conceived.

Shannon's mom is a kindergarten teacher. As such, she gets lots of gifts from students every Christmas, most of which are worthless pieces of junk. One night years ago, Shannon was helping her mom write thank-you notes for all these gifts and they stayed up for hours laughing at one particularly unfortunate Frosty the Snowman figurine. They dubbed him FUPS, for Frosty the Ugly Piece of Shit.

They were being pretty silly, and Shannon ended up dropping the thing, detaching its arm from its body. Her mom threw the figurine away, thinking that was the end of it.

That night, Shannon dug it out of the trash and put it under her mom's pillow with a note. Although no one spoke a word of it for the next several years, the game continued. Each family member who found FUPS in a most unexpected place would then hide him again.

Shannon has found FUPS in the wheel well of her car when she had to change a flat and outside the window of a new apartment the day after her parents helped her move in. She has personally hidden him in a carton of ice cream, which she had hollowed out, stuffed FUPS into, and packed ice cream back on top of.

On our trip to North Carolina last week, Brad and I were honored to become part of this grand tradition. Shannon's brother has moved to Chicago, and they feel that it is his turn to find FUPS. Mailing him is not an option, as a package mailed to you does not qualify as a "most unexpected place." Thus, Brad and I are going to place FUPS somewhere where Tim is guaranteed to find it. Shannon gave us the valet key to his car, so that will most likely be the easiest and most effective placement. But of course we now want to put our own special brand of creepy on it - perhaps with some sort of prop sticking out of FUPS' arm hole, or just a really creative location that will completely shock Tim. We shall see, we shall see...

My kind of celeb sighting

2010-02-09T22:07:00.001-06:00

You know that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry's girlfriend looks attractive in some settings but unattractive in others? I swear I saw the unattractive version on the bus the other day.

I'm back

2010-01-25T19:16:00.002-06:00

I love my job. I'm about to eat a delicious meal of habanero tilapia cooked by my personal chef, Brad, so I don't have long to update. Let's just stick to a few bullet points for now:

One of my volunteers eats a peanut butter and bacon bits sandwich every day for lunch.
The vast majority of my co-workers are awesome, and we've already been out for drinks after work and exchanged plenty of gossip.
One of my co-workers has a serious Napoleon complex that is going to be a struggle for me to deal with.
On any given day, I have button quails, worms, and/or any number of other squirmy creatures in my office that my volunteers have elected to take home to nurture for awhile.
Did you know that rocks can get diseases? Well, they can. I learned that on my tour of the museum collections facility today.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

2010-01-06T22:30:00.002-06:00

I'm starting work tomorrow. What a sweet relief. I'm laying out my spiffy new professional outfit (a gray wool pencil skirt with a white button-up shirt tucked in - and I'm even wearing hose) and packing my lunch tonight.

I'm tempted to adopt an alter ego at my new workplace. Why not make a totally fresh start for a totally fresh chapter in my life? But I'm sure I won't do it, which is probably for the best.

Book Club

2010-01-04T08:06:00.005-06:00

I've been involved in several book clubs recently. My favorite so far is Brill's book club, which currently consists of me and Brad, and possibly Shannon. (Brill, by the way, is the combined name that Charlie made up a couple years ago for Brad + Jill - like "Bennifer" and "Branjelina," only we've stayed together and avoided public humiliation.)

Basically, Brill's book club begins when Brad reads a book. This is a process that generally takes several months, and it doesn't happen often. Once Brad reads something, I then read it in a few days or weeks, and Brad and I discuss. Shannon will hopefully join in soon. She and I are just excited that Brad has finally joined the world of books. His excuse that reading made his back hurt could only last so long.

Right now we're on A.J. Jacobs' books - The Know It All and The Year of Living Biblically.

Vegged Out

2010-01-02T21:09:00.004-06:00

I spent over two hours reading for class today. I was in a coffee shop, sipping a hot beverage and sometimes gazing out the frosty window at passersby. It felt really good.

Next week I'll be back to work, which will put my schedule back on track for sanity.

I can't wait to start my job. Not only is it a great position that I actually have some expertise in, but it'll save me from utter boredom. Ever since Christmas, I have had absolutely nothing to do. Well, that's not true. There are plenty of things I could have been doing (getting a head start on school work, exercising, cooking, cleaning, writing, activism). The real story is that I just haven't been doing anything. I've been in a near-vegetative state for the past week.

I guess it's partially justified. I know I have a job waiting for me, so that eliminates a lot of what I had been doing before Christmas - job hunting. And since I'll be working full time and going to school again, I feel like I deserve to just chill out for a couple weeks before starting the madness. Chilling out was great for about two days. Now I'm really bored but still can't seem to get around to doing much of value. Instead I just sit on the couch and watch TV, thinking all the while that I should really get out and do something.

I did take a 3-mile walk the other day. It was 20 degrees out - probably colder by the lake, where I was walking - but it felt so good to move. It's colder today, so I didn't venture out that far. I need to join a gym soon so I can run without freezing my extremities off.

I realize this all sounds very whiny and petty. But it's my blog, so there.

Chicago: 952 miles

2009-12-27T16:17:00.007-06:00

It's so strange and wonderful to have a car in the city now. The experience of getting it here was not nearly so positive.

We left as planned at 5:00 AM from Jane and Adam's apartment in Greenville. As we pulled out of the complex, the GPS device estimated we'd arrive at my Chicago apartment at 6:00 PM that evening. Had the GPS been able to see out the window, it would not have made such a silly prediction.

The sleet in Greenville changed to snow in Raleigh, which did not let up until we were 10 miles from the Chicago city limits. We picked the single worst day in probably a decade to travel cross-country. But we did it, and we didn't have so much as a slip, slide, or bump-up the entire way.

The same was not true for our fellow travelers. From the moment we got on 264 outside Greenville, abandoned vehicles littered the side of the roads. We lost count before we even got out of North Carolina, but I'd guess we saw well over 50 cars left to accumulate snow and ice. This seemed a bit strange to us. What was the story behind all these cars?

Isn't it kind of strange to abandon your car on the side of the road in a snow storm - because doesn't someone else have to drive in the snow to come pick you up? And there's no way people stayed in their car till the snow let up because it was still coming down when we drove through. The only abandoned cars we could see an excuse for were the ones that skidded into a ditch they couldn't get out of. But the other 80% were a mystery to us.

Looking back, I'm surprised we didn't get in a karmic accident due to the fact that we were making fun of the people we imagined might have abandoned these many cars.

I'm also surprised we didn't get in an accident in the mountains of Tennessee, where we encountered pouring snow, curvy roads, and where Adam took a turn driving 85 miles per hour. By the end of his turn, we had shaved 30 minutes off of the GPS' estimated arrival time - which had crept slowly up from the original 6:00 PM to 11:30PM.

But that ended in Louisville, when I began my turn driving. From there to Chicago, I managed to tack that 30 minutes right back on with my granny driving. Make no mistake - I'm usually quite speedy at the wheel. But when I can't see the lines on the road and can feel the car sliding with my every motion I tend to tone it down a bit.

By the time we got to Indianapolis, I could no longer feel my butt cheeks or three of the toes on my driving foot. The last 3 hours to Chicago were pure torture.

But it was all okay when we rolled up to Capi's Italian Kitchen at midnight just in time to pick Brad up from work. We drove back to our apartment and crashed for the night. When we awoke the next morning, our necks were sore from being tense for 20 hours straight. But we ventured out into the wonders of Chicago and forgot all about the "fun road trip" we had looked forward to for months.

Manager of Volunteers and Interns

2009-12-16T13:32:00.003-06:00

That's me! They called today to offer me the job. Check out my new place of employment: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Interestingly enough, I just got offered another job with the Arab American Action Network. It's an AmeriCorps position, though, and I got bills to pay. Always nice to be wanted.

Very superstitious

2009-12-14T22:06:00.003-06:00

I refuse to jinx this. That's why I haven't been posting news about my job search. Just know that, after five interviews, I got a good phone call today. They're checking my references and my background tomorrow.

After that... well... I'm trying to make myself assume that I still won't get the job because then, if I really don't, I might not blow my brains out. Maybe.

This tactic doesn't sound quite as healthy as the "positive thinking" method of getting through life's tougher times. But superstition and positive thinking are hard to reconcile, so I'm sticking with the former.

