He says it better.

I know many of you are aware of my ardent attachment to Stephen Colbert.  But lest you think I have foresaken his forefather, I will tell you that I am an equally avid fan of Jon Stewart. And this is why...

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I love this show.  It's funny.  It's timely.  It's passionate.  It's smart.  Is Jon Stewart a liberal...I'm pretty sure that's a big YES.  Is he a Democrat...hmm, I have a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't want to be put in the same category with such clowns.  I only know that he's smart, he's articulate, and he's changed my admittedly stubborn mind on more than one occasion.  He's turned being informed into the sexy, hilarious, intelligent trait that it always should have been. Stephen will always have my heart, but it's Jon that stimulates my mind.

side note:  Perhaps it's because I have no serious attachment to college football, or football in general, that this story did not have me torn in two.  I have no allegiance to this team or this university or this sport, and so I can say that, yeah, it's easy for me.  Child molesters and those who harbor child molestors are bad and should be punished.  At the very least fired from their high profile positions.  But I have to say, that had this happened at U of A, while I was a student, I can't imagine that I would have rioted for the reinstatement of a certain, famous basketball coach.

It's not you. It's me.

Dear Terra Nova,

This sort of letter is never easy.  I guess I could start with, I think you have a great personality.  You do!  You're interesting and easy on the eyes, but there just seems to be...something missing.

When TV Guide set us up, I think we were all sure that this would be a match made in heaven.  You are a cheesy, sci-fi, TV show.  And I LOVE cheesy, sci-fi, TV shows.  How many times have I seen V (the original, not that recent mockery of a remake)?  And you are chock full of dinosaurs.  I can't even remember how many times I saw Jurassic Park in the theater.  Lots.  I love dinosaurs so much that I have even seen Jurassic Park 2...more than once.  That's how much I love cheesy sci-fi and dinos.  And then there's the fact that you're created by the same guy, who had quite a lot to do with Star Trek Enterprise...the guiltiest of my cheesy, sci-fi, guilty pleasures.

Yes, we all thought that this would be perfect. 

But I think we're just at different times in our lives.  I mean, let's be honest.  You seem to be looking for a serious connection.  But I'm so busy, that all I've got time for is a light, half hour, quickie.  And if I am going to devote a whole hour, well, it had better be mind blowing.  I'm talking BSG caliber...great acting, great stories, and it had better look GOOD.  And I'm sure that your acting, and stories are good... for some people, they're just not for me.  I know you're asking, "But Star Trek Enterprise!  Surely if you liked that, you must be into me?!?"  What can I say, Enterprise and I just had that special something.

So Hot.

And as for looking GOOD.  You certainly have nothing to worry about there.  Come on, the hotness is a little more than I am capable of handling.  But again, you push with your serious relationship.  I mean, your hottest character...and I'm talking the hottest thing I've seen on TV since Joel McHale played naked pool on Community; he's that kind of hot, and you've got him tied down in a serious relationship.  I don't want my hot guy living in marital bliss, happily settled down with his equally hot wife.  No, I want my hot guy troubled and distant, so afraid of relationships that it's enough to sustain at least 4 seasons of sexual tension (maybe take a little lesson from X-Files)  You've taken all the surprise and heartbreak and the waiting, waiting, waiting out of it.  Boring!

But let's talk about the elephant in the room, shall we?  Perhaps your acting and stories would be better if you didn't have so many kids.  Come on!  Three kids, two of them teenagers, and the teenagers have teenage love interests, and then last week there were two more kids.  We all know what great actors kids make.  Especially TV, kid actors.  Let's not kid ourselves (hee hee), you've got no Dakota Fanning, no Growing Pains Leo DiCaprio...I just don't think I'm ready to see, let alone commit to some one who has so many kids...so many tragically, awful, acting kids.

I'm sorry Terra Nova.  I'm sure that special viewer is out there somewhere, desperately hoping to meet a show just like you, with your dinos, and hot dad.  But I think for now, I'll stick with my DVDs of Battlestar Gallactica.  Robots, and Jamie Bamber, and all kinds of baggage!

Best Wishes,
Erin

TV Math

Things that I will never do

Wear leggings or tights as pants.

Watch an episode of Two and a Half Men.

Oh Crow!

Most of you know how I feel about crows.  If not, it's safe to say that they rank right up there with whales and cats.  I love 'em!  So clever, so funny to watch, and while not quite melodic; possessed of their own kind of compelling cacophony.  My fondness is marked and sincere, even if they don't know it and sometimes dive-bomb me while I'm on a neighborhood run, or eat my unattended, reconstituted, backpacking eggs.

Please note the beak holes.

And no, my encounters aren't all bad.  What about the time I saw a crow caw on an early, chilly morning, and swore I saw his breath?  And all the times out at the bookstore when I would watch their evening commute to the rookery?  Standing outside, eyes to the darkening sky while they flew passed in all their magnificent multitudes, heading home after a long day of crow-awesomeness... yes, I like crows.  A lot.

And so today when I saw a crow face plant into a pane of glass, I couldn't help the involuntary "OOOOH!" that escaped, and the urge to rush in and help him.  Good thing I didn't, as he quickly brushed it off and flew on, with what I'm certain was a backward glance at the glass (and perhaps me as well) of the kind you give that raised bit of sidewalk that trips you up.  It sounds much worse than it was.

I was walking along the outside, upper-level of the library at school where a railing, complete with clear glass, encircles the patio.  The crow was sitting on the back of a chair, saw me approaching, and attempted to fly down to the lower level until he was abruptly halted by that pesky glass.  The clatter of his beak and feet, combined with the soft "woomph" of his body, and his little, post-collision, head shake was pretty funny.  Which is why my "OOOOH!" was accompanied by a little bit of a laugh.  It's one of the few times I've seen a crow do something stupid, or be less than composed.  (Don't crows have that put-together, regal feeling about them, even when they're eating cold french fries out of a crumpled, fast-food bag?)  I mean think about it...how many times do you see a crow as a road-kill victim, compared with how many pigeons meet that fate.  I'm telling you, survival of the fittest, crows be smart!  I'm sure this crow must have been young, or new to the area, but I'm guessing he's not going to forget about that glass pane next time.
 
I hope he doesn't equate the incident with me, because we all know that crows remember faces... it might be time to transfer schools. 

Completely accurate diagram of the incident.

What Matters

We mourn what is important to us.  We mourn what matters. 

Steve Jobs passed away this week.  And judging from the internet noise, and social media flurry; he mattered. And it's hard to claim that he didn't.  As an innovator, he changed technology and altered how we compute, communicate, and consume in ways we are only now realizing.  If not for Steve Jobs and I-Pods, I would still be rocking out to the Wallflowers on my Discman.  Instead, I rock out to the Wallflowers on my MP3 player.  No, it's not an I-Pod, but it's certainly a cousin or other distant relative.  My touch screen LG phone would not be the same had the I-Phone not come first.  And I'm sure that sometime down the road, a tablet computer is out there, waiting for me.  I myself don't own any Apple products, nor do I plan to.  I find their cost prohibitive in the sense that why would I pay so much for a cute, little apple icon when I can spend a lot less money, a few months later, on what I believe to be a higher quality, comparable item.  Plus, I really don't want to unlearn all my PC ways.

Yes, Steve Jobs mattered, and his passing is terribly sad.  So bright, so young.  The world is different without him.

But the world is also different without Wangari Maathai.  She passed away September 25, 2011, almost two weeks ago.  She was 71, she succumbed to ovarian cancer.  But that same internet/media noise that bugled the passing of Steve Jobs, was strangely silent for Wangari Maathai. And I saw nothing from my social media friends mourning her passing.  It's not a judgment.  I myself wouldn't have known had I not happened upon the story at the bottom of another online news item.  And at this point, I'm sure you're asking, "Why would I care about someone I don't think I've ever heard of (though I think her name does sound vaguely familiar)?"

Wangari Maathai was a scientist, professor, politician, and activist.  Her Green Belt Movement planted trees across Kenya, focused on environmental conservation, and worked to protect women's rights in a place where, let's face it, women's rights don't have an easy time of it.  She served several months in jail after being held in contempt of court during her divorce proceedings; a divorce from a man who claimed she was too strong-willed and couldn't be controlled.  And, oh yeah, she was the first and only African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize (that same prize Barack Obama won, amidst so much controversy, his first year in office).  Incidently, she's also the last women to have done so- winning in 2004- but the next prize is awarded tomorrow...if some of the internet buzz is to be believed, Facebook wunderkind, Mark Zuckerberg is in the running.

And lest you think that Wangari Maathai was simply an "African phenomenon," off of our "Western" radar, I'll just point out that she was also a New York Times bestselling author, with her memoir Unbowed, (available at Third Place Books..SHOUT OUT!), undoubtedly read by countless book groups across the United States; as well as being the inspiration of numerous, English-language,  children's books. 

So...what am I getting at?  First world, gadget innovation, versus "all world," life-long, struggles?  Technological consumerism, versus human rights crusading?  Land fills overflowing with last year's cutting-edge, out-dated invention, versus Kenyan valleys thriving with, new, verdant life?  No matter how I feel, one person isn't better than the other.  Wangari didn't live a better, more world-altering life than Steve... and vice versa.  All I can say is, I felt a strange "ickiness" with all the Steve Jobs love and the marked absence of Wanagari Maathai props.  It's okay for Steve Jobs to matter.  But I think we may need to reevaluate our priorities when one life matters SO MUCH and the other is barely a footnote in the next day's obituaries; virtually non-existent.

Mourn for what matters, but don't forget to recognize and mourn for what really matters.

Sick

I love being an independent woman.  But right now, I understand why people keep significant others and cars around.  I am so sick.  Disgusting, phlegm spewing sick.  In describing my current situation, I told someone that I am "Typhoid Mary-sick, patient zero in a worldwide pandemic-sick."  And there is nothing worse than being incredibly sick and having to take the bus, or worse, walk to the store.  So right now, at this very moment, I wish I had car, or a boyfriend who would walk to the store for me.  But mostly, I wish I had a car.

Hmmm...I find myself procrastinating.  Not on anything important, except going to sleep.  So this newly, re-imagined blog was to be the cure for procrastination, or at least the more productive outlet of such.  And here I am, on my virtual Friday night, with nothing to share and nothing to write.

Oh sure, I have plenty of things stored up in my head that I wish I had the time to draw a picture of so you could see it too.  Or the time to really explain the little events of the week, so I wouldn't come off like some sort or raving, deranged, weepy fool.

Like the awesomest outfit I have ever seen, ever:
Super tight royal blue pants (no, not jeans, not even jeggings; seriously royal blue, skin tight pants), with a matching royal blue and black-checked, cabby hat; knee-high black boots; and...what would be the outfit's crowning glory, a tight black t-shirt with gold, sparkling lettering, declaring, "I want you to want me."  And man, did HE ever wear that outfit.  Just kidding, it was a woman...just seeing if you were keeping up

Or when I cried:
a little reading this story. About a high school hero.

Or the girl who was so terrified of a squirrel:
She was frozen in place on the sidewalk.  I saw the squirrel before I saw the girl.. He was doing his squirrel thing, running, jumping, eating things in the cutest way.  And then he stopped, and I looked up, and this girl was frozen right in front of him.  She couldn't move.  She thought about sidling around him, but any tiny squirrel movement had her taking a step back.  Man, I could hear the Jaws theme in my head.

Or how I know what costumes the cats will be wearing for Halloween!:
Brody will be reverse Battlecat.  You know, Orange body, green stripes

 And Opal will be Dr. Claw's cat, M.A.D Cat

I think that's enough for now.

On the Midway

Carrie needed to (wo)man a table at the Puyallup Fair on Friday, so I tagged along as her textbook-reading non-volunteer.  It was pretty great. 

Here we are at the Grange exhibits.  Pretty cool!

My Scarecrow friend

Carrie doesn't quite measure up...as a carrot.

Washington: Canning Liberty for Freedom

Carrie!  Don't get squashed!  HAHAHAHAHA!

I love these things!

Next, we checked out my favorite part, the hobby hall.  There were paintings, dollhouses, Leggo sculptures, but I couldn't get enough of the collections

My Little Pony heaven

Interesting that the boy ponies resemble the Village People

Carrie approves...before realizing it was new Star Wars

Harry Potter Leggo mini-figures

Muppets!

Cats rule!

And pandas drool.

And then we made it to the Midway, where we finally realized why our parents never let us ride too many rides at the fair...man are they expensive. and not nearly long enough for the price.  We rode 2 rides.  And had another realization, our inner ear capabilities aren't nearly what they used to be.

Just before our ride on the swings

While on the swings

Our feet on the swings

Of late, there seems to be a general ennui exuding from everyone.  Trapped in this never-ending rut of the same-old, same-old.  Maybe it was last night's adrenalin-inducing, and pocket-draining rides that convinced Carrie and I to venture out on at least one new adventure a month.  It doesn't have to be pricey, it doesn't even have to cost any money, it just has to be something new... and out of the house...and adrenalin-inducing. How about the opera?  Kayak carol singing?  Just the beginning.

One Perfect Summer

Well, maybe not perfect; I can think of a few faces I would have loved to see. But as summers go, it was truly wonderful.  I'm not sure I have ever really appreciated a summer break as much as I did this year.  Perhaps more so now, looking back as I burrow deeper, and deeper into the cold, dark, reeking, endless tunnel that is the 2L year.  Side note: as that is my assessment one month in, I can only assume that things will be looking up soon...or at least by May.  So as your neglectful blog author, short on time (mine) and attention span (yours), I simply offer some of my favorite photos of the summer, and a promise to be a better chronicler in future...

PS: not all of these photos are mine...sorry friends for taking without asking.  I'll be sure to credit you if anyone comes calling!

Various Summer Fun:  Me and SalmonPants together at last, thanks to Patrice!; finally our own Washoe board (Carrie and I are sharing joint custody); playing said washoes with Colleen; delicious 4th of July barbeque; The AZ parents in kayaks, on Lake Union, in front of the Space Needle; and me with a PBR in my back pocket...classy!

 

Harry Potter 7.2: The end of an era.

Warrior Dash:  Carrie and my legs after the mudpit; Wendy and her warrior clan.

Finally finished with 1L year:   Debbie and I float off on the water taxi for pizza and illegally consumed beverages in Alki.  Nothing like breaking a few city ordinances to say, "Fuck you!" to the first year of law school

Shi Shi Beach Backpacking trip:  Me, the seastar scavenger, and Trish the coffee/firepit maven, plus some pretty amazing scenery

Guatemala:  It's hard to summarize this magical trip.  So that's all I will say, it was magical.

The Arch

 

Try juggling to quit smoking!

This is Dennis' photo, but I love it SO much

A blurry menage a trois

Some awesome girls on an awesome volcano

Saying goodbye

Aidan:  I wasn't there for this shot, but I think it is the greatest picture ever.