Hello! I just got back from NYC last night! It was definitely an adventure. Honestly, it made me realize that I am truly a small town girl at heart! Not small like "small rural town in Georgia with no Walmart" small, but smaller than NYC. I could NEVER live there!
It's strange because, my whole life, everyone I have ever known has complained about how there is nothing to do in their home towns. People are inherently bored. And when you make suggestions, they always cost money, which leads to the next complaint: fun things are too expensive. But, I tell all you small town complainers, those complaints don't disappear in the big apple.
There really wasn't much to do at all. I mean, we can look at things, it's a big city so there is lots I haven't seen yet, but seeing isn't too exciting...especially when everything you see you have already seen on TV. There are stores and food and broadway shows, but everything is CRAZY expensive. And getting anywhere is a production. There are entrances to the subway about every other block, but the subway only stops every 7 or 8 blocks, so you have to walk the 6 or 7 blocks either under or above ground to get to the actual subway, then walk the same distance to wherever you are going on the other end. Not that it's a ton of effort, but it takes a lot of time, so if you don't have huge chunks of free time, leaving your area is not really feasible. Cabs are quicker, but expensive, especially since you are expected to tip the driver (there are actually gov't signs in the cabs telling you to, although they say you don''t have to). It's just not nearly as accessible as I expected it to be.
So, what did we do? We looked around, walked around, ate at mediocre restaurants, and saw a broadway show. The show was good, but otherwise, I just wasn't too impressed. Actually, if it weren't for the fact that I was so happy to see my sister and where she lives & goes to school, it would have been a really boring weekend. A really expensive boring weekend. The hotel was $400/night, it cost about $150 to fly there, $50 to get to & from the airport in NYC, $40 on Cabs in the city, $10 on the subway, and $30 to leave my car at the Atlanta airport. Not to mention broadway tickets that were $100 each and then food. I would have bought stuff, but that is CRAZY expensive in the city!
So, this is what a learned: I love living in little towns! I love a normal amount of pedestrian traffic, a normal amount of car traffic, parking lots, regular malls and plazas, local theater, local small restaurants with great food and normal prices, and, of course, Walmart. I like that people smile at each other and don't walk into each other. I love that I can spend hours in my town and never hear brakes screech or a horn honk. I love that I don't feel a subway vibrating below me when I walk down the street. I love that I can take my car to the grocery store. I love that there aren't flumes in the middle of the road, pipng up underground pollution into the air. And I will NEVER complain about there being "nothing to do" in any little or medium-sized town I live in, never, ever again!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Lists
Tiffany started writing a list of 100 things she wants to do before she dies, but she only got to 39. I told her she needed to expand some of them, like "Visit all the continents" she has to break up and list each one, so she can check them off one at a time. Clearly, she won't visit them all at once, and lists need to be "checkable."
So, I thought I would make my own list. I only got to 13, and mine was totally checkable! I guess it's because I'm prett happy right now, and there aren't many things that I want to do that I haven't done yet. And most of the things I want to do are just a matter of time, like graduate from law school, move back to FL, pass the bar, etc. So those things I didn't even put on my list. But, I guess I've been pretty lucky in getting to do the things I've always wanted to do.
Had I made the lsit in high school I would have said things like "work at Disney World" or "graduate from college" or "live alone" or "move to FL." I've done all those things! I never really wanted to do bizarre things like work for the peace corps or go on a Safari. Maybe I am too simple minded. I have also considered expanded the definition of "want." Like, I guess it might be cool to go to South Africa or Australia, but I don't put those things on my list because I don't want to be on a plane that long, and I am afraid to eat in foreign countries. So maybe I should "want" to get over those fears and do those things, but they don't really eat at me, so I'm not anxious to do that. I did put 1 foreign country on my list, but I guess I am hoping that I will be rich enough that I can fly in & out in 1 day and not really have to eat there! Although, that would be a LOT of Xanax!!
Well, in case you are curious, here is my list:
1. Go to California
2. Get a PhD in Criminology
3. Go to Pompeii
4. Help my sister thru college
5. Work as a lobbyist
6. Adopt a little girl who feels unwanted
7. Volunteer at a rape, crisis, or suicide hotline
8. Interview a Serial Killer
9. Build up my physical strength
10. Take my mom & sister to Quebec City (I don't consider Canada a foreign country)
11. Buy a brand new car
12. Learn to cook well
13. Be a professor
See, very unimpressive. I feel content, yet lame. Any suggestions??
So, I thought I would make my own list. I only got to 13, and mine was totally checkable! I guess it's because I'm prett happy right now, and there aren't many things that I want to do that I haven't done yet. And most of the things I want to do are just a matter of time, like graduate from law school, move back to FL, pass the bar, etc. So those things I didn't even put on my list. But, I guess I've been pretty lucky in getting to do the things I've always wanted to do.
Had I made the lsit in high school I would have said things like "work at Disney World" or "graduate from college" or "live alone" or "move to FL." I've done all those things! I never really wanted to do bizarre things like work for the peace corps or go on a Safari. Maybe I am too simple minded. I have also considered expanded the definition of "want." Like, I guess it might be cool to go to South Africa or Australia, but I don't put those things on my list because I don't want to be on a plane that long, and I am afraid to eat in foreign countries. So maybe I should "want" to get over those fears and do those things, but they don't really eat at me, so I'm not anxious to do that. I did put 1 foreign country on my list, but I guess I am hoping that I will be rich enough that I can fly in & out in 1 day and not really have to eat there! Although, that would be a LOT of Xanax!!
Well, in case you are curious, here is my list:
1. Go to California
2. Get a PhD in Criminology
3. Go to Pompeii
4. Help my sister thru college
5. Work as a lobbyist
6. Adopt a little girl who feels unwanted
7. Volunteer at a rape, crisis, or suicide hotline
8. Interview a Serial Killer
9. Build up my physical strength
10. Take my mom & sister to Quebec City (I don't consider Canada a foreign country)
11. Buy a brand new car
12. Learn to cook well
13. Be a professor
See, very unimpressive. I feel content, yet lame. Any suggestions??
Catching Up
I always think of things to write about while I'm driving or working out or in the shower, and then I forget them by the time I am here at my computer! How annoying is that? Well, I spent the whole weekend catching up on my regular life, after a very busy week. Laundry, cleaning, cooking, shopping, getting an oil change, and homework. Of course, while doing all that I was watching all the shows I had taped during the week! But, even with all that going on, it was a pretty restful weekend. I got to sleep late & go to bed early, and there was relatively little drama.
I just watched a Daily Show episode that I taped last week, with "special guest" Bill O'Reilly. Honestly, I have NEVER watched the O'Reilly factor and I know relatively little about the man, but I knew enough to figure out that he & John Stewart would not so much get a long, so that is why I taped it! When John Stewart announced the book "The O'Reilly Factor for Kids" I thought he was kidding...he wasn't. Then, when O'Reilly continually bashed Stephen Colbert as "the french guy," I thought he was kidding...he was not. O'Reilly actually referred to France as "The Enemy" and accused John Stewart of making fun of the victims of hurricane Katrina. It was absolutely absurd. I really thought it was all a joke, but again, it was NOT! I wonder how the man can actually be serious, but he was.
I guess I am small minded, but so often I am shocked when I discover that things I thought were fact are still being debated. It was about 4 years ago when I first heard someone say "I don't believe in evolution." I didn't know it was an option, but apparently it is. In fact, the CBS Sunday Morning Show said today that "evolution has never been popular in America." Wow. Apparently, I've been lively under a very large, but hopefully brigtly colored, rock for my entire life.
I am going to see "Spamalot" this Saturday, on Broadway. I wonder how many people in this country think that Monty Python & the Holy Grail is a documentary of medieval England. Although, chances are it is more accurate than the history books being used in most American classrooms. That is , of course, if Americans even believe in "England."
