Need I say more?
-Kate
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
"Jam, let's jam" - from the Glass of Milk and the Ovaltines ArtStreet Jam CD
Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time, I was productive. Then I got a job at a research place and productivity fell to about 5%.
So this past Friday I went home and got ready to go to the lake with my family. On Saturday we drove up to the lake and got settled into our cozy cabin that is my 2nd home. (I've been staying for a week at this cabin every summer since my birth.) This year we made this really cute and fun 'tent' out on the back porch because there were not enough bedrooms for everyone. I'll get a picture of it tomorrow when I go back up to the lake. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I spent time with my extended family sailing, eating, boating, swimming, eating, talking and just doing all of the normal jamboree things that go on at the lake. It's kind of hard to explain what the lake is like without first hand experience. I did go sailing twice with my dad which was great because it was kind of like a father's day redo and also because I don't spend enough time with him. Someday I'll have to have him really show me how to sail. (I mean I kind of know how, but not like he does). I also spent time cooking with my mom. We made 6 pies with the help of my brother's girlfriend, which was fun and delicious. I also got attacked by lots of insects that decided they really liked me. Esp. cicadas, ick.
The rest of this week has been pretty chill. I've been getting together some of my study abroad stuff and financial aid. Just boring things like that. I am going kayaking today with the Rivers Institute people so that will be super! I think we're going to try kayaking on a different part of the river than we normally do so that should be exciting.
Finally, I would like leave you with some thoughts on life.
As one of my favorite book quotes says: Love as thou wilt.
And that means in all aspects of your life. It's kind of like saying, put love at the forefront of your life and just accept love in all its forms. I don't know if I'm explaining this very well so maybe Alice can help me out cuz I know she's read the Kushiel books by Jacquline Carey, which is where the quote is from. I just really like that these people value love above everything else.
Love,
Kate
Once upon a time, I was productive. Then I got a job at a research place and productivity fell to about 5%.
So this past Friday I went home and got ready to go to the lake with my family. On Saturday we drove up to the lake and got settled into our cozy cabin that is my 2nd home. (I've been staying for a week at this cabin every summer since my birth.) This year we made this really cute and fun 'tent' out on the back porch because there were not enough bedrooms for everyone. I'll get a picture of it tomorrow when I go back up to the lake. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I spent time with my extended family sailing, eating, boating, swimming, eating, talking and just doing all of the normal jamboree things that go on at the lake. It's kind of hard to explain what the lake is like without first hand experience. I did go sailing twice with my dad which was great because it was kind of like a father's day redo and also because I don't spend enough time with him. Someday I'll have to have him really show me how to sail. (I mean I kind of know how, but not like he does). I also spent time cooking with my mom. We made 6 pies with the help of my brother's girlfriend, which was fun and delicious. I also got attacked by lots of insects that decided they really liked me. Esp. cicadas, ick.
The rest of this week has been pretty chill. I've been getting together some of my study abroad stuff and financial aid. Just boring things like that. I am going kayaking today with the Rivers Institute people so that will be super! I think we're going to try kayaking on a different part of the river than we normally do so that should be exciting.
Finally, I would like leave you with some thoughts on life.
As one of my favorite book quotes says: Love as thou wilt.
And that means in all aspects of your life. It's kind of like saying, put love at the forefront of your life and just accept love in all its forms. I don't know if I'm explaining this very well so maybe Alice can help me out cuz I know she's read the Kushiel books by Jacquline Carey, which is where the quote is from. I just really like that these people value love above everything else.
Love,
Kate
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Fond Fairwell For Now
Just wanted to update real quick.
I'm sorry for throwing out all that nonviolence, philosophy, deep thinking stuff all at once.
Also, I'm going to be gone this weekend with my family until around Tuesday so hopefully that will be fun and I'll have lots of pictures to post.
yours,
Kate
I'm sorry for throwing out all that nonviolence, philosophy, deep thinking stuff all at once.
Also, I'm going to be gone this weekend with my family until around Tuesday so hopefully that will be fun and I'll have lots of pictures to post.
yours,
Kate
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Satyagraha
Tonight we had the second meeting of our little book club. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion and despite the fact that we talked for almost 2 hours, I think we could have talked for so much longer. The book we read was called Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky. Now, I did enjoy the book and I thought was good and I would recommend it, but I enjoyed the discussion so much more. I think I might get into some of the topics that we discussed, but I do have several quotes and ideas that Kurlansky brings up which I would like to post here so that you can ponder them as well. (Also, if I put quotation marks around text that means it is from the book and I'll include the page #'s if anyone really wants to take this further)
The first major point is that there is no word for nonviolence. "While every major language has a word for violence, there is no word to express the idea of nonviolence except that it is not another idea, it is not violence. In Sanskrit, the word for violence is himsa, harm, and the negation of himsa, just as nonviolence is the negation of violence, is ahimsa -- not doing harm. But if ahimsa is "not doing harm," what is it doing?" (pg.5)
This leads him to the question: "If we lived in a world that had no word for war other than nonpeace, what kind of world would that be?" (pg.6)
Which then leads him to: "Mohandas Gandhi invented a word for it, satyagraha, from satya, meaning truth. Satyagraha according to Gandhi, literally means 'holding on to truth' or 'truth force.' Interestingly, although Gandhi's teachings and techniques have had a huge impact on political activists around the world, his word for it, satyagraha, has never caught on." (pg.7)
To this I say, then let us take it up again and make it catch on.
Another point Kurlansky makes is that "peoples who got to war tend to become mirror images of their enemy" (pg.43)
What he means by this is that "in war one becomes what the enemy is accused of being." (pg.139) And what he means by this is that both sides become the monsters that the other accuses them of being. Does that make sense? I feel like it might be a bit confusing.
I also really agree with him when he says, "the cause of perpetual war lies not in the nature of man but in the nature of power." (pg.51)
Something else he discusses is the quote unquote founding fathers of the U.S. and the Constitution. He says "But they knew that they and their work were flawed. Jefferson, too, believed in the perfectibility of humans, or at least that they would steadily grow wiser, and wrote that the Constitution should be rewritten in every generation to avoid having society 'remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.'"
