Am I back?

My beautiful sister asked me a couple of weeks ago if I had stopped writing on my blog...I guess the correct answer is "yes" because it's been a WHILE. However, it wasn't intentional...just with working full time now and actually having a job that I like but that challenges me 98% of the time, my brain is totally drained at the end of the day. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.

So what's been going on? I am still lovin' my job! Had an encouraging discussion with my boss today...I think we're both pretty pleased so far with my time there. I'm learning a lot about New York politics, which as you can imagine gets pretty interesting at times! Other times, I look at how ridiculous politics can get in New York and how ridiculous it can get in Texas, and I think "NYC, you could learn a few things from Texas!!! You ain't got nothin' on us!"

Anyway, so that's whats going on at work. It can only get so interesting, right? How's life? Great! Mike and I went to Austin a couple of weeks ago to see my beautiful and wonderful college roomate Maria get married to her wonderful man Mark. So she is now Maria Serafine, no longer Delgado. I am so happy for her...and even better, Mike LOVED Austin! Of course...what's not to love, right? Right smack dab in the middle of the beautiful Texas hill country, live music capital of the world, one of the largest universities in the country (recently deemed the #1 party school in the US!), quite excellent Mexican food and barbecue. I mean, what else do ya need?

My friend/former roomate Jennifer is about 16 weeks into her pregnancy now...it's getting very exciting! She is starting to show a bit and she's definitely a cutie! She thinks that the baby is going to be a girl and Harry thinks it's gonna be a boy...go figure. =)

So not only has it been a while since I have written a solid blog entry, it's been even longer since we've talked books...anybody read any good books lately? I certainly have. Currently, I am reading Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. So far, it's really interesting, but I'm only about 50 pages into it. I'll let you know as I get further into it. If you have read it, don't give anything away! Before Kite Runner, I read Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I had a conversation with Steph about this one...it's really interesting, although the premise doesn't necessarily sound too captivating. The boy (Pi, pronounced Pie) gets stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger in the middle of the Pacific. I won't give any more away than that, but trust me...it's intriguing.

Before Life of Pi, I read Peace Like A River by Leif Enger which was really spectacular. Just a real beautiful novel . Takes place in the 60s and plays a bit with the miracles of life (not the miracle of life as in conception, but literally miracles). It's really something.

Let's see...before Peace Like A River, I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Briefly, it's about a famous female novelist whose true life story nobody actually knows because despite the hundreds of biographers who have come to her over the years asking for her story, she has never given the truth to anyone. Towards the end of her life, she decides she wants to tell her story, and it is quite a story! To me, it was the quintessential book because it was a story about a story. Hard to explain. I highly recommend all of these books!

Okay, perhaps this will do for now. I hope that I still have readers. I apologize for the length of time that has passed since my last entry. I will try to do better, but you know, between work and books, who has the time? Love y'all!!

For a very good cause

I am writing for a very specific reason. Some of you may already be aware of this need as you may be on the same mailing list for Michelle Coffey (formerly Hampton). Her father has been diagnosed with Lymphoma and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. She has been asking for people to register with the National Bone Marrow Donation Program (NMDP) as a potential donor for her father. To read more about his condition, you can visit Michelle and Mike's (her husband) website at www.coffeys.net. I just registered with the NMDP and will be receiving the testing kit in the mail later on this week...it is very easy to get tested...it only requires a cheek swab. No needles, no pain.

Anyway, I hope that you will all consider being tested. It does require a small fee of $52 which if you are like me and just starting out professionally, can initially be a bit daunting, but it is small in comparison to a person's life, so please don't let that stop you!!! To find out more about the donation program, visit www.marrow.org.

I hope all is well with all of you! Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I will get you in touch with Michelle.

All my love!

Kelly

Ridiculous Tidbit of the Day

Am I the only one who was surprised to find out that Starbucks actually raised their prices? As if it wasn't ridiculous enough for me to spend $3.84 for a grande soy latte...now I'm paying nearly $4.50!

Okay, that's Ridiculous Tidbit of the Day. Don't know if anyone still actually reads this blog, but just in case...this one's for you!!

Kelly

Hello to you all. Just sitting around, watching Law and Order: CI. I've been wanting to update this blog for a while now, but haven't had the time and/or energy. So...sorry if it's been boring lately. Hope I didn't lose you all. =)

So when I consider what subjects to write about, I usually start first with what is in the news. And this week (and last week), we have seen a lot about school shootings. It is a devastating phenomenon, is it not? What has happened to our society that grown adults figure that an effective solution to their pain and problems is not only to kill themselves, but to take innocent young lives with them? Well, I don't expect you people to have a good answer to that question. I certainly cannot understand why people think hurting another person will solve anything. So let me ask this...what role do you think the media plays in this? Mmmm...just hearing myself say those words sounds so droll and over-said. But I can't help thinking that the media is a bit irresponsible in their reporting of incidents like these. Do they need to go into such gruesome detail? For 99% of viewers, while it is disturbing to hear, we can appreciate the intended impact of such reporting. But for the small percentage of psychos out there, I believe the media is just putting ideas into their heads, planting a little bug. I feel very strongly that news stations should be more careful about what details are divulged to the public. Don't misunderstand...I'm not advocating censorship, only discretion.

