SOA and Georgia

Protests are interesting things. It's a culmination of all different kinds of people protesting the same thing. I went to the School of Americas protest in Georgia the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was an interesting experience. Loading up 12 people in a 15 passenger van with bread, peanut butter, and jelly. A huge bag of popcorn and puppy chow, driving for 20 hours. Trying to sleep in the van as it barreled down the freeway (that was for Gosia) she misses the barrel! Finally after barely sleeping in a awkward position and next to the heater where it was boiling, or away from the heater, where it was freezing, we got to Georgia. We then went to the hotel, crammed 11 people into a King size room, with barely any walking room, quickly changed, and then went to the gate of Fort Benning. Upon arrival of the gate there was, people with signs, a stage with people singing, and many tables selling shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers. I saw people lying in the street pretending to be dead to show the number of people that have died because of the violence. We then piled back into the van to go to the convention center for Mass. It was a great Mass. They had candles for all the Jesuit colleges and universities and I saw a friend that I have not seen in quite a while. The next morning, we went back to the gate for the funeral procession. We had made crosses with people's names on them that have died from the violence. We honored their lives and prayed for a closing to the school. It was a powerful experience to see all the people from all over the country wanting to see an end to this school.



There were people there who were protesting other things as well, which to each his/her own, but there was free vegan food, and people advocating for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church, and people protesting the war and Bush. I felt a sense of people who cared about the direction that their lives were going in. People who are not happy about something and decide to do something about it. I may not agree with what they are protesting, but I respect their protest, because there are things that I protest, and I want respect from people as well. I love that you can protest things that you are unhappy with in this country. Where would we be if people did not protest slavery, or women getting the right to vote, or the Civil Rights Movement? I'm glad I was able to experience SOA. Would I go back? Hopefully not because it needs to be shut down, but I would protest again. There are people from all over that have different ideas about the world supporting the common cause of shutting down the SOA.



For more info go to: SOA Watch

The book this time is:
The School of the Americas: Military Training and Political Violence in the Americas (Lesley Gill)

There is discrimination..even in recycling?

Seriously? So I work at Sojourner House, a homeless family shelter and I manage an affordable rental unit as part of my job. Boston just recently passed a law that all buildings that have more than 7 units have to provide recycling for the residents. The building that I manage, never got the recycling program because of the change in the job this summer. So my boss calls the city to find out what we have to do. We have to meet with a recycling official to look at the building and decide what kind of bins to get. We meet with the recycling guy today. Now I have been recycling my whole life, or at least as long as I can remember, so I know how to separate and that you have to clean out the containers. He goes on this whole speech about how to recycle and that you have to clearly mark the cans that are for recycling.....well duh! Then he goes on this rant about how even poor people should recycle. You might have to teach them, because they don't usually know how......are you kidding me? Because they make less money they are stupid and don't know how to recycle? Please......I bet they recycle better than you because it's part of the lifestyle that they live.



It upsets me to see that there are so many prejudices that people hold, and usually they are over simple things like recycling. I think with global warming and the environment that everyone knows the importance of recycling. Especially in a democratic state like Massachusetts. I just don't understand....well he will see when he notices that the people living in the rentals will take on recycling when it is available to them!

The book this time is:
Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future (Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards)

Those Radicals!

Last night I went to Boston College for a meeting about the School of Americas protest. I picked up "The Observer" a conservative newspaper on campus. I was appalled to read an article calling feminism a heresy. They were calling it a heresy because some people change the words in Mass to gender neutral language. So instead of saying "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to his people on earth", people change it to "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to God's people on earth". Now, I don't really find anything wrong with this, but the article blamed the "lying radical feminists" who think that they can do anything, when no person is allowed to change the mass (Hello, Vatican II! Oops....the Mass has been changed). Now, I understand if you oppose using gender neutral language,but I do not understand at all blaming it on radical feminists. I don't understand why it is radical to not want to think of God as a man...or a woman. God is greater than gender, so why should we refer to God as male?



Feminism is not at all radical. Believing that everyone no matter their race, age, class, gender, or ability/disability, should have an equal chance at being successful at life is not radical. Wasn't Jesus' message radical? I mean he wanted to change the whole foundation of the church! People didn't understand him at first either. There are parts of feminism that disagree with Catholicism, but there is also a lot of good involved with feminism. There is social justice in feminism and would probably go along a lot with Catholic Social Teaching. It's not radical to think that because I'm a woman I should be able to be on an equal playing field with a man. I think God and Jesus would be on my side with this. We are all children of God are we not? Someday God will answer all my questions around this matter!

The book this time is:
Catholic and Feminist: The Surprising History of the American Catholic Feminist Movement (Mary J. Henold)

What does it mean to be on the outside?

Last night we had community night with Meg our Area Director for Jesuit Volunteer Corps. We read an article by C.S. Lewis, whom I love, that talked about being in the inner ring of a group or a part of the outer ring. It made me think about the times that I've been in the outer ring, and the times that I've been in the inner. I also started looking at all the people in society that are a part of the outer ring. How do we decide who is the inner and who is the outer? It makes me think back to 1st and 2nd grade when there was no cool group. Everyone was just friends. Then suddenly something shifts and if you happen to be doing or wearing the wrong thing on the day that decides what is cool, then you are a part of the outer ring. I think about my job as a Jesuit Volunteer. I work at a homeless family shelter and also work with people living in affordable rental and home ownership units. I think about the ways that these people are marginalized by society. Boston is one of the most expensive cities to live in and there is a big call for affordable housing. People are losing their homes for all sorts of reasons. These people are then looked down upon by society because they can't keep their homes. People are also looked down upon by society if they choose a job that makes less money. I'm wondering when the American dream became all about money. The jobs that I feel passionate about are never going to make a lot of money. I want to work for non-profits. People who devote their lives to great causes are looked down upon as well. I tell people that I'm volunteering for a year and living on $85 a month, and they laugh and tell me I'm crazy (granted not everyone has reacted that way, but a lot of people have). Why is it crazy to care about society? Why is it crazy to strive for justice....especially in a place like America? Being in JVC has given me a new outlook on life. I've spent a lot of my life being in the outer ring. I had friends there, but I was never one of the cool kids. I feel blessed for never having been a cool kid because it has given me greater understanding of myself. I'm a cool and unique person. I'm valuable even if not everyone sees that. I will not make a lot of money, but at least I'll be happy, and know that I'm bringing some sort of justice to the world.



The book this time is: Meritocracy and Economic Inequality (Kenneth Arrow)

YES WE CAN!!!

He pulled through baby! Well he more than pulled through, it was a landslide victory! I can't believe it all happened so fast! I was washing dishes at 10:50, they said they would have updates at 11, so I sat down at 10:55, there was a black screen and then no sound, just a picture of Obama saying that he is the new President Elect. I literally jumped out of my seat, I was so excited! I made my housemates change the channel to see if the others had called it, and I was convinced when FOX said he won! I'm just so happy that this great man is going to be our President. He loves his family with his whole heart. (Also really excited to have kids in the White House again!). I've been following Obama since he was elected to the Senate four years ago. I was watching the results for the Bush/Kerry election and they randomly went to Chicago to show Obama winning a Senate seat. When I heard him speak, I knew he was going to be our next President.

The thing that is making me sad is to see the number of people, even after McCain's speech (which was great by the way, sounds so intelligent when he isn't listening to his campaign aids), that people are so upset as to make a facebook group called Impeach Obama. Hello! He hasn't even been sworn in yet, and people are talking of impeaching him. I was pretty bitter when bush won, but at least I was gracious in saying that I would live with him as President. Our country is not all the sudden turn socialist, Barack Obama is not a terrorist, despite his middle name, and the country is not going to fall apart with him in office. Hell, it didn't fall apart when Bush was President. Okay, a little (well there was the whole stock market stuff going on), but then why would you want someone with the same politics to be running the country? Did you really think Sarah Palin was competent enough to be V.P.? I didn't think so. I say celebrate that history has been made! Celebrate a change in office! Celebrate a man who truly loves his wife and kids! And stand behind the man even if you didn't vote for him. I stood behind Bush even though I did not vote for him. We've had to put up with 8 years of his politics, don't you think it's time for a change? Thank you Barack Obama! :) You rule! Joe Biden rocks as well, he'll be a great aid to Barack! Sad that Massachusetts will lose our Governor, even if he says he won't be a part of his cabinet. Right........!

I'm recommending to go and read all of Obama's speeches. He is a great speaker who knows how to motivate people and win an election!

It's Election Day!

Oh my gosh! I'm so excited, I can't believe it's actually here. I've never been so excited about an election before. It's so close though, I'm choosing to believe that Obama will pull through. I think the country is ready for a black President. Contrary to what some people believe. I think we give the United States people too little credit. Look at the Democratic primaries. Who ever thought it would come down to a woman or a black man? That in itself is groundbreaking. Plus people are fed up with the economy and the Bush administration and McCain/Palin are pretty much the same as Bush. As many times as they want to say that they are mavericks....um......no. John McCain is not a maverick because he has been listening to his campaign people way too much and has made himself very unlikable. He has even sunk so low as to call someone a terrorist and likened Obama's policies to socialism.

Here's the thing about socialism, is it really all that bad? To have everyone on an equal playing field? I believe some things should be socialized, like health care. Why shouldn't everyone be able to go to the doctor? Why should we have to pay so much money for medicines? Canada makes socialized health care rock! There are no long lines and everyone has a chance at seeing a doctor or specialist when they need to. It's when socialism is corrupt that it is not a good idea. I think certain jobs deserve to be paid more than others. Socialism as an idea is not bad, it's when the idea is put into the wrong hands (i.e. Joesph Stalin).

I feel so passionate about these ideas because I'm working with homeless families. I see what people go through to pay for medication for themselves and their children. It shouldn't have to be a choice between medication and food. Everyone should have access to housing, medication, and food. It's a justice issue and the U.S. should be about everyone having equal access to the essentials in their lives. All of these reasons and many more are the reasons that I voted for Obama/Biden!

Taxes....how interesting!

Tax cuts for the rich or for the working class? How do you decide? Should people who make more money be taxed more? Why should they be punished for being successful in life? Here's what I think....YES! I understand that someone who makes a lot of money may not want to give up their "hard-earned money", but then what makes someone think that somone who does not make a lot of money should give up more? It makes sense that taxes are based on your income. If the wealthy people don't have to pay higher taxes, and the poor people cannot pay their taxes, then there is no money for the government, which then cuts government programs that are designed to help people who need it. This makes our economy go down and then there is less money all around. Hello! We know trickle-down economics does not work, it doesn't actually trickle-down. Sorry Raegan enthusiasts. Also the amount of work one does is not always reflected in their paycheck. I worked my butt-off at Target, running around the store getting call-buttons, answering questions, and back-up cashiering, and I did not get paid anymore than the person who fooled around their entire shift. A CEO works very hard, I'm not denying that, but it does not mean that a person in a minimum wage job does not work hard also. So because the CEO makes more money, I say yes, he/she should have to pay more taxes. Is it fair to only tax people who make less money, no because then all their money goes to taxes. I know we are not a socialist country, but we are all about living the American Dream. This means everyone that lives here should be able to sustain themselves. Right now that is not the case, so we should be working to make sure that everyone is clothed, fed, and sheltered. This is what tax money should go to...helping our fellow Americans. Go taxes...because without them it would be a pretty messed up country we would be living in!



The book this time is: The Constant Princess (Phillipa Gregory)

Juno Revisited

The first time I saw Juno, I absolutely loved it. It has great music, great dialogue, and great characters. I was so caught up in the humor and music that I didn't even really think about the movie's message. I went to Winona, last Spring for the Rock Against Violence Concert put on by FORGE (Fighting for Our Rights and Gender Equality) and NSFC (Nursing Students for Choice). Before the concert started I went to Target with a friend of mine. Juno had just come out on DVD and I naturally bought it and watched it again. Again, too much in my own head to think about the message of the movie. I asked my friend, "Didn't you just love it?" to which she replied, "not really, I enjoyed the music and the humor, but the movie portrayed abortion clinics in the completely wrong light." This comment really made me think. It's not true that when you walk into an abortion clinic there is a girl sitting there chewing gum asking if you want a free condom. There are counselors there to help make the right decision for you, and in no way try to persuade you to abort the fetus, if you don't want to.



