Ode to my Green Galoshes

A haiku, appropriate for today...

In rain, others skip

away from puddles. But I

simply skip through them. 

Terrorists Your Game is Through

I know this is COMPLETELY out of left field, but I wanted to post this great article from the Op-Ed section of the Times. It's by Thomas L. Friedman and addresses how the Pakistani people should speak out against the radical terrorists who attacked Mumbai. 

Check it out here. 

I was nodding my head (up and down, that is) the whole time I was reading this. We've heard a lot of people say things like, "there's no negotiating with terrorists". Of course, those people are mostly war-mongers, but I think they're somewhat correct. I think of terrorists as that annoying kid in middle school who is ALWAYS being bad, always bullying people, talking back, and disrespecting everyone - but the worst part about the kid is that he just doesn't care about consequences or other people's feelings. You knew people like that in middle school, right? 

Because he didn't care, there was no way to reason with him. That's how terrorists are. They don't think that what they are doing is wrong, they've just been so indoctrinated in hate. So yes, to a point there is no negotiating with them. But that's why Friedman's article is so important, because it provides a solution that I agree is very viable. That is the terrorists own culture and community acting out against them, shunning them, making them realize that they are not acting for the common good, they are not in tune with the community, and no one appreciates what they are doing except themselves.

I think that's how change will happen in societies where terrorism thrives. It has to start within the society.  Terrorists have to be stopped by their own people, or else they will feel that their actions are valid and they will perpetuate. 

Anyway... I'm going to get back to work now but I just wanted to share that. 

Philly Sidewalks, Broad Streets

So last night I was up until 2:30 AM waiting for Will to get home from NH. His flight kept getting pushed back due to the wet conditions. But eventually he got in, we got like 5 hours of sleep, and now it's Monday and I'm back at work wondering exactly what I'm doing here (and wishing to God I was still in bed). 

Walking to work this morning felt like going through an obstacle course. We had to dodge some trucks that were parked right at the curb in the crosswalk, make sure we didn't get drilled into by some big construction equipment (that was so loud it practically made my ears bleed) and of course squeeze around the limping homeless people that take up 3/4 of the sidewalk. One man, who was waddling around asking people for quarters, had tucked his pants into his socks. I guess that's one way to keep your ankles warm? Or make a fashion statement? Not really sure what he was going for. 

It seems like there's always a construction project happening in this city. But I can't complain that they're keeping sidewalks walkable and streets drivable. It makes me think, though, about the budget problems the city is going through right now. We're very much in debt, which isn't surprising with the economic climate and other cities (ahem, almighty NYC) also faltering. But as with any situation like this, people are questioning what should be cut and what should stay. Mayor Nutter says he won't cut "core" services, like police forces, fire houses, and trash collection - which I think is important because we don't want more crime or dirt blowing through the streets (well... any more so than there already is). 

But he is going to cut things like library branches and city workers, and raise fees like parking tickets. (Read some of this here.) I want to jump on the bandwagon with my fellow English majors and proclaim the importance of literary outlets in the city, but I actually kind of agree with this move. I wonder how many people actually USE those libraries? And I know of lots of privately funded non-profits that work to ring literacy to the city. If they're so upset, why not get some rich donors to buy up a property and store books there? It's just as good as library. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for the government to promote reading since I think it's getting more and more unpopular as time goes on, but I think in a time like this, it's necessary to focus on getting the debt under control so that, in the future, we can have surplus to bring these services back and make them even better. 

In other news, last night I saw STELLA live and got their autographs after the show! How's that for arts and culture? 

An Uncertain Thanks

Thanksgiving has never really meant much to me besides a large group of family and sometimes friends getting together to engorge ourselves on foods that, any other night, would seem extravagant. Of course that's not something I have a problem with. And I do usually take some time to think about what I'm thankful for - my amazing family, my wonderful boyfriend, being alive and healthy, living in a great apartment in a lively city - and of course being able to watch the Philly Thanksgiving parade featuring such scintillating acts as Syesha Mercado, Mario and the Von Trapp Children (who I will be singing with at the Philly Pops Holiday Concert). 

But today I'm thinking about lots of other things going on that I'm not thankful for. One is that Zoey isn't in the house to share the day with us. And another is that I still haven't the slightest idea what to do with my life. 

I was reading an article in the Inquirer this morning that profiled people who had dedicated their lives to helping the homeless. One was the woman who founded Back On My Feet, a running group for homeless people, and another was a guy who basically started by walking up to homeless people and asking them what they needed. Now he provides meals and checks addressed to state departments so people can get identification like licenses and birth certificates. Those forms of ID help them get jobs and enter shelters. 

It's great to see these people taking something they're passionate about and turning it into life's work. They're doing so much good for the world, and they should feel really proud. I sometimes feel like I need to do something monumental like them. I feel like I have to start my own company, invent a new product, or write a fantastic blog about something totally unique that millions of people will read on a daily basis. 

But then I question whether I really need to do something so huge? Can't I just do something quiet that I love? Sure... the only problem is I don't know what I love doing yet. Well, ok that's not entirely true because I love doing lots of things - singing, writing, reading, playing with my neice and nephew, hanging out with friends - but how is that supposed to translate into an income that I can live with? And what if there's something else that I would really love that I haven't even discovered yet? 

I think my problem is that I have all these grand ideas of unique adventures and profound experiences and finding what I'm truly passionate about, but I don't know  how to go about discovering these things. And sometimes I don't think I need to. Sometimes I think just living is enough. But living doesn't pay the rent. 

I want to resolve something right now, that I'll start looking for what I'm passionate about and working toward making a career of it, but I know I probably won't. The best I can do is give thanks that there is so much out there to discover, and give thanks that I have hope I might discover it... someday. 

People Love Cute Sh*t

It's true. This weekend I was at home along with my older brother, who is planning on getting a dog for his family. He was showing us pictures of puggles online, and, as puggles are cuter than a pudgy baby with cake all over his cheeks, you can bet there were endless squeals coming from the women in the house. Even Will couldn't help but say "aww" a few times. 

Then last night as Will and I were walking home from work (in the dark... thanks Winter) we saw a woman walking an itty bitty puggle. I thought my heart would burst. Will asserted that if we ever got a dog, I'd probably dump him because there wouldn't be enough love to go around. I had to agree. 

And today, I got into work and did my daily "delay for about an hour by reading online news publications" routine, and what should I stumble on but an article in USAToday that talks about online time-wasters, and highlights the 24-hour puppycam which I just recently discovered. 

It's affirmed, folks. People love looking at cute sh*t. Well, at least women do. Round-the-clock puppies, daily bunnies, tiny monkeys wrapped around people's fingers - there's no shortage of aww-inducing material out there to appease even the most sensitive lady's cute tooth. USAToday thinks the sorry state of the economy adds to our affinity for adorable and innocent images, but I'll posit that we'd look at this cute sh*t even if we all had salaries over 100K. Hell, we'd probably buy the cute sh*t for ourselves... not just look at it. 

I'm not prepared to understand this phenomenon. What does cute even mean, anyway? It's an abstract idea, and I'm sure different people use it to define different things. I mean some people think hairless cats are cute. But if I had to venture a guess I'd say women have this caring and motherly instinct, and when they see small or innocent looking creatures, they just want to coddle them. Or blast their ear drums with a high-decibel exclamation of pure joy. 

Of course with my luck, when I clicked on the puppycam this morning, it was "offline". The injustice. How else am I supposed to get through my day besides watching adorable fluffy balls running all over each other and occasionally sleeping? 

Instead, I had to Google image search pictures of puggles. Enjoy. 

The First Snow-ell

I'm taking a break from the Excel-induced coma work has put me into to tell everyone that it just SNOWED for the first time this winter... at least enough to be seen by multiple people and elicit a few cries of, "Yay! It's so pretty!" It's over now, but for one, glorious moment, thousands of tiny white flakes swirled around outside our 18th floor office windows. 

After the humid mess it was last week, this sudden blast of cold and flurries really makes it feel like holiday time. And lord knows I LOVE holiday time. The commercials start in with tinkly music, stores fill up with cozy sweaters, and of course 97.5 plays 24/7 Christmas music, which I admit I've been listening to for the past 2 weeks. (Mariah Carey's All I Want for Xmas? Brilliant.) I can't wait until everyone is together for Thanksgiving and Christmas in a warm, bright house, surrounded by a happy, giving atmosphere. It gives me chills just thinking about it! 

NOTE: I'm Jewish. But Hanukah feels different than Christmas. It's a little more solemn, a little more educational (or maybe that's just because I have to keep explaining it to people), a little more sparse and spread out, and it involves less family. I'm proud to be a Jew, to eat latkes and celebrate 8 nights of illumination. But let's face it, Christmas generates more excitement. 

Is She Really Gone?

Sadly, yes. Zoey is gone as of 1PM today. It was a day she would have loved - sunny, a fall chill in the air, ideal for playing frisbee or bundling up and going to the park. But instead she laid in her bed and occasionally got up and wobbled outside. She was so unsteady, disoriented, almost like she was drunk. And her face was all swollen because her failed kidneys made her retain water. 

My stepmom and I sat around for hours waiting for something to happen. I'd look at her every once in a while and hope that miraculously she'd be better... that she'd look like herself and start wagging her tail and get up and run to me. But she mainly just slept. Still it was nice to have her there and alive. Her body was warm, her fur was soft, there was still comfort in her presence. But we also knew something had to be done, that she couldn't live everyday like this. 

So at 1PM the vet came with his needles and his sedation and he put her to sleep. I didn't watch, but my dad said she looked peaceful and didn't at all react, which meant she probably didn't feel anything. Someone who loved her was there with her every step of the way, and we know she felt very loved. 

Now I'm not sure how to feel. At the time we were all sobbing. But it's over. There's no more question about her health, she's just... done. Her absence in the house was very palpable and sad. We went out for lunch and when we got back we really expected to hear her bounding down the stairs to greet us, as if she was waiting on my parents' bed until we got home. But there was nothing. And right now I feel kind of numb. I'm all cried out, not over it but not steeped in it. 

It'll be a hard few days, but we have to believe it was the right thing to do and she's in a better place now.