Sex and the City Wisdom

My roomie and I just watched the Sex and the City series finale over dinner. I absolutely love love love the last 2 episodes, and it was a perfect thing to do on a rainy/gross evening on the first day back in class. And in light of what I wrote about earlier, I'm gonna write down Carrie's relationship wisdom...

“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships.
There are those that open you up to something new and exotic,
those that are old and familiar,
those that bring up lots of questions,
those that bring you somewhere unexpected,
those that bring you far from where you started,
and those that bring you back.
But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself.
And if you can find someone to love the you you love,
well, that's just fabulous.”

One of those days

You ever have one of those days where you just want to curl up in a ball under all the covers in your bed, and blare lots of good bitter break-up music? You know, like some classy Kelly Clarkson, maybe a little Three Days Grace, maybe shake things up and switch to the emo Dashboard Confessional. You want to just lay in your cozy bed, knowing that everything'll be okay, but right now it just doesn't feel that way. You are confident that you'll get through it - you always do. But for now, you just want to have one of those days. Tomorrow you can get up and show your face to the world again.

I'm having one of those days.

Gee, it really would have been helpful for this to not fall on the first day of the Spring Quarter.

"Spring Break 2008"

Ah, such a fun week! Crazy how "spring break" is neither very springy nor a break. Hmmm. It snowed a foot of snow on my first day of Spring Break. Aside from the fact that it was almost Easter and the day before had been the first day of "spring," it was very pretty. I love big snowstorms. Except when they leave me trapped in my parents house (literally - I couldn't leave til my dad plowed the driveway out).


While it was a "break" from school, it definitely was busy. But good busy. No, great busy. I was running around seeing people and all that, which was awesome. And staying up really late and sleeping half the day - can't really complain about that!!! Megan and Sarah were here in Chi-town for the weekend and we had a blast. Friday night's concert pretty much rocked my sweet little world. And Saturday night's birthday festivities for Lauren pretty much knocked me senseless. haha. Note to self: Long Island Ice Teas DO work wonders.

I don't have the energy to put up pictures/videos from my fabulous weekend...and really, the good stuff is on Megan's camera, now far far away in Minneapolis. :( Since I don't have the energy/the actual pics, I thought I'd leave you with some Dan Wilson lyrics...

One life is all we ever get
And all we ever give up for it in return
Is all the ones we might have been (Seems to be a theme for me lately)
Just one kind of beautiful each in our turn
Innocence and consequence
I only hope we never learn
Running all around all around
All kinds of beautiful.

Back to school tomorrow. Real world - you suck!

also - Earth Hour, Saturday night

Earth Hour on Saturday night, happening in cities around the world. Check out the website. Raising awareness about global warming and energy consumption and all that not-so-fun stuff. Tons of energy will be saved just by reducing lights and other energy-consuming activities around big cities for an hour. Seriously.

tonight still

Pictures/videos from tonight's fabulous show to be posted soon!!!!

But as a highlight, I got to have a conversation with Dan Wilson (remember Semisonic?). Yay!

Quote of the day: "I'm tired of being yelled at for having eyelids." by Megan W.

tonight's fun

http://www.myspace.com/hotelcafetour

that's the link for the concert I am going to tonight with megan and sarah. check it out, dude.

YAY!

how can it still be snowing?

Ahhh the joys of living in the Midwest, and the pains of traveling anytime between the months of October and April. Snowstorms threaten plans of travel constantly. Take today, for example. I'm headed back to Chicago this evening. Already not looking forward to the drive because it means heading back to the 'real world.' And it's gonna snow/freezing rain the whole way. Damn.

My favorite things

Some of my favorite things....

*Sun, Sun, Sun, especially these first days of spring.
*the Twin Cities - somewhere I am destined to live again someday in my future. When? who the hell knows.
*Sleeping til 10 everyday, and staying in my pajamas til noon
*No homework.
*my Minnesota friends, especially the pregnant ones :) For some crazy reason, I'm feeling this huge urge/desire to be married and having babies...and I thought I wasn't ready for that anytime soon. But I might be. Oh, Crap.
*Sucking at that ridiculous buckhunter game at the bar...well, that really wasn't that much fun. hahaha
*pedicures with the funny woman who called Marie "wide."
*Potbelly is now in Minnesota!
*Free alcohol. And free food. In no particular order.
*did I mention no homework?

Moral of the story: I love driving up to the Cities on spring break and hangin' with my favorite people in the world, and being lazy, and ..........

5 Years in Iraq

If you are interested in attending a vigil to observe the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq, check out the following message from MoveOn.org and find a vigil near you. Hard to believe it's been 5 years.....

The war in Iraq has gone on for nearly five years. The unbearable costs at home and abroad keep mounting. It's clear that Americans are ready for a real change in direction.

On March 19th, tens of thousands of people across the country will gather to observe the fifth anniversary of the war with candlelight vigils. We'll commemorate the sacrifices too many families have made, and the billions of dollars wasted in Iraq that could have been better invested at home.

Join us at a candlelight vigil on Wednesday, March 19th. Honor the sacrifice. Change our priorities. Bring the troops home.

Click here to organize your own vigil, or sign up for one near you.

Vigil Before the Rally
Federal Plaza - West Side
250 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL 60603
Wednesday, 19 Mar 2008, 5:30 PM

You can sign up for this event, or to host your own, at:
http://political.moveon.org/event/5yearsvigil/45948

I hope you'll sign up.

....

I have great friends. No, I have amazing friends.

Just wanted to put that out there. If you are reading this, there's a pretty good chance you're one of them..............

Song of the day: still Lie in our Graves (see below)

Irish for a Day

Yes. That is a neon green river behind me and a couple of my favorite girls. :)

I have finally experienced the dying of the Chicago River. They dye it green. No matter that it is already green. They actually dye it this crazy ectoplasm-like neon green. Supposedly it's non-toxic and safe...A few more pictures:







Yay for a lovely day of hanging out downtown with fabulous friends, drinking some Bailey's, and pretending I'm Irish for a day. :)

Song in my head today:
Dave Matthews Band (how fun to rediscover cd's I didn't even think I really liked anymore)
Lie in our Graves
~I can't believe that we would lie in graves wondering if we had spent our living days well.
I can't believe that we would lie in graves wondering what we might have been.
I can't believe that we would lie in graves wondering if we had spent our living days well.
I can't believe that we would lie in graves wondering what we might have been.

would you not like to be
would you not like to be
I can't believe that you would not like to be
would you not like to be

ok, ok, ok,
ok, ok, ok,
ok, ok, ok,
ok, ok, ok,

and we dance away~

Heat Wave Haikus

Fifty-five degrees.
Sun is out and tests are done.
Yet still I work, work...

Inside where I sit:
Quiet, hot, stuffy, and gross.
The outdoors calls me.

5:30 is three
more hours away from now.
Thank you, dear Jesus.

New & Improved

Welcome to my new and *improved* blog! Well....the design is new. Maybe not so improved. But I needed a change.

So does inspiration to post regularly come with the new design of my blog? Doubtful. But I'll try.

After today I will be done writing papers for about 2 weeks. One more final next Monday, but that'll be easy compared to all this writing I've been doing. Any good vibes/prayers/thoughts sent my way will be most appreciated! :)

Please take 30 seconds to sign this petition to Target stores

Ok, let's admit it. We all knew Walmart wasn't the only bad guy store in the world. But it's sad for me to hear about these injustices at Target, one of my fave places to shop...Please read the following email from Interfaith Worker Justice (a very reputable organization that I interned for last summer) and take a minute to sign the petition to Target. Thanks.

Dear Friends of Social Justice,

While at least one "big box" store has been the subject of much attention regarding its community and workplace practices, as people of faith and action we are compelled to ensure that ALL of our country's corporate leaders subscribe to a policy of fairness for their workers.

We're asking you to join us in TAKING ACTION for justice at Target stores, where not all store workers are receiving living wages, access to affordable health care or respect and dignity on the job. Worse than that, most Target store janitors are LOCKED IN overnight, with limited or no emergency escape option.We're asking you to fax a letter to Target management, which can be sent from your computer.

Unfortnuately, Target has a history of worker problems, for example:

Jim's Maintenance janitors in Texas worked mandatory overtime in locked Target stores. When Target cancelled the contract, $150,000 in wages were withheld from the janitors. The janitors have filed a lawsuit against Target.

Wackenhut Security provides security at Target corporate headquarters in the Twin Cities. The company has a growing record of problems that include reports of discrimination, fraud (for $20 million in Miami Dade County alone), falsified training records, excessive overtime, violations of client policies, and retaliation against whistleblowers. Recently, Target cut the pay of security officers by $1.00 per hour, even as Target reported record profits.
(For more information, go to www.eyeonwackenhut.org.)

Excel Building Services cleans Target's California retail locations. Workers at Excel report ongoing violations of local wage and hour laws, as well as federal labor laws. The company was fined by the city of San Francisco and has settled at least one lawsuit for paying substandard wages similar to the wages Target's janitors are now reporting.

Click here to take action.

Thank you and Blessings,

Kim Bobo, Executive Director
Interfaith Worker Justice

Super Tuesday coming fast!!!

As you are getting ready to vote on Tuesday (or you've already early voted - like me! or your state already had their primaries....or your state is yet to come), here are some sites that friends have recommended to me to help you choose your candidate.

Electoral Compass quiz

Glass Booth quiz

Green Voters Guide

HOPE EVERYONE IS OUT THERE VOTING!!!!!

Word of the Day: Primiparous

In writing my paper last night, I learned a new word. PRIMIPAROUS.

Any guesses as to what it means?

It means woman who has only one child, in other words, a woman who has only given birth once. Who knew.

I am determined to find ways to use this word in everyday conversation.

Another interesting article from Co-Op America

Here's the link: http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/climate/dirtyenergy/nuclear.cfm

Much of this was stuff I hadn't known, or even thought of before. Do with it what you will...
p.s. notice how often I have been updating my blog :)

Ten Strikes Against Nuclear Power

Here at Co-op America, we’re working hard to heal the climate by transitioning our electricity mix away from its heavy emphasis on coal-fired power. In 2007, you helped us stop fifteen new coal plants, tell the financiers of major coal projects to stop funding coal, and persuade mutual funds to support shareholder efforts to mitigate climate change.

But all of that good work will be wasted if we transition from coal into an equally dangerous source – nuclear power, which is why we've put together this list of reasons why nuclear power is not a climate solution.

Solar power, wind power, geothermal power, hybrid and electric cars, and aggressive energy efficiency are climate solutions that are safer, cheaper, faster, more secure, and less wasteful than nuclear power. Our country needs a massive influx of investment in these solutions if we are to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

Thankfully, no new nuclear plants have been built in the US for over 30 years. That means that a whole new generation of concerned citizens grew up without knowing the facts about nuclear power – or remembering the terrible disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. So it is time to remind everyone that nuclear is not the answer. Please help us get the word out.

Currently we draw electric power from about 400 nuclear plants worldwide. Nuclear proponents say we would have to scale up to around 17,000 nuclear plants to offset enough fossil fuels to begin making a dent in climate change. This isn’t possible – neither are 2,500 or 3,000 more nuclear plants that many people frightened about climate change suggest. Here’s why:

---

1. Nuclear waste -- The waste from nuclear power plants will be toxic for humans for more than 100,000 years. It’s untenable now to secure and store all of the waste from the plants that exist. To scale up to 2,500 or 3,000, let alone 17,000 plants is unthinkable.

Nuclear proponents hope that the next generation of nuclear plants will generate much less waste, but this technology is not yet fully developed or proven. Even if new technology eventually can successful reduce the waste involved, the waste that remains will still be toxic for 100,000 years. There will be less per plant, perhaps, but likely more overall, should nuclear power scale up to 2,500, 3,000 or 17,000 plants. No community should have to accept nuclear waste site, or even accept the risks of nuclear waste being transported through on route to its final destination. The waste problem alone should take nuclear power off the table.

The Bush administration’s solution – a national nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain – is overbudget and won’t provide a safe solution either. The people of Nevada don’t want that nuclear waste facility there. Also, we would need to transfer the waste to this facility from plants around the country and drive it there – which puts communities across the country at risk.

2. Nuclear proliferation – In discussing the nuclear proliferation issue, Al Gore said, “During my 8 years in the White House, every nuclear weapons proliferation issue we dealt with was connected to a nuclear reactor program.” Iran and North Korea are reminding us of this every day. We can’t develop a domestic nuclear energy program without confronting proliferation in other countries.

