Possibilities

Ooh ooh... I have a really exciting new job possibility! No details will be disclosed yet, but more crossed fingers and good wishes are in order.

Also, I have new hair (and I think I am pleased with it), my ugly yellow chair is getting a makeover and will soon be dark blue, and the dresser has been partially stripped of its 50-year-old varnish. All makeovers are well underway!

We went to the NM State Fair twice this weekend and I ate Tom Thumb dounughts, a chocolate-covered banana and some good pizza. I also saw baby pygmy goats and lots of cute bunnies along with other animals. We went in the exhibit hall and watched a bunch of demonstrations for mops and choppers and a sushi-maker -- always entertaining. And mostly, we reveled in the tradition and the folksiness and felt happy about New Mexico. This is one event we will really miss next year.

Happy Monday everyone!

Oh bla di...

It would be an understatement to say that this has been a rough week. The combination of not yet having a job, not having a place to live, not knowing how we're moving our stuff across the country, not knowing whether or not we're selling our cars and our house, not getting enough sleep and being extremely stressed out at work (I am one of two people responsible for getting 300 people to plunk down $125 to come to a gala dinner and for getting a bunch of businesses to just give us money in exchange for their name in the program and on a sign.) has had me in a sad mood.

Then, on Tuesday, Neil and I realized that we most likely can't move Boo Boo, our four-year-old bunny, to Washington D.C. with us. Rabbits don't do well with moving and especially not our rabbit. When we moved from El Paso to Albuquerque (a 4 hour drive) she freaked out and barely moved and didn't eat or drink for several days. And so, I placed a call to a local rabbit rescue (a much safer way to adopt her out than putting an ad in the paper or something.) I started crying while talking to the lady on the phone, but thankfully, she was really nice and sympathetic instead of making me feel like a bad person. The decision isn't 100% made yet, but it's very likely that we'll not be taking her with us and while I think it's probably the best thing to do, I still feel terrible about it.

Add to all this the fact that I really really really want to work for my favorite tea company and I got pretty far in the interviews and was feeling positive about my chances of being hired and really excited about doing the job. I loved the people I'd be working with. I loved the office. I loved the attitude of the company in general, the team spirit that was apparent, everything seemed perfect...but now I have been waiting for three weeks to hear back from them about whether or not I have been hired. They did tell me that I'd hear this week or next, so maybe next week I will have reason to celebrate? Of course, visions of the super-job-candidate are dancing in my head. My paranoid thinking goes something like this: "What if they found someone who has already been a marketing person for a beverage company and he or she wore a better outfit to the interview than I did and was more charismatic and looked older than me and has already been offered the job, but is thinking about it and I'm just waiting around in case he or she doesn't accept." This probably isn't the case and I realize that trying to imagine what is going on inside their offices is couterproductive and pointless... but here I am imagining.

In good news, last weekend's trip to Colorado with Ryan and Shay was fantastic. We stayed at the Stanley Hotel, the place that Steven King wrote The Shining. We hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park, we saw awesome street performers in Boulder, We went to an amazing Dave Matthews concert at Red Rocks and we got to see Josh at a Rockies game before driving home Sunday night. It was really a perfect weekend. We had a great time with our friends and it was a nice way to celebrate our third anniversary (a little late.) Maybe coming home from all that fun also led to a bit of a let down and put me in a funk this week? Who knows.

Whatever the case, I'm feeling more optimistic today. Tonight we're going to the state fair. Tomorrow, I'm getting a chair re-upholstered and am re-finishing a dresser. And Sunday, I get to have my hair cut and highlighted. There's nothing like some makeovers (me and the furniture) to get back on the right track.

For those of you waiting on CDs... give me another week. I need to design a good label for them.

Mix CD

In the late 90's I was in the habit of making a mix tape every summer and sending a copy to all of my friends. This was no small undertaking. It involved hours of pressing record and then remembering to flip the tape over and press record again. I also designed elaborate covers for each mix and then spent time at Kinkos and money on color copies. Additionally, I wrote something short about each song -- when to listen to it, who helped me discover it, what it made me think of, etc. For our wedding, Neil and I made a mix for our guests as a favor, but since we got married in 2002, we made a Mix CD instead of a Mix Tape. While a little easier, we still spent hours designing the label and then gluing together our own paper CD cases.

I have been planning to make a CD and mail it to my friends again for some time. In addition to the regular list (Find a job, find a place to live, pack up worldly possessions, etc. etc.) It has been my goal to make this CD before moving in October. And so, this evening, I am proud to report that the song list has been finalized and we are only days (possibly a week or two) away from the big launch of the 2005 Jodi Mix CD. Hopefully I still have good enough taste in music that this hasn't been a total waste of time.

Anyways, I decided that I will mail five lucky blog readers a copy of the CD too. So, if I don't actually know you and you read my blog and would like a copy of the CD, e-mail me via the link on my sidebar and give me your mailing address and sometime before late October, you too will receive some mail from me. (If I do know you and you suspect I don't have your address, please supply it also.)

I'm off to write little descriptions of all the songs. (Nope, I'm not kidding.)

Unexpected Musical Bliss

Tonight, I attended my first house concert. Apparently, all over the country, people invite musicians to perform in their homes and then open their homes up to the public so that musicians have venues and music-lovers can see their favorite artists in intimate settings. The suggested donation for tonight's concert was $15 and all of the money went directly to the band. Additionally, there were free refreshments from fruit and cheese (donated by Whole Foods) to Angelica's Chocolate bunt Cake (donated by Angelica herself).

The band I saw is called The Bills. Originally, they were named The Bill Hilly Band, but since shortened the name to The Bills. There are five band members from Canada, none of whom are named Bill. I think the music is best classified as Folk. But even if you're not a folk music fan, I would recommend listening to the Bills and, by all means, if you have the chance, go see them in concert. Tonight's show was awesome. Not only was the music surprisingly compelling, but the musicians were so into what they were doing and were enjoying themselves so much that it made the show that much more amazing. (Additionally, it should be noted that they say the word "about" like Canadians and that makes them that much more endearing.)

I have been meaning to write about the experience of listening to live music since I went to the Coldplay concert two weeks ago. Then after the Dave Matthews concert last week, I had even more to say about the wonder of concert attendance... the joy of holding a just-purchased concert ticket...the weeks of anticipation while waiting to attend the show...the pure joy that one feels only when all you're doing is experiencing a song - when the music is too loud to allow you to think of anything else and the performance is so moving that you don't want to. I had intended to write quite a bit more about all of this, but as life is wont to do, it's been keeping me busy. Now, it's well past my bed time and, sadly, I have two loads of unfolded laundry on my bed preventing me from sleeping for at least another half hour while I fold everything...

Moral: 1. Go listen to The Bills or download their album on iTunes.
2. Live music is great, amazing, wonderful...when I am listening to music, I
feel more alive, or remember that I am alive which is a really fantastic
and necessary feeling.

Katrina

Watching the news coverage of the hurricane makes me cry -- but I can't stop watching. All of my problems, needs etc. seem beyond trivial when I see little children standing on top of cars in a city that has become a river screaming "Help us! Please help us!"

I am so glad to see people on a broad scale finally criticizing the president for his inaction and inadequate action. We may never know how many more people might have lived had the rescue efforts begun in earnest on Tuesday instead of Thursday night...

I am watching the Concert for Hurricane Relief on NBC right now. It's very moving to see celebrities use their fame for good. I wonder if in any other countries, when disaster strikes, they hold a concert? I remember watching a similar fundraising tribute after Sept. 11th...

I realize this post is only a string of thoughts...It's just all so disturbing, sad, devastating.....I wish I could do more to help...

Disaster

This morning on the way to work, my favorite morning show DJs were making a plea for people to stop by a grocery store called Raley's and donate money for the hurricane victims in New Orleans and Biloxi and the rest of that region. I had about $30 on me and without even thinking I pulled over and put all of it into one of the radio station milk jugs slated to go to the Red Cross. I don't have time to fully express my sadness at the devastation right now, but suffice it to say that I wish I could do much much more. Disasters like this really put all of the trivial things into perspective. I am immensely grateful to have my family and pets and know everyone is safe and I am certainly guilty of taking all that I have for granted. Seeing other peoples' lives and livelyhoods swept away the way they have been is very sobering.

Yes, I sound like everyone else who has been moved by this disaster... but sometimes it is ok to reiterate the cliche.

Neil and I have been married three years today. I feel very lucky to have him in my life and to be celebrating three years of marriage.

More to report, including possible very exciting job news and a treatise on the power of live music...

Entonces...