That's all I got folks. Been real tired this week after the move...hopefully I'll have more inspiration next week. But I look forward to reading your thoughts on this subject.

Kel

Sorry it's been so long

You know the story...work is taking up all of my time, nothing interesting. Except...my roomate is getting married tomorrow (Congrats Jenn!) and I had to find a new place to live. I was stressed over it for about a day until Mike found this ad on Craigslist for a great place in the neighborhood where I started off (Windsor Terrace, right by Prospect Park which in my opinion is a million times greater than Central Park). Anyway, be on the look-out for a mass email with my address. I'm really excited about this place. My roomate seems really cool and the place is much nicer than any place that I've stayed at since I've been here.

Anyway, that's all I got for now. Work seems to be draining all my creativity, although yesterday I did come across a song on my ipod that made me think "Yeah, this should definitely be on my list of Greatest Songs Ever." Except that now, I can't remember what the song was. Hmmm...

Okay, well hope you're all doing great! Joyce, honey, I read your blog today and WOW! It's been a while since I've read it (see first paragraph about work). Just then I couldn't remember how to make that word "blog" contain the URL to your website, so I'm gonna just type it out here. http://www.ukspeaksstateslisten.blogspot.com/
Y'all go check it out!!

Go ahead without me

So Mike and I went to eat at this really yummy Thai place in Park Slope tonight called Song. During the dinner, it started raining and when we left, it had turned into a soft, yet annoying mist. Beautiful, yes, but we had about 20 blocks to go and didn't feel like walking the whole way while slowly getting drenched, so we decided to wait (and wait and wait) for the bus which never came, so we started to walk again. Then I had to go to the bathroom, so I snuck into this bar (which happened to be positioned with a bus stop right in front. When I exited the bar a few minutes later, the bus had already stopped and then left, but was a few feet up stuck at a red light. Mike said "You think we can beat it the three blocks to the next light?" So I took off, with him hot on my tail. Then the following two lights turned green, and Mike decided that it was a lost cause, so we stopped. Then he decided that he was wrong, and that if we hadn't stopped, we could have made it which really frustrated me because I had been running pretty impressively! So he started as if he were going to run off and try to catch it but looked at me for approval, and I said:

"Go on without me! I'll try to catch up!"

Then I thought (as I began running again), that I sounded like something out of a really dramatic scene in a Hollywood flick, but I couldn't think of any situation in real life (other than the bus scenario) for which that line was appropriate. So I decided I would ask you guys (sorry, I mean y'all) for scenarios. Okay?

So to review: The line is: "Go on without me! I'll try to catch up!"

You name the scene...

Moving Day!

So I'm moving into my new apartment tomorrow...if someone wants to buy me a digital camera and send it to me, I'll post pictures.

=)

Happy weekend!

I just had one of those confusing, life-changing, enlightening, muddled epiphanies

**Read it all the way through, guys...or if not all the way through, skip to the last paragraph...it's a matter of national security. Okay, maybe not national security, but just do it, okay? For me...**

So I'm currently re-reading my favorite book of all time. Tess of the D'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy. I read it for the first time in high school, then again in college sometime, and this is my third time to read it. When I picked it up a few days ago, I honestly could not remember what it was about...I remembered that somehow, Tess becomes a scorned woman early on in the book, and I'm still not clear on what the outcome is (don't worry, I wouldn't give it away if I could remember). Anyway, I just came upon a passage that really struck me because I do almost the exact same thing. (Just a warning, I'm letting you all in on a slightly darker side of Kelly...can you handle it?) I'll quote the passage here:

"She philosophically noted dates as they came past in the revolution of the year: the disastrous night of her undoing at Trantridge with its dark background of The Chase; also the dates of the baby's birth and death; also her own birthday; and every other day individualized by incidents in which she had taken some share. She suddenly thought one afternoon, when looking in the glass at her fairness, that there was yet another date, of greater importance to her than those; that of her own death, when all these charms would have disappeared; a day which lay sly and unseen among all the other days of the year, giving no sign or sound when she annually passed over it; but not the less surely there. When was it? Why did she not feel the chill of each yearly encounter with such a cold relation? She had Jeremy Taylor's thought that some time in the future those who had known her would say 'It is the--th, the day that poor Tess Durbeyfield died'; and there would be nothing singular to their minds in the statement. Of that day, doomed to be her terminus in time through all the ages, she did not know the place in month, week, season, or year."

Perhaps it is not so uncommon for us to recall anniversaries. We do it all the time, throw parties to commemorate dates of weddings, births, a first kiss, the births of famous people (Oh blessed day when George Washington was supposedly born! Sometimes, we get to take off of work and school just to celebrate!!), and the joyful union of the Native Americans and the Puritans (I don't know...I just felt like throwing that in there). Anyway, the point is, I imagine that it's not so crazy to think "What was I doing this time last year? Oh, I was just starting my final fall semester in graduate school", or more specifically, "I was sitting in my aunt and uncle's living room, glued to the televised coverage of Hurricane Katrina, wondering if I should hijak a bus, drive it the five hours down I-10 to New Orleans, and pick up a bunch of stranded lives, when I suddenly realized that if I did that, I would probably be kicked off the bus and end up stranded on the side of I-10 while the people I went there to save drove off without me...that would suck!" Or less specifically, "I was struggling to get over a broken heart", or "I was making daily trips to the hospital to visit my grandfather, who would die two months later," or "I was beginning to look for internships in New York," or "I was beginning to talk to Maria about her wedding plans." This happens to me all the time...I'm constantly looking back, pondering the dates, doing my own little personal "This Date in History". Less frequently, the thought will cross my mind that: "Today is August 30...I wonder if some day, somebody will be saying 'This is the day that Kelly died, five years ago.'" Morbid, huh? Does anyone else do that? It's just funny because I don't remember when I first started doing that, and as I was reading my book, I found myself wondering "Man, I have read this book three times now, and each time, I forget what it's about...what if I read this passage the first time and thought 'Yeah, huh, interesting...', and started doing it after that?"

It reminds me of some time in junior high or high school, I was really taken by the kids at school who didn't act like anybody else (sometimes didn't even like anyone else), but still seemed to fit in somehow. I thought they were the coolest kids in school because they marched to the beat of their own drum, but still managed to convince the popular kids that they deserved to be respected. So I made a decision right then and there that I would strive, for the rest of my life, to NOT be normal. Yes, I decided to be a weird-o. The only thing was that I didn't have the imagination to do it right. I didn't know how to be weird...I would never have convinced my parental units to buy me the really out-there clothes (although I admit, I did wear those horrible Cross Colors jeans...black denim with one pocket green, the other yellow, the other red, the other orange...sometimes paired along with a red Guess t-shirt), and even if they had bought them for me, I never would have had the guts to wear them. My hair was dirty blond, straight, with bangs, and again, I never would have gotten permission to cut it funny, or dye it any strange colors, and truthfully, I just didn't have the desire to do that (plus, I didn't have a rebellious bone in my body). Well, so I didn't figure out until college what it meant to be purposefully abnormal. I struggled through high school to fit in, never quite made it, and then in college, I started listening ONLY to Broadway show tunes. That was definitely NOT NORMAL. Everyone admitted it...I had achieved weird. Pat myself on the back. I adored my show tunes...especially Rent. I got everyone in my dorm room hooked, though never quite to the same extent as I was hooked...they still liked to listen to Puff Daddy (not yet P-Diddy), Third Eye Blind, Usher (You Make Me Wanna...), Aaliyah, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. Anyway, it just got worse from there. I was hooked to my showtunes, couldn't lay off of them, went through withdrawals when I didn't have them, and that was it. Now, this wasn't the only way that I was abnormal, but we don't have to get into all the nitty gritty. Let's just say that subconsciously, I achieved the goal I had made years earlier to become one of those people who didn't quite do it like everybody else did it (not only did I not do it like everyone else did, but I didn't not do it the same way others who didn't do it did), but I still fit in. Because I had an awesome group of girls around me...Maria, Mel, Ceci, Tara, Ali, even Veronica at that point (I know a lot of you don't know who these people are, but for those of you who doknow , YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN' 'BOUT!). I had the best friends in the whole world, and I suddenly understood that those in high school whose approval I ached for every day and night were just a blip in this book of my life...those are not the people who will say "This day five years ago, Kelly left us."

Why did I turn this from a morbid self-analysis based on my favorite book to an essay on the horrors of high school and finding yourself? I don't really know...maybe because I'm currently watching my little brother go through this same torture within the same walls that I did, and my heart goes out to him. So Stephen, honey...this is for you! And I want all of you who read this to post a comment with encouraging words of wisdom, maybe even a little story or anecdote of your own high school horrors, for my little brother, okay? Apparently, he doesn't smile enough, and I think this will be just the remedy for him.

Love y'all!!

Katrina

**Disclaimer: The below post is a topic that is a hotbed for controversy. I welcome your opinions, as long as they are respectfully written with no ill-intent (i.e. violent or hateful) towards any person/persons. I reserve the right to delete any posts that I find inappropriate or offensive to the human race.**

Do y'all remember the Titanic? Not the movie, although you can get a feeling of what I'm about to rant about if you remember that when it became clear that the Titanic was going down, first class passengers were offered salvation before everyone else. They were treated as if their lives were worth more than that of everyone else on the boat. And when it came to sink or swim, those who felt that they were about to sink did one of two things: They swam, or they fought like hell for their survival.

Now, I'm watching Dateline's special on Katrina, and I cannot believe the emotions I'm feeling...it is exactly how I felt a year ago, as if I'm watching it happen for the first time. Now, some people may think I'm a bit off for comparing this to the absurd classism on Titanic, and if you're looking for exact parallels, you are right. The media showed mostly poor stuck in New Orleans, and it wasn't exactly as if the wealthy were rescued first, as it was in 1912...I believe those who were not stranded in the Big Easy had the good sense PLUS the resources to get out.