I have always thought this and wondered why we hold up the Constitution and its authors as these unquestionable and perfect items. Were they not just like us today? Now I'm not saying the Constitution is terrible and that we should just throw it out, but that like the Bible and the Koran and the Torah, and any other text written by humans, it should be acknowledged that it in fact WAS written by humans and being thus is imperfect.
Now to get back to satyagraha.
He says "Only if the nonviolent side has the discipline to avoid slipping into violence does it 'win'....The moment the nonviolent adversary accepts violence...then it has been conceded that violence is acceptable, and its only a question of who has the greater physical force." (pg.162).
Something that goes along with this and that I think few people truly realize and understand is that satyagraha takes incredible courage and is not an easy pacifist, inactive engagement.
Two examples of active "nonviolence" he gives:
This one is talking about a man named Bayard Rustin who was marching against the Korean War in 1951. "he was attacked with a stick by an angry spectator. Rustin handed him a second stick and asked him if he wanted to use both. The attacker threw both sticks down." (pg.154)
I think that is a powerful statement and takes tremendous courage.
Then, "A.J. Muste, borrowing an idea from Thoreau, refused to pay his taxes starting on January 1, 1948. Each year he sent the IRS a letter explaining why he was neither filing nor paying. The IRS did not even respond for the first 3 years, and did not charge him until 1960, at which point they said he owed $1,165, plus penalties. Finally the court ruled that he could not be charged the penalties as he was following his conscience, though he did owe the taxes. But they had no way of collecting, since Muste owned nothing and did not even have a bank account." (pg.157)
This makes me think a lot.
I don't really want to own anything or have a bank account. What would that be like?
There are many other great examples of big and small movements and instances of people choosing nonviolence, whether individually or as groups, but I will not relate those here. If you want them I can point you to a few, or you can explore them for yourself. I personally find the non-Western and lesser known ones to be the most compelling, but I'll get on with it.
One of the last thing Kurlansky discusses before the end of the book where he gives the "Twenty-Five Lessons" is this:
"Both sides claim that God is on their side, but the god cited is a god of killing not found in the religions of either side. 'The issue,' said Kenneth Kuanda, 'is not whether God is on our side, but if we are on God's side.'"
This, I think, is something very powerful to be considered.
So here are a select few of his Twenty-Five Lessons:
1. There is no proactive word for nonviolence.
(I would argue that satyagraha is that word)
4. Once a state takes over a religion, the religion loses its nonviolent teachings.
5. A rebel can be defanged and co-opted by making him a saint after he is dead.
(Take MLKJ for example.)
12. The state imagines it is impotent without a military because it cannot conceive of power without force.
(What are some other very powerful tools other than force?: Love, compassion, empathy, greed, intelligence, boycott, etc)
25. The hard work of beginning a movement to end war has already begun.
Good Night and Good Luck,
Kate
The first major point is that there is no word for nonviolence. "While every major language has a word for violence, there is no word to express the idea of nonviolence except that it is not another idea, it is not violence. In Sanskrit, the word for violence is himsa, harm, and the negation of himsa, just as nonviolence is the negation of violence, is ahimsa -- not doing harm. But if ahimsa is "not doing harm," what is it doing?" (pg.5)
This leads him to the question: "If we lived in a world that had no word for war other than nonpeace, what kind of world would that be?" (pg.6)
Which then leads him to: "Mohandas Gandhi invented a word for it, satyagraha, from satya, meaning truth. Satyagraha according to Gandhi, literally means 'holding on to truth' or 'truth force.' Interestingly, although Gandhi's teachings and techniques have had a huge impact on political activists around the world, his word for it, satyagraha, has never caught on." (pg.7)
To this I say, then let us take it up again and make it catch on.
Another point Kurlansky makes is that "peoples who got to war tend to become mirror images of their enemy" (pg.43)
What he means by this is that "in war one becomes what the enemy is accused of being." (pg.139) And what he means by this is that both sides become the monsters that the other accuses them of being. Does that make sense? I feel like it might be a bit confusing.
I also really agree with him when he says, "the cause of perpetual war lies not in the nature of man but in the nature of power." (pg.51)
Something else he discusses is the quote unquote founding fathers of the U.S. and the Constitution. He says "But they knew that they and their work were flawed. Jefferson, too, believed in the perfectibility of humans, or at least that they would steadily grow wiser, and wrote that the Constitution should be rewritten in every generation to avoid having society 'remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.'"
I have always thought this and wondered why we hold up the Constitution and its authors as these unquestionable and perfect items. Were they not just like us today? Now I'm not saying the Constitution is terrible and that we should just throw it out, but that like the Bible and the Koran and the Torah, and any other text written by humans, it should be acknowledged that it in fact WAS written by humans and being thus is imperfect.
Now to get back to satyagraha.
He says "Only if the nonviolent side has the discipline to avoid slipping into violence does it 'win'....The moment the nonviolent adversary accepts violence...then it has been conceded that violence is acceptable, and its only a question of who has the greater physical force." (pg.162).
Something that goes along with this and that I think few people truly realize and understand is that satyagraha takes incredible courage and is not an easy pacifist, inactive engagement.
Two examples of active "nonviolence" he gives:
This one is talking about a man named Bayard Rustin who was marching against the Korean War in 1951. "he was attacked with a stick by an angry spectator. Rustin handed him a second stick and asked him if he wanted to use both. The attacker threw both sticks down." (pg.154)
I think that is a powerful statement and takes tremendous courage.
Then, "A.J. Muste, borrowing an idea from Thoreau, refused to pay his taxes starting on January 1, 1948. Each year he sent the IRS a letter explaining why he was neither filing nor paying. The IRS did not even respond for the first 3 years, and did not charge him until 1960, at which point they said he owed $1,165, plus penalties. Finally the court ruled that he could not be charged the penalties as he was following his conscience, though he did owe the taxes. But they had no way of collecting, since Muste owned nothing and did not even have a bank account." (pg.157)
This makes me think a lot.
I don't really want to own anything or have a bank account. What would that be like?
There are many other great examples of big and small movements and instances of people choosing nonviolence, whether individually or as groups, but I will not relate those here. If you want them I can point you to a few, or you can explore them for yourself. I personally find the non-Western and lesser known ones to be the most compelling, but I'll get on with it.
One of the last thing Kurlansky discusses before the end of the book where he gives the "Twenty-Five Lessons" is this:
"Both sides claim that God is on their side, but the god cited is a god of killing not found in the religions of either side. 'The issue,' said Kenneth Kuanda, 'is not whether God is on our side, but if we are on God's side.'"
This, I think, is something very powerful to be considered.
So here are a select few of his Twenty-Five Lessons:
1. There is no proactive word for nonviolence.
(I would argue that satyagraha is that word)
4. Once a state takes over a religion, the religion loses its nonviolent teachings.
5. A rebel can be defanged and co-opted by making him a saint after he is dead.
(Take MLKJ for example.)
12. The state imagines it is impotent without a military because it cannot conceive of power without force.
(What are some other very powerful tools other than force?: Love, compassion, empathy, greed, intelligence, boycott, etc)
25. The hard work of beginning a movement to end war has already begun.
Good Night and Good Luck,
Kate
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hm...
Hey Everyone,
Sorry for not posting in a while. I haven't really been in the mood to blog lately. Plus I've been kind of busy, although not really. Anyways, I'm actually not really in the mood to blog now either so maybe I'll write tomorrow during work.
Thanks to everyone for the comments to my last post. Hopefully there will be further discussion all around on these engaging topics.
As for me. I'm feeling pretty useless in general.
One good note though, the pool at the rec will open tomorrow, so maybe I can finally start my swimming schedule I had all planned for the summer.
Love,
Kate
p.s. I do have a picture though
Sorry for not posting in a while. I haven't really been in the mood to blog lately. Plus I've been kind of busy, although not really. Anyways, I'm actually not really in the mood to blog now either so maybe I'll write tomorrow during work.
Thanks to everyone for the comments to my last post. Hopefully there will be further discussion all around on these engaging topics.
As for me. I'm feeling pretty useless in general.
One good note though, the pool at the rec will open tomorrow, so maybe I can finally start my swimming schedule I had all planned for the summer.
Love,
Kate
p.s. I do have a picture though
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Swing, Swing and the Philosophy of Changing Minds
So yesterday I went kayaking again. That seems to be a reoccuring theme does it not...
It was lots of fun though and we had a blast despite the hot sun. I think kayaking has become one way that I've been able to get through this summer. It keeps me connected to the river and away from offices, the color grey and unproductivity.
After our watery trip, Emily and I ate dinner at the wednesday night dinners that some of the other students on campus are hosting. I brought one of the loaves of zucchini bread that I had made earlier, and everyone LOVED it! I was amazed. I mean, it was pretty good, but there wasn't any left after dinner. Hm...I guess that means I can sort of make zucchini bread now. Cool.
Then I did laundry because it was getting to the point of absolute necessity. I think all of you know what that means. Cough*nounderwear*Cough
And while I was doing laundry I ran into (although not literally) Kevin, who I knew was on campus but had not had a chance to talk to yet. So we chatted about work and other things. It was good. However, I was supposed to watch Memento with Beth, but by the time I was done watching Keving iron (hahaha! yeah, if you know Kevin you'll be laughing too) Beth was already tired so no movie. tear. We'll watch it soon though, because I've heard good things about it.
Then today I drove out to WPAFB and attended this workshop, conference, seminar thing that included 3 speakers, lunch and a keynote speaker during lunch. The morning speakers were good and I actually knew one of them so that was interesting. The topic/theme was energy and specifically how it related to engineering (despite the fact that I am not an engineer). Acutally, I was the youngest person there. *shrug* It was a worthwhile experience. Then lunch was good except for the fact that I asked for a vegetarian meal and then had to wait an extra 5-10 minutes for them to make something and then bring it out. By this time though everyone else was mostly done. And they brought me linguine in a butter sauce covered with mushrooms. Gross. I do not like mushrooms because they have spores. Ew. Spores are just gross. Seriously people. SPORES! Just think about that for a while. The keynote speaker was very interesting though because he worked for the state of Ohio and had some important information about how Ohio is addressing various energy issues. One thing that I found very positive was that somehow (I think he said through some sort of tobacco lawsuit or something, I'll find out) they have $5 billion to put towards building and refabing schools. BUT the catch is that all of the schools have to meet LEED Silver certification at the very least. This is not only good because it helps schools, promotes LEED, and works towards environmental sustainability, but it also encourages more people/businesses in Ohio to get LEED certification so they can actually build these schools.
Ok, enough ranting about LEED. It was a good morning/lunch overall even though I got a stain on my shirt. (Does this always happen to anyone else?)
That takes us to about now. I'm at work. I've done some stuff, but not much. I've listened to some NPR and some music. And that's about it.
Tonight though should be good because Beth and I are going to meet up with some friends and go to this swing dancing event! Yes Drew and Pete, we're going to swing dance without you. Wish you could come but...you chose to leave the country and so must live with that decision. It should be lots of fun though.
Then tomorrow I'm going to eat perogies!! Which are delicious and if you don't know what they are look them up. Then Saturday Miss Alice will be here!
Other then that, not much has been happening.
One thing I have been thinking about though is that I kind of wish/regret that I had chosen to go to a more liberal school. Now I know that there are liberal minded people here and all but, I just think that maybe I could be profecting my protesting skills and getting more substantial goals accomplished related to environmental sustainability and justice and peace and nonviolence. However, maybe it's good that I'm here so that I can change people's minds here, but that is one hard task. I really bothers me that some people want to hear/care about is the $bottom line. Seriously people, money is the last thing that is important. Now I don't really want to have the debate about money, but I really think that if people just thought about the economy, business, profits, capitalism and the politics in an unconventional and creative manner instead of perpetuating the cycle of cutthroat capitalism then maybe we could solve some of the world's truly pressing and important problems. Any thoughts?