Last week, I spent the entire work week serving as a tour guide for a group of people from Leon, Mexico who work for a similar trade association and came here to sign a partnership agreement with my association. There were five men and one woman in the group, along with a translator from the international organization facilitating this partnership. In spite of having a translator present, I ended up being on my own with the group or a part of the group much of the time and had to rely on my limited Spanish (which allows me to understand a lot but not say much) and two of the men's limited English for communication.

The week was really exhausting overall. Trying to listen and communicate in Spanish is about 50 times more difficult than lazily communicating in my own language. In addition, the language barrier made it difficult to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves etc. However, I think I have had few weeks at work that have been more rewarding than last week. When my coworker and I dropped our new friends off at the airport Friday afternoon we both felt really sad. We got hugs and kisses from everyone and a couple of them even busted out with their first sentence of English to say, "Jodi, thank you very much." That was particularly touching because I know how embarrassed I felt speaking in Spanish and could only imagine that my new friends felt the same about talking to me in English.

I went home that night missing my new friends and I began to wonder if perhaps the absence of language allows people to reveal more of themselves. I realize this new theory of mine seems counterintuitive, but maybe it's not. For the most part, language couldn't get in the way last week and so I could see my new friends for who they are. We had gestures, a few words and that's it so we just existed in each others' company much of the time. Or we spoke in full sentences in our own language and talked right past each other but somehow we understood each other.

Anyways, I am really grateful that I got to meet Angel, Javier, Josee, Thomas, Oscar and Cora Emma. My life has been enriched by the connections we made last week.

Dadgum

Last week I went to Austin for the annual conference attended by the other 35 people across the country who have the same job as me. Each year the conference is in a different location. Over the past three years I got to go to Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Austin. The first year I was so thrilled to hear about other people having the same struggles and successes in their jobs that I didn't think about much else. I made a couple friends and felt this great sense of camaraderie and went back to work newly energized.

The second year, I was really excited to see the friends I had made the previous year. I went sightseeing in D.C. and learned from my peers and went home.

This year, as I have one foot out of my job and possibly out of the credit union movement, I realized a few other things. First of all, I realized how much I like my job and the movement as a whole, how amazing my peers are and how smart they are.

I also realized how incredibly cool it is to gather people from every state in the country (or at least about 30 of the 50 states). When else can I hang out with a friend from South Carolina who uses the word "dadgum" in conversation and opens doors for women, a friend from Oregon who shares nearly all of my liberal sensibilities and has an awesome sense of style, a friend from Minnesota who has a cute Midwestern accent and drinks beer like nobody else I know, a friend from Florida who wears higher heels than I've ever seen and makes me laugh without fail, a friend from Missouri who had a job interview in a limousine with a crazy classmate...and the list goes on. I would probably not be friends with more than one or two of these people if we didn't have our jobs in common, and yet, I feel so enriched to have been able to spend a week for the past three summers with them. Hopefully this is adequately cheesy and sentimental??

But I am serious, sometimes it is our differences that bring us together and since we all tend to be surrounded by people at least slightly similar to ourselves, I really love having the opportunity to notice and appreciate those differences in others.

The Quest For Employment

I continue to look for a job. So far I've had four phone interviews, one rejection and one reference check (that I know of). I have sent out at least 25 resumes and applied for at least 15 positions. I've also printed at least 80 job listings and stacked them up by my computer at home -- you know, just so I can make myself feel completely overwhelmed...

In any case, there is one really exciting possible job and, for the moment, I'm putting nearly all my eggs in one basket and hoping this one works out. I know, I am slightly insane. Can't say too much about it because I'd hate to jinx it...

Please send good job vibes, D.C. job listings and monetary donations my way. I am accepting all three.

Concert Fiend

In the next three weeks, I will be going to three live concerts. This week it's Coldplay (I got free tickets, parking passes and VIP passes from a printer my office does business with.) The next two weeks I'm seeing Dave Matthews. That's right, I am in the Dave Matthews Band fan club and have been since it started in 1999. I am not ashamed. I'm proud. However, this will be the first time I've crammed two Dave Matthews Band concerts within two weeks. I suppose it's a test of my fandom...either I will love it, or I will be sick of it. We'll see.

In Conclusion

I just saw the WORST commercial I've seen recently. It is the one for Wendy's about the ranch tooth. Who gets paid to produce stuff like that? Ohdeargodineedtogopokemyeyesout.

Happy Happy

Oooh...Happy Birthday Sean!!!
And happy birthday to my dad last Saturday.

Frenetic

Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/months where you can't slow your heart rate or make your mind go quiet regardless of where you are or what you're doing? You know, you're in a meeting and you can't stop running the To Do list through your mind long enough to pay attention to what's being said. You're stuck in traffic and instead of being glad for the small break in your day, you come close to hyperventilation...This is what has been happening to me lately.

Last weekend was Josh and Katie's wedding in Breckenridge, CO. Neil and I drove with my mom and dad in what was the first family road trip in years. It was surprising and comforting how easily we fell back into our old road trip rhythms. My parents, perfectly in-synch with each other about roadside stops and souvenir shopping expeditions. We made a wrong turn on the way there, but it didn't even matter that much because we got to go over a beautiful pass and see the Continental Divide (twice) and spend a little more time together. Neil fit in seamlessly and, while we missed having my little brother along for the ride, it was really a lot of fun. The wedding itself was really nice too. I have no idea why I cry at weddings, or why anyone else does for that matter. I never cried at a wedding before my own. But on Sept. 1, 2002, I sobbed during my ceremony. They were totally tears of happiness, but remain mystifying to me. In any case, Josh and Katie got me crying too. It is always amazing to celebrate the marriage of an old friend to someone who is absolutely perfect for them and who you can now consider a new friend.

Since we've been back from the wedding, things could not be crazier. Work is completely overwhelming because I am trying to do too many things at once and want to accomplish so much before I leave. Home is overwhelming because when I get here in the evening I don't know if I should be applying for jobs, packing, collecting things to sell at the garage sale or trying to take care of myself. I have about 15 phone calls to return, a bunch of wedding and birthday presents to purchase and mail, at least 12 random errands to run and so many things I want to do. But, I've got two more days of work and then we fly to El Paso on Friday. We return Sunday afternoon giving me a little bit of time to spend with my brother and pack again for my week-long trip to Austin for work. I am sure there are other stresses I am not even mentioning as well...

Today after work I got a short respite from the insanity when I got in my car and turned the music up so loud I couldn't hear myself thinking and I finally forgot to think. Instead, I started to feel like anything is possible, like there is a whole big world waiting to open up in front of me, like I only need to clear a few more hurdles and things will start making sense again...and for now, I just need to cling to this hope.

An aside: In other news, I applied for my favorite job yet this week. cross your fingers for me...

Keep Your Bad Day To Yourself

Have you ever been having a good day, one of those sing-out-loud-to-the-car-stereo kind of days when someone called you up and ruined it for you? This happened to me yesterday evening as I was heading home to be productive and apply for jobs. I had just been to the gym and then to dinner with friends and I was feeling on top of the world. Then my phone rang and it was a family member who yelled at me for something that did not deserve yelling and before I knew it, I'd been home for 40 minutes, I was still in my sweaty gym clothes and my eyes were red and swollen from crying. I was pissed. It was 9:30 already, the crying left me exhausted and it was all I could do to turn on some loud music (OK GO's Get Over It) and take a shower.

So, I am not angry or hurt by the family member who dumped on me anymore, but the experience got me thinking about how easily we can impact the people around us and how if we all thought a little longer before acting, we might be a happier society as a whole. Just a few moments of consideration last night could have changed the course of my night. I might have had the time to apply for one or two jobs, I would have called Patty back as planned and then I would have gone to bed in a good mood. Instead, I woke up with still-swollen eyes from crying. Of course, part of the problem is the fact that I'm an extremely sensitive person. But even if your actions don't result in tears, they can still significantly impact someone's day. I am going to try to be nicer to people, even on my worst days.

Weddings, Concerts and a General Lack of Sleep

Last week, we had four different house guests over a period of six days. One guest was a singer Neil met in college who was in town for a show. Two were wedding guests in town to attend my friend Chris's wedding to his lovely new wife Sarah. The fourth guest was Britten and since she's family, it hardly counts -- but it was still someone sleeping in the guest room. Sheets were washed several times, every night was a late one, and it felt great. I love having old and new friends around. I think Neil shares this feeling, and so we are house guest junkies. Often we invite people to stay with us, even when we're technically too busy.

