Sunday, December 30, 2007
Oliver's Battles
This is the kitten that I am taking care of, Oliver. Oliver often gets bored, so in order to amuse himself, he has epic battles with...himself. I've been able to capture a couple of these skirmishes on film, although often the fights are much more intense (and therefore nearly impossible to film). Please enjoy.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Sweetest Story I Know
I am an extremely lucky man. I have the absolutely most wonderful woman in my life. Better yet, she loves me as much as I love her. Incredibly, I realized today that I have written little about her in respect to how much I think about her.
The best way I can do so is to tell the story of how we met. I still think that it is one of the best stories I know, so I will share it with you.
Two years ago I left the US to study in Oman. While there I met a wonderful girl named Deanna who became a fast friend to this day. We became quite close over the course of the semester. It turned out that she lived in Chicago, not far from where I grew up and went to Kenyon College, not far from where I went to college. Throughout the trip I pined after and worried about the girl that I had left to come to Oman. From 7500 miles away, I was watching her steady decline into self-destruction. Deanna helped me find myself in the ugly situation and move on. Near the end of the trip, she began to tell me about a friend of hers from college who also lived in Maine.
Intrigued, I pressed her for details, and usually came up with nothing. She was very nice and fun, Deanna claimed. As for where in Maine, somewhere near Portland, maybe. Particularly useful if you understand that most of the people in Maine live somewhere near Portland. Eventually, I gave up digging for info and resolved to see how things took their course. Besides, I wasn't exactly dying to meet a new girl, more interested in finding a friend in Maine.
When I returned home, Deanna sent me the girls name and encouraged me to look her up on Facebook. I thought that it was slightly strange and stalkerish, but I did so. When I could see her profile, I found her address and looked it up on Yahoo Maps. I didn't pay too close attention to the town or details and was expecting to find some sort of hour drive or other impediment. You can only imagine my surprise when I found that her house was 0.4 miles away from mine. Just down the road really. Amazing.
We sent a couple messages to each other and agreed to meet for some ice cream at the store that is almost equidistant between our houses. We were both a bit weirded out by the entire endeavor of meeting someone random from the internet, but we both trusted Deanna. Besides, I had no good friends in Maine and all of her high school friends had left the state. So we each made the short walk to Food Stop. I got there first, and waited somewhat nervously, leaning against the guardrail set up to prevent cars from driving into the ice cream window. Only a couple minutes later, a beautiful girl strolled into the parking lot and I know it was her. We met, we talked, we walked, and we ate ice cream. We did the same thing the next day. And the next. Soon we were spending hours together each day, meeting whenever we had the time and when we didn't, sneaking out to sit together under the stars late at night.
Our first kiss was quick. The ones that followed lasted much longer. I was hooked. However, I was still scared of starting a new relationship after the disaster of my last one. She didn't feel the same, she wanted us to be official if we were going to continue seeing each other. I was terrified, but I could feel something special about her. So, I caved. I asked her to be my girlfriend and promised that it wasn't a summer thing.
It wasn't.
And now, well, as of tomorrow, we have been together for 18 months.
Sure, there have been bumps along the road. But through thick and thin, emotion and ration, we have remained in love. She is the most wonderful thing in my life. It is painful to be so far away from her, but so amazing that she is understanding and patient. I know that someday I will be able to give her that companionship she deserves. She is the best decision I've ever made, and I love her.
The best way I can do so is to tell the story of how we met. I still think that it is one of the best stories I know, so I will share it with you.
Two years ago I left the US to study in Oman. While there I met a wonderful girl named Deanna who became a fast friend to this day. We became quite close over the course of the semester. It turned out that she lived in Chicago, not far from where I grew up and went to Kenyon College, not far from where I went to college. Throughout the trip I pined after and worried about the girl that I had left to come to Oman. From 7500 miles away, I was watching her steady decline into self-destruction. Deanna helped me find myself in the ugly situation and move on. Near the end of the trip, she began to tell me about a friend of hers from college who also lived in Maine.
Intrigued, I pressed her for details, and usually came up with nothing. She was very nice and fun, Deanna claimed. As for where in Maine, somewhere near Portland, maybe. Particularly useful if you understand that most of the people in Maine live somewhere near Portland. Eventually, I gave up digging for info and resolved to see how things took their course. Besides, I wasn't exactly dying to meet a new girl, more interested in finding a friend in Maine.
When I returned home, Deanna sent me the girls name and encouraged me to look her up on Facebook. I thought that it was slightly strange and stalkerish, but I did so. When I could see her profile, I found her address and looked it up on Yahoo Maps. I didn't pay too close attention to the town or details and was expecting to find some sort of hour drive or other impediment. You can only imagine my surprise when I found that her house was 0.4 miles away from mine. Just down the road really. Amazing.
We sent a couple messages to each other and agreed to meet for some ice cream at the store that is almost equidistant between our houses. We were both a bit weirded out by the entire endeavor of meeting someone random from the internet, but we both trusted Deanna. Besides, I had no good friends in Maine and all of her high school friends had left the state. So we each made the short walk to Food Stop. I got there first, and waited somewhat nervously, leaning against the guardrail set up to prevent cars from driving into the ice cream window. Only a couple minutes later, a beautiful girl strolled into the parking lot and I know it was her. We met, we talked, we walked, and we ate ice cream. We did the same thing the next day. And the next. Soon we were spending hours together each day, meeting whenever we had the time and when we didn't, sneaking out to sit together under the stars late at night.
Our first kiss was quick. The ones that followed lasted much longer. I was hooked. However, I was still scared of starