murder is not pro-life.

terrorism is not pro-life. shooting a man outside of his church on a sunday morning is not pro-life. ugh. this murderer is not speaking for everyone - let's not confuse extremism with an abortion-rights debate.

and, to all the "christian" bloggers ready to condemn dr. tiller to hell - does the fact that he was serving at CHURCH mean nothing to you? seriously. this makes me so sick.

quiero decir, ¿realmente?

that is - "i mean, really?" i've been playing around with google translator and translating my blog. it's a trip, because when you put in a web address it takes you to that page, only translated. but i wrote this... and here it is, in another language...

"is this not enough?"

IMPORTANT. when was the last time you listened to pig, by dave matthews band? and when you listen to it now, are you worried that your lack of listening to it daily has distanced you from the carefree, idealistic, loving sixteen-year-old you once were?

oh, just me, then? fire up the itunes.

i think i underestimate the impact that listening to before these crowded streets [minus the scary songs] every day had on my life. but, seriously. don't burn the day away. [is this not enough? this blessed sip of life, is it not enough?]

strangers, being stalked.

bonus points if you can use my complaints below to find out where i went on public transportation today!

:)

hung out with one of my biggest blogfans this weekend, and he heckled me a little for trying to be "mysterious and anonymous" on the blog. [he also calls me FRB in public. i like it.] i mean, i realize my identity may be obvious to most of you, but i like to think it's not clear to strangers - right?

Dear Cubs fans, when the door opens, GET OFF THE TRAIN. You know it's your stop. You can see Wrigley. I don't understand your hesitation. Love, FRB

I swear, I've spent more time at the bus stop outside Target than at any other one in the city. Some of you know the one - this bus NEVER comes.

Bad day file: Walked in the rain to get to the bus stop with the shelter, and the shelter is GONE. Just a pile of rubble and cones...

"no one has ever seen God..."

my favorite reading was at mass yesterday.

Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

no one has ever seen God, except when we love one another - that's when God is with us. BAM.

meanwhile, a couple in front of us brought a baby, who woke up halfway through mass. she was all sweet and messy-haired and sleepy, and her mom picked her up and whispered, "i love you!" and the baby GRINNED. it was the sweetest thing i've seen all week. or ever.

in less-sweet news, has everyone heard the abuse scandals that are coming out of catholic schools in ireland? cathy kaveny's blogging about the implications for the church - specifically, in terms of virtue theory.

Most people are virtue theorists — or rather, practitioners of virtue theory–whether they know it or not. On difficult moral questions, most people trust the judgment of those who have shown themselves to exemplify probity of mind and judgment about a thousand incidents, important and unimportant. We trust the claim that a way of life is important and good because we trust the judgment of those who are further along that way. Conversely, we do not trust, and ought not trust, those who advocate patterns of life whose destructive nature we can see for ourselves, or who have proven themselves morally deficient in important and grave respects. It’s not a question of one or two mistakes–it’s a question of a pattern of life.

This sensible instinct to trust those whom we have reason to believe are trustworthy is what is strained in the Irish abuse cases.

sigh. and this is also the problem with a clergy-centered church. we're not into this God thing BECAUSE OF PRIESTS, guys, right? the washington post article, interestingly, also mentions how many witnesses "emphasized the enormous difference that just a kind word or gesture made to their daily lives." i mean, right. because they were victims of abuse. i feel like this is a common trope in fiction, too - kid is in an abusive situation in a boarding school, except for that ONE PERSON who is NICE to them. not an excuse, really, but i hope people in positions of moral authority begin to take their responsibility to heart.

also, if you're interested in the new statistics about how many americans are identifying as pro-life, i think this post, and the article it links, are good food for thought - from what i understand, many people are actually not single-issue voters and voted for a pro-choice candidate for other reasons [perhaps because he's pro-life, if you're really paying attention to what the term means, in other ways]. these statistics don't actually mean that the pro-life movement in this country is succeeding in outlawing abortion. [dan savage pretty much discounts the survey results, and i thought his point about polling language was well-taken until i read the poll itself.]

anyway, at my parish, we pray for politicians to "find creative solutions to complex problems" - isn't that fantastic? perhaps the two-sided debate is too small. perhaps we should be open to the movement of the spirit on this one. or always.

speaking of which - i gave my frozen lemonade to a guy on the street. i'm often frustrated with my lack of ability to give people things on the street, especially when i'm literally walking by them with a bag full of food i just bought and don't need. like, when i'm walking out of corner bakery thinking, "this sandwich is too big. i don't want to eat it all," and a woman is sitting on the street with a sign that says, "i'm just hungry," why can't i GIVE HER SOME FOOD? sigh. so i had already walked by, and was frustrated. and then i was headed to old navy and thinking about what i was going to do with the rest of my frozen lemonade, and a guy goes, "ma'am? spare your drink?" and i was like, okay, this is too pointed. so i get very little credit for kindness, i think. but it's a step, right?

"my name is monday. i'm a mathematician."

hard for me to explain how much i used to love mathnet, so i'm going to try something...

well, here's a good example. i'm beginning to see why my dad thought this show was hilarious.



and just in case something happens to it, here's the link to the search page. did that work?