On a daily basis, I go through life judging those around me, deciding that the lunatic in the subway is not worth the dime in my pocket, and to avoid eye contact with the scary-looking hobo who I pass many mornings going to yoga. I do it for survival-physical and emotional. I was raised to be untrusting of strangers, and I may still be alive today thanks only to that learned wariness of others. I also tell myself not to be concerned with the problems of those who are so different from me, those who are living a life that is so radically different than the one I know, that I can almost convince myself that they are somehow less human than I am. I truly believe that these convictions are vital to my own emotional survival. To succumb to every throb of compassion that I feel would cripple me and render me unable to move forward with my own life.

But forget compassion on a daily basis. Look deeper and see that turning one's eyes away from desperation is often the same as pulling the trigger. I don't want to beat a dead horse or anything because I understand how tired this debate is, but how can the people of our government get so bogged down in bureaucracy, trying to figure out who is responsible for what, that they let fellow human beings fester in a disaster-ridden swamp for a week? So while they fight like a bunch of jocks trying to figure out who caught the ball, the linebacker from the other team has already run the 100 yards to make the damn touchdown? People have died. YOU LOSE. And if you were one of the ones left to fester, with no visible light at the end of the tunnel, what would you do? Would you prey on the losses of others? How far would you go to save yourself and your family?

I don't want to start a big discussion about who is at fault, what Bush, FEMA, the Louisiana Governor or Mayor shouldda/couldda/wouldda done because that would really be beating that poor horse beyond all decency. I'm not even trying to bring up the issue of racism, although I'm not opposed to the discussion, being that we are talking about the issue of class disparity in America. But what I really want to talk about is the value of human life. I acknowledge that I am not blameless in this discussion by far, and do concede the difficult issue of self-preservation, as discussed earlier in this thesis.

Is this a black and white issue? And as sure as I am that race played a masterful role in that tragedy, that is not the black and white that I am talking about. I want to know if the line between compassion for our fellow human beings and pure and simple responsibility for our neighbors is as fuzzy as I perceive it to be. To hear some people talk about it, it is black and white. But then actions speak louder than words. The media, for example. Brian Williams on NBC and other reporters, talk about spending that first night in the Superdome with thousands of New Orleaneans the evening that Katrina hit. Yes, yes...very magnanimous, and bohemian, to think about it! They are suffering for their artful profession. God bless 'em! And then they speak of leaving the Superdome the next morning...using the exit designated for media only, how helpless they all felt, leaving all those poor victims behind to sleep in shared filth for nearly a week. Do you see where I'm going with this, y'all? Everyone has real pretty words to say, but when it comes down to it, what does anyone do, really, until that metaphorical gun (sometimes not so metaphorical, unfortunately), is held to their heads? The media that were embedded in New Orleans turned their backs on those people, just as surely as the government took too long to rescue them.

Was that the right thing for them to do? After all, if you help one, you have to help them all, and there certainly were not enough vehicles to evacuate the entire Superdome (as we all witnessed). But then what right did they have to be there at all? What purpose did it serve, except to taunt those who had no other way out, no other place to go, sleeping among the human waste and the dead? What right did the media have to go in there and capture such degradation, such tragedy, with no regards for the dignity of those fighting for their lives, certain that nobody knew of their situation (for if they did, surely help would have come SOONER). Then again, what does it matter if the media was there or not? It wouldn't change the story, would it? And at least now we can pretend to have learned something from it, right? Isn't that what happened after it was all said and done? FEMA's top gun was fired, Bush started making frequent trips to the Gulf Coast to "oversee" the rebuilding, Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin may be out of a job soon, and they probably all deserve to be, but what does that change? What is being done, really, to ensure that this type of thing doesn't happen again? Put all the procedures in place that you want to, but where was the government's motivation to save the thousands of lives in the state of Louisiana?

Yeah, I'm done now. I realize that I rambled on and on and on. It's what I do, how I try to flush out the grief and the anger, only with this topic, it doesn't seem to help. I think it only fuels it.

Oh, and on a SLIGHTLY less depressing note, my brother informed me that my dad was being honored by NASA (which is where he works...yes, my dad is a rocket scientist) and was sent out to Florida so he could watch the space shuttle launch, which if any of you know my dad, you know that it is a HUGE deal for him. Anyway, I heard on the news today that due to Hurricane Ernesto (which may or may not be a hurricane when it hits Florida), the launch has been cancelled...or postponed. Either way, sorry Dad! Get home safely! And congratulations!

"It's not about rich people or poor people...it's about people!" Katrina survivor

And because books just aren't as interesting...

Here is what we've got so far in terms of music favorites (in no particular order, and noting that I added a new one of my own):

9/5 We have another addition by Kelley...I'm sticking it at the top.

