That's my goal tomorrow. For some reason i think that if i put it up there, i will feel obliged to stick with it and go--it's my punishment for not making it to the gym this week.

 

Since we didn't make it to Alaska mid-week due to high winds, i found myself with little to do--having finished in a fury most of my projects prior to the planned leaving. Along side shoe shopping online, reconnecting with kindergarten friends on facebook and adding to the soon to be described cup collection, i took stock this week of my desk at work. Desk is a endearing term i am using really liberally to mean table on which the computer sits and two-by-two rolly table that i do anything useful on.  it's surrounded by drawings one of the security guys did by hand about the community relations work (think LOTR and Godzilla and you get the idea) and pictures of people who i love but never get to see next to the picture the IT dude sent me of an evil monster oven about to eat a little starving boy---translation: stop sending me last minute job requests or i might die and evil ovens may consume the universe. During this critical evaluation, much to my chagrin, i realized i had finally killed the cactus that had been providing the only organic presence in the room. I figure it must need sunlight (sounds familiar--i feel like the now-dead cactus frequently) which it doesn't get back here. Also, i realized i had collected three sets of paper cups of variously leveled and colored caffinated liquids. The water bottle i had great intentions of polishing off is still sealed. Finally, i have an absurd paperclip collection. i don't know where they came from and think they are spawning under the monitor. since i don't have desk drawers there was no where else to put them.

 

hmm.  i also voted in my first election.  Yes, ten years after i was legally able to, i have finally sent in a ballot--mostly because i thought Hannah might kill me otherwise, but at least in part because i think that i needed to feel like i was participating in some way.  Since it won't be possible to physically get there, i figured mail in was the way to go....done deal.

 

The parentals were off running around Spain--here are a few pics that i especially love (stolen from my mama's facebook)

So there's the cool window, the folks in Arcos and a picture of Cordoba.

So last Friday, the girls went to see Sex in Seattle--which as you can imagine is a spin-off of Sex in the City, but based on the lives of four Asian-American women in Seattle. There was a discussion with the cast after the showing we went to where they talked about how the inception came 8 years ago when they were talking about how there are few Asian American relationships in the media. The example they gave was how Sulu is always around on Star Trek, but NEVER gets a girl, its always Captain Kirk with his womanizing ways or how the Asian-American doctors on ER or Grey's are perpetually in really unhealthy weird relationships. Really not great images for kiddos to grow up with.

 

It was powerful for me to have my attention drawn again to media presentation of race issues--this time emphasizing both what ISN'T shown as much as what is. The struggle is an ongoing and continuous one--to which i should really be much more aware on a daily basis. Having recently heard Tavis Smiley speak at a luncheon for Solid Ground Housing in Seattle about the day to day choice between speaking truth and grasping power (and the inherent conflict between the two), i have a more profound respect for the truth speaking that SIS does with this play about the issues and diversity within the Asian American community. Incidentily, Mr. Smiley's talk was awesome and i highly recommend you click his name and read about him on his PBS web site.

Back to the play.

The play was hilarious--they did an incredible job of dealing with issues like relationships, identity and  familial/societal expectations with humor. The cast is fantastic and it's too bad it only gets shown once a year....but here's the link: