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December 31, 2004
don't break my heart
So much to write about…christmas was great, sad to leave my family, happy new year, etc, but really what is on my mind in the tsunami. Of course it has saturated the news and the administration’s reaction has once again made me embarrassed to be an American.
I first read an article about how bush’s inauguration is going to cost $40 million dollars. Then I read that the bush administration had first pledged $15 million and then raised it to $35 million.
Up until this morning, every time I heard a story on the tragedy the death toll was at least 10,000 more from what I had heard earlier that day.
This is the largest natural disaster in generations, if not ever. The United States is pouring money in to Iraq through large no-bid contracts where a fraction of the money actually does any good on the ground. The hypocrisy is staggering. How can we march into a country to “help its people have a better life” and pour money into it, but refuse to help fully people who really need our help. A lot more people are going to die of disease and hunger because of the destruction without aid from other countries than died at the hands of Sudam. I don’t claim that any life is worth more than another (though we all know that western lives are worth way way more), but that they should be the same. Are Iraq lives worth more than Sri Lankan lives because they can affect our oil supply? Our tens of billions of dollars that we are pouring in to Iraq to fight people who don’t want to be saved would do a lot better in these poor countries saving people who desperately need it and want it.
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Posted by christina at 3:22 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2004
wanna love somebody like you
well so yes. there is 2 inches of snow on the ground. in arkansas.
i flew into arkansas this year. i worried about the weather in chicago messing up my travel. Wednesday, when i flew in, was chilly (of course) but clear. I didn't think to check the little rock weather. We were on my way to the airport Court called to tell me that it was sleating in hot springs. sleet turned to snow. my plane left late becuase it was late coming from little rock.
The guy who set next to me on the plane was traveling with his cat. We chatted a little through the flight. He was going to visit him mom in hot springs. he was about 10 years older than me. he was a grad student at depaul in arts management and he lived in the loop. I enjoyed sharing the space with him in his cat. he was the size of the boy that i though i would marry - tall and just big enough to make me feel dainty. though i got the gay vibe from him, i enjoyed reading as his presence blocked out the rest of the plane full of children screams.
We landed about 45 minutes late. As we decinded into the city, i marveled at the snow covered landscape and the slow moving interstates. It had taken jenny and rachel 3 hours instead of the usual one to get to the airport. They arrived just as i made it to baggage claim. As we were waiting an obsencely long time for our luggage, i pointed out my seatmate and his kitty. He mentioned that his ride was stuck on the interstate about half way between the airport and hot springs. After some talking amougst us, i offered him a ride to his ride. It made more sense for his ride to just wait there for us instead of fighting the traffic in and the back out.
Jenny and Rachel loved the cat. The four of us chatted as i manuvered the snow covered streets quite slowly, which is how to do it. As we neared the half way point, his ride called and told us to get on the access road as there was an accident that was blocking the intersate up ahead. we did and met his ride and passed the jack knifed trailer that ended up shutting down the interstate until at least the next day at lunch. We made it home safe and sound thanks to plain luck. If we had not given this guy a ride, we would have spend many many hours in traffic, if not all night.
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Posted by christina at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2004
i can't take my eyes off of you
The weather turned cold. My body gave up. I have spent much of this week sick – either on the couch or in the health center. The moment I got over the stomach bug, an old nemesis reared its ugly head. It was waiting for my immune system to be compromised. I am used to it, so besides yesterday morning spent in the health center, it has not taken me away from work.
I am still quite weary.
Tom gave me a pug a day calendar for Christmas. It is awesome. I love when someone knows me well enough to get me something that is so tailored to me.
Ben and I had to exchange half of our presents a couple weeks ago as to not buy each other the same thing. I got him Les Mis tickets. He got me The Producers tickets. There are a couple of things under the tree. He’s been trying to get me all excited about opening them, but as sick as I have been this week, I could not get that excited about anything beside antibiotics. I remember a half asleep conversation when he came home last night about opening them Saturday. He’s so cute.
Saturday I get to see Liz! Yay! I’m driving out to Naperville for some lunchy lunch. I’m quite excited about the grab bag of small gifts I got her. Including something that I had to send ben out for today. He was all worried, but I sent him links to exactly what I wanted, so I am sure that he can handle it.
He’s taken over primary caregiver to the cat. He really enjoys it. He wipes her nose when it runs. He is all about her new weight loss program.
Tonight dinner and movie with Tom. Last week we saw Closer. It was quite good and put me on a Damien Rice kick. This week we’ll probably see Kinsey. I’m quite excited.
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Posted by christina at 5:10 PM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2004
but time is on your side / it's on your side now / not pushing you down and all around
i was sick. now i am better. yucky sick, couldn't get off the couch sick on monday and ben was away! stupid boy. but just for the day. it is more fun to be sick at his place becuase he has all the fancy cable channels. and the on demand. the kitty took care of me. well, she just laid on the couch next to me. but she didn't harass me when her food was low like she usually does, she just laid by her bowl. i remembered to feed her and the christmas tree as instructed. our christmas tree takes way more water than one would expect for something that is dead. it is quite
beautiful. ben is quite into the christmas decorating (though i totally think that his friends think it is all me - the stockings on the mantal, the lights, the tree, but it is HIM! the only thing i really wanted was to put lights on the back balcony for the el riders to look at.) we even have a stocking for the kitty.
ben came back monday night and boyfriend-pressured me into staying home another day from work so we could lay around and watch movies. so we did. and he tried to moniter what i ate so i would eat things "easy on the stomach". (his parents did send down the yummy white bread that i love to toast and eat when we/i house sit.) i tried to convince him that dark chocolate covered preztals are easy on the stomach. he didn't believe me, so he made me soup.
i'm all better today. even ran 4 miles this morning. somehow in the 2 days i was inside it got dang cold here. the cold makes my nose run during my run.
perfect description of me
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Posted by christina at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2004
what child is this who lay to rest
Here's the question of the day...month...season. How does one celebrate Christmas if one doesn't actually believe in God?
It just doesn't make that much sense to me. I know that most people's answer would be that Christmas isn't about God; it is about family. I'm not so sure i buy that. Thanksgiving is about family. Christmas is based on what might be a made up story (see a very interesting article in this week's time), but the story is based on the illustration of God's love for us. Whether you believe in Jesus or not, Christmas is about God's love for us and how we should love others in our lives (everyone, not just the ones that smell nice) as an expression of that love. I don't celebrate/observe holidays that i don't believe in; i wonder why lots of people do.
In other news, Ben and I decorated our tree last night. It is quite beautiful.
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Posted by christina at 1:51 PM | Comments (0)
December 9, 2004
my love still remains
3 years ago I wrote my best friend a birthday card filled with words trying to describe my feelings. Those feelings were how lucky we were to have each other as friends... how it is so rare to find love so steady and so forever… how love between friends is better than dating as it is free from jealousy and break-ups. Those feelings remain to this day. There is nothing comparable to the comfort of that relationship… the feeling that no matter what happens it will be okay. I remember that moment, a while after I left him in Atlanta, sitting on the el and realizing that since that birthday card we’d been tested by fire (and I mean fire) and come out stronger (so avoiding a materials lesson here). And that no matter what happens we will always be okay.
And though I have gone on to find the love of my life, I will always find familiar comfort when I hear his voice on the end of the line.
Happy birthday Christopher Lee.
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Posted by christina at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)
December 3, 2004
i hear you call my name / and it feels like home
as of monday i have all my christmas shopping done.
as of yesterday i am waiting for one thing to arrive - the only thing i got sent to my apartment, and it might just be waiting for me in my mailbox. i don't check my mail but once or twice a week.
this probably sounds more impressive than it is (me being done with christmas shopping). i don't buy for that many people. that is my secret. i love sending christmas cards to everyone i can think of, but i don't believe in giving gifts to everyone i can think of.
ben, this year, was the hardest, only cuz it wasn't immediately obvious what i should get him like everyone else. but in the end he's going to make out quite well. i'm quite excited. i want to give him his presents right now.
of course, he's all huffy that i'm done with him. in my defense, on sunday i did give him the out on christmas presents this year...that we could just donate the money we'd spend to charity. but he wants to get me something... so i got him a couple of things.
i love christmas gifts. the new goal is to wrap the one that must be mailed and send it asap...and i can even do it through the UPS store and not get charged a rural delivery fee now that christopher has moved back to civilization. yay for chris.
so happy it is the weekend. though i'm going to have to work for a tad of it. (like that's something new.) i usually work some on sunday at ben's, but i'm actually going to have to come to school to make a sample for some testing for next week. quick quick. though as usual i really wish ben lived closer to evanston. not that i would trade him living in wriggleyville; i just wish wriggleyville was closer to school. though every day when i listen to the traffic i thank God that i do not have to take any of the interstates to work. they are ALWAYS as mess. this week has been especially bad.
and tonight is yay! tom's done with his hellish quarter and can get back to exchanging e-mails with me a million times a day celebration of dinner after his 6-8 final. sucky time to have a final. weird too as finals week is next week. but something with the class something something blah is why.
yeah.
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Posted by christina at 1:14 PM | Comments (0)