Now because some anti-choicers saw the movie, and the fact that Juno choose to have the baby and give it up for adoption makes the movie pro-life? Um....no! She had a choice, that is what pro-choice means. She made have made the choice that anti-choicers wanted her to make, but the movie made a swift move by her step-mother asking her if she had thought about "the alternative" (abortion) Which shows that her parents would have been just as supportive if she has chosen to abort the baby, but that would not have made for that interesting of a movie. The other thing that gets me is that "pro-lifers" didn't seem to upset by the fact that teenagers were having sex at 16. A major issue in the U.S., but apparently not as big of an issue as abortion. Abortion is a necessary choice until the government understands that they have to set up programs to help single mothers or single fathers. Also, there's the whole issue of abstinence-only sex education. Denying the fact that there are many teenagers out there are having sex.

I still stand by the fact that I love Juno. Not only because of the music and the witty humor, but because it tells a tale of choice. Being pro-choice does not mean that you are pro-death. Likewise, being pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion. It means choice, and not limiting choices to women.

I recommend seeing Juno again (or for the first time) it will make you laugh and cry.

Washing machines amaze me....

Really it's true. I am fascinated that I can stick a bunch of dirty clothes in a machine, it fills up with water, shakes around the water and the clothes, and drains the water, and then poof my clothes are clean! Seriously! Think about all the time I save by not having to scrub my clothes. I just wonder how the machine does it with out so much scrubbing. What happens between the clothes and water and soap going in, and the end? Does it have magical hands that come out to clean the clothes? I'm just fascinated.



Seeing how much time the washing machine saves me makes me really appreciate the machine. I have great respect for it. I can turn on the machine, walk away, and then 45 minutes later my clothes are clean. I can read a book while it happening, watch a movie/TV, or now I do it while I'm working. Thank you Sojourner House. We do not have laundry facilities at out house so I get one of those fun carts that and put my laundry bag in. Take it on the bus...which is a struggle let me tell you...and then can load it in the machines at work. It's great and free! My other housemates have to pay for laundry at the Laundromat. It's figured into our monthly paychecks.

Why don't they make a space on the bus for people with strollers and carts? It's such a struggle for mothers to take their kids in a stroller on the bus, and such a hassle when you have the laundry cart. The route I take is crowded and busy, no matter what time of day I take the bus. There should be an open space in the back of the bus for strollers and carts. Just make the accordion style bus, and don't have the seats in the second part. Just have areas to stand with the carts and strollers. Yesterday, I brought laundry to work and the bus was crowded when I got on. There was already a woman with a stroller on the bus, and I couldn't get through with the cart. This woman who was already sitting, then decided to tell me that she was getting off in a couple of stops and I couldn't stand there. I literally could not move. I was almost falling over because I didn't have anything to hold on to because of the motion of the bus. She then proceeded to lift up my cart, put it on top of the seat, and then I had to hold on to it so that she could get off the bus....10 minutes later. It was pretty hysterical to see me on the bus, holding onto a cart for dear life because this woman was getting off the bus in 10 minutes. Exactly the reason, we need accordion style buses with no seats in the back so that strollers and carts can go there. It would make the laundry bus trip so much easier. Maybe I will style the bus, and sell it to the MBTA and then I could make a lot of money and work for a nonprofit and support myself. Now that's a concept!

The book this time is: Wanda'a Washing Machine (Anna Mcquinn and Jan McCafferty)

There's a fine fine line...

What a crazy day I had today! First though exciting news....I asked my supervisor at work if I could work more with the families that are residing at the shelter as well as the people in the permanent housing and she said yes. So I got to go to the Homes for Families meeting today, which was interesting because we got to listen to a woman speak about the government in Massachusetts not cutting government programs that help the homeless. There was a woman there who is currently homeless and living in a shelter and she said that she thinks everyone should be homeless at some point. Really? I would never wish that on someone. I mean I know what she was trying to say, that we should be more aware of what homeless people go through on a daily basis, but to say that we should all go through the experience is a little far. There's a fine line between going through it and educating yourself about it. I think we should do more research about homelessness and how to eliminate it. Government programs need to do more than just provide questionable living situations and then turn a blind eye. But, to actually say that we need to experience homelessness is not quite right.

On another note, there is a new family at the shelter and some extenuating circumstances and the mother was not living at the shelter for a few days. The kids went to school and somehow told the school that they didn't know where their mother was and where there were living. So naturally the school wanted to know what was going on. They called the shelter, we assured them that everything was fine and that the kids were being cared for, but the school went beyond and asked who the legal guardian was. They don't need to know that. Sometimes I think that people are just nosy and want to know every one's business. It's not important who the guardian is, they just need to know that they kids are actually living somewhere. Don't keep prying and prying for information. This is just like teachers diagnosing kids with ADD and ADHD. I understand referring someone to evaluate the child, but to tell the parent that their child needs to go on medication. You are a teacher, or administrator, not a doctor. Don't tell a parent their child needs to go on medication when you are not a person to can legally diagnose children. Please stick to your fields of expertise.




The book this time is: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia (Elizabeth Gilbert)

Surprise!

We had October Retreat this past weekend in Voluntown, CT. It was at the Voluntown Peace Trust, which is this awesome sustainable farm. There are buildings on the grounds that were built for different purposes, like common meeting space, and sleeping. They are built out of materials that are cheap, but last a long time. The farm grows veggies that are then given to families in Voluntown if they choose to participate in the program, which entails paying a certain amount and then getting the veggies that are in season. It's really cool. It has been known as a hippie commune in Voluntown, but it's so much more than that. There was a lot of stigma around it, but the town and the people living there seem to be in a better place. The Voluntown Peace Trust is all about promoting peace. They have a ton of books on nonviolence and participate in a lot of nonviolent acts to end war. It's a way of living that I'm definitely going to look into.

So back to the surprise part. We decided on the drive back to Boston that since we had the van rented until Monday morning, that we should go up to Maine. We were kidding at first, but then we decided to just go for it. Jen, one of my Housemates, is from Portland so we went to see her family, and then we surprised the JVs in Portland by showing up at their house. It was so much fun! We went to the top of a hill to see all of Portland and then we went to the beach to see the ocean. Not that we don't have ocean in Boston, but it's beautiful in Portland. The trees were beginning to change color and the water was gorgeous. We ended up staying for dinner at the Portland house and hung out with the JVs for a while. We signed their tablecloth and then we drove back to Boston! It was really fun to just decide to drive up to Maine. None of us have a car, so we decided to make good use out of the one that we had rented.

