ok, so last year's list of "25 things i want to do before i'm 25," was a big fail (for proof, go here). i'm going to try again this year, although i'm going to make my goals are more achievable to avoid another BIG FAIL. i'm also going to modify it to be only 20 things, and rather than have my birthday as the deadline i'm going to make it December 31, 2011. here goes:
1. Finish knitting the scarf for my mom
2. Visit Monica in Charlottesville
3. Visit Eric & Beth in Alaska
4. Visit Granger in North Carolina
5. Spend a day in Annapolis
6. Spend a day in Harper’s Ferry
7. Travel to a foreign country
8. Read at least 5 books for pleasure
9. Learn and master a new dish (just ONE!)
10. Start learning French
11. Take a class in something fun (read: not school related! something like pottery, wine tasting, or cooking)
12. Be a photographer for a day
13. Go to a cultural event each month
14. Expand my musical horizons
15. Work out 2-3 times per week
16. Lose 10 lbs
17. Finish my MA from American University
18. Get an awesome job that I love
19. Get my own place (where I can have a dog)
20. Get a dog
i think everything on this list is achievable before 2012, although the ones that could potentially give me trouble are the last 3 (since #18 is dependent on accomplishing #17, #19 is dependent on #18, and #20 is dependent on #19). some of these are guaranteed to happen, like #7 (Eric and Beth's wedding in Canada!), but most of them really depend on me motivating myself to get them done. so, will i be able to do it this year???
Monday, December 13, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
apology post... and you're welcome
ok, well, from the last few posts you can probably guess how i've been spending most all of my time these past few days... i'm sorry to have bored you with updates about my school work, but now, you can rest assured that what i post will be incredibly, undeniably, UNBELIEVABLY interesting!
today's topic...SOCKS!!!!
so, i date a sock thief. like seriously, it gets to the point where every few months i have to root through granger's sock drawer to find all my socks because all i have left is an unmatched orange and green striped sock and an unmatched fluffy red sock. so i go through his drawer, and there i find a good 15-20 pairs of my socks (along with a pair of my gloves... granger: "but you gave them to me!" brigit: "no i didn't, i just gave up looking for them!") neatly folded up exactly how you'd expect someone in the military to fold socks. something like this:
on the other hand, if you looked in my sock drawer, it would look something like this:
so anyway, i get all my socks and put them back into my dresser. but, whadda know? the next time i wear the socks, i put them in the laundry, they get washed, and then THEY END UP BACK IN HIS DRAWER! he's a sneaky one, that granger...
fortunately for me, i came up with the perfect solution to this problem. i noticed, after careful observation, that granger is only a nice white ankle sock thief. he doesn't touch my colorful socks, and he stays far away from my fluffy socks. so the solution was clear: neon ankle socks! so i got a 6 pack of hot pink, neon green, and bright orange socks:
not so interested in these, are you, granger?
today's topic...SOCKS!!!!
so, i date a sock thief. like seriously, it gets to the point where every few months i have to root through granger's sock drawer to find all my socks because all i have left is an unmatched orange and green striped sock and an unmatched fluffy red sock. so i go through his drawer, and there i find a good 15-20 pairs of my socks (along with a pair of my gloves... granger: "but you gave them to me!" brigit: "no i didn't, i just gave up looking for them!") neatly folded up exactly how you'd expect someone in the military to fold socks. something like this:
on the other hand, if you looked in my sock drawer, it would look something like this:
so anyway, i get all my socks and put them back into my dresser. but, whadda know? the next time i wear the socks, i put them in the laundry, they get washed, and then THEY END UP BACK IN HIS DRAWER! he's a sneaky one, that granger...
fortunately for me, i came up with the perfect solution to this problem. i noticed, after careful observation, that granger is only a nice white ankle sock thief. he doesn't touch my colorful socks, and he stays far away from my fluffy socks. so the solution was clear: neon ankle socks! so i got a 6 pack of hot pink, neon green, and bright orange socks:
not so interested in these, are you, granger?