This past weekend was particularly fun. I got to meet Brooke, who, in addition to being a talented singer/songwriter, is a lot of fun. I got to see Eric and Topher and we went to Chris's wedding where we had a really good time and danced all night. And I got to spend some much-needed time with one of my best and oldest friends Britten. Now it's quiet around the house again, which is nice after a week of chaos. But I like to think that all of our guests leave a little of their good energy behind, making our house feel more like home, for us, and maybe even for the next occupants.

More reasons to love New Mexico.
My favorite photo of the summer. I took this at an arts and crafts fair on the Santa Fe plaza. Who knew that saints could be flawed, or worse, discontinued! 

The Drive


Click Here to Watch

Finally another video. This is just a short video about a drive that I will miss when we move this Fall. Neil thinks this drive is one of the worst, but I love it for the subtlety of the southwest landscape. I know it's not as green as other drives and it's not as hilly, but the sky stretches forever and the mountains touch the horizon and it's New Mexico.

We went to the Santa Fe Opera over the weekend and saw The Barber of Seville, which was amazing. I was afraid I might be bored or too tired to stay awake, but even though the opera is sung in Italian, I still found myself riveted. (the little translator screens helped, of course)

We also saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- awesome. It really exceeded my expectations.

Happy Monday.

Another one of these things

O.K. Stan. You got me. Here goes.

Remove the blog at #1 from the following list.
Bump every one up one place.
Add your blog's name in the #5 spot.
Link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross-pollenation effect.

the girl in camouflage
naughty maverick
musings
Whatever!
j.g.s.


What five things do you miss about your childhood?

I am not tagging anyone for this one, but maybe a couple of you will feel like reminiscing?

1) I miss always having someone cook for me. This sounds a little silly, I realize, but there is something so wonderful about being fed three meals a day plus snacks. The food my parents made ALWAYS tasted better than anything I could make myself, and it was probably healthier than what I might choose for myself. I miss ants on a log and deviled eggs and (don't laugh) Mommy McMuffins (my mom's healthier version of Egg McMuffins from McDonald's).

2) I miss my little brother. I miss living with Dustin and I miss the way he used to look up to me. Now, I am always trying to be cool enough for him! I miss dressing up as monsters together, which involved taking out all of the winter accessories and draping ourselves in them. I miss playing video games with him and just getting to see him every day.

3)I miss endless afternoons on my bike with friends. There was a sense of freedom I got from riding my bike around the neighborhood that was so wonderful and simple. Now I have to board a plane that's taking me to another continent to achieve that same sense of freedom.

4) I miss not having to worry about things like money and debt and not being able to have things I wanted. I was completely sheltered from all of that for most of the time I lived in my parents' house and it was wonderful.

5) I miss the way my family was (parents were) when we were growing up. I miss the way family holidays felt and the togetherness we used to have. It has been gone for a while now and maybe that's just something that once it has dissipated, cannot be recreated... but I miss it. I miss that feeling of closeness and the security and contentment that came with it.

Whewh. Well that was a little bit of a bummer. I probably could have kept going to ten things at least. Maybe next time it will be five things you'd miss if you went back to childhood... Like, independence, confidence, my husband, my freedom, not having to live by my parents' rules etc. etc. Ok. I feel better now.

The Dangers of Blogging

So, as I am wont to do, I was reading CNN.com today and came across an article titled: Bloggers Learn The Price of Telling Too Much. The article is interesting and doesn't really mention anything I hadn't thought of before. It warns not to say anything scandalous about work or about your wild personal life. I have always thought about this when blogging, but not too many scandalous things happen at work and I have a pretty hum-drum personal life when it comes to scandal. So, regardless, I am probably safe from the kind of damage some blogs are doing to college students or disgruntled employees. However, I do wonder if there is anything on my blog that would make somebody not want to hire me, or that a person could find offensive and/or scandalous.

Of course, I am thinking in terms of employment because I'm currently searching for a job. I do tend to express my political views on here on occasion, especially during campaign season, but I suppose if an employer doesn't want to hire me because of my politics, I wouldn't want to work there anyways. I have a blog so that I can a keep in touch with friends, b)have a place where I have to keep writing and can express myself and c)have a place to post videos (even though I haven't done so in a while.) So I think it would be slightly tragic to start censoring myself just because I don't want to really expose any of myself on the internet. It's a delicate line to walk. If I have a really bad day at work, can I blog about it? If I'm in a fight with a friend or parent, is it inappropriate to mention it here? What if I go out drinking with girlfriends once or twice a year -- is retelling the tale of our night out something that will later come back and haunt me? I like to think I did all of those come-back-and-haunt-you things a long time ago, so long ago that I will not be haunted. But who knows what I will regret in five or 10 years from now?

If any of you can think of a particularly scandal-ridden or humiliating post that's on this blog somewhere, please do let me know so I can clean up my act.

Speaking of...

ten years. I am responsible for planning my 10 year high school reunion next summer. Have I mentioned this here before? My friend Julia and I volunteered upon our graduation to be the class alumni liaisons and are charged with reunion planning. Of course, when I said I would be the alumni liaison, I imagined that in 10 years, I would be a completely different person, totally grown up, rich and successful and planning a reunion would be no big thing. I am successful, but I'm still not really that grown up and I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination, yet here I am with a 10-year reunion in my lap. What complicates matters is that we're moving in October and I will be (cross your fingers) starting a new job in a new city and be presumably very busy for the foreseeable future, so I probably need to get this whole event planned before I leave the state. Does anyone know anything about planning a 10-year reunion for a class of 33 (or was it 35) people? I am completely at a loss. Also, how on earth did I get this old?

Hunting

I honestly believe that there are few tasks worse than searching for employment. Each new job application is like getting ready for a blind date (not that I've ever had one... but I imagine that's what it's like.) You get yourself (or your resume and cover letter) all dolled up, all the while knowing that it's highly likely you will either be rejected or that you will be completely unattracted to the guy (job). You even learn as much about the guy (job) as possible so that you can tailor your outfit (cover letter) and makeup (resume) to suit what you imagine he likes. You hear about his background (read the job description) and try to squeeze yourself into a version of you that will be appealing to him (the resume screener). "It says here he is a deep sea diver... and I have been snorkeling a couple of times."

Oh my goodness it is exhausting. But the application process continues. I actually have found several jobs that I would really like to have, which is a great sign. Tonight, it's time to write a few more cover letters.

Why I Love New Mexico

Overheard conversation tonight at the Isotopes game while Orbit (the team's mascot) was dancing.

Man: "It's a girl, no?"

Woman: "No, it's a guy."

Man: "Yeah, I think it's a girl"

(Orbit shakes his butt.)

Woman: "If it was a girl, it would be named Orbita."

You Can Call Me Huckleberry

This story is a little overdue... but I had a very strange experience at my work's convention that I've been meaning to relate. One of the things we do at my office is run a website for kids and part of the site allows kids to submit jokes to be published on the site (at our discretion.) So, at the convention, a man walked up to me and informed me that he had submitted a joke. He said he loves the website, plays the games on it, and sent in a joke under the name Huckleberry... I did my best fake laugh and tried to end the conversation, but he continued to tell me that while his name was Fernando or something like that, he really wanted to change it to Huckleberry. My co-worker, Rebecca, and I nearly burst out laughing until we realized he was completely serious. So, I said something about how it's easy to legally change your name and he could do it any time he wanted. My new friend went on to explain how sad his mother would be because he was named after his deceased grandfather... (All the time he was talking to me he was staring at me a little too closely and a little too intently for me to feel comfortable.)And then... he looked me right in the eye in that cheesy-wannabe-romantic-but-actually-just-creepy fashion that some men are so skilled at and said, "But you can call me Huckleberry."

Wow. I have no idea how I ended the conversation. I believe I turned bright red and tried to hide under the table. Aren't people so amazing?

The Big Enchilada

Earlier this week, I got an e-mail from my friend Hervey telling me that his daughter and son-in-law just had their third and final child and that she was born early and was really big -- 13lbs 12 oz. The e-mail came with a photo of the newborn on the scale and a funny word document showing all three babies and their birth weights and nicknames. Baby number one was named the Whopper because she weighed 11 pounds 8 ounces and baby number 2 was Whopper Jr. because she only weighed 10 pounds 8 ounces. The final baby, Laney, was nicknamed the Big Enchilada. I laughed, felt happy for my friends and their new family member, and went about my week.

Then, today on the way to work I heard the morning show people on the radio talking about the Big Enchilada. I flipped channels and found two other morning shows talking about the big baby. Some people were calling in and being mean... but they didn't know what they were talking about. When I got to work, I looked on CNN.com and here's what I found. Laney is famous!

I really got a kick out of the article and the two video clips. My friends Robin and Paul have unusually large babies... and Laney Buzzell is getting her 15 minutes of fame a little early. Congratulations to the Buzzell family. (and just for the record, I tried to call the radio station to defend you, but I couldn't get through)

Lots of Things

I promised to cover so many topics last week when I was feeling incredibly inspired and immensely tired. I'll try to get to them all here... but they may be a bit abbreviated.

So last week was the annual convention that is put on by my place of employment for all of our members. It was the second convention I've attended while working here because I was at an out-of-town conference during the first convention. I had just told my boss earlier that week about the upcoming move and was beginning to feel that sense of freedom that comes with the knowledge you are about to change everything in your life. But then, during the convention, I began to realize that I know people finally and I know what to say when I talk to them because I actually really know my industry. I knew what to do, I could solve problems, I could make small talk, I could even engage strangers in semi-meaningful conversation because, after about two and a half years, I have become a big fish. I know that is a really tired cliche, but I know no better way to explain it. I am finally at the top of my game here in this job and it's time to move on. I was feeling sad about this last week, but, while it's still a little sad, I think it's better to leave when you're on top than to wait for the big decline. But it was still a really good feeling to feel so confident during the convention -- even when I had to speak in public. I just hope that my next job will be as fabulous as this one has been.

While at the convention I had another, slightly less important, realization and that is that there is something I absolutely love about country folk. By country folk, I mean people who live in rural areas and in this case, I'm talking about people who live in rural or small town New Mexico. Maybe it's the slight twang to their speech, or their lack of pretense and formality -- the fact that when you meet them, you feel as if you're already best friends... there's something familiar in their handshake, or the way they wink at you (and it's never ever a slimy wink). Everything they say is meant in earnest and you can't find better senses of humor. Yes, yes, I know I am generalizing, but there is something to what I'm saying. One of the people from less populated Southern New Mexico who attended the convention checked in early and then left to go get "cleaned up" before the evening reception. As he walked away, he turned back to me and said, "Four bells then?" with a slight southern accent. I think it took me a good 30 seconds to realize that he was asking if he was supposed to be back at 4 o'clock. Finally, I got it and nodded yes. For the rest of the afternoon I kept smiling to myself and thinking, "Four bells." Later that evening, another friend who is originally from small-town Texas walked over to a coworker who had a large plate of food and said, "Man, you're really grubbin' up tonight." I love that expression and must find a way to work it into conversation soon.

In other news, I was so relieved to learn that the little boy who was lost in the woods in Utah was found alive yesterday. Finally a positive end to a distressing story. But why did his parents have to tell the world that he's socially immature, sheesh, it's hard enough on the kid to be in the spotlight for all this, but now everyone knows that he's immature too?

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I watched the Jennifer Willbanks interview last night. But I'm allowed to be a little interested in her since she surfaced right here in my city. I have to say that while I do feel a little sorry for the woman, she's clearly really screwed up, I don't think she and her bizarre fiancee were telling the whole truth. I really and sincerely wish that society would forget about her and let her go through her self discovery in private. Enough attention has been given to her already. All the media is only bound to make her more screwed up. Yuck.

And finally, my office is growing tadpoles. One of my coworkers mentioned having hundreds of them in her pond and then before I knew it, we had all decided to take them on as a project and my coworker brought in a tank and the coworker with the pond brought in a batch of about 30 tadpoles and as of this afternoon, they are inhabiting my office. I am the official tadpole babysitter while the real tadpole caregiver is on vacation. So I get to stare at strange swimming blobs for two and a half weeks... they're kind of cool, but I'm worried, what if they grow legs? How do I change the water without killing them? This is a lot of responsibility. I have to feed them pond scum every day and when they start growing legs they will need to eat meat if we don't want them to cannibalize themselves. I don't know if I get paid enough for this... Besides, what kind of workplace grows tadpoles as a staff project?

Full Days

The last two days have been incredibly busy. In fact, I am so exhausted that I should probably be asleep this very moment, but I had to check in with the internet and then, for fear of forgetting some of my blog ideas, I decided to take a shot at posting.

Right now, it is the annual convention for the association that I work for. That means that our members from across the state of New Mexico have gathered in our fair city and we are hosting them. Since the association has a staff of 13, each of us has to do quite a bit of work in order to be prepared for the 300+ attendees. Yesterday, my work included making two posters and having them emergency printed, designing a new flyer, and various other not-so-exciting tasks that kept me working late. This was a tad frustrating because I had someplace really important to be last night: a reading by David Sedaris at my favorite bookstore (which is about to go out of business). I managed to race home, feed the dogs, change into more comfortable but less impressive clothes and make it to the reading in time to get a really good seat.

David Sedaris is absolutely one of my top-favorite writers of all time and this reading could not have come at a better time in terms of my need for inspiration. There's something about Sedaris's casual style and the way in which he writes about everyday occurrences in extraordinary ways. He manages to put into prose the complexity of human thinking and he thinks just like me. Plus, he makes me laugh. Anyways, the reading was great, one essay he read is in this week's New Yorker and it had me laughing hysterically. Go read it.

Anyways, after the fabulous reading (during which David Sedaris was introduced by the mayor and proceeded to proclaim him the "cutest mayor in America") there was a book signing. David made a joke about how he was collecting money in a little black plastic cauldron. He said nobody HAD to give him money, but if we did, he'd like us better. Being somewhat star-struck and very much desiring that this larger-than-life author like me, I gathered all the coins from my purse -- which totaled 85 cents -- and when I finally got up to the table to have my books signed, I plunked the coins in his bucket and made a joke about how he cleaned me out. And so, he signed my book, "To Jodi -- Thanks for the Money. David Sedaris" (Dad, if you're reading this, stop now -- unless Father's Day has already passed.) I also asked him to sign a new book that I purchased for my dad for Father's Day. During the reading he had made a plug for the book which is a collection of stories he chose and then introduced. Basically, he said we should buy if for our dads for Father's Day because dads do not really care what they get and the money from the book goes to a kick-ass literacy center in New York. Plus, he assured us the stories were good. So, I thought, "Hey! Great idea!" Because I have had an insane week or two and did not yet have a gift selected. So I told Mr. Sedaris that I had taken him up on the suggestion to buy my dad the book and asked him to sign it. In my dad's book he wrote, "To Bruce -- With the pleasure of meeting your enchanting daughter. -- David Sedaris."

Now, "Thanks for the money." was kinda funny, I will admit, but he called me enchanting! I realize he probably wrote that because he knew it would make any father feel great to read. But I am going to pretend he wrote it because after exchanging three or four sentences of less-than-stellar dialogue with me he realized that I am not only incredibly cool, but also that I will someday be either a) on book tour with him, b) reading my essays in Carnegie Hall c) accepting the Pulitzer or d) all of the above. David Sedaris thinks I am enchanting... aaahhh...What really happened last night is that I was enchanted.

Well, there is more to tell including a great coincidence, my love for country folk, the definition of "grub up", an explanation of my fascination with border culture, an encounter with an old friend who could be an alien, and why I am sad to be moving away after having a day like today... I will give it all a shot tomorrow. I'm spent.

Unfair

This is so unfair! Why can't I have that kind of luck just once? I can't decide if I should go out and buy lottery tickets now or if I should avoid buying them because all of the luck has been used up.
But I do know that I could really use a windfall any time now.

Cheryl

One of my first friends at college is on the verge of making it big in Hollywood. I am so excited for her. Cheryl is really talented and beautiful and it was very exciting to hear her new songs online. Will I actually own a CD made by one of my friends someday soon? Wow.


Bike Ride

I signed Neil and myself up for a 25-mile bike ride in a week and a half. The ride is in support of New Mexico Aids Services -- a group that I have long been interested in supporting and Neil and I need an excuse to get our butts on our bikes and enjoy the summer. So, we have one weekend to get ready. Ha! I don't mind finishing last, I'm just excited to be riding in my first organized bike ride. Plus, it's not like I was busy enough -- it seemed extremely important to add another event to our already packed schedule.

Lunch
It is nearly four o'clock and I have not eaten lunch yet. My food intake today consisted of an early morning can of Red Bull (probably a mistake), a mid-morning rice cake, a cup of black tea and an airline-sized bag of honey-roasted peanuts. This probably explains why I feel jittery and lightheaded. I am going to go remedy this situation.