Retreat was really great. It was a good break from the craziness of our jobs and a chance to relax in nature. It was near Beach Pond in CT, so we walked down to the water and it was nice enough on Saturday that 2 people just decided to go swimming. I learned a lot about my housemates and we just had an awesome time. We also got to listen to the debates on the radio on Thursday, which was great, because it never gets old to hear Sarah Palin say, "God bless their hearts" or some other term that she uses to make herself sound homely, and like a family person. Seriously, I don't want a person in power to talk like an everyday American. I want them to sound intelligent and like they have some sort of public speaking skills. I think it makes her sound inadequate because she then sounds innocent like she doesn't actually know what she is talking about. Oh dear, we are in for a treat on Nov. 4th. :)

Pictures of Maine are coming soon.

The book this time is: Feminism is for Everybody (bell hooks)

If I had a superpower.........

Did you ever play the icebreaker where everyone says what superpower they would want? I've decided that the superpower I would want would be the ability to stop time. It would make life so much easier. My main reason for wanting to have it is to get more sleep at night, because I hate getting up to an alarm. I don't mind getting up early, I just hate having an annoying noise tell me it's time to get up. I'm working on training my internal alarm. Anyways, when the alarm went off and I wanted to sleep more I could just stop time, go back to bed, and it would be the same time when I woke up naturally. Amazing! I would never be tired again. I could stay up late and get up early, the best of both worlds.

Sometimes I just really like staying up late. It makes me happy when I can stay up late and just enjoy the late night. Sometimes I watch movies or DVDs of TV shows or read. Then I instantly regret staying up late when I have to get up in the morning. See, the power to stop time would come in really handy then. Other times I like going to bed early. There is something about getting in bed so early and just sleeping and not feeling super tired when your alarm goes off in the morning. I've even taken a liking to getting up earlier on Saturday mornings and enjoying the morning. Sometimes I like to read, or today I made pancakes, which were great! Although the smoke alarm went off.......

Our smoke alarm goes off when it doesn't need to. It didn't go off when I was making pancakes, but after I was done. What was the point? There was no fire, and no smoke, not to mention it had the unfortunate mistake of waking up my housemates.....oops. The pancakes were delicious though. Just like my dad makes them. Nice and thin. Yum!



The original point is the ability to stop time, which would be great in other instances too. Like needing more time before you have to go to work. Needing more time because you are late. Stopping time when you are enjoying a moment with friends and family. When you don't want a holiday to end, or the end of a year. It all would be great if I could stop time, but then again.....that begs the question....am I living in the now? What is the power of now? There is something to be said for living in the moment. Maybe it's worth staying up late when you are having fun, even if it means being tired. I don't really regret staying up late because I was enjoying the time that I was staying up late. There's always time for sleep later in life.

Nope! I don't want to have a superpower anymore. I want to appreciate the time I'm living in. There's a reason things only last so long. Now I feel like the movie “Click” because he could control time and then he didn't want to control it anymore because then he wasn't enjoying the small moments in life.

The book this time is: The Cronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis) They are all great, and they go through many different phases of time. :)

Calvin and Hobbes

When I was little, I would ask my dad to read me the comics. He would sit in the black recliner, I would sit on his lap and then he would read me the comics. It was our little Sunday tradition. One of my favorite Sunday comics was Calvin and Hobbes. I enjoyed that Calvin had an imaginary friend and they would go on adventures together. I never really understood why it was funny until I got older. Calvin and Hobbes is hilarious! Calvin does polls of his dad meaning that he polled himself and would talk about his dad going down in the polls. He played CalvinBall with Hobbes, which basically had no rules, but somehow Calvin always lost. He used a big box as a spaceship, a superhero change area, and as a sled. He tortured his neighbor Susie, but you know it was because he had a crush on her. I think some of my love of Calvin and Hobbes came from my sister. She asked for the books for Christmas and her birthday and then when she wasn't home I would sneak into her room to read them. It was part wanting to read Calvin and Hobbes and part wanting to be a part of her life. My sister Angela is one of the most fascinating people I know. I'm posting some Calvin and Hobbes comics. Take some time to read and enjoy an old classic.

P.S. A great present for me would be The Complete Calvin and Hobbes box set.







The book this time is: Any Calvin and Hobbes Book (Bill Watterson)

Pretty Pretty Princess

One of my favorite games when I was a kid was Pretty Pretty Princess. I think it had a lot to do with the crown. I always wanted to be a princess, but now I wonder why? Princesses are not free to make their own decisions, they don't really have a say in their lives. I have complete control over my life and I love it. Imagine if you had several people telling you what you were going to do, who you are going to marry, what job you are going to have......if you even have one, what clothes you are going to wear, and where to go on your social outings. I love my life because it's free. I can wear what I want, say what I want, and be who I want to be. I like that I'm weird and laugh really hard at things that aren't that funny. I love that I'm passionate about changing the world. I think we can do it. I actually think there may come a day when everyone, no matter what their gender, sexual orientation, class, race, and disability/ability is, we will all be given an equal chance to be successful in life. I know I think big! How can I not? It's the big thinkers that make changes and make things happen. MLK Jr. was a big dreamer, FDR was a "think outside the box kind of man", and I am someone who can change the world for the better!






The book this time is: Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation (Barbara Findlen (editor))

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.....soo funny!

Anti-Feminism Strikes Again!

Sometimes I wonder how far our country has really come. Like not at all because I was reading the Metro (the free newspaper at the T (subway) stations in Boston that you are supposed to be able to read the entire way through on your commute) and on the political page there was a section with Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama ranking them as Hot or Not. Are you kidding me? Is that why I should vote for a canidate because his wife is hot? It sickens me that this is in the news or even done at all. This is why Hilary had such a hard time with her campaign and they are doing it to Sarah Palin as well (they made a doll of her). I don't like Sarah Palin, but she still deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. What century are we living in? This then makes me wonder about the people who think that feminism in dead and we don't need it anymore. Oh we do! As long as this kind of thing is still happening we need feminism. We need people to stand up to the injustices in the world. What would Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, and Lucy Burns think of all this? I'm pretty sure they would hate it and fight against it. I will take you on society, I am not afraid. Look out world, here comes Nora!




