Coming Soon...

I know, I know, you're probably holding your breath in anticipation, but you'll have to wait just a bit longer. We have lots of pictures from our trip to Brazil to share with you, but we haven't yet had time to post them, what with recovering from that trip and preparing for our upcoming Holiday Tour 2008 (a bit more domestic and a lot more snowy than our trip south of the border). May I suggest that you visit Cris' blog in the meantime? Perhaps that will whet your appetite for the posts and pictures to come, which will include such hits as "Kelly holds Jesus' hand," "Mark hates the Dulles aiport," "cable cars are freaky" and "you really should wear more sunscreen when vacationing in a location so close to the equator." Stay tuned.

The Face of Fair Trade

Ever since I finished reading Bill McKibben's Deep Economy, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this scene:

[British journalist Felicity Lawrence] describes a recent trip to an impoverished corner of Uganda, where she sat with a coffee-growing family that could no longer afford school fees for their children. Her translator tried to explain to the farmer how much a cup of coffee sold for in a Starbucks: one cup cost the equivalent of 5,000 Ugandan shillings. "A confused smile flickered across his face," Lawrence reports, "registering disbelief, but then his eyes filled with tears." 'No, you mean one kilo, no, no, this is painful to hear. I only got two hundred shillings a kilo for my coffee this year.'"

I don't know what to do with that, but I know that it has really been bothering me. And, by the way, Starbucks provides several of my friends with good income and great health benefits, so I'm not trying to hate on Starbucks. I'm just thinking that fair trade issues are something worth investigating and supporting. With that in mind...

Now that the holiday season is upon us (okay, I know it's not quite yet UPON us, but as soon as the weather dips below 70 degrees I'm ready to deck the halls, so let's go with it), I'd like to take this opportunity to direct your attention to the Ten Thousand Villages site. If you live in Oklahoma, you'll notice that there are several festivals coming our way soon. If you live in other states, you might be lucky enough to visit an actual store for all of your fair-trade shopping needs--well, assuming those needs include baskets, "musical instruments" and funky scarves :) It's a start, right?

This American Economy

I've been feeling pretty economically illiterate lately. Fortunately, my friends at "This American Life" took a break from covering stories about obscure Hassidic Jewish rap stars, twins switched at birth and small-town con artists to deliver this helpful segment. 

The Latest News...

Just in case you missed the latest edition of the Sooner Catholic...be sure to check out page 7. And, just in case you happen to own a company and would like to hire some hard-working individuals who are new to America, CALL ME--putting that in caps does not fully convey my desperation at the moment:)

Progressively Home

The Omnivore's 100

A fun blog game courtesy of my virtual BFF (in my dreams) Clotilde, over at Chocolate and Zucchini. It's a culinary trip around the world/down memory lane, as the case may be. Here are the rules:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating (we're gonna go with italics instead of crossing out--I'm not so skilled at this blogging thing)
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

P.S. I don't necessarily assume that anyone cares what wacky or pedestrian foods I have or have not tried, but I enjoyed the exercise and I thought you might too.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Summer In The City

We're now city-dwellers, part of that whole trendy urban renewal thing. As per the request of a certain family member living overseas (who was mentioned in my previous post--you were right on, Izumi!), we'll post pictures soon. Just to whet your appetite, I promise you this: our house is older than your house, no matter who you are.

It's been a crazy summer! I was at the National Migration Conference in Washington D.C. last month while Mark graciously started moving our stuff in to our home. We both worked hard, though Mark probably wouldn't agree with that because his work involved way more sweat (unless you count the day my co-workers and I raced around Capitol Hill in our suits on a humid Wednesday morning...that did actually involve a lot of sweat, too).

The conference gave me a glimpse into the other side of refugee resettlement, everything that goes into processing refugees before they even set foot on U.S. soil. Apparently, all kinds of departments and documents and acronyms are involved--a short list I began jotting on my notepad by day #4 of the conference: UNHCR, USCCB, P1, P2, P#, OPE, USCIS, DOS, PRM, MG, LIRS, R&P, SIV, WRAPS, SAO, AOR, CLASS, USRC, IOM, ORR, URM, UAC, DHS, DOJ, I-94, SSI, I-730, CAL, BRYCS, JRS, DHHS, MRS, RPC, VolAg, ABN, PNR, POE. And that's just what I could think of off the top of my head. I honestly couldn't tell you what some of them stand for. Good thing there was no post-test!

One of the highlights (besides learning how to speak in Washington code, of course) was getting to hear Immaculee Ilibagiza tell her story of being locked in a bathroom with 7 other women for 91 days during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. During her time spent hiding from those who were seeking to kill her, she journeyed from hatred and fear to forgiveness and love for her enemies. Talk about seeing the Christian life truly, truly lived out. I'm really looking forward to reading her book.

