the OTHER side of the story

Gloria Steinem, here is the rebuttal to your Times piece on Hill. Enjoy.

Scaredy Cat is for tomorrow, sorry.

wish you were here, beach

I'm tired. Long day, satisfying. But I'm tired of the rain, Rain. Can you just let me see Sun for a minute tomorrow? I could really use a hit.

Up next: Scaredy Cat? Why I Feel Okay About My Issues with Anxiety

oh hill...

Hillary won the New Hampshire primary with a bang--and frankly, I'm really wanting to root for her. So now I'm stumped. Because I like Obama (note: not on a first name basis, is this a sign of my loyalty?). I like that he's got an interesting background, he's a parent of young children (somehow I believe that could keep him a little more compassionate than the average politician), and that he's a writer.

I REALIZE these are not qualifications for a presidency. But these, in addition to those other issues that I know to be the REAL issues, make me want to get on board. Wear an Obama pin. Put a sign in my window.

But the girl's got a lot of momentum, and she's got experience and grit and a family she's been committed to, which I think is pretty impressive.

This article in the New York Times is really fascinating--Gloria Steinem has a very interesting, a well-articulated perspective on the reasons we're still so sexist. So anyway, more food for thought.

Hard to believe that this time next year, somebody else will be wearing the president's shoes.

testing, one. two. kelsey.

If anyone comments on this picture, I will know people are reading my blog. Which gives me hope that someday I can make money from/through/off writing. Is anybody oooooooooooout there? :)

fear of...book commitment?

Today at book club, we were tossing around ideas for our next selection. And I realized I haven't finished either of the first two books we picked out--Bird by Bird and A Farewell to Arms. I read at least half of each of them, and I enjoyed it all. So what's my problem? Why can't I ever finish a book? Even when I know it's a good one?

I think I have a problem. I have a problem with committing to books I fear may disappoint me. Don't get me wrong, I love the exhilaration of coming to the last whispery pages of a story that's completely swept me off my feet (for better of worse), and I especially love it when it's really long (seems way better than a triathlon) or really, um, literary (makes me feel like my professors are looking down on me like proud grandparents up in the clouds). But more often than not, I just don't get through them.

What follows is the list, not exhaustive, mind you, of books I've recently started...but not yet finished.

A Farewell to Arms
Bird by Bird
Middlesex
Darkness is My Only Companion (this hardly counts--it's about mental illness, and I needed to take a break from the dismal reality it acknowledges)
Spice
N.T. Wright's Matthew for Everyone, Paul for Everyone
Sex for Christians

And frankly, I can't even look at my bookshelf anymore without feeling a little embarrassed about the books I neglected to properly digest (ahem, read).

Ergo, my *favorite* and therefore most realistic New Year's resolution is to complete this short list of books by the time I'm married in June. That way, Dustin and I can really start our reading competition (which will last for the whole of our marriage, I assure you) on the same even playing field.

Wish me luck.

it's like i ran a marathon

...only that's not even close to reality. :) (Actually, I am interested in running a marathon--I think it would be an incredible exercise in discipline, but I have a few good excuses left until I go for the gusto.)

As I was saying. It's like I ran a marathon. My body hurts, I have no emotional energy, and I have been "running" alongside several gazillion fools for the past month. That's right folks, I have survived THE HOLIDAYS. And not just any set of holidays, my first set without my family. No trip to Colorado, no red-eye through Reno to make it home for Christmas brunch, no white Christmas with a view of Pike's Peak. Christmas this year meant Christmas with future hubby's family in Puyallup.

And as hard as it was, it felt like a turning point. I felt more like a part of this new family than ever before, which I guess you could say made it all worthwhile. :) (It does make it worthwhile, but I'll never get used to another family's food.)

SPEAKING OF FOOD! My favorite blogger, a fellow Seattle gal with an impressive level of foodie flair, has recently joined the writing crew over at Bon Appetit! Can you believe it? She's made it! She's a hero! She's earning a living by writing and loving to cook. Clearly, she's also my idol.



In honor of this momentous day in blog/food history, I will share my newest concoction:

Secret Weapon Dip

2 cups of roasted vegetables (I used onions, zucchini, carrots, red and yellow peppers and lots and lots of garlic)
3 cracks of the pepper mill
3 tablespoons light sour cream
a little salt
hot sauce

Puree all ingredients in food processor or blender (except sour cream) until they reach desired smoothness (I like mine a little chunky). Add a large dollop of sour cream and gently stir until it turns a glorious, creamy color...deceptively delicious.

Tastes lovely on crostini or even Triscuits. :)

Let's make a LIST!

I recently realized that the number of nap routines, blanket nicknames and critically important nightlight arrangements is at an all-time high! In honor of this feat (if I do say so myself), I have made a list of favorite children and their guilty habits...

1. Maya- loves running down hallways, her plastic tiger, and giving her sister sloppy kisses.
2. Jillian- says "esh" to anything she wants, carries a spare binkie, and is easily drugged by the not-so-mainstream DVD series, Signing Time (blech).
3. Nia- world's most mature preschooler, prefers not to be alone upstairs during nap time, eats lots of hummus and enjoys dancing like a rock star. Fabulous hair.
4. Clara- dramatic abilities are unparalled, especially when her parents are leaving, eats like a QUEEN (her sandwiches have Salumi Salami, really!), changes her own clothes at least eight times daily.
5. Skylar- tosses his head back when he's really laughing hard, doesn't enjoy abstract birthday gifts (an adventure? where's my present?), superhero-obsessed
6. Kakeru- speaks Japanese, but can count to 100 in English--usually does so when he's in trouble, likes taking puzzles and throwing the pieces down his indoor elephant slide, a vegetarian.
7. Sam- laughs like Bart Simpson, age 2, likes to hear Bible stories with his name in them, pops his collar.
8. Lane- wants desperately to be a real cowboy, likes to cuddle, calls his cousin "Skittle."

They are precious, and I am with them ALL the time.