I am still alive... pictures to prove it!

So I have been really busy at work, which is the only place with internet so I have totally slacked off. Now I have reached the point where I have put it off for so long I am overwhelmed by all the things that I could say.

Here is picture of me and my coworkers taking a picture for my supervisors birthday o send to the absent coworker to show him he was missing out on the party (using the function on the camera that only picks up a single color)


So maybe i am going overboard with pictures, but who knows when I will be able to do this again.





I had a brief visit to Dallas several weeks ago. It was good to be back in the hot weather. I never knew how much I could miss it. Stella came down to visit me, (yeah cheers to Stella!). And we had the oh so important event of taking Ty to the fair. Who would want to miss that?





Random thought: I hit a point a few weeks ago where I realized that I might not be ready to leave New York. A shocking realization because up to that point I was planning my exit.


I went to my first New York protest. Well, before the protest I went to this address I was given to help make posters for the protest. It was organized by this huge organization so I expected lots of people working to pull things together. My first surprise came when the address was this solid metal door with no handles, just a bell with a sign “ring once and BE PATIENT”. After several minutes the door slowly opens (a scene similar to the door of the emerald city palace opening for Dorthy). There is this rather large man with crazy hair and a vest. Pointing at me “what you want?”. I fumbled and mumbled my words, which thankfully were the right words because he pointed to the back of the hall. I chuckle and go where he indicated. There I am on this old rickety freight elevator with this crazy guy who doesn’t use many words but he does make the elevator move. As we pass floor after floor with graffiti painted numbers of the floor I close my eyes straining to remember how tall the building looked from the outside...and I didn’t remember it being anywhere near this tall. I started imagining front page headlines of what might happen (a great way to laugh at borderline sketchy situations) just as he stopped the elevator. The door opened into an industrial room that was completely lit by Chinese Lanterns, it was pretty cool, but there were only 4 people. And it was quite a group. There was the 21 year old who kept talking about how she is an engaged musician. A mid sixties man who kept stepping on his soap box with borderline conspiracy theories. Then there was the forty-ish women who was amazingly knowledgeable about what seemed like almost every activist movement in the history of her life. And of course the one reliable sole, the quite lady who stay busy at work…she actually gets paid for her work. It was quite entertaining. Flash forward four days…it was a March to the UN where good ol’ President Bush was speaking. It was a lot smaller than I expected, but it entertaining all the same. I have some really good pictures that I am once again going to try and get them posted on here. There Mathew with his 5 foot, 15 pound, hummer rigged up on his chest. He had quite the monologue to go with it.


There were a few people who came from Texas and a guy that came from Alaska, I bet he was sorely disappointed with the turnout. While we were waiting to march a truck cheered us on by honking, big mistake. It turns out it was a no honking zone (who knew those existed in the heart of Manhattan) and the police escorting the march relieved to return to their real duty, even if for a brief moment, gave him a ticket. The march began and end without creating anymore adventures than the walk itself. But once the destination there was a few people speaking. My favorite told a story about a monkey crouched next to the river. The monkey spent hours pulling fish out of the river. When someone finally asked him what he was doing the monkey said he was saving the fish from drowning. Brilliant, huh? (Kind of reminds me of what the Peace Corps does in Micronesia, but at least we taught those kids to sing you are my sunshine, right Harlan?) Then Jesse Jackson spoke, I am not a big fan of his. But I am huge fan of these lovely ladies!!
















Then the next morning I had a community meeting for this nonprofit I volunteer with. I have been working on this schools campaign trying to get legislation adopted throughout the state of New York that would require schools to be built in a more environmentally friendly way that also creates a more healthy learning environment. No I am not preaching to you, but I made this bulletin that I ended up having to present, unexpectedly to this room of people. It was pretty exciting. Though I do sort of feel like it would be more beneficial to work on improving the quality of teachers and teacher training than the buildings, but I guess you have to start somewhere.


Other Random New York moments. I met with a friend for a drink, given that its New York (and not cold yet) we pedaled our wheels to the bar. When we were leaving this guy rode up on his bike and said “hey, anyone going this way…. we could ride together?” We both kind of laughed and he said “ohh, you girls are together, or no, well, anyways… come on does one of you want to ride with me?” It was quite funny. I am seeing that it doesn’t translate well into words. I guess it was just surprising because he was a just a young guy on his bike, nothing crazy or unusual seeming about him. But perhaps he just rides around looking for girls with bikes so he can try out his pick up line. (But it doesn’t even compete with my drunken pick up from last spring though… I had taken the train home after a few drinks at like 2 or 3 in the morning. I was feeling too tired (or maybe a drunk) to walk home from the train. Without thinking, I asked this guy who was carrying his bike out the train if I he could give me a ride home on his handle bars…)

Last weekend I went to the beach. I know to you Texas Folk that ain’t no thing because it is probably at least in the mid eighties there, and the gulf is comparable to bath water. Well here it’s a hot day if we touch 80 and we’ve seen a lot more of the sixties than I’d like to for September. And the water here, is never really warm….often times when slowly wading in I have flash backs to good old Barton Springs where at least I can take the shock all at once. So there I was, on this cloudy day, one of 4 people on the entire beach, I suited up in a wetsuit that went all the way to my ankles and I waded into the water. The waves were huge and it was freezing but totally great! After a short while, I had to look down at my feet to know I still had them. Once I was out I couldn’t get the wet suit off because my fingers couldn’t grip anything. I am determined that I will have one more trip to the beach before what I was told is going to be an awful winter sets in.

By the way…I saw the movie Science of Sleep. It is really good. I came out feeling like I was stoned or something. I kept watching people in the subway as though I expected them to do something crazy.


Okay my time borrowing this computer from a friend is almost up....so i hope people read and enjoy...forgive the the lack of editing.....no time for that this time around...come on I got pictures on this one! If i don't write again for a month its because it got too cold here and I froze to death!