Brought to you by the letter 'Я'

Overheard

2010-07-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

Two girls discussing where to go for lunch.

Girl 1: We could get Thai.

Girl 2: Tie what?

Girl 1: Thai food! It's food!

Girl 2: What is it?

Girl 1: Food!!

Girl 2: No, I mean what kind of food is it?

Girl 1: I don't know, just food from Taiwan.

Girl 2: That's weird. Do they have sushi?

Guitar lesson in the Modern Age

2010-04-02T11:01:00.002-07:00

We actually only live about a 15 minute walk away from each other, but guitars are heavy.

What I like right this very second

2010-01-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

family, caviar, yellow

There's snow

2009-12-27T17:02:00.000-08:00

Actually, we're doing quite well, thanks

2009-11-23T14:06:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my grandma recently. Don't even remember what it was about, but at some point she interrupts me with some sort of idiomatic Russian phrase. That I've never heard of.

DANGER DANGER DOOM DOOOOOOM.

Many of my friends will be able to empathize with me on this. Our parents or grandparents, who were born and raised in a completely different country and environment, for some inexplicable reason expect us to have the same exact knowledge and references that they do. And when we make the mistake of inquiring about that person or that saying we get our ears chewed off because we are essentially failures as people for not knowing something so simple and common place.

GAAAAHHHHHH.

FOR THE RECORD:

Most of us speak more than a couple languages with relative ease. We are smart, cultured people who spend a good portion of our free time pursuing smart, cultured things. We have forgotten more about Shakespeare, Steinbeck, and Fitzgerald than you will ever know.

Is it my fault I left the country where I would have learned all that stuff and came to a country where I speak English 90% of the time? I'm sorry I don't know that saying about a stork. Quite frankly, I don't feel so bad about it.

So seriously, can it with the "Well, you really should know that!" Because we have a TON of knowledge that we think you really should know too. Can't say "see you later" in 6 different languages? Can't rattle of soliloquies from Hamlet or recite all the dates of significant decisions by the Supreme Court in the 20th century?

That's okay, we'll teach you.

Guess what all of these places have in common...

2009-11-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

Frankfurt, Germany

St. Petersburg, Russia

Paris, France

ME!!!

In related news, and my fellow Chilean travelers will understand: after using LAN Chile to buy plane tickets, every other experience makes you want to stab yourself in the eye with a fork. Why haven't Western websites developed the ability to price compare different departure and return dates without having to click back and forth 15 million times?

Also, LAN's dessert rocks.

I heard a great joke recently...

2009-10-30T11:25:00.003-07:00

What do you call someone who speaks three languages?

Trilingual.

What do you call someone who speaks two languages?

Bilingual.

What do you call someone who speaks one language?

American.

Now this isn't to say that if you speak only one language you should be ashamed. But you shouldn't be so incredibly proud of this fact either.

I'm looking at YOU, red states. And yes that includes you, Florida.

HUGE SPIDERS IN MY HOME

2009-10-22T01:16:00.005-07:00

Notice, please, that there are BABIES in the jar. Yes that's right, they are reproducing.

A picture is worth a thousand words

2009-10-21T15:49:00.004-07:00

So technically, this post is really long and I spent forever on it.

My 22nd Birthday

This whole Polanski thing

2009-09-30T18:12:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would weigh in real quick.

He's a brilliant director. He has been through concentration camps and the murder of his pregnant wife and has thus suffered more than any person ever should.

He also raped a 13-year old girl. All previous statements made are therefore moot.

I seriously do not understand why people think he is being treated unfairly. Although I would love to discuss it with anyone who does.

And if anyone is confused as to what I'm talking about, go here, the source of all information forever and always

I could have been doomed

2009-09-16T16:45:00.005-07:00

Floridians trying to criminalize birth control

Why is Florida so insane? Making the PILL illegal? Seriously?

Do you guys have any idea how close my family was to moving to this state? I was accepted to schools. We were shopping for houses. I was THIS CLOSE to living among the crazies.

My mom finally put her foot down though.

I love you, California. You may not be as blue as I want you to be, but today you're just about perfect.

The Political Climate: It's Raining Crazy

2009-09-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Now that the liberals are back in power and Obama has had time to do a few things, I just have to ask:

During Bush's 8 years in office were we like this? Were we this BAT-SHIT INSANE? This whiny and psychotic and completely 100% unable to recognize and accept reality?

Obviously there was some of that. But was it ever at this level?

Conservatives, please get a grip. Stop handing out Nazi references like they're candy and labeling anything that looks at you funny as socialism. You're embarrassing yourselves, and although we do as much as possible not to be associated with you, you're embarrassing us as well.

Put a cork in it. Or at least put a cork in the psychosis.

And on a related note:

Dear Glenn Beck,

Were your parents close blood relatives? Because then I would understand why you're like this.

Now that I'm back

2009-09-15T07:28:00.001-07:00

So I lied. Many, many posts didn't follow about Chile.

It's just so hard to explain how I feel about it now that I'm not there anymore. Whenever I see my friends from there we talk ad nauseum about what we miss and what we hate about America now that we've lived the good life down south. But people who weren't there with me? They just won't get it. And that's irritating. And sad.

I've been planning out posts for nearly two months now, but I think this is all you're going to get for the time being. I'm going to start posting here again and I've felt like I couldn't do that until I summarized in meaningful terms the entire 6 months that I was gone. Well, that's not possible and I'm done trying.

Chile was beautiful and most moments of most days I wish I were still there.

That's all for now.

I don't want to leave

2009-07-19T20:04:00.001-07:00

I really, really don't.

I know I didn't update very much while I was here, but expect numerous posts about Chile once I get back to the States and the homesickness for Santiago kicks in.

I want to stay here. I'm not ready to go.

Hostel

2009-06-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Updating three times in just as many days? Superstar status is cemented.

Anyhoo.

A little over a week ago I moved out of the apartment that I had been living in for the past two months and since having another apartment lined up would have meant not doing things at the very last possible minute, I had to stay in a hostel while my next place, my former host-stay, became available.

But that is just further evidence that sometimes procrastinating can actually lead you to opportunities you wouldn't have had had you been organized and responsible because my stay at the hostel was awesome.

First of all, I got to feel like a tourist in a city that I've gotten rather accustomed to. And that's always fun. I've stayed in a bunch of hostels at this point and each one has its one vibe. Some of them have that I'm-going-to-walk-in-on-someone-throwing-up-or-having-sex-on-my-bed kind of vibe and others have the I-want-to-live-here-forever-and-keep-meeting-amazing-people kind of vibe. This one was definitely the latter.

Apart from an excruciatingly annoying Russian girl who kept complaining that people in Chile didn't speak English to her (natural selection will soon take care of her) I met:

--Lovely Irish girls who had the same accent as one of my favorite comedians so I kept asking them questions so that they would keep on talking.

--Lovely German girl who spoke Russian and French and who was adorable after some gin.

--Lovely New Mexico girl who was hilarious and talked about her bodily functions in a way that made me care.

--Lovely Puerto Rican lady who complimented me on my Spanish and thus made me love her forever.

--British boys who finally explained the British Parliamentary system in a way that I understood at least for that night, a.k.a. The Night of all That Wine.

--Lots of others.

Not to be redundant, but it was lovely.

Also as a sidetone, for those of you who aren't cemented to my twitter page, Chile just won against Bolivia 4-0 and will be going to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. That's probably a big deal, at least the entire male population of Santiago keeps screaming like it is, so I thought you all would want to know.

Mi Hermano es Hijo Único

2009-06-09T19:53:00.003-07:00

a.k.a. My Brother is an Only Child

I saw this movie recently with a girl that I met at my hostel. It's an Italian movie about two brothers, one of whom belongs to the fascist party and the other to the communist party. It's really, really good and everyone should see it.

The main reason that I'm writing about it though is while the movie itself is in Italian, a language that I don't come even close to understanding, it had Spanish subtitles. And I understood them. All of them. I can read quickly! And wrap my head around different tenses! And laugh at appropriate moments!

Yep, that's right, I'm a superstar.

Leave your praises in the comments section please.

What I miss about America, Part 2

2009-06-08T20:03:00.002-07:00

This is a way old unfinished post but I promised myself on twitter to post something tonight and it's really late, so this will have to do. Two posts coming about my recent hostel stay and a movie that I saw so please hound me about that.

--Real, GOOD coffee. Although I'm not much of a coffee drinker (anymore), the few times that I do go there I'd prefer something besides watered down Nescafé crap. Olga's comment on a previous post reminded me of this because apparently Ireland has amazing coffee.

--Stores being open 7 days a week with late/never ending hours. Chileans have random holidays all over the place, and fail to inform the gringos. And what with certain products not available in bulk and no 7 11's to be found, this can make a girl pissy.

--Having access to public libraries, bookstores, and my bookshelf. There's only so many illegal ebooks that I can download (recently read My Sister's Keeper, don't know why, it was awful), and I can actually feel my English getting worse. And that doesn't help the panic that is slowly brimming up what with having to take the GRE's when I get back. (Update: GRE's will be taken in the spring, per my mother's useful advice. Yes, I actually wrote that.)

--Free printing

--Multiple places to study, especially late at night. The woman that I lived with planned her various raves to coincide with the night before an essay was due or worse, an economics exam. I have regular, graphic nightmares about these exams, so if soft jazz is blasting into my room and about 9485757 people in the living room are laughing uproariously, I may want to cut someone.

--Not having to run around to 15 different locations to try and get the readings for your next exam and then not being told that I can't check anything out because apparently my student ID is from 2008 and is expired.

--Not having to pay a $5 fee every time I take out cash, especially what with the paranoia that comes with carrying lots of cash around.

--Being able to put on a seatbelt when I am in the back of a car. I only ride in cars here when I need to take a taxi, but these are usually driven by kamikaze drivers who don't feel like it's their civic duty to avoid pedestrians or dogs. Sometimes it's almost worth walking alone at night to avoid the terror. Almost.

Hellllllo, future home.

2009-05-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

(source)

I'll see you soon. Just don't rain on me.

Marijuana

2009-05-21T15:59:00.002-07:00

This isn't some insightful post about drugs in Chile because how would I even know about stuff like that? But a friend of mine has to write a 10-page essay and in solidarity I'm helping her gather some data.

The questionnaire takes literally 30 seconds and if you fill it out it boosts your karma. And who doesn't love karma?

GO HERE

Thanks!

Empanadas and dogs

2009-05-18T09:57:00.002-07:00

In the spirit of avoiding writing my essay and studying for my exams, I'm gonna post something. Anything. We'll see what happens.

--I woke up at the ungodly hour of 8:30 this morning and so decided to reward myself my actually eating breakfast. Since I usually fail to keep the fridge and cupboards stocked beyond a few days of eating, I had to go to the local supermarket (I use that term lightly. They don't sell alcohol or liquid soap or tweezers) to pick up tomatoes (man am I going to miss how cheap these things are). While there I decided to be lazy and just buy empanadas, which are sold frozen but which heat up really fast in this thing they have here called an oven, which I've discovered works even better than a microwave, albeit slower. I had about 3,000 pesos worth of stuff and paid with a 10,000 peso note because that is what the ATM gives me, so shoot me. The cashier starts grumbling about it though, and starts talking with the woman waiting behind me about "these extranjeras who flash their money around". Or something along those lines. I got the gist.

HOW RUDE! (Anyone remember the show Full House? Man, good times) Granted, I've seen this cashier before and she's convinced I don't speak any Spanish at all. The last time I was buying empanadas (which are frozen solid, might I remind you) she started talking really fast about something which sounded like "do you know that you have to cook these before you eat them" and I figured I wasn't understanding her because well, DUH. But a guy standing next to me translated it into English and she WAS in fact concerned that as the obvious gringa that I am, I would just clamp down on the frozen food and sort of salivate over it until it thawed out. Maybe I'm just really misinterpreting the situation but I've looked at it from all angles and that seems to be it. Any thoughts?

--There is a dog outside my window. Well, there's hundreds of dogs, if any country needs Bob Barker's campaign of "get your pets spayed and neutered" it's Chile. But there is this one dog in particular that waits until I'm ready to fall asleep and then starts whining and barking really loudly at equal intervals so after a while you start feeling like you're going insane. And then you start imagining all the things that you could do to that dog like ripping off its tail or slitting its throat and watching the blood gush out. And I LOVE dogs, I really do. I often have to physically restrain myself from petting some of the ones on the street, but this one dog I absolutely despise. And of course imagining all these cruel things you would do to the dog means that when you finally do fall asleep your dreams are really disturbing.

--Where are all these umbrella vendors that are supposed to be a dime a dozen on the street right now? And why is one umbrella masculine and two umbrellas feminine?

--Funny/sad story about umbrellas. I was trying to explain to the woman I live with that I need to buy an umbrella. So I said "necesito comprar un parapluie". She looked at me like I was crazy, but I'm used to that. Apparently paragua is the Spanish word for umbrella whereas parapluie is the French. Figures.

--We're supposed to be getting wi-fi in the apartment tonight. I say "supposed to" because my hopes have been lifted and shattered over this wi-fi for about two weeks now.

--I can't find my cell phone charger. (Update: found it. Yes, my life is riveting)

--I really, really don't want to do any work right now.

Reply

2009-05-04T14:18:00.003-07:00

Email I received in response to a post on craigslist, searching for a room to rent:

hi im italian from californian living alone in santiago. i am very open minded practice tanatra and have swinger friends woudl that be a probelm with you?? [sic]

What I miss about America

2009-05-01T20:55:00.002-07:00

--Food that doesn't have massive amounts of salt in it. My family (in America) only uses salt for mashed potatoes and to raise the boiling point of water (thank you 10th grade honors chemistry). And even though I'M suffering, it's apparently still not enough for certain people.

--JAMBA JUICE. Argentina had a massive amount of smoothies everywhere. Here, you can only find juice. It's great juice, but it's no Jamba.

--Fast internet.

--Electric stoves. I am totally paranoid about dying a slow painless death due to gas leak. Though actually I vastly prefer gas stoves for cooking.

--Soy products. Primarily tofu and soy milk. Mmmmm, soy milk.

--Not having it be such an issue when I want to buy tampons.

--For that matter not having to go on a blessed scavenger hunt when I do.

--Ethnic food. Thai, Indian, hell even Mexican with my newfound love for avocado. I'm getting seriously a little fed up with (ha!) the completos, bife al pobres, and other cheap Chilean eats. Especially in light of all the salt.

--Having a proper desk in my room. My posture has become awful.

--Not getting approached by every single restaurant or bar owner during lunch or dinner hours. And it's almost always lunch or dinner hour. It's fine if you're by yourself and can put your headphones in and act oblivious to the world. But if you're out with friends and happen to be visiting the local fish market, eventually you want to take a large salmon and beat over the head the next Chilean who tries to talk to you.

--Not having to be so paranoid every single minute that you're outside.

I'm going to stop this list here because I don't want people to think that I don't like it here. Every place will have it's unpleasantries and believe me, I've got one at least as long about things I'll miss about Chile. For example, views like this:

Shirts that I've seen

2009-04-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

Back in fall quarter I was in the college bookstore trying to return stuff past the deadline and I saw a guy wearing a Stalin t-shirt. I assume it was meant to be ironic since despite liberal students' obsession with all things communist, I doubt even us pinkos would be infatuated with someone like Joseph Stalin. Che Guevara, sure, but Stalin seems rather extreme. As far as irony goes, Stalin is generally regarded to be nearly as evil as Hitler and not even the most pretentious art student in the world would dare pull of a Hitler t-shirt. So what's up with Stalin? Or do students just hear communist leader and think "YES! I will wear him on a shirt and people will think I'm worldly and open-minded!" Although on that note, I haven't really seen Mao Zedong or Kim Jong Il staring back at me from anybody's chest either. So again I ask, why Stalin?

***And before anybody leaves a reaaally long comment about how Stalin actually killed way more people than Hitler, I know this. But Hitler is still regarded as the more evil one.

Another disturbing one was about a month ago on the metro. I've tried to find it online but can't. At first glance the shirt looks like a McDonald's logo, except that the arches are the pathways of two planes, that end at two twin towers. Underneath it said "Eat This". Now this guy may very well have not been aware of what his tshirt was depicting. A few days ago I saw a very butch guy wearing a shirt that said "Your boyfriend likes me in this shirt", and I'm pretty sure he had no clue what it actually said. But the metro t-shirt was primarily just a drawing so I can't imagine that it would really escape someone's comprehension. And while I might understand someone wearing that shirt in, say, Iran, it really stood out in Santiago.

That is all. Thoughts?

Rants

2009-04-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

I've got several.

Yesterday I was running excruciatingly late to my 7pm class because I had a paper due and we all know that I prefer ulcer-inducing pressure to get things like that done. It was 6:50 and it takes me about half an hour to get to class so I panicked and decided to take a taxi. For those living in Santiago, you understand how stupid I just sounded. You don't take a taxi at 6:50PM on a weekday because you won't get anywhere. In fact you should really just stay home because taking public transportation means that you WILL be pressed up against a couple whose loud smacks in your ear are the only distraction you have from the sweat that is pouring down everywhere and everyone. But I digress...

I told the guy to take me to the Universidad Católica metro stop. And he asks me where that IS. Now I am already freaking out because I was 20 minutes late to class last time and I really did not want to have a repeat performance. But for the record, when you don't know where a metro stop is that is RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY you have so completely failed at your job that you should just abandon your car on the street and go become an alcoholic. I tried all I could to explain to him where it was:

"It is one stop away from Metro Baquedano." (He knew where that was.)

"It is on Bernardo O'Higgins" (Basically the biggest, most central street in the city.)

"If you're on Plaza Italia facing Baquedano you would need to turn to the right" (So the fool actually goes in the wrong direction to GET to Plaza Italia so I could direct him from there, even though we were BETWEEN Universidad Católica and Baquedano at this point.)

I got so fed up with him I just got out and walked. 25 minutes late. I don't know whether I've described the incompetence of this man to the proper degree but I'm sure my fellow Santiago compatriots will understand what a complete waste of space this man was.

This next rant has been inspired by my friend Cassie's post, although I've been wanting to say something for a while. Many in America complain about people that don't speak English. Thanks to my vast web of Republican acquaintances, my inbox is full of email forwards that bemoan the way immigrants are coddled, how all instructions nowadays are in two or more languages, how OH MY GOD AMERICA IS AN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY SO WHY DON'T THEY GET OFF THEIR LAZY BUTTS AND LEARN A LANGUAGE THAT QUITE FRANKLY IS NOT HARD AT ALL.

And let me just be clear, I do think that when you go to live in a country you should try and learn the majority language. My grandparents go to adult school for over 15 hours a week to learn a language that frustrates them with its ridiculous rules and exceptions each and every day. Immigrants, trust me, want nothing MORE than to know English. But it can be such a welcome relief when you call PG&E or you go to the supermarket or you're on a website trying to figure out flight information and hear/read something that you completely understand. As a student living in this country and speaking Spanish with very little fluidez, the fact that there are places here that try and help us gringas by providing English translations is a blessing. Quite frankly I'm thrilled that America is on top of making things easier for immigrants. And don't kid yourselves, just because you can call AT&T and hear your options in Spanish does not mean that these darn immigrants are going to get lazy and not learn English.

If you don't want to read the Spanish instructions, then don't. If you don't want to "press 2 for Spanish", then don't. But please, PLEASE, for all that is good and holy quit your whining. Because YOU are the ones that go to Mexico or to France or to Italy and refuse to even pick up a phrase book, knowing that you will get by just fine with your English. YOU are the ones who are that ARROGANT that even though so much of the rest of the world wants nothing more than to know English, you are comfortable living under your monolingual rock. The second language option is staying. Deal with it.

Wow, this was a lot more ranty than I intended it. For a less emotional view, seriously go read about an actual Chilean's opinion of the English language.

A Mexican friend of mine informed me recently that burritos aren't Mexican. Mind is officially blown.

I don't have a microwave. And while this is going to sound incredibly prissy and lazy, can everyone PLEASE say hello to the 21st century? Thanks so much.

Blogs

2009-03-22T20:47:00.002-07:00

A few of my friends have blogs here and they are funny and smart and will often contain things that I am too lazy to write about.

This is Jenn's

And this is Cassie's - I slightly take credit for this one because it was started on my bed.

Read them! I am featured, occasionally.

Also, phone lines are now open for a new blog name for me. All the way back in June I was feeling particularly pretentious, apparently.

Education system is still messed up

2009-03-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

And so I'm going to keep complaining about it.

Anyone who knows me knows that although I am 21 years old, my common sense hasn't grown proportionally with age. That, coupled with my constant need to seek my mother's approval caused me to declare a 2nd major a little late in the game. Now I'm desperately trying to graduate in 4 years, a future which seems counterintuitive to maintaining my GPA. In order to have even the remote possibility of accomplishing this, I have to take an economics class while I'm here.

La Chile is broken up into about 15 different "facultades" which should have similar classes, but don't. Sure you're likely to find a political science class in the Social Sciences Facultad, but you can also find one at the School of Law, the Science and Math Facultad or really anywhere else. Which means you basically have to look at EVERY SINGLE CLASS IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSITY. And since putting descriptions up on the web would be revealing top secret information, you have to visit every campus and ask for descriptions. At which point they look at you like the filthy gringa whore that you are, because apparently only exchange students need this info. Chileans automatically know what's up.

Which brings me to the Economics Facultad. The only classes that I can take in it are smack dab in the middle of the day. Just like most other classes. Which would be fine if they ran on a semi-normal schedule. But while the rest of the school has Mon-Wed or Tue-Thu classes, this facultad only has Mon-Thu, Tue-Fri classes. Effectively making it impossible to sign up for almost anything else.

Well, that's not quite true. There is a class at 8 in the morning. But anyone who knows my common sense issues will also know about my waking issues. Especially former roommates.

This is not my happy face.

The education system in Chile is MESSED UP

2009-03-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

I am so used to the straightforward American system. You get to pick your classes MONTHS in advance. There is (usually) only one campus. When you arrive for your first day of class the professor is there. In the rare case that there is a room change, they actually let you know. They are able to post the hours and days your class meets so you can actually...wait for it...plan out your course load.

This is so stressful. We have two weeks to decide whether or not we want to take a class, but the likelihood of a professor showing up during those two weeks is pretty slim. Also La Chile has a strike EVERY YEAR, which means our finals will be postponed, which means planning any sort of travel is like playing russian roulette.

I am so ready to be flexible in terms of my living arrangements and pretty much anything else but I am trying to graduate in 4 years here, people. A little help?

Bell means war in Latin

2009-03-05T07:05:00.003-08:00

Okay, my photos are finally up on Flickr. It took about 20 hours to post them all. About 2 hours into uploading was when nostalgia for film cameras hit me. Having a 2GB memory card and having the ability to take over 400 photographs apparently isn't always a good thing. And I still have to upload onto Facebook and Costco. Nurtz. Though probably it doesn't help that I am battling The Slowest Internet Of My Life. You may think you know what slow internet is, but you don't. That's right Sveta, possessive.

I've been avoiding posting about Argentina. Not because I had such a bad experience there that I just want to forget the whole trip ever happened, but because I spent 2 weeks there, stayed in 4 different hostels saw incredible, amazing things, and don't really have the energy to write about ALL of it. So for now I'm just going to go on a random rant about things that were different/similar to Chile/US because its 1:30 in the morning and I'm not about to attempt to organize all my thoughts.

Argentina, or at least Buenos Aires where I spent the majority of my time, is much more European-like than the rest of South America. It's very touristy, many people speak english, and everyone is white. I cannot tell you how many times I got approached for directions.

The transportation system is awful, at least compared to the one in Chile. The metro looks like a fork, so if you're at the top of one of the lines and want to go across the city to another line, you have to go all the way to the bottom, switch over in the very center of BA and then go back up. The bus system, which is much more extensive, is also rather ridiculous: it only accepts coins. This wouldn't be an issue in Santiago, where coins seem to be preferred to paper money, but in BA there is a severe coin shortage. Many stores will even have signs out front that say "No hay monedas" (We don't have coins). This can be a problem when its 2am, the metro isn't running any more, and most stores are closed.

Argentinians are very proud of the fact that they have the widest street in the world, 9 de Julio, running right through Buenos Aires. It will take two, and sometimes even three tries to cross it. Of course what they don't like to tell you is that it's actually three streets running parallel to each other. There aren't any buildings in between them, but there are several little parks as well as a giant obelisk.

Everyone in Argentina drinks mate, a type of drink made from Yerba Mate tea leaves. As the pisco sour is for Chile, this is the national drink. Vessels for drinking it are sold EVERYWHERE, and almost every vender on the street will have one next two him, as well as a thermos filled with hot water. Even their electric tea pots will have a mate setting on it, because the water isn't supposed to have been boiled when you pour it in, it's temperature needs to only be about 90º. It's drunk through a bombilla, a metal, straw-like instrument with a filter at the end. One of the guys at a hostel I stayed at made it for me and it's incredibly good. I'm surprised it hasn't spread outside of South America.

The most popular tourist attractions in Buenos Aires are: Recoleta Cemetery where Evita is buried, Plaza de Mayo where you can see Casa Rosada (The Pink House, where the president works) as well as the Pirámide de Mayo, and La Boca a very poor, slummy neighborhood that has three tiny very colorful streets where you can see tango and buy souvenirs.

Argentinians are crazy attractive. Men and women. It's somewhat ridiculous.

Alright, this shall do for now. I'll find an internet café later in the day and write more.

Chau.

My Stuff

2009-02-23T03:13:00.003-08:00

Just got off of an 18-hour bus ride. I am now about 20 minutes away from the beautiful Iguazu Falls.

Getting to the bus terminal was kind of crazy. We had to get up really early after partying late the previous night, and get to the bus terminal 2 hours early. There were these little televisions there though, so we watched Monsters Inc. and Bones and all sorts of stuff. In a bus terminal. What will they think of next.

At some point some man started asking us about how the little TVs work. One peso for 15 minutes of television. Well worth it when you´re bored and tired and don´t want to stand around with all your luggage.

A few minutes later, my backpack was gone.

This wasn´t my purse, so I still have my passport, my camera, my iPod, and wallet.

All the presents that I bought, all my jewelry, about $200 and all my clothes are gone. Also that paper that they stamp when you enter the country.

Yeah, fuck you too, Argentina.

I haven´t had a breakdown yet, haven´t even cried. Needless to say, however, booze will be an integral part of the coming days.

First day in Buenos Aires

2009-02-15T12:29:00.002-08:00

I will say more lovely things later, because there ARE lovely things to say. But in the meantime Ive had my money and cell phone stolen. Also the hostel is insanely hot which isnt really its fault because the city is boiling. And im really tired from walking around everywhere and tired of being so sweaty and for some reason they took my sheets and dont have any clean ones. Also cannot seem to find a functioning computer with skype and/or aim and half the pages dont work and i cant get in touch with my hostmom so she can go through my things and find the numbers for my travellers cheques.

Though really this is mostly because I havent eaten in 6 hours and because I cant find the apostrophe on this damn computer. And if I dont ever have to use Internet Explorer again it will be too soon.

Really, Buenos Aires is beautiful. I want to move here. Or at least I know I will want to move here once I stop feeling like such a cliche. Much love,

k.

I'm going to Argentina!

2009-02-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

I bought my ticket last night. $250 dollars for a roundtrip ticket? Yes, we obviously live in the wrong country. Moving to South America as soon as education is completed.

I was creating all sorts of plans in my head to go to Peru and/or Uruguay as well but those tickets are about 4 times more expensive and anyway, Argentina has always been the bigger dream. Although since I'll be staying in Buenos Aires, which is right near the Uruguayan border, I'll be able to take way cheaper bus rides to Montevideo and Punta del Este anyway.

Oh man, still having trouble believing that this is my life.

I don't know WHAT I was thinking not buying a South American guide book back home, but last night I downloaded an Argentina travel guide and a guide about 5 day trips you can take from Buenos Aires and now I'm reading up like mad. Arge-FREAKING-tina. Holy moly.

Places that I will definitely be going to in the next two weeks:

Buenos Aires
Montevideo
Iguazu Falls (yeah, that's right. who needs Niagara?)
Tigre River
SO MANY OTHER PLACES

And I kind of want to attend a football match but I've heard it can get somewhat dangerous in Argentina because of how passionate they are. Still, that's one of the biggest reasons I came to South America (the passion, not the football) so why not risk it?

I'm not bringing my laptop since I'll be staying in hostels and I want to minimize the opportunity of possessions near and dear to my heart getting stolen. Still, I will occasionally be popping into internet cafés to check messages so write to me about what kinds of presents you want! And do not write steak. Or men. You know who you are.

Photos

2009-02-09T17:38:00.002-08:00

Too much work to update in detail now, but here are photos from my recent trip to Algorrobo and Isla Negra, where Pablo Neruda's main home was located, as well as some older vineyard and bar pictures.

GO HERE

Mayonnaise, cigarettes, and lots of beer

2009-02-04T18:33:00.007-08:00

There's too many things to say and I don't feel like going too in-depth, so I'll just provide a bullet list of observations. Except it won't be in bullet form because thanks to the EFFING formatting issues that blogger.com has, I've worked on this post for probably over 3 hours now.

Chileans put mayonnaise on EVERYTHING. Bread, pasta, tomatoes, everything. It's kind of alarming. Granted it's not the same as gross U.S. mayonnaise, but to see it in such quantities on half the food that is served to you definitely falls under the umbrella of culture shock.

Mineral water. Besides tap, that is all they have here. Which shocked me, until I realized that the U.S. definition of mineral water actually means carbonated water. Still, it's not a guarantee in all stores that you will be able to find water "sin gas" (without gas) because "con gas" is definitely the more preferred option.

Everyone peels their tomatoes here. No matter what. And no one knows why they do it, they just do. A peeled tomato seems somehow naked though, so I defiantly leave mine unaccosted.

There's a river that runs through Santiago. It's called the Mapocho River. It's kind of like the Seine, except 10 times more disgusting.

Everyone in Chile smokes. And there are no smoke alarms so they all smoke inside. And it's a completely normal occurrence to see a mother smoking and holding her month old baby. Although the tobacco lobby isn't as strong here as it is in the States because all cigarettes packs sold in Chile are almost completely covered in death warnings. It's something to think about when you bring the pack up to your face to shield your light from the wind and end up staring at a dying man. Or at the word "MATA" in giant letters.

First picture: In Chile, tobacco kills 16,000 people every year. You could be next.
Second picture: Tobacco KILLS. If you want to live, stop smoking.

Barbecues are a way of life in Chile during the summer. If you have any sort of social life you can expect to be invited or to be hosting them every single weekend. I went to one this Friday and it was a lot of fun. A lot more red meat than I was used to, and a lot of smoking around pregnant women, but all in all the company was very interesting. Chileans do tend to slur even more when drunk though, so I gave up on understanding anything after a while and plastered that smile on my face that tells everyone I'm a foreigner.

Just had amazing tacos with my host mom. After, we drank wine and smoked and ranted about everything in the world, including politics, silly Americans, and marriage. For several hours. I love that I live with a ranter. On a slightly related note, Chile's first woman president has several former marriages under her belt and is an agnostic. And she was elected. Is this an awesome country? I think so.

A few pictures:

A pretty church outside of the police station where I spent all of that lovely time last week.

A statue. And a crane. Lots of cranes in Santiago.

A zoo that I have yet to visit but which has amazing trees.

A street in Bella Vista that seems to only have bars. Pretty awesome though.

The bar that I went to with my cultural group. Some men sitting next to us decided that I always had to join them for their toasts. Consequently, I got thoroughly drunk.

My brother told me that I look really cute on the webcam, exactly like "Bubby", his class hamster.

Chau!

Las cosas malas y buenas

2009-01-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

Bad things

Having to wake up at 7am to go to the police station in order to get a card which you then have to take with you and...
Go to the immigration place where you have to stand for over an hour and a half in a sweltering line...
Only to be told that they messed up and you have to repeat the process all over again the next day.
Then trying to get back home but getting lost because you don't know how to take the return bus when you came down a one-way street and after walking around and around downtown Santiago in 95 degree weather finally deciding to take a taxi because you have a 4-hour class soon and you still have to do your homework and study for the subjunctive quiz.
Run-on sentences.

Good things

Being able to hail a taxi the very second you finally give up on finding your own way, and talking to friendly drivers.
It is super cheap to take a taxi.
You're not supposed to tip taxi drivers which is a good thing because otherwise I probably would have given him all of my money out of sheer relief of finally reaching home.
All the super awesome comments that my friends and family are leaving me...(Not.)
This incredible song that we learned in Spanish class today. It's sad and happy and vindictive and nostalgic, beautifully spanish and at the same time reminiscent of Russian bard songs. It's called "Ojalá" and is by amazing Cuban artist Silvio Rodriguez. Ojalá basically means "I hope that..." but the song is actually about a heartbroken man and the things he wishes upon his former love. E-mail me or comment if you want the mp3.

No hay tiempo

2009-01-26T15:47:00.004-08:00

I keep not having any time to post. I have tons of big, giant things I want to talk about, but my days are filled with orientations, classes, or socializing. Organizing thoughts and uploading photos just doesn't fit. So here are a few shots of my life to make me feel less guilty.

This is where I live. 3 KEYS. My apartment is on the second floor and it's beautiful. More on that later.

My very first breakfast in Chile. FYI, the blueberries are huge, and the bread is not American. Heaven.

One of the views at my orientation this weekend.

This is what I did while you guys studied for midterms. :P

La leche

2009-01-22T14:00:00.003-08:00

The milk! Oh my goodness! This is Russian milk!

I finally decided to try some, and even though I never remember there being a difference, this is what I drank during my childhood.

First Day

2009-01-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

I told my mom that I was going to go for a walk but I'm a little bit too much in love with my room to leave it quite yet. And since I still have a few hours before my (host mom? It feels so awkward calling her that because she's too young to be my mom) host person comes back and we will go purchase essentials like cell phones and metro cards I thought I'd write things down while the emotions were still fresh.

I met a few girls in the same program as me on the plane so we stuck together, which made navigating customs and taxis a lot less scary (because DEAR GOD, all of a sudden people insist on only speaking spanish). The baggage guy, probably seeing that I was lost and bewildered and thus clearly from America started speaking to me in rapid fire spanish that I could not comprehend. Finally he stopped, clearly said "Obama!" and started dancing a jig (I swear to god). Then he pointed at another guy, yelled "Obama!" again, and that guy danced an even better jig. I love this country. I, of course, haven't even seen the inauguration yet because I was flying.

The drive from the airport so far has been my only view of Santiago. In my opinion it is a mix between Russia, America, and Mexico, although since those are my only reference points, that doesn't really say much. There's a Shell station on every corner and lots of ads everywhere. Copious amounts of public transportation and strange road rules. I saw a few Chinese restaurants and felt like I was driving by my own people. There are areas that look like East Palo Alto and some that are completely stunning. Will be bombarding everyone with pictures as soon as I lose my fear of getting lost and not being able to find my way back. Because you KNOW it'll happen, it's just a matter of when.

We arrived at our student center which is located at La Católica (one of the universities, though not the one I will be attending) a little bit after noon and were immediately picked up by our families. I kind of thought there would be a mass orientation before that was to happen so it was kind of shocking when a woman walked up to me and instantly kissed me on the cheek. Which I'm slowly getting used to. Because they do that here. All the time. Every time, in fact.

I live with a woman whose name is Macarena (soon, I will stop giggling. It's actually a common name in Spain and other Latin American countries), and she is beautiful and incredibly nice and has a lovely home. She also lived in New Jersey for 2 years and helps me when I don't remember certain words. She has a 9 year-old son, Diego, whom I haven't met yet, and a boyfriend whose name I didn't catch. This boyfriend is awesome though. He speaks perfect english despite never being to an english-speaking country, knows the origins of my name (including Fok, the origins of which I found out myself only a few days ago), and can write my name in Russian. Apparently he also wants to practice his German on me, because I didn't get a chance to tell him that I don't remember a stitch of it.

My room is incredibly charming. It's relatively simple but it has hardwood floors and a door that isn't just a slab of wood, which is really all I need in a room. I'm currently sitting on the bed and trying not to succumb to its wonderful horizontalness. But I have no alarm clock, so sleeping is not an option.

The only negative aspect is that my stomach has gone on strike ever since Monday night, but the same thing happened during my first Davis orientation so it's probably just extreme nerves. That hasn't stopped me from enjoying amazing juice of a totally mysterious fruit. According to some blog, I can buy a HUGE bowl of raspberries here for something like $5. Will be exploring this option pronto. CHEAP FRUIT!!! Oh the possibilities.

***Several hours later***

I went with Macarena to get a cell phone, a BIP card (named for the noise it makes when you use it to pay for the metro/bus), and copies of the keys. We also stopped by a supermarket to get a few groceries. OH MY GOD THERE IS SO MUCH JUICE. I may just have to OD on fruit and fruit related products. The milk is all in carton packaging and none of it is refrigerated, which my alarmist mother has scared me half to death about.

Tomorrow morning I have my first meeting with the rest of the group. Until then,

Ciao.

I AM HERE!!

2009-01-21T09:59:00.001-08:00

I adore Santiago.

I adore my family.

Things could not possibly be better.

More later.

Tomorrow

2009-01-19T23:53:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning I'm finally leaving for Santiago, Chile.

I'm incredibly excited and completely terrified.

This is my first post in over two months but I promise that from now on I will be a regular contributor to the blogosphere. I want to have a lasting account of my time there.

See you all later.

Lots of love,

Katya

Coming up for air from political posts...

2008-11-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

I desperately need to take a break from trying to wrap my head around the enigma that is the Solow growth model, so because my brain is too numb to think of anything fascinating to write about, this is a picture of what I stare at on my desk when I inevitably start day-dreaming EVERY 30 SECONDS.

Protestation

2008-11-15T23:34:00.000-08:00

In New York it was cold and rainy, in Russia it was this close to freezing temperatures and in San Jose it was 80º. Thus I usher in one of the topics for this post: WTF, CA?

For those who don't know, today was a national protest against Prop 8. Although it passed in California, it was protested in 300 cities across America and in 10 different countries. I went to the one that was in San Jose and it was huge and amazing and loud and hot and a lot of other things. Over 2,000 people showed up which apparently was nothing compared to cities like Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, and (duh) San Francisco. I made a sign* because going without is slightly depressing. I attended a Sacramento protest last week and it was hard to get into the spirit without something to thrust vehemently into the air. Below is a picture of part of the protest with a big red arrow pointing at me.

There were SO MANY people and I really have never seen such diversity. The coolest part was all the little kids running around waving signs and cheering and playing in the fountain. We were protesting at the City Hall though there were also many people standing on the curb and waving and cheering at the cars that were driving by and honking. At some point a guy came and stood across the street with "No gay marriage" signs. This of course caused people to swarm around him which effectively made the protest even bigger and more spread out. I took a bunch of photos.

Eventually most people were standing somewhere along the street waving, cheering, and chanting as the cars drove by and honked or waved signs at us. Since we were near a light, often times the cars would stop and people would run out into the street to give high-fives and even hug the motorcyclists. Some people started throwing beads into the open windows à la Mardi Gras. There were a few people who drove by that either flipped us off or gave us thumbs down signs and they were collectively booed. One car even had a cup of coffee thrown at it. Still, about 97% of all the responses were positive, which is a very hopeful sign.

* Mine is the one in the upper left-hand corner. At the bottom in small writing it says © Оля.

Gay marriage a question of love

2008-11-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you have read about this speech but probably most of you haven't heard the speech itself. I hadn't until only just now and it is beautiful and eloquent and says the things that i've been trying to say but have been too frustrated to organize and voice. Below is the text of the speech. Please watch or read it, whatever side you are on. At the very least it will give you something to think about.

Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast.

Some parameters, as preface. This isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics, and this isn't really just about Prop-8. And I don't have a personal investment in this: I'm not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives.

And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics. This is about the human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.

If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want—a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Only now you are saying to them—no. You can't have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don't cause too much trouble. You'll even give them all the same legal rights—even as you're taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can't marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn't marry?

I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage. If this country hadn't re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal in 1967. 1967.

The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it's worse than that. If this country had not "re-defined" marriage, some black people still couldn't marry black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not "Until Death, Do You Part," but "Until Death or Distance, Do You Part." Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized.

You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are gay.

And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing, centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children, all because we said a man couldn't marry another man, or a woman couldn't marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage.

How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the "sanctity" of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless?

What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don't you, as human beings, have to embrace... that love? The world is barren enough.

It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness—this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness—share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate.

You don't have to help it, you don't have it applaud it, you don't have to fight for it. Just don't put it out. Just don't extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don't know and you don't understand and maybe you don't even want to know. It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow person just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.

This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial.

But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this:

"I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam," he told the judge. It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all: So I be written in the Book of Love; I do not care about that Book above. Erase my name, or write it as you will, So I be written in the Book of Love."

Goodnight and good luck.

Prop 8 passes.

2008-11-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

DAMN you California. How could you fail in such a catastrophic way? What happened to progress? Equality? Fairness? You're supposed to set an example, and instead you have revealed yourself to be full of bigots and narrow-minded simpletons. Shame on everybody who went out and voted to ban something that wasn't connected to them in any way, shape, or form. There is no justification for what you did.

If the other Party wins...

2008-11-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

Oh man, this is priceless.

Yay religion!

2008-11-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

While grocery shopping today...

Also, I'm probably going to be posting A LOT between now and tomorrow night out of sheer intensity of feelings because OMFG the election is TOMORROW!!

Tomorrow

2008-11-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

I cannot BELIEVE that this all started two and a half years ago and it is finally ending. At least for the next half a year until it starts again. Still, it will be mostly over by tomorrow night and everyone in this country, heck, the WORLD will be glued to their TV's and computer screens watching the results. How unbelievably exciting it is to be in the middle of it all? The race for president isn't exactly going to be a nail-biter, but there are still the House and Senate races as well as Prop 8 in California which is the second most watched race behind the presidency. Remember to VOTE and watch the results and curse God in the Heavens if something goes wrong, like I will be doing.

LA and my birthday

2008-11-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

Santa Monica at night.

First alcohol bought legally.

Other stuff happened but it was two weeks ago and I've never been very good at actually writing down the amazing things that I do because organizing my thoughts makes them less amazing. Let's just say it was a blast and many legal substances were enjoyed in a very responsible manner.

This is to round it off at 10

2008-10-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

Because I said I would.

I voted today!

2008-10-31T21:17:00.000-07:00

Woot. Kinda wish I could have gone to an actual polling place but the lines are sooooooo long. Which is really great to see because the youth vote has been rather pathetic in the past but as I understand it, a record amount of youth registered this year. Still, the old people outnumber us by A LOT and we don't have anything like AARP so in terms of voting for things that are going to screw us over like Social Security, there still isn't a snowball's chance in hell.

Other things that happened today. I went to the Davis Public Library, and while walking there was actually thankful for the first time ever that I live in this Godforsaken suburbia/farm hole. The kids were already out trick-or-treating and the leaves had actually managed to acquire a vestige of fall color and it was raining a little bit and the wet trees and asphalt smelt like Russia in the summer after the numerous thunderstorms. Nostalgia, ahoy. Also, there were TONS of Obama/Biden and No on Prop 8 signs as opposed to the other ones, which made me hate the people less.

Got AMAZING books at the library, including The Africa Book and The Cities Book which had the following to say about the Moscow metro:

"Hands down the best in the world--over 150 stations, used by nine million people a day and breathtakingly efficient (you'll never wait more than two minutes for a train). Moreover, it's a joy to travel on, with elaborate chandelier and marble-clad platforms, socialist realist art and political sculpture to entertain the masses."

What uuuuuuup!

Also, went trick-or-treating. Though since it was last minute and I didn't have a costume I just supervised, got thoroughly wet and ruined my last pair of flats. But it was totally worth it. As hard as my mother tried to squash the Halloween joy every year, apparently some of it is still alive and kicking.

The rest of my night will consist of When Harry Met Sally, chocolate, spinach dip, and a vodka cranberry (only one, mother). Hope everyone else had a happy Halloween!

And please remember to vote if you haven't already. NO on 8 and 4.

Things Americans do/like

2008-10-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

...that I'm completely down for

1. Corn on the cob

2. Ford

3. Apple

4. Mostly obeying traffic laws

5. M*A*S*H

6. Postal Service

...that I will never understand

1. Carpet

2. Thank you cards

3. Wearing shoes indoors

4. Complete and utter lack of any respectable geographical knowledge

5. Trophies for participating

6. Overuse of pet names

Really I only wanted to post that last list because #'s 2, 4, and 6 have been driving me particularly nuts lately, but I didn't want to be too negative.

NO on Prop. 8

2008-10-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

This post took many weeks to write, primarily because every time I started putting down my thoughts I would get very angry and start insulting people. And while I will still insult people, believe me, I've held back.

Quite frankly, it doesn't really matter who you vote for as president, Obama will get California. At this point it's just a matter of how big his landslide victory will be. But there is more to the upcoming election than who will be the next Commander-in-Chief.

Proposition 8 seeks to overturn the landmark May 15 decision which granted the fundamental right of marriage to same-sex couples in California. To me, this election has become all about this particular proposition. A little single-minded, maybe, but the race for president isn't exactly keeping me at the edge of my seat, whereas this issue is in jeopardy. I always figured it was just a matter of time until gay marriage was legalized in California, and once it was, gay rights would never look back. But here I am facing the very real possibility that this amazing state of ours could actually take a giant step backwards. I'm absolutely terrified that 8 days from now my hours of poring over election data and pie charts will culminate in the news that proposition 8 has passed. I'm trying now to imagine how that would feel and I can't.

You can be pro-life and I'll understand. You can be pro-guns, pro capital punishment, and pro seceding from the Union. But if you are pro Prop 8, a proposition that if it passes or it doesn't pass WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR LIFE ONE LITTLE BIT, then I refuse to even try and understand your justifications. In May 2008 a whole lot of people were lifted up from second-class citizen status. If you are voting Yes on Prop 8 then all you're doing is ruining the happiness of millions of people and hurting a very important civil rights cause.

Do the right thing November 4th. VOTE NO.

Possessions

2008-10-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

Guess who has one of these...

...and one of these now?

Huzzah.

The Other Side

2008-10-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Obviously this is an extreme. This does not represent the average Republican and surely they are only showing us the more militant from the bunch that they interviewed. Still makes me worried that I share a country with these people.

I love the lady who says "I don't like the fact he thinks us white people are trash, because we're not." IRONY ALERT!!!

Also, that guy is holding a baby and oh my god I think that is his child and we are all doomed doomed doomed.

That is all.

The Endorsement

2008-10-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

My first reaction when I heard that Colin Powell was endorsing Barack Obama for President was "oh crap". Because I knew that for the most part, people would be saying that Powell based his decision on the fact that they are both black, and the next few weeks would be devoted to people claiming that although they aren't racist, this obviously is the only explanation.

If you genuinely believe that the former Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and National Security Advisor would decide to base his endorsement of a candidate on the color of his skin then you are one, a blatant racist, and two, so disillusioned about the ability of our leaders to make any sort of informed decision that you should, quite frankly, find a better country to live your life in. Another option however would be to settle down, give up your conspiracy theories, and realize that intelligent men, although they will occasionally/often make decisions that we disagree with based on different values, have more sense than to believe that a man will make a good leader because his skin has more melanin. Colin Powell has always been a rather moderate Republican. He is pro-choice, pro gun control, and pro affirmative action. He has also, like many others, become disillusioned with McCain. His endorsement came as a surprise, but not that much of a surprise.

Honestly, get over yourself. Just because someone made a decision that isn't the same one you made doesn't mean their motives were somehow less honorable.

And for the record, I'm not all that nuts about Obama. I just think degrading this decision for the above reason is petty and bigoted.

Bangsbutlatior

2008-10-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

That's what happens when I try to text "Congratulations" to my mother. Who finally has internet back in her office. But that's not the point. The point is, don't buy a Virgin Mobile phone.

Several posts coming. If only I weren't so busy having way too much fun with peppers and pumpkins and eating with my hands and sleeping in the same room as a GIANT MAN-EATING SNAKE.

Off to discover the wonders of Socal. Once the sun stops being so damn aggressive. Oh yes, and I broke my sunglasses. Nevertheless, life is still amazing. 21 is definitely different from 20, and I haven't even had a single sip of alcohol.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY

2008-10-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Is it totally immature posting about it twice? Absolutely. But turning 21 isn't about maturity. It's about knowing that the evil adults of this world who will allow someone to get married at 14 but not to imbibe liquor can STUFF IT. Because I can now forever get served legally in a bar.

Unless I forget my ID. Which come to think of it, will probably happen quite often.

Doesn't matter though. Drunken mistakes, here I come.

(This post is half to celebrate and half to drive my mother up the wall. She doesn't get it though, she was raised in a culture where they celebrate your 5th birthday by treating you to your first shot of vodka. Congratulations Mama.)

P.S. David, the tradition is to get the mother flowers. :)

MY BIRTHDAY IS IN 4 DAYS

2008-10-11T03:21:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, on the day of there will be another post to remind everyone. The post today is for two reasons. One, I haven't posted in 11 days and I've resolved to have at least ten a month and Two, I expect you to CONGRATULATE ME, which can be done in the following ways:

commenting on my blog
calling me
emailing me
writing on my wall on facebook

No other ways will be accepted as genuine unless they come in the form of presents.

I AM TURNING 21 PEOPLE. On Wednesday. Tell your friends.

(Monkey Birthday songs not welcome. This means you.)

Mallik

2008-09-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Took me to the Ethiopian restaurant. And then A MONTH after I posted about it, read my entry and decided to get all snarky because I didn't credit him.

My shame knows no bounds.

Things that are not amazing

2008-09-20T02:54:00.000-07:00

1. Afternoon sunlight. Unless I'm inside where I can't see it, it always makes me feel completely depressed. It makes me think of a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, called The Yellow Wallpaper, about a woman who lives in a room with yellow wallpaper that causes her to go crazy. If the earth stopped rotating and we had to live with constant afternoon sun, I think I would sink into madness as well.

2. Having to deal with something literally that is usually dealt with only figuratively.

3. Dentures. Though more specifically, when people take them out.

4. Missing friends' birthdays.

5. Unequal growth

6. Slow internet connections

7. Being inconvenienced by First World problems and then feeling bad about my inconsequential issues.

8. Being ignored except on that one day

9. Being patronized for not knowing some Russian writer or scientist or politician when it wasn't my choice to leave the country at the tender age of 6 in the first place. And for the record, I know more about english-speaking writers and politicians than you ever will. And I don't make you feel bad about it. (Yes, scientists I will forever remain indifferent to, no matter what nationality. My genes have utterly failed me.)

10. Insomnia

The Tipping Point

2008-09-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

by Malcolm Gladwell

Read it.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

2008-09-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched this amazing film which came out in 1967 about a white woman and a black man who want to marry and the objections that their parents have. It stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, and Sydney Poitier. And can I just say WOW about the level of writing and acting in this film. Incredible. A few of the scenes were particularly memorable. The following is a rather humorous monologue that Katharine Hepburn reads to her soon-to-be-former employee. She is complete and utter grace in her anger. I want to be exactly like her when I grow up.

This clip is the most famous, I think, in the movie. Sydney Poitier's father is explaining to his son why he didn't work so hard his whole life just to have his son marry a white woman and Sydney answers back with a speech that is...just...words fail it, really. Watch his part, if nothing else.

Oh Jenny Humphrey

2008-09-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

Must you be such a cliché?

She is 15 years old. I am so disappointed in humanity right now.

And yes, I do in fact watch Gossip Girl. No judgement from the peanut gallery please .

Palin

2008-09-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

She has an even worse Choice record than McCain which is quite an achievement. I can understand, if not agree with, people who oppose abortion on most grounds, but to oppose it in cases of rape or incest is barbaric. And abstinence-only sex education? First of all, it's an oxymoron. Second, you have to be a moron to believe in it.

Ultimately, I think it's a joke. Just because the Vice President isn't THE most powerful person in the world, doesn't mean they're not constantly a gunshot or blocked artery away from that role. And when McCain dies from natural causes related to old age or Obama is assassinated, I'd much rather have Biden in the driver's seat than Palin. Republicans: You are officially BARRED from ridiculing Obama's lack of experience. You chose a woman simply because of her gender, and while no one can now point at you and scream "Look! Another old, white man!" you simply cannot point your finger at Obama anymore when you have chosen the one other person who has less experience than he does to be VPOTUS.

One guy on the ever fair and reputable Fox News stated that she obviously has international relations experience since she is Governor of Alaska, which is right next to Russia. Actually, it's right next to Canada as well, so there you go. I feel safe, don't you?

Of course her lack of experience has been barely mentioned in light of all the other stuff. Obviously the fact that she looks like a sexy librarian, gives her children unfortunate names, and has failed as a mother to teach her daughter where babies come from shouldn't factor into any discussion on what kind if VP she will be. But it sure is fun to make fun of.

And now for a bit of fun, watch Jon Stewart comment on the hypocrisy that is the GOP and Fox News.

This isn't to say that I am without a doubt voting for Obama/Biden. I'm still undecided. But she definitely hurt McCain's chances of getting my vote. Even if she does eat moose burgers and rides snowmobiles.

Ethiopian

2008-09-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

I had Ethiopian food last night and it was AMAZING. So I'm gong to tell you about it.

First of all, I love spicy food, but whenever I try to order any the waiters look at me, think "No, white girl can't handle it" and I get something bland instead. Ethiopia has the spiciest food in all of Africa and while it's not overwhelming, it is definitely felt. They bring out all sorts of different things that you can't really identify, which is perfect for me because as long as I don't know what went into it, I'll gladly eat even vegetable concoctions. They also give you rolled pancakes that look like the hand towels you get on airplanes that are called injera. They are what you use to eat all of your food. There are no utensils, which is fantastic for people like me who secretly, and sometimes not so secretly, feel stifled by knives and forks. And have I mentioned that the food is delicious? Oh My God.

This picture isn't what we actually had but looks very similar. If you want to try it, go to Zeni in San Jose.

Things that are amazing, in order

2008-09-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

6. Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. (Pronounced Ri-ki-vik)

5. Season premiere of Gossip Girl!

4. Hanging out with two friends who I thought didn't like each other.

3. This song.

2. The coffee, pastries, and people at Roasted Coffee Bean on Stevens Creek.

1. 10 books for $5 (!!!) at Rasputin Music.

My Day

2008-08-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

Wine, Mont Blanc pens, boxes, Spain, spices, shaving cream, hats, anger, lip gloss, Russians, perfume, coffee, cigarettes, a gun, insults.

I Hate Banks

2008-08-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

They can suck it. I'm keeping my money in Mason jars buried in the backyard from now on.

And people. If it's an emergency or if it's at the beginning of the month then you may call my cell phone. Otherwise, call my house. Or better yet, email me, I'm likely to get that faster anyway. Do NOT mess up my bank balance by using up my minutes and forcing my phone company to charge me more money. It causes great frustration, anger, and sadness on my part.

Well-meaning/patronizing advice NOT welcome at this point in time.

The Games

2008-08-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

In order to compete in the Olympics, a person has to be at least 16 in the Olympic year. On the left is Nastia Liukin, the All-Around Gymnastics Champion. She is 18 years old. Standing next to her are two ~~7 year-olds~~ 16 year-olds. Nastia is 5'3" so I'm thinking the toddler next to her is about 4'7"?

16 my butt.

"I wonder what this frozen pole tastes like!"

2008-08-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

What is the stupidest thing someone our age could decide to do?

Prostitutes?

Drunk-driving?

Treason?

No, actually, the absolute most moronic thing to do at age 21 is to get MARRIED.

My mother has a friend and this friend has a son who is my age and he will be marrying his girlfriend of two years in May. Right after they graduate college. Way to wait.

I was absolutely speechless when I heard this. The only people I know who could fathom getting married that early are redneck hicks who need to have 17 children and had thus better get a move on. Oh, and also our parents.

I recently met a guy whose parents have been married over 20 years and still love each other. Allegedly. I'm thinking they should be in a museum or something.

Obviously my view of marriage isn't very rosy. Most of my friends come from broken homes and those that don't, have parents who need to wake up, smell the coffee, and hightail it to a divorce attorney. Staying together for the kids is as stupid a reason as staying together for the tax benefits. Children pick up on the fact that their parents dream of taking a chainsaw to each others body parts and start hanging out with crack whores. True story.

I'm not saying I'm never getting married. Or that I think all marriages are doomed to fail. I just think you need to do the absolute most possible to make sure that they are a success. Know each other for a really long time first. Preferably more than 2 years, though less than...say...80. Make sure that they adore as much as you do, your kids, pets, culture, or that really ugly lamp that is the one thing you would save in case of a fire. Big important issues like, "I think your ancestors were heathens and I need you to renounce them once and for all" should be addressed before rings are exchanged. And for God's sake, finish school, establish a career for yourself and then marry to your heart's content.

Yes, I'm a little jaded. My mother left my father after about 2 years of marriage and was then a single parent for over a decade. Hard on me, yes, but nothing compared to what it was like for her. One would think that after her experiences my mother would recognize this for the disaster that it is sure to be. She, however, says I'm being overly cynical. Though coming from the woman who married the man who calls me naive and idealistic as many times as is possible to fit into a conversation, I find that rather ironic.

Of course I wish nothing but happiness for this couple, who I don't even know. Perhaps they are incredibly level-headed, have given this a tremendous amount of thought, and are in fact each others soul-mates. Perhaps they will be together forever, and not out of some sense of misplaced duty. I just think that there isn't any reason to get married now, when things are already complicated enough, when you can do it 5, 6 years later and understand a lot better whether you really do want to wake up next to this same person for the rest of your life.

Disclaimer: This post may seem rather harsh because I am still in shock. I don't mean to insult anyone especially not my mother, who has totally provided me with a happy childhood, though has also acted as a cautionary tale. And I really, really hope this doesn't make its way over to the people this is about (please, Mom) but if it does, please don't be insulted. I have boundary issues I'm working on.

Encyclopedia Brown 2.0

2008-08-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

My brother, after reading about fifteen hundred Jigsaw Jones Mystery books: "If you need a mystery solved, I'll do it for free, but others I'll charge a quarter a day. I'm going to ask mom for some business cards."

Goodbye Greencard Pt. 2

2008-08-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

At the oath ceremony, every seat had a large envelope with a bunch of "essentials" for the new citizen. A copy of the Declaration of Independence, a Citizen's Almanac, a letter from Bush, a voter registration guide, and a really cheap American flag that we were supposed to wave at particularly emotional/exciting times. I was sitting in my seat during one of the random speeches looking at this little flag and thinking how completely unsurprising it was that at this grand ceremony were people kept extolling the American Dream I was holding a stick and piece of cloth glued together by some exploited illegal worker.

Goodbye Greencard and Dancing with the Stars

2008-08-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I took the citizenship oath today and am officially a United States citizen. They took away my greencard and instead gave me a Certificate of Naturalization. They talked a lot at us but I couldn't really understand very well so I either listened to my iPod or watched this adorable little kid who was sitting in front of me. We had to sing the National Anthem (which I mouthed because that song was written for opera singers), say the Pledge of Allegiance, and take the oath, which asked us to denounce ties with all other nations but I crossed my fingers at that part. You can read the oath here.

The coolest part of the whole event was not being told that we were officially American citizens or taking the oath or even the taped message from George W. Bush (although I did get a little teary at that part) but the fact that I saw two of the dancers from Dancing with the Stars, Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya. I LOVE this show so seeing them was amazing. She is Russian and was getting her citizenship and he kept walking around taking photos. I really wanted to go up to them but was too shy. And while the American readers of this blog might be a bit annoyed that I though THAT was the coolest part of the whole event, I'm sorry but I'm a proud Russian girl with her own priorities. Flashy dance shows are more exciting than being eligible for jury duty.

p.s. For those who thought I actually did get teary during Bush's message stop reading now, you are not my target audience.

***Update: Well, apparently it's illegal to photograph or copy a Certificate of Naturalization. So while I doubt the Department of Homeland Security is really paying that much attention to this blog, I'm going to take it down anyway.

Little Korean Boy Sings Hey Jude

2008-08-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Olga,

2008-08-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

You are amazing. At least I think you still are because I haven't seen you since...I actually don't remember. Quite frankly I've grown a little fuzzy on what you look like. But I seem to vaguely recall stunning good looks so hopefully you haven't let yourself go...

I can't believe we're not together on this, your 20th birthday. This is a HUGE milestone because up till now you've been a lowly little teenager and now you are a woman, taking on the world. Hopefully with cake and party hats. You and your amazing genetic material are going to write amazing things and I'm going to go around telling everyone that yes, in fact, I am the best friend of that Tony-nominated writer. And people will buy me drinks and ask me to tell them embarrassing things about you but I will remain loyal to our friendship.

I cannot even count how many times I've felt low but then remembered that Your Amazingness is my best friend and that you call ME about the most important events in your life... like when you pierced your nose. Which I thought was a completely awful idea until I saw it and it actually looked cool. Your emails are what I look forward to the most when I check my inbox seventeen hundred times a day. And even though we're not always really good at keeping in touch I have never in my life worried that we are growing apart. And you are the only person I can say that about.

I hope that today was an incredibly happy day for you because you deserve them everyday but especially on this day, your birthday. I love you more than words can say, although i'll bet that you could say it. Be happy, healthy, but most of all, always be my best friend because it is your friendship that propels me forward to believe that I CAN do the things that I want to do.

Happy Birthday, Olga.

Demotivators that ring particularly true

2008-08-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Laugh at yourself...

2008-08-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

...because nothing is more dull than a person who takes themselves way too seriously.

I think the obviously facetious nature of the previous post's title signaled that the content was not to be taken seriously. If anyone thought that I was actually trying to blame anyone but myself for driving a knife into my hand then I'm sorry you misunderstood. Perhaps I did not make the post ironic enough.

On the other hand, I have to cater to the wishes of teachers when writing my essays, and in this, my blog, I don't really feel like doing that. I have a certain style of writing and I will continue to write in that style. I'll accept criticism but will defend derision that I believe is unwarranted.

Kids, never listen to your mother

2008-07-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

We had guests over yesterday, and after everyone finished their hamburgers my mom made me go cut up watermelon for everyone. I say made because she seems to think I'm the permanent cutter of all fruit weighing over 5 lbs. and it's getting to be a bit annoying what with her penchant for having watermelon cut just right every hour, on the hour.

At any rate, I begrudgingly got up to go cut it, at which point five different people started yelling at me that I was doing it wrong. You have to WASH the watermelon first apparently, even though NO ONE eats the rind. And then, I wasn't washing it properly, either killing trees or spreading disease. And THEN, I wasn't cutting it properly. One should cut in quarters. All I have to say is that if you don't like the way I do it, do it yourself.

In a moment of utter boredom a few days ago, I sharpened every single knife in the kitchen. This is a new fetish or something, but these knives were SHARP, and I was glad. So I'm just about to finish cutting the first slice of the stupid, clean watermelon when I drive the very sharp, very long blade into my hand. Blood spurts EVERYWHERE. My face, my clothes, the watermelon, the floor. And then, because my mom wouldn't let me take a first aid class back in high school, all over the sink because I promptly stick my hand under cold water and just let the damn thing bleed. For the record, blood feels very warm when it is gushing all over you. And telling a person that the spatter on your face looks like freckles is not helpful.

After spending an hour and a half in Urgent Care with absolutely no reading material because SOMEONE forgot to grab my brother's Roald Dahl collection from the car, I got out of there with 9 stitches and a tetanus shot. Of course the whole time that we were waiting I had to explain to my mother why it was that it was completely her fault. I don't think she understands that since she is the one that made me do it, she should be the one to take responsibility for it.

I got back at her on the car ride back though, when I started describing, in detail, exactly how they were stitching me up. And while I live for things like this, my mother is THE most squeamish person I've ever met. You can't even say the words blood, stitches, or hey mom, come look at the inside of this cow eyeball to her. I tried that last one while I was taking physiology and it did not play over well.

So the picture below could have been much more gruesome but my mom probably would have killed me. Apparently I made her feel sick with my tales of gushing blood last night. I took several much better up-close shots where you can really see the blood and gore. But this is good too.

The Last Lecture (Part 2)

2008-07-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

Randy Paush, the author of the book I lauded below, died today of complications from pancreatic cancer.

Please read the book.

The Last Lecture

2008-07-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

I just cried myself silly reading this book. It's by Randy Pausch, a professor of computer science who is dying of pancreatic cancer. He lectured at Carnegie Mellon last year about achieving your childhood dreams. Find out more about him and the book here. And read it. Definitely read it. It's a little book with only about 200 pages and is a very fast, albeit rather teary, read.

Frida Kahlo

2008-07-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to see a Frida Kahlo exhibition. First of all, I'm embarrassed to say, I always thought she was Spanish. You just don't hear of many Mexican artists, and I never took the time to really discover anything about her. Her life was terribly interesting though, especially her marriages with Diego Rivera. Both of them had fiery tempers and both had issues staying faithful. He had and affair with her younger sister and she had an affair with Leon Trotsky. You can't make this stuff up.

Below is one of my favorite paintings by her. It is called Moses and was painted in 1945. I spent ages looking at it today. It was inspired by one of Freud's essays which connected Ancient Egypt, Moses, and the beginnings of monotheistic religion. See how many people you can identify on it. Larger version here.

Why am I such a lightweight?

2008-07-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the couch munching on snap peas and drinking some wine, which I am in desperate need of because my brother, for the past 15 minutes, has been yelling NA NA NA NA NAAAAAA at the top of his lungs. There's more words to that little ditty, but these are the most intrusive ones. So you can see why the alcohol is essential. But so far I've only had half a glass and yet I am feeeeling it. On the one hand it's convenient because once I finally hit the blessed age of 21 I will save myself a lot of money. On the other hand, it's a little embarrassing. I come from a long line of strong Russian and Jewish stock, cultures which do very few things without first drinking a lot. So shouldn't one of my numerous skills be the ability to process large amounts of alcohol without this embarrassing propensity to start saying every single thing that comes into my head at slightly inappropriate volumes? And if any of you feel the urge to point out to me that I do this when I'm sober as well, then you are lame because that would be way too easy. While I do tend to have more verbal diarrhea than I should at my age, there is a noticeable increase with spirits. So shut up Sveta.

On a separate note, I've discovered an awesome blog written by a woman in Utah. Read it at dooce.com. She is also great with a camera and posts a lot of her own photos.

What I learned today

2008-07-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

Farsi and Persian is the same thing. This has probably been completely obvious to some of you from the very beginning but I never knew this. Actually, Farsi is the Persian word for Persian, so saying "she speaks Farsi" is like saying "she speaks français" and saying this to a knowledgeable person will make you sound stupid or pretentious. But we live in America, the land of the oblivious, so running into a knowledgeable person is a a rare and wondrous thing. Which explains why I've been using the word condone to mean praise almost my entire life without anyone correcting me. Thanks a lot, America.

On a related note, a friend recently let me borrow Firoozeh Dumas' Funny in Farsi and Laughing Without an Accent, both memoirs about growing up Iranian in America. The books are extremely funny and convey the immigrant experience in a way that firmly makes you believe that the only difference between an Iranian and Russian immigrant is a passion for grape leaves. Also, the paperback version of Funny in Farsi has an interview with Khaled Hosseini, who wrote The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, which are amazing. Please read them.

Also, both authors live in the Bay Area, so way to represent.

Bodacious things

2008-07-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Violins in rock music

Really dark strawberries

Crackling weather

My brother's cheeks

Text messages

Cute little boxes

Shaved legs

Grains

Labels

2008-06-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

I don't like to identify myself as a Democrat anymore. I'm an Economics major and consider myself a moderate when it comes to economic issues because they are so much more complicated. Sometimes it IS a good idea to give tax cuts to the über-rich because it stimulates the economy, and raising the minimum wage can actually be quite detrimental to small businesses and unemployment figures. Rent control leaves more people homeless and many welfare programs hurt more than they help. On the other hand I believe people should stop whining so much. Be glad you don't live in Denmark where about 68% of your money would be going towards taxes. Yeah it sucks that you don't get to keep it all but it's necessary. Move on.

What I found hilarious is when tried and true conservatives talk at me until they are blue in the face about how liberal economic policies are detrimental to the economy. And no matter how many times I try to intercede during this lecture to explain that, in fact, I agree with what they are saying, they are convinced that simply because I will be registering for the Democratic Party this means I subscribe to every single platform. Get off my back. I'm a Democrat because I value liberal social policies over any others, but I don't agree with everything so stop assuming. And stop rattling off all of the greatest Republican presidents in the history of this country. A few smart cookies does not a bakery make.

This brings me to my second point. Republicans are always quick to remind us liberals that during the Civil War it was a Republican president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves while it was the traitorous Democratic states that tried to secede from the union. This is where labels go wrong, so let me just clear something up: it was a LIBERAL president who freed the slaves and CONSERVATIVE states that seceded. Abraham Lincoln valued human rights (or he had other motives depending on your level of cynicism) above keeping the status quo, which is a liberal ideology. And this rubbed the southern states the wrong way because they didn't much care to give up their source of free labor. And who has traditionally valued labor over human rights, tradition over change? If you said conservatives, get yourself a cookie.

Sometime around FDR's New Deal the ideologies completely shifted around, so when we are talking about Republicans and Democrats of the 19th century we need to be careful to understand that they are not the Republicans and Democrats of the 20th and 21st centuries. Spread the word, tell your friends, and don't even TRY to convince me that if Lincoln were alive today he wouldn't be the most active member of the Democratic Party.

Boo-ya!

Capital Punishment

2008-06-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

-Exodus 23:23-25

Not to disrespect the Old Testament, but what a load of crap. It's a nice idea, of course. If you do bad things, bad things should befall you. And yet if we follow the Bible, we'll have a lot of dead, blind, burned, amputees walking around. Doesn't make much sense. Same with capital punishment. Just because someone deserves something doesn't mean they should get it.

The US Supreme Court declared today that the death penalty is not an appropriate punishment for child rape in a 5-4 decision. Well no shit. That's not even going by they whole "eye for an eye" rule. And while obviously a child rapist deserves so much MORE than a needle in the arm, allowing that draws us ever closer to having the same policies as terrorist nations.

If you allow capital punishment, arbitrary lines that don't really mean anything must be drawn. Why is the rape of a 12-year old more deserving of the death penalty than that of a 13-year old? Why does an IQ of 70 mean that someone is mentally retarded and 71 means they can get a needle in the arm? And why is it that there are so many minorities on death row? And before anyone starts, no it is not proportional to the amount of crimes that minorities commit compared to white people. Everyone's a little bit racist (it's true) and yet ignoring this problem in favor of keeping a form of punishment that groups us with the likes of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China is just adding fuel to the fire that is race relations in this country.

Point of all this: I wholeheartedly agree with the Supreme Court in this decision even if our beloved Democratic nominee for president doesn't. He can stuff it. Also, killing people is immoral no matter the reason. I don't trust twelve people who don't have the intellectual capacity God gave a donut to objectively review a case and decide without any prejudices whether or not someone is despicable enough for death.

God sells cocaine near church

2008-06-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

What can I say. People love a good headline.

Read the story here or here or here. Or heck, anywhere. This isn't an everyday occurrence.

Subscriptions

2008-06-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.rssfwd.com/

Just go there, enter the url of any site and your email address, and it emails you as soon as there are updates. A friend turned me onto this years ago but I'd lost the url. It's incredibly convenient.

42 Countries

2008-06-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Frustrations

2008-06-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

1. People who don't care to learn about their own culture and heritage.

2. People who think that what others do in private somehow affects them.

3. Parents who don't care about the passions of their children.

4. Parents who don't take the time.

5. Friends who never make you a priority.

6. Never knowing the people you're supposed to.

What's up with the Jews?

2008-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

You know what I don't get? When Ronald Reagan became president he sent more aid to Israel than Carter ever had. This is an unverified statistic, but I believe it went from 77 million to 1.5 billion, an increase of nearly 2,000%. If you want to over-generalize it, Republican leaders are traditionally pro-Israel and Democrat leaders are pro-Palestine. And yet Jews are overwhelmingly Democrat. So they keep voting for the side which is shifting its sympathies more and more towards Palestine? If anyone can explain this to me please do so. Is it because American Jews are less concerned with Israel and more concerned with things like religious freedom? For many Jews that I've talked to, support of Palestine is a deal breaker, and yet in recent history the Democrats are the ones seeking and getting the Jewish vote. What's up with that?

David was discussing the situation with me last night and scared me so much that I actually contemplated voting for McCain for a whole ten minutes. Thank goodness that's over. Still, I got a bunch of books about the conflict and plan to figure it out as much as I can during my upcoming camping trip. So I'm not promising that the feeling won't come back.

BTW, did we know that Yasser Arafat was once awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? What did they give it to him for? Peace?

Also, I got some questions about how to leave comments. Just click on the underlined "# comments" link and it'll lead you to a comment box.

Until next time,

Katya

First time

2008-06-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

I was going to start a blog once I left for Santiago to chronicle my experiences abroad. But why do something 6 months later when you can do it today? My inspiration was Olga, who for the past two years has been writing her own blog about life in New York, among other things. It's fantastic, everyone needs to check it out here. She's a writer, you can tell.

Honestly, I don't have much to say, except that the first official day of gay weddings in California started today, Tuesday, June 17. And I am SO HAPPY that our awesome state has finally gotten its butt in gear and done what's right. Hopefully next we'll stop killing people and teaching teenagers that the path towards happiness is paved with absolutely no sex whatsoever.

Over and out, my homies.