Commercial

While watching football all day today, I noticed a commercial from Southwest Airlines. The commercial showed airline pilots on the job saying "this is what I do" followed by images of them volunteering with sick kids, feeding the homeless, and helping with war vets saying, "and this is who I am." The commercial evoked emotion in me. I recognize the significance of so many jobs that are necessary to make the world go round. Honestly, I am often grateful for the woman who cleans our bathrooms at work. I am amazed that educated and resourced co-workers can be so disgusting in the restrooms. But I will admit that I am also glad that I am not the one cleaning up the messes of others in the literal sense. I am thankful to have not just a job, but a career where what I do and who I am is one and the same. I will never be rich in the monetary sense, but the integration of what I do and who I am is a good fit.

2009 Year In Review via Facebook Status Updates...

DIANE DAVIS... thinks it is interesting that the pac went 5-0 in their bowl games. not bad for a "weak" conference... 4 is still recovering but finally kicking the cough syrup addiction... 4 just found out that my blog was quoted in the New York Times. Crazy! 4 on my way to DC to be a part of history... 4 is so proud. Inauguration was just very cool. and cold... 4 took the metro thru three states to eat lunch today. in 40 minutes. strange... 4 just finished Jayber Crow... I. Loved. This. Book.... 4 can't understand why anyone would listen to rush limbaugh. gag... 4 just got back from seeing Milk. Very good flick... 4 has a crush on Mike Tomlin but wants the Cards to win... 4 is mildly bummed that the cards lost. BUT i did win $200 on TWO superbowl squares. :) ... 4 recognizes her error in asking Brian (6'3") to hang the pictures "eye level"... 4 is making meatloaf AND doing laundry. domestic goddess i am... 4 was just between bitch and meltdown mode dealing with Kaiser... but we'll just call it "advocacy"... 4 just watched Revolutionary Road. Heavy... 4 is broken... 4 is thankful for the love... 4 is caving to my craving for Indian food... 4 just got off the phone with the bank lady who had no idea Kenya was a country. Seriously... 4 got back together with cottage cheese and pineapple with a hint of black pepper. i missed you!... 4 needs to clean out messy closets. the physical ones... 4 loves the sound of silence... 4 thinks nothing beats a sunny day... 4 is home in Oregon with her BFF Reggie... 4 is in love with the sweet potato... 4 found herself a roommate. very good news indeed... 4 managed to spend $1500 in one hour today. Yes, Dionne, I bought the red couch... 4 on a whim decided i needed to get a massage tonight. i'm worth it... 4 did some really good social work today. days like this, i like my job... 4 i love my friends. thanks so much for all of the birthday cheer... 4 goals for the week: get called a stupid white bitch over and over and over again. CHECK... 4 is off to Napa to drink wine. life is good... 4 just watched the end of the national spelling bee on the dvr. yes, i taped it. don't judge... 4 just read a comment on a friend's wall that said, "life is never hard when you have faith." what a bunch of crap... 4 is missing Brian... so i'm eating comfort food of mac and cheese and watching a the replay of the Giants/Cowboys game on the NFL channel... 4 my roommate is making us stuffed red peppers with tofu while i sit on the couch and drink a beer... lucky me... 4 wonders if there is scientific evidence regarding the correlation of RAGING PESKY HORMONES and GIVE ME CHOCOLATE BEFORE I HURT SOMEBODY... 4 is going on a date with myself to the bookstore. for sure, my idea of a good time... 4 thinks sitting with a woman who was shot in the face and has a bullet lodged in her brain gives a little dose of perspective... 4 walked around the lake, then to the unveiling of uptown, then to zza's for dinner. i hella love oakland... 4 thinks mbuzi choma sounds good... 4 i've never seen my office so passionate and it is all about MJ: is he or isn't he?... 4 if you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change... 4 !!Happy PRIDE!!... 4 loud and proud peeps... 4 has a girl crush on mary louise parker... 4 Destination Seattle... 4 glorious time in seattle with soul enriching friendships and lucy cuteness and naps and used bookstores that led to 24 purchases... 4 after a night of drinks, patrick makes the best grilled cheese on the planet... 4 note to self: you are too old to stay out until 3am and expect to feel human the next day... 4 saying "it fell out of my pants" does not help a case of abuse investigations... 4 is MOJITOS FRIDAY!... 4 Friday Mojitos = Saturday Headache... 4 is still laughing about Michelle thinking the song Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard was sung by The New Kids on the Block. Oh Cheadle!... 4 hopes that people will join me in telling the Governor to uphold the parole board's decision to release Deborah Peagler, Norma Cumpian, and Linda Lee Smith and restore funding to domestic violence services! Fucking ridiculous that we cut this much in the budget but are still keeping these women in cages! If you are not angry, you are not paying attention!!... 