so, question for all you mothers out there. my friend just had a baby on the 17th, bringing the grand total to three under the age of five. at what point will she be ready for social contact, i.e. long phone conversations with me? you know, adjusting to being a new mom again and all that?
maybe it is a silly question, but I really don't know the etiquette around these things.

on violence against women

this rant is actually a long time coming and is only the thoughts floating around in my head. i am not pointing fingers nor do i wish for anyone to feel badly about anything they have said (teased) me about in the past or future. i take full ownership of what i am about to say. this is MY soapbox, passion, and future livelihood. i have borrowed phrasing because i feel that it drives home points, but this is not aimed at any one or two (or all) friends:

statistics indicate that 1 of every 3-4 women are sexually assaulted; including rape, incest, inappropriate touching, etc. 1 of 8 men are sexually assaulted (these numbers may be even higher, but because of stigmas that i will probably rant about another day, men report even less than women). so, think of yourself and your 3 best girlfriends. statistically, one of you either has been, or will be sexually assaulted in some form. now think about your mom and four of her friends. how about sister(s)? you get the idea...
point is that we all probably know someone who has been sexually assaulted whether they talk about it or not. it can happen to ANYONE (i know, i saw it). it is NEVER the victims fault. doesn't matter if she was dress promiscuously, drinking, etc. 80% of all rapes are date rapes - people the victim knew and TRUSTED. yet, these myths and others continue to perpetuate because WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT. how is society ever going to change if we refuse to talk about it and pretend this isn't the horrible problem it is.
I worked at a RAPE crisis center last year. most people CRINGE when i say that out loud, and there is generally either an ackward pause or someone hastens to change the subject. i am certainly not going to detail here or in a conversation with someone the things that have been entrusted to me in confidentiality, however, i should be able to say what i DO for a living without having to worry about offending someone. sheesh.

while i am on the topic, another problem is this whole idea that women have to be "coy" in order to be feminine. i.e. i'm going to tell you "no" when i really mean "yes". i mean, i like Jane Austin as well as the next girl, but really, can't these people just learn to COMMUNICATE. i guarantee you that half the world's problems will be solved if people would just say what they mean.

ok. feminist rant complete. i promise to go back to fluffy, inconsequential communications on my next post.

love ya.

a self-description

i'm trying to write a letter to a new person i have been assigned to VT who isn't active right now and we don't have a phone number for. i am realizing how difficult it is to introduce myself with NO frame of reference of whom i am talking to. so, here is my attempt at an accurate, yet brief description of who i am:

I’ll include here just a brief introduction for myself, and then let Rachel do the same in a future letter, so you can also get to know us a little bit better. I am a student, just about to graduate with a Masters in Social Work degree from USC. I care about social justice, try to be eco-friendly in small ways, and get upset about hurts and abuse. I spent a year working at a Rape Crisis Center, and I am working this year at center for adults with mental illnesses doing therapy and case management I love what I do, and am kept very busy between work and school. I am married with no children. My husband, Tyler, works in the film industry, doing computer generated special effects for movies. We have been living in LA for two years, having come from UT. We both really like it here and are planning on staying for the foreseeable future. I love to read, and will inhale just about any book I can get my hands on. Reading is also just about my only hobby since I am woefully lacking in any kind of crafty skills (sewing, scrapbooking, etc.) and am not really inclined to learn. I (try) to exercise regularly, remind myself to breathe daily, and attempt to accept and enjoy what I am given each day. I am also realizing as I write this letter how hard it is to introduce myself in a way that is meaningful and not too cliché.

So what do think? Miss anything?

ever just feel too tired for any kind of original thought? i didn't realize how much school turns my brain to mush (isn't it supposed to have the opposite effect)? so, instead of writing something profound, i'll entertain you with these insane, yet funny, Japanese clips, yo.

this first one I stole from Hillary's website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcaUYw7UCG0

and of course who can resist a dancing chicken with a clock in her chest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxuKqyM8pmw

by the way, how do you embed the actual video into the post, not just the link? anyone?

so, one thing i am really proud of is that i can pretty much find my way around LA - not an easy task in a big city with multiple freeways. however, that is not to say that i don't have my moments. take today for example; the downtown building that i was trying to get to (olive and 12th street for the natives) was under construction and the outside was surrounded by scaffolding, so obviously the exterior looked different. by the time i realized this i was driving past the parking lot entrance. thinking that i could make it, i slammed on the brakes and turned, causing all the other cars behind me to have to do the same. then, because i couldn't fully make the turn, (thanks Saturn with no turn radius), they all had to wait for me while I backed up into a three point turn to get into the lot. :) now in all fairness to me, i thot i had pulled into a non-lane before hitting the brakes (you know, the lane that is metered parking spots except during rush hour). then, as i was leaving the lot in the later in the day, i started to turn right, only to realize that I was about to go the WRONG way on a ONE WAY street. guess now that i have mastered the task of where to go, i can work on the task of following all other driving safety rules.

oh, and for the record, i am generally a really good driver. no tickets and no accidents (knock on wood).

in the spirit of resolutions, i am posting my first January goal. my hope is to add a new habit each month so by the end of the year i can say that i have made 12 changes to my life for the better.

Goal 1: Drink More Water

i am in a perpetual state of dehydration, and i don't even notice because my body is so used to it. so, my goal this month is that every time i have something to eat, meals or snacks, i will drink a glass of water. since i tend to graze throughout the day rather than eat big meals, this should get at least 6 glasses of water into me a day. doing pretty good so far....

Death of a Spider

ODE TO A SPIDER:
Oh spider in our tv bright, you really gave us quite a fright.
How ever did you not get zapped when navigating wires not mapped?
Now on the floor you lay quite dead, your legs up dangling o'er your head.
It 'tis a sad way to meet your doom - being squashed by a giant's broom.

this year for the first time, tyler and i spend christmas by ourselves. although we missed our families, it was really great to be able to have time together and enjoy a relaxing holidays.
we finally found a traditional Christmas ornament to symbolize our year:
I know the picture isn't really clear, but it is a cartful of nuts with two little squirrels. Tyler inscripted "to a nutty 2007." We chose this because while no major events have happened this year, we have been incredibly busy keeping up with school, work, and life.

Christmas day we went to the beach (ah, the joys of Southern California):
In the afternoon, we hung out with Kristen's family and Nanette's family. (Thanks for hosting Nan!). You both rock!
My awesome friends also got me a "Last Semester Survival Kit, filled with all the things I will need to make it through the next four months:
so now on to 2008!