Dead air

2009-12-10T23:57:00.003-06:00

Forgive the recent radio silence. I swear to god I'm going to write a book on the psychology of job interviews when I'm through with all this.

I'm on interview number four at a very special place. I won't write the name of the organization here, as I've become very superstitious in my unemployment and am afraid to jinx it.

In other news...

The high today was 12 degrees.

Also, I saw a homeless guy on the street downtown gently cradling what, at first glance, appeared to be a baby but was, in fact, a cat. He was holding a sign, but I was too distracted by the cat to read it. I'm left wondering: Did he count on people not looking closely enough at the cat and taking pity on a poor homeless father with an infant? Did he believe he was actually holding a human baby? Or is he one of those cat people who treat their pet as though it were a human baby (cough cough, Jane)?

Pictures from the 'hood

2009-11-21T16:11:00.002-06:00

I took some pictures of our place with the furniture set up, and also a few around the neighborhood. Check them out here!

It seemed like some of you were confused about how to view the last pictures I posted. When you click on the link, it will take you to a screen that shows all the photos at once, in small thumbnails. To view them, you'll need to click on the first picture. It will show up larger, and you can then read the caption under it. When you're ready to go on to the next one, either click on the photo or click the "Next" link at the top right of the photo. Enjoy!

(If the link above won't work, here's the full url that you can copy and paste: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2302965&id=22204543&l=44adea3aef)

I went

2009-11-19T22:43:00.002-06:00

Because I am dumb, I actually went to the Mary Kay thing tonight. I'm still processing what I heard there. Will try to write about it tomorrow. For now, suffice it to say that it was a fascinating sociological study during which I alternated between anger, embarrassment, and holding back giggles.

Well Put-together

2009-11-18T21:04:00.004-06:00

I had an interview on Monday. The interviewer didn't ask a single standard interview question. You know the ones - "If I asked your previous supervisor to name one area that you could improve, what would they say?" or "Tell me about a time when you overcame a personal conflict at work." It was wonderful. We actually discussed, as two equals would, what the job entails and how I might contribute. She asked me practical questions and told me at the end of the interview exactly when I'll hear about the next steps. She also promised to call me even if I'm not selected to move on in the process. This is unprecedented in my interviewing experience.

On the way home from the interview, as I was about the walk up the stairs to the train platform, a woman behind said, "Excuse me" and I turned around to face her. She said, "I don't mean to startle you, but you are very well put-together." Not knowing where this was going, but curiosity piqued, I said, "Well, thanks! That's really nice." I did not mention that I was wearing the one and only nice outfit I own.

She inquired about my profession, and I told her I had just come from a job interview. She asked about my professional background, and I talked a bit about my nonprofit experience. She then said, "Well, I'm in leadership development and I'm looking for a new director and think you'd be great at it. Can I give you my card?" Hmmm. I still had no idea what this was all about. A scam? A pyramid scheme? A come-on? A legitimate opportunity? Surely it couldn't be the latter, but I said, "Sure, I'll take a card from anyone." And she handed it over. I gave her one of mine, the curiosity again getting the better of me.

When I looked down at her card, I saw that she works for Mary Kay. The look on my face must have said "Oh Jesus, no way, this chic is trying to sell me makeup" because she immediately said not to worry, she wasn't trying to sell me makeup.

She called me a few hours later and wanted me to come to a meeting with her directors that's happening tomorrow. Now I have to decide whether to blow it off, call and cancel, or actually go. I'll let you know what I decide tomorrow night.

Juxtaposition

2009-11-14T18:23:00.006-06:00

The following two updates were posted on my Facebook newsfeed in the past hour by friends in North Carolina:
"Well back from hunting..... however I decided to take my son who doesn't like being quiet. What can I say he is only a kid what did I expect, lol! Though I got me a buck this morning so overall it was a great day!"

"Civil war reenactment at boone hall plantation"

By contrast, the following two updates were also posted in the past hour, but by friends in Chicago:
"Up early this morning doing volunteer work for the chicago public schools - it will be so much cleaner after today."

"Just learned that at the height of a food crisis in Somalia the Obama administration did not send food or humanitarian aid...but $10 million/40 tons of weapons...and the Nobel Committee looked the other way."

This unrepresentative sample, of course, proves nothing. But it's pretty funny, nonetheless.

Another Interview!

2009-11-08T12:29:00.003-06:00

I guess this job search is going to go in fits and starts. I got three interviews in September, none in October, and two already in November. The newly scheduled interview is on Tuesday afternoon. Will report back when it's over!

Let's hope the biggest decision I'll have to make in the coming weeks is which job offer to accept, rather than how best to start all over with the search. I'm getting pretty sick of unemployment.

By the way, my informational interview last week was amazing. The guy gave me an insider's perspective of what it's like to work in higher education and gave me ideas on everything from career possibilities to thesis topics. Definitely worth the hour's time and the $7 I spent on our coffees.

Quick Update

2009-11-04T13:33:00.004-06:00

Whoops - forgot to blog for awhile! Just a few quick updates before I go to class.

We're getting settled in to the new place. It really feels like home. We've had some friends and family members over, and everyone has ooooed and ahhhhhed over it and made us feel great about our choice. All that's left to do is paint the second bedroom, which can't be done until Charlie finishes our furniture piece.

After a month of not getting any job interviews, I finally have one for November 16th. I'll let you know how it goes, but no details until then - don't want to jinx it.

I've started receiving unemployment benefits, which help but are nowhere near what I need to survive for the long term. I'm diversifying my job-hunting strategy to include more informational interviews with organizations that don't necessarily have vacancies posted. I have one of these interviews scheduled for tomorrow morning, which I'm really excited about.

For a teeny bit of extra income, a friend suggested that I register with market research firms, which often offer paid focus group opportunities. Get paid to give my opinion on trivial consumer goods? Count me in! I got a sweet gig recently that pays $150 for setting up a blog on which I posted three entries - one describing myself, one giving my opinions of seven different brands, and one describing how I used/use/will use technology in the past, present, and future. I also got chosen to do a follow-up interview with this company, for which they will be paying me another $200. I could get used to this...

I'm almost finished with school, thank god. Just three more weeks to go and my courses will be over. January through June I'll be working independently on my final project, and then I'll officially have a Masters degree.

More later!

Home Sweet Home

2009-10-25T11:46:00.004-05:00

We've completely moved into the new place now. We closed on Friday and went straight to pick up the rental car to start moving our stuff in and begin the painting party. By painting party, I mean that we convinced our friends Shaun and Julia to spend approximately 20 hours helping us paint our walls. Additionally, we commissioned our friend Charles to make a custom piece of furniture - a combined bar-bookshelf - for us. He worked in our second bedroom all day, measuring and sawing and making a beautiful piece exactly how we wanted it. We started prepping the walls for paint at about noon and finished for the day at midnight.

The next morning, the movers came at 8:00 AM and loaded up their truck with the rest of our stuff. Shaun and Julia met us at the new place to finish the painting. We wrapped up by dinnertime and went out for Thai food while the paint dried. We then ceremoniously peeled off the painter's tape to unveil the gorgeous colors with crisp edges. We broke open the champagne our realtor gave us and sat back to admire our work.

Some observations thus far:

The previous owner of our place did a crappy job painting, so her colors are still encroaching on our baseboards.
Speaking of baseboards, they need a lot of work. The previous owner never touched them, except with her paintbrush.
The upstairs neighbors have at least one small child.
The across the hall neighbors have a dog - quite a large one from the sounds of it.
We are fantastic at picking paint colors - our place feels incredibly warm and comfy now.
A two bedroom apartment, relatively speaking, is enormous.
Our furniture looks much smaller and shabbier than it did two days ago.

I'm currently sitting by the living rooms windows, sipping my coffee, listening to NPR, and feeling wonderfully at home. I can't wait until we get unpacked and establish our flow. I love this place so much.

Pictures coming soon! And a date for a housewarming party, too!

Skool

2009-10-11T18:05:00.007-05:00

I stumbled upon this website while searching for examples of nonprofit ad campaigns to bring to class on Wednesday: http://osocio.org.

I'm definitely learning more from this site than from my Marketing for Nonprofits class. Some of these campaigns are freakin' brilliant.

Navigating the Hours without a Job

2009-10-09T00:23:00.002-05:00

It sucks to be laid off, but here are some things I’ve been doing that decidedly lessen the suckiness of being without a job and help me wade through each day like a halfway normal human being.

