New Mexican Drivers

The other day my husband and I were driving back from our favorite movie house and a woman cut us off. Because it is our favorite movie theater and we go there often we knew the lane she cut us off to get into would end soon - this happens a lot in Denver, lanes ending that is. So he knew she was going to want to get back in. So he said, "You never know when you are going to piss off a New Mexican diver." Meaning New Mexicans are assholes (his experience) and that he was not going to let her back in. But she had this new Lexus and we are driving the old Subaru and though he tried the poor Subaru let Jerome down and the lady got back in the lane. I laughed so hard.

Boo!

I recently finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird. It was the One Book, One Denver this year, and I must say I loved it! I read it when I was in jr. high but I must say that is pretty young to really get this book. I completely fell in love with Scout, I so want to be her. I loved the descriptions such as I busted open my knuckle on his tooth, or the tree was so wide that two children could wrap their arms around it and not touch. I loved rereading this classic and highly recommend it. Oh and by the way, the movie is awesome!

Biggest Loser

I guess I am really behind – I don’t have TV so I have to watch everything on Hulu, delayed. So, last night I was finally able to watch The Biggest Loser finale. This is the first season that I followed the show. Overall I am really annoyed at the shameless advertising, and the constant repetition. But overall, mostly because I am fascinated, I think it is OK. I am not sure that I will continue watching.

Of course, by now everyone knows that Danny won Biggest Loser and Rebecca won the at home challenge. I wasn’t really cheering for anyone but I must say out of the final four I really liked the men a lot more. I just liked how they just did it. They didn’t complain, they weren’t dramatic (like Amanda), and they rocked. But I would have been happy if either Rudy or Danny won. I think they both looked awesome and deserved a win. Liz and Amanda not so much – what was the difference from the last Ranch weigh in from the finale – to me it didn’t seem like much. But that’s just me. I am glad crazy bitch Tracy didn't win.

I though Shay looked fabulous. They didn’t pick the most flattering outfit but her hair and makeup were awesome. I, like many Americans were inspired and touched by her hardship but one thing that really shocked me was that she is married. Through out her time on the Ranch it seemed like she was single, no family, etc. because that is the impression she gave but she is married. WTF. I don’t have a strong extended or immediate family support system but I have my husband and I think of him as a great family support. Maybe that is naïve but we are each other’s family and support. So I was shocked to see that she was married. I thought it was funny that she said next year you’ll see me at 204, I was thinking why stop there go for $150,000 and 154. But that is an awesome challenge and I hope to see her rock that challenge.

As I was watching my husband said that Rebecca looked like a crack head. I wasn’t really a fan of her and I thought she handled being voted off very badly and again when she was on Leno. But I always thought she was pretty and normal so disregarded my husband but when she won, I thought oh yeah, she does kinda look like a crack head. She wrapped her legs around two separate people, none of whom are her boyfriend, weird. I just didn’t think she looked good, she looked thin but not good. I really liked her hair in the beginning.

Plan B

Thank goodness for Plan B!

** I am editing - I am talking about plans I made in my life, not the morning after pill. Just thought maybe I should clarify...

Strong Woman

Disney has finally come out with a black princess, about time. I must say I have mixed feels about it. I know that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this issue. I think that all children should have access to a variety of role models that are positive and diverse, and of course that they can relate to. If that means, this doll looks like me so be it but I guess my issue has to do with the “reality” or human likeness of any of these dolls. It is similar to the Barbie debate and how her body type is totally unrealistic. The same is true of the Disney Princesses; none of them are based in reality. It seems long overdue that Disney finally included a black princess but I think Disney’s attempt at diversity is weak at best. I know that they have very skilled, talented artist but all of the Princesses are essentially the same with different color hair, skin tone, and outfits. Even Jasmine who is suppose to be Arab looks like the other Princesses. The only real variations I see are in Pocahontas, and to a lesser extent Mulan.

But then I have to ask myself – Should they be based in reality? They are cartoons. I know I should be happy that Disney is making an attempt to create strong, independent female character and that we have come a long was from Sleeping Beauty but what can I say, I know they are capable of doing more, and I feel a duty as a woman to ask for more.

Signs of hate, right here in Denver

So, I am editing because I didn’t really write anything thoughtful about this email that I received. What I want to say really is WTF?!? But I am sure I can find a more eloquent way to express my feelings…

Okay even if you seriously thought Obama was not a natural born citizen, I am not sure what your sources are but I think people probably do believe this. How do you get from Kenyan immigrant to Jihad? Yes, I realize that there are Muslims in Kenya, but there are Muslims probably in every country in the world and in no way does being a Muslim make you a member of an extreme fundamental group. This ad is not only disrespectful and outrageous but extremely racist. Oh and by the way, didn’t Obama get shit for his ties with his former Christian pastor Rev. Wright? You can’t have it both ways. Just because you don’t like someone or don’t agree with someone you cannot make things up as you go along.

