high bed in the low chapel

This week's Economist cover is a total turnoff. The color, the typeface; it's all very depressing. The Economist echoes George Bush's remarks saying that Mexicans will do jobs that Americans shun. How sad and how erroneous. Americans will, on balance, shun work that won't bring them up to a living wage. Much of the work employers ask illegals to perform is dangerous and reeks of immorality. Almost all factory farm workers are illegal. They have no recourse when factory conditions go south. Health problems, torture, squalid conditions cannot be called out. Is this what we want for our country?

The immigration reform bill about to be passed by the Senate includes a provision that lifts the number of foreign nurses into the United States. Sam Brownback of Kansas says this is necessary to stop the nursing shortage in the US. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are qualified and waiting to get into nursing schools. What happened to paying instructors enough and building enough educational institutions to support the people who want to study? We steal and lure nurses from India and the Philippines effectively fundamentally damaging their own country's health care systems.

Hello globalization. I wasn't expecting you.

Posted by at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm an aberration. This wasn't the case two months ago. My sister got her nose done. You might remember that I scrapped my plans for the same procedure two years ago because of concerns that I would make myself different from my family. Well, they've made themselves different from me. Ugh. Why did I have to be apart of an insecure group? It's lame. From my experience, it's only the unconfident that get trampled. You could essentially be so far from the beauty ideal but as long as you're happy and smiley and confident, you're golden. I have a book in a storage crate out on Division called "Three Black Skirts." It's a totally stupid chick lit advice book (you'll only need one black pencil skirt) but it says "never listen to marketers, your mother, and..." like, your employer or something like that. They only want to sell you something.

I'm not gonna do it. Besides, if I had an extra 3 grand lying around, I'd be a dork for spending on my face. If I've got a problem, it's with my attitude not my nose. Here's my favorite profile shot! My absolute favorite.

Posted by at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[414 Jackson St.]

I was in San Francisco on Tuesday. But stayed in San Jose Monday and Tuesday nights. For years I've had tremendous memories of certain restaurants and I decided to eat at Amici's on Union. First, they got rid of the garlic bread and replaced it with garlic sticks. I protested the change but didn't disclose that my last time there had been nearly five years ago. The waiter told me they'd do the bread for me. It wasn't as good as my memory had held. Walking around the Marina didn't seem particularly poignant. It wasn't until we got to Columbus and the gelato shop then to Jackson street did the images and feelings flood me. That game meant more to me than I think others involved can imagine.

JP and I had dinner at Tuk Tuk last night. It's all tripped out with ambient music and a new interior design. At least the Mann Bruin had the same paint job! We saw MI:3; it's one big Alias episode. I should know, I watched 48 episodes straight through in Santo Domingo last year. Just imagine Jen Garner instead of Tom Cruise and there you go.

I met Julie and her pal Mike for lunch (they ate, I watched) on Melrose. I had dinner with Mike in Tucson last year when he was living there. I've only seen him three times now but I really enjoy seeing him. It's a great thing Julie keeps good track of her friends. No one seems to fall by the wayside.

This week was chockful of activities; I learned so many new things.

Posted by at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lately I've been feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the education I've been receiving. Despite the general notion that introductory courses are simpler than my undergraduate classes, I have a much deeper grasp of important scientific concepts than before. I can take on as much work and challenge as I ask and my instructors have been quick to accurately evaluate my intellectual ability. My anatomy professor wrote me, "You worked very hard under very adverse conditions."

My Toastmasters experience has been phenomenal. I was asked to speak twice last week at different meetings. My voice and speaking demeanor isn't quite where I'd like it to be however, I feel absolutely confident in my ability to present a linear argument in front of an audience. I am just beginning to grasp what God has made me capable of. [Apparently not ending sentences in prepositions. Oh well.]

I'm so happy and entirely embarrassed that I got through UCLA without ever taking a sociology course.

Posted by at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)