I just watched a Daily Show episode that I taped last week, with "special guest" Bill O'Reilly. Honestly, I have NEVER watched the O'Reilly factor and I know relatively little about the man, but I knew enough to figure out that he & John Stewart would not so much get a long, so that is why I taped it! When John Stewart announced the book "The O'Reilly Factor for Kids" I thought he was kidding...he wasn't. Then, when O'Reilly continually bashed Stephen Colbert as "the french guy," I thought he was kidding...he was not. O'Reilly actually referred to France as "The Enemy" and accused John Stewart of making fun of the victims of hurricane Katrina. It was absolutely absurd. I really thought it was all a joke, but again, it was NOT! I wonder how the man can actually be serious, but he was.
I guess I am small minded, but so often I am shocked when I discover that things I thought were fact are still being debated. It was about 4 years ago when I first heard someone say "I don't believe in evolution." I didn't know it was an option, but apparently it is. In fact, the CBS Sunday Morning Show said today that "evolution has never been popular in America." Wow. Apparently, I've been lively under a very large, but hopefully brigtly colored, rock for my entire life.
I am going to see "Spamalot" this Saturday, on Broadway. I wonder how many people in this country think that Monty Python & the Holy Grail is a documentary of medieval England. Although, chances are it is more accurate than the history books being used in most American classrooms. That is , of course, if Americans even believe in "England."
Saturday, October 15, 2005
A Nation of Experts
Wow! I have had a very eventful couple of days! But I am pretty tired so I am just gonna write about this one little thing tonite. Today I attended a Public Interest Conference at Emory Law School. This is the second one they have had, and I have been to both. One of my good friends, J, is a big part of organizing these events, so I like to go and support him, but it's also just a fabulous event.
Today's theme was "The Intersection of Poverty and Human Rights." It's ironic because they chose that title last year, but the topic is so timely now in light of the "man-made disaster that followed Hurricane Katrina." There were 6 panels, of which you chose to attend 3. Then, the finale was a speech by the Keynote Speaker, Lisa Kung. Lisa is an attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights who practices in the area of prison litigation. Essentially, she tries to combat horrid conditions in jails and prisons in the southeast. Her speech was awesome.
Really the whole day was fabulous. I went to panels on Child Advocacy, Victims and the Criminal Justice System, and Living Wage Legislation. I learned a lot, especially about the living wage stuff, because that's something I don't know a lot about.
The whole day had a theme running through it, though, that made me go back to something I always say and truly believe, and so I will say it here, to my captive internet audience. A major problem in this country is that most people truly believe that they are experts in crime. They think they know who commits crimes, why they do it, who the victims will be, and how the criminals should be dealt with. I have a degree in criminal justice, and the motto of our department was "common sense is nonsense." Because whatever you think you know about crime, you are wrong. And if people could admit their own ignorance, and if we started listening to actual experts, this country could probably handle crime much more effectively. In this country, when we want to talk to a "crime expert" we look to lawyers, cops, or families of victims (Mark Klass and John Walsh to be exact). Why? Why don't we look to criminologists who have done actual research? Because the media wants charisma. And that is the problem with crime policy in this country. People want less crime, but they don't want to spend money and they don't want to treat criminals like human beings. Studies have proven that we could make safer jails and prisons, for less money, if we took away the metal bars, metal walls, and metal cots, and instead used plaster walls and wooden furniture. So, I think, that the answer lies in better collaboration. Lawyers, legislators, and the media, need to invite the experts in and listen to them. All of these non-profit, pro-bono groups that deal with the criminal justice system should have a resident PhD in criminology. The lack of mingling between these fields is absurd. And once the lawyers and the experts collaborate, we need to bring what we learn to the people thru the media. The media likes lawyers because we are good public speakers, PhDs often are not so good at that stuff. So maybe, lawyers can be the liaison, and maybe someday we can break thru the terrible wall of common sense that envelopes this country. Maybe then we will stop treating people like animals, and maybe then we can reduce the number of predators we have on our hands.
Today's theme was "The Intersection of Poverty and Human Rights." It's ironic because they chose that title last year, but the topic is so timely now in light of the "man-made disaster that followed Hurricane Katrina." There were 6 panels, of which you chose to attend 3. Then, the finale was a speech by the Keynote Speaker, Lisa Kung. Lisa is an attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights who practices in the area of prison litigation. Essentially, she tries to combat horrid conditions in jails and prisons in the southeast. Her speech was awesome.
Really the whole day was fabulous. I went to panels on Child Advocacy, Victims and the Criminal Justice System, and Living Wage Legislation. I learned a lot, especially about the living wage stuff, because that's something I don't know a lot about.
The whole day had a theme running through it, though, that made me go back to something I always say and truly believe, and so I will say it here, to my captive internet audience. A major problem in this country is that most people truly believe that they are experts in crime. They think they know who commits crimes, why they do it, who the victims will be, and how the criminals should be dealt with. I have a degree in criminal justice, and the motto of our department was "common sense is nonsense." Because whatever you think you know about crime, you are wrong. And if people could admit their own ignorance, and if we started listening to actual experts, this country could probably handle crime much more effectively. In this country, when we want to talk to a "crime expert" we look to lawyers, cops, or families of victims (Mark Klass and John Walsh to be exact). Why? Why don't we look to criminologists who have done actual research? Because the media wants charisma. And that is the problem with crime policy in this country. People want less crime, but they don't want to spend money and they don't want to treat criminals like human beings. Studies have proven that we could make safer jails and prisons, for less money, if we took away the metal bars, metal walls, and metal cots, and instead used plaster walls and wooden furniture. So, I think, that the answer lies in better collaboration. Lawyers, legislators, and the media, need to invite the experts in and listen to them. All of these non-profit, pro-bono groups that deal with the criminal justice system should have a resident PhD in criminology. The lack of mingling between these fields is absurd. And once the lawyers and the experts collaborate, we need to bring what we learn to the people thru the media. The media likes lawyers because we are good public speakers, PhDs often are not so good at that stuff. So maybe, lawyers can be the liaison, and maybe someday we can break thru the terrible wall of common sense that envelopes this country. Maybe then we will stop treating people like animals, and maybe then we can reduce the number of predators we have on our hands.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Money Changes Everything
When I registered for the 3-Day I thought it would change my life. It did, but not in the way I expected. I expected it to change the way I saw myself, by boosting my confidence and pride. I expected it to change the way I looked at my physical capabilities and my mental stamina. I also expected to create extraordinary bonds with other walkers. And, I am proud, but not as much as I thought I would be...I guess I'm just not as impressed with the walking as I thought I would be. Maybe it's because we didn't do the whole 60 (not that I think we should have, we both would have died), or maybe because I didn't feel so terrible afterwards, I'm not sure, but I'm just not so impressed with myself. And the only walker I bonded with was Tiffany!! Which is of course awesome, but I think most of our bonding occurred in training anyway, not during the actual event.
So what did I get out of the 3-Day? Well, I learned how fantastic and selfless the people around me truly are. Of course, Tiffany gets the prize for walking with me, that was just the ultimate sacrifice and commitment...and she knows how much I appreciate that. But I was really impressed with all the people who donated, and how much they gave. Many of my friends gave more than they could afford to give, and everyone who gave felt bad that they couldn't give more! It was really astonishing. Tiffany was pretty amazed to. I mean, we each raised over $2100, mostly from people who never donated to the 3-Day before. So where did this money go last year? Last year, before the Tsunami and Hurrican Rita, when gas was only $2.25/gallon, there must have been even more money available! I say this money should be spent on buying presents for me. My mom says it was probably spent on crap. But I defend to purchasing of crap...sometimes you need that stuff to make you feel better and it's cheaper than proz@c (Tiffany does that @ thing with brand names and I don't know why but she is pretty smart so I figure there is a good reason for, and thus, like a lemming off a cliff, I follow along).
Anyway, as I was saying, money is important to me, it always had been. I know money can't buy you happiness or love, but it can buy you freedom, which is just as important. I don't mean freedom from prison for white collar criminals, I mean dail freedoms. The freedom to take a day off of work, to go out to dinner, to buy what you want at the mall, or visit your friends whenever you like, or even the freedom to get sick because you can afford time off work and a doctor. Those are very important things, and they all take money. So, truthfully, I hardly ever give money away. I'll spend it on charitable events, like auctions or girl scout cookies, but I never just donate. So I am really impressed by those who do, especially other poor ass students like me who donated $25, $50, or even $100! Do you know how much I could buy with $100? I could go out to lunch, a movie, and still buy substantial amounts of crap with that money! And it's not like we need the tax deductions, we're living off of loans for goodness sake! I haven't paid income tax in seven years!! (I mean in the aggregate, after refunds, etc. This is not an admission to tax fraud!)
So I guess, I am just really impressed with the people in my life. They are really amazing. They took money out of their pockets not only to fight breast cancer, but to support me, and that is really awesome. And that changed my life. That being said, I will NOT be doing the 3-Day next year, so I expect some really kick-ass Christmas presents. I will be registered at W@lmart, T@rget, Bed B@th & Beyond, and your local Lexu$ dealership.
So what did I get out of the 3-Day? Well, I learned how fantastic and selfless the people around me truly are. Of course, Tiffany gets the prize for walking with me, that was just the ultimate sacrifice and commitment...and she knows how much I appreciate that. But I was really impressed with all the people who donated, and how much they gave. Many of my friends gave more than they could afford to give, and everyone who gave felt bad that they couldn't give more! It was really astonishing. Tiffany was pretty amazed to. I mean, we each raised over $2100, mostly from people who never donated to the 3-Day before. So where did this money go last year? Last year, before the Tsunami and Hurrican Rita, when gas was only $2.25/gallon, there must have been even more money available! I say this money should be spent on buying presents for me. My mom says it was probably spent on crap. But I defend to purchasing of crap...sometimes you need that stuff to make you feel better and it's cheaper than proz@c (Tiffany does that @ thing with brand names and I don't know why but she is pretty smart so I figure there is a good reason for, and thus, like a lemming off a cliff, I follow along).
Anyway, as I was saying, money is important to me, it always had been. I know money can't buy you happiness or love, but it can buy you freedom, which is just as important. I don't mean freedom from prison for white collar criminals, I mean dail freedoms. The freedom to take a day off of work, to go out to dinner, to buy what you want at the mall, or visit your friends whenever you like, or even the freedom to get sick because you can afford time off work and a doctor. Those are very important things, and they all take money. So, truthfully, I hardly ever give money away. I'll spend it on charitable events, like auctions or girl scout cookies, but I never just donate. So I am really impressed by those who do, especially other poor ass students like me who donated $25, $50, or even $100! Do you know how much I could buy with $100? I could go out to lunch, a movie, and still buy substantial amounts of crap with that money! And it's not like we need the tax deductions, we're living off of loans for goodness sake! I haven't paid income tax in seven years!! (I mean in the aggregate, after refunds, etc. This is not an admission to tax fraud!)
So I guess, I am just really impressed with the people in my life. They are really amazing. They took money out of their pockets not only to fight breast cancer, but to support me, and that is really awesome. And that changed my life. That being said, I will NOT be doing the 3-Day next year, so I expect some really kick-ass Christmas presents. I will be registered at W@lmart, T@rget, Bed B@th & Beyond, and your local Lexu$ dealership.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Still Here!
Hello everyone!! I know it's been a while, but I am still alive! I survived the 3-Day, and my mom's 4-day visit! I will write about that all soon and probably post it by tomorrow or Wednesday. Until then...feel free to read Tiffany's account of our 3-Day adventure on her blog! Beware, it's a long one! But, it is very accurate and surprisingly upbeat, considering I spent most of the 3-Day fearing that Tiffany would die and it would be all my fault! Anyway, as I said, my mom was here this week, so the next post will be amusing at the very least! Stay tuned...
Oh yeah, also, I am turning on "word verification" to get rid of spam comments. It's really easy to use, so please still comment on my blog or I will cry!!
Oh yeah, also, I am turning on "word verification" to get rid of spam comments. It's really easy to use, so please still comment on my blog or I will cry!!
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