I'll leave you with this: "Lost Boy's True Olympic Moment: Carrying U.S. Flag." You didn't think I'd let that one go without mention, did you?

A Worthy Cause

You know when you're sitting at your desk on a boring day at work and you dream about living an adventurous life overseas, one that is rife with Significance and Meaning and all that Good stuff? Well, if you can't make that happen for yourself right now, how about helping someone else make it happen? And, even better, how about if that someone else isn't living this life for her sake? How about if she's living it so that she can "share Jesus and share herself" with the people of Natal, Brazil?

Do I have the gal for you! If you'd like to read more about her life and the people who have been touched by the message she's sharing, go here:
crisinbrazil.blogspot.com

If you feel called to share your financial resources with her so that she can continue sharing Jesus and sharing herself, go here:
www.lst.org/2008projects/cris

Don't let this opportunity pass you by! You can be an important part of what God is doing among the people of Natal.

World Refugee Day #12

I conclude this observance (?) of World Refugee Day with the reminder that this coming Sunday marks World Refugee Sunday. All over the world, people of faith will be praying for refugees and reflecting upon the challenges they face. Perhaps some will especially feel compelled to heed the Biblical imperatives to extend hospitality to those in need, to love the foreigner, and to do justice...

World Refugee Day #11

Today I received confirmation that our marriage is now registered with the Brazilian government. That's significant because it allowed me to change my name on my Brazilian passport. That's significant because we are hoping to visit my sister in Brazil and I can't get into the country without that passport. This trip was actually supposed to happen in May, but it didn't come to fruition because of documentation issues that are now (mostly) resolved.

Dealing with the Brazilian consulate in the U.S. has been really frustrating. And at least I'm interacting with a legitimate government! At least the Brazilian government didn't refuse to recognize the validity of my marriage because my spouse is a "foreigner." At least it didn't refuse me citizenship because my parents are Americans. At least I didn't have to be afraid to put my marriage certificate, showing my "Christian marriage," in the mail, as I didn't fear that it would be intercepted and that my family would face persecution because of an incriminating document. And at least, if I ever find myself in another country, I have a passport to prove my country of citizenship. At least I have citizenship (actually, citizenships).

That's all more than can be said about many refugees and asylees today.

World Refugee Day #10

Can you imagine if your travel photos looked like THIS?!?
http://www.mattpowellphoto.com/
I'm putting "humanitarian photographer" on Mark's list of career options...hey, anything is fair game right now:)

World Refugee Day #9

Of all the refugee-themed posters that grace the walls of our office, this is my favorite. It reminds me of the skills, talents and past successes that our clients bring with them to their new homeland. Refugee resettlement is often viewed through a humanitarian lens, a "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" sort of thing. There's certainly that element to it. But what we often forget, or what is not often conveyed to the general public, is that refugees have a lot to contribute to societies that are open to resettling them (and to businesses that are open to hiring them, but that's another post). You can find a list of famous refugees here. My favorites include Marc Chagall, Wyclef Jean, Jackie Chan and Jesus (think about it...and that is DEFINITELY another post for another time). As my co-worker and former refugee  recently said upon gaining her American citizenship "FINALLY someone wants me, after so many years of not being wanted [by any other countries]." And it's my opinion that America is better off for "wanting" these folks. 

World Refugee Day #8

If you wander into our local Barnes & Noble any time in the near future, you may find me curled up in an armchair, trying desperately to get to the end of this excellent find:



In the words of some amazon.com product description writer:

Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private life and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trails of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming--both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up.

As I suggested, I'm almost done with the book (a graphic novel, to be exact, which is so not my preferred genre, but it really works in this case) and I'm eagerly awaiting the film's release on DVD. But you don't have to take my word for it...

World Refugee Day #7

Where are they coming from? Here are some statistics from the Cultural Orientation Resource Center. I use COR's site quite often, mostly for the culture profiles they have put together of each major ethnic groups that comprise our refugee population. You can get many of your (burning, I'm sure) questions about refugee resettlement in the U.S. answered here.

World Refugee Day #5 and 6 (I got behind:))

These guys and gal are a refugee job developer's dream come true. If only I could help my clients put together a band that would perform at Fuji Rock and receive accolades from Keith Richards and Paul McCartney! Talk about achieving self-sufficiency!

Mark and I recently watched the documentary highlighting the Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars' humble beginnings in (you guessed it) a refugee camp in Guinea. Here's a little preview:

World Refugee Day #4

When she's not taking song dedications from star-crossed lovers or putting fans of easy listening at ease with her smooth, comforting voice, she's designing new curtains for a refugee camp. That's right, everyone's favorite nighttime deejay (or the one we love to hate), Delilah, makes regular visits to Buduram camp in Ghana. The slideshow from her 2007 trip is actually really good and not as cheesy as I'd feared. Here's your chance to slow down and love some...refugees.

World Refugee Day #3

My favorite source for news about refugees, especially because it's compiled by Christians for Christians who work with refugees:
refugeehighway.com: love the alien

World Refugee Day #2

In our continuing series on refugees (don't I sound so official?), we bring to you a story about a ragtag team of refugee kids and their soccer coach who dared to dream:

Refugees Find Hostility and Hope on Soccer Field by Warren St. John for the New York Times (it's a long one, but I promise it's worth it)

Be watching for the book based on this story to come out sometime this year, and then, of course, the movie.

World Refugee Day #1

In the countdown (that I just invented) to World Refugee Day on June 20th, I'll be posting links to resources about refugees.

Let's kick it off with a presentation by the U.S. Campaign for Burma. (I do want to point out that I don't really know who these people are or how they're using the money that's donated to them. I also don't really appreciate some of the "spokespeople" they've chosen. I mean, the day I let Tila Tequila shape my social conscience is the day I'll find myself sitting in a handbasket in hell). THAT BEING SAID, these folks have come up with some really good stuff, and here's my favorite:

it's a small world (after all)

So I'm sitting in a hotel conference room in Texas, waiting for a refugee job developers' conference to start. Imagine my surprise when I glance up and see a familiar face (in case you don't know, this is really a surprising thing. I am the only refugee job developer in Oklahoma, and I have never met another one up until this point). Imagine the familiar face's surprise when this random girl from Oklahoma goes up to her and says "I think I know you. Are you from Germany? Are you Frau Drehsel's daughter?" It turns out that she is, indeed, the daughter of one of our administrators/professors from our time studying in Heidelberg. She's left behind life in schön Heidelberg and is now working as a refugee job developer in Abilene. And we meet up in a hotel conference room in Dallas.

*********************************************************

I'm sitting in a doctor's office waiting room with some clients. I'm halfway reading an old issue of Family Circle; they're working their way through an old issue of Highlights (great English practice for English language learners, by the way). I glance up at the TV, which is tuned to CNN-- some exposé about abuse in the Thai shrimp industry. As a lover of shrimp and of Thailand, I glance up. The reporter mentions the victimization of Burmese refugees who cross the border into Thailand only to be caught up in this shrimping racket. I yell out (in hindsight, WAY too loudly) "hey! It's about Burmese refugees! Living in Thailand!" My excitement (in hindsight, not the most appropriate response given the subject matter) comes from the fact that I have three refugees from Burma, who crossed the border into Thailand, sitting next to me. I wasn't excited to hear that some of their people are in this terrible situation, but I did take satisfaction in remembering that my clients were at this doctor's office as part of a pre-employment drug screening. Which means that they will all become gainfully employed far, far away from the shrimp sweat shops of Bangkok.

Those little animatronic Disney people are right...it's a small, small world.

FREE MOVIE!

We have some really talented friends. If I were to describe to you all of the gifted dancers, singers, lawyers (and lawyers-to-be), teachers, business people, writers, filmmakers, counselors, PhDs, voice-over actors, foreign-language speakers, missionaries and do-gooders who have been part of our lives, you might think we were making it up. Trust me, we're not, but we'll spare you the bragging. I do, however, want to use this space to promote our friend Daniel Nayeri's latest project. He wrote a film, "The Cult of Sincerity," which made its debut on Youtube today. I just watched it and found it fantastic. You can access this movie right here. Or you can read more about it here.

And if you're our friend and you want us to promote YOUR next project, just say the word ; )

*A disclaimer: In Daniel's words, "For all those with vested interest in content (as pertaining to minors), the film would probably be a PG-13 if not for two F-words"

I'm Getting Itchy Feet...

It's been too long since we've hauled around backpacks and donned those snazzy money belts...

http://www.responsibletravel.com/

http://thetravelersnotebook.com/

All My Troubles Seem Close and Nearby...

Can you say that you've ever woken up at 2:25 a.m. to the sound of church bells playing the song "Yesterday"? We can now say that we have.

Overheard In My Life

Seen on a new Burmese client's shirt:

Back of shirt: Arianism
I chose this shirt

Front of shirt: Calvinism
This shirt chose me

I'm thinking of trying to get him a job in the theology department of some local university. I think he'd be a real hit!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scene: Mark and I are at our church's international ministry potluck. We're sitting with a Korean mother and her two boys, discussing the recent burning (due to arson) of Nam-Dae-Mun, a famous landmark in Seoul. One of the boys, a third-grader who is rarely interested in talking to anyone besides his brother, looks up and declares to everyone:

"Only a coward would sneak in at night to destroy a nation's first treasure!"

A Taste of the Tropics

If you live in Brasil, you call it maracuja (accent on the "a," which I don't know how to arrange on Blogger). If you live in Honduras, you call it maracuya. If you live in the U.S., you don't know what the heck to call it, because you've probably never seen it. But you've certainly heard of it, arguably the raciest of all fruits: passion fruit. I LOVE this stuff, and ever since it came to my attention that Welch's offers it in frozen juice concentrate form and in a box, I've been consuming it like crazy. Mark is a convert, too, so we've been drinking the juice, eating the mousse and experimenting. My latest invention turned out so well that I want to share it with you. Some of you live in a place where you can buy the real deal. Others might have to resort to buying the 15% juice-85%high fructose corn syrup version like we did, but if you're up for an adventure, then I offer you:

Tiramisu de Maracuja

10-12 ladyfingers (if you live in OKC, Super Cao has the real deal, real cheap)
1 can of Welch's passion fruit juice concentrate, thawed
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 can of creme de leite (in Brasil), creme de leche/table cream (in the U.S.)
1 cup of flaked, sweetened coconut
1/2 a can of crushed pineapple

Pour 1/4 of the can of concentrate into a bowl, diluting it slightly with water.

Dip each of the ladyfingers in the "juice" mixture and line the bottom of a serving bowl or 9x9 pan (if using the 9x9, you may need to use more ladyfingers).

Sprinkle the coconut on top of the ladyfinger layer.

Dump the drained 1/2 can of pineapple over the coconut.

Combine the sweetened condensed milk, creme de leite, and the leftover 3/4 can of juice concentrate in a blender and blend until blended:)

Pour the blender mixture (also known as "mousse de maracuja," which is fantastic on its own) over the mixture in the bowl.

Refrigerate until the top mousse layer has set, and serve.

For the moments I miss Japan.....

This could have been so helpful before my first 

public toilet experience!

こちが前！　ゴーゴー！

Hey Shawty!

It takes a lot to get me on the blog folks. However, this is the one straw that has broken this camel's back. 

Who the #'($! is Akon? Who the (#$'% is T-Pain?! For the last few months of life in America I have been audio-assulted time after time with "apple bottom jeannnnnnssss.....boots with the furrrrr.....the whole club was lookin at her......"  Based on my local radio playlist, it seems that all the good musicians in the world have succumbed to some rapture event leaving Akon and T-pain as the only two people in the world making music. Actually, now that I think about it, if there was going to be 1000 years of turmoil this would be the perfect duo to kick it off! The most insane thing about this is that if Akon and T-Pain aren't singing together they are featured by some other equally, distressingly-bad, hip-hop/rap artist. Such as the above mentioned song by the lovely "Flo Rida" that features T-Pain's piercing vocals for those hard hitting lyrics like "apple bottom jeans" and "fur". What? What's that you say? What are apple bottom jeans? Good question. Actually, I did a bit of research for this post and it turns out that apple bottom jeans is a product placement for Nelly's clothing line. Yes, Nelly! The man who brought you such hits as "It's gettin' hot in here (so take off all your clothes)" is now designing plus size women's jeans with the words "apple" scrolled on the left cheek and "bottom" on the right. Which, along with other popular butt nomenclature such as "juicy", "von dutch", and "princess" are the absolute worst words I'd like my, or anyone's behind associated with. 

Is it getting hot in here? Well then leave your apple bottom pants and your furry boots on please. 'Cause the only thing getting "low" here is people's taste in music and the volume on my radio. 

Nuff said....peace. 

Overheard In My Office

In case you haven't already read this on my sister's blog...a true story from my office:

Our assistant case manager was talking to some Somali clients, and she said "Did you guys get any gifts for Christmas?" They couldn't understand what she was asking, so she rephrased and said "You know, presents. Did you get any presents?" They smiled and said "Oh yes. We are for Obama!"

Remembering Dr. King

In case someone from our Pepperdine Heidelberg group is reading, let's take a walk down memory lane...it's a cold evening in January. You and several of your classmates find yourselves bundled up, sitting in a church that's down the street from Essig Haus (I forget the name--that was a LONG time ago). You've gathered here for a Martin Luther King Day tribute service, which you learned about from your Intercultural Comm/Sociology professor Dr. Holmes. An American man takes the stage...all I remember about him is that he had wild white hair and that we found him a little wacky. He proceeds to lead us all in singing a song he wrote for the occasion, a song with a chorus that goes something like this: "Remembering, remember-i-i-ing. Dr. King, remembering." That's all I remember of the song, too. I know there were lots of verses, and then we all joined in the chorus, which was pretty easy to pick up. So easy, in fact, that every year, on the third Monday in January, I can't get it out of my head. This year is no exception.

I remember listening to the famous "I Have A Dream" speech in 6th grade and being really impressed by it. I knew what Dr. King was saying was very important to our country's history. But I don't remember being exposed to any of Dr. King's other works (at least not in a way that made a lasting impression, obviously) until our Church History class in college. I remember sitting in a circle, reading and discussing "Letters From A Birmingham Jail." It was then I realized how much he had to say to Christians, not just to Americans. He wrote about some principles that I was starting to find very important to my life and to my faith.

The head of Advocacy at the organization where I work sent out an e-mail on Friday with some excerpts from "Paul's Letter To American Christians." If you'd like to read it in its entirety, you can find it here. A part I found particularly challenging and inspiring:

I am impelled to write you concerning the responsibilities laid upon you to live as Christians in the midst of an unChristian world. That is what I had to do. That is what every Christian has to do. But I understand that there are many Christians in America who give their ultimate allegiance to man-made systems and customs. They are afraid to be different. Their great concern is to be accepted socially. They live by some such principle as this: "everybody is doing it, so it must be alright." For so many of you Morality is merely group consensus. In your modern sociological lingo, the mores are accepted as the right ways. You have unconsciously come to believe that right is discovered by taking a sort of Gallup poll of the majority opinion. How many are giving their ultimate allegiance to this way.

The paragraph following this one is especially relevant to us all in 2008, and I'll let you look it up yourself if you're interested.
Remembering, Dr. King.

To Do or Not To Do

I've always loved lists. I'm one of those people who makes "To Do" lists and includes tasks I've already done, just so I can check them off my list. Every new year, Mark and I make New Year's Resolutions and vow to help each other keep them. The unfortunate thing is that, as good as I am at thinking of things to put in list form, I'm not very good at the follow-through. For example, I thought it would be clever to make one my 2007 resolutions a vow to pierce (actually re-pierce) my ears. I was just sure I would get up the nerve to do it--I had 365 days to get it done, after all. But I just couldn't bring myself to willingly allow some girl at a teeny-bopper mall store to put pokey metal through my cartilage. So now I have a good candidate for a 2008 resolution, except that I don't think I'll make resolutions this year (besides the obligatory "exercise more, eat less" one that should be vague enough to allow for some sense of accomplishment).

But I'm not really willing to give up the satisfying feeling of accomplishing a goal, so I'm starting to identify things I've done/am doing that I would have resolved to do, had I known I would have the chance and/or just feel like doing. Kind of like checking things you've already done off your "To Do" list. Example #1: dancing at a Turkish/Uzbek/Azerbaijani/Russian wedding. Three times. In front of lots of people, with at least 5 video cameras rolling. I wish I could post a video of what can only be described as my "free-style-arm flapping" (I was totally following cultural cues, by the way) but it was at a client's wedding, so confidentiality rules trump my desire to share the magic with the world. The main point, anyway, is that I somewhat overcame my anxiety about dancing in public and joined in the (very awkard) fun. I hope Mark will write more later about this wedding, because he had lots of interesting observations about it. I'll try to convince him to resolve to write more often on our blog in this new year.

Another Resolution Accomplished I'm identifying in retrospect is being more vegetarian. I'm not ready to give up my mom's spaghetti with meat sauce or Panera's Tuscan Chicken sandwich, but I am trying to learn about, appreciate, and consume more seasonal veggies and less meat. I have lots of reasons for doing this, but what I want to point out here is that, once upon a time, there were very few vegetables I enjoyed or even tolerated. And I didn't have a clue as to when asparagus, or squash, or green beans were in season. Now I think going to the Farmer's Market is the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning, and I was THRILLED to receive the following items as Christmas presents:

So had I resolved to learn to love vegetables, I would have succeeded! But I didn't resolve to do that, which is probably why I succeeded. So now, back to the ear piercing. I think if I DON'T resolve to do it in 2008, I'll probably be very successful and get it done relatively soon. Who knows what else 2008 might hold? I sure don't, which is what will make it even more fun...

The Waves Are Winners

Good on ya, Pepperdine. Wish (SO wish) we could be there...