I will let you get back to your life now, but one thing that I would challenge everyone to think about: What is the big picture? And I mean think about this in relation to everything and anything.
introspectivly yours,
Kate
It was lots of fun though and we had a blast despite the hot sun. I think kayaking has become one way that I've been able to get through this summer. It keeps me connected to the river and away from offices, the color grey and unproductivity.
After our watery trip, Emily and I ate dinner at the wednesday night dinners that some of the other students on campus are hosting. I brought one of the loaves of zucchini bread that I had made earlier, and everyone LOVED it! I was amazed. I mean, it was pretty good, but there wasn't any left after dinner. Hm...I guess that means I can sort of make zucchini bread now. Cool.
Then I did laundry because it was getting to the point of absolute necessity. I think all of you know what that means. Cough*nounderwear*Cough
And while I was doing laundry I ran into (although not literally) Kevin, who I knew was on campus but had not had a chance to talk to yet. So we chatted about work and other things. It was good. However, I was supposed to watch Memento with Beth, but by the time I was done watching Keving iron (hahaha! yeah, if you know Kevin you'll be laughing too) Beth was already tired so no movie. tear. We'll watch it soon though, because I've heard good things about it.
Then today I drove out to WPAFB and attended this workshop, conference, seminar thing that included 3 speakers, lunch and a keynote speaker during lunch. The morning speakers were good and I actually knew one of them so that was interesting. The topic/theme was energy and specifically how it related to engineering (despite the fact that I am not an engineer). Acutally, I was the youngest person there. *shrug* It was a worthwhile experience. Then lunch was good except for the fact that I asked for a vegetarian meal and then had to wait an extra 5-10 minutes for them to make something and then bring it out. By this time though everyone else was mostly done. And they brought me linguine in a butter sauce covered with mushrooms. Gross. I do not like mushrooms because they have spores. Ew. Spores are just gross. Seriously people. SPORES! Just think about that for a while. The keynote speaker was very interesting though because he worked for the state of Ohio and had some important information about how Ohio is addressing various energy issues. One thing that I found very positive was that somehow (I think he said through some sort of tobacco lawsuit or something, I'll find out) they have $5 billion to put towards building and refabing schools. BUT the catch is that all of the schools have to meet LEED Silver certification at the very least. This is not only good because it helps schools, promotes LEED, and works towards environmental sustainability, but it also encourages more people/businesses in Ohio to get LEED certification so they can actually build these schools.
Ok, enough ranting about LEED. It was a good morning/lunch overall even though I got a stain on my shirt. (Does this always happen to anyone else?)
That takes us to about now. I'm at work. I've done some stuff, but not much. I've listened to some NPR and some music. And that's about it.
Tonight though should be good because Beth and I are going to meet up with some friends and go to this swing dancing event! Yes Drew and Pete, we're going to swing dance without you. Wish you could come but...you chose to leave the country and so must live with that decision. It should be lots of fun though.
Then tomorrow I'm going to eat perogies!! Which are delicious and if you don't know what they are look them up. Then Saturday Miss Alice will be here!
Other then that, not much has been happening.
One thing I have been thinking about though is that I kind of wish/regret that I had chosen to go to a more liberal school. Now I know that there are liberal minded people here and all but, I just think that maybe I could be profecting my protesting skills and getting more substantial goals accomplished related to environmental sustainability and justice and peace and nonviolence. However, maybe it's good that I'm here so that I can change people's minds here, but that is one hard task. I really bothers me that some people want to hear/care about is the $bottom line. Seriously people, money is the last thing that is important. Now I don't really want to have the debate about money, but I really think that if people just thought about the economy, business, profits, capitalism and the politics in an unconventional and creative manner instead of perpetuating the cycle of cutthroat capitalism then maybe we could solve some of the world's truly pressing and important problems. Any thoughts?
I will let you get back to your life now, but one thing that I would challenge everyone to think about: What is the big picture? And I mean think about this in relation to everything and anything.
introspectivly yours,
Kate
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
True Love
I FREAKING LOVE DR. PEPPER SO MUCH!
ok, so I'm realllly bored at work, but my trusty Dr. Pepper is sustaining me.
That and the knowledge that I will be out on the river in about an hour and a half.
I love the river too.
There's just a lot of love going on here. Except love for work that is...
lovingly yours,
Kate
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Where the Sidewalk Ends
I think that as much as I was/am unsure about blogging and all that it implies, I'm glad for it. It gives me a way to contact everyone and also allows me to peak into the experiences of those far away.
I also think it's cool that while others are away in far off lands trying new things and new foods, I can still be here and try new foods. Today I baked some zucchini bread. I had an extra zucchini to use and I didn't feel like just eating it so I baked it up with lots of sugar and flour and eggs. It's not quite as zucchini'y as I would like it to be, since I only had one zucchini, but it's still tasty. (See the picture below that Emily took of my messy table in the lounge : D) I'm also excited because I bought this Indian food called Dal Makhani which I'm going to try soon. It's supposed to be lentils and kidney beans and tomatoes and ginger. Did I already talk about this? I feel like I have but I don't want to look at my old posts to find out.
Ok, so below is a sidewalk that just ends. It made me think of Shel Silverstein and I wanted to share.
Today after work and pilates Emily and I went to this "after work" social thing for interns in the area. It was ok. They had it at this fancy restaurant and we got free appetizers, so that was good. I apparently have this mentor lady who graduated from my school a couple of years ago. I guess this should be cool. I'm just looking forward to the free baseball tickets.
Hm...so, that's mostly it for tonight. I finished my book Kushiel's Scion tonight and it was so good. I'm sad that it's over but I have already ordered the next one so I shall be back with the characters soon enough. I have to start reading the book for the book club though, so other things must wait.
I suppose I will go and read. Hope to hear from all of you soon.
Hugs!
Kate
I also think it's cool that while others are away in far off lands trying new things and new foods, I can still be here and try new foods. Today I baked some zucchini bread. I had an extra zucchini to use and I didn't feel like just eating it so I baked it up with lots of sugar and flour and eggs. It's not quite as zucchini'y as I would like it to be, since I only had one zucchini, but it's still tasty. (See the picture below that Emily took of my messy table in the lounge : D) I'm also excited because I bought this Indian food called Dal Makhani which I'm going to try soon. It's supposed to be lentils and kidney beans and tomatoes and ginger. Did I already talk about this? I feel like I have but I don't want to look at my old posts to find out.
Ok, so below is a sidewalk that just ends. It made me think of Shel Silverstein and I wanted to share.
Today after work and pilates Emily and I went to this "after work" social thing for interns in the area. It was ok. They had it at this fancy restaurant and we got free appetizers, so that was good. I apparently have this mentor lady who graduated from my school a couple of years ago. I guess this should be cool. I'm just looking forward to the free baseball tickets.
Hm...so, that's mostly it for tonight. I finished my book Kushiel's Scion tonight and it was so good. I'm sad that it's over but I have already ordered the next one so I shall be back with the characters soon enough. I have to start reading the book for the book club though, so other things must wait.
I suppose I will go and read. Hope to hear from all of you soon.
Hugs!Kate
Monday, June 9, 2008
Berries Galore!
Hm, where did I leave off...
Ok, well, Sunday I slept in and then me, Beth, Mary Ellen, and Dave drove to the strawberry festival. We had a lot of fun there even though it was, to quote them "hot as balls". Really though it was ridiculously hot there in the sun. In the shade it was ok. So we ended up eating lots of strawberry treats and drinking strawberry smoothies to fill our bellies and attempt to cool off. Below is a picture to show the festivalness.
This is a picture of the world's largest strawberry. My mom is still trying to figure out if this is legit or not.
Look how big it is!
So that was that.
Here are some pictures from today.
This is my shadow waving to everyone.
HELLo!
Here is a statue I found while walking around this very peaceful garden. I really liked it.
Sigh...even the trash cans and mailboxes have paired off.
SKY!
So this morning I went to IKEA and hung out with my mom, brother, aunt and cousins. We had a great time eating breakfast and walking around. I did buy some cool stuff including these awesome rainbow plates, a can opener, a cheese grater, a whisk and a really awesome stainless steel bowl.
Okie Dokie. I think that's all. No deep thoughts tonight. (Not that I don't have any of course :D)
yours,
Kate
Ok, well, Sunday I slept in and then me, Beth, Mary Ellen, and Dave drove to the strawberry festival. We had a lot of fun there even though it was, to quote them "hot as balls". Really though it was ridiculously hot there in the sun. In the shade it was ok. So we ended up eating lots of strawberry treats and drinking strawberry smoothies to fill our bellies and attempt to cool off. Below is a picture to show the festivalness.
This is a picture of the world's largest strawberry. My mom is still trying to figure out if this is legit or not.
Look how big it is!
So that was that.
Here are some pictures from today.
This is my shadow waving to everyone.
HELLo!
Here is a statue I found while walking around this very peaceful garden. I really liked it.
Sigh...even the trash cans and mailboxes have paired off.
SKY!
So this morning I went to IKEA and hung out with my mom, brother, aunt and cousins. We had a great time eating breakfast and walking around. I did buy some cool stuff including these awesome rainbow plates, a can opener, a cheese grater, a whisk and a really awesome stainless steel bowl.Okie Dokie. I think that's all. No deep thoughts tonight. (Not that I don't have any of course :D)
yours,
Kate
Sunday, June 8, 2008
See Katie Kayak!
Ok, so yesterday was lots of fun!
In the morning I had a phone conference with my boss and another professor in New York state. We talked about surveys and other such things. This was pretty good and it kind of got me excited about my project again.
Then, we had a little party at my other job for one of the guys who had received a big award that day. So that was fun too.
THEN! We got out the kayaks and put them in the river and had a great time! It was just me, Emily, Liz and Tim but it was so amazing. I forgot how much I missed being out on the river. Liz was a little nervous cuz it was really windy and the river was up a lot because of the rain we've been having but we were just fine. In fact at one point there were almost some mini rapids. Nothing nearly dangerous but still exciting because usually its just flat with a slow current.
I was planning to jump in and swim but by the end I was kind of tired and plus it wasn't a very good spot for it, so I'll do that next time.
We also decided that we're going to try and go out at least once a week if we can! This not only means loads of fun but also huge biceps like Dusty! (Oh yeah, he gave me a hug today, I know you're so jealous Drew : D)
So then after I came back and showered I hung around and ate some really yummy nachos I made for dinner. These were not just any nachos because they had refried beans, salsa and cheese! Yum!
After that around 8:45, Beth, Mary Ellen and I drove to a nearby drive-in. We were a little worried about the area of town it was in, but it ended up being just fine (mostly). We saw Kung-Fu Panda and Indiana Jones. They were both good, but I think we had such a good time because it was a beautiful night, we snuck in lots of snacks and it was just great to hang out and make fun of the movies. I'm glad that Mary Ellen had such a good time though because she had never been to a drive in before. Maybe we'll get to go back soon then.
I was pretty tired this morning then because we were up so late last night. But this morning I got up and the three of us plus Dave went to a paddle, kayak thing at one of the parks around here. We meet Emily and Liz there who were working a table/booth. The weather was really gross and rainy, but we still tried out some of the kayaks, which was fun. I had to take over working the table with Tim for a while. After that, nothing much happened. Mostly I had to drive a huge van back which I was proud of myself for doing. Then I took a nap and hung out with Beth and watched 10 things I hate about you.
Oh, and we saw these two crazy guys out Beth's window dancing around with these light up ball things. And we were so curious that we (me, Beth and Anna) took a walk to see what they were doing. At first we thought they were training to be Jedi's because they were all like, swoosh, spin dance, lighted colorful balls on ropes, we're cool. But when we got close it was just these two crazy students dancing around in the parking lot jamming out to some music coming from there car.
Oh the strange things that people do late at night to amuse themselves....
Now to sleep because we are going to a festival tomorrow. So much fun to be had!
Photos:
Good song I was listening to at work.
Smile!
Kate
In the morning I had a phone conference with my boss and another professor in New York state. We talked about surveys and other such things. This was pretty good and it kind of got me excited about my project again.
Then, we had a little party at my other job for one of the guys who had received a big award that day. So that was fun too.
THEN! We got out the kayaks and put them in the river and had a great time! It was just me, Emily, Liz and Tim but it was so amazing. I forgot how much I missed being out on the river. Liz was a little nervous cuz it was really windy and the river was up a lot because of the rain we've been having but we were just fine. In fact at one point there were almost some mini rapids. Nothing nearly dangerous but still exciting because usually its just flat with a slow current.
I was planning to jump in and swim but by the end I was kind of tired and plus it wasn't a very good spot for it, so I'll do that next time.
We also decided that we're going to try and go out at least once a week if we can! This not only means loads of fun but also huge biceps like Dusty! (Oh yeah, he gave me a hug today, I know you're so jealous Drew : D)
So then after I came back and showered I hung around and ate some really yummy nachos I made for dinner. These were not just any nachos because they had refried beans, salsa and cheese! Yum!
After that around 8:45, Beth, Mary Ellen and I drove to a nearby drive-in. We were a little worried about the area of town it was in, but it ended up being just fine (mostly). We saw Kung-Fu Panda and Indiana Jones. They were both good, but I think we had such a good time because it was a beautiful night, we snuck in lots of snacks and it was just great to hang out and make fun of the movies. I'm glad that Mary Ellen had such a good time though because she had never been to a drive in before. Maybe we'll get to go back soon then.
I was pretty tired this morning then because we were up so late last night. But this morning I got up and the three of us plus Dave went to a paddle, kayak thing at one of the parks around here. We meet Emily and Liz there who were working a table/booth. The weather was really gross and rainy, but we still tried out some of the kayaks, which was fun. I had to take over working the table with Tim for a while. After that, nothing much happened. Mostly I had to drive a huge van back which I was proud of myself for doing. Then I took a nap and hung out with Beth and watched 10 things I hate about you.
Oh, and we saw these two crazy guys out Beth's window dancing around with these light up ball things. And we were so curious that we (me, Beth and Anna) took a walk to see what they were doing. At first we thought they were training to be Jedi's because they were all like, swoosh, spin dance, lighted colorful balls on ropes, we're cool. But when we got close it was just these two crazy students dancing around in the parking lot jamming out to some music coming from there car.
Oh the strange things that people do late at night to amuse themselves....
Now to sleep because we are going to a festival tomorrow. So much fun to be had!
Photos:
Good song I was listening to at work.
Smile!
Kate
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Drive-In
Long day, long night, early morning tomorrow so I'll type later about what all happened today.
peace,
kate
peace,
kate
Friday, June 6, 2008
Tofu and Orange Tic-Tacs
I made dinner tonight.
That may sound insignificant, but it wasn't. When I say I made dinner, I mean, I cooked for 5 people and we ate and it tasted pretty darn good. : )
When I went to the grocery store earlier this week and bought lots of good food, I knew that I wanted to make a big stir fry dinner. So I bought stuff to do it and tonight, I did it!
I cooked brown rice all by my self. I was really nervous about it and worried that I would ruin it, and you know, you can't really have stir fry without the stir right? (I'm assuming that the rice is the stir, although the vegetables are not really fried so...)
However, despite a little longer cooking time than expected since I didn't have the heat high enough, the rice actually turned out good. It wasn't crunchy and was just sticky enough. Although I must admit since it was my first time I did get a bunch of rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. BUT, it was not a non-stick pan so maybe it wasn't all my fault.
As for vegetables, I cooked up some onions, peppers (red and green), carrots, zucchini, and snow peas. It think that was all... Anyways, I also put some scrambled egg in, like in fried rice, which they thought was weird but I liked it. And I also marinated some firm tofu in soy sauce and other stuff and then tossed it in with the rest of the veggies and egg.
So when it was all said and done and cooked, we ate it and it was delicious. The tofu was a bit strange and squishy, but with the rest of it mixed in it tasted good. My dinner guests were Emily, Beth and Mary Ellen. But there were also some other girls from my floor there so we ate and talked to them and it was a lot of fun.
Mary Ellen also brought yellow cake with chocolate icing and pink lemonade so we were very full at the end.
Then, after much discussion of weird/bad scary movies, we decided to watch Juno since none of us had seen. I'm glad I watched it. I did enjoy it and I thought the girl was very cool. It was kind of weird though because it wasn't that long. And I kind of felt like I had popped into this girl's life and was just watching a part of it. It was interesting and I really liked the song were they said, "I'm sticking with you because I'm made of glue." It was cute. (and the guy really liked to eat orange tic-tacs if you're wondering why that's in the title of this blog)
So tomorrow is another day and that is just beautiful. I'm also excited because we (Me, Beth, Mary Ellen and hopefully some others) are going to the drive-in movies. Oh how I love the drive in.
Finally, Drew, I'm not sure how Tim got away with being a closet poet but I think you would enjoy his music. And I'm excited about said comfort mystery food and Beth and I will surely make heart shaped biscuits. And Pete, don't beat up any small children. (also, I'm glad you like the food there)
Here's today's photo:
Peace and Love,
Kate
That may sound insignificant, but it wasn't. When I say I made dinner, I mean, I cooked for 5 people and we ate and it tasted pretty darn good. : )
When I went to the grocery store earlier this week and bought lots of good food, I knew that I wanted to make a big stir fry dinner. So I bought stuff to do it and tonight, I did it!
I cooked brown rice all by my self. I was really nervous about it and worried that I would ruin it, and you know, you can't really have stir fry without the stir right? (I'm assuming that the rice is the stir, although the vegetables are not really fried so...)
However, despite a little longer cooking time than expected since I didn't have the heat high enough, the rice actually turned out good. It wasn't crunchy and was just sticky enough. Although I must admit since it was my first time I did get a bunch of rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. BUT, it was not a non-stick pan so maybe it wasn't all my fault.
As for vegetables, I cooked up some onions, peppers (red and green), carrots, zucchini, and snow peas. It think that was all... Anyways, I also put some scrambled egg in, like in fried rice, which they thought was weird but I liked it. And I also marinated some firm tofu in soy sauce and other stuff and then tossed it in with the rest of the veggies and egg.