[do do do doooo do doooo do do... squaaaaaaare one!]

serious internet roundup. or not.

lexy: you slept with george?! [death glare from christina] oh, no talking unless it's medical.
[meredith walks away]
lexy: so, medically, meredith and george had... sexual... intercourse?

hahahaha. my students also like to say "intercourse" when they're trying to be polite and classy. as in, when they want to be class-appropriate. but when have i EVER used that word? seriously. and did everyone know that outercourse is a thing?

wait, no. this was supposed to be a things that happened on the internet roundup. let's see...
baseball commentary is sexist. oh yeah?
michelle obama is classy. and i know someone who knows someone who met her yesterday. I'M JUST SAYIN.
related - it's possible our president is the cutest president in history.
it's iced coffee weather. hellz yeah it is.
advice for young feminists looking for jobs - or for young d0-gooders, i think.
worth noting that i've seen a lot of inspirational catholic vote videos, but i didn't see this one coming.
subways, worldwide, drawn to scale - this is FANTASTIC. worth a click. i don't know why i find it so awesome, but i do.

but, most importantly - the little mermaid came out 20 years ago. is it a coincidence that i just made a little mermaid reference this week? or do i just love it that much? right. and try this quotation, guys, it's often useful - "isn't it obvious, daddy? ariel's in loooove."

public service announcement.

gender stereoypes hurt everyone, guys. believe it. okay, so comparing men to animals isn't exactly what i'm talking about. but, UGH. this is how i feel when people are like, "oh, i'm a GUY. that's why i'm so [whatever negative or offensive trait]." i mean, really? must i have such low expectations for all the amazing men in my life? can we please get just a little bit up in arms about things like this?

on a bad day.

yeah, so i had kind of a frustrating day today.

i say this because i hear my blog seems like i'm always having a good day. and, i mean, i kind of am. but it was just one of those days in which i spilled my water bottle all over my bed, and everyone's in a may teacher mood [it's like senioritis, only worse, because you're all, "why must students YELL ALL THE TIME! STOP YELLING!" and such], and i left school late, and was tired, and then the wait was really long at the burrito place, and my heel hurts from running [once again], and blah.

anyway, to start, here's one of the best things that happened:
as i was approaching the coffee grinding machine, my ipod headphones [excuse me, "earbuds"] got caught on my trader joe's shopping basket. and i thought, OH NOES! i'm an urban stereotype! hehe.

so i smiled for a minute. and the checkout guy was cute, and bearded.
b: [with overflowing shopping basket] heyyy, so i just stopped by to get the absolute essentials.
cg: yeah, and you definitely need... persian cucumbers.
b: yeah, are they good? do they taste like cucumbers?
cg: yes. the reason they're called "persian" is that they're from the fertile crescent, which is where most food originated.
b: [checks label] ahhh. they're actually from mexico. i feel like i've learned a lot in this conversation...
cg: hey, never stop learning.
b: i know! i'm a teacher. [usually a good lead-in, with people who have a potential of liking me later.]
cg: oh yeah? where do you teach? [i told him.] oh, my boyfriend lives in that neighborhood!
and on to a conversation about how cute his boyfriend is, even though he is the executive director of a dance company but NOT a dancer himself. sigh. dear cute bearded trader joe's checkout guys, please stop being gay, especially when you're kind of cute and my day already kind of sucks. thanks. [no, it's okay. you can be gay. i like it.]

please note that, above, i had already typed "trader joe's carrying thingy WHAT IS THAT THING CALLED when you know you'll get too much stuff if you get a cart and you won't be able to carry it home" when i remembered. shopping basket. okay, frb. too tired to blog.

and that brings me to the LAST BAD THING that happened tonight. i was carrying a bag of groceries, a thingy of toilet paper, my huge purse [obvi], and this takeout from the burrito place. ["essentials only," my ass. i always do this.] the problem, i think, was the burrito - i'd gotten a burrito DINNER, which comes in one of those styrofoam meal things. i already hate styrofoam, right? and those meal things are so annoying, because the refried beans get everywhere when you try to carry them in a plastic bag, because the styrofoam container won't stay horizontal. YOU KNOW?! grrr.

anyway, getting to the point, i dropped the little containers of salsa while i was trying to balance everything. and one BROKE OPEN. and it got all over the sidewalk. and then i had to clean it up, because i always complain when people leave things like that on the sidewalk. because, like, who else is going to clean it up? NO ONE, except the person who DROPPED it. so i picked it up, and it got all over my bag. then i couldn't put my bag on my shoulder, because it would have stained my new cute shirt. and i had to try several contortions to get everything in my hands again and get home. blarrrghhh.

i told this story to my roommate pretty much verbatim, and because she is awesome, she said, "awww. you really DID have a bad day."

