Spread The Word To End The Word

I'm sure that by now most of you have seen this commercial from the organization Spread the Word to End the Word, but I had to share it here.  I had to share it because I simply don't understand why I hear the "R" word so much.  I don't understand how the same young men who are one minute discussing astrophysics on an elite college campus can turn around the next minute and call each other "retarded".  I have to say that when I was growing up we used the "R" word all the time in school.  We would say someone was retarded or their idea was retarded.  We didn't understand the connection to real people.  I'm so glad that there is a campaign out there to raise awareness about how this word can hurt.

Ramblings

-When deciding whether or not to see a movie based on a book you read ask yourself "Did I finish that book?". If the answer is yes, then go with god. If the answer is "hmmm, I remember the general plot, lots of happy stuff. But the ending? Uh..." then you should reassess. Spoiler Alert: I recently saw One Day, the new Anne Hathaway movie based on a book that I "read". I really thought I finished that book, but that bus came out of nowhere. I slowly remembered that I got about three quarters of the way through the book and got distracted by a butterfly something, and never finished it. Killed by a bus. That was a surprise.

-Since I nanny for a two year old I say the same thing over and over in rapid succession. "Feet out of your mouth please. Feet out of mouth. Feet! Mouth!". "I'll be right back. Be right back. Right Back! Back!"

-Disney is rereleasing Bambi and The Lion King, because apparently scarring my generation wasn't enough, they want to screw up a whole new group of kids.

-At some point in history the competing manufacturers of shower curtains, liners, and rings got together and decided how many holes EVERY shower curtain would have. Every last one. Let's put these guys to work on the economic crisis.

-I was walking out of the gym recently and glanced up at cars stopped in traffic. Right there in front of me was a truck owned by "Her Plumbing, Inc.". I think the "Inc." really gives the company credibility.

-Little known fact: starting a sentence with "I was walking out of the gym..." means you double the amount of calories burned.

-I drove past a Dunkin' Donuts on Friday at 12:30am and there were three police cars parked outside. My first thought was "They know I need blog material!". (Don't get me started on Boston's obsession with Dunkin' Donuts. Yuck."

-No one looks good getting up from an Adirondack chair.

-Some nights call for a delivery pizza, a screening of Airplane, and zero guilt.

Ten

Ten years ago, I woke up not feeling well and decided to stay home from school.  It was my senior year of high school and I knew one day wouldn't be a big deal, so I stayed in bed and flipped on the TV.  At that point no one knew what was going on.  Both towers still stood, like giant billowing smokestacks.  Then one tower fell.  Then the other.  I distinctly remember watching live video of people 80 stories up in the towers jumping out of windows.  The world was pretty different after that.

I didn't know anyone who died on 9/11.  For that matter I don't think I know anyone who knows anyone who died, though statistics say I probably do.  But that's the thing about a tragedy like this, we stop talking about it every day.  We keep it tucked into a little corner of our minds because there is no way we could look it in the face every day.  Yet people do.  Survivors, family members, friends.  They don't have the luxury of a back corner.

We can use words like tragedy and terrorism to describe what happened ten years ago today, and those words are totally accurate.  But sometimes the only thing I end up thinking is "wow, what a shitty thing to do".  I know it's not eloquent, but that's what comes to mind.  Some times the simple words will do.  Shitty.  Fucked up.

Sometimes on this day I post a picture of a flag as a memorial.  Somehow, that doesn't seem to do it today.

Bad Blogger!

I know.  I suck.  I move 3,000 miles away and never call or write.  I apologize.  I'm not sure there is a good way to sum up how things are going here, but all in all I would say things are great.  I love my apartment and the area where I live.  I love school so far.  I love my job (most of the time, I mean, isn't that the best I can ask for?)

When I tell people the long and convoluted story of how I ended up in Boston working where I do and going to school, doing my research assistantship, etc, they are universally amazed.  "Clearly" they say "this was meant to be".  I completely agree.  Things have fallen into place so smoothly here that I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Maybe it was all those years of Catholic school that made me think "Jesus is dead, there is no way I'm allowed to be this happy".  (Note: I'm not Catholic, I was just indoctrinated by their schools for 10 years).  Well, the nuns were wrong, things can be awesome without anyone having to pay for it.  I'm sorry Sister Clarita, but that's how it is.  May you rest in peace.

I know that there are a million little stories that I won't have time to relay here and that makes me sad, because I really want to have some of them documented.  There is something I have learned from my photography that I have been able to transfer to my blogging and other areas of my life, and that is this: If you are too busy documenting you forget to do the experiencing.

I just thought I would take a moment on this, my first day of Graduate School, to let you know that I am alive and well.  No...I'm thriving.  I will share stories and photos again soon, and plan on being a better blogger.  I have a "Ramblings" post in the works which seems easier for me to write than a long story lately.

In the meantime, please enjoy some photos of my backyard and its occupants.  My apartment has 7 windows that look out onto this gorgeousness.  Seven.  SEVEN.  That's one, two, three...SEVEN! I cannot overstate the importance of the windows.  Oh, and there's a skylight too.  The backyard is home to a very long swing that just begs to be photographed at many angles, as well as a pool and much foliage.

Something tells me that Sister Clarita would be happy for me.  Jesus or no Jesus, I've got a view.

Coming Soon To A Blog Near You!

I'm sorry it has been a while since I posted anything.  I spent the long holiday weekend on Martha's Vineyard and will write up a post soon.  I also have some fun photos to share.  In the meantime I'm going to go consider the terrifying fact that I start Graduate School on Wednesday.  Shudder.