Here too, nuclear power proponents hope that the reduction of nuclear waste will reduce the risk of proliferation from any given plant, but again, the technology is not there yet. If we want to be serious about stopping proliferation in the rest of the world, we need to get serious here at home, and not push the next generation of nuclear proliferation forward as an answer to climate change. There is simply no way to guarantee that nuclear materials will not fall into the wrong hands

3. National Security – Nuclear reactors represent a clear national security risk, and an attractive target for terrorists. In researching the security around nuclear power plants, Robert Kennedy, Jr. found that there are at least eight relatively easy ways to cause a major meltdown at a nuclear power plant.

What’s more, Kennedy has sailed boats right into the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant on the Hudson River outside of New York City not just once but twice, to point out the lack of security around nuclear plants. The unfortunate fact is that our nuclear power plants remain unsecured, without adequate evacuation plans in the case of an emergency. Remember the government response to Hurricane Katrina, and cross that with a Chernobyl-style disaster to begin to imagine what a terrorist attack at a nuclear power plant might be like.

4. Accidents – Forget terrorism for a moment, and remember that mere accidents – human error or natural disasters – can wreak just as much havoc at a nuclear power plant site. The Chernobyl disaster forced the evacuation and resettlement of nearly 400,000 people, with thousands poisoned by radiation.

Here in the US, the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979 triggered a clean-up effort that ultimately lasted for nearly 15 years, and topped more than one billion dollars in cost. The cost of cleaning up after one of these disasters is simply too great, in both dollars and human cost – and if we were to scale up to 17,000 plants, is it reasonable to imagine that not one of them would ever have a single meltdown? Many nuclear plants are located close to major population centers. For example, there’s a plant just up the Hudson from New York City. If there was an accident, evacuation would be impossible.

5. Cancer -- There are growing concerns that living near nuclear plants increases the risk for childhood leukemia and other forms of cancer – even when a plant has an accident-free track record. One Texas study found increased cancer rates in north central Texas since the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant was established in 1990, and a recent German study found childhood leukemia clusters near several nuclear power sites in Europe.

According to Dr. Helen Caldicott, a nuclear energy expert, nuclear power plants produce numerous dangerous, carcinogenic elements. Among them are: iodine 131, which bio-concentrates in leafy vegetables and milk and can induce thyroid cancer; strontium 90, which bio-concentrates in milk and bone, and can induce breast cancer, bone cancer, and leukemia; cesium 137, which bio-concentrates in meat, and can induce a malignant muscle cancer called a sarcoma; and plutonium 239. Plutonium 239 is so dangerous that one-millionth of a gram is carcinogenic, and can cause liver cancer, bone cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, and birth defects. Because safe and healthy power sources like solar and wind exist now, we don’t have to rely on risky nuclear power.

6. Not enough sites – Scaling up to 17,000 – or 2,500 or 3,000 -- nuclear plants isn’t possible simply due to the limitation of feasible sites. Nuclear plants need to be located near a source of water for cooling, and there aren’t enough locations in the world that are safe from droughts, flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other potential disasters that could trigger a nuclear accident. Over 24 nuclear plants are at risk of needing to be shut down this year because of the drought in the Southeast. No water, no nuclear power.

There are many communities around the country that simply won’t allow a new nuclear plant to be built – further limiting potential sites. And there are whole areas of the world that are unsafe because of political instability and the high risk of proliferation. In short, geography, local politics, political instability and climate change itself, there are not enough sites for a scaled up nuclear power strategy.

Remember that climate change is causing stronger storms and coastal flooding, which in turn reduces the number of feasible sites for nuclear power plants. Furthermore, due to all of the other strikes against nuclear power, many communities will actively fight against nuclear plants coming into their town. How could we get enough communities on board to accept the grave risks of nuclear power, if we need to build 17, let alone, 17,000 new plants?

7. Not enough uranium – Even if we could find enough feasible sites for a new generation of nuclear plants, we’re running out of the uranium necessary to power them. Scientists in both the US and UK have shown that if the current level of nuclear power were expanded to provide all the world's electricity, our uranium would be depleted in less than ten years.

As uranium supplies dwindle, nuclear plants will actually begin to use up more energy to mine and mill the uranium than can be recovered through the nuclear reactor process. What’s more, dwindling supplies will trigger the use of ever lower grades of uranium, which produce ever more climate-change-producing emissions – resulting in a climate-change catch 22.

