transatlanticism

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:48:12 GMT

History is happening

I did it
I see it
I am a part of it

awesome

looked at my kingdom, I was finally there

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:45:31 GMT

I called and got in the queue for inauguration tickets. I'm going regardless although being on the white house lawn would fucking rock my life.

Lou and I want to go early so we can sneak off to the Shakespeare Museum (NERD ALERT!) and I've got some people up at Howard that I'd love to see. I feel as though this potential road trip might turn into something big.

also, I am protesting Prop 8 on saturday. Hopefully fighting injustice will help take my mind of being fucked over at work. Pictures to follow.

Change has come to America

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:43:34 GMT

A-MEN!

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:04:16 GMT

I seriously adore C Furg. We need to be bffs.

Feminists unite

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:09:55 GMT

stolen from rofl_iron because it should be posted everywhere

Drill, Drill, Drill
by Eve Ensler

Posted September 8, 2008 | 01:18 PM (EST)

I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.

She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.

Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, "Drill Drill Drill." I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:23:55 GMT

Further proof that I simply adore food

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:54:53 GMT

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Pass it on!

The Vegetarian Hundred

1. Real macaroni and cheese, made from scratch and baked [I can't have it anymore though. Stupid gallbladder surgery]
2. Tabouleh
3. Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven (preferably with homemade strawberry jam)
4. Fresh figs
5. Fresh pomegranate
6. Indian dal of any sort
7. Imam bayildi (Indian stuffed eggplant)
8. Pressed spiced Chinese tofu
9. Freshly made hummus
10. Tahini
11. Kimchi
12. Miso
13. Falafel [RIP LaShish, home of the best falafel sandwich ever made]
14. Potato and pea filled samosas
15. Homemade yogurt [I want to try this but I'd prefer to go vegan]
16. Muhammara [I have probably had this and don't remember]
17. ~~Brie en croute~~ [I hate brie. HATE it]
18. Spanikopita
19. Fresh, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes [this guy gave me a sampling of all the varieties once at Eastern market and they were warm from being in the sun... it was an orgasm in my mouth]
20. Insalata caprese
21. Stir-fried greens (gai lan, bok choi, pea shoots, kale, chard or collards)
22. Freshly made salsa
23. Freshly made guacamole
24. Creme brulee
25. Fava beans
26. Chinese cold sesame peanut noodles
27. Fattoush
28. New potatoes
29. Coleslaw
30. Ratatouille
31. Baba ganoush
32. Winter squash
33. Roasted beets
34. Baked sweet potatoes [personally, I prefer mine fried southern style]
35. Plantains
36. Chocolate truffles [and homemade at that!]
37. Garlic mashed potatoes
38. Fresh water chestnuts
39. Steel cut oats
40. Quinoa [I've been meaning to try this but it just feels like cheating on couscous]
41. Grilled portabello mushrooms
42. Chipotle en adobo
43. Stone ground whole grain cornmeal
44. Freshly made corn or wheat tortillas
45. Frittata [I make the best frittatas! Look out Tyler Florence]
46. Basil pesto
47. Roasted garlic
48. Raita of any type
49. Mango lassi
50. Jasmine rice (white or brown)
51. ~~Thai vegetarian coconut milk curry~~ [I don't like coconut milk. but I have had regular thai curry and just thai food in general]
52. Pumpkin in any form other than pie
53. Fresh apple pear or plum gallette
54. Quince in any form [where does one find these?! I want one!]
55. Escarole, endive or arugula
56. Sprouts other than mung bean
57. Naturally brewed soy sauce [I'm cheap. I get it in the store]
58. Dried shiitake mushrooms
59. Unusually colored vegetables (purple cauliflower, blue potatoes, chocolate bell peppers…) [chocolate bell peppers and tomatoes are AMAZING]
60. Fresh peach ice cream
61. Chevre [the only thing stopping me from being vegan right now]
62. Medjool dates
63. Kheer
64. Flourless chocolate cake
65. Grilled corn on the cob
66. Black bean (or any other bean) vegetarian chili
67. Tempeh
68. Seitan or wheat gluten
69. ~~Gorgonzola or any other blue veined cheese~~ [ew. no]
70. Sweet potato fries
71. Homemade au gratin potatoes
72. Cream of asparagus soup
73. Artichoke-Parmesan dip
74. Mushroom risotto
75. ~~Fermented black beans~~ [see #69]
76. Garlic scapes
77. Fresh new baby peas
78. ~~Kalamata olives~~ [I don't like olives. just the oil]
79. Preserved lemons
80. Fried green tomatoes
81. Chinese scallion pancakes
82. Cheese souffle
83. Fried apples
84. Homemade frijoles refritos
85. Pasta fagioli
86. Macadamia nuts in any form
87. Paw paw in any form [no but i've had fresh papaya]
88. Grilled cheese sandwich of any kind
89. Paneer cheese
90. Ma Po Tofu (vegetarian style–no pork!)
91. Fresh pasta in any form [I probably have and can't recall. But I need to learn to make my own]
92. Grilled leeks, scallions or ramps
93. Green papaya salad
94. Baked grain and vegetable stuffed tomatoes
95. Pickled ginger
96. Methi greens
97. Aloo paratha
98. Kedgeree (the original Indian version without the smoked fish, not the British version with fish)
99. ~~Okra~~ [I'd rather starve. I LOATHE okra]
100. Roasted brussels sprouts

haha I think I win that list.