The Best of My Love by The Eagles (Kelley)
Foreplay/Longtime by Boston (Chip)
Tom Sawyer by Rush (Chip)
No More Tears by Ozzy (Chip)
Take On Me by A-Ha (Chip)...A-who?
Sweet Home Alabama by Skynnard (Chip)
Mexican Radio by Wall of Voodoo (Chip)...ummm, okay
Canto All Vita by Josh Groban (Steph)
Gravity of Love by Enigma (Steph)
Silence by Delirium (Steph)...or is it Delirium by Silence?
You're All I Need by Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige (Joyce)...shout out to "making war or making babies!"
In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins (Michelle)
Amazing Grace (Michelle)
Black by Pearl Jam (Michelle)
Cryin' by Aerosmith (Mel)
My Little Heaven by Pat Green (Mel)
Against All Odds by Phil Collins (Mel)
Hang by Matchbox 20 (Mel)
Let It Be by The Beatles (Mel)
War Pigs by Ozzy (Ernie)
California Dreamin' by The Mammas and the Pappas (Kelly)...Oh, and Michelle, I'm sure you would recognize it if you heard it..."All the leaves are brown...and the sky is gray"
Don't Cry by Guns N' Roses (Kelly)...talk about singing at the top of your lungs!
California Dreamin! Kelley knows how awesome this song is!
I feel good - James Brown (Kelley)
R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Aretha Franklin (Kelley)
Back in black by ACDC (Kelley)
Play that funky music by Wild Cherry (Kelley)
I wanna kiss u all over by Exile (Kelley)
Kiss by Prince (Kelley)
My Eyes Adored you by Frankie Valie (Kelley)
Save My Life by Head East (Kelley)
Please Come Home for Christmas by Eagles (Kelley)
Beautiful Girl by Van Halen (Kelley)

Back to the books

So where are we on this whole book club facade that I've got going on? Last I remember, I was in the middle of reading Cloudsplitter, the everlasting droning of the son of 19th century abolitionist/terrorist John Brown. Did I make it seem as if I wasn't enjoying myself reading the book? Well, that's not quite the case...the story itself was a good one, but man can that guy talk! So anyway, I accidentally misplaced the book during my recent move two weeks ago and have not had the energy to find it since. So I've started to re-read one of my all time favorites, which I first read in high school (as an assignment), then again in college (for fun). It's Tess of the d'Urbeville's...and strangely enough, I dont' remember that much about what happens, even though it's one of my favorites. I just remember really loving the book. Thomas Hardy, who is the author, was a very dark man, I think. I've read two of his novels and they are both very depressing. Anyway, I noticed that Amy Tan has a new one out, and I would be very interested in picking that one up, but I do feel like I should finish Cloudsplitter (sigh) before moving on to a brand new novel.

That's all for now. I was tempted to write an entry dedicated to the ranting of my unpleasant transit experience this morning, but I can't imagine that would be interesting to anyone but myself.

Take care.

California Dreamin' by The Mommas and the Pappas

So I had a conversation with Melissa over the weekend about the greatest songs of all time. Mel has her list of top five, but I just can't seem to get there. There are so many songs to choose from...good, bad, happy, sad, and really really ugly.

So here's the challenge...while I don't expect you to be able to narrow it down to five like Mel did, just post one or two of your all time favorites and I'll compile a list. I'm starting with California Dreamin'. Love that song!

Kel

Job Update

Hi friends!

Well, this is my second day on the job, and while it is still a little overwhelming, I am getting very excited about all the learning opportunities! It seems a bit part of my job description involves conducting research and figuring out methodologies and all that stuff that I intentionally avoided during college and grad school for the mere fact that it didn't interest me and I just didn't understand it. So yesterday I was really freaking out thinking that they had definitely hired the wrong girl for the job, but today I found out that my counterpart had the same concerns that I did when she started because she was a journalism major, and her writing skills, much like mine, are much stronger than her research skills. So I'm good! (so far).

Anyway, I'm loving this being employed thing...I found out yesterday that I can be reimbursed up to $1000/year for a gym membership! (that is one of the most exciting perks so far, besides the fact that last night I got to sail around New York Harbor on a yacht).

Anyway, gonna scarf down my lunch and get ready for a 2:00 meeting...yeah, I have a 2:00 meeting. Because I'm an employed adult.

Good bye!

Still here...

Bear with me...I haven't posted in a few days, I realize, but I have been out of town (awesome bachelorette weekend in awesome austin!) and am just starting my new job today, so things are a bit crazy. But I will be back in full-blog swing as soon as I screw my head back on!

Take care until then!
Kelly

Here goes!

Today is my last day as a temp...starting Monday, I am a permanent employee! I'll have a salary, health benefits, vacation, a cubicle with office supplies, too much work to do and not enough time in which to do it, and a schedule that sounds exciting at first but will soon become ordinary and dull within the first month.

Aren't y'all excited for me????? I'm going to be a grown up!

What is happening?

Man, it's a slow email day! I think I've only received two emails today, and one was from my mother! (No offense, Mom...I love hearing from you, but usually my inbox is crammed!)
So what is everyone up to? Are we busy at work? Enjoying the hot summer sun? (This is not an invitation for anybody who went to the beach today to brag about it. It's Wednesday, you bums!)

I don't even have anything real interesting to say to anybody today, except that I'm going to Austin on Friday for Maria's bachelorette party and a reunion with some old friends! I will barely be there two days...I just know the weekend will be over before it begins, but I'm trying not to think about that. Instead, I'm thinking about the lines that I will have to deal with at Newark and how early I will have to get up to be at the airport in time for my 6:50am flight...any thoughts? Is it better if I just don't go to bed at all? Not risk the chance of oversleeping? Should I get there two or three hours early? Too many questions?

Okay, I guess my lunchbreak is over. Oh, I found this story slightly interesting...has no relevance whatsoever to anything that I said on this blog, only that I wish I was the CEO for Nike!

Have a good one!

Polls and Politics...Why bother?

The latest Newsweek poll shows that last week's foiled airline plot actually boosted President Bush's ratings. How is this possible? President Bush didn't do anything, positive or negative!!! This latest terror plot took place in the UK, was handled by the British police and Scotland Yard. All we (as a nation) did was react to it. So what can one deduce except that Americans go whichever way the wind blows. The story in Newsweek discusses the fact that President Bush has learned over the past five years since 9/11 not to overreact to terrorist threats, which is what he practiced not doing last week...he stepped back and let British Prime Minister Tony Blair take the lead, since the attack was to take place on planes departing from his country.

Americans seem to approve more of Bush's War on Terror when they feel their lives, or the lives of other like-thinking westerners, are directly threatened. What happens in the interim?

I know that I'm long-winded

So these last few months of being unemployed have really taken an emotional toll on me. The other day, I nearly had a breakdown...I have been somewhat frustrated by the silly tasks assigned to me at my job, and even more frustrated by the fact that I feel this way, when I should just be grateful to have a job! Also, the apartment hunt has been less than fruitful. Wait, let me rephrase. There are HUNDREDS of apartments available, just very few that are 1) in the right area (meaning no sirens or gunshots within hearing range), and 2) affordable. Apparently, those two requirements in one package = too much to ask for. But I puttered along, trying to keep my head up, even though I felt as though I were being eaten alive by this giant rotting Apple.

Then, on Friday, (a mere two days after this near-catastrophic mental break), I got a phone call from the City Council! They offered me a position! I thought I had gone completely over the edge and was now hallucinating! But it actually did happen! Mike was standing right next to me when I got the phone call, so he's my witness! Although I was on cloud nine, I realized that was only half the battle. I still had to find a place to live, and time was running out. Jennifer (my roommate) and I went around to several places this weekend in Park Slope, a very nice area of Brooklyn, right next to Prospect Park. Now, a two-bedroom apartment here is way out of our price range (ranging anywhere from $1800 to $3000 per month-location location location!). After hours and hours of us both combing through www.craigslist.com, we finally came to terms with the fact that a two bedroom apartment in Park Slope was just not in the stars for us at this point. But we love the area so much that we agreed to look for one-bedroom apartments. No big deal, right? We're both girls. We'll just be in each other's space again for a while, but we can handle it (after all, we did it when we first moved here). So we looked at one-bedrooms. We saw a fantastic apartment on Saturday, and although we loved it (and were ready to take it on the spot...where do we sign? who do we make the check out to? ), they were not so eager to take us. Same thing happened yesterday afternoon...it seems we're not "A-list" candidates (his words, not ours). I tried to convince the building owner that we are, indeed, worthy of an "A-list" title, but he seems to think our lack of income might prove to be a problem when it comes down to the pesky little detail of rent. Wha-??!!

Not to be dissuaded, and having seen how dog-eat-dog the world of apartment shopping in New York can be, we mosied on down a few blocks to a two-bedroom (that surprisingly was more affordable for us, probably somewhat due to the fact that it is located on the border between Pleasantville, otherwise known as Park Slope and Graffitti-ville, aka Sunset Park, and the bedrooms are only big enough to fit one full-size bed and nothing else). The bedrooms are ridiculously small, but the living room and kitchen are both ridiculously big, especially for New York. So we jumped on it. We jumped on it about two seconds before the other girl who was there looking at it decided to jump on it, and because we pre-empted her, she threw a tantrum! No kidding. The guy who was showing us the apartment said that if we were interested, to call this woman (the landlady) in Staten Island to make the arrangements, which we did. The other girl storms out of the building in a huff, saying "This is like the fifth time this has happened to me!" and I was like "Oh, poor girl. I feel your pain." Meanwhile Jennifer is on the phone with Staten Island and the tantrum girl, who has left the building and is now out on the sidewalk, calls in (to Staten Island) and begins saying that SHE wants the apartment and Staten Island says "Oh, goodness...I don't know what to do! I'm in between a rock and a hard place!" Well, we tell her that we are ready to write her a check right this second if she'll just tell us who to make it out to (CASH) and she goes back and forth between us and the toddler downstairs who is now in full-blown hysterics. Staten Island asks to speak with the gentleman showing us the apartment, and because she is from New York and hasn't heard of the term "12-inch voice", we hear everything she says. She wants to know what he thinks about us...do we seem nice, like good tenants, should she just give the other girl the apartment. And this whole time, Jenn and I are saying "NO! We're nice girls! We're social workers!" I mean, why she would even consider giving into that girl downstairs, who was now actually yelling at her over the phone, is beyond me. Finally, good versus evil wins out. We got the apartment and wrote the check out to cash. I was very skeptical about the whole thing, so I had my boyfriend call Staten Island pretending to be interested in the apartment and thankfully, she informed him that it had already been taken. I was worried that we had just been scammed out of a whole lot of money. The verdict is really still out on that one though...we don't have keys and we don't have a lease (check back with me on Sept. 1).

I know what y'all are thinking: "Man, is Kelly ever going to finish telling this story? This is like a continuation of the Odyssey." And the other thing you are thinking is "I would never give money for an apartment without seeing a lease." But man, this place makes you desparate. You see how we were pressured into signing over $1,500 without even seeing, much less signing, a lease? We had been to at least five other places and called/emailed three dozen others from around the safest parts of Brooklyn, and to no avail! It is really getting down to the wire and while we are fortunate enough to have friends around who can offer us shelter, we were pretty close to being homeless. Don't get me wrong...I don't feel great about this place either. But desparate times call for desparate measures (as Cecilia who is going through some of her own trials right now, can attest to). It's a tough town, and my skin is getting thicker by the minute.

Hope I haven't bored you to tears. Love y'all!

Our prayers are going out...

Let's all say a prayer that any attempts at terror attacks are foiled. I'm grateful that the British authorities were on top of their game enough to detect this plan just in time, but a little frustrated that it got as far as it did.

I'm very curious as to how, when the plan progressed as far as to allow the suspected terrorists to actually get through security, how did it happen that British officials were able to interfere just in time? What happened between the time that the terrorists got through security and the law enforcement intercepted them, and why didn't that happen earlier? I realize that when it comes to national security, there are things that we will never ever know, but I think it would put my mind a little bit at ease if I understood some of the intelligence that they are working with. However, more than that, I wish for the secrets that must be kept secret so as not to reveal security plans be left alone.

God be with us all.

More on Books

I am creating a whole new post to follow up on the book club, since I've received more responses...I was just thinking this morning on my way into work that I should create a post letting y'all know that I will resume the book club once I have finished "Cloudsplitter" so that maybe we can all be on the same page (no pun intended). But what the heck...I've always got something to say!

Michelle, what are the names of those Frank Peretti books? I'm pretty sure I have read them, but it was a long time ago...he's probably come out with more since then. I remember really liking them, so let me know the names of the last few books he's come up with.

Ashley, it sounds like you and Ceci have something in common, bookwise! You're both big nerds! =)

I have been doing a lot of reading this summer...I have read four Amy Tan novels (The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Kitchen God's Wife, and The Hundred Secret Senses. Those books are very entertaining and easy to relate to, while at the same time educational about the Chinese culture. I loved them!! And I'm so happy because I just saw that she has another book out called Saving Fish from Drowning.

I also finished up a book that I started last summer called Wicked, which is also a Broadway musical (wonderful, delightful, loved it) and is the prequel to the Wizard of Oz...answers all those timeless questions, such as "How did the Wicked Witch become wicked?" and "How does Glenda the Good Witch always in such a good mood?" This book, unlike Amy Tan's novels, is NOT easy to relate to, NOT easy to read, at times is a bit crass and even repulsive, but also somewhat entertaining. I liked it because it is similar to Harry Potter in that the author creates a whole new world of existence...you have to learn about the identities of munchkins and the difference between animals (lowercase) and Animals (uppercase). If you are into science fiction (and I'm not saying that this is science fiction, but when I was reading through it, I felt like I was reading science fiction), then you may enjoy this book.

I read a few others, such as The Shining (crazy thriller...I never saw the movie, but the book ws enough). (I read something in between The Secret Life of Bees...another good one. NOt my absolute favorite, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's probably not for guys...a chic flip, if you will (*groan*). Then I moved onto A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (currently my favorite...it's a thick book, but such an easy and delightful read), and now Cloudsplitters.

Hmmm...maybe it's time that I get to work...have a great day!

I hereby issue a retraction...

The weather is gorgeous this week! Un-freakin'-believable! It is totally making up for last week's scorcher (with the exception of the unfortunate human casualties, of course). As I got out of the subway this morning, I was thinking about how I wished that I didn't have to go to work...I was very much inside my head with this one and paying no attention to my surroundings, when I felt that old familiar vibration in my purse telling me that I have a message on my voicemail. I checked it and it was Mike asking if I had noticed how incredible it felt this morning when I left my apartment. The answer? No, no I'm ashamed to say, I hadn't. I was not in the mood to notice the crisp, 74 degree, no humidity, breezy temperature that brushed by my face and arms. As soon as I heard Mike's message though, I pushed everything else out of my mind and enjoyed my walk to work.

For those of you in Texas, this is what it's like...strolling in the sun feels like that week in March that we call Springtime. In the shade, it's that week in November that we call fall.

And now I'm listening to Billie Holliday on pandora.com. Haven't even started work yet (except that I did have the intense pleasure of fetching coffee for my bosses as soon as I came in...life is good).

Have a beautiful day!

Let Freedom Ring!

You are all free to comment, so let's see what you have to say now!

Blog Comments, yada yada yada

So it has recently come to my attention that in order for you to leave a comment on my blog (which I know you are all just itching to do!), you have to create a blog of your own, which understandably, many of you do not wish to do. I think there is another way, but I just don't know what it is yet. My blog is still a work in progress...I've enlisted the help of a certain beautiful and talented sister of mine to make it real nice and pretty, and I'm also looking into a feature where you can post comments on the page without having to sign up for your own blog.

Although, it doesn't take much effort to just create your own blog and leave a comment...you don't even have to maintain your blog, just create it to have a user name and use a fake email address. I'm just sayin'.

Book Club

So I'd like to start a book club of sorts, here on my blog. Only I don't really know how to start it! Why don't you all respond to this post by posting under the comments section of books you have recently read or are about to read, and are excited about. I, as the moderator, will look at all of the entries and see if you all have posted any of the same books, or at least in the same genre. Being that I was sick and unemployed for about six weeks at the beginning of the summer, I did a lot of reading. Lucky for you, I won't overwhelm you with the mountain of books that I tore through while stuck in bed, but if you are bored or just looking for a good book to read, chances are I can recommend one or two!

Do y'all think I'm a huge nerd for doing this? Well, I don't care!! So ha! I recently read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith and loved it so much that I almost cried when it ended because I missed little Francie. I believe it is the best book that I have ever read. I'm currently reading "Cloudsplitter" by Russell Banks, a book about an abolitionist/terrorist (John Smith) back in the 19th century/pre-Civil War days, and it is interesting (although I haven't gotten to the part about Harper's Ferry yet), but wordy!

So let the games begin! I look forward to seeing your responses!

Oh, and I had dinner with Alec Baldwin

No not really. But he was sitting at the table right behind me...literally ten feet away.

I just hated to blog and run...

But my family came into town this weekend and I was rather tied up, what with all the theater and eating out...(yes, yes...my wallet is too small for my fifties and my diamond shoes are too tight). I saw four pretty fantastic shows on Broadway: The Drowsy Chaperone, The History Boys, Bridge and Tunnel, and The Color Purple. I recommend them all (with the exception of Bridge and Tunnel, which unfortunately closes today-but don't fret! From what I understand, it sort of comes and goes...it's a one-woman show (Sarah Jones), and she has travelled all around the world with this show, so next time you're in Madagascar...). The Drowsy Chaperone is great if you like two hours of pure silliness with no intermission. I giggled all the way through. The History Boys was a sharp "dramedy"...drama/comedy, and The Color Purple was just a beautiful and spiritual experience all around.

Last night we (my aunt, uncle, two amazing family friends, and my boyfriend) ate at this beautiful restaurant near Hell's Kitchen called Chez Josephine, started by Jean-Claude Baker, the son of late Paris showgirl Josephine Baker. There was a fabulous piano player/singer playing all my favorites-Billy Joel, Elton John, etc...I had the spaghetti. Yummmy!

Anyway, I'm pretty wiped out! Had a fabulous weekend and am taking it easy for the rest of the day...watching movies on AMC (Arthur, Nine to Five, Big) while Mike is at the beach. I would be there too, but I didn't pack my bathing suit when I went into Manhattan, and he left straight from brunch. What a bum!!!

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Let's just sit and talk about the weather...

I don't love New York in the summer.

Okay, so for those of you who don't know, read my profile. I live in New York City (The Baking Apple, as it is being referred to these days with the scorching heat). I'm originally from Texas, where it is MUCH hotter on a MORE consistent basis. So why am I complaining? I will tell you why, and I'll be sticking my foot in my mouth while I'm doing it (thanks be to Krishna for the yoga classes, but this could still get ugly).

When I moved here in January, I was so excited to get the heck out of Texas and up north where I could experience a real winter. Yada yada yada, got stuck inside my basement during the Blizzard of '06, yada yada yada, slipped on a patch of ice and fell flat on my bum, re-injuring my back, yada yada yada, suprise! I hated it. The Spring was gorgeous...more than I could ever hope for in a season. I saw flowers that I have never seen, smelled and tasted honeysuckle walking to the subway in Brooklyn, experienced 65 degree temperatures that hung around for weeks, as opposed to in Houston, where Springtime consists of about a week of nice 75 degree weather, and then BAM! Sauna!

Now it is summertime in New York, and so far, it's been two months of raw discomfort. God Bless Texas and the institution of central air! City slickers who have been around for a while tried to warn me that it can be brutal here, but I just smiled kindly at them, informed them (for the 45th time) that I am from Texas, and that I'm pretty sure I can handle a simple northeast summer. (This is where I begin eating crow). There is no central air, people! And I don't have a car, which means that most of my commute to anywhere is not air conditioned. The subway cars are usually gently air conditioned, but the platforms, where I have been known to wait up to 30 minutes for a train, are not only not air conditioned, but are often way way underground and 10 + degrees warmer than the temperature on the ground. I have a window a/c unit in the room that I am subletting, which is nice, but there is no a/c in the living room/kitchen/bathroom, so I've become somewhat of a cold-seeking hermit. These days, when the temperature is rising to 100 degrees, the carpet and linoleum actually warms up so it feels like I'm walking on a heating pad. The "wood" doors in my apartment are expanding with the heat and humidity and don't close all the way. And the inside lining of my pants are sticking to the back of my legs, which makes it look like less than graceful everytime I get up from my seat.

How many more days until fall? I've heard autumn is beautiful in New York.

Hi Y'all! I got the blog bug...really, I just want a place to write, so I'm gonna try out the blog scene for a second...see if any of my creative juices flow. Ummm...nothing so far. Anyway, feel free to post ideas and comments, and maybe they'll create some inspiration for me. Take care!