This birther movement is outrageous. Do people really thing there is some conspiracy to elect a non-citizen. Why would anyone do that? I think if there was some conspiracy to elect someone, for whatever reason, (anyone remember the 2000 election) they would at least find an American citizen.

And while I am on my rant about the ignorance and racism in American politics I would like to say that this is a lot like the parallels being drawn about Obama and Hitler. Seriously, does that even make sense? Its like the news throws out some hate inspired words (Nazi, Communism, Fascism, dictator, death panel) along with the President’s name and all of a sudden he is a Nazi.

And I would like to say, whatever you want to call it death panel or not I think that everyone should have a plan of what they would like to do if they were to become incapacitated. I am 26 and I know that I should have a living will and direction for my funeral and instructions about life support. I remember when the Terri Schiavo debacle was going on and thinking how awful it would be if my spouse had to go through this. It is not enough to tell your spouse I want to be kept alive or I don’t want to be kept alive, it should be in writing.

I once watched this documentary where a man had a series of unbelievable trials and after some 20-30 years he was finally exonerated for a crime he did not commit. But the trial was unbelievable, they let a member of the KKK testify years after the original trial, it was so bizarre and it breaks my heart to know that that happened to someone (many people) and that racism is still present in our society and things like this still occur. But the point I am making is that there was this one man who said you can’t argue with hate. It is completely irrational and you just can’t argue with it. And I agree. It is irrational, there is not support for it and I guess that is why it has been so eradicate.

Dear Friend,

What is our country coming to?

A few minutes ago we learned about an offensive, racist billboard right here in Colorado--attacking President Obama and comparing him to terrorists. The billboard was created by Wolf Automotive, at their location here in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Check out the photo to the right, then join the pledge to boycott.

http://www.ProgressNowColorado.org/WolfAuto

I called Wolf Automotive to ask them what their intent was in putting up that sign. The man I spoke with defended the sign, and indicated he has no intention of taking the sign down, and it was quickly apparent to me that he was a "birther."

The "tea party" movement and the "birthers" are becoming more and more outrageous. They're in the thrall of demagogues like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Peter Boyles, Sarah Palin, and right-wing elected officials in Colorado like Senator Dave Schultheis--who sent out a statement last week comparing President Obama to the 9/11 terrorists who flew United Flight 93 into the ground.

We'll defend anyone's First Amendment right to speak his or her mind. However, the "marketplace of ideas" that the First Amendment protects only works when everyone speaks out. If hate like that spread by Dave Schultheis and the owners of Wolf Automotive are allowed to go without a response, then we allow the perception that these ideas have merit.

We have both the right and the obligation under the First Amendment to publicly reject ideas that we find abhorent and offensive.

Please help us respond to this latest attack from the Right by doing a couple of things. First, please click on the link below and pledge to boycott Wolf Automotive until they take down this billboard. Then, please spread the word by forwarding this email to at least 5 people you know and ask them to sign the boycott pledge as well.

http://www.ProgressNowColorado.org/WolfAuto

After you sign the pledge, we'll provide you the phone numbers for the Wolf Automotive Group--they have four dealerships located in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Please take a few minutes to call and ask them, respectfully, to take their sign down. We want to respond, but we want to resist being dragged into incivility by the hatred that we're confronting.

Thank you,
Bobby Clark

Prereqs.

The other day I watched Sarah Palin on Oprah and I was reminded of how I think that there should be some educational/experience requirements for politicians. Perhaps some mix of law/public policy/history/economics/international studies degree along with required community service, or maybe military service. I mean Palin is a dodo bird and is an extreme example of people who don’t know shit and should not run for, let alone hold public office but in all seriousness you need a license to do nails, cut hair, teach, perform surgery, practice law, be an architect, even people that work in fast food chains need a food handlers card – knowledge and test on a few basics, shouldn’t people who make laws be required to obtain a certain skill set, base knowledge, empathy, etc.

I don’t think I am asking too much.
As a side note, I must say I thought her hair looked great.

No, actually you're not helpful

I usually pride myself on being a pretty good employee- efficient, organized, skilled, whatever.

I just got an email from my boss that said, "This obviously isn't helpful." Honestly, I wouldn't send something that I thought was unhelpful. WTF! I hate shit like this in the workplace - simple misunderstanding, and not even mine. No need for the snarky emails.

Things I Don’t Get No. 2

Cell Phones – texting – tweeting. Who is everyone talking to? Why is it necessary to “chat” with someone on an almost constant basis? There have been so many occasions where I am having dinner, drinks, watching a movie and someone I am with or someone around me will just answer the phone, respond to a text, or whatever. I just don’t get it. I understand that there are occasions where it is necessary but for the most part it’s just constant noise.

And just as a side note, I cannot believe people text while driving! It seems like a no-brainer but people are driving while texting and killing themselves and others to the point that there is major legislation in the works, across the country to ban texting. Not that texting is the only distraction of drivers – for instance, my mom puts on her make-up while driving. She has done this since I was a kid. I think it is unbelievable and if I were a cop and spotted her doing it I would totally pull her over and ticket her. I am getting of topic but I am amazed at how frivolous drivers can be. Cars can be very dangerous and I don’t think a lot of people get that.
One other thing that really bothers me is seeing a group of friends hanging out and all of them are on their cell phones - chatting or texting. Why hang out with these people just to talk to other people - weird. I see this mostly with teenagers but not exclusively.

Halloween Costume History

2009 Not the best picture, I should try to get more from friends. My friend is a Cougar, it only makes sense if you know her and if she was standing next to her boy toy.
2008
2003
2002 Not Halloween, but the costume I bought and wore on Halloween 2002. This is a at a carnival during the summer camp I worked at for several years with one of my all time favorite people, Holly.

Clogs

I live in Denver and it is not uncommon to see people wearing these shoes, which I think are hideous, year-round. I have been thinking about buying a pair for winter purposes for a while but they are remarkable expensive and let’s face it they are ugly and it would be a rare occasion when I actually wore them. So I never bought a pair but over the summer I received a pair via Freecycle. Yay for free stuff, especially free stuff that you kinda wanted but didn’t want to buy. So, I wore these shoes on my way to the office because Denver has been hit by a pretty bad snowstorm but I brought another pair of really cute shoes, although not very comfortable pair of shoes to change into. When I arrived to work my feet were a. warm and b. dry, so the shoes are great for their intended purpose, in fact my feet are so warm and cozy that I decided to keep them on. They don’t look too bad (I don’t have my camera). I am wearing an above the knee grey skirt, purple blouse, black cardigan, black tights, so I look very wintery. I mention that I think the shoes are hideous but warm and comfortable to my coworkers and they both say that they love these shoes. I work at a planning firm and not at a fashion magazine and we are in no way beacons of fashion but I was surprised to hear people say that they actually like them.

So, yay or nay on the ugly clogs?

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things reside is a very sad place. I was really disappointed in the movie. I thought that because there is so little story in the book that Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers would really be able to let their imagination go wild. Unfortunately, I felt like nothing happened other than what happened in the book. The Wild Things were very sad and in turn didn't help Max with the issues he was having. I had always imagined Max retreating into his mind and enjoying himself. This movie was really sad and lonely. I was truly disappointed.

Mrs. Chavez

So, I decided to keep my name after I married. It’s not really a big deal. My husband doesn’t mind. As of today we are not planning in having children but if we do they will probably take my husband’s name. If I wanted to push the issue Jerome would be fine with giving our kid a hyphenated name but honestly I don’t care. There is no feminist theory behind me keeping my name – I just like it, it’s my name, and I didn’t want to go through the hassle of changing it. Another reason I kept my name, it is really stupid I know, but it’s Mexican, and I like that. I am half Mexican (Hispanic – I honestly don’t know where my family is from, but I am guessing Mexico) but I look like a pale white girl with dark hair and eyes and I like keeping that Mexican part of me. Jerome is also half Mexican, but the opposite of me – his mother is Mexican and his dad is White so his last name is White. This is totally not PC but it is what it is. Plus I like sharing a name with this guy.

But the point of this post is that people are really passive aggressive about it – mainly my mother. She knows that I didn’t take Jerome’s name but she insists on sending me cards, checks, whatever addressed to Celeste Chavez-Hamman. I am not Chavez-Hamman, she knows this. I remember my mom making a stink about it when we were planning on getting married and Jerome told her what about your daughter makes you think she would change her name? HA! Love that husband of mine. There are other family members who may not know that also send cards the same way – but for sure my mother knows, as well as an old friend who sent a card. I don’t get it. Just send the card to Celeste Chavez, it’s easy, it’s the same as it was. We send our x-mas cards as the Chavez-Hamman Family, as in J. Hamman and C. Chavez. I guess that might make it a little unclear, but how would I really clarify?

2:10:23

I know it may sound crazy but I run because running keeps me sane. Yesterday I finished #5 on the list of things I want to accomplish – I ran my first half marathon. I was so impressed with myself. I have been training really hard and all of that paid off. I was able to finish with 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 23 seconds, definitely a personal best. It is a full minute per mile faster than my normal pace. I think part of the reason I did so well is that for the last 4 miles I was near these women who had a radio – it was so annoying. I kept sprinting ahead and would eventually fall back with them, this happened 4 times before they finally turned it off (a dj was playing) and we finished. So thank you, annoying women for being rude and playing your crappy radio pop bull shit music for all around you to hear.

Some of the highlights of the day were 1. Of course beating my pb and doing much better than I had expected, 2. this guy in girly bikini bottoms, a rainbow afro wig, and a lei passing me, he did the full marathon in under 4 hours – he rocked, 3. the Denver Marathon organization printing your name on your bib and people I didn’t know were able personalize words of encouragement, 4. Reading people’s T-shirts; there was a group of people with a really beautiful Hellen Keller quote on the back and ‘Run for Jon’ on the front, a group of custom ‘I RUN…’ – I RUN because I can, to save live music, to hear people cheer, etc., 5. the signs people made; my favorite sign was right around mile 11 that said, “If your feet hurt it’s because you’re kicking asphalt, “ I know it’s cheesy but at that moment my feet did hurt and I was kicking ass! Another I thought was funny was, “26.2 Make each mile your bitch!” 6. My husband calling later in the evening and telling me he was proud of my run and that I killed it! The course was beautiful and is my home turf – it felt good to know where we were going, being familiar with the neighborhoods, and the terrain. The weather was perfect, we started at 7AM and it was pretty chilly, the weather predicted it to get up to 80 but I finished way before it did. The sun was out, the sky was blue, it was a perfect Denver day.

I feel awesome – I did something I never thought I would have done, I did better that I thought I could. 5 years ago I never would have thought I would enjoy running, never would I have imagined that it would become such a positive, powerful force in my life. I feel in some way that I have earned my stripes as a runner. I know that sounds silly but when you run in groups, which I do from time to time, it can be discouraging being a novice runner or a slow runner. But yesterday I lined-up with 10,400 other runners and did my personal best and accomplished something.

I was trying to find the quote I mentioned above and wasn’t able but I found this one that I think is awesome – “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
Helen Keller
I pulled this picture off the web, unfortunately I didn't take any pictures and my husband forgot to bring the camera. This is City Park, a beautiful park about a mile away from my house - I run this park pretty often.
I also pulled this from the web - this is from the Denver Marathon website. I will post my pic when they are available. This is an example of some of the costumes people were wearing - the woman is actually a trainer at my gym. She teaches an awesome bosu class.

Till Death

One time when Jerome and I were still dating I was really drunk at a party and I told his friend how much I loved Jerome and that I would often get this overwhelming sensation – a sensation I now describe as my heart swelling. We are celebrating our fourth anniversary this year and I can happily say that I still get the swelling sensation.

We are having a pumpkin carving part the weekend before Halloween (a few days before our anniversary) and I found an awesome papel picado pattern that I think will be awesome for the occasion. I am so excited.

Nike

My husband bought me the Nike Sportsband for my birthday. I use it everytime I run but it has not been calibrated. I think I am shorter and slower than the average Nike runner. I am not crazy about the website. I use it mostly for the time. I really average 11 minute miles, so my profile mileage is inflated...

Celebrate FREADom

I just received an email from my public library letting me know that it is Banned Book Week, a Celebration of the Freedom we have to read. My library actually has a really interesting webpage about Banned books. It is pretty interesting to read how many books have been banned. Judy Blume is on the list twice! The Witches and James and the Giant Peach are also on the list, I must have missed something…

I am currently reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and plan on reading the Adventures of Huck Finn next, a banned book. The DPL also has a One Book, One Denver, where they select one book each year and all of the community book clubs are suppose to read it. Its weird Denver is a big city but often do these types of things that make it seem small. This year they selected To Kill a Mockingbird, I read it in Jr. High School, but I think I am going to re-read it. It is amazing how much books can change with perspective, age and hind sight.

When you've already paid...

This totally irks me that my gym displays their classes as complementary, we've already paid! It is not as though some Joe off the street would be able to come in and join the complementary classes. We actually pay a butt load ($79) a month for that so-called complementary class.

Face Shape

I think I just realized that I have an oval face and not a round face. I think I just have fat cheeks...
see below, fat cheeks do not equal round face
and for fun

What face shape do you have?

Big and Small

Why Big is always associated with Tall and Petite is usually considered Small and Small. What about people who are big and short or tall and thin, big and short (like me)?

Today I was blog hopping and came across this blog and was so not on the same page, despite having to alter most of my clothes. This poor woman can’t fit into size 00. She is truly petite but it really made me think about my stature and in most cases I would consider myself petite because I am only 4’11 but don’t because I am full figured. I outweigh her by almost 40 pounds! I can’t say I feel bad for the skinny bitch but I understand.

I always, always have trouble with shirts because I have big breast so anytime I buy a shirt with button I will almost always go bigger. I never buy shirts that have a designated boob space. Recently I was really excited because there was a really cute plaid summer dress at Target on clearance for like $5 and it had a huge bow covering the boob space, so cute. I tried several sizes and my boobs just overflowed but it fit well everywhere else, needless to say but I’ll say it anyway I did not buy the dress.  Pants of course always have to be altered but I also have issues with pants fitting – I don’t know what it is called – but the space between the pelvic floor (that’s the term my yoga instructor uses and the top of the pants. Sometimes I can literally pull the pants inches above my belly button. I also have issues because I have big thighs and a small waist (hopefully, getting smaller) but I will usually have to go up in size in order for pants to fit over my thighs but when I finally get the pants over my thighs, they are way too big on the waist.
Dress I didn't buy.

As I wrote about earlier I did just buy an awesome Hello Kitty Janome and this past weekend I attended a Sewing 101 class at my favorite craft store, Fancy Tiger. In no time I will be altering clothes and making my own and will never complain about bad fit or wear ill fitting clothes again! … maybe a little bit of time…

Affirmation

Within the past two weeks I received compliments from two different people about my weight and how great I look. Usually, I am not one that needs to hear affirmation from other people but I was really flattered and so happy to hear that other people are noticing my weight loss accomplishments, I hate to say weight loss because while I am losing weight I am also, gaining muscle, toning, etc. but I suppose it is the most suiting phrase. Sorry tangent. I have received compliments from people that know I am working out or know that I have lost weight, ie my husband is telling everyone how great I am doing and while this is flattering when his friends say I look great I don’t know if it is because they really think I look great or because they were told I look great. The first person to pay me a compliment was actually this trainer at my gym. When you sign up at my gym you get two free personal training session and I did mine with him (sorta). This was probably about this time 2 years ago. I ran into him in the elevator and he commented on how great I looked and that he could really tell that I had lost weight, he even offered to find my measurements from when I first started. The funny thing about this is that I actually complained about him. During our 2 training session we never worked out, which is the deal. During those sessions he pretty much told me I was overweight and had bad posture (duh) and of course he did all of these test to tell me that, I could have told him that… The other was a lady in my office who has no knowledge that I am even trying to lose weight, so it was really nice to see someone notice who doesn’t know.

You were right

Last night I went to go see Built to Spill, my most favorite band. I have seen them a few times now, most recently as June and I didn’t really think last night’s show was exceptional but it was an awesome event. One thing that was amazing was that when they came out for their encore the plated Car, which is a big fan favorite and I had heard that they don’t really play it live. I think it has a lot of sentimental value, they dedicated it to a drummer that had passed and that two, people always request it, which I am sure can be very annoying. So, I was thrilled when they started playing it and for some reason, before I knew it tears were streaming down my face. I am getting teary now just thinking about it. There are so many memories that I associate with Built to Spill. I was introduced to them by an ex-best friend, and not that I am upset about that particular friendship ending it just makes me think about all of the friends that I have lost over the years for various reason. But he introduced me to them around the time that I was making the transition to Flagstaff to complete my degree. I remember telling people at my summer job (which I had every summer for five years) that it was going to be my last summer there and that I was moving on and would not be spending my summers at home (my mom’s home). At the time people didn’t believe me but I have not returned to Phoenix for any of my summers. Upon my arrival to Flagstaff I met Jerome and we shared a love for Built to Spill and he introduced me to more Built to Spill albums that I had not heard. We even put one of their songs, Car (of course) on our wedding cd. I am writing in stream of conscious mode but I guess I really want to say that I was very emotionally overwhelmed by the moment and it was awesome. The other thing that was amazing is that towards the end of the show Doug Martsch says, “I am dj-ing at such and such club if you’ll want to hang out.” Why YES I do want to. So, the club is literally two blocks from our house, which is awesome. He is playing music, I am dancing and it is great. I was able to let him know how much his music has meant to me and my life, and I gave him a hug!. It was really awesome. His choice of music really surprised me, a lot of ska, which is also awesome because I love ska. I ended up leaving because I had to work this morning but my brother (who is visiting) stayed and said that he started dancing, I am so glad I missed that but se la vi. The night was just great.

I didn’t take any pictures or anything, I should start carrying my camera more often. But I pulled this off of youtube.

This guy sucks!

I did not watch Obama's speech last night but heard about this Rep. yelling, "You lie!" to the president. How unbelievably rude! How do these people make it to Congress? Shame on him.

Smile

Sometimes I find it so hard to just smile. I hate it.

Nursing School Racket

I currently submitted my application to nursing school, and being me I am freaking out about it. So, I started looking into a Plan B. CU Denver, where I applied is the only school in Denver that offers a BS in Nursing, which is what I want/need to get to where I want to go, which is a Masters in Midwifery. There is one school called the Denver Nursing school that claims to offer a BS program. It is an accelerated program, a two-year program, that will cost a total of $41,000 for both years, which is substantially more than CU Denver. This is a sort of private school for nurses... but I look further and under the FAQs I find:

Can I advance my degree after graduating from DSN?

Yes. DSN has an articulation agreement with the University of Phoenix that allows transfer of DSN credits toward the ADN to BSN program. www.phoenix.edu/corp/kacrites

or...

This doesn't even make sense, if they offer a BS, and it is legit why would you need to go to through the University of Phoenix, wouldn't you be able to go anywhere? They are still going through the certification process; which seems weird. What happens to all the current students if they are rejected. It seems like they are taking advantage of students eager to become a nurse. The CU Denver program is very competitive and the community college associates/RN certificate program has an extremely long waiting list - like 2 years last I heard. It seems so sad that a person could pay $41,000 and not have a the possibility to advance their degree, without having to retake all of the courses at a bona fide school. Of course, there are students who graduate from this program and become certified RNs and never look back but this seriously seems like a racket to me.

Like Father like Son

I was thinking today about how much our dogs resemble us. I was thinking about how Chloe is the little one like me, but even though she is little she is scrappy and tough, and she doesn’t take shit, like me. And Vishnu is laid back and unaffected, like Jerome. Though he is generally mellow, he does put his foot down, like Jerome. He is protective of us and Chloe and loyal, just like Jerome. I always want to be in the know and so does Chloe, she comes running anytime anything is going on. Like Chloe I am very food driven. Both Jerome and Vishnu are pretty picky about what they eat.

Some of my favorite pictures of us:

I love this picture of them, Vishnu looks so miserable.

Dog Haven

Over a year ago we bought a 1890 gable-roofed Victorian in desperate need of TLC, a lot of TLC. One of the big goals I had before the summer ended was to put sod in our backyard. You can't imagine the mess two Bernards can bring in the house after a few minutes in a backyard without grass, after a snow. I really wanted grass before winter. So in a couple weekend installments we fertilized; rented a cultivator, spread probably around 30 bags of manure, and the following weekend we laid 55 rolls of sod and this is these are our results and progress.
before



after



In this area we are going to build a small retaining wall with concrete and recycled glass bottle bottoms. It will also have more plants and become a nice sitting area. This is one of the benches we saved from our wedding, J made them. They are 2x12 boards with aspen trees for legs, and stained blue/gray. They are so beautiful.

Yes we can, but do we want to?

I have always straddled the desire for equality for women and the desire to have someone buy me dinner. Of course, this specific example doesn't apply to me because I have been married for 4 years and Jerome and I have shared everything since but generally speaking; I am a little old fashion. A few weekends ago I was loading about 16 bags of manure in my Subaru and this homeless man looking for money/job approached me and said, "You don't need no help, do you?" And I thought, why no I don't. I was feeling super accomplished and strong. Yes I can. But today I was unloading all of these sodas off of a cart, it's silly, I work in an old building and there are no ramps from the parking garage. So, when I am unloading a bunch of stuff for my office, like today I have to wheel it to the stairs, unload it, move my cart up the stairs and reload it. So, I am doing this and this man passed me and didn't even offer help. Not that I would have accepted but the offer would have been nice.

I actually said something to a few of the security guards in my building for not helping me with the door. I usually ride my bike to the office, and use the handicapped button to open the doors. On the weekends they are deactivated (ADA violation, hello? Jones Lang LaSalle- 621 17th Street) so I learn of this and am trying to move my bike over to the other door that is not locked and open the door, so frustrated, meanwhile 2 of the security guards just watch me... They got a piece of my mind that day. I am sure I said something about chivalry and it being dead. Some feminist I am.

One other weird gender equality thing that just makes me laugh is elevator etiquette. I don't know if this happens everywhere but in Denver, the men almost always let women on and off of the elevators first. I think it is so strange, I can literally be all the way in the back, and people will move to the side before stepping out to let me out first. Just go ahead, really, I don't mind.

a sad day

An incredible sad day in American politics. I suppose we all knew this day was coming but I had hoped that he would somehow pull through. I feel there are very few politicians who truly have the people's best interest at heart.

This is Obama's statement, he has said everything so eloquently:

I wanted to say a few words this morning about the passing of an extraordinary leader, Senator Edward Kennedy.

Over the past several years, I've had the honor to call Teddy a colleague, a counselor, and a friend. And even though we have known this day was coming for some time now, we awaited it with no small amount of dread.