The book this time is: The Fire this Time: Young Activists and the New Feminism (Vivien Labaton)

The Dreaded Life Update

My blog is not meant to be the blog that updates you on my life. It's meant to be the place that I write down my random thoughts on the world. I feel though that since I recently had a life-changing move to Boston I should update you on what I'm doing. I got to Boston about three weeks ago. I live in Jamaica Plain, which is called JP by the locals. It's a neighborhood of Boston. Our house is huge! There are 5 bedrooms and 3 floors. I'm living with 5 other girls. We are all volunteering for the year at different jobs. I'm working at Sojourner House in Roxbury (another neighborhood of Boston) as the Permanent Housing Coordinator. Sojourner House is a homeless family shelter, and they recently built affordable rental units and affordable home ownership condos. I get to work with the people living there. It's a lot of work and a little overwhelming, but it's going to be a great job. So far, I haven't really done much with the tenants because my boss is really busy, but we're having a tenants meeting on the 25th and I will get to meet all the tenants. So excited!

My housemates are Hilary (working at the Women's Lunch Place. A place where women can come during the day to eat and wash their clothes. Most of them are homeless), Caseye (working at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church after school program), Heather (working at Casserly House, which during the day has English classes for recent immigrants to the country, and has an after school program as well), Jen (working at North Cambridge Catholic High School, it's a Cristo Rey school so all the kids work at Corporations one day a week) and Kathleen (also working at Sojourner House, but she is working with the Children's program).

It's been a whirlwind since we got here. We had a tour of the city and visited all of our sites. We then started our jobs and have been living in community with each other. We make a point of eating dinner together and we have little money. To be in solidarity with the people that we are volunteering for. We get a personal stipend of $85 dollars a month, and then we each get $75 for food and money to pay rent and all our other bills.

This weekend there is a fundraiser for JVC at Boston College High School for the New England area. I'm excited to meet people that support us and want to see us succeed. Also 2 weeks ago, we went to a bar in JP to watch Obama's acceptance speech. I was interviewed by a newscaster because there were so many people there, and the video is posted on the Internet! So exciting! Mike Fitz, who is a former JV took us to the event and he was interviewed as well. I'm posting the video so you can see my lack of interview skills. Note to self: work on not being so fidgety. That's all I have for the update. Stayed tuned for more of my random thoughts.

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Obama-supporters-gather-to-watch-a-milestone-in-American/1219983116.html

The book this time is: The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory)

Pro-Life Really?

Sarah Palin has suddenly become a person that a lot of discussion is centered around. It's because she was the most random person to be picked as the running mate of McCain. This woman is so interesting to me. I watched her speech and I can tell you that she is a great public speaker. She knows how to keep her audience interested and knows just the right time to put in plugs of her own personal life. She is a great person who obviously loves her family and loves being a mother. Here's the thing that I don't understand about Sarah Palin. She has declared herself multiple times to be pro-life, when she is no where near pro-life. She may oppose abortion, but that does not make her pro-life. She supports the death-penalty (not pro-life), she supports ruining that natural habitat of Alaska, which means a lot of wildlife would die (not pro-life), she supports gun rights, which I know that guns do not kill people, people kill people, but guns make it a whole lot easier for people to kill people (not pro-life), and she supports the war (not at all pro-life) even if your son is in the armed forces. Killing innocent people is not pro-life.

We have come to use pro-life as a term that only applies to abortion, but shouldn't someone who is so adamantly pro-life be pro-life in all aspects? The other thing that is so interesting to me is that her daughter is pregnant, and she still supports abstinence-only sex-education. Really? Come on! Your 17 year-old daughter is pregnant, and you are forcing her to get married to make it look better, when it really screams a public service announcement for comprehensive sex-ed programs. Let me also tell you; her daughter by deciding to keep the child had a choice. That's what pro-choice is, a choice. I hate abortion, but I also know based on research that the number of abortions actually go down when there is a pro-choice president in office. The Republicans seem to think that by outlawing abortion and anything that has to do with preventing pregnancy will someone make it all go away magically. Hello! Women did not start having abortions when they became legal, they were having them long before that. They were just dying from them because they had to get back alley abortions and the doctors wouldn't use clean instruments. So really, by outlawing abortions you are destroying two lives. The unborn baby's and the mother's. I think we all need to look at Sarah Palin, knock some sense into her and let her know that she is not pro-life, like she states, she is very very very anti-choice, which only gives me one choice this fall. I think you get the picture.....




OBAMA/BIDEN '08

I'm begging you all please to do some research on McCain/Palin. They are playing the nice card, but there is so much info about them out there....don't become a puppet in their show. Use your voice and make an informed decision. Even after you do research and think that McCain/Palin are the right people I will support that because you made an informed decision.

The book this time is:
Dude, Where's My Country? (Michael Moore)

A New Experience

I moved to Boston! It's quite exciting and a little overwhelming. I'm just finishing my first week of work and what week it has been. On monday I got here half an hour early, and then went to the affordable housing units with my supervisor. Then she took us (Kathleen and I, Kathleen is another JV working with the Children's program at Sojourner House) out to lunch. Then Kathleen and I ran errands with Ruby (Kathleen's supervisor), what a hoot. Ruby is the most energetic person I've ever met. We had to go to her eye doctor to pick up her new glasses and she argued with the doctor about the perscription being too strong. It actually wasn't because it takes some time for your eyes to adjust to the new glasses.
Tuesday Stasia (my supervisor) had me scan some documents for her and help her clean up her office. Wednesday Stasia wasn't here, so I helped Kathleen with the Children's program. Thursday we went sailing with the kids around the Boston Harbour. How exciting! I got some beautiful pictures of the Boston skyline. Today I've been helping Stasia, and we went to the units again. We had to meet with the gas guy because the gas had gotten turned off.
I know I'm in for an exciting and stressful year. My housemates are great, but we are all so different from each other. It's interesting to get to know them and try to understand their life stories.



Boston is beautiful, but so confusing. The units are 10 minutes from my office, but the streets twist and turn and are one-way in some areas. You can tell that it's pretty old. We got to walk part of the freedom trail, which was so interesting. I love reading and learning about history, but I can't really take a history class. I like that I can look up the information or ask questions, but I don't have to remember it all for a test. So glad I'm not in school anymore, but we'll see once this year is over. Maybe grad school is around the corner.

The book this time is:
The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)
I'm reading it slowly, but finding it to be one of the most interesting books I've ever read)

Cheese Pizza

Today I went to the mall to return some items and I was in the food court eating. I decided to get some Rocky Rococo Pizza, which if you don't have them, it's a fast food pizza place that sells square slices of deep dish pizza with delicious, but greasy bread sticks. Anyway I got sausage pizza and was enjoying my meal when I saw a mother and her 5 or 6 year old daughter at the table in front of me. She asked her daughter what she wanted to eat and she said cheese pizza. It made me think about when I was that age and I realized that I loved the simplicity of cheese pizza. It's bread, sauce, and cheese. I don't know why it tastes delicious, but it does.

I remember that I would eat sausage pizza when I was a kid. Never pepperoni. Don't ask me why, I just didn't like it. Now I do. I just remember getting so excited when I could convince my parents to buy me a tombstone extra cheese pizza. I did not like the three cheese kind, it had to be the extra cheese kind. I think it was special because the pizza was only for me. When you grow up with sisters, it's hard to have food that is only for you.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to the simplicity of cheese pizza. My world was so small then. All I cared about was trying to get my sisters to play with me, and reading and watching my favorite TV shows. I think we tend to get so wrapped up in the world and the politics of what is going on that we forget the little joys in life. I know that the world is at a very pinnacle point, but what if we all took a step back, had a slice of extra cheese pizza and just laughed and enjoyed our differences. Wouldn't it be great if the world's problems could be solved by a cheese pizza? It's like resolving a conflict when you are a kid. You stole my toy, so I got mad and took your best friend status away from you. The next day you come back with the toy and a cheese pizza and everything is solved. Your best friend status has been reinstated. I think we need to pay more attention to children and the impact that they make. They are a whole lot smarter and more intuitive than we give them credit for. So from me to you, enjoy a slice of cheese pizza!




The book this time is:
The Very Hungry Catepillar (Eric Carle)
It's a kids book about eating! How appropriate!

Boston here I come!

I'm moving to Boston for a year!
I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am! I'm volunteering with Jesuit Volunteer Corps and I will be working at Sojourner House as the permenant housing cordinator. It's a homeless shelter that built affordable housing units and now I work with the tenants that are living there. I will be doing PR work and using my degree which makes the experience even better! I leave Aug. 14th, but I'm flying to Baltimore for orientation.

The funny thing is that it took me forerver, and I mean forever to do my application. It was hard to think about myself so much. I'm not used to looking into my mind and figuring out why I believe what I believe. It was hard to express my thoughts into the essays, which is weird because I've never really had a problem writing before. It's easy for me to spurt out papers with good arguments. I could write 12 page papers in 3 hours, but it was hard to write why I wanted to volunteer and live off $85 a month. I had even convinced myself that I didn't want to do it anymore because I wasn't ready. I knew in my heart that I was ready, but it's hard to have this passion, which means giving up a career for a year and making money, because you feel like you are drawn to social justice. One very long and emotional phone conversation with my sister Elana changed all that. She helped me understand that I wouldn't be missing out on a career and this will start off my career. I couldn't ignore the passion just because it was hard to write the essays. So I finished them, had my interviews and then like magic I was going to Boston! Thank goodness, I know it was the right decision.



The book this time is:
My point.....and I Do Have One (Ellen Degeneres)
Can I just tell you that I love love love Ellen! I wish I was her! She's funny, but her comedy has a great underlying message and she really makes people want to get up and dance! I love it! Can someone please get me tickets to her show? I would be forever grateful! :)

A nice day

I went to work today.
It was a nice day.
I got called in early,
I went and played operator.
I went back to clerical.
I got a lot accomplished.

Sometimes I wonder why I care.
I care that there are call-ins.
I care that there are a lot of punch corrections.
I get excited when there is no one on compliance.
I care whether or not we make sales.
I care how many days we have worked safe.

Do I want to care about these things?
Not really,
and yet I do.
Have I become a dedicated retail worker?
Have I started to care for a company that does not really care about me?
YES! WHY?

It's all because I care about the world I live in.
I want to be successful in whatever I do.
It's that value that was instilled in me from little on.
Stupid family upbringing!
Stupid Catholic education!
Stupid college education!

There are more important things in the world to care about.
I've decided to care about them.
I've decided to let the little things go.
I will still be a dedicated worker,
but I won't let it all go to my head.
I have to stand on my own.

I am my own person!



The book this time is:
A Light in the Attic (Shel Silverstein)
He seriously writes the best poems, I don't care if they are for children! I'm a child at heart! :)

Size what?

I went shopping the other day. I am not a skinny girl...there is no way of getting around that. I am comfortable with myself. I'm not exactly plus size, but there is no way I'm extra extra large either. Here's my thought, why are stores suddenly changing the sizing of plus sizes? I'm not usually a Maurice's shopper, but my friend wanted to go in so we did. I saw a sign out front that said now carrying plus sizes. This was my thought.....so clothes that are the real size that they say they are? I'm sorry, XL's are not extra large! So the "plus sizes" are in the back of the store, and first of all the clothes are disgusting, they are just huge bags that hang over you. Is that really plus size? No! Also there is this chart which helps you decide your size. The chart said, 1=16-18W, 2=20=22W, and so on. Are you trying to make me feel better so that I can say I'm a size 1! That's a little pathetic. Why are we so scared of the sizes that we really are? I'm happy with myself, could I stand to lose weight? Yes! But why, because society tells me I'm not the ideal figure, right..... Maybe I like being XXL! At least I don't lie about my size and pretend that I'm a size one. Why can't I have a shirt that shows I have a body? I would rather not wear a flowery printed bag (Thank you very much Maurice's, but I think I'm going to stick with my XXL figure!)



The book this time is:
Fat and Proud (Charlotte Cooper)

P.S. I swear I'm going to keep up with blogging. I know all three people who are reading this miss my rants! :)

High School!

Okay part two of my teachers!
I will not go through all my high school teachers, just the ones that were great or funny or crazy!

Ms. Hupfer-Riedel- my TAC teacher, or for you non-Pius-ers, my homeroom teacher. Loved her dearly. She was crazy and always wanted to do crazy things during TAC, like TAC olympics, but she cared about as a TAC and paid attention to us. She was a chemistry teacher, so she helped me with my chemistry, which was great. (I still hate chemistry though)

Mr. Kangas- by far the best teacher at Pius! He was awesome!. I had him for AP U.S. History, which was great because he loved history so he went really slow. We talked about the Civil War for like 2 months! Good times! Plus, my best friend Gosia was in my class and he let us talk to each other in class. I always got B's on the tests. Great class! And he let us watch part of Newsies! :)

Ms. Frikovich- the first day of class she told us to call her Ms. Fuck-a-bitch! Ha , a tad innapproiate at a Catholic school.....whatever. She was fun, but she challenged me like no other English teacher I've had. She knew I was half-assing her class and she called me on it. Never had a english teacher do that. I always did good in English. She was good, but I didn't like her methods all that much.....everyone has a C until you earn a better grade....annoying. I wrote a crappy play in her Creative Writing class, wish I had more time to write it, now I have tons of ideas for a play. :)

Jay- my physics teacher, who I called by his first name (he didn't give consent, I just did it) so I can't remember his last name. He was a hoot. We watched 5 seconds of Titanic in class so we could measure how long it took the guy to fall who hit the propeller, so we could calculate his velocity (as if that movie was accurate to how long it took the guy to hit the propeller). He made us watch the videos of a college physics professor, so he didn't have to teach. Good times....I learned nothing, and somehow got a B in the class.

Bonnie- I actually had consent to call her by her first name, my choir teacher. Scary and amazing, although from a previous post, you can read how I felt about her by senior year. Plus a teacher should never call me "Little Dix" on the first day of class, just because I have older sisters. SO EMBARASSING!

Ms. McCann- my communuications, Modes of Lit, and British Lit teacher! So much fun! She let me talk to Gosia and Ryan in class, and she liked my writing style, plus we watched movies all the time. We got to watch the whole Pride and Prejudice movie (the 5 hour BBC version) in class. I think I was the only one that enjoyed it, though.

Mr. Witte- my Pius dad! I loved him! He was one of the Campus Ministers and was awesome. Always willing to sit down and talk with you. He always made time for me during the day and went out of his way to see how I was doing.

Mr. McCauly- My Great Thinkers in the Church teacher! Awesome! My favorite quote...."Hello children of God" I learned so much from him. He taught us some of my now favorite Saints. :)

That's it for now.....next is college! Isn't this fun?

The book this time is:
Ramona books (Beverly Clearly) I love them, even though I am too old for them. They make me smile, plus they remind me of when I was Ramona's age :)

My Teachers

I thought I would do a little reminiscing about the teachers that I've had through the years. Some were great, others were just plain weird, and some were crazy and taught me more than I thought possible.

Kindergarten- Mrs. Bauxbaum
She was a nice teacher. I remember singing songs about "Mr. M" and "Ms. A" and she would read stories to us. There are two particular instances that stand out in my mind. On my birthday I wore my favorite candy cane stripe dress. I even had candy cane tights that went along with the dress. I was so excited that it was my birthday. Mrs. Bauxbaum gave us papers to put in our backpacks and give to our parents. I got a paper cut putting them in my backpack. I raised my hand and asked to go to the nurse, but she told me I was being a baby and wouldn't let me go. The other instance happened at snack time. I hated milk, especially from the cartons so I wouldn't drink it. Mrs. Bauxbaum made me sit under the easel the rest of the day. She even let all the other kids leave after school. My sister came to find me because I wasn't with the rest of the Kindergartners, drank my milk and I got to go home. I thought those were weird punishments. At least my sister helped me :)

1st-2nd Grade- Mrs. Meinholz, Mrs. Lemorand, and Mrs Hemple
I loved Mrs. Meinholz. She really believed in my ability as a student and because of her I became a confident reader. Mrs. Lemorand had a great method for teaching addition and subtraction. Have a contest with the other students that involves getting an M&M if you were right. Mrs. Hemple was nice, but kind of boring, she was the science teacher and maybe that's why to this day, I don't like science.

3rd-4th Grade- Sister Margaret Anne, Sister Ruth Ann, and Mrs. Kopp
Oh the stories I have that involve Sister Margaret Anne. She would make us get up in class and randomly do the chicken dance. She had a rolling overhead of transparency to teach us everything from math to art. She taught us the Jesse Tree (the genealogy of Jesus). She made us have jump rope day on the playground that involved her big box of jump ropes and everyone no matter what jumping rope at recess. She even told us that she was married........to God. It scared the crap out of me, but now I understand. :) Sister Ruth Ann was great. She liked me and taught us spelling and grammar. Two things I am now pretty good at. Mrs. Kopp was nice. She made us write Mysteries and build log cabins. It was fun. She did start to notice that I wasn't applying myself because I wasn't handing in my homework. She talked to my sisters and then to my parents. It made me work harder, but I didn't think that she needed to get my sisters in on it.

5th Grade- Mrs. Gableman
This was the year that I transferred from St. Rita to Holy Apostles. Oh what a crazy year. I enjoyed it a lot. Mrs. Gableman played a huge Xylophone. She made us sing all 5 versus of the Star Spangled Banner and she would wheel it down to the church when we had mass. She also taught us about the Civil War and let me bring in my American Girl doll from the Civil War era (Addy) She read all the Addy books out loud to us in class. How fun that must have been for the boys :) She also didn't want to correct the work herself so we would have to switch tests or homework with someone else and she would call out all the answers. She also made us call out our scores on homework and tests so she could get them into her grade book right away. Quite embarrassing if you got a bad score.

6th-8th Grade- Mrs. Coxey, Mrs. Canning, Ms. Chause, Mrs. Tillison, Mrs. Fare, and Mrs. Chipman
Oh middle school at Holy Apostles......we learned a lot, but had crazy teachers. Mrs. Coxey taught Language Arts, and I learned everything about grammar and spelling that I needed to know for the rest of my school career from her. She liked to call people delinquents, and she had a Dead Word Cemetery, which were overused words that we couldn't use in papers. She also told Gosia that she was a bad influence, which is so not true, but still makes me laugh to this day. Mrs. Canning was weird. She loved Ancient Egypt. It's all we did in 6th grade. She taught Social Studies. She made us copy word for word notes from the board and then made us memorize the notes for tests. We also wasted time every Monday by getting a new seating chart for the week. Ms. Chause was awesome! She taught science and made us do Science Fair every year by ourselves. We had to do the projects and give speeches. It was so much work. She also thought she was hearing laughing in the class when no one was talking. She liked to threaten us with quizzes on chapters when we were being too loud, but we did fun things like Rocket Day. We made our own model rockets and got to blast them off. So much fun! Mrs. Tillison was cool. She taught us opp-opp to help us add and subtract negative numbers. Funny thing though, when I got to high school my algebra teacher made me stop doing it. :( Mrs. Fare was crazy! She made us memorize the family tree in the Bible from Adam and Eve to Jesus. She would give us a blank sheet with lines and we had to fill in all the names that came in between them. She also made us watch Jesus of Nazareth every year, which was crazy. She would give us tests that involved exact lines from the movie. On Monday mornings she would give us mass quizzes to see which of us had gone or paid attention to mass that weekend. Crazy! Mrs. Chipman was by far one of the worst teachers I have ever had. She not only pulled me out into the hallway and yelled at me, but she did it so everyone in the class could hear what was going on. She tried to hold me hostage at school because she found white-out in my assignment notebook. She also made us do these Book Reports that had to be so exactly done that you would only get a good grade if you followed the sample that she gave in class. :(

I will get to high school tomorrow. Hope you have enjoyed this tidbit into my life. The book this time is:
Digital Fortress (Dan Brown) It's so interesting. Kind of creepy that it foreshadows some things that are already happening.

They love me!

So I went to work today as always and I'm sitting down at my desk....that's right....I have a desk (it's not officially mine, but it's my place to work when I'm there). Anyways, Heather is one of the managers and she says that during the manager meeting yesterday she recognized me for being a great team member and being happy and excited while at work. Then later that day one of the managers in training pulled me aside and gave me a card because she recognized that I'm great at helping guests in the store and that I am cheerful while at work. It was great to hear that I make people smile when I am there. It's my mission in life to make people smile and if I can do it at a place like Target, where customers are soooooo annoying, then I think I actually have a talent for making people smile, which makes me smile! Yay! It's a scary thing when you fit really well with a company and you get paid so little, but I don't want to quit. Not yet anyway, I love all the people I work with and I'd miss them.

In other news Brett Farve retired today. Which does not make me as sad as some other Packer fans. I love him dearly, but I think it was time for him to go. He knows what is best and he really has given his all to the Packers. I will miss him, but I'm excited for the new quarterback because maybe he will be a superstar like Brett. Besides, I don't think Brett will walk away from football forever. He'll be an announcer or something cool like that. Maybe he'll have his own show. Then we can come to love him even more. Oh Brett, you make me happy!

I want to have my own show. I think it would be really fun, and I'm a fun person so therefore it would be a fun show. Maybe I could call it something cool like "Shut up! That's so exciting!" It's one of my favorite phrases. I also think being on the radio would be fun. I am fun, but there are a lot of serious issues that I am passionate about. Having a show would show my fun side and my serious side, and show that I am somehow able to balance the two.

Topic for next blog: My best and worst teachers of all time! It's going to be a good one so keep a look out for it!

The book this time is: The Polar Express (Chris Van Allsburg) It's one of my favorite books because I wish I could actually go on a train to the North Pole and meet Santa and hear the bell. Read it! It makes you feel good.

Avenue Q is AMAZING!!!!

I went to see Avenue Q last night and let me tell you that it is amazing! It's a parody of Sesame Street for adults, and some of the songs are "The Internet is for Porn, If you were gay. So funny! I think that if you get a chance you should go see it. I went with my mother and she loved it. The show is really funny, but has a lot of serious undertones it it. And they have TV's that play the cartoons like they have on Sesame Street. I've had the songs in my head all day. "If you were gay......that's be okay "The internet is really really great.......for porn!" Go see it!



I know it's been a seriously long time, but here are my updates. I got a promotion at Target and now am working as the HR clerical, which means I do schedules, punch corrections, and ordering supplies. It pays .50 more an hour, which is not much, but a raise nonetheless. I also am employee of the month. I know exciting! :) I got a free CD out of it (Juno Soundtrack), which was good, and I'm glad that the team recognizes the work that I do.

I also was cleaning and I came across something that I wrote my junior year of high school. It was in 2001, so like 6 1/2 years ago. I think it's good. It was for my Women's Voices in Literature class.

Daddy's Girl

Character: Sandra Marcus
(A sunny Saturday morning, around 9:00. She is in pajamas, a robe, and slippers. She is 38 years old. She sits in a small kitchen, drinking coffee. She's looking into her coffee as she talks.)

Well
um
I was born
on
the eighteenth of February
1962.

It was a rainy day
in fact,
it was pouring, when my mother went into labor.

They had some time getting to the hospital.

anyway

My dad was convinced I was a boy,
but uh-oh

Surprise!!!

I was a girl.

I think
in a way
I was a blessing.

My mom grew up with two brothers
and my dad was an only child
so that's how I became
Daddy's little girl.

He loved me
he really loved me.

I was a tomboy
you know
the uh
baseball
wait I mean softball.

I really loved softball

It was great being at bat
and being able to whack
well
excuse me
there's really no other way to say it.

I uh
I whacked the shit out of it.

It felt so good!

I think that's the reason
I was never that close
to my mom.

Softball was my out.

If someone made fun of me at school
I whacked the ball.

I never told my mom,
I hit the ball instead.

It was so satisfying
but
there were certain things that softball couldn't fix
then I told my dad.

I think my mom
resented that
that
special relationship
that I had with my dad.

She just didn't understand
I was Daddy's girl.

He loved me
and I loved him.

END

Let me know what you think. I thought it was pretty darn good for a junior in high school. I don't remember what the assignment was, but I had to write that for some reason.

The book this time is: My Point...and I Do Have One (Ellen Degeneres) It's random and funny.

Okay so seriously a long time!

I know it's been forever since I've written. I graduated! Yay! I passed all my classes and then spent Christmas at home with mi familia! It was awesome because my sisters came home and we spent a lot of time together. It's weird how when I was little I thought I wanted my sisters to move out because they were annoying, and now I miss them like crazy. I only get to see them twice a year and it's too little of a time. I can't believe how fast my childhood went. I still remember building tents with my sisters out of blankets and yard sticks, and bringing up all the toys and games from the basement and setting them up in the living room and playing store. We had so much fun when we were younger.

Another thing that I've realized is that working at Target sucks! People are so damn annoying. I can't believe the way they treat me and the store. They pick something up and then decide they don't want it so they put it someplace else in the store. Are you that lazy that you can't bring it up to the front and tell them that you don't want it? And thank you for asking me questions when I'm in the middle of lifting something heavy up onto the shelf. Like I can really stop everything I'm doing to help you.

I'm starting to realize that I don't have everything together, which is okay, but hard. I thought I knew what I wanted to do after college and know I'm not so sure. I just have to sit down and take some time for myself to figure out what is best to for. I'll come up with a new blog topic in a few days and I shall either bore you to tears or make you laugh! I'm going to the laugh!

The book this time is:
The Secret (Rhonda Byrne)
It's amazing! Read it and live it!