First and foremost, I applied for unemployment insurance the first day I was officially unemployed.

I make myself get up before 10 AM. It just feels better in the long run – even for night owls like me.

I get dressed every single day by noon, even if there doesn’t seem to be any reason to get out of my pajamas. I can’t tell you how embarrassing it is when Brad returns after work to find me in exactly the same clothing and in the same position as when he left me that morning. There’s something about putting on jeans that makes the day seem more real.

I go outside for at least 20 minutes every day. When it’s too cold to stay outside that long (if I don’t have a job yet), I’m still going to get out of the house as much as possible – and find places to go that don’t necessitate spending money. Coffee shops are nice and all, but you have to at least buy a cup of coffee to enjoy their benefit.

A secondary goal of mine is to not buy coffee at all while I’m unemployed. I’ve got beans, a grinder, and a French press right here at home and no income to justify paying someone to brew my coffee for me.

I’ve also increased the amount of time I spend with other people. It’s incredibly depressing to be alone day after day. You almost can’t help but feel like a failure for not having found a job yet. Friends and family can distract you from all that negativity and just make you feel loved. Plus, virtually everyone nowadays knows someone else who’s out of work. Those stories of people in similar situations help me feel more normal.

Another thing I’ve done is adopt a “work” schedule that’s similar to Brad’s (though my “workdays” are not nearly as long as his). When he comes home from a long day’s work, he wants to play or relax. If I’ve also been working hard on something all day, I deserve to join him. If, however, I’ve spent the day in my pajamas watching movies and snacking while he was at work, I really shouldn’t be playing or relaxing with him once he’s off. I've also adopted his weekends, which vary from week to week and are almost never Saturday and Sunday.

I use TV, facebook, and to some extent food, as rewards for specific accomplishments - school work, work for Chicago Friends School, job applications, etc.

I do not drink alone. Alcohol does not cure misery. Drinking with friends, however, is perfectly acceptable.

I do all of the housework now. I make the bed every day, do the laundry, wash the dishes, straighten up the place, and am contemplating cooking entire meals to have ready for Brad when he gets home. Those immediately visible accomplishments make me feel like I did something worthwhile. And, at least in my own mind, I feel like it makes Brad happier that I’m home all day. By the way, this advice applies to all genders – I’m not being anti-feminist here.

Now, about that pesky job search... I apply for at least three jobs per week. It’s incredibly annoying, and I hate writing cover letters, but you can’t possibly get a job without applying for one.

I’ve established a routine for checking job listings and tracking my progress with those I apply for. I have an RSS feed for idealist.org listings, and I also check npo.net every single day. I copy and save the jobs I want to apply for in a Word document so I don’t have to go back and search for them once I'm ready to apply. I keep track of my applications in an Excel file with the name of each position, the contact person, the date I submitted the application, and the status of the application.

Here are my stats so far:
Applications: 18
Interviews: 3
Rejections: 7
Still Open: 11

So that’s how I’m surviving my joblessness. Honestly, I was kind of looking forward to having more free time on my hands, but with all the job applications, school work, housework, volunteer board work, and seeing friends, I'm almost busier than when I was working. I think that's a good thing.

Feel free to add your own tips in the comment section!

Chicago Friends School

2009-10-06T22:04:00.005-05:00

My new full-time, albeit unpaid, job is being the chair of the fundraising committee for the Chicago Friends School. Until last week when my friend Abbey joined, I was also the only member of said committee. Given that we need to raise about $50,000 before next Fall, I think it's safe to say that I am taking this job very seriously.

Check out our website. If you like what you see and would like to contribute, you can go here and donate through facebook. Donating through facebook means other people will see that you support the school and might want to do the same. You don't have to have a facebook account to do this, by the way.

Chicago desperately needs safe schools that promote peace, simplicity, integrity, community, and equality - just what Chicago Friends School wants to do. Thanks for any support you can give us! And please pass the word around to others who might be interested.

Keys

2009-09-29T21:54:00.006-05:00

As I rode the elevator up to the 19th floor of my building tonight, I got my keys out preparing to enter my apartment. I realized that every single key will be gone from my keychain in less than a month.

Keys to the building, the apartment, the mail, the storage space...
Keys to Grace Place and the AFSC office where I work...

Some will be replaced with shiny new ones, others may not. It's a sign of the times, my friends.

Fargo trivia

2009-09-25T19:11:00.004-05:00

If you try to click on the link I posted for our new place (in the blog entry below titled "1522 W Fargo"), you will no longer be able to see the photos. It's disappeared from all the listing sites, even the MLS. Wahoo!

Another fun bit of trivia about our new place is that the seller is a senior editor for TimeOut Chicago, a very cool magazine. She has excellent books on her shelves, and she's a travel buff, too. If she didn't hate us for squeezing almost $20,000 extra dollars out of her, I'd say we could be friends.

Cacti and other aggressive flora

2009-09-25T09:21:00.003-05:00

Check out the pictures from our Arizona trip here!

Guaranteed Rape Prevention Tips

2009-09-22T17:22:00.004-05:00

Those emails that always circulate about steps women can take to protect themselves from rapists are all well and good. I follow a lot of those tips myself. But check out these, which, if followed, are 100% guaranteed to work.

Thanks to these ladies for compiling the lists: Kat O'Leary and FeminAlly.

From Kat O'Leary:

If a woman is drunk, don’t rape her.
If a woman is walking alone at night, don’t rape her.
If a woman is drugged and unconscious, don’t rape her.
If a woman is wearing a short skirt, don’t rape her.
If a woman is jogging in a park at 5 am, don’t rape her.
If a woman looks like your ex-girlfriend you’re still hung up on, don’t rape her.
If a woman is asleep in her bed, don’t rape her.
If a woman is asleep in your bed, don’t rape her.
If a woman is doing her laundry, don’t rape her.
If a woman is in a coma, don’t rape her.
If a woman changes her mind in the middle of or about a particular activity, don’t rape her.
If a woman has repeatedly refused a certain activity, don’t rape her.
If a woman is not yet a woman, but a child, don’t rape her.
If your girlfriend or wife is not in the mood, don’t rape her.
If your step-daughter is watching TV, don’t rape her.
If you break into a house and find a woman there, don’t rape her.
If your friend thinks it’s okay to rape someone, tell him it’s not, and that he’s not your friend.
If your “friend” tells you he raped someone, report him to the police.
If your frat-brother or another guy at the party tells you there’s an unconscious woman upstairs and it’s your turn, don’t rape her, call the police and tell the guy he’s a rapist.
Tell your sons, god-sons, nephews, grandsons, sons of friends it’s not okay to rape someone.
Don’t tell your women friends how to be safe and avoid rape.
Don’t imply that she could have avoided it if she’d only done/not done x.
Don’t imply that it’s in any way her fault.
Don’t let silence imply agreement when someone tells you he “got some” with the drunk girl.

From FeminAlly:

Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.
When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!
If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!
NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.
If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!
Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.
USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.
Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.
Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!
Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.
And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn’t ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are committing a crime- no matter how “into it” others appear to be.

Inane debate

2009-09-17T19:31:00.008-05:00

The "is it racist?" debate swirling around the teabagger protests is annoying the shit out of me.

CNN and others like them get talking heads arguing about whether the teabaggers are racist, whether they are actually dissatisfied with Obama's policies, or whether they're dissatisfied with the policies because they're racist. To be sure, there are teabaggers in each of these camps.

But the thing I think is missing from the discussion is that racism is being used mainly as a tactic. We don't have to pick whether we think the teabaggers are just plain racist or if they have valid reasons for their disagreement with Obama. It's not a black-white situation (if you will).

The racist signs and slogans we've all seen are part of the rhetoric. Opponents of Obama are trying to build the movement against him however they can. Racism gets at people's basest emotions, and sometimes it works without folks ever even realizing that their own deep-seated racism is what drew them into the teabaggers' domain. When people see images comparing Obama to animals in the zoo or "witch doctors" in traditional African garb, subconscious fears are triggered, and the potential for persuasion is increased. It's Psychology 101 and the basic idea behind most marketing campaigns.

It really doesn't matter whether the protests are fueled by racism, as CNN keeps trying to determine. What matters is that clear themes of racism are present in the arguments against Obama, and racism is wrong. Period.