FREEEEEEDOM!!!!!!
tuesday 11/30 - final presentation on the DRCthursday 12/2 - final paper on Timor-Leste (20 pages)monday 12/6 - revised research proposal due (10 pages)tuesday 12/7 - report on DRC presentation (10 pages)tuesday 12/7 - final paper on DRC/greed and grievance (15-20 pages)thursday 12/9 - final exam in US Experiments in Peacebuilding
Monday, December 6, 2010
progress report...
tuesday 11/30 - final presentation on the DRCthursday 12/2 - final paper on Timor-Leste (20 pages)monday 12/6 - revised research proposal due (10 pages)tuesday 12/7 - report on DRC presentation (10 pages)- tuesday 12/7 - final paper on DRC/greed and grievance (15-20 pages)
- thursday 12/9 - final exam in US Experiments in Peacebuilding
Thursday, December 2, 2010
UPDATE: next 7 days of my life
here's my to-do list for the next 7 days:
tuesday 11/30 - final presentation on the DRCthursday 12/2 - final paper on Timor-Leste (20 pages)- monday 12/6 - revised research proposal due (10 pages)
- tuesday 12/7 - report on DRC presentation (10 pages)
- tuesday 12/7 - final paper on DRC/greed and grievance (15-20 pages)
- thursday 12/9 - final exam in US Experiments in Peacebuilding
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
puppies!
ok, this post isn't really about puppies... i didn't know what to call it, so i went with puppies because i like puppies and they make me happy so HECK YEAH i'm gonna call this post "puppies!" and you can just live with it! ha!
*ahem*
recently, i've been having a lot of trouble sleeping... i lie awake at night and think to myself, 'man, i really wish i could fall asleep right now.' unfortunately, i can't fall asleep because, simultaneous to that thought is ANOTHER THOUGHT: 'i wonder if the DOD has a chart on their website for how much assistance they gave to Timor-Leste from 1999-2005...'
first of all, this proves how much of a nerd i am. um, i can't fall asleep because i'm too busy thinking about what the DOD did in Timor-Leste? moreover, with a timeframe? really? i need a life! but even more interesting (interesting may be a stretch) is the fact that a person can think two entirely different thoughts at the exact same time. and actually, as i was thinking these two thoughts simultaneously, i realized i was doing it and started wondering how that was possible. in a way, it was like right when i was at 'fall asleep' in the first thought and at 'chart on their website' in the second thought, a third thought started: 'how the crap am i thinking so many thoughts at once?'
unfortunately, as soon as i started thinking about my superhuman simultaneous thought abilities, i was wide awake. this was the opposite of what i wanted, but since it was already happening i figured i might as well actively try to have two thoughts at once. fail. it turned into something like this: 'man, i really wish i wonder if the DOD has i could a chart on their website fall asleep for how much assistance they right now gave to Timor-Leste from 1999-2005...'
seems like my superhuman simultaneous thought abilities only work when i don't think about them. otherwise, it's just the same old jibberish that usually occupies my head. but still, it's pretty cool to have superhuman abilities, even if they only appear uninvited when they are least welcome.
sigh.
*ahem*
recently, i've been having a lot of trouble sleeping... i lie awake at night and think to myself, 'man, i really wish i could fall asleep right now.' unfortunately, i can't fall asleep because, simultaneous to that thought is ANOTHER THOUGHT: 'i wonder if the DOD has a chart on their website for how much assistance they gave to Timor-Leste from 1999-2005...'
first of all, this proves how much of a nerd i am. um, i can't fall asleep because i'm too busy thinking about what the DOD did in Timor-Leste? moreover, with a timeframe? really? i need a life! but even more interesting (interesting may be a stretch) is the fact that a person can think two entirely different thoughts at the exact same time. and actually, as i was thinking these two thoughts simultaneously, i realized i was doing it and started wondering how that was possible. in a way, it was like right when i was at 'fall asleep' in the first thought and at 'chart on their website' in the second thought, a third thought started: 'how the crap am i thinking so many thoughts at once?'
unfortunately, as soon as i started thinking about my superhuman simultaneous thought abilities, i was wide awake. this was the opposite of what i wanted, but since it was already happening i figured i might as well actively try to have two thoughts at once. fail. it turned into something like this: 'man, i really wish i wonder if the DOD has i could a chart on their website fall asleep for how much assistance they right now gave to Timor-Leste from 1999-2005...'
seems like my superhuman simultaneous thought abilities only work when i don't think about them. otherwise, it's just the same old jibberish that usually occupies my head. but still, it's pretty cool to have superhuman abilities, even if they only appear uninvited when they are least welcome.
sigh.
Monday, November 29, 2010
the next 10 days of my life...
here's my to-do list for the next 10 days:
- tuesday 11/30 - final presentation on the DRC
- thursday 12/2 - final paper on Timor-Leste (20 pages)
- monday 12/6 - revised research proposal due (10 pages)
- tuesday 12/7 - final paper on DRC/greed and grievance (15-20 pages)
- thursday 12/9 - final exam in US Experiments in Peacebuilding
- friday 12/10 - FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM!!!!!!!!!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
"Dear Regime" by Roger Sedarat
Dear Regime,
After you've ground him into powder,
you can burn this to a fine ash. His family feels
it would be better off with nothing.
My Father returned from Iran with everything but his bones.
He said customs claimed them as government property.
We laid him on a Persian carpet in front of the television.
When I’d hold his wrist to his face
because he wanted to know the time,
we could see the holes made from swords in his elbow.
His arm reminded me of kabob koobideigh.
It was hard for him to look outside;
he said the cumulus clouds
were too much like marrow
and he couldn't stand watching the dog
sniff the backyard, searching
for the rest of him. My sister and I put him to bed
thinking that beside our mother
he'd turn into himself,
but through the door we only heard him crying,
telling his wife he could never again make love,
and through the keyhole we saw her shivering with him
wrapped around her like an old blanket
until he died one morning.
She folded him into a rectangle,
mailing him in a white shoebox
back to his country.
i like this poem. it's depressing, but i think it captures the feeling of homesickness really well... you're still alive, but you're missing an integral part of what makes you able to function, to live, and to thrive. and i love the imagery at the end... she folded him into a rectangle, mailing him in a white shoebox back to his country. he got to go home after all.
After you've ground him into powder,
you can burn this to a fine ash. His family feels
it would be better off with nothing.
My Father returned from Iran with everything but his bones.
He said customs claimed them as government property.
We laid him on a Persian carpet in front of the television.
When I’d hold his wrist to his face
because he wanted to know the time,
we could see the holes made from swords in his elbow.
His arm reminded me of kabob koobideigh.
It was hard for him to look outside;
he said the cumulus clouds
were too much like marrow
and he couldn't stand watching the dog
sniff the backyard, searching
for the rest of him. My sister and I put him to bed
thinking that beside our mother
he'd turn into himself,
but through the door we only heard him crying,
telling his wife he could never again make love,
and through the keyhole we saw her shivering with him
wrapped around her like an old blanket
until he died one morning.
She folded him into a rectangle,
mailing him in a white shoebox
back to his country.
i like this poem. it's depressing, but i think it captures the feeling of homesickness really well... you're still alive, but you're missing an integral part of what makes you able to function, to live, and to thrive. and i love the imagery at the end... she folded him into a rectangle, mailing him in a white shoebox back to his country. he got to go home after all.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
terrorism
so last night in class we discussed terrorism... mainly we talked about what terrorism is (and also, therefore, what terrorism isn't). turns out it's a relatively hard concept to define, especially when it is so politically loaded. for instance, can states be terrorists? can an act be an act of terrorism even if it doesn't involve killing anyone? my thoughts? yes and yes.
the common understanding of terrorism is that it is the use or the threat of the use of violence intended to influence a target group through fear. it is important to note that this target group is not necessarily the victim of the terrorist acts, but rather the witnesses. the fear within the target group causes social cohesion to disintegrate and increases the power of the terrorists. the concept can be thought of as a triangle:
after class, i found myself thinking about this concept in terms of politics. it's a stretch, but one could almost argue that some current political rhetoric is causing fear among certain groups of the american population, and that this fear is influencing their behavior. the catch in this argument is that it is not politicians who are threatening the american population with violence, they are simply highlighting the threats of others (for example: "the terrorists will get us unless we do X" or "homosexuality is going to destroy american society"). their intent may be the same: by highlighting these threats, politicians create or encourage fear, and this fear makes their constituents easier to control (maybe control is a poor word to use - manipulate? not sure).
anyway, despite the fact that these are just speculations, i think it's interesting that a parallel (however tenuous) between american politics and terrorism can be made at all. clausewitz wrote that war is politics by other means, but can we maybe also say that, sometimes at least, politics is terrorism by other means? probably a stretch, but interesting nonetheless...
the common understanding of terrorism is that it is the use or the threat of the use of violence intended to influence a target group through fear. it is important to note that this target group is not necessarily the victim of the terrorist acts, but rather the witnesses. the fear within the target group causes social cohesion to disintegrate and increases the power of the terrorists. the concept can be thought of as a triangle:
after class, i found myself thinking about this concept in terms of politics. it's a stretch, but one could almost argue that some current political rhetoric is causing fear among certain groups of the american population, and that this fear is influencing their behavior. the catch in this argument is that it is not politicians who are threatening the american population with violence, they are simply highlighting the threats of others (for example: "the terrorists will get us unless we do X" or "homosexuality is going to destroy american society"). their intent may be the same: by highlighting these threats, politicians create or encourage fear, and this fear makes their constituents easier to control (maybe control is a poor word to use - manipulate? not sure).
anyway, despite the fact that these are just speculations, i think it's interesting that a parallel (however tenuous) between american politics and terrorism can be made at all. clausewitz wrote that war is politics by other means, but can we maybe also say that, sometimes at least, politics is terrorism by other means? probably a stretch, but interesting nonetheless...
Monday, August 2, 2010
less than 4 months left...
so, of the things that were on my list "25 things i want to do before i'm 25," the following is what i've accomplished:
1. Finish knitting the scarf for my mom - nope
2. Sew a baby blanket for niece - nu-uh
3. Finish painting the house - definitely not going to happen, probably ever
4. Leave my job - sigh...
5.Start graduate school - DONE (yes!!!!)
6. Get a dog (this one’s up to Granger) - this may happen... in 2012
7. Go to a foreign country I haven’t been to yet - does woodbridge, VA count? it's sorta like a different country...
8.Travel somewhere with friends - um, i went to charlottesville, VA to visit monica... screw it i'm marking this one as done too!
9. Spend a weekend in NYC - i wish...
10. Spend a day in Harper’s Ferry - i've driven past Harper's Ferry several times, does that count?
11. Spend a day in Annapolis - apparently a 1 hr drive outside of DC is just too much for me...
12.Visit a vineyard - YES!!! I did this one!!! several vineyards, in fact... *pats self on back*
13. Spend a day photographing DC (black and white film) - i recently developed a roll of black and white film that i shot in Spain... in 2006...
14.Go to DC sights I’ve never been to before - sweet, this one's done! i went on a tour of the West Wing AND i went to a naturalization ceremony in the Rose Garden. take THAT, list!
15. Exercise at least 4 times per week - HAHAHAHAHAHA
16.Eat healthier - ummmm, yeah, i'm going to go ahead and mark this one as done
17. Learn how to cook one new dish each month - how 'bout one dish TOTAL???
18. Learn how to shoot - still to scared of guns, maybe someday though
19. Learn how to make really good French bread - i ate some really good French bread...
20. Take a class on pottery making - again, no, but i painted some pottery that someone else made
21. Type up and organize my poetry into a binder - i don't know where my poetry is, so this one's going to be difficult
22. Make a meal for a large group of people (appetizer, main dish, and dessert) - crap...
23.See a musical - yes! another one down!
24. Start writing more (fiction) - this one could have been done if i hadn't specified fiction. i've written 100+ pages of papers...
25. Go on a cruise - i thought about going canoeing a few weeks ago
ok, so in 10 months, i have managed to do 6 out of the 25 things on this list. actually, for me, that's pretty darn good! i think i'll call it a year and rename this list "19 things i want to do before i'm 26"
1. Finish knitting the scarf for my mom - nope
2. Sew a baby blanket for niece - nu-uh
3. Finish painting the house - definitely not going to happen, probably ever
4. Leave my job - sigh...
5.
6. Get a dog (this one’s up to Granger) - this may happen... in 2012
7. Go to a foreign country I haven’t been to yet - does woodbridge, VA count? it's sorta like a different country...
8.
9. Spend a weekend in NYC - i wish...
10. Spend a day in Harper’s Ferry - i've driven past Harper's Ferry several times, does that count?
11. Spend a day in Annapolis - apparently a 1 hr drive outside of DC is just too much for me...
12.
13. Spend a day photographing DC (black and white film) - i recently developed a roll of black and white film that i shot in Spain... in 2006...
14.
15. Exercise at least 4 times per week - HAHAHAHAHAHA
16.
17. Learn how to cook one new dish each month - how 'bout one dish TOTAL???
18. Learn how to shoot - still to scared of guns, maybe someday though
19. Learn how to make really good French bread - i ate some really good French bread...
20. Take a class on pottery making - again, no, but i painted some pottery that someone else made
21. Type up and organize my poetry into a binder - i don't know where my poetry is, so this one's going to be difficult
22. Make a meal for a large group of people (appetizer, main dish, and dessert) - crap...
23.
24. Start writing more (fiction) - this one could have been done if i hadn't specified fiction. i've written 100+ pages of papers...
25. Go on a cruise - i thought about going canoeing a few weeks ago
ok, so in 10 months, i have managed to do 6 out of the 25 things on this list. actually, for me, that's pretty darn good! i think i'll call it a year and rename this list "19 things i want to do before i'm 26"
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
climbing onto my high horse...
so, i just saw this interactive map that explains state by state the laws regarding gay-marriage, and it made me mad. the red states ("constitution, statute ban same-sex marriage and/or other same sex unions") overwhelm the other-colored states (where gay marriages or unions are allowed or at least recognized). to me, this incredibly controversial issue is really a non-issue. if two people who love each other want to get married, they should be allowed to do so. end of story.
i understand that it makes some people uncomfortable to know that people of the same sex want to marry (or, heaven forbid, a person actually SEES two people of the same sex being affectionate! *gasp!*), but 50 years ago, it made some people uncomfortable that black people attended the same schools, ate at the same restaurants, rode the same bus as white people. one hundred years ago, it made some people uncomfortable that women wanted to vote. who is to say that 50 years from now we won't look back at this time period and be ashamed of ourselves for believing so strongly that gay marriage was a terrible thing?
another argument that people have against gay marriage is that it is a sin, and this is also infuriating to me. in this country, we have separation of church and state. i don't care what your religious beliefs are, and i don't care what my religious beliefs are, we simply cannot make laws based on them. it offends me that people try to make others legally obligated to follow what their religion espouses.
if someone can offer me a valid reason as to why gay marriage should remain illegal (or become illegal again in the states where it is now allowed), then i would certainly like to hear it.
and now, i climb off my high horse...
i understand that it makes some people uncomfortable to know that people of the same sex want to marry (or, heaven forbid, a person actually SEES two people of the same sex being affectionate! *gasp!*), but 50 years ago, it made some people uncomfortable that black people attended the same schools, ate at the same restaurants, rode the same bus as white people. one hundred years ago, it made some people uncomfortable that women wanted to vote. who is to say that 50 years from now we won't look back at this time period and be ashamed of ourselves for believing so strongly that gay marriage was a terrible thing?
another argument that people have against gay marriage is that it is a sin, and this is also infuriating to me. in this country, we have separation of church and state. i don't care what your religious beliefs are, and i don't care what my religious beliefs are, we simply cannot make laws based on them. it offends me that people try to make others legally obligated to follow what their religion espouses.
if someone can offer me a valid reason as to why gay marriage should remain illegal (or become illegal again in the states where it is now allowed), then i would certainly like to hear it.
and now, i climb off my high horse...
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