Innocent

I tried to pretend I was indifferent. And, in some respects I was. I did not care about the details of the testimony or the lunatic fans outside the courthouse. I didn't check in on the trial on a day to day basis... but when I heard the jury reached a verdict in the Michael Jackson trial this afternoon, I stared at my computer screen for the next hour and pressed the refresh button on several news station homepages. I was sure he was going to be guilty. But then finally, the CNN page changed and showed that he was innocent on all 10 charges and, much to my surprise, I felt really glad for Michael Jackson.

I thought I was ready to see him go off to prison -- so feeling relieved when he was found innocent was shocking to me. I had no idea I had this deep-rooted affinity for the king of pop. Perhaps it's the early memories of dancing to Thriller in my grandparents' garage with cardboard box tombstones. Maybe it's all the times I practiced the moonwalk while singing Beat It. I believe that Michael Jackson is really bizarre and probably needs some help -- but the family that was accusing him was a bunch of extortionists and scam artists. Michael Jackson is innocent and I have a warm place for him in my heart. Go figure...

Crafty

I have always like to do projects. I realize that this might make me sound a little lame, but it's just a fact. I am crafty. Whether its making my friends mixed tapes and designing a cover for them, cutting out hundreds of eyes from magazine pages for a collage, meticulously designing a scrapbook page, or making 200 invitations with embossed rubber stamps on each, I have fun making things. I sign up for bookmaking classes at our local paper store and I am often swept up in the craft craze of the moment. This weekend a visit to a bead store got me back into beading and now I have visions of making lots of money selling my jewelry. The only real problem with my craftiness is that it ebbs and flows. I might be into beading for the next three weeks and then not look at another bead for three years. I have a very short attention span.

One craft-of-the-moment that I cannot do very well is knitting. I have tried. I want to be able to knit. I want to be someone who finds the repetitive motion of fingers on needles relaxing, but instead, I stress about each stitch and I always pull the yarn too tight because I am worried about gaping holes. Because of my uptight nature while knitting, I have yet to finish a scarf. I am a crafty perfectionist.. which has to be the worst kind of crafty person.

Anyways, I am off to go buy some beading supplies to get my business off the ground. I am sure all the celebrities will be sending me their orders soon.

Blech

Ok. So things in my life are actually going really well right now. Old conflicts are slowly getting better, exciting things loom on the horizon. Other exciting things will be happening over the next few months: a visit from Neil's mom, tickets to Cats, tickets to the Opera, a Bar Mitzvah in Portland, a wedding in Albuquerque, a wedding in Colorado, dinner with some new friends, a couple baseball games, a concert at the zoo with my dad, a David Sedaris reading, a conference for work in Austin, an awesome folk art festival and so on. But right now, at this very moment, in spite of the slight cheering up that came from making that list, I am feeling crappy. I worked for about 9 hours yesterday and had a business meeting over lunch today and I have TONS of pressure to complete a bunch of projects in time for my association's convention next week. I ordered some fancy paper and it just got here and it sucks and is not at all cool. Neil is out of town, so I am a bit lonely and I am just all-around stressed. Plus, it's that time of afternoon where all I can think about is getting up from my desk and sprinting out the door to my car. That or taking a nap.

Yesterday, I told my boss that I am moving in October. She was SOOO nice about it. She actually started to tear up and had to get out a tissue. She also said she feels like she's losing a daughter. I had no idea. Anyways, it felt wonderful to get that big secret off my chest and to have her react in such a positive way. Whewh. I haven't told everyone else at work yet, though. My boss wants to wait until our convention is over, which makes some sense, I suppose...

I am still working on a couple videos for my blog. Not sure why I don't have my act together to finish them. I think the main reason is the clicking noises my camera makes. Grr. But look for videos soon.

I hope I emerge from this funk soon. I wish I had a friend around to take an evening walk with tonight...Why do we get in inexplicable funks sometimes?

Interviewed

Well, I did it. I left work this morning and had a phone interview on my cell phone in the car. The reception was great and I think the interview actually went well. The people on the call (there were three) were all incredibly nice and relatively enthusiastic about my resume and skills. (I just wrote "skills" and now images of Napoleon Dynamite are flashing in my mind.)

So, I don't know what will come of the phone call interview, but I am relieved not to have to be nervous about it anymore. I'm also relieved it's the weekend. We're meeting some friends for diem sum tonight and I can't wait. Also, the weekend gives me a reprieve from stressing about telling my boss about the move. If I can just put it off a few more weeks, it would be wonderful.

So, my blog friend Jodi has tagged me with a blog meme -- whatever that is... and I will surrender. Here goes:

The Trio Meme

Three screen-names I have had are:
JGG157
jodigwen
Maybe I am lame, but I don't think I have ever had any other screen-names

Three things I like about myself are:
the way I care about my friends and family
my smile
my sense of humor

Three things I do not like about myself are:
I am the world's most skilled procrastinator.
Sometimes I am lazy even when I don't really want to be lazy
I am never satisfied with my weight.

Three things that scare me are:
Money and the possibility of running out of it.
The Republican Party
The thought of losing someone I care about.

Three of my everyday essentials are:
cell phone
email
my Nalgene bottle full of water

Three things I am wearing right now are:
black strappy sandals
diamond earrings my husband gave me when I graduated from grad school
a silver ring my little brother made me in high school

Three of my favorite songs are:
The Best is Yet To Come -- Frank Sinatra
Love and Luck- Jimmy Buffett
The Best of What's Around -- Dave Matthews Band

Three new things I'd like to try in the next 12 months are:
Get a kick-ass high-paying job in D.C.
Take a hot air balloon ride
Get a spray tan.

Three things I want in a relationship are:
Neil
Neil
Neil

Two truths and a lie are:
I was named in a criminal complaint for robbing my own house.
I had my photo taken with Cindy Crawford.
I have never eaten octopus.

Three things I cannot do without are:
My iPod
Sushi
Friends and Family

Three places I'd like to go on vacation are:
Thailand
Japan
Alaska

Three kids' names are:
Riley (for a boy or a girl)
Sophia or Sophi
Rae (for a girl)

Three things I want to do before I die are:
Write a bestseller
Make a difference
Travel around the world

Three celebrity crushes I have had are:
John Cusak
Dave Matthews
Hugh Grant (it's the accent)

Three people I nominate to complete this exercise are:
Shane
Lindsey
Stan

Insanity

Things are completely insane right now. I applied for my first job in D.C. over the long weekend in preparation for our upcoming move. Today, they called me at work to set up a phone interview. What is interesting about this is that I gave them my home number -- NOT my work number! I have not told my boss that I am moving yet, but it is becoming clear that I will have to soon. I just don't want to be looked at as a short-timer for the next four and a half months. Or, worse, I don't want to be fired. I think it would be seriously not right for them to make me leave my job early, but I can't help but be a little concerned. You never know what people will do when they discover you are leaving.

So, I am excited to have a phone interview for my first attempt at finding a job, but now I have to do the interview from work on Friday morning... or I have to leave work at nine in the morning and do the interview from my car. It is all very awkward and to make things worse, I really like my job right now. I like my boss and my coworkers and I feel very sad that I have to tell them I am leaving. Blech.

In other news, Neil and I discovered that we have only about 6 free weekends between now and when we move in late Oct. This discovery has made me think we should start packing boxes now so that we're not completely unprepared when the time to move comes. I am really excited about our new adventure, but I wish I could snap my fingers and magically end up in the perfect (and low-priced) apartment with all of my things around me and a great job to report to on Monday. Somehow, I suspect it will take a little more work.

To Mourn

Yesterday, on my way back from Santa Fe, I saw a woman decorating one of the roadside crosses along the freeway. This particular cross was in the median and it was huge. The woman had pulled her minivan into the median and she was carefully adding plastic flowers and beads to the cross. She was all dressed up and 30 miles from anywhere. She was so deliberate in her actions and even watching her for a few seconds, I could feel her mourning. That got me thinking...how do we mourn? How do I mourn?

I have only visited a grave once and it was the grave of a grandfather I never met. I have lost people, but their graves are either across the country or nonexistent -- but I wish I could visit them. I wish I could be near my grandpa once in a while, that I had a place to go when I wanted to talk to him. But that would mean moving to Michigan, or visiting once in a while. Yet, every time I drive by the hospital where he died, which is at least once a week, I think about him and how much I miss him. Is the hospital my roadside cross?

My first boyfriend, Carl, had his ashes scattered on different mountains all over the world. There is a meadow in the Santa Fe mountains that friends have named after him, but I've never been there. Sometimes I dream about Carl though, and when I wake up, I feel like we've been having a conversation, which is really a wonderful feeling.