Movement building - however ludicrous or noble the cause - is all about convincing the most people possible to agree with you and take action. That people are organizing against Obama is fine. Plenty of people organized against Bush and it was great (I was certainly one of them). It's the tactics that matter, and ultimately, if this anti-Obama movement doesn't strike a chord with the majority of people in this country, it won't succeed. That's the case with all movements - and I should know, I've been involved in several that are unsuccessful as of yet.

Let's just all keep racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and all the other -isms out of our movements, okay?

Life Lessons

2009-09-14T17:35:00.005-05:00

These life lesson email forward things generally annoy me. But much of this list resonated, so I thought I'd post it here. I took out all the ones that didn't mean much to me personally. If you want to see the full list, here's the link to the article from which it was taken: http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2006/05/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html

When in doubt, just take the next small step.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
Pay off your credit cards every month.
You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
Everything can change in the blink of an eye.
Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
Over prepare, then go with the flow.
Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
Forgive everyone everything.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
Get outside every day.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

Thanks to David H. who forwarded this to me.

By the way, some of the emails circulating with this list say the author is 90 years old. She's not. She's 53.

1522 W. Fargo, Unit 2N

2009-09-14T16:22:00.004-05:00

That'll be our new address if all goes well during this next month. We have an inspection scheduled for Wednesday morning, then our attorney will do his thing, and then on October 23 we'll officially get the keys to our new place.

We've already mentally decorated. Our inspirations for the whole scheme are our two favorite Mexican restaurants. We've been referring to the colors as "Flaco's blue," "Flaco's green," and "Adobo tan." We've even got furniture and new flooring picked out.

The only problem with all this is that after we make the down payment, we will have absolutely no money left over for all these projects. Visitors should expect sparse furnishings for quite some time.

Check out the place here! If you click on virtual tour you can see it from lots of different angles.

The Job Search Continues

2009-09-07T01:01:00.002-05:00

I have applications in for three more jobs. And I have an interview at one place on Thursday.

I'm going to stop putting the names of these places in my blog - just in case...

Again, email me if you want more details!

Property Virgins

2009-09-07T00:42:00.004-05:00

Brad and I are about to make an offer on a condo. It's amazing how quickly things are moving along, and with surprisingly few tough decisions. I expected to have to agonize over which place to make an offer on, weighing the pros and cons of three equally fabulous condos and finally making a dramatic decision. Chalk that up to too much HGTV.

In fact, we've seen about 20 places in person now and only want to make an offer on one of them. I won't publicize the place here - you never know where motivated sellers might look to determine how interested the buyer is. Email me if you want to see pictures.

Even though this is a great buyer's market, we've run into an issue that's indicative of just how crazy the housing market was a couple years back and how those conditions are still affecting things today. Our seller bought her place two years ago for way more than she's asking for now, and she's only been paying down the interest in her mortgage thus far. The asking price, in turn, is thousands more than our realtor suspects the place is worth. If the seller can't afford to take a more realistic offer, we may have to give up on this place. So, there may be a bit of drama after all.

But never fear; there are plenty of beautiful places still out there waiting to be inhabited. Let's just hope we can find the perfect one by the cutoff for the first-time home-buyers tax credit, which is looming just a couple months away.

What A Day

2009-08-31T22:24:00.005-05:00

Low points:

I did not get the Posse job.
My professor finally posted our grades from the summer course. I got an A minus and received absolutely no feedback on any of the assignments.
And to top it all off, I had a gynecological exam today after work.

Not quite so low points:

I got two poignant reminders that my problems are not that serious in the grand scheme of things.
Abbey and I had a cover letter writing party at her apartment, which has left me feeling intelligent and productive again.

2009-08-30T16:18:00.003-05:00

So, I was wrong about not being able to sleep this weekend. I've been sleeping like a rock - and dreaming, too. Last night I dreamed that I went into the Posse Foundation office to do something related to the interview process. I was sitting at a table next to another girl, and we were both writing. I struck up a conversation with her, and we eventually got to the subject of working for Posse. Turns out she had already been hired - for the same position I've been interviewing for. I yelled, "Then why the hell am I here?" and stormed out of the room. End of dream.

No need for fancy dream analysis.
Anxiety + Uncertainty + Frustration = Dreams like this.

Friday?

2009-08-28T23:52:00.004-05:00

In eight minutes, Friday will have officially come and gone with no call or email from Posse. What does this mean?

It could very well mean I didn't get the job. Until this point, they've always said they don't communicate if you're not moving forward in the interview process.

But...

I'm holding onto a couple tiny threads of hope. For one, this week was the beginning of the Dynamic Assessment Process, when they first get kids into the office to begin the process of selecting Posse Scholars. When I went in for my interview on Tuesday it was a madhouse of scurrying workers lugging furniture and printing signs. Perhaps they've been too busy to decide on a candidate.

Another thread of hope is the fact that the person who told me I'd get a call today was not the person who would actually be making the call or the decision of whom to hire. Perhaps she was just mistaken about the day.

Either way, I don't expect I'll sleep well this weekend.

Red Scare

2009-08-27T12:57:00.006-05:00

The healthcare debate has taken nasty and ridiculous turns in the past few weeks, and I don't care to analyze it here as it makes me go red in the face. I found this short, cute video on the subject today, so in lieu of my own words, here you go:

Friday

2009-08-25T17:00:00.003-05:00

I feel good about the interview at Posse today. The Director was cool, calm, and totally laid-back - which made me relax and be myself despite the fact that I was wearing a suit.

She said they'd contact me on Friday to let me know the next steps.

Next steps?? What else could they possibly need?!

But it's okay. They obviously want to hire the right person for the job, which I can't fault them for at all. Better to spend extra time hiring the right person than firing a bad one.

Everyone send some positive thoughts about me toward Posse this week, please!

My Posse?

2009-08-24T15:33:00.003-05:00

As I'm joining the masses of laid-off employees, effective October 1st, I've officially been on the job hunt for about a month now. I've been incredibly honored to have been picked from a pool of over 200 applicants to interview for a job at the Posse Foundation.

It began with a group interview, where the 20 applicants who had been picked to compete for the position spent two hours answering questions in small groups of three. The group interview was actually fun. It seemed more like a game than anything else - we each had one minute to answer each of the 15 or so questions, and Posse staff members were constantly rotating through the small groups to hear our answers. This was a Friday afternoon.

That same day, they emailed those of us who made it to the next interview round a case study to complete by Monday at 9 AM.

On Tuesday I got a phone call inviting me to the next round - a meeting with the two Program Directors on Thursday. The next day, I got an email asking for three references, who were to be called during the next week.

At the end of the next week, I got another phone call inviting me to the final interview round - a meeting with the head Director of the Chicago office.

That brings us to now. My interview is tomorrow at 2 PM. I'm about 60% excited, 40% nervous, which I think is a good balance. I want this job so badly I can taste it.

I love Anthony Bourdain

2009-08-16T17:26:00.002-05:00

Even though his arch nemeses are the vegetarian granola-lovers I call friends, I still find Anthony Bourdain hilarious and insightful. He has a knack for recognizing irony and hypocrisy and calling out perpetrators in his signature wiseass style. Yet he balances his cynicism with a respect for variety and cultural idiosyncrasies that's almost unparalleled.

That said, I'd love the chance to challenge him on his hatred of meatless food and the people who love it. I want to introduce him to vegetarian/vegan culture, including the wonderful meat-free soul food restaurants here in Chicago. A lot of that culture revolves around the very focus on enjoying the natural goodness of life that Anthony embraces.

Livin in Sin

2009-08-11T18:48:00.003-05:00

If all goes well with my job situation in the next couple months, Brad and I are planning to buy a condo together. We've looked at a lot of places, both in person and online, and have definitely settled on the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. We're trying to start the process of getting a lender, a real estate agent, pre-approval - all that fun stuff.

One major thing we'll need to do is have a contract drawn up so neither of us can screw the other one over should we decide to split up after buying the place. The fact that we're not married makes it a little tricky. I guess it's like that with any major joint endeavor, but in the past I've never actually had enough assets to care much about what happened to them in the event of a change.

We've divided up the steps we need to take to make this home purchase a reality. Brad's choosing a lender, and I'm supposed to be choosing a lawyer. So... has anyone out there ever purchased a home with a non-spouse? If so, hit me up - I have some questions for you.

Free!

2009-08-09T22:24:00.003-05:00

From school work, that is. For three whole weeks! I don't want to lay eyes on the syllabus for either of the two classes I'm taking next quarter until the week before classes start at the earliest. Neither professor has sent assignments yet, so until they do, I'm completely free of any school work.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for work work. This is my last day of furlough (although I've cheated this week by checking my email every day and actually just got off a work-related conference call - what are they gonna do, fire me?) so I'll have quite a pile waiting for me when I get into the office tomorrow.

Quick update

2009-08-08T19:01:00.002-05:00

There will be a lengthy report on David and Maggie's visit in the next week. For now, I'm busy writing the 10-page paper I put off until three days before it's due.

I'm also busy with the case study I have to complete for Round Two of the interview process with the Posse Foundation. I applied for a job with Posse and was invited to the first round of interviews - a group interview - yesterday. By the end of the day they sent me an email saying I made it to the second round.

The case study they're having me complete for this round is due Monday - the same day as my 10-page paper.

Do You Even Care If He's Not That Into You?

2009-07-30T21:22:00.012-05:00

I watched the movie He’s Just Not That Into You on my flight back from Dublin. I almost could not believe what I was seeing and hearing. I got out my notebook and started jotting notes on the problems with this movie. It was a book first, and I admit I’ve never read the book. Perhaps it’s less demeaning. Here’s my critique of the movie:

It started out on solid sociological ground by stating that women are socialized to think and act certain ways. True. But wait. Aren’t men socialized to think and act certain ways as well? Yes, they are. It’s the standard human condition. There was no mention of any socialization for men. Just us crazy women.

The first big revelation the main character has is that, “If a guy doesn’t call you, he genuinely doesn’t want to talk to you.” Fair enough, and true in most cases. It also goes for girls not calling guys and friends not calling other friends. There is nothing inherently female about wishing someone would call who may just not want to talk to you.

This whole segment of the movie assumes that it’s up to the guy to call the girl. Always. Girls are never supposed to call guys because the guy may not want to talk to them. It puts all the power in the hands of the guy. This theme continues throughout the movie with quotes like, “If a guy wants to date you, he will make it happen.”

Yes, women are often brought up with notions that men are supposed to take the lead. This can result in passivity, second-guessing, and many more less-than-optimal tendencies. Men, in turn, are brought up to think they must take the lead. This can result in arrogance and insensitivity, it can be intimidating and lead to inaction, or it could manifest itself in a host of other reactions. The point is that men and women handle feelings in a multitude of ways. To categorize their actions, or lack thereof, solely based on gender just doesn’t reflect reality. Socialized gender roles are just part of the picture, and the fact that these roles are socialized means they are open to change.

The other major problem with the movie is that it presents women as always wanting a serious relationship and always having the ultimate goal of marriage in mind. According to this film, women are never up for a casual dating arrangement. On the flip side, the movie presents men as always opposed to serious relationships and marriage. This has absolutely no bearing on my personal experience, and I bet if we conducted a study we’d find much more variation among both women and men in the degree of commitment they seek.

Finally, this movie seems to view a marriage proposal as the ultimate proof that “he’s into you.” This is problematic for at least two reasons. First, it assumes women are always ready for marriage and that they will marry anyone who proposes. Second, it’s outrageous to suggest that marriage is a guarantee. Do married people never cheat on spouses or get divorced? Last I checked, they do. Frequently.

That so many women seem to have found this movie and the book it’s based on informative concerns me. I’ll admit that I’ve witnessed female friends do some stupid things to stay in relationships with guys who obviously didn’t care for them. But I’ve seen equally stupid moves pulled by male friends. For example, a male friend once declared to me in all seriousness that if he wasn't married in the next two months he'd enter the priesthood. He was not in any kind of relationship at the time. I think lots of folks, myself included, are pretty clueless about not only how others feel about us but also how we feel about them. One of the most difficult things about relationships, in my opinion, is determining your own feelings about the person. That should always be the first step. Then you can move on to figuring out your companion.

Bottom line: I give this movie two thumbs down.

Armed and Pilotless

2009-07-30T12:59:00.015-05:00

From the Tribune today:

"The command in Afghanistan is reallocating its fleet of armed, pilotless planes to focus on major insurgent strongholds rather than scour remote mountain ranges for would-be terrorists."

Full story here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-nw-afghan-0729-0730jul30,0,1668158.story

This means the drone program is not only going to expand, but now they'll be operating in more heavily populated areas.

Contrary to military and CIA soundbites, drones are not intelligent. They absolutely do not distinguish between "insurgents" and civilians. That's something not even a human being on the ground seeing with his or her own eyes can do with much accuracy.

It's true that drones and other weapons have gotten much better at aiming over the years. They can pinpoint a house and drop a missile on it in a matter of seconds. The difficulty is not hitting a target once it's been identified, but before that - how do you identify the targets you want to kill?

Most of the intelligence on "insurgents" comes from hearsay - reports from one local resident about another local resident's activities. In an area so mired in political and violent conflict, with allegiances to the Taliban, the Afghan government, and numerous other factions running deep, innocent people can easily be targeted as an insurgent because their neighbor wants vengeance. This is why hearsay isn't accepted in courts of law, where the punishment is jail. Why should it be accepted in a war zone, where the punishment is death?

Beyond mistakes in target identification, there are plenty of instances when the precision aim of drones simply fails and missiles hit the house down the street where no "insurgent" has ever set foot. Imagine living in an area where drones are hovering overhead each day. You know you haven't done anything wrong, but what about that guy down the street? You've never even spoken to him, but any supposed insurgent activity on his part may at any moment result in your violent death from above when the drone misses its target.

Imagine what that does to a community. How could you ever feel comfortable meeting new people, discussing anything political, or even venturing out of your home for a walk?

The collective trauma that the people of Afghanistan have endured over the past thirty years is a travesty. From the Soviet invasion to the U.S.-backed rise of the Taliban to the current occupation, there have been few options for Afghans that don't involve rising up against invaders.

I can't see how raining missiles from the sky will eliminate the insurgency, whichever group may be considered insurgents at the moment. More importantly, I don't think the so-called insurgency is even the problem. There's a reason I keep putting quotation marks around the term "insurgent." It's not a valid category, as it is used as a catchall for any group or individual not cooperating with the occupation, regardless of what they may or may not be doing for the Afghan people. It's a term that deliberately ignores the complexity of the facts on the ground.

At its heart, this war is like all the rest. It's an attempt to control a people and their resources. And it won't work. Despite the best intentions of our troops, we are not liberating the Afghan people but prolonging their trauma. They have the power to liberate themselves from corrupt rulers. If only we would give them space to do it.

Dublin Pictures

2009-07-29T07:57:00.003-05:00

I almost forgot to share my Dublin pictures with the non-Facebookers out there! Here's the link to the album, which is on Facebook but doesn't require you to be: Dublin!

About the New Sidebar

2009-07-28T12:19:00.002-05:00

Just a quick explanation...
The new list on the sidebar of this page is blogs that I read regularly and thought others might find interesting. The title of the most recent post is listed along with the date it was posted. Just click on the link if you want to read any of these blogs.

Enjoy!

The Big Picture

2009-07-27T15:38:00.005-05:00

The Boston Globe's photo website, The Big Picture, is really great.

I was browsing through their photos from Afghanistan recently and found a picture of Nathan Harris, who was in my high school class and is now a Marine Sergeant.

Big picture, but small world.

This Past Week

2009-07-26T12:40:00.004-05:00

Highlights:

AFSC offered a Voluntary Separation Package to encourage more people to resign before the October layoffs.
I sent in resumes for three jobs.
I drafted a letter of concern (read: protest) about the mediocre lectures of the class I took in Ireland. Four out of my six classmates signed on and we sent it to the director of our program, who promptly responded with a promise to take action.
I attended a fundraiser for the Iraqi Student Project (www.iraqistudentproject.org), where I learned how to make a traditional Iraqi dinner and got a recipe book and spice sack to get started. I might make something tonight!
In a possible subconscious attempt to weight the mood-altering powers of exercise versus alcohol, I've done one of the two every day this week. Exercise is winning by a long shot.

Vote for AFSC!

2009-07-13T14:15:00.002-05:00

So, Bonnie Raitt is a long-time donor to AFSC. Pretty cool, huh?

Even cooler, we'll be receiving a portion of the proceeds from her upcoming tour. God knows we need 'em.

The portion we'll receive will be based on popular support for various causes. AFSC's cause is Social Justice and Human Rights. If you go to the website below, vote for that cause and up our portion of the funds!

http://www.bontaj.com/charity-on-tour.aspx

I'm the lead volunteer for the concert on August 21 - if you're in the Chicago area then, come on out and stop by the AFSC table!

Done and done.

2009-07-10T12:09:00.002-05:00

I'm now finished with this class, with the exception of the final paper that's due in August. The presentations went very well today, and I got in a 3-hour nap after class ended at 2:00.

I'm also finished with the terrible food here on campus. In about an hour we're all going into the city center to have a nice dinner since our meal plan ended with lunch today.

I'll miss the Irish students - they are seriously some of the nicest, most genuine people I've ever met in my life. Other than that, though, I feel none of the usual reluctance to head back to the states. This whole week I haven't felt the excitement of being in a foreign country. Ireland feels very ordinary to me, and after spending eight hours a day with Irish students, I don't even notice the accent. I feel like I could just as easily be in New England. Nevertheless, it's been fun, and it was a nice way to spend my first week of furlough from work.

Highlights

2009-07-08T15:38:00.003-05:00

Highlights of the past 24 hours in Ireland, in order of awesomeness, include:

Going to the city center for the first time - it's about a 30-minute walk from campus
Eating curry chips last night after the pub
Eating real fish and chips today in the city
Taking my first shower since I got here on Sunday - there'd been no hot water since then
Enduring the last 8-hour lecture of the week - from here on out it's our group projects and presentations

The famine is over

2009-07-07T04:57:00.002-05:00

As expected, the food here in Ireland is nothing to write home about. (Though I suppose that's exactly what I'm doing right now.) For lunch and dinner, the options are meat and potatoes. Luckily they've had a fish option at each meal so far. The servers will not let you progress through the line without having at least one of the potato choices (there are usually three). My favorites have been the hash browns and the roasted potatoes. The mashed potatoes were just that - potatoes that had been mashed. No milk, butter, garlic, or salt - it's all about the taters.

I went to bed at 9:00 last night, foregoing a trip to the pub. I slept all the way through until 7:00 this morning, and only woke up then because the alarm clock rang. (One of the Irish students graciously lent me his watch for the week.) I missed two things at the pub last night: 1) delicious curry chips, and 2) meeting the former Prime Minister. We'd heard the PM hangs out at this pub, Fagan's, all the time, and last night my classmates actually spotted him and took pictures with him. Still, the sleep was worth it. I'm more concerned about getting some curry chips than seeing the former PM, quite honestly.

Top o the mornin' to ya

2009-07-06T02:14:00.002-05:00

I'm up early here at All Hallows College. It's going to be a beautiful day, hopefully without the sporadic downpours we had yesterday. Despite the weather, yesterday was great. I got into Dublin at about 10 AM and took a bus to campus. Actually, I took a bus to an intersection about a mile away from campus and walked the rest of the way - luckily there were no downpours during that time. I walked around campus, took a quick nap, and then it was time for dinner and our first class.

My professor is really animated and intense, which helped me stay awake after having slept only an hour in the past 24. Unfortunately, however, the material we were covering was not so interesting. By the end of class at 9:15 I was trying not to blink for fear that I'd close my eyes and not open them again.

After class we all gathered in the dining hall for wine and snacks. That's when I got a strange second wind. A group of us decided to walk to the pub around the corner for a beer. One of the Irish students went with us and gave us the dos and don'ts of exploring Dublin's city center. The pub stopped serving at midnight, and we walked back to campus and went to bed. Not having any timekeeping device at all, I was a little fearful that I'd oversleep this morning, but at about 7 AM I sat straight up in bed and was ready to begin the day. Time for breakfast!

Ireland!

2009-07-04T09:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm fine with it now. Yay for Ireland!

Jaded

2009-07-03T15:06:00.003-05:00

I'm leaving for Ireland tomorrow, and I'm not that excited about it. What's wrong with me? I love to travel. It usually doesn't even matter where I go, as long as it's new and different. But this time all I can think of are:

Money - Specifically, not having any. This is one of my furlough weeks, so I'll only be receiving half a paycheck this period.
Brad - I'll miss him. To the point that it makes me not want to leave. Pathetic, I know.
Work - I won't even be allowed to check my work email while on furlough. We have so many things going on that I don't want to miss.

To top it all off, my professor for the Ireland class assigned us 900 pages of material to read in the two weeks between last quarter and our first class on Sunday. Yeah, that's right - class on Sunday.

I'm sure I'll cheer up once I'm there, but honestly at this point I view this trip as more of a hassle than anything else.

Sorry for the downer. Jeez. Maybe I just feel this way because I've had an incredibly annoying day so far. I walked a mile and a half each way in search of an ink cartridge so I can print out a paper for class without seeing one single bus to ride. And I didn't find the ink cartridge either, thus wasting 2 hours that I could have spent reading.

I'm heading out to the 'burbs now for a cookout with Brad's family, so hopefully my spirits will be revived and I'll be able to leave a cheery farewell post tomorrow morning.

Anticipating Sagz

2009-06-29T23:09:00.003-05:00

I'm starting to sketch out David and Maggie's visit in August. I have the possible activities divided into 3 categories: food, expensive stuff, and free stuff.

Luckily, food and free stuff are by far the longest lists. And the expensive stuff will probably be worth it - there's a pirate exhibit at the Field Museum and a Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Jane's visit was awesome last year, and my parents' was great the year before that. Let's keep this trend going.

Can't wait!

North Carolina

2009-06-28T11:17:00.004-05:00

Last weekend Brad and I went to North Carolina for Jon and Laura's wedding. It was a much-anticipated trip, because of the wedding itself and the reunion of ECU friends that it made possible.

Our plan was to fly into Charlotte at 9:35 PM on Friday and then get on the last flight to Greenville at 10:35 that night.

That did not happen.

I won't go into all the details, because most of you have heard them by now, but here are the main points:

Flight delayed out of Chicago by 3 hours, during which we sat on the plane with no air conditioning
Two people total working at the Charlotte airport when we got in at 1:30 AM
No more flights to Greenville until 1 the next day
One car rental place open, so we rented a Grand Marquis and drove to Greenville, arriving at 6:30 AM

Once in Greenville, we slept for 3 hours and got up to meet our friends for lunch. Everything between then and when we left Greenville was a blast. Essential outline:

Lunch with the gang
Everyone went to Scott and Jessica's to see if their pit bull, Bella, is still as vicious as we all remembered
Wedding and reception, both of which were absolutely perfect and from which none of us were able to drive home
Cab to Jane's apartment to hop the fence and swim in the pool while sipping Firefly Sweet Tea vodka
Up the next morning for breakfast with the bride and groom
Tearful goodbyes to the College Dems
Lunch at Tokyo with the family
Off to Raleigh to catch our flight

Here's where the airline fun starts again. On the way to the airport, I called United to make sure we were still confirmed on our flight. The person told me we were. When we got to the airport, our cards wouldn't work in the self check-in, and when we talked to the guy at the counter, he said that, although we were indeed confirmed to be on the flight, we no longer had tickets for the flight. These are apparently two separate things. When we missed our connection to Greenville, they had canceled our tickets, but not our reservations.

After about 20 minutes on the phone with his supervisor, the guy was able to open up the flight and get us on again. Now, however, our flight to Washington was delayed and we were in danger of missing our connection to Chicago.

I don't know if you noticed from the highlights of the Greenville trip, but there was not much sleep involved. Brad and I were so tired that we kind of just found this whole thing funny. We waited by our gate as the Washington flight got delayed more and more. Then we noticed that there was a direct flight to Chicago leaving at about the same time as the delayed one to Washington. We made our case to the guy at the gate and, after keeping us in limbo for awhile, he was able to put us on the Chicago flight. In the end, we got back to Chicago sooner than we would have had we kept our connection in Washington.

We went to bed Sunday night secure in the knowledge that our missed connection would be refunded and hopeful that the $200 car rental would be reimbursed.

On Monday, I checked our credit card statement and almost blacked out. The charge for the car rental was actually $548. I immediately called Avis, and the guy ran through the list of charges included in that outrageous charge. Turns out, there is a $144 one-way fee that the person who rented us the car neglected to mention. I had that taken off. All the other miscellaneous fees added up to about $290, however, and the guy said my remaining charge would be $366. Where did the extra come in, you ask? There is a 40% airport tax, of course. Did YOU know that? Yeah, neither did we. And as it turns out, United will not be reimbursing us.

Great day

2009-06-18T15:06:00.004-05:00

I had a really good day yesterday and just wanted to share.

First, my grades were posted and were good.

At work, I spent the entire day editing - my favorite task - our new resource packet on Iraqi Refugees. The packet includes the powerpoint presentation I've given to several high school classes, and a guide to working with local refugees, which I wrote. It's now posted here: http://www.afsc.org/Iraq/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/19320

I found out Tuesday that I received a scholarship for the next school year and had written a note to the folks who wrote my recommendations letting them know the outcome. One professor wrote me back offering me a spot on her organization's board of directors. I don't have the time to do it now, but it's nice to be asked. I'd like to serve on one of their committees once I get out of school next year.

After work, I made good progress on the baby blanket I'm knitting for little Bryson, and then I did some pilates and some cardio.

Ahhh... feels good.

To look or not to look

2009-06-14T13:42:00.005-05:00

What do you do when you come across a group of about 100 naked people and their bicycles on a Saturday evening in Chicago? I never thought I'd be presented with this situation, and thus I hadn't prepared a response.

Brad and I were walking with our friends Shaun and Julia through a park at about 10:00 last night. From afar, we spotted the huge group of people spanning the length of the park - directly in our path. As we got closer, we realized that the vast majority of them were completely naked. Our choices were either to turn around and go a different way or plunge right through them to other side. Curiosity and convenience converged to make the latter the best option.

So what do you do in the midst of full nudity? Do you look? More importantly, can you snap a picture? I decided on yes to the first question, no to the second. Shaun thought it should be yes to both, but we quickly stopped him from actually taking a picture. In hindsight, the picture would have been worth the social faux pas.

Upon further investigation this morning, I've discovered that the Naked Bike Ride is a worldwide annual event. Check out the wikipedia page for the purpose and history (but be prepared for the nude photos): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Naked_Bike_Ride.

I'm glad this kind of thing exists in the world, mostly so I can make fun of it later, but I have absolutely no interest in participating. Being naked on bike just doesn't seem comfortable. Those seats hurt when you're wearing pants, so I can only imagine what they'd do to exposed... parts.

What's a facebook?

2009-06-03T16:11:00.003-05:00

For those of you who are not quite sure what to do with all the "social media" yammer these days, this website offers tons of useful how-to guides for beginners:

http://mashable.com

It also has a lot of more advanced articles that get into the theory of social media and how organizations and individuals can and should be using it.

Damn Economy

2009-06-01T22:40:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the possibility of losing my job. With 50% budget cuts in FY 2010 a virtual certainty, it's something that's looming in the not-so-distant future of October 1.

I really don't want to lose this job.

Obvious enough reasons abound, but the most painful one is that I'm afraid I'll never find another work environment like this one. I truly respect every single person in my office. My bosses are two of the most competent, talented, and downright cool people I've ever met, let alone worked for. I feel like part of a team here, and I feel like I actually contribute work that I'm proud of. I've never once felt that I had to compete with coworkers but rather that we're all in it together, working on the things we're good at and asking for help on things we're not. I've felt totally empowered to make decisions based on my own judgment and experience - basically that my bosses trust me. This is completely new to me in the working world.

Losing the income this job provides is about 100% less scary to me than losing the feeling of worth and belonging.

Universe, do you hate me?

2009-06-01T22:35:00.002-05:00

I only ask because, for the first time in about a million years, Brad is off Saturday and Sunday. Which Saturday and Sunday, you ask? The ones that fall directly after two of my 12+ hour workdays during which I will have 0 hours to do schoolwork, directly on a half-day Board meeting, and right smack dab in the middle of finals week.

Damn it.

In from Korea

2009-05-30T19:20:00.002-05:00

I got to see my friend Brian today on his 4-hour layover in Chicago. He's back in the states for the first time since he moved to South Korea a year ago to teach English. He showed me pictures of his adorable class of 6-year olds and some street scenes in Seoul.

You guys think I have wanderlust... This guy has 14 flights scheduled in the next 2 months to multiple countries!

Makes me long for distant lands.

I asked him about the recent North Korea drama. He said South Koreans aren't too concerned because, since Seoul is only about 30 miles from the border, if the North actually does anything, they'll be wiped out for sure. Nothing to do but go about daily life I guess. Gotta be a weird feeling, though.

How Would You Feel?

2009-05-28T18:35:00.002-05:00

I love this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNiqfRyoAyA

Thankfully there have been some recent victories in the fight for civil rights for the LGBTQ population even though California set the nation back a couple notches on Tuesday. I heard from a classmate last night that the issue of gay marriage is coming up soon in the Illinois legislature. You better believe I'll be sending some letters in the next few weeks!

The fact that this is even still being debated amazes me. I honestly (naively, as it turns out) thought we'd be past this insanity years ago.

Mancow vs. the Waterboard

2009-05-22T20:21:00.002-05:00

Mancow is a notorious right-wing talk radio host in Chicago. He has repeatedly denied that waterboarding is torture and advocates for its continued use on detainees at Guantanamo.

Today, seeking to prove his point, he agreed to be waterboarded. He lasted 6 seconds and immediately admitted that waterboarding is torture and the U.S. should stop doing it.

Watch it go down here.

School

2009-05-20T21:35:00.002-05:00

The final project for my Policy Analysis class is actually pretty neat. We pick a topic that has some international aspect and act as though we are testifying before Congress to recommend that the U.S. take a certain action.

So many options to consider... How will I ever decide on a topic?!

Do Yourself A Favor

2009-05-16T13:46:00.003-05:00

Check out Wine Library TV:
http://tv.winelibrary.com/

This dude is phenomenal. Not only is he teaching me about wine in a completely unique way, he's given me great tips on how to use twitter, facebook, and other social media. He's been all over the social media scene since before facebook conquered the world, so he knows what's up. He was on CNN's Your Money today: http://vaynermedia.com/gary-vaynerchuk-on-your-$$$$-on-CNN.html

Who doesn't love a guy who uses phrases like "asparagus pee pee" when evaluating a new white wine?

New stuff on the sidebar

2009-05-10T16:44:00.002-05:00

The new thing called "Tweets" on my sidebar is my Twitter feed. If you don't know what Twitter is, you are a wonderful, sane person and you should stay that way.

If you do know about Twitter and care to follow me, go right ahead. I can't promise I'll say anything interesting, but I promise it will take me less than 140 characters to say it.

And you thought Facebook and a blog were sufficient exercises in narcissism. Think again, my friends.

Sorry for the neglect

2009-05-09T19:32:00.002-05:00

I've been pretty busy these days, so haven't had time to update the blog. In lieu of a real post, check out this article I worked on for AREA Chicago magazine:
http://www.areachicago.org/p/issues/everybodys-got-money-issues/501c-3-chicago/

It's probably a little jargony if you're not in the nonprofit field, but hopefully the message still stands.

6 of one...

2009-05-03T14:46:00.002-05:00

I can't decide what's more disgusting:
Seeing dog poop on the grass
or
Watching dog owners pick up fresh poop in those thin plastic bags

Surprising turn of events

2009-04-24T14:43:00.003-05:00

I actually cooked a meal all by myself. And it was good. I made bean and tofu enchiladas last night. Not wanting to lose this momentum, I'm now marinating some tofu in barbecue sauce for tonight.

Now I remember why I chose to live here.

2009-04-24T13:39:00.002-05:00

Today, for the first time in eight months, the following thought occurred to me:

"Should I be wearing sunscreen?"

Thus, all is right in the world today.

Week in the life of

2009-04-20T22:17:00.002-05:00

Since I started this blog to let friends and family know what I'm up to in Chicago, here's a "week in the life of" post. Not all my weeks are so front-loaded, but I'd say this one is typical of my atypical schedule.

Today I gave a presentation on Iraqi refugees to three high school classes. It went really well - the kids were very interested in the topic and asked great questions, and almost none of them had any prior knowledge about refugees. After leaving the school at 3:00, I loaded the van with the boots and shoes for an Eyes Wide Open exhibit tomorrow. Got home at 7:00 and have been working on Policy homework ever since.

Tomorrow we're setting up the exhibit at 7:00 in the morning. I'll go to class directly from there at 5:00, return home at about 9:30, and finish up my reading for class on Wednesday.

Wednesday I'll unload the van at the storage space early, return it to Enterprise, and go into the office for a full day of meetings and conference calls. I'll go to class from work, again getting home at about 9:30.

Thursday and Friday = freedom. As we were informed at the beginning of the month that we have to use all of our accumulated comp time this month or we lose it, I'm going to make a dent in my 100+ hours with a nice 4-day weekend. This will include quality time with Brad and Abbey, knitting, and lots and lots of homework.

Wiki-hatin'

2009-04-18T18:06:00.004-05:00

I hate Wikipedia.

There, I said it. No turning back now. It's not a popular opinion, but I'm used to that by now. In the past, I've voiced support for the idea behind Wikipedia. To some small degree, I stand by that sentiment. It's nice to have an open space on the Web where everyone can contribute their knowledge. It counters the over-emphasis on "experts" in our culture. But when such an idea is unleashed on the world, and the world actually adopts it as valid, all my ideals fly out the window and I want the so-called experts back.

This week my professor assigned us a Wikipedia article on cognitive bias. As a psychology major, a graduate student, and a person who values good, grammatically correct writing, I am deeply offended.

Cover: Blown

2009-04-18T15:26:00.002-05:00

Well, my theory about being hard to track down for toll violations has been thoroughly debunked. I received a red light ticket in the mail last week. It had a nice, clear picture of me driving a rented cargo van right through the light. I was turning right on red, so I had mixed feelings about paying the ticket. I guess there's a No Turn on Red sign that I didn't notice.

The worst part about it was that the first entry in my debit card diary had to be "$100 - City of Chicago."

Let's Sing!

2009-04-11T23:34:00.000-05:00

Check out my dad's Barbershop quartet on the morning news!
http://www.myfox8.com/news/morningnews/wghp-video-songs-america-sings-090410,0,7300023.worldnowvideo

Fancy Feast

2009-04-11T20:10:00.004-05:00

Brad and I are on a bit of a catfish kick. It's much cheaper than most other fish and tastes great with just some lemon pepper and salt. We've paired it with mashed potatoes and green beans for a kind of Southern-style meal and also with cous cous and peas.

Catfish is looked down upon in gourmet circles, but I think it's delicious. If you're looking for a well-priced alternative to chicken dishes, I highly recommend picking up a catfish fillet.

I guess most of you know by now that I've gone pescatarian. For a long time I've preferred a vegetarian diet with the addition of fish but have just been too lazy or too timid to commit to it. I've finally come to that point and have given up the joys of Brad's chili and mostaccolli, both of which have beef and/or sausage and/or animal parts I'd rather not contemplate.

Don't worry - I've become a pescatarian, not a jackass. I will not be criticizing your meal choices or making you watch graphic PETA videos.

Recession Diaries

2009-04-07T15:45:00.002-05:00

Along with everyone else in the world, I've been thinking a lot about my personal finances and how the recession is affecting my life. I've been among the very lucky thus far, as I still have my job. I've got about 5 months of expenses saved, including school tuition. I feel like I'm in good shape, but I also feel like I'm not being proactive enough. The big question on which everything else rides is: What if I lose my job? From what I gathered at this morning's staff meeting, that's a very real possibility.

The Chicago Tribune has been running a series titled The Recession Diaries. I've found the series very helpful - both because it gives creative ideas on how to save and because it makes the reader feel less isolated in this mess of an economy.

The Recession Diaries follows one family as they try to cut back on expenses and plan for a less extravagant future. I like the premise: The guy started this blog when he was asked to research financial tips for Tribune readers. He wanted to be sure the tips he was getting were actually possible for the average family, so he made his own family the test case.

Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_recession_diaries/

The Trib also has a Recession Survival Guide, which is full of tips:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/recession/

Starting this week, I'm taking two pieces of advice from The Recession Diaries:

I'm setting a weekly spending allowance for myself. Each Monday, I'm going to withdraw $80 from the ATM and use that for my day-to-day expenses instead of using my debit card for everything. $80 is pretty generous, but I don't want to set myself up for failure like I did senior year of college when I tried to only spend $20 a week, including food. That lasted all of one week. I hope to gradually reduce the weekly allowance from $80 to more like $60 or $50.
I'm going to write down every purchase I make with my debit card. I did this when I first got the card at age 18, but back then I really had nothing to buy. Now that I use the card for every little piddly thing, I think forcing myself to write it down will help me control my spending. One can only write down "$5.00 for 2 fish tacos at Flaco's" so many times before being shamed into bringing one's own lunch. Or so I hope.

Pat and Countney's Wedding

2009-04-06T12:37:00.003-05:00

It was a blast! We got to see old friends, meet some new people, drink for free, and dress up in fancy clothes - what's not to like?

Actually, I kept thinking that one could write a whole thesis on the gender dynamics of the weekend. But those thoughts were drowned in 105-degree water as I lounged in the hot tub with the ladies while the guys were elsewhere playing arcade games.

If this is how these next two years of friends' weddings is going to go, I'm happy with it!

Countdown to Withdrawal

2009-04-06T10:47:00.003-05:00

See the new sidebar gadget! This is something we started back in January based on Obama's first promise to end the war in 16 months, which would have been 5/20/2010. He changed that promise, of course, but has now pledged to get all troops out by the end of 2011. So now we're counting down to 1/1/2012, when every last U.S. service member should be out of Iraq.

DC for the weekend

2009-04-02T23:18:00.002-05:00

Heading to DC for the weekend for the first in a long line of friends' weddings. More when I return!

2009-03-24T23:41:00.002-05:00

The Sunday Tribune had this to report in a story about US drones (unmanned war planes) in Pakistan:
Since Aug. 31, the CIA has carried out at least 38 Predator strikes, compared to only 10 reported attacks in 2006 and 2007 combined, in what has become the most expansive targeted killing program run by the CIA since the Vietnam War.
Because of the accelerated campaign's success, the Obama administration is poised to continue it despite civilian casualties that have fueled anti-American sentiment and prompted protests from Pakistan's government.

This is what's wrong with our foreign policy. This is not pacifist/peace activist Jill talking, either. In a very practical, self-interested sense, I think this tactic is dangerous for our national security.

Confessions of a Scofflaw

2009-03-24T21:56:00.003-05:00

That's right. I'm a scofflaw. I have breezed past an untold number of toll booths in rented vehicles without consequence.

You see, to pay the tolls in Illinois, you either wait in the line to give the attendant cash or you buy an I-Pass that electronically deducts the fare from your account while you continue your commute uninterrupted in the special I-Pass lanes. For those of us who don't own cars, the I-Pass is not an option.

Nevertheless, those open I-Pass lanes unobstructed with tollbooths beckon every time I travel on the tollways.

If you accidentally miss a toll, the state of Illinois will give you a break. Within 7 days of missing a toll, you're supposed to pay it online. But you can only do that four times in your whole life. I did it three times within the first six months of living here. I'm saving that fourth time for something special. In the meantime, I've racked up quite a few missed tolls.

If you don't pay a missed toll within 7 days, they supposedly track you down. This would be frightening if not for the following factors:
1) I'm always in a rented vehicle
2) I usually reserve said vehicle under a business reservation
3) The address on my drivers license is not my current address

Chances are they'll never catch me. Knock on wood.

The worst part of this predicament is that I really think highway tolls are good public policy. I'd like to support it. But somehow when it comes down to that decision of which lane to pick, I deviate from my principles far too often.

These Weary Eyes

2009-03-24T19:58:00.002-05:00

Sounds ridiculous, but I think I may be feeling the first signs of age. It's all in my eyes. They feel different, somehow. They feel heavier and ... weary, I guess. Anybody have any idea what I'm talking about?

That's So Gay

2009-03-22T15:35:00.002-05:00

Anyone seen those Ad Council commercials urging people to stop using the phrase "that's so gay" when they mean something is bad or stupid?

It's a wonderful message. We should all think about how the common phrases we use affect others. The commercials are fairly clever, too.

But, where was this message a DECADE ago when "that's so gay" became a standard in the teenage vernacular? I'm calling too little too late, Ad Council.