So when it was all said and done and cooked, we ate it and it was delicious. The tofu was a bit strange and squishy, but with the rest of it mixed in it tasted good. My dinner guests were Emily, Beth and Mary Ellen. But there were also some other girls from my floor there so we ate and talked to them and it was a lot of fun.
Mary Ellen also brought yellow cake with chocolate icing and pink lemonade so we were very full at the end.
Then, after much discussion of weird/bad scary movies, we decided to watch Juno since none of us had seen. I'm glad I watched it. I did enjoy it and I thought the girl was very cool. It was kind of weird though because it wasn't that long. And I kind of felt like I had popped into this girl's life and was just watching a part of it. It was interesting and I really liked the song were they said, "I'm sticking with you because I'm made of glue." It was cute. (and the guy really liked to eat orange tic-tacs if you're wondering why that's in the title of this blog)
So tomorrow is another day and that is just beautiful. I'm also excited because we (Me, Beth, Mary Ellen and hopefully some others) are going to the drive-in movies. Oh how I love the drive in.
Finally, Drew, I'm not sure how Tim got away with being a closet poet but I think you would enjoy his music. And I'm excited about said comfort mystery food and Beth and I will surely make heart shaped biscuits. And Pete, don't beat up any small children. (also, I'm glad you like the food there)
Here's today's photo:
Peace and Love,
Kate
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Biscuit of My Heart
I'm pretty tired, so I don't think I'll type much. However, I did want to share a few things about today. First of all, I'm sad because I did not get to see my mom, brother and aunt this morning for yummy cinnamon rolls. But, we will do that soon so it's ok.
Next, my boss at work told me that the project I'm working on is turning out to be more important than he thought it would. Apparently he was talking to some corporate and EPA people at a conference this week and they were all interested and excited about my research. So that's good news. I guess I should live up to their expectations though...
I'm also bummed because I was supposed to go to a free concert tonight with Beth but the stupid severe storms and rain etc, kept us from going. Grr...
Despite this, Beth and I still had fun. I've been craving and wanting to make biscuits for no apparent reason other than that they sound tasty and I've never made any before. So tonight, Beth and I, as Beth so eloquently phrased it, lost our biscuit virginity. And I must say, it was wonderful! We hit a few bumps while making the dough cuz it got to sticky, but it all turned out delicious. Honestly though, they were soooooooooooooooo good. They were warm and buttery and wheaty and with jam and butter they were just amazing. We also decided that we are going to perfect our biscuit making skills so that we can make heart shaped ones for our roomies next school year. Oh yeah, we're so cool I know.
That's mostly it. Below are two pictures I took today. I had no idea that hearts were going to pop up twice today so I thought it was kind of fun and decided to put up both of them. The top one is from work and the bottom one is the heart biscuit Beth made and that we baked.
nouveau biscuit goddess,
Kate
Next, my boss at work told me that the project I'm working on is turning out to be more important than he thought it would. Apparently he was talking to some corporate and EPA people at a conference this week and they were all interested and excited about my research. So that's good news. I guess I should live up to their expectations though...
I'm also bummed because I was supposed to go to a free concert tonight with Beth but the stupid severe storms and rain etc, kept us from going. Grr...
Despite this, Beth and I still had fun. I've been craving and wanting to make biscuits for no apparent reason other than that they sound tasty and I've never made any before. So tonight, Beth and I, as Beth so eloquently phrased it, lost our biscuit virginity. And I must say, it was wonderful! We hit a few bumps while making the dough cuz it got to sticky, but it all turned out delicious. Honestly though, they were soooooooooooooooo good. They were warm and buttery and wheaty and with jam and butter they were just amazing. We also decided that we are going to perfect our biscuit making skills so that we can make heart shaped ones for our roomies next school year. Oh yeah, we're so cool I know.
That's mostly it. Below are two pictures I took today. I had no idea that hearts were going to pop up twice today so I thought it was kind of fun and decided to put up both of them. The top one is from work and the bottom one is the heart biscuit Beth made and that we baked.
nouveau biscuit goddess,
Kate
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Melancholy, Melody, and Men
Melancholy: I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife. I knew it would be a sad book because I was forewarned by others, but I still cried. I think it was partly because it did have sad parts, but also because I really liked the characters and I didn't want it to end. Overall, I would recommend it. I think that it's really interesting how throughout the book I mostly thought the time traveler was the "main" character, but in the end I would agree with the author in that it is truly the story of the time traveler's wife. This book really got me thinking about love though. (As did The Alchemist, which we discussed in our book club today). But, it made me wonder if I had met my future husband and love when I was six, if that would mean that you actually loved that person, or if by meeting them from the future you just knew that it was already going to happen. It gets me thinking about how time can be thought of in many ways: linearly, circular, or even as all happening concurrently. I think that's the word I'm thinking of. Anyways, it's just interesting to think about.
Melody: I found out today that one of my friends/co-workers, Tim, plays the piano, guitar, sings and writes songs. I listened to some of his music today and I really enjoyed it. It's very mellow and thoughtful and beautiful. There's one line he says, "I'm tired of dreaming of windows and looking for something I'll never see." So I just thought I'd share that because it's neat how even when you think you know someone fairly well, there's always something more to learn about them.
Men: what is there to say? I'm not sure. Maybe I'll have more to share on this topic later. Mostly I just included it because I've been thinking about the men I've been reading about in fiction and wondering if I'll ever find Mr. Darcy.
So something that was brought up today in our book club discussion was the idea of living life in a nonlinear fashion. Emily was saying that sometimes she feels like her life is very linear. Meaning that after high school she knew she would go to college and then after college you pretty much know that you're going to get a job and have a house and a family, etc. I don't think I like this. And it's not even so much the feeling/idea that I don't want to conform, but more of the feeling that this is not what I think will make me happy. I struggle a lot with trying to figure out how I'm going to go to grad school, travel, get married, create social change, have kids, find a meaningful/fulfilling calling, etc. How do I make all of this fit together and happen in some sort of reasonable time frame? What I realized about Emily's comment though is that maybe my life doesn't have to follow such a linear path. I'm not sure what this means exactly, but I think that I feel better about it just knowing that I have the creative option of choosing to do events in the order/manner that I want. And maybe this seems selfish, but I've always been a proponent of thinking out side the box, or in this case, outside the linear norm of middle class American lifestyles.
As for some simpler things in life. I really love chai tea lattes. They just make me happy in one of those small ways that only comfort food and warm drinks can.
I didn't take any pictures today, but I'll put up one anyways.
These pictures kinda show how all of this rain is making me feel.
thoughtfully yours,
Kate
Melody: I found out today that one of my friends/co-workers, Tim, plays the piano, guitar, sings and writes songs. I listened to some of his music today and I really enjoyed it. It's very mellow and thoughtful and beautiful. There's one line he says, "I'm tired of dreaming of windows and looking for something I'll never see." So I just thought I'd share that because it's neat how even when you think you know someone fairly well, there's always something more to learn about them.
Men: what is there to say? I'm not sure. Maybe I'll have more to share on this topic later. Mostly I just included it because I've been thinking about the men I've been reading about in fiction and wondering if I'll ever find Mr. Darcy.
So something that was brought up today in our book club discussion was the idea of living life in a nonlinear fashion. Emily was saying that sometimes she feels like her life is very linear. Meaning that after high school she knew she would go to college and then after college you pretty much know that you're going to get a job and have a house and a family, etc. I don't think I like this. And it's not even so much the feeling/idea that I don't want to conform, but more of the feeling that this is not what I think will make me happy. I struggle a lot with trying to figure out how I'm going to go to grad school, travel, get married, create social change, have kids, find a meaningful/fulfilling calling, etc. How do I make all of this fit together and happen in some sort of reasonable time frame? What I realized about Emily's comment though is that maybe my life doesn't have to follow such a linear path. I'm not sure what this means exactly, but I think that I feel better about it just knowing that I have the creative option of choosing to do events in the order/manner that I want. And maybe this seems selfish, but I've always been a proponent of thinking out side the box, or in this case, outside the linear norm of middle class American lifestyles.
As for some simpler things in life. I really love chai tea lattes. They just make me happy in one of those small ways that only comfort food and warm drinks can.
I didn't take any pictures today, but I'll put up one anyways.
These pictures kinda show how all of this rain is making me feel.
thoughtfully yours,
Kate
Monday, June 2, 2008
Fresh Bread and Stale Cubicles
I went to the grocery store today and it was so great to buy food! I think I like grocery shopping for myself. There's so many options and choices and delicious fresh things for me to buy and make and cook and bake! Yum!
I also helped Emily make bread today which I enjoyed very much. Actually though, it's not done yet but it will be soon. I think I really like baking. I also want to make biscuits this week. I just have a craving for them.
Enough about food though. Sorry I've been gone all weekend without a computer so I couldn't post anything. I went home and then bright and early (and I'm talking early, like 6:30am, early) we left for the lake. Drew had signed up his boat to take special needs people out fishing so we did that. Later my mom and I spent some time together which was nice. Mostly we relaxed, but it's always good to see the fam. Then on Sunday we ate breakfast on the porch and watched the lake. I enjoy this a lot because it's very peaceful and homey. After that we packed up and went down to the beach to read our books. Then I drove back to here and didn't do much after that.
Today I tried writing some poetry at work and didn't get very far but it was nice to just get back in the mindset of it. It felt kind of like things were all rusty in my brain and I just needed to grease them up before some decent poems could form. Lunch was great because Tim, Emily, Liz and I ate outside and had fun. We decided to take the kayaks out this week so I'm thrilled about that. We'll miss you Drew!
Looking online I found some things that are going on in Dayton this week and I think I'm going to go to this free concert, which should be fun. I am also going to get some people together to go to the drive-in movies. I LOVE the drive-in so I was very excited to find 2 in the Dayton area.
Hm...Our first book club is tomorrow so I'll let you know how that goes. We're going to decide what to read and when to meet so if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. Also, I think I might check out this community dark room this week and hopefully I'll be able to get in there this summer and process some photographs. I really liked being in there with my music. It's very strange but nice. It's like you step out of time for a while since there's no windows and the clock becomes this thing that you time the developing process by instead of something that tells you where you are in the course of the day.
So here's my picture for today:
Love,
Kate
p.s. I made tasty pumpkin bread too!
I also helped Emily make bread today which I enjoyed very much. Actually though, it's not done yet but it will be soon. I think I really like baking. I also want to make biscuits this week. I just have a craving for them.
Enough about food though. Sorry I've been gone all weekend without a computer so I couldn't post anything. I went home and then bright and early (and I'm talking early, like 6:30am, early) we left for the lake. Drew had signed up his boat to take special needs people out fishing so we did that. Later my mom and I spent some time together which was nice. Mostly we relaxed, but it's always good to see the fam. Then on Sunday we ate breakfast on the porch and watched the lake. I enjoy this a lot because it's very peaceful and homey. After that we packed up and went down to the beach to read our books. Then I drove back to here and didn't do much after that.
Today I tried writing some poetry at work and didn't get very far but it was nice to just get back in the mindset of it. It felt kind of like things were all rusty in my brain and I just needed to grease them up before some decent poems could form. Lunch was great because Tim, Emily, Liz and I ate outside and had fun. We decided to take the kayaks out this week so I'm thrilled about that. We'll miss you Drew!
Looking online I found some things that are going on in Dayton this week and I think I'm going to go to this free concert, which should be fun. I am also going to get some people together to go to the drive-in movies. I LOVE the drive-in so I was very excited to find 2 in the Dayton area.
Hm...Our first book club is tomorrow so I'll let you know how that goes. We're going to decide what to read and when to meet so if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. Also, I think I might check out this community dark room this week and hopefully I'll be able to get in there this summer and process some photographs. I really liked being in there with my music. It's very strange but nice. It's like you step out of time for a while since there's no windows and the clock becomes this thing that you time the developing process by instead of something that tells you where you are in the course of the day.
So here's my picture for today:
Love,
Kate
p.s. I made tasty pumpkin bread too!
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