When I was younger, I used to think that grave yards and roadside crosses were only sad. But now I think they are both sad and beautiful. We always miss our loved ones and the way we honor them after they are gone are so human, so touching and so necessary.

Even Sicker

So as if last week's death cold wasn't enough, right as I was getting better I was struck down with a really fun flu that involved a lot of middle-of-the night puking and left me six pounds lighter. I swear, I am not usually sickly. Am I being punished? The good news -- I am feeling much better. I still don't have an appetite, but hopefully that will come soon so I can regain my lost weight and then go back to work losing it at the gym.

Meanwhile, I am sure my co-workers are having serious questions about me since I have used three sick days in the last two weeks and left early on two other days. Oy. I am sure I am more paranoid than necessary, but I hate using sick days and using this many is unprecedented.

Not much else to report seeing how I have been in bed and asleep for the majority of the last 48 hours. On Sunday -- one of two days of relative health -- I saw the new Star Wars with my dad. My Star Wars fandom mostly ended when I was little and got tired of playing with my action figures. I did go to Episode I and it was so lame that I skipped Episode II, but Episode III was good. I now know the answers to all of the lingering questions I had, and I got to watch some exciting action sequences.

More videos will be posted soon, as soon as I can leave the house.

Sick

Aaak. I am so annoyed! I'm sick and it's like 80 degrees and sunny out. We were supposed to drive to El Paso this weekend to meet Christina and Bobby's new baby -- Jacob. But there's no way I'm giving the baby this cold. So there goes the plan for the weekend. I left work early yesterday with a fever and proceeded to spend all afternoon sleeping. Today I got up at 1 and finally took a shower. This seems a little weird for a plain old cold.. but that seems to be what I have now that the fever is gone. Ahh what fun.

Meanwhile, I have a bazillion things to get done at work and home and I've barely ventured from the couch for the past 24 hours.

Baah. I just heard an ice cream truck go by in my neighborhood! It is so inappropriate to be ill in the spring and summer.

In other news, my dad told me yesterday that since we were in Italy last month, my brother has taken up smoking. This makes me really mad. What an idiot he is! I also feel like a jerk for being so mad. I don't get mad at friends who smoke. I have smoked in the past (but never to the point of addiction..) But because he is my little brother and I have this crazy protective instinct when it comes to him, I am upset about this latest development. I started worrying about whether or not he will attract the right girls, will be able to be as fit as he has been in the past and whether I'll be able to stand being in a room with him if he's all stinky and smoker-like. So, I made a video about the smoking (which is, perhaps, less articulate than this blog post) and you can watch it and hear my whiny sick voice and see how neurotic I am about my brother.

Here's hoping my cold goes away fast and my brother quits smoking and some little magic elf has been at work doing my work for me for the past day and a half.

Dustin Smokes



Click to watch


I apologize for my sick voice... also, I am aware that I need a real camera instead of my digital camera. Does anyone know about the clicking noises my camera is making?

Doggie Dinner



Click to watch

My dogs have some strange eating customs... yes, we have tried feeding them out of separate bowls -- no go.

Music: The Meters -- "They All Asked For You"

Click here to watch

Finally, after many months of watching other people's video blogs, I have made my first video and figured out how to post it on my blog... or is it now a vlog? Thank you to Michael Verdi and Ryanne Hodson for the site Free Vlog which walked me through all the steps.

So, the video is from my trip to Italy in March. Be kind since this is the first time I ever tried editing video... I am sure I will improve with more practice.

The song is "Another Traveling Song" from Bright Eyes.

The video was shot in (in order) St. Peter's Basilica, on top of St. Peters, a piazza in Rome, the Trevi Fountain, a political press conference in Salerno and the coloseum in Pompei (that's my little brother waving his arms around).

Fascinating Spam

I got some really interesting spam today in my work e-mail. It's from someone named Neateye and the subject line says "Gouranga". Inside, the message reads:

Call out Gouranga be happy!!!
Gouranga Gouranga Gouranga ....
That which brings the highest happiness!!

This seems to me a fairly harmless piece of spam. It is not filled with expletives or sexual references (as far as I can tell). Also, a big bonus, it doesn't have a virus attached to it. And, what the heck, it's telling me to be happy.

So, I looked it up and apparently, Gouranga is a word of great significance to the Hare Krishnas. So, the spam was religious spam. But, it was still more pleasant than the ads for penis pumps.

Apparently, there is a Gouranga problem in Europe...and that's pretty funny to me. Funny for a few reasons... one, it's sort of like the Jesus graffiti/bumper stickers/clothing etc. you find all over the U.S. -- you know, people using their freedom of religion but also cramming their religion down my throat...and two the Gouranga thing is sort of bringing people together across the world -- in a weird way. We're all getting these e-mails, or seeing the signs and wondering what the heck that weird word means. Here's a good explanation.

In any case, I will take a cheerful religious spam any day over the more disgusting spam I normally receive. And now, I know one more thing about the world, so thanks Hare Krishna spammers for providing a distraction this afternoon.

Observation

When I am driving in my car in the late afternoon, after the car has had all day to soak up the heat from the sun and my window is open but I'm going slow enough not to mess up my hair with the wind, and I'm listening to upbeat music and I know the words so I can sing along, I am, somehow, able to let go of all the minutia and think only of the exciting things on my horizon. I breathe in the fresh air, feel my body surrounded by warmth and embrace the freedom of the road ahead of me and in moments like these, I really like myself.

Confession (tee hee)

I, the intellectual snob with a degree in journalism and a graduate degree in writing, am completely addicted to one of the trashiest magazines around which is, coincidentally, written for readers at a sixth grade level. I buy this magazine every week at the grocery store and read it cover to cover. I do not always even read more than one article when my New Yorker arrives. (Please note, it takes the same amount of time to read one New Yorker article as it does for me to read the entire trashy magazine.) I buy the trashy magazine at the grocery store because I was hoping my addiction would go away and because I did not want my name on the subscriber list. BUT, last week I caved and signed myself up for not one, but two years of the wonderfulness that is US Weekly. (Please don't tell anyone -- I am addicted to celebrity gossip.)

The Thank You Note

Last week, I received a thank you note in the mail for buying my pink dress. This at first seemed really funny to me. I went to a department store, bought a dress and they mailed me a thank you note. This is just not normal. But actually, it was really nice and now I want to go back and buy more ridiculously priced things. Sometimes being old-fashioned can be a really good marketing strategy.

Garage Sale Day!

Tomorrow is garage sale day! Neil and I are selling a bunch of junk with our friends Ryan and Shay. We had to pay $8 for a classified ad and tomorrow, bunches of strangers are (hopefully) going to arrive and give us money for things we don't want anymore -- or in the case of some gifts, never did want in the first place. We did all the item pricing last night and we'll be lucky to make $100. But, hey, that's more than the junk is making for us sitting in our closets.

Tomorrow, I am also going to be elected to the board that has previously been mentioned on this blog. I thought I was going to be elected last month... but it turns out the election is tomorrow at the annual meeting and then the board takes a vacation for June and July and reconvenes in August. Given the fact that I am moving in October, I will realistically only be able to attend two board meetings. When I realized this sometime last week, I called the two women who are orchestrating my election to the board and, while it was a bit of a risk since one woman is connected to my work, I told them I was moving and felt that it would not be fair of me to get elected given the fact that I would not be around long. To my surprise, they both said it was fine and they could use my help even for the short time I will be on the board. And so, this is how I came to spend $65 on a year-long membership to the group and the ticket for tomorrow's brunch and annual meeting where I will be elected to a board for which I will only be able to attend two meetings. In my opinion, this is a bit silly, but I guess I'll do what I can. The bummer: I have to leave the garage sale early to go get elected... sheesh!

Half-Birthday, Teacher's Day, Illness and Mother's Day

Yesterday was my half-birthday. I know it's silly to be 26 (and a half) and still want to celebrate my half-birthday.. but, that's just how I am. I am a birthday fanatic and that includes half-birthdays. Of course nothing happened for the half-b-day, other than a water glass toast with Neil at lunch yesterday. But, I still woke up with that old feeling of excitement, the one you get in the morning before a flight to someplace exciting, or first thing on Christmas, or Chanukah. "aha," I thought, "There's something special about today." And I realized that sometimes, all you have to do to make a day special is decide that it is.

Apparently May 3 was also Teacher's Day. I didn't know there was such a day, but it makes sense. While driving to work, the morning show I listen to was having people call in and talk about their favorite teachers. I thought, "I should call in!" but then I tried to narrow it down: who was my favorite teacher? And I got stuck. Here's the list I made in my head: Katie from preschool, Ms. Pong from 3rd grade, Mrs. Garcia from 5th grade, Zsolt from ballet and piano, Sparky from middle school history, Ms. Wampler from 9th grade algebra, Mr. Schiff from 10th grade history, Jay from high school science, Mr. Lang from 10th grade English, Mrs. Fischer from 12th grade English, Mr. Kurth from Humanities, Gene Aker from high school Journalism, Marda Dunsky from college journalism, Mike Rilley from college journalism, Carl Phillips from senior year of college poetry seminar, David Protess from college journalism, Fran Paden from Women's Studies, Susan Cheever from grad school, Sven Birkerts from grad school, Bob Schacochis from grad school. And I am sure, that if I could remember the really intelligent TA who taught the feminism seminar senior year of college his name would be on this list too.

So then I got to thinking about how incredibly influential teachers are. I realize that I am stating the obvious, but then again, is it that obvious? The teachers listed above not only helped shape how I think and how I understand the world, but they also helped shape how I see myself. They shared with me their knowledge and they let me know that they learned from me as well -- that I was valued. And now, nearly 20 years later (what has it been, 18 or 19 since I was in 3rd grade?) I can still remember how Ms. Pong made me feel and what she taught me. Perhaps I should be a teacher?

Illness: Neil got really ill again this week. It was the second time since I've known him and the first time was only about a month ago. On Wednesday night, I woke up to the sound of puking and spent the next couple of hours taking care of Neil and cleaning the bathroom -- not good. Please oh please, let this be the end of illness for the two of us for a while.

And Finally: This weekend is Mother's Day. I am dreading it. Not because I don't love my mom and my grandma. I do, very much. But I hate the politics that have recently entered my family. It makes me ill just thinking about it. Hopefully, however, we will have a good Mother's Day brunch and all of the stuff I am worried about will remain under the surface where I won't have to deal with it... Wish me luck...

Here is what my new dress looks like. It is very pink and I know that can be a bad thing, but I think that, in this case it is good. Shoe color suggestions are welcome. :) 

Pink Dress

Ever since my bridesmaids wore pretty pink dresses to my wedding, I have been wanting a kick-ass pink dress. Not just any pink dress mind you, it needed to be a just-right super-flattering I-picked-it-out-myself pink dress. Last summer, I got to pick a dress for Jenn's wedding and out of the two colors, I chose pink and the dress was very cute, but it wasn't the dress that I was fixated on -- you know, the made up one in my head. I found the dress yesterday after a failed attempt to purchase a couple on e-bay. Neil and I went to the mall and there it was. Not only was it really pretty, but it also fit me in two sizes smaller than I thought I would wear. Can't get much better than that right?

Now I am fixated on finding shoes to match (I have no idea what color would go well) and wearing it! I think it might even be a tad too formal for some of the events I plan to wear it to this summer, but I am not sure I mind. I am just over-the-top excited to wear my new dress.

All of this dress excitement is welcome at the moment as it is helping to distract me from: a) the cold and cloudy weather b) the mountain of work at work c) the fact that I need to start looking for a job in D.C. d) the fact that my family is seriously lacking functionality.

Thank you pink dress...

Week of Ridiculousness

This has been the most ridiculous week ever. I can't remember ever feeling more stressed out about life in general...ever. This is insane because I am normally a calm person with an even keel.

I am sure part of the stress comes from the fact that there are very few moments between now and October that are not already scheduled in some fashion. Some days are even double scheduled. And then after October 20th, I have absolutely no idea what will happen. I have a vague idea. I know that Neil and I will collect our things and haul them across the country somehow, but I don't know where we will live, how we will get our things across the country, what kind of a job I will get, how we will pay our bills, if we will be happy, if it will be scary, when I will get to go home for a visit again and on and on and on... This juxtaposition of complete schedule and structure with the complete unknown is making me crazy. I am sure that in a few days I will feel better again and get back to my regular self, but this week has been a week of panic. Thank goodness it is almost over.

Other People's secrets

I just discovered the most awesome and amazing blog. Postsecret I am really really busy at work at the moment, but had to stop everything and scroll through the entire blog. It's great. It's actually similar to a book I finished reading before my trip to Italy. The book is called Found: The Best Lost, Tossed and Forgotten Items From Around The World. Additionally, I have recently become enamored with video blogs.

I think these three things have one thing in common, voyeurism. But what makes me love them is the human connection they provide. Reading about peoples' deepest secrets or reading their personal notes, or getting a glimpse into their private lives is wonderful because of that sense of recognition I get -- "Hey, Ryanne is a lot like me. Hey other people have similar secrets. Hey, I wrote a love note like that once. I am not alone..."

My grad school lecture was about this same idea in a way, except I talked about those little moments of human truth found in writing. I mean really, that is the goal for a writer, to convey something universal through a story about something specific. It's really exciting that these other people are doing that in their own ways -- videoblogging, collecting things people have lost (notes, lists letters etc.), writing secrets down on post cards and mailing them to a guy named Frank.

Happy weekend everyone.

Pictures

Last night I was dusting the bookshelves at home and I came across an old photo album. I have dozens of photo albums/scrapbooks that I've been creating since middle school. The earlier albums have photos of high school parties and sleepovers mostly. The more recent albums have pictures from weddings we've attended, vacations and a surprising number of those photo holiday cards. I suppose the transition of photo album content is yet another sign that I am, in fact, no longer a kid.

The album I looked through last night was from the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college. I think that was one of my most adventurous times ever. I moved to Colorado Springs for the summer and lived in a house with two strangers. How we all ended up in that house, I don't even remember. I do remember the address: 217 E. Uintah. And the outside of the house was pale yellow. I had a couple friends from high school living in Colorado Springs at the time and some of my friends came for a visit one weekend, but otherwise, I was really on my own in a new city. I ended up becoming good friends with one roommate and just being amused by the other and overall, the summer was really amazing. I was falling in love with Neil even though he was in Yakima, Washington, and I was feeling really independent. Anyways, looking at the pictures last night was really strange. While I recognized that the smiling girl in them with the curly hair was me, I looked a little unfamiliar at the same time. I am not sure how to describe it better than that. It was one of the first times I've looked at photos of myself and realized that when they were taken, I was really somebody else -- a very different version of myself. And that realization was at once exciting and a little bit creepy. What it comes down to is that while I really like the current me, I kinda miss that girl in the photos.

Update

After I wrote yesterday's post, a couple commenters suggested I stop and find out what the shiny squares were just so that I could report back. When I went to lunch, I planned to do just that but amazingly, somebody had stopped and picked them all up between my morning commute and lunch. I have no clue what they were, but now that I can't find out, I have decided that it's better not to know. They probably would have ended up being something far less exciting than condoms, right?

Doogie Howser, M.D.

When I was little, my first crush on a human being (the real first crush was on He Man, but he was a cartoon) was on Doogie Howser. I was ten years old when the TV show started and Doogie was, by far, the cutest boy I had ever seen -- plus, he was really smart. I watched the show obsessively and made my parents tape it frequently. I also wrote Neil Patrick Harris a couple of fan letters, which, looking back, were probably terrifying to him. He sent me two post cards with his photo on the front and autograph on the back and I was insulted. Sometime during the show's run, there was a celebrity skiing event for charity at the Santa Fe Ski Area. Neil Patrick Harris, because he was from Albuquerque, attended two years in a row and both years, I was up skiing and got his autograph. I believe it was the second year when I got the nerve to talk to him beyond asking for his autograph and said, "I'm your hugest fan!" and then realized instantly that hugest is not, in fact, a word and turned bright red with humiliation. I knew at that moment, and for the first time, that being Doogie Howser's girlfriend was probably not in the cards for me.

Last weekend, while browsing at Target I came upon a rather remarkable item, Season One of Doogie Howser, M.D. on DVD. I was on the phone with Rachel at the time and she tried to help me avoid the monster of impulse purchasing, but only minutes later I was the proud owner of Season One of Doogie Howser, M.D. This week, I have been watching a couple episodes a night and am surprised by how good the show really is. I still love it even though Doogie now looks like a tiny little kid and I am in love with a different Neil. I love the fact that they're putting old TV shows on DVD now and that I get to own (and revisit) a little bit of my childhood.

Roadside Trash Proves That I am Not a Grownup

For the past week, I have been driving by a big bunch of trash every day on my way to work. It looks like a car or truck that was carrying something had an accident and a bunch of whatever they were carrying spilled out. Basically, an entire block is covered in little shiny squares of foil. They look like wrappers of some sort and they may still be wrapping something. When I drive by, I have to fight two separate urges. The first is that I want to pull over and pick them all up and throw them out. That is the good samaritan urge. The second urge, and this is the stronger of the two, is to pull over, get out and examine the little squares to determine whether or not they are condoms. See, I am so not a grownup.