:)

this is one of these moments where my grandma would remind me that i have my health. and i do. and everything's really wonderful - but i just wanted to blogvent. thanks, friends.

yessssss NCIS!

i'm so happy i remembered to watch the NCIS finale! it's on so early in central time. [this is related to how i think people get a lot more sleep in the central time zone, because the shows are on earlier and people get up at the same time, you know?] so far, it seems like ziva's directions are "look like you just cried" and tony's are "squint, as if you're looking into the sun." mcgee is completely oblivious to the interpersonal stuff that's going on, and abby is over-involved. don't worry, gibbs will save them, if the director doesn't coopt his plans.

i know, it sounds like every other episode. but in this one, they're in tel aviv!

everything is amazing, part two.

today on the bus, i waved at a baby in the car next to me. the baby did that "i'm going to give you a suspicious look, then i'll smile" thing that babies do, and she said something in baby language. her mom was like, whaaat? then she looked back and saw me jamming on my ipod [to dmb's before these crowded streets - remember THAT album?] and waving at her baby, and she smiled. i smiled back. and just like that, i felt like i was in a liberty mutual commercial.

it's a good thing liberty mutual is my insurance company for real, or i'd feel really awkward about how much i love their commercials.

then i came home and had this picture in my inbox! bus tracker for EVERY route, guys!


and i went for a run!
and i didn't get rained on!
and my favorite blogger is back!

i didn't think it was a great day at first, but man. look at all this cool stuff that happened.

In conversation with an iPhone user: You have to sell your soul to AT+T to get one, but who needs a soul? There's an app for that.

"everything is amazing right now, and nobody's happy."

has everyone seen this video, of comedian louis ck on conan? i found it here, but obviously it's a copyright infringement and nbc has already taken it off youtube.

[update: here? although i don't like it so much when it's called "people in today's society take things for granted."]

also, is everyone still WATCHING GREY'S?! [again, the link has sound] because it is AWESOME.

i was in cvs today, doing my usual thing where i talk to the cashier about how i don't know how to use the credit card machine. whatever. and she goes, "you know what's the worst? the guys who are on public aid who play dumb. i'm like, i THINK they taught you how to use the cards when you GOT them." then she scoffed. and i was like, WHAT?!!?!???! on the inside, though.

i wish i reacted better to this stuff, especially since i feel like this happens to me a lot. like, i've become insta-acquaintances with this stranger just this minute, and all of a sudden, she's like, "i hate poor people!" and i'm like, oh no! now what?

i was sharing a similar story with a friend, and she passed on some advice from her dad. he said that whenever someone says something he disagrees with [on belief, i guess], he doesn't feel like he has to defend his belief. he just gives a weekly reader report. i don't quite remember this about weekly reader [although i remember weekly reader, oh yes i do], but apparently it's all stories about people that just give a little bit of information along with the story. so what i should have said was, "oh, i knew a guy on public aid once, and he was very competent at the use of his card!" and then, after my weekly reader personal story about the topic, what is she going to say? "no, you didn't, and you're a liar"? and i can be satisfied that i've said something, at least.

or, i guess i could have said, "well, i can't use it either!" or i could have punched her. i mean, come on. it must be humiliating enough to be on public aid without having to decipher an already incomprehensible credit card machine.

randy pausch also says, "don't tell people what to do. just tell them stories." and they'll know what you mean, and remember better than if you'd lectured them. not coincidentally, the video of randy pausch's last lecture is definitely my students' favorite thing that i show them - and i show them a lot of stuff. highly recomended.

pip and maria both ran marathons today - SO AWESOME and i'm so proud of them. links are to their race reports, so get excited and read them. and since we're talking about good deeds, i'd like to point out that pip made her goal with the help of a stranger who saw her running along, asked what pace she needed, and said "i'll get you there. come on." talk about a good deed, right? and of course my former teammate had it in her. i knew from experience - holla for team sports.

Overheard:
- You're not going to delete my pictures! They're MINE.
- Then don't TAKE pictures of me!
- I'll take whatever I want, because I love you! Fucker.

happy mothers' day.

overheard at church: "yeah, because my wife has two cats. she has two CATS. [pause] no, my wife makes me celebrate mothers' day because she has two cats."

i couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but i think whoever he was talking to was as confused as i was.

profanity warning.

so i saw a guy on the street with a fuck you, you fucking fuck T-SHIRT on. [i think the appropriate response is, "what a badass." or something.] at first i thought, "hey! he's quoting the sidewalk!" but then, i realized it might be, you know, a thing.

after some research, i discovered it's a quotation.

A more succinct example of the flexibility the word is its use as almost every word in a sentence. The phrase "Fuck you, you fucking fuck!" is a memorable quote from the movie Blue Velvet from 1986, and is still used today as heard in Strapping Young Lad's "You Suck" from their 2006 album The New Black. Another example is, "Fuck the fucking fuckers!"

and i also learned many other things. wikipedia is so weird.

also, on friends, when ross tells isabella rossellini he's a big fan of hers, he goes "blue velvet! woohoo!" i'm just saying.

[is this what people mean when they say my blog is difficult to understand?]

I just got to hear half of a very intense fight. Also, some very interesting medical history...

Remember, friends - when you talk on the bus, people HEAR you.