8. Costs – Some types of energy production, such as solar power, experience decreasing costs to scale. Like computers and cell phones, when you make more solar panels, costs come down. Nuclear power, however, will experience increasing costs to scale. Due to dwindling sites and uranium resources, each successive new nuclear power plant will only see its costs rise, with taxpayers and consumers ultimately paying the price.

What’s worse, nuclear power is centralized power. A nuclear power plant brings few jobs to its local economy. In contrast, accelerating solar and energy efficiency solutions creates jobs good-paying, green collar, jobs in every community.

Around the world, nuclear plants are seeing major cost overruns. For example, a new generation nuclear plant in Finland is already experiencing numerous problems and cost overruns of 25 percent of its $4 billion budget. The US government’s current energy policy providing more than $11 billion in subsidies to the nuclear energy could be much better spent providing safe and clean energy that would give a boost to local communities, like solar and wind power do. Subsidizing costly nuclear power plants directs that money to large, centralized facilities, built by a few large companies that will take the profits out of the communities they build in.

9. Private sector unwilling to finance – Due to all of the above, the private sector has largely chosen to take a pass on the financial risks of nuclear power, which is what led the industry to seek taxpayer loan guarantees from Congress in the first place.

As the Nuclear Energy Institute recently reported in a brief to the US Department of Energy, “100 percent loan coverage [by taxpayers] is essential … because the capital markets are unwilling, now and for the foreseeable future, to provide the financing necessary” for new nuclear power plants. Wall Street refuses to invest in nuclear power because the plants are assumed to have a 50 percent default rate. The only way that Wall Street will put their money behind these plants is if American taxpayers underwrite the risks. If the private sector has deemed nuclear power too risky, it makes no sense to force taxpayers to bear the burden.

And finally, even if all of the above strikes against nuclear power didn’t exist, nuclear power still can’t be a climate solution because there is …

10. No time – Even if nuclear waste, proliferation, national security, accidents, cancer and other dangers of uranium mining and transport, lack of sites, increasing costs, and a private sector unwilling to insure and finance the projects weren’t enough to put an end to the debate of nuclear power as a solution for climate change, the final nail in nuclear’s coffin is time. We have the next ten years to mount a global effort against climate change. It simply isn’t possible to build 17,000 – or 2,500 or 17 for that matter – in ten years.

With so many strikes against nuclear power, it should be off the table as a climate solution, and we need to turn our energies toward the technologies and strategies that can truly make a difference: solar power, wind power, and energy conservation.

Famous Friends

In today's post I will be honoring my lovely friends, Tim and Marie. They are a young married couple, on their way to officially being adults...they just bought a house, and they are going to welcome their first child in June. Wowowow. Yes, they are making me feel like I might be a bit behind in this thing called life, but you know what, I'm okay with that. :) And I'm excited to live vicariously through them.

If you are interested, they made the Twin Cities news when they bought their new house in an auction this weekend, so check out this link to watch my famous friends: http://wcco.com/video/?id=35847@wcco.dayport.com

And a picture of us, from several years ago - I hope we look older now than we do in this pic!!!

Heath Ledger

It may seem odd to you that I'm a bit down upon hearing of the death of Heath Ledger. Sure, famous people have died in my lifetime, but for some reason this hits a bit harder. I think one reason is his age, one year older than me. Another reason is that Heath was one of my first big star crushes. Think Ten Things I Hate About You and A Knight's Tale. Aaaah... And regardless of whether his death was intentional or accidental, I find it very sad and disheartening. What a life it must be to live in the public eye for so long. I can't even imagine how difficult it must be. I will miss you, Heath Ledger.

Super Bowl sadness

I had predicted that it would be the Packers and the Patriots in this year's Super Bowl...and after yesterday's cold & close game, I have found my prediction was dreadfully wrong. I don't think it's normal for someone to feel this sad about her team losing...I actually feel heavy-hearted about it. Well, I guess there is always next year, but I really thought this was our year.

The new quarter has started. Caucuses and debates are happening regularly. Football is still being played, at least a couple more games. The weather is colder than I-don't-know-what. Decisions that affect the rest of my life are to be made in the next couple weeks. Papers to be written, and many many articles to be read, which means lots to be learned, right? Volleyball games to be lost (but we're getting better!). So much life to be lived!

Yes, the new quarter has started...