The Pope

They elected a new pope today. I saw him make his first blessing live on the internet. (Fox News is good for something at last.) I think it is interesting that they made a 78-year-old pope. Apparently, they don't want him to stick around too long. Also interesting, the fact that he is very conservative. Looks like those who have been lobbying for change in the church will have to wait a bit longer. And finally, the pope, who is from Germany, was apparently in Hitler's youth brigade when he was young. He has publicly apologized for that and for the holocaust, but it is still a bit unsettling that he is the man in charge now.

Tea

Last week I came across Adagio Tea and I posted a link to their Green Tea page. On Saturday, I got a big tin of tea in the mail just for posting a link. It was truly exciting and the tea is awesome! This is another example of an excellent marketing strategy. They made me feel special because I got free tea. (If you have a website, you can post a link and get free tea too.)

Pants

Today, I am wearing a new pair of black pants. I bought them at the Gap a few weeks ago in anticipation of Spring. They are made of a lighter material than most of my black pants, but they still look dressy enough for work. When I put the pants on this morning, I noticed that inside the waist band is a cute pink stripe with a row of pink stitching. And, while I am ashamed to admit this, I think the inner pink stripe had a lot to do with why I bought the pants. Yes, I was in the market for black pants and yes, this pair is rather flattering, but that cute pink stripe sealed the deal.

"Ooh, they fit well and they have that pink stripe," I probably thought somewhere deep in my subconscious as I walked toward the cash register, pants in hand.

While I think it's really silly that a little interior stripe swayed me, I also think the Gap is smart to make the insides of their clothes nice like the outsides. In any case, it's a brilliant marketing strategy.

Jodi

As some of you may know, I am a little neurotic about my name. Perhaps we all are to some extent. A name is so much more than a label or some silly word your parents picked out to call you. Really, a name is a huge chunk of your identity, at least it is of mine. Just as, when I hear the name Nick, certain qualities of my 9th grade boyfriend pop into my head and the name Evelyn makes me think of someone who is deeply kind and cheerful like my 5th grade teacher, all names are really heavily loaded with meaning. Sometimes, I meet someone with the same name as a friend and I find myself thinking, "Wow, this guy really doesn't seem like a Josh at all."

When I got married, I agonized over what to do about my last name, even though it is less important than my first name, I still couldn't let it go and ended up with an 11-letter monstrosity of a hyphenated last name. I actually wrote a 20-some page essay about my last name dilemma for graduate school. It was a big deal.

Throughout my life I have had two problems with my first name: Jodi. First, nobody ever spells it right. People always assume it's Jody or Jodie. Perhaps one out of every 30 people who write my name spell it correctly. Even family members spell it wrong on occasion, as do long-time friends. And when my name is spelled wrong, it's just not my name at all.

The second problem with my name is that nobody else has it. When I was little, I had one pre-school teacher named Jodi and that was thrilling. There was also a children's chapter book with a main character named Jody (a boy). And there is an older cousin named Jodi who lives across the country and I have seen five times. Otherwise, I have not ever met another Jodi. But then, I discovered a blog written by someone else named Jodi who is close to my age and likes similar things. Finding her blog made me smile for the rest of the day. I'm not sure why knowing another Jodi is so important to me, but I always wished for a friend named Jodi when I was little. There would be two or three Sarahs or Saras in my elementary school class and I'd think, "Why isn't there another Jodi." Anyways, this new Jodi that I found is a great writer. Check out her blog.

The Longest Week

I think this has, quite possibly, been the longest week ever. Each day at work was so busy and stressful that it felt like three days. On Tuesday I found myself thinking, "Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday," only it wasn't Friday at all.

Needless to say, now that it is 5 on Friday afternoon (the real Friday) I am quite nearly brain dead. Thank goodness I am having a massage at 6:30 tonight. I can't wait to get out of the office!

Winner of the Worst Haircut Contest
During our travels in Italy, my little brother and I took pictures of people with bad haircuts. There were some mullets, an old lady with pink stripes died in her hair and matching lipstick and then there was this guy. He's looking up at an arch in Old Rome. I think the photo is slightly blurred because I was trying to be covert, but you get the idea... 

A Thought

Traveling...especially traveling far away and seeing a different culture and being surrounded by different languages and floating along feeling at once lost and exactly where you are supposed to be...and then returning home can really make you realize how small your life is.

The Governor's Nuts

On Thursday, Neil, my parents, my grandma and our friends Ryan and Shay went to the season opener at Isotopes Stadium. It's become a tradition in my family to attend the game and Neil even lines up on the day tickets go on sale to get the best seats. This year, we sat behind home plate in row K (I think) The seats were awesome and the game was a lot of fun. Our team played the Iowa Cubs (a farm team for the Cubs) and their pitcher was an injured Cubs pitcher so everyone was very excited about that. We beat them despite their Major League talent which was even better than having Major League talent in our stadium.

Some time during the fourth or fifth inning, Neil and I noticed some official-looking men in suits standing at the top of our section. They all had ear-pieces in like the Secret Service and were milling around in such a way that made it obvious they weren't there for the baseball. The only time I have seen men like that in New Mexico was during the presidential campaign when we had candidates visiting every other minute and, oh wait, every time I see the Governor. That's right, he has a posse and some secrete-service-like guards with him at all times. Sure enough, we turned and looked directly behind us and there was Big Bill, two rows back flanked by some staffers and a mysterious and attractive woman. Moments later the mayor walked over and started schmoozing. Feeling a little bit surrounded by politicians, Neil and I a)couldn't help but to stare a little and b) started squirming in our seats. We whispered to our friends and my family, "Psst... the governor is sitting two rows behind us." Then we went back to watching the game.

About ten minutes later, a lady who works at one of the nut stands in the stadium came over to where the Governor was sitting. She was holding a white paper cone filled with nuts that were giving off a yummy cinnamon aroma. "We'd like to give you this free sample of our new cinnamon roasted almonds," the woman gushed as she extended the large cone that probably cost $10 and was definitely not a sample size. The Governor smiled and thanked her and then Neil yelled out "Hey Governor, you've gotta pass those down here!" It was clearly a joke, but the Governor winked and said "I will in a minute." Then when the nut lady walked away, sure enough, he handed the cone to Neil, who tried to refuse, but the Governor said, "Too late Neil, you opened your mouth."

And that is how we ended up with the Governor's nuts. We spent the next half hour or so passing them around, eating some and laughing like middle schoolers or Beavis and Butthead. "He he, we have the Governor's nuts." or "Ha! I'm eating the Governor's nuts." I am proud to say that everyone joined in this banter, including my grandma.

So thank you Governor Richardson for the tasty Almonds and the laugh. Photo of the leftover nuts to be posted on this blog soon.

After thinking we had lost our train tickets from Pompei back to Torino and nearly making a police report, Dustin found them in his sleeve.

We went on to spend the night on the slow train. At 4 in the morning, we were kicked out of our seats by a not-so-nice train official who informed us that we had been sitting in first class. Oops. At 8 in the morning, we got to Torino and I have never felt that dirty or disgusting in my entire life. After a nap and a shower, we spent the afternoon shopping. On our way back to Dustin's apartment, we saw a prayer vigil for the Pope, but didn't realize that he had taken a turn for the worse. The next morning, we got on an airplane and headed home, about four hours later, while we were over the ocean speeding toward Chicago, the Pope died. We got home and millions of people headed to Rome.

Ciao Italia. It was awesome. 

Pompeians used these large stones as crosswalks. Rivets made by cart wheels can still be seen inbetween the crosswalk stones. 

A mural on the walls inside one house. The deep red color is called Pompei red. 

A fountain in the courtyard of a house in Pompei. Seashells and mosaic tiles are still mostly intact. 

During some of the original excavations, concrete molds were made of air pockets in the ash where Pompeians had been trapped. These concrete people are on display throughout the city. This person, who died praying, was particularly moving to me. 

On Thursday, we traveled the short distance from Amalfi to Pompei to see the city frozen in time in 79 A.D. when Mt. Vesuvius errupted and covered the city in volcanic ash.  

Salerno, a coast town in Southern Italy near Amalfi. We stayed in Salerno for two nights and took a boat to Amalfi for the day. 

Amalfi, a coast town famous for lemons and amazing limoncello, an after dinner drink made from their lemons. 

Smart Car. (They are so cute. I want one.)