Since Teddy's diagnosis last year, we've seen the courage with which he battled his illness. And while these months have no doubt been difficult for him, they've also let him hear from people in every corner of our nation and from around the world just how much he meant to all of us. His fight has given us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you -- and goodbye.

The outpouring of love, gratitude, and fond memories to which we've all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives. His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives -- in seniors who know new dignity, in families that know new opportunity, in children who know education's promise, and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just -- including myself.

The Kennedy name is synonymous with the Democratic Party. And at times, Ted was the target of partisan campaign attacks. But in the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth, and good cheer. He could passionately battle others and do so peerlessly on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintain warm friendships across party lines.

And that's one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy.

His extraordinary life on this earth has come to an end. And the extraordinary good that he did lives on. For his family, he was a guardian. For America, he was the defender of a dream.

I spoke earlier this morning to Senator Kennedy's beloved wife, Vicki, who was to the end such a wonderful source of encouragement and strength. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, his children Kara, Edward, and Patrick; his stepchildren Curran and Caroline; the entire Kennedy family; decades' worth of his staff; the people of Massachusetts; and all Americans who, like us, loved Ted Kennedy.

You better hope Blue Cross doesn't consider ugly a pre-existing condition

I heard that some of the protests were getting pretty ugly but I didn’t realize that the proposed health care plan was being described as a Nazi policy. WTF?!? Seriously, what does that even mean? It seems as thought these words or catch phrases like; Nazi, Hilter, Fascism, Socialism, Communism get thrown around and they don’t have any real meaning or relation to the actual argument but there is overall connotation that these things are bad. I am no historian by any stretch and I typically steered clear of the political sciences in college, but I never heard anything about the Nazi Health Care Plan, maybe I missed something.

If I were this woman I would be embarrassed. Barney Frank was probably not the best politician to say this to. He is absolutely right though, how can you argue with her. It’s illogical. There is no basis for this argument, what could one possibly say? I am so glad that someone finally said something to these people. Awesome.

Well, Hello...

As I wrote about earlier I have recently lost over 10 pounds. And of course, I am really happy about it but I am finding that none of my pants fit me! I think because I was feeling self conscious about my weight I was already buying clothes a tad big and now I am just swimming in them. So as I was pulling pants from my closet that need to be altered and dollar signs are swimming around my head I decide that it is time to learn to sew, an idea I have been throwing around for a while. I am 4’10” and always have to have my pants altered, so this is really something that I should have learned a long time ago. And because of my height I really have a hard time finding pants that fit right and new pants will of course have to be altered too. So, today I just went for it and bought this lovely machine. Though I am not really into Hello Kitty, It is really a Janome machine, which is awesome. My favorite craft store Fancy Tiger recommends this brand. This is going to look so cute in my craft room/studio! I am so excited!

Nevernude

My husband loves loves loves David Cross. He is currently on tour and I just bought tickets. I am stoked!

Tonight I am hoping to go to this. I love this kind of stuff, but my husband hates it so we'll see.

Things I Don’t Get: Fake Bake

I am pretty hardcore about sunscreen and limiting my exposure to the sun. Despite my Hispanic ancestry for most of the year I am pretty pale. During the summer months when I tend to run outdoors, work in the yard, etc. I tend to get a little color but mostly I am pretty pale.

In this informative article I found it states that some 30 million people are tanning indoors. What?! I just don’t get why people want to look like they have been lying on a beach for the past five days in the middle of January (unless of course you really have). I just don't think it looks good and I don't get it. I suppose it speaks to a larger issue I have with a serious artificial beauty going on these days. I think women are, and men too becoming too fake; fake hair (extensions, color, perms), too much makeup, tanning, plastic surgery. I don’t think any of these things per se are bad but when you put them all together and people stop looking real and start becoming scary it’s bad. I suppose everything in moderation.

According to my A&P professor we do need 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure per day for the proper Vitamin D production. So, happy sunning!

Book Review: Prozac Nation

I recently finished reading Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America: A Memoir by Elizabeth Wurtzel. I wanted to read this book initially because I saw the movie and that some drama was added (like most movie adaptations), and I wanted to get the real story. What I found was that a lot of the drama was left out. I thought because of the book’s subtitle it would shed some light not only on Wurtzel’s personal experience but in the young depressed in America; stats, history, etc. It did not shed any light on depression in general.

I had a seriously hard time reading this book. I myself having struggled with (I wouldn’t say depression, because I have never been diagnosed or seen a therapist so don’t want to give an insincere impression) bouts of sadness or whatever you want to call it. For one I kept thinking; divorce – check, single-parent – check, low-income – check, absent parent (father) – check. Wurtzel leads readers to believe that her depression had everything to do with her circumstance, and I am reading and thinking that’s me and a huge portion of the rest of the country. How many poor people do you know grow up in Manhattan, attend after school programs, summer camp, go to Harvard…? I just don’t buy it.

For the most part I just thought of her as a spoiled brat. Her fits were constant and unbelievable. She went to London for a summer and spent it in a basement crying, gave an accidental blow job, only to brag about the incident later. Her friends would visit her and bring her gifts but it never seemed to be enough. She described her actions but her actions but just really didn’t describe depression well. I never really got a sense of why she was behaving so badly. Many times she repeats feeling a black wave, or not wanting to get out of bed, and I ask, who does? I just couldn’t feel empathy, and because of my personal experience this was very strange. I just couldn’t get over what an egocentric brat she was.

Initially in the book her therapist is adamant about her feelings are psychological and not biological. That with enough therapy, etc. she could be cured for a lack of a better word. In the end she ends up with a prescription drug remedy, which I just didn’t get. She never went into how the doctors changed their mind about her depression and the cause.

There was a prologue and an epilogue. In the epilogue (written after the publication of the book) she mentions that she received many letters about why she read this book. That in her words; why would twenty-something that hasn’t really accomplished anything. I never did get a clear answer on that one.

All roads lead to the kitchen

Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and Julie Powell (Amy Adams) are featured in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Powell's Julie & Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends...until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible. From IMD

Last weekend I went with a friend to see Julie and Julia and absolutely loved it! Meryl Streep was so amazingly funny and lovable. The movie was heartbreaking and heartwarming, my favorite movie combo. I must say that I thought the Julia part of the story was much more interesting that the Julie part but unlike some reviews I read I thought they did a good job of mixing the two. I am a bit too young to have grown up with Julia Child so I really didn’t know anything about her. It was so amazing to watch such an adorable, friendly woman love and be loved. Her relationship with her husband was so beautiful. I think it says a lot about her determination that she was able to work pretty much exclusively on cooking and writing for several years, especially when you consider the woman’s place in the world at that time. A feat, I believe, largely accomplished because of the support of her wonderful husband. I would love to say that the movie inspired me to go out buy the book and cook beef bourguignon, unfortunately, I don’t think that is going to happen, although, I do love butter…. something to think about. I did however add a le creuset dutch oven to my Amazon wishlist. A must for every kitchen, I have been told.

I wholeheartedly recommend this movie, don’t go hungry!

Salt of the Earth

The other day I was cooked some edamame and my husband said these need Sea Salt and I said we only have Kosher and table Table Salt and he said we need Sea Salt. So this made me really want to know the difference between the salts. So today I found this:

Table Salt and Iodized Table Salt

This is the type of salt that most of us use at home and the type that we find on most restaurant tables. Our basic table salt is made by sending water into salt deposits then evaporating it – only the salt crystals will remain. The salt goes through a refining process that removes the other minerals from it. Table salt has a fine grain texture which makes it ideal for baking – it can accurately be measured. Iodine is not naturally in table salt – Morton Salt Company started adding it back in 1924 to decrease the chance of goiters. The majority of table salt is iodized in the United States these days, and, indeed, the occurrence of goiters has gone down greatly!

I learned about Goiters (inflammation of the thyroid) in my A&P class, and we do need iodine in our diet in order to not get Goiters. Very interesting.

Kosher Salt

Kosher salt is made in a similar fashion to table salt – the difference is that kosher salt is raked during the evaporation process. This type of coarse salt is generally evaporated from brine. This creates grains with a block-structure, this structure better allows the salt crystals to absorb blood (Jewish law states that you must extract blood from meat before you consume it). Kosher salt is less salty than table salt.

Sea Salt

Sea salt is harvested by evaporation, also. Sea salt is not quite as salty as table salt is. You can find both fine grain and coarse grain sea salt. Many sea salts include trace minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iodine – these minerals are naturally present, not added.

Fleur De Sel

This is a type of sea salt – to harvest fleur de sel, you must take the early crystals that start to form across the surface of salt evaporation ponds – this is generally done during the summer months, the time when the sun is strongest. Fleur de sels have a higher mineral content than basic table salt. Fleur de sels can smell like the ocean, and it tends to be grayish in color. Other types of sea salts include sel gris, esprit du sel, and pink, black, and brown sea salts from India.

Rock Salt

As its name implies, rock salt is not fine-grained. In fact, rock salt is unrefined and therefore has a grayish hue. It is sold in large crystals. This is what people use to make ice cream in traditional hand-cranked ice cream makers.

This is a really basic explanation of a few salts that I found here (what I was really looking for), but in my search I found that there are a lot of different types of salts. I thought this website was particularly comprehensive if you are looking for more.