Saturday, April 20, 2002
question
Does anyone else fear the FBI keeps issuing terrorism warnings at random just so the American public thinks it's on top of things?
13:08
Friday, April 19, 2002
blogvergence
Someone else has life goals for success, too.
02:58
beginnings of things
Eliina and I were out walking tonight, marveling at spring; the baby leaves pale and sticky, the half-opened tassles on magnolia trees. Then lightening flashed, right above us, and the wind whirled all the fallen seed pods on the sidewalk. What is it, we wondered, about the beginnings of things that fascinates and enchants us? (Another sign of spring. Our apartment smells like skunk.)
02:41
activism story
So, I went to Take Back the Night tonight, an annual march against sexual assault. And it was weird. I went with Kristina, who hadn't been before. I've gone freshman and sophomore years, and it's been a slightly different experience each time. Freshman year, all the stories of sexual assault told before and after the march by survivors really kicked me in the head. Or the stomach. I came back a little raw (Scroll to middle of the page). Sophomore year I knew what to expect, so I didn't feel the same impact. But I still got a little teary. This year... I knew exactly what to expect, and I almost didn't want to go because I knew what it would do to me. It would make me extra-afraid to walk at night for the next three months. And that, I'm sure, is not the point of the march. We went anyway though, and joined the horde at the center of campus for a candlelight vigil and the first survivor story. But this time the story just plunged me into disbelief... the girl wasn't an emotional speaker, and the details of her story were so much like all the others I remember vividly hearing: We knew each other since freshman year, he was such a nice guy, we used to study together, and he raped me. It was like she was reciting the story of millions of girls. It could, and probably has, been just about anyone.
Then things got weirder. Someone fainted in the center of the crowd. But the girl on stage just kept talking. So the girl talked about her fight for justice against an unfeeling system, and people were simultaneously calling paramedics and making a circle around this person. Some girl behind us holding a candle said, "Oh, she probably just passed out." A middle-aged man in a suit broke the crowd and hurried to help. Sirens wailed from somewhere, for something. The girl on stage kept talking. Then the march began, and girls with megaphones began to yell: "Northwestern unite! Take back the night!" One of them added, "Don't step on the girl!" Then the marchers took off. The air was too psychotic for me and Kristina, so we went to get coffee instead.
02:26
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
read
The New York Times digs deep to find out where Ethan Hawke is now. Turns out our poster boy for the Gen X party isn't bursting with fruit flavor about Reality Bites: "'I never thought that I would be labeled something like Generation X because of that movie,' Mr. Hawke says."
21:51
deli story
So now John and Bob, the good folks at the deli, finally know my name. This is how it happened. I said, "Hi Bob," to Bob. And Bob said, "You know, we don't know *your* name." And I told them. And then I didn't know what to say next. Should I just order like a regular person? Now they know my name! Are we friends? Acquaintances with call-by-name privileges? We'd just crossed a major milestone here. How could I just pretend nothing happened and order my pint of macaroni salad? But, I did. Actually, I said something like: "How 'bout that macaroni salad." Which is about as inane as small-talk gets. But oh well.Later that day, I got take-out Panera for dinner and was stepping off the El with the gigantic brown bag in hand, when I heard someone say, "Hi Lindsay" from behind me. I whirled around, and it was John, who looks like a more human version of this, sitting on a bench.
13:58
babies and joy
If you like babies, but don't actually want to have your own right now, share Blogger staffer Jason Shellen's excitement. Also on the topic of Blogger staffers and excitement, this is... weird.
13:50
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
random thought
Maybe this is my calling, to seek and illuminate those invisible, invincible threads binding the human family together: buses and small talk. Yes, it's a noble calling, but someone has to answer.
00:54
them too! them too!
April 15th isn't just tax day. It's also I-hate-small-talk-day. And why do we hate small talk, kids? Because we just can't do it right. Check Patrick, Ellen and xeresdotcom's April 15th post called 'say what?' for more.
00:45
me too! me too!
Mena of dollarshort was psyched that she rode the bus. I don't blame her.
00:30
Monday, April 15, 2002
from the vault: March 2000
Excuse me. I have a question. What do I do with my life? I typed this
question into Yahoo in a desperate attempt for some answers from the
world's greatest research tool. Even the Internet had no answer for this
one.
So, what do I do with my life? I've decided I want to join the Peace Corps.
I guess that means I should get some volunteering experience, eh? I wonder
if they take journalism majors.
I've decided I want to edit a magazine. I want to enrich people's lives
with content and beauty.
I've decided I want to become a typesetter like in the old, old days of
lead and ink and wax and graph paper. I want to come home with ink under my
fingernails and wax on my fingertips.
I want to be a leader. I want people to find me magnetically attractive and
follow my every move.
I want to be able to cook a decent vegetarian meal.
I want to stop procrastinating.
I want my parents to be happy.
I want to be comfortable. I want to walk down the hall and feel like
everything is perfect.
I want a dizzy buzz of activity and pleasure to sweep me away from the
sorts of days when I don't even realize a day has passed.
I want to be loved.
OK, so I don't want to join the Peace Corps. I want to learn to build houses.
I want to go back to the Daily because I miss the people, not because I
liked the work.
I want to become a poli sci double-major.
I want to catch up with all my studying this quarter.
I want a nice white house with a lilac bush and a raspberry bush and an
iron gate and a backyard with spongy grass and a fridge with a perpetual
pitcher of lemonade.
I want to live in Boston and work for Fast Company magazine and become a
complete city girl.
I want to know what it's like to be a city girl.
I want to suddenly have waist-length hair without the growing-out process
in between.
I want to be able to competently do calculus.
I want to stop being afraid of spiders.
I want my room to clean itself.
I want to stop analyzing other people.
I want my depressed friends to be happy because I know how much life can hurt.
I want to follow my bliss.
I want to know what my bliss is.
12:19
housekeeping note
So what's this "from the vault" stuff? For one thing, it's stuff I meant to archive but haven't. So this way, it's conveniently in Blogger form. Also, I'm picking posts that have to do with a theme I'm already dealing with here, so it's like -- hey, this is what I thought about it two years ago. Also, I am lazy. That is all.
12:19
quote
"Too many people drive their Land Rovers to the grocery store and think 'paper or plastic' is a meaningful choice." -- Denis Hayes, Earth Day organizer
02:42
quote
"Success is often measured in external ways, but there's an internal measure of success, and it's called fulfillment. Fulfillment comes from realizing your talents-adding value and living by your values. Fulfillment comes from integrity, from being who you are and expressing who you are as fully as possible. It doesn't have to do with your job description or the specifics of your work. It has to do with how you bring your self to your work, regardless of what that work is." -- Richard Leider
02:12
more: archives
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