The Vegan Hundred

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis [um... not vegan the last time I checked but I have eaten it]
5. Mangosteen [these creep me out]
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue [big ups to the Melting Pot]
8. ~~Marmite/Vegemite~~ [once on a dare. never the fuck again]
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart [not from a street cart. freaks]
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle [haha every night IN MY DREAMS]
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes [My favourite wine ever: Ravat 51]
19. Gyoza (potstickers)
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. ~~Ceviche~~ [THIS IS NOT VEGAN EITHER]
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. ~~Raw scotch bonnet pepper~~ [I am not that stupid]
27. Dulce de leche [clearly this is not the vegan 100]
28. ~~Caviar~~ [w-t-f]
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey [had some for lunch today]
54. ~~Sheese~~ [I won't do fake cheese]
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. ~~Piña colada~~ [I only do coconut in rum form]
58. Birch beer
59. ~~Scrapple~~ [according to the intraweb this is a hotdog in meatloaf form. gag]
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. ~~Durian~~ [not for all the gold in the world]
66. ~~Homemade Sausages~~
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake [you want a funnel cake gramma?! I love elephant ears]
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate [Ive had chocolate with chili, does that count?]
96. Bagel and Tofutti [I had one for dinner haha!]
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee [I can't afford it but I had a free sample at TJ's once!]
100. Raw cookie dough

Whoever made that list has definition issues and needs to look up the word vegan.
It was still fun though.
Plus tomorrow is the Harvard fruit market! I am going to see if I can get some green tomatoes for fryin. Maybe even some acorn/butternut squash or pumpkin. Hello autumn foods!

Week 1: done

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 02:26:19 GMT

I finally finished week one today. a bit over one week but there were setbacks.
mostly rain, sinus sickness and finding a dying crow on day 2. that really turned me off the whole idea of running for a few days. And resulted in me making cupcakes to cheer myself up. It was bad times.

I'm trying not to be my usual realistic (read: cynical) self but I don't see this getting easier and I don't see myself improving without outside assistance.

Meaning, I don't think I will get better at running by just running.
So now I am going to add some yoga and possibly some Carmen into the mix.
It's been a while since I've busted out my striptease moves and I miss it.

If my wife were to visit tomorrow, I wouldn't be able to go dancing because I am so out of the fitness loop. That depresses the shit out of me. So I think by adding some other workouts into this running plan, things might perk up. And hopefully my new set work schedule kicks into effect next week and I will have plenty of time to do it.

I am going to look at my life as soccer camp from now until November. I have to get up at a certain time and check off a list of things before the day is out, no matter what. Or I'm fired. From my life.

No one wants that. Even I'm not that jaded yet.

Obama where are you?

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:11:32 GMT

I heard two ladies at the Biscuit talking about how absurd she is. It made me proud. They were talking about how worried they were because no one is calling Palin out on her bullshit and people are just letting the ignorance run rampant.

IAWTC!!! I fucking love him.

see Jane run

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:53:16 GMT

day one of C25K = done!

it was hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. I didn't even feel it really until my last minute of running. I'm sure day 2 will be hell and day 3 will be worse.

However, I'm sure by week 3 that I won't even notice anymore.

I am going to keep a log just so I can look back on my progress. and because it holds me accountable for actually getting off my ass and running. I need more energy and just better health all around. Running seems to do the trick. My end date is election day, in exactly 8 weeks. New president, new healthy running habit and (hopefully) a better bill of health as well.

now you may be asking yourself, did this nutcracker WAKE UP for a 6am run?!
if you know me, you know I didn't.

I couldn't sleep so I just stayed up all night. 6am is an ideal run time though. so now I might have to wake up for them. either that or do a midnight run. we'll have to see.

now let's see how well this run fairs after an 8 hour shift of retail hell. :o\

maybe I didn't think this through....

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:00:15 GMT

Comment and I'll give you a letter. Then you post in your journal with a list of 10 things you love that start with that letter!

olivejz28 gave me "L"

letters
London
learning
lemonade
languages
LOST (the only show worth watching)
literature
libraries
laughing
love

there could have been a longer list.
Lunacy almost made the cut but damn if lemonade doesn't just quench my thirst!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:51:02 GMT

i am too tired to be poetic
i don't like my job but i love my job because i need it
a vicious circle of not wanting to go to work but not wanting out of a pay check

i hate the waiting game
waiting for the nanny lady to call
waiting for the biscuit's decision
waiting for my schedule
waiting for alex to pick up the phone
waiting for autumn
waiting for sleep
waiting to live

ugh
it's going to be a labor weekend indeed

Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records, but I do...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:34:17 GMT

I am on the biggest 90's music kick ever.
fucking AWESOME!

90's music had such fabulosity. It was basically all one-hit wonders and some regular faces. There was VARIETY on the radio. ahh the good ol' days.

Will Smith
Third Eye Blind
early Matchbox 20
Dishwall - Counting Blue Cars
Blindmelon - no rain
The Verve Pipe - freshmen (classic!)
Goo Goo Dolls - iris
Tal Bachman - she's so high
New Radicals - you get what you give
Supergrass - alright
Spice Girls
Blessid Union Of Souls - Hey Leonardo
Sister Hazel
early BnL
Smashmouth
Blues Traveler
Harvbey Danger - flagpole sitta
Fatboy Slim
Sugar Ray
Semisonic - closing time/fnt
Beastie Boys
Shawn Colvin - Sunny Came Home
Lauren Hill
Wheatus - teenage dirtbag

Good times had by all. Carlton approves:

classic

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:39:14 GMT

"now that we have a bike, the cone makes sense!"

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:44:55 GMT

I just had one of the most epic nights ever.
totes epic.
it can be summed up as follows:

Auto Response from JenniferBsays: I'm fucking Matt Damon.
"Louis": you're fucking matt damon
"Louis": (... she's fucking matt damon)

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:12:24 GMT

My first full day here
typing from one of Harvard's many computer labs on a hacked computer (someone else's login) while they graduate out on the lawn.

I am in love with this place already.

"if I can't get a girl, why don't I just tell her I'm John Mayer?

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:39:07 GMT

Makin' Music with John Mayer on FunnyOrDie.com

I love that he's exploiting his own douche-baggery to be more douchy, thus un-douching himself.

full moon

Tue, 20 May 2008 17:02:17 GMT

Driving home from work last night, thinking about the dude. wondering how he was and what he was up to, if the full moon was as bright for him as it was for me.

this morning I awake to an email "The Dude has written on your facebook wall"
mini panic. did I write him something last night? did I say something in my sleepy stupor?

no. he just thought of me and wanted to return my message from a month ago. Just to check in.
kismet. connection. everything's not lost.

dreams of brothers and heads in laps last night. stories about girlfriends and music and childhood. I need to check in with Patrick.

Two interviews in Boston already. Nanny agency with a Harvard contract. The children of the nations best professors in my capable hands. He's to being employed!

Sun, 11 May 2008 01:28:50 GMT

You are the prime candidate for the Lacuna procedure. While your past does not dictate your actions completely, it still affects your everyday life. You seem to have multiple memories that could be erased. Several initial visits will focus on sorting and removing these main issues. Any subsequent treatment will then be directed toward sustaining your newfound level of happiness. Please contact us soon, so your transformation can begin.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:26:33 GMT

back and beyond exhausted
found a roommate but still no room
fuck Realtors.

but Alex is now in my top 5.
and Lou wants to be first on the list to visit

interviews went well. the vibe was perfect.
I will be making it work
up hill all the way
just like old times

in 5 days I give my 2 weeks
i'd be excited, but i'm just too damn tired

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:21:08 GMT

I am blowing this up, printing it on a poster and hanging it in my classroom.

toothpastefordinner.com

i've held dreams of Boston all of my life

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:28:29 GMT

nataliedee.com

Guess what I got?

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:28:00 GMT

sooooo excited!
I want it to hurry up and finish charging so I can play with it.
eeee!!!!

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:35:10 GMT

back from Minneapolis, now set on Boston.

so so so poor.
the timing is all off.

Kate Nash, Rilo Kiley, Rooney, Eddie Izzard!!
I will probably miss them all.
I'm now looking at May to start and mid april to move in

but in order to do that, I need money
To get money, I need to work
to look for flights/set up interviews/pack, I need time off

I am moving to make more money
but how can I afford to move?

ROCKmeHARDPLACE

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:53:25 GMT

plagued with dreams of you
less fantasy this time
we want our film to be beautiful not realistic

but that's not what's keeping me awake tonight
something is ruined in me
To see a worm in your dream, represents weakness and general negativity. You have a very low opinion of yourself or of someone in your life.
To dream that something is rotten, suggests that you are wasting away your potential. You have failed to make use of the opportunities that have come your way.
To dream that food has spoiled, indicates that you are not taking care of your emotional needs.

decisions, decisions.
ones made and some not yet
phone calls and plane rides

but still no sleep
still wicked never rested
new pills, same ills
nothing is ever really cured
we never changed
now the drugs don't work they just make you worse but i know i'll see your face again

but will I?
I used to think that's what I wanted. now i'm not so sure.
Now I know I know nothing
but I think I can learn some things

I just wish you would talk to me
or tell me why you won't

Well there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you
And the Holy Dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was hallelujah

Maybe there is a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah