my boy be's smart

he just was picked to be awarded the outstanding senior award in the sociology deparment at usc. smarty-pants!

happy birthday, waldie's world!

it all started a year ago today. wow, does time fly.

life plans, or something like that

i figured since i’ve been on this computer way too long trying (unsuccessfully) to get my printer to work, that i should at least maybe post a quick update.

it’s been a tough week in this reid household. but it looks like we’ve at least decided that we’re going to stay in columbia for the year. we’re going to start looking for apartments because we have to be out of ours by may 10th. chris will get a job and we’ll try out the 2 breadwinners thing for a little while as he looks at grad schools and such for fall 2007. oh, and we’re getting a dog. because i want one.

africa to columbia

i just spent my first afternoon with the somali mothers to whom i will be teaching english every wednesday until who knows when. it's a long story how i stumbled upon this opportunity. but let's just say they need help and i'm happy to provide it.... except, yikes! how does one go about teaching reading, writing and speaking of english to people who speak no english? i should mention for those who don't know it already, i don't speak mai mai (their language) either! so this will be quite an intersting process and i certainly will be learning just as much (if not more) from them as they will be learning from me.

i have a few (very few) thoughts on how i think i might approach this task. but i realize that my friends and family are all highly intelligent people with brilliant ideas and lots of unique experiences. i'd be open to any and all constructive suggestions anyone might have as to how i could help these women learn english. post any thoughts here. seriously, dudes. ideas. i need them.

friends are good distracters

i thought i'd follow up the previous sad post with a bit more upbeat post.



thanks, melissa, for visiting over the weekend, especially given that essentially you paid a lot of money to put up with 2 cranky and depressed friends.

this picture was taken at congaree national park, where we beat the rain and took a nice little hike on saturday. we also ate good food, played games with more friends and drove around charlotte.

updates

i know chris has emailed and/or called most of his close friends and, for the most part, the word is out. so i thought i'd just go ahead and put it out here as well to get the prayers going. chris's dad, david, had his regular two-month check-up on thursday and they found some not so good news. the nodes are larger and more numerous in his lungs and it has metastasized again to his liver. obviously this is bad news and, in fact, is worse "bad news" than we really thought we'd get. the good news is that (other than the cancer) david is in excellent health. tricia keeps him pumped up on vitamins, he's eating healthier, goes to work, and is continuing to live his life like normal. he's going to go on 2 more chemos (4 total i think) and will keep going every other week to get his treatments.

that's pretty much all the news we have at this point but we'll update more as we know more. thanks, all, for your continued support and prayers for david and the family.

my cousins rock

literally.



last night chris and i went out to augusta, georgia to soul bar to hear my counsin's band, a fir ju well play. as always, the show was excellent and i am always immensely impressed by their level of skill and talent.

an added bonus was seeing fellow atlanta-based performer anna kramer.


anna was also an excellent performer and i really enjoyed her music. a fir ju well played backup for a bunch of her tunes and was impressed (yet again) by their level of skill on someone else's music.

both bands will be touring up the east coast and then a fir ju well will head west. check out both of a fir ju well's websites for dates and locations.

we took a bunch of pictures. click here to see the set.

just in case you doubted us

you may remember our stories about our peace corps recruiter being kind of flaky and always just repeating the same story to us.

well, we just got another round of emails from her today. thought i'd share, you know, so you all would be as up to date as we are.


Original Message from recruiter:

>From: "Lorenzo, Bernadette"
>To: 'waldie', chris reid
>Subject: Peace Corps
>Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:22:33 -0500
>
>February 10, 2006
>
>Hi Waldie and Chris:
>
>I just wanted to let you know that I submitted your biodata to
Placement.
>I
>will let you know when I hear something. Thanks for your patience.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Bernadette Zayas Lorenzo


Chris's Response:

From: Christopher Reid
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 2:40 PM
To: Bernadette Lorenzo
Subject: RE: Peace Corps

Thanks so much. We look forward to seeing where the next steps take us.

Chris


Bernadette's Response to Chris's Response:

February 10, 2006

Hi Chris and Waldie:

Thanks for your patience. It is a longer and tougher process for
couples.

I'll let you know when I hear anything.

Thanks,

Bernadette
(404) 562-nnnn


...so, uh, there you go.

sean asked

"why does the organic milk i just bought have a "sell by" date of march
25th? if anything, i would have thought that things without weird
chemicals in them would have gone bad faster."

and i responded pretty much like: "i don't know. i've noticed that one too. i'll do a little digging to see what i can find."

so, sean and others, here's what i've found.

there's no straight answer, (when is there ever, right?) not even with organic (sigh). apparently, sean, we're not the only ones to notice this. when i googled "organic milk expiration date" a lot of good hits came up. there's all ends of the spectrum in this debate, ranging from these guys, who make some valid points but are a little too pro-business/conspiracy thinking for my palate, to this group of concerned parents, who explain that it's because organic milk is ultra-pasteurized (see the link to know more about what that means), which removes the microorganisms and spores that cause spoilage.

i just got up to see what brand of organic milk i bought this week (i vary depending on where i shop). i have organic valley, which is certainly one of the larger businesses selling organic foods. the expiration date is march 17th and it looks like the milk was shipped out of wisconsin, though i can't quite tell because it says on the box that it's processed and packaged at a plant stamped above but i think that info is in code.

this raises an important point, of which i am constantly amazed that i have to remind my nieve self--buyer beware (even with organic). even though you think you’re doing good by buying organic, sometimes you could still do better. i think the pro-business guys are right that you should really pay attention to where in the US your dairy products (and all products) are being shipped from because we all know that local is better in so many ways (and there’s no argument against that!).

so thanks, sean, for asking the question and forcing me to do some research. when i go to rosewood this weekend i’ll be sure to pick up all the milk boxes and take a closer look.

help save americorps nccc

most of you all know that in 2001 chris and i met while volunteering with americorps national civilian community corps. if you've ever spoken to either one of us about our year of service you'll know that it was one of the most rewarding, life-altering experiences we've ever had the prilige of having (an not just because we met each other;).

well, in an effort to cut down the federal budget, president bush is threatening to completely shut down the nccc program. it really doesn't look good, judging from the comments today by the chairman of the board and the ceo of the corporation for national service. they just basically said that they'd like enough money to shut down the programs properly.

in my opinion (and the opinion of countless others) that's just simply not good enough. please sign a petition to help save the nccc program. even better, send a personal letter to your senator or congress person.

here were my comments about why i think americorps nccc is worth saving:
AmeriCorps*NCCC is a program with a rich history steeped in dedicated, quality service toward the American public. Stemming from the Civilian Conservation Corps, which provided valuable jobs to needy & able Americans in the 30’s & 40’s as well as laying down the foundation for much of our nation’s valuable natural infrastructures, the NCCC has lived up to its legacy by providing a myriad of invaluable services to Americans in every corner of our country. NCCC members have provided services that range from disaster relief in 2001 to victims of the attacks on NY and DC and in 2005 to victims of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, to helping build houses for the needy, to assisting low-income children achieve greater academic success. I implore you to maintain the funding of AmeriCorps*NCCC and allow future generations to continue delivering this valuable service to our fellow countrymen in need.

strike one

sorry, folks, for being MIA lately. i've just been swamped both at home and at work and have either not had the time or the brain power to put anything down here. it's not really going to let up until next month, too! yikes!

but we did have a little bit of new news today. we heard from catholic relief services, our thus far #1 choice for international service. and it was el negativo. chris spoke with the guy, a very nice gentlemen. and i was afraid we failed our personality tests. but that's not true. they just couldn't find a place to put us, a couple. so alas, that one's down. but it's good to know and we'll move on to other options. can't say i'm not bummed but we knew this going in. it's hard to find slots for married couples in the smaller programs. so it just wasn't meant to be and we'll look into putting more effort into the other 4 programs we're applying for.

blasted technology

here's a little fact about me. in some cases i'm really particular about details and making everything "just right," i.e. stuff at work. then, in other cases i couldn't care less about perfection, i.e. stuff with technology.

you may have noticed i've added a few links to the right of my blog. but my blog does some funny thing (it may have bothered you in the past) where it likes to just randomly add extra lines with bullets wherever it likes (eventhough the code is the same on each line). it now seems to want to be really obnoxious (look to your right now). if it bothers you you can either A) tell me how to fix it or B) suck it up.

i really don't care that much about it so i'm opting to B) suck it up (at least for tonight).

the trio is complete

check out my sister here. i can't promise it'll be grammatically correct, but she's a hoot!

weekend on

i wouldn't necessarily say we had a whole weekend on. but saturday chris and i spent 12 hours and 9 hours respectively roofing a house. we were volunteering with homeworks, a non-profit organization that does repairs on homes (kind of like habitat). it's always fun to get back into the saddle again, as they say. unless you end up like this:





and this is just the sunburn. you can't imagine how our arms, legs, hands, toes, EVERYTHING feels today. ouch! but good work was done. we should do it more often (once we recuperate).

eye of the tiger plays here

this is a little belated.



but contrats to kaiser for being a bad-ass! here's a marathon runner if i've ever seen one! that's 26.2 miles of pure running, for those not in the know. all for a good cause.

way to go, dude!

trip to the country

chris's nutz,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

chris and i went to south georgia this weekend to visit my grandparents who spend their winters down there. my parents were also visiting, so it was a double bonus.

it was good to be out in the quiet of the country and hear nothing but birds chirping (and dogs barking). we picked pecans! now we just have to find a place to get the cracked (anyone in columbia know of a place??). and we picked fresh turnips. i cooked them tonight at home. delicious!

i can't repost it

so i just sat here for like an hour and drafted this long post about chris's drug-induced recovery from his colonoscopy and how upsetting it was to see my husband so vulnerable. but before i could actually publish the post netscape crashed and i lost the whole post. it was really emotional for me to write and i just can't write it again.

i'll just leave it at this: i love my husband. it was heartwrenching for me to see his mind so altered. the image will be permanently engraved in my mind. i hope that we never have to deal with that permanently. life is delicate.

mom and bo, one night only!

as chris referenced, he and i made the treck to good ol' "hot-lanta" in the cold season to visit the parents.



mom helps out some friends with their wholesale business once a year at the americasmart. this place was crazy! the picture, of course, doesn't do it justice. this was just one of the buildings and the floors just go up and up.



one highlight, among many, was visiting with our favorite band (and cousins) a-fir-ju-well, redubbed for the weekend el-fir-ju-well.

a small rant

chris and i were all jazzed up to go to the georgia aquarium this weekend in atlanta. that is, until we realized it would be close to 50 bucks for us both to get in! that's right. $23 per ticket! that's crazy. so, needless to say, we won't be seeing the whale shark this weekend, not because he's not worth it, but because we can't afford it. :(

Don't think I forgot

Happy Birthday, Chirper!

An Epiphany on the Epiphany

I have suddenly realized something. And it’s not so much that I just now suddenly realized it. Because, truly, it’s a thought I’ve had all along during this process, but the reality of what it means has come to light for me and Chris during the past few days and I feel it’s worthy of a mention.

Many years ago Chris and I decided that we were going to Africa to be missionaries. It was a decision that the two of us made with much deliberation and much discussion between he and I . During the process, we have never gone to our family and friends and asked their permission to do this. We have asked advice. We have asked for blessings. But, like people do in major life decisions (marriages, moves, pregnancies), we just made a choice and moved forward with our plans.

Today (or over the course of the past couple of days, actually) I think Chris and I really started to understand the sacrifice that our friends and family are going to be making when we finally do go abroad. As I said, Chris and I made this decision about our life, but in so many ways, we made a major decision on behalf of everyone who cares for us. Because while we are gone in Africa, we are not at home with them. I know this may not translate to the blogosphere so well. But what I mean is that our friends and family will miss out on having us as a major part of their lives for the 2 years that we’re gone. We will not be there for holidays, celebrations, funerals (God forbid), accomplishments, etc. It is not simply that WE will miss these occasions, but we will not be there for THEM during these times. And in most cases, (as much as it may baffle me:) they seem to want us there. I don’t mean to sound egotistical or anything here. Bear with me.

My sister went to Italy for a year in college. Even all these years later, I still remember the Christmas she was gone as one that just was not right. It was like a piece of me was gone because she was not there. I was so used to her being around on holidays that I did not realize how much of ME resides with HER and how much of that comes out when we are together.

THAT is the sacrifice that we are asking our families to make. And that, in many cases, is a huge sacrifice for them. A sacrifice that they had no say in.

Now, I must say for the record that ultimately I don’t think that we should have asked anyone’s permission. And I am not necessarily apologizing for the decision that we have made to be missionaries. I am not apologizing because in many ways I think that the feelings of loss that some might actually have a purpose.

For one, that sense of loss that will be felt by our family is a microcosm for the loss and pain that the people we’ll be helping feel every day of their lives. Certainly I don’t mean this in terms of family and friends, because I am sure that they will have that. I mean in terms of equality, justice, sanitary conditions, basic human needs. The people in the part of the world that we look to serve are missing a whole lot more than we can ever imagine and I think that it is important for people to think about loss on a global scale, as well as a personal scale.


A second way that I think the feelings of loss can serve a purpose is in that it shows how connected our world is. When we speak of our world in terms of its global scale, we often think in terms of technology or environment. But I like to think of it this way. As I mentioned previously, while we are gone small pieces of our loved ones will also be gone with us. But we will be bringing those pieces of our friends and family with us to Africa. That piece of you that may be missing on Christmas when I am not there…that piece will be with me when I am in Africa as I am telling my story to those I meet. So even though our friends and family may not physically be present with us while we are gone, you will be there. And you will contribute to our service in a very real way. And when we come home, we will be bringing pieces of Africa with us to share with you. We will be bringing the world closer together as we try to make this planet more livable. It is an amazing way that you all will be sharing in our service.

I know you all did not ask to share in our service. But you will. What greater sacrifice can there be than to give of one’s own? And, essentially, without a choice. I cannot think of any greater sacrifice. And so to our family and friends, I say thank you.

extolling the virtues of the avocado

ethnicly sheek,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

our friend, ian was so thoughtful as to give us for christmas the BEST cookbook EVER! (no offense to any other cookbook anyone has ever given me in the past). it's written by angela shelf medearis who writes children's books, aparently. but that's neither here nor there.

i've only been home from vacation about 1 week and i've already made 4 recipes from this book. it's just totally cool. the best so far?

check this out (wow is it good!):
avocado, grapefruit, and spinach salad

1 large, firm avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 large pink grapefruit, peeled, seeded and divided into sections
6 c. baby spinach leaves
1/4 c. grapefruit juice
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper

combine avocado and grapefruit and chill for 30 minutes.

mix all the remaining ingredients together (except spinach) with a wisk. dish out the spinach onto plates. cover with avocado and grapefruit and pour over dressing.

(the dressing itself is sooooo good. very refreshing!)

CRS update

chris and i had a "telephone discussion" today with catholic relief services. the point of the conversation was simply for them (gerald lambert, in this case) to tell us the process of applying and for us to ask him any questions we had at this point. we talked for about an hour and he really clarified a lot of info for us. basically we're at the very beginning of the process.

we've done steps 1A (initial application) and 1B (phone call), next is 1C, followed by 2A-C and 3 A & B. he's mailing us a mental health questionnaire which will, apparently, determine if we're crazy (yikes!) and then we actually apply (step 2A), which is like 20 pages long. so, we've got a long way to go, folks. but we told gerald that we were really excited about the program and that we were interested in continuing with the process.

some intersting points about crs: although the volunteer program is new (it's currently in its first year), crs is very well established and has programs in 99 countries around the world. of those, there are basically like 55 potential countries that crs would think of placing volunteers. this gives them the ability to be fairly flexible in their placements according to volunteers skills and knowledge, as well as their intersts. also, the volunteers serve 16 months abroad and then 6 months in the us basically spreading the word about international needs and global issues (cool!). they are expecting to accept only about 13 volunteers this year (out of a pool of around 100-150).

goodbye vacation

it's been so nice having you around. i look forward to the next time our paths cross...

new year's resolutions

new year's day is traditionally celebrated by the catholic church as the world day of peace. i can't think of a better way to start the new year.

as such, our priest's sermon this morning was about peace. he quoted some thoughts by ron rolheiser which i thought were especially poignant. i don't know what specific piece of writing father tim was inspired by but i did a little internet searching and found this article.

in the article, ron rolheiser is speaking about working toward peace and how, quite simply, we need to be the change we wish to see in the world. he further states (and i wholehearted connect to this) that we often get overwhelmed with the lack of peace in our world and the seemingly impenetrable amount of destruction and inequality that we often just think that we can't really do anything about them. but, he says:

"Large, global issues notwithstanding, issues of personal integrity are generally what make or break our happiness, not to mention our character and our intimate relationships. In the end, they aren't petty concerns at all. They shape the big things. Social morality is simply a reflection of private morality. What we see in the global picture is simply a magnification of the human heart."

in other words, ron rolheiser is asking: how can we build a just world without first dealing with these issues in the inner recesses of our hearts? how often do i snap back at someone with a hurtful witticism, or lay someone off with a passive-aggressive response? how often do i harbor my own feelings of destruction and inequality which inevitably taint my actions?

ron rolheiser asks: "How are we to build a just, loving world, if we cannot, first of all, tame selfishness inside us?"

holy smokes! how can that be legal?

despite the fact that i've lived in south carolina for 2 1/2 years and have celebrated 3 new years eves here, last night i experienced my first true "south carolina" new years. we went to some friends' house out in the boonies to hang out, play some games* and light fireworks . it was unbelievable! i've never really seen "non-professional" fireworks, having grown up in a state (surrounded by other states) where fireworks were illegal. all i could say was "holy smokes!" they scared the crap out me. they were like real fireworks that, like, went up in the air and let off spays of color(s). it was totally crazy. i kept wishing mom was there because the booms were really loud and i know she likes those. fun times, but definitely a dangerous sport.

*as an aside, chris kicked butt on dance dance revolution (but not on karaoke revolution).

they drink human urine, you know

meep meep,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

this is a sad story. but, not to sound like a know-it-all because i really don't know that much about it, but i have know about the diminishing number of pikas since 2001, while working in americorps. in july of 2001 i had the unique experience of working on mount harvard at an altitude of 14,420 feet to help build trails for hikers. it was one of the most difficult experienes of my life. but that's completely irrelevant to this post.

at the top of the mountain were two types of animals, pikas and marmots. pikas are extremely rare and are only found at the tops of mountains, as the cnn article states. i was told by our site leader that not many people have studied them but we know that with the increasing temperatures, the very delicate tundra of high mountains are diminishing, causing a decline in both animals.

as a side note, those of you who know my embarrassing story about being incredibly ill on the mountian and being "meep meeped" at by small animals who wanted to eat my urine...this was one such animal.

while i'm blogging

i thought i might add this quote, which is taken from donald wood's book biko.

"there exists amongst men, because they are men, a solidarity through which each shares responsibility for every injustice and every wrong committed in the world and especially for crimes that are committed in his presence or of which he cannot be ignorant. if i do not do whatever i can to prevent them, i am an accomplice in them. if i have not risked my life in order to prevent the murder of other men, if i have stood silent, i feel guilty in a sense that cannot in any adequate fashion be understood juridically or politically or morally...that i am still alive after such things have been done weighs on me as a guilt that cannot be expiated.

"somwhere in the heart of human relations, an absolute command imposes itself; in case of criminal attack or of living conditions that threaten physical being, accept life for all together or not at all."

donald is of course talking about apartheid in south africa and the call for all people (white, black and other) to not just talk about the evils of the separate state, but to act as well. and the words are actually attributed to karl jaspers. but i thought these words really summarized my feelings and are a great answer to the question people often ask of me and chris, "why go to africa?"

v'burg visit

for all those wondering, our mississippi trip was very pleasant. i am sure that chris will post about it more. he actually wanted to post tonight, but seeing that he's passed out on the chair at the moment, i thought i'd link these pictures from fuzzy.

thanks for the gift cards!

you all will be happy to know that our camera issue has been resolved. no, we did not find the old camera that walked away (wouldn't that have been nice!?). today we purchased a new camera, thanks in part to gift cards and christmas/birthday money. we decided on a different camera, one with a higher zoom and greater megapixels. i think i just couldn't buy the one we had before because it would seem like a step back and that was just more depressing. so hopefully this little buddy will be a good investment. and i'm not taking it to work this time!

cats and presents

well, my parents beat me to it. but happy birthday hubby! it will be full of cats and presents, for what more could you ask?

as you, dear readers may want to know, chris and i made it to mississippi in record time and it was probably the easiest trip we've made thus far, except we got a crack in our windshield about 10 miles from our destination and we're taking our car in the AM to have the tired checked out b/c it's making a strange "thump-thump" sound.

other than that, on a complete tangent, we've heard from catholic relief services. they wanted to schedule a "telephone conversation" today. but we are unable to accommodate because we're picking up chris's sister at the airport at the exact time they wanted to chat. so we're hoping to reschedule for early january. will keep you posted as we know more. very exciting!

a carolin' means christmas

last night a select few of us (some of my favorites, in fact) from our YACS! (Young Adult CatholicS) group went christmas caroling at an independant living facility. i have to say, i was a little nervous about just going out and caroling. you just never know the reception you're going to get. and, hey, i'll admit it, sometimes retirement facilitites are depressing. plus, our group had no "formal training," persey, and i wasn't sure i wanted to go make a fool of ourselves (though i guess the hard-of-hearing are a good group to do that in front of).

in any event, it turned out surprisingly well. chris and i both agreed that it was a great time. i hadn't sung carols since i was a kid in the choir. it was really...well...christmasy. not to mention the fact that the residents loved us (even the jewish woman with the hanukka sign on her door requested "we wish you a merry christmas)." it was just so sweet. one touching moment was when a woman called us into her apt (we were singing up and down the halls). she said she was the resident's nurse and that she had "been critical" for the past few days. the nurse had stayed with her night and day and was just trying to get her to hold on. she said that she wanted to give the resident some sort of feeling of christmas but couldn't figure out how since she couldn't leave her bed. so we went into the woman's bedroom and sang 3-4 songs for her while the nurse sat in the living room crying. really touching. i guess this goes to show what i have always believed but don't often practice: it's always important to step outside your comfort zone. you don't know what you'll find, but it's often something life-altering.

on with the festivities

so the party on saturday went off with nary a hitch (with the exception of a few medium-sized children running wild in our house for the first half of the night, no biggy). we estimate we had about 40 people over throughout the course of the night. not the masses we had anticipated based on previous experience. but that's a solid number and keeps the choas in a bit of order. though now we have lots of food and cider left over which we'll dispose of tonight when we go caroling with friends. you can read one review of the event here.

today is jim's birthday. so i should say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BO!" sorry we're not there to go to the movies with you. but in honor of your birthday, i'm giving blood this afternoon.

the joy of the season...

is knowing that it's 1:00 PM on friday and i don't have to be into work for another 426 1/2 hours (that's just over 2 weeks folks, keep up!). that's just fabulous. if i weren't so drained i'd be a bit more overtly enthusiastic. but do not be fooled, i'm ecstatic.

so, what do i plan to do? rest? not yet. big party tomorrow. so for now more cooking and cleaning and sprucin' up the joint. party. then rest. maybe sneak a movie (king kong) in there too.

on a side note, if i had a camera (which you all may remember , i don't), i'd take a picture of the cutest wreath that i made. my first attempt. hurt like crap to put together, thanks pointy evergreen!, but it's cute!

i am thinking

i should blog something. but i'm too tired.

*horray for amy for graduating by the way! we'll miss you.

the lion, the witch and tito puente

this weekend has been chock full o' movie-going and cookie-making, both of which are obvious signs of the holidays for me.

friday night i saw pride and prejudice (i know. i know. p&p on the opening weekend of narnia! don't worry, read on.) with the ladies and was honored to be invited into "the nightcap club," a club of whose existance i had no previous knowledge. basically i was the recipient of a hand-made nightcap like they wore in the "olden days." thanks mag, i shall wear it with pride!

saturday i spent making cookings and other goodies for our upcoming shindig and other various holiday obligations.

then today, sunday, we went to the much-anticipated narnia. i'm sure chris will give a full review in due time. i'm not really a "review-giving" kind of person. but i'll just say it was fabulous. it's been years since i read the book so i really didn't recall the nitty-gritty of the story line; so i have no clue where they deviated from the book. but the acting was great, animation amazing, music fabulous, and i was totally pleased. but that whole good vs. evil thing gets me every time.

the rest of the day--you guessed it--more cookie making. but as chris and i decorated our cute, cute, cute cut out sugar cookies, we rocked out to tito puente.

friday afternoon musings

i am breathing a sigh of relief as my week from hell is over. i can't say the week got worse but it certainly didn't get any better.

i am comforted by the thought that i have only one more week left and then 2 weeks off. so right now i plan to curl up on the couch and watch one of my two comfort movies, i haven't decided yet which one (and those who know me well will know the choices), as i make christmas cards.

if this week were a jeopardy category...

it'd be "week from hell" for $1000.

my week was already going to be hectic enough, what with a few more potlucks (2 in one day), the conclusion of the big program i run at work, as well as the preparation for graduation and various other end-of-the-year rushy-rush-rush stuff. but add to that the fact that my (our) digital camera has disappeared ("taken" perhaps by someone at work), my nice bracelet (yes, the one chris gave me for our wedding) broke, my ink cartrige is out (bad time of year to try and get another one from the school supply lady), and oh...what else can i heap on there?? that seems like enough for now. it seems like every day has had a minor disaster that makes it really difficult to clear my already full plate.

the bright side (because there always has to be one): i'm done my christmas shopping, i have all the parts to the bracelet to fix it, and i'm not working another 12 hour day this week. i'll make it through, (dramatic sigh goes here).

(p.s. hope you're having fun in florida, mom and jim. jerks!

holiday-friendly shopping

chris and i ventured out today and took advantage of some holiday shopping. we first went to the "normal" haunts that most folks go to (target, bed bath and beyond, and other large box stores). then we stopped by columbia's new ten thousand villages store. it was so great. we loved every thing in the store. i wish i had gone there before buying most of my presents already!

so i thought i'd spread the word and tell folks to shop there online. support fair trade and artisan crafts. (of course there are lots of other cool places to shop fair trade as well, this is just one.)

delayed

snooz-fest.,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

Yup, this pretty much sums up most people's Thanksgivings, I think. Eltriptophan-induced sleep. Except that doesn't explain why I pass the heck out after one* of our meals.

In any event, it wasn't all sleeping, I'll have you know. There was plenty of walks on the beach, eating, playing with the kids, eating, early christmas present-opening, and dog shenanigans. Click on the image or here to see the picts of our weekend of fun.

(Thanks Waldies for the good times. Always great to see you and catch up. Thanks mom and jim for the hospitality and food and you know...everything.)

*The dinners were all were so delicious and I ate too much at all of them so i can't remember which meal it was that I passed out, Thanksgiving or another one.

more is less with peace corps

quick update on peace corps just to let you know that we don't know. our regional recruiter called today basically to say that nothing will happen with our application until february of 2006. i am not really sure how that differs from what she originally told us nor do i know what that means in the grand scheme of things. but that's what we now know--february.

in february the folks in washington, dc, will sit down and look at all the couples who have applied. based on our experiences and the projects available the pc people will pick who they think would be a good fit for each project. when i was on the phone with the recruiter she was leading me to believe that this was a setback. but now that i'm thinking more about it i'm realizing that it is right on the path of what we read and heard.

but regardless, in february we will hopefully know at least whether or not we will be moving forward.

how do veggies spend thanksgiving?

vegetarians often get weird quesions at thanksgiving. it's ok, we're used to it. so to answer the age-old question, what do you DO without meat (because what IS thanksgiving without a dead bird on your dinner table)? check out this website to find out what we do to replace the void in our dinner.

thanks, kaiser for the link:)

test failure

i tried to send myself a blog posting using my email address from work this morning. but, because you do not see the post here you know it failed. oh well. but i know why! i had the wrong address. duh.

in any event, the post was pretty much this.
i'd be crabby because it's a monday, it's rainy and i'm note feeling too hot. but it's a 2 day work week (now with 1 day down), our heat (finally!) kicked on last night, and i went to bed at 9:30. so i actually don't feel so bad today!

peace corps interview

that was a painless interview. i was wrong though, our recruiter didn't forget about us. but, like last time, she called and asked for 15 more minutes to look over our file. in any event, we still really don't know anything. she's as vague as you'd expect from the government. so she told us *again* that it's a "different process for couples" "i have to speak my coordinator and see what to do next" "you have to be flexible" "there's a different process for couples" "it may take a little longer" "there's a different process for couples".

sooooo, if you ask what we've heard from peace corps we'll say....

you guessed it folks, "it may take a little longer, it's a different process for couples."

ttickets in hand. ready to go

for harry potter of course. not for the carolina clemson game that i keep hearing about even though i couldn't care less. though i guess i should care if it's in columbia or not b/c the traffic is always a pain (anyone in cola can you fill me in on that?).

back to HP. about 100 pages to read before 6:00 tonight. i've been trying to breeze through the book again in time for the movie. that's why i've been mia on the posting this week. sorry folks.

and we should be getting a call any second now from our peace corps recruiter to do our couples interview. she's 4 1/2 minutes late already. wouldn't be surprised if she forgot about it. more on that later.

el negativo

today was just one of those days where everything was either totally negative or misunderstood as wrong. i spent a large part of my day writing a negative recommendation, if that makes sense. i had to write a document about how this guy stinks at his job and is not holding up his end of the bargain. what a waste of energy! and then the rest of the day i was defending myself for something that i was instructed to do. mondays, bah!

BTW

i know i spelled "hardqore" wrong in my previous post. if you really want to know, it's an insider reference about a friend who was so HQ he ate one egg for every day of month for a whole month (as in 1 egg on the 1st, 2 eggs on the 2nd...you get it).

paint the world in technology

ok, so i was supposed to get off work at noon today. but there was a little painting project going on at one of my schools and i just couldn't resist joining in. this particular school is under construction resulting in part of our campus being cordoned off by particle board barriers. the 2 magnificent art teachers decided to paint murals along the walls of the construction to prevent students from tagging them with their own artwork. various teachers and volunteers were painting all day today but there is just so much to do that they really weren't making any headway. and it was a beautiful day in sunny south carolina, so instead of leaving at noon i decided to stay and help.

while painting i was engaged in conversation with one of my coworkers and she was talking about her husband who works in 4 richland two high schools as a german teacher. he uses distance education to teach his classes. the classrooms are all hooked up with computer systems that are networked to a distant location and then the teacher teaches the students through a system of video conferencing. now i know this is nothing relatively new, they did it in college. but i just thought it was so amazing that they're doing this on the high school level. and i started thinking, why don't people do this in developing countries to help rural schools get teachers?

now let me say that i know someone must be doing this already. and i'm sure it's not as simple as i'm making it. but "they" say that technology is what is going to bring the 3rd world out of poverty.

so i'm just saying...i'm going to look into this...

hardqore fightin'

tonight i got a butty-kicking by my husband. no! not a real butty-kicking. in mortal combat shaolin monks on the XBOX. erica and fuzzy sent it to us for free (thanks guys!) about a month ago because their now ex-roommate is the producer. but until tonight we've not even had time to unwrap it. but this evening i was able to distract chris for a few minutes to kick my butt. but then after about 15 minutes i got bored (typical me) and left chris in there for another 1/2 hour while he played alone (typical him). so now i can hear the sounds of butt-kicking coming from the back but i don't know whose butt is being kicked this time.

i'm rerun

if you had asked me to name all the peanuts characters (like the ladies did last night during outburst) i wouldn't have thought of rerun. which makes sense considering this character type is-what is it?- "often overlooked by people." i don't know if i'm always rerun, but lately i've been a little down in the dumps so i'll say it's true right now.


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

my part?

in the wake (pardon the pun) of the newest disaster, i've been utterly horrified at how helpless i've felt to do anything. every day i've heard the numbers of the dead rise and rise and rise, now reaching upwards of 73,000 and knowing the numbers will get bigger as the himalayan winter approaches.

so thanks to a recent dog walking job (and thanks mag for passing it on to me) i've been able to send a little money. i know they say that if everyone gave a few bucks the people in need would be able to get shelter and escape some of the most harshest circumstances. but i can't help but wish i could do more. but for now i suppose this'll have to do.

it represents my personality

"it" meaning hot tomales, of course. that's what a 6th grader said to my coworker, ami, yesterday when she commented on how much he liked hot tomales. it was one of the wittiest lines i'd heard in a while. it just hit my funny bone because here's this awkward little white boy and he says hot tomales represent his personality! hilarious!

all this happened at a middle school dance, mind you. i made a booth with a guessing game and candy as a prize. it was actually more fun than i was expecting. i hadn't been to a middle school dance since...well, i was in middle school. and i was not particularly fond of them at that time. but i found it mildly amusing to be at the dance, of course compounded with feelings of compassion for the kids who were there because you know there's always drama at a middle school dance. heck, what am i saying? everything's drama in middle school period. but anyways, yea, good times. and hot tomales apparently are the new craze.

a swing and a hit

today was my first go at eucharistic ministering at st. thomas more. i found myself oddly nervous. i was thinking that because i'd done it like a bazillion times at my old church, i'd feel like an old hat. but i really was afraid i'd make a mistake. probably i was intimidated because i was worried that everyone in the church would be looking at me like, hey, who's the new EM?

but anyways, it went off without a hitch. i really enjoyed it. what i liked most which i don't remember thinking about before, was that i got to really connect with about 1/2 the people in the church. i looked them in the eye and then, as i placed the eucharist in their hands, i generally touched their hand (or their tongue for the one lady! oops!). it just felt like i was bringing the community closer to me and i really liked that feeling.

i'm up at bat again at 8:00 AM this tuesday, as it's all saint's day (a holy day of obligation, if you pay attention to that stuff).

catching up

this weekend chris and i teamed up with tricia and adam to drive up to asheville to visit michelle. it was a fun-filled weekend which include delicious home cookin' (thanks michelle and scott for the great meal!), a shortish hike in bad shoes, wonderful restaurants, a random high schooler swimming in the city fountain, my cousin hannah, a brisk view of the clouds surrounding craggy gardens, and good conversation with good friends, just to name a few.

thanks guys for the good times.

p.s. to michelle, i'd have featured a solo picture of you but i don't have a picture of you alone, so i hope this'll do;)

a year in the life

dara brown's blanket,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

i can't believe it, but on 10/21/05 i finally finished cross stitching this blanket. i started around christmas time last year when i found out my friends dave and maria were expecting their first child. well, almost a year later i've finally finished the blanket. dara is now over 4 months old!

so, the lesson learned is it takes longer to make a blanket than a baby. remember that when you're thinking of doing either.

whose child is this?

check out my brother's blog for a hilarous rendering of my mother and a recent unfortunate event.

peace corps interview

some have been asking how my peace corps interview went on friday, though i think i might have already recounted my impressions to most of you. but for those who're interested here's a brief summary.

the long and the short of it is that we'll definitely get into peace corps (barring any medical complications). bernadette, our regional recruiter, said that she was going to start the recommendation process before we've even finished our interviewing with her. see chris's post for more detailed info on the process (or the peace corps website). in any event, she has to recommend us to national peace corps, then they call us back with an offer. when bernadette recommends us she picks a location and a type of job she thinks we'd be good at. pc national can take the recommendation by offering us something within those paramaters or they could offer us something totally different, it's their descration based on what is available. anyways, bernadette has it in her head that we would be best suited for an agricultural assignment. now if you know me and chris at all you'll know that our agricultural experience pails in comparison to our youth work and community development experience and you might be thinking we'd be more suited to that type of work. but bernadette does not really listen so well to what we want. she wants us to be "flexible" and be "open to the peace corps experience." she says that they are in dire need of people willing to do ag work and that it is extremely difficult to place couples, leading us to believe this might be the only way we'd get into pc in the next decade.

now, i think in general an agricultural assignment wouldn't be so bad if it were in africa . we'd still be in the country of our choice; we'd still be living and working in the community and learning a lot about the culture; and frankly, all povery, social inequality, etc. in developing countries are tied very closely to agriculture. so that would be cool. BUT bernadette has given us doubt that she is really listening to our desires and chris and i are sceptical that we'll get africa. so in summation, we're still going through the process with pc, but we're really going to be sure to have some other back up programs which might be more suited to our specific desires. (our couples interview is friday, november 18th--more then.)

they're up

you got it, square dancing old folks!,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

finally posted the pictures from the weekend in mississippi. click on the picture to see the album.

witty title goes here (i'm tired tonight)

after 2+ years of sitting (peacefully i might add!) and not actively participating in church in terms of lectoring, eucharistic ministering or what-have-you, i've finally decided to get up and serve again. there's really no excuse for me taking so long to do it, except that i got worn out from my last church, which i admit is a poor excuse because that's why people get worn out (because there's not enough of us!). but anyways, tonight i got trained (which is a funny concept as i was never trained before) but i appreciated the training. and starting next sunday i'll be a eucharistic minister again. check out the schedule if you'd like to come at receive from me (that's a joke). i'm looking forward to it.

thanks acs

i can't believe i'm saying it, but thank you, student loan corporation. they just forgave $300 of my undergraduate perkins loan because i work with "at risk youth." for once it pays to work for no money! woohoo!

a small step for mankind (catkind?)

allie,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

alright, i don't 100% buy maslow's hierarchy of needs as an absolute theory that will explain or fix everything in and of itself. but i do think he had a good point on the lowest level and i got to see it in action this weekend.

on thursday chris's parents found this kitten (if you can call it that, it's so small (smaller than the picture looks!)). they tried to put the kitten with another momma cat who had just given birth, but she rejected him. so they brought her into the house and started bottle feeding her. on thursday she was so small and starving for food and water that she could barely hold her head up. on friday, when chris and i arrived, she was mostly sleeping and lolling around, waking only to eat (voraciously!). by saturday she was interacting a bit and even peeing! on sunday, though, she had a complete transformation. she was roaming around the house, eating the solid food in the other cats' bowls and even playing (with the one who wouldn't hiss and swat at her, thanks buffy).

i have to say, as someone who works in the world of long range goals it was amazing and gratifying to see a theory in action. as i watched the kitten gain more and more strength (and subsequently, gain skills) i felt that she was taking the small steps that so many of the kids in our country are also struggling to take. so many skeptics think that children can overcome any obstacle, and they can. but there are people out there struggling to just make it another day. if this kitten can undergo such a drastic transformation over a weekend imagine the difference that can be made in our country if we just gave people a fair chance.

honeymooners

happy (10th?) anniversary tomorrow to mom and jim!

reid shinanigans

this weekend chris and i head off to mississippi for the reid family reunion. some highlights to be expected (in no certain order):

seeing the reids (of course)
the reid reunion on sunday
sleeping in a king sized bed in a dark cool room
going to the mississippi fair (fried candy bars, perhaps?)
meeting the blues (finally!)
lots of animals!

enough is enough

dag yo! when does it become a child welfare issue??

FAST

i facilitated the second session (out of 10) of my families and schools together program at elw last night. it went really well. actually, it was probably the smoothest session i've ever run. that would be thanks in part to two things: 1) only 5 families (also out of 10) showed up. i'd love to have better attendance, but it is always easier to have fewer people. 2) i have a really good team. sure there's one guy who does nothing, but you'll always have that. the other staff and volunteers are great! (thanks tricia helping out!) they're the kind of people who can just do something and not have to be walked through it, which seems to be an amazingly rare trait these days. so thanks guys for making my job easier!

papa reid update

the CAT scan on friday indicated still no change. he will continue chemo as regularly scheduled and the next checkup will be in december. the doctor was very pleased, as are we.

caffeine

caffeine,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

one of my most favorite things in the world is my morning cup of coffee. i am very particular about it. i usually only have one cup a day, no more, definitely no less. but what provides me with almost more joy than the actual cup of morning joe is the arrival of my new shipment (ordered in 5 pound packages). for the next 6 months i'll be savoring oromia blend.

hurry up and wait

i had my peace corps interview scheduled for 2:00 PM today. for the past couple of days i kept thinking it was at 12:00 and had to remind myself, no waldie, not 12:00. it's 2:00. 2:00! bernadette lorenzo was going to call home at 2:00 and i was totally jazzed.

well at 12:00 the phone rang and it was bernadette rescheduling the interview! perhaps i'm psychic.

but i'm bummed because i was really excited about the interview. not just excited about the interview itself, but i like to get things done. this would've been another check off the list of things to get done and would've been one step closer to being in africa.

oh, well. so now we're rescheduled for friday, october 21st at 3:00. this time, i'm going to keep thinking 3:00 and it'll happen. hopefully.

another one enters the blogosphere

gashwin.

1 hour 15 later

turns out they didn't really need me at the red cross afterall. i should've known, and i kind of did. but i sat for an hour and talked to a very nice case worker/volunteer, got a brief tour of the building, and came home an hour early. that's my karma for laughing when chris's application got overlooked a month ago.

the good news is that i got home an hour early. and as i'm sitting here typing this the phone rang and i was able to have a very pleasant conversation with my father-in-law, with whom i speak rarely, if ever, on the phone.

diggin'

diggin',
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

this is a picture of chris, with our head lamp on, trying to get something from behind the stove. something i dropped, i should add. what a sweet husband.

but i posted this picture because it seemed to be a fair euphemism for what this week has been like...diggin' to stay afload.

both chris and i have been super busy for the past few days. he's been busy with school work, exams, and work work. i worked 10+ hours monday, 12+ hours tuesday. and today i finally worked a normal workday, but i am about to head off to volunteer for red cross katrina disaster relief. it's my first night at it so i'll let you know how it goes. i don't really know what to expect but at least it's not my normal work.

that goat's got devil eyes!

as many of you know, chris and i have no tv. so we tend to be a little out of the loop when it comes to tv shows and pop culture....alright, alright, it's ME who's out of the loop. chris reads enough magazines and "stuff" to keep him amazingly up to date. ANYWAYS, at a friend's house on friday night i was FINALLY able to see some of snl's tracy morgan skits, brian fellow's safari planet and astronaut jones. i didn't see all of the shows, but i saw some of the favorite and oft quoted of the reid family. hilarious!

i heart america

yesterday i went to the opening ceremony and swearing in of the new city year class in columbia. i love going to those events every year. it reminds me of my own americorps year, which i feel so far removed from, and makes me feel connected again. i even teared up during the star spangled banner, which i've been known to do from time to time. it also reminded me that good things are always happening in small movements around the country and that people are working to make positive change. it's nice to have those refreshers every once in a while.

CSAs are great.

round river farms entrance,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

thanks round river farms. for 16 weeks of delicious, organically grown produce and other (fun stuff--today in our last share we got home-grown sponge!) delivered right to our local grocer. it's been fabulous.

12 hour day #1

today was my first of the 12 12 hour tuesdays that i'll be working in a row this semester. with several programs running in one day it's unavoidable.

i think it went fairly well though. started off the day running 4 hours of training for my new city year team. i'm very excited about them. the team has 8 people and most of them seem to be fairly competent and enthusiastic. ended my work day with a 2 hour info session for my family program. half the parents showed up, which is more than i was expecting. so that's good.

now i'm ending my actual day with eating a poptart (toasted). it's yummy.

who you gonna call

it's always disappointing when you go back as an adult and see a movie that you knew as a child to be really good, only to find that it's really not that good. chris and i rewatched the ghostbusters this weekend and were fairly unimpressed. i mean, don't get me wrong we enjoyed it and it was fun to see again (the one-liners are classic--"we came. we saw. we kicked it's ass!", but as far as movie-making, we've come a long way, baby.

scuttlebutt

chris just posted some of his thoughts regarding the new scuttlebutt that's going on around a potential document that will be coming out from the catholic church regarding gays being banned from becoming catholic priests. i agree with what chris says so read his post.

i also want to add my two cents by also quoting an email that i sent to our young adult catholic listerserv at st. thomas more.

it is curious to me that there has been no talk (and i
may be wrong on this, but at least i have heard no
talk) about similar rules/changes to the female
religious life. certainly there are similar
percentages (if not larger?) of nuns who are lesbian.
yet there seems to be no issue with this on the part
of the church hierarchy (or at least not a big enough
issue to make them change the rules, like we're
potentially seeing in the priesthood).

it seems to me that this is the continuation of the
stereotype that has existed throughout recent history
which believes that lesbian women are innocuous and
gay men are a threat. clearly the same physical,
emotional, spiritual, etc. reaction/connection is
present whether you're a gay man attracted to another
man or a lesbian woman attracted to another woman (or
among heterosexuals for that matter). but the thought
of men being attracted to other men has in recent
society been looked upon as more deviant and as a
threat to individuals and society than lesbianism.
which is where the incorrect and extremely hurtful
misconception of gay men being sexually deviant and
pedophiles comes from. it is from fear and
misunderstanding.

if this ruling is indeed a reaction to the church
sex abuse scandal, perhaps our church fathers should be looking at how sexual
morality is taught in the seminary, or how the call to
celebacy is handled and how to help support priests
throughout their life to continue this difficult call.
pedophelia is a very serious psychological disorder
and is not to be taken lightly. i think it is really
easy to scapegoat people as an easy out. it is more
difficult for the church to look at themselves and
question how did they help create a subculture where
this kind of behavior was tolerated and hidden. and
even harder to figure out how to move away from this
and strengthen our church fathers and heal our
community.

so obviously i feel that this is the wrong way for the
church to go about this whole process. the church as
an institution changes very slowly (which i think is a
good thing). but what is happening is that society has
changed so rapidly, and with it the people within the
church are also changing. the church has not developed
an effective method to help our priests make the
cultural transition which must happen to live the life
of a father in our traditional catholic church.

for more information on the supposed document you can see this site or this site.

thanks lady

for lending me (well, giving me actually) $.35 in the grocery store when all i had was plastic as payment.

keeping more than just your chin up

today should've been a monday. it was just one of those days. i was so exhausted this morning i could barely stay awake on the drive to work. then i made a bunch of really stupid simple mistakes at work that made me look like a total idiot. you know the kind of stuff i mean, sending emails to the wrong people, mistaking important dates. that kind of stuff. oh, and, my skirt fell off in the hallway. no, i'm totaly serious. my skirt fell almost completely to my ankles. in the hallway. of a public middle school. my saving grace: there was only one girl in the hallway at the time. she saw it but handled it really well for a middle schooler. we do have cameras. i don't know if anyone watches them unless there is an incident. but i keep imagining my principal reviewing the tape for some reason and coming across footage of me walking down the hallway with my skirt slowly falling down my legs. how rediculous.

one degree from rock stardom

you, baby.,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

chris and i had a great weekend in charleston. we went to see chris's old pal andy play in mike doughty's band. check out this video (andy is the one in the cowboy shirt playing upright bass.) we'd seen mike doughty in councert once before, but he really rocked it this time. the band was excellent (and i'm not just saying that because our friend is the base player.

we also were very fortunate to go with some great friends who offered up their friend's house for all of us to stay in. it was like a mini vacation. there was a pool and we had our own room. so much fun! you can see my pictures here. (if it works. i'm trying all kinds of new technology in this post.)

tsunami

now my brother has a blog too! insanity!

pandemic

it's a wave! watch where it's going next!

new blogger

my husband's new blog. ain't he cute?

landscapes of the mind

I will not live an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as a seed
goes to the next as a blossom,
and that which came to me as a blossom,
goes on as fruit.

-Dawna Markova

(thanks mom for thinking of me and emailing me this quote.)

hooray for extended family reunions

hooray for extended family reunions!

disconnected

for the past 2 days chris and i have had no cable. you may say "no cable? big deal!" oh but it IS a big deal, my friends, because cable doesn't provide us with TV (we don't have THAT kind of cable); it provides us with our connection to the world via internet and phone. so for two whole days (well, nights really) we've been utterly disconnected. but rest assured we are now connected, ergo i am posting this message, and the phone lines are open for us to now take your calls.

weekend ramblings

even though i worked late last night, chris and i still managed to make a really nice evening of it. when i got home i was jonesing for a walk because i had just been sitting on my duff for 4 hours in a training and it was gorgeous outside. so we took 2 laps around the neighborhood and then settled in to watch the lost boys of sudan. it was an excellent movie and i highly recommend seeing it. it shows the complexities of bringing refugees to this country "for a bettery life."

we slept in late this morning and resisted the urge to go to waffle house by making a big homemade breakfast instead. then we went to our local red cross to see if we can help at the katrina refugee evacuation center which is right down the street from us. when the woman heard that i had done some disaster relief in new york she basically forgot chris was there :( and was all about me helping, which is cool but i felt bad that chris was dissed. next, a few erands and a walk around our pretty (though hot) riverwalk. tonight we're going on a date! since this is the first weekend in weeks that we're not financially in the red we're going to get a bite to eat and then going to see batman begins at the $1.50 theater!

thought-provoking katrina-related news

and now for some real news you can use.

the bounty of the morning

IMG_0936,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

there are, count them, 6 (SIX) tomatoes growing on this plant. plus basil. the plant in itself doesn't look too hardy, but it's producing. and the tomatoes are yummy.

resources

there is so much going on right now, i feel like i can't just not mentioned it. but on the other hand, i hate to beat a dead horse, as they say. i think sean put it very simply but profoundly.

some resources that i've come across if you want to help in ways other than donating to the red cross.

http://www.hurricanehousing.org - this is a database where if you have available space in your homes you can offer it up to victims to use as temporary shelter.

http://erideshare.com/llistings.htm - this is rideshare information.

i also heard a rumor that columbia will be housing a bunch of families at our military base, fort jackson, and that over a hundred students will be attending 1 of the schools i work at. if that's true, then i'll probably have more opportunities for folks to get involved with these refugees, if you're interested.

pure nerds

i'm 60% nerd, 26% geek and 47% dork, which they categorize as "pure nerd." but i think it's really not much of anything, or non-commital, which i feel is more accurate of myself. but i'll take pure nerd because it makes me sound smart. chris is also a pure nerd, weighing in at 82%. that means he's really smart.

chris's parents

thanks everyone for your emails regarding chris's
family and the recent disaster in mississippi and new
orleans. as of right now chris's family has sustained
minimal damage. his parents had some trees and limbs
fall which hit the fence surrounding the dog yard and
their house; some shingles also blew off the roof and
some lights on their back porch were broken. they have
had no power for the past few days and it's hot, so
you know how that goes. some friends from the coast
have been staying at their place until they can go
home (if they have a home to return to). so whetever
damage the reids face is nothing in comparison to what
their friends will see when they go home.

the grandmothers are ok as well and i think they got
power back yesterday. the family closer to the coast
are also fine. we're still trying to get in touch w/
friends in mississippi and new orleans, but we expect
it'll be a long while before we hear from them.

thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. this is
all so crazy. chris's parents said that the shelters
in vicksburg are all full and that some of the casinos
have started letting people sleep in their hallways
and lobbies. i know that there are a lot of stories in
the media of looting in N.O. and stuff, but i really
feel that, just like during 9/11, there are more
untold stories of heroism and kind-heartedness during
this rough time.

clownie

IMG_0926,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

boy, it feels like it's getting longer and longer between blogs these days. sorry, blog readers! what with life going every which-way at once and chris using the computer a lot for schoolwork...well, you know the story.

but! thanks to my generous sister, hopefully this problem will be slightly resolved. she's given us her "old" laptop! i use quotes because certainly it's a bit out of date, but as far as us charity-cases go, it's golden.

i spent the weekend in philadelphia and delaware to pay my respects to my stepmom's father, alex pashalis, a generous and kind man who passed away suddenly last week. despite the morbidity which drew me up there, i enjoyed playing with my nieces, one of whom is pictured here in what was a hilarious bonding session between me, my older niece and clownie (as i am now calling her).

this week was jam-packed with stuff, but by some sort of grace, the 2-part class i was taking tuesday and thursday nights was cancelled. this has allowed me to write what you see here and do the dishes which were slowly seeping out into the surrounding rooms (and developing mold).

done, done and not quite done

i submitted my peace corps application today. i would say it's officially done but they immediately emailed me more forms to fill out. i've heard that this is pretty much the process right up until we leave the country, so i'll try not to get my hopes up when i submit these next round of forms.

i had a good chuckle at work today, thanks to fuzzy. the picture of the hedgehog was cute, but the picture of the baby otter just totally cracked me up. so thanks for that. and anytime i need a laugh in the future i'm going to try and resort to the mantra "Baby hedgehogs are the new baby otters (which, you'll remember, are the new kittens)."

paula and i are taking a walk tonight and then we will read together.
theresa and zoltan visit tomorrow night and we will go to hear bluegrass.
chris and i will go to charleston on friday night and i will get ready for my early, early flight to philly on saturday morning. there's always stuff to do isn't there? these stuffs are good though.

innocence

innocence,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

is this picture not just the most precious thing in the world? there's just something so sweet about it, i had to share.

so you might be wondering what's been going on, since i've not blogged in a while? well, a whole lot and not so much all at the same time. mostly chris and i have started working on our peace corps applications. with any luck we'll have them submitted tonight! they've taken a lot of time and have been sapping all of my desires to be on the computer more than is absolutely necessary.

peace corps is just the beginning of the apps. we'll apply for a couple at least one, probably 2, more. in light of all this i'm staying at my job until we leave (hopefully in 9-12 months). staying at my job sucks because there's so much junk going on but i won't bore you with the details.

4 more tomatoes on the way in my little potted plant. they're beautiful. and so was the weather last night and this morning!

and i'm still rereading harry potter 5. have been reading it since like a month ago. the pressure's on though b/c i have someone waiting for it. maybe i'll finish that by the weekend. that is, if i'm not working on more applications.

good eats!

dag, we just had one of the best dinners we've eaten in a really long time! and i'm not trying to boost myself up as any great cook. my friend, michelle, had emailed a recipe for thai noodles a long time ago and i never got around to cooking it. i've been bored with food lately so i was looking through my recipes for ideas and ran across the recipe and decided to try it. boy howdy, it was goood (so good it needed an extra o). so i've pasted the recipe below for anyone who might be intersted in trying it. it's very easy to make.

Thai-Style Noodles W/ Peanut Basil Sauce

Servings: 4

1 c. fresh snow pea pods
1 9 oz pkg. Refrigerated fettuccine
3/4 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/2 c. vegetable broth
3 TBL soy sauce
2 TBL lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1 c. bean sprouts, divided
1 c. firmly packed Thai basil leaves, shredded (i used just regular ol' basil)
1/4 c. dry roasted peanuts, chopped
red pepper flakes, peanuts, lime wedges

Trim snow peas and cut in half diagonally.

Bring water to a boil in a large heavy saucepan; add snow peas, and cook 45 seconds. Drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Whisk together coconut milk and next 8 ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.

Add snow peas, hot cooked pasta, 3/4 c. bean sprouts, and 3/4 c. basil. Toss and place on a serving platter.

Sprinkle w/ remaining 1/4 c. bean sprouts, remaining 1/4 c. basil and 1/4 c. peanuts. Service w/ assorted condiments.

food and friends

generally a good weekend so far and one more day to go. spent friday night making some kick ass pesto with homegrown organic basil. and made a first attempt at edamame, which turned out really yummy. (imagine boiled peanuts only w/ soybeans instead.) saturday morning i had a nice chunk of time reading (harry potter. i'm reading backwards in the series from 6-1 again) and sipping coffee in bed. then, a few hours at the pool, which was hot but really relaxing. last night i babysat w/ some good friends, more like hanging out w/ the girls than babysitting. today is church and then going to a friend's house to see pictures of her 2 years teaching in tanzania, which should fit right in w/ chris and my recently resurfaced frenzied conversations about going abroad. it's been a good balance of relaxing time and friend time. good stuff.

apologies

for those of you that are daily blog-checkers like myself, i'm sorry i've dissappointed you for the past week with no posts. i feel guilty. but i haven't really had anything that's inspired me to post over the past week (the tomato was that exciting i guess (it was delicious by the way)). i was just checking other people's blogs and going "dag, why don't they post!?" then i couldn't remember the last time i'd posted; so i looked at my blog and realized it's been a week! lame.

hot tomato

I HAVE A TOMATO! on my tomato bush that is. i've never successfully harvested an actual tomato of my own. i've tried, but nothing has ever flowered and turned into an actual edible fruit. i'm so proud! there are 3 tomatoes at this point, 1 is ripe, 1 will be ripe in a few days and the last is just a toddler-sized tomato. i'd have taken a picture but our camera is on loan for the weekend. so you'll have to use your imagination to conjure up its sumptuousity.

grandad and his melons

grandad and his melons,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

sorry i haven't posted in a while. i looked at my blog today to see if there was any recent activity (why?) and realized that i had left the last blog with such negativity. sorry to leave that up for so long.

so what's been going on? well, chris is back. woohooo! yippeee! yip yippeeeeee!

we went to my maternal grandfather's family reunion this weekend in western pennsylvania. hadn't been to one since before i met chris. it was a great time. i even won at bingo for the first time in my life. five whole bucks, which i subsequently blew at texas holdum (is that how you spell that?). but i held my own fairly well considering it was my first go at the game. i even had fun (despite my family bickering about the rules and how cut throat everyone else was being). all in all it was a good weekend.

now we're back to the hum-drum of everyday life. and that sounds really good to me for a change.