4 had a fabulous weekend of good ethnic eats, lots of walking, an amazing bollywood concert at stern grove, and lots of sunshine... 4 is Oregon Bound... 4 is sitting here with my BFF reggie and my second mom debi... 4 just ate abelskeivers... 4 oh yeah, got my community dance on last night. jumped around on stage with janessa and did a couple of "exhibition dances" with my sister. Yes, that is really what they call them... 4 is beer a food group? what if it is hoppy?... 4 had so much fun for my 20th reunion weekend. HOWEVER, I apparently did not get the memo that I am no longer in my early 20s. Two nights of 5am = feeling like I got hit by a truck. It is gonna take some time to recover.... 4 first day back from vacation was a training on complicated grief and loss... nothing like jumping right back in. oh, and i'm still recovering from the weekend. case in point: i reached for gum but put it back in my purse because i decided i was too tired to keep up with chewing... 4 is trying to book five flights and am getting confused. that and broke... 4 looking forward to my lunch date at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant. I never tire of Ethiopian food. That and raisins. Raisins are good in everything. And there, my friends, is my culinary wisdom for the day. You're welcome.... 4 I am ready for some FOOTBALL!... 4 thinks it is tragically sad to see a boy who has the same disconnection and hostility behind his eyes that his dad most likely has before he hits the boys mother... it is just so damn hard to break cycles... 4 ten miles of walking = tired girl... 4 believes no one should die because he or she cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because he or she gets sick... 4 oh oregon. you're breakin my heart... 4 I love me some Dan Patrick. Regarding LeGarrette Blount, "He rushed for more yards leaving the scene than he did during the game itself..." 4 you might be faded and torn and all balled up... but thank you dear twenty dollar bill for magically appearing in my pocket... 4 broke my own record tonight... $78 on ONE bag of groceries at Whole Paycheck... 4 Where you live should no longer determine whether you live... Bono.... 4 thank you, Mr. President... 4 just interviewed an african american boy who has a good family with very limited resources. without prompting, he told me the best part of his day was listening to president obama's speech to schools. when i asked him what he got out of it, he said obama had to overcome obstacles in his life, so maybe he can too. he said he thought the speech gave him inspiration in his life. that's what i'm talkin about... 4 my tummy is questioning the wisdom of breaking a three day no food fast by going bar hopping with friends last night... 4 after months of curiosity and in light of my headache and stiff shoulders, I decided to try out the"massage" in the mall. And when I say "massage" I mean I just paid a Chinese man fifteen dollars for fifteen minutes to beat the shit out of me. Surprisingly, I do feel better... 4 is all about a lazy day of football... 4 just logged over nine miles of jogging and walking. i am A BEAST! :) ... 4 14 days to Palm Springs... 4 Patrick just went and got me a muffin and brought back flowers, and now he is in the kitchen making chocolate chip banana bread while i watch football. i love my gay husband... 4 was holding three year old katie tonight when she looked down my shirt and said, "you got milk in those?" i love kids... 4 it has been YEARS since i've watched the cosby show. i'm on my third episode and honestly, sitcoms don't get any better than this... 4 ever been curious or bored and tried to look up ex'es on facebook only to realize you forgot all of their last names?... 4 it is a very good day to be a Duck!!!... 4 I tried to be classy and refrain from too much pride since I live in Bear Country... but my Oregon Duck shirt I had to wear to work said it all... 4 perhaps I should have packed for Palm Springs BEFORE the multiple mojitos... 4 nothing like a handsome man next to me on the treadmill to keep me running faster and longer.... 4 discovered that the cute little perky blond girl next to me on the treadmill is also a motivating factor to keep running... 4 in three years of investigating child abuse, today was perhaps my worst day ever. Tell me why I chose this profession again?... 4 thinks life is all about context. got hit on by two different guys... one who asked for my number. flattering, right? um, not so much. the dudes were in my building and either collecting their welfare checks or visiting their kids who are in foster care. in either case, i'll take a pass thankyouverymuch. it's all about context.... 4 YELL-OOOOOOOOOOO!!!!... 4 it was an emotionally exhausting but very good day to be a social worker... 4 my dogs are barkin... 4 just got back from RENT. love that play. "the opposite of war isn't peace... it's creation!"... 4 smiled when I heard President Obama participated in parent teacher conferences this morning. Good job, Dad.... 4 i admit to thinking chris collinsworth is hot, and now i'll self disclose and add joe buck to the list... 4 just asked a boy if he had three wishes, what would he wish for. his eyes got big and he said he would wish for superpowers to be able to turn himself into a big ol block of cheese. his second wish was to be invisible when his parents punch and hurt eachother. his third wish was to eat all the cheese he possibly could.... 4 i heart GLEE!... 4 in four conference games, the DUCKS have outscored their opponets 161 to 38. Bring it, Trojans!... 4 Bridge School Benefit Concert = Secondary Contact High... 4 had a dream last night that obama came to my house and we watched a kung-fu movie together. we ate popcorn and he put his feet up on my coffee table (and he was totally comfortable with the hole in the toe of his sock). me and barack obama: that's how we roll... 4 while driving today, i saw a starbucks sign. but instead of STARBUCKS brain registered STARDUCKS. i am fairly certain this is a very good omen for saturday... 4 flying down to LA this weekend to watch the Oregon game with Kel and Shannon, my fellow duck girls. Ducks will be representing in Trojan country. GO DUCKS!!! 4 football is exhausting... 4 TIS SO SWEET!!!!!! 4 if you are looking for me, you can find me under cloud nine... 4 nothing cures a weekend of debauchery like pounding out seven miles on the treadmill... 4 A boy just told me he can't decide if I look more like a Princess or Wonder Woman. Out of the mouths of babes... 4 has had a heavy week. i am not enough and i don't have enough to offer to so many suffering families. my soul is tired and it's just all so complicated. Sigh.... 4 looking forward to the oregon/stanford game tomorrow. GO DUCKS... 4 thinks reheating fish for lunch is bad office etiquette... 4 is MENDOCINO... 4 Patrick is the King (or Queen) of really important information... I've been informed that my telephone number is 415.UGLY.BRA. I'm sure this info will come in handy someday.... 4 wishes i had close local friends with children. i miss really smothered in love kids in my life... 4 just realized that Saturday will be the first day in months I will not wear a Duck t-shirt, and I'm feeling a little anxious about it. Kelli, permission to change wedding attire?... 4 lost in my fantasy league by 9 points... and kept 93 on the bench. painful... 4 is in Destin Florida with the Byrne family. Fudgie + Diane = BFF 4 eva!... 4 Reg is her mother's daughter and already cooking. I am my mother's daughter and am going to support her efforts by drinking wine and watching football... 4 thinks i just ate my way through Flordia, Albama, and Mississippi. Damn you Cracker Barrel and Byrne family road trip snacks!... 4 that was such a fun game to be at. go Mississippi State Bulldogs. MORE COWBELL! Next up: a civil war Oregon Duck victory and ROSES! I love me some college football... 4 is replenished... 4 is remembering my work in Kenya and the issues domestically on this World AIDS Day. Diane also highly suggests the book "28 Stories of AIDS in Africa." Worthy read indeed... 4 IS WEARING GREEN AND DAYDREAMING OF ROSES... 4 is nesting. christmas decor almost up... 4 palms are sweating and the stomach is nervous. heading to the sports bar to self-medicate. I LOVE MY DUCKS!!!... 4 ticket booked to Pasadena.... 4 making brownies. the legal kind... 4 this is the curse of being an extrovert and getting my energy from people after a party. 3am and I can't sleep... 4 i promised myself i would exercise today. does moving from my bed to the couch and watching football by a fire all day count?... 4 is quite proud that i have converted three friends to oregon duck supporters. any others want to join in the fun?... 4 is so appreciative for the work of the Orphan Support League in matching funds for my kiddos in Kenya. lives are being changed and I am so grateful... 4 saturday blues without college football. sigh... 4 caught a nasty little bug. i think it is called a hangover. how did THAT happen??? 4 BACON!!! 4 very unlike me but I feel nervous about a date this evening... methinks it could either mean he's a nice guy with potential or it could mean I should RUN RUN RUN... just in case, i think i'll wear flat shoes tonight... 4 it was the former and i didn't need flat shoes... ;) 4 is OREGON bound!... 4 my mother just saved me. heading out the door to go to the Duck shop and was wearing an orange shirt. ORANGE. At the Duck shop!!! WHAT was I THINKING?? Crisis has been deverted and I am now in a GREEN vest. GO DUCKS and God Bless my mother... 4 33 Degrees. But NEVER too cold for DAIRY QUEEN!... 4 my new Uggs feel like an ultra plush snuggie on my feet. NOT that i have a snuggie or anything. but i do have happy feet... 4 fairly certain that the Misa family is my second family when i am comfortable peeing in a house full of people in a bathroom without a door... 4 is ROSEBOWL countdown!... 4 life IS delicious!... 4 pondering this year... it started with attending the inauguration of President Obama and is ending with going to the Rose Bowl. And there was laughter and heartache and love and growth in between. I am so thankful for opportunites and friends to share the journey with...

New Blog

In efforts to get back to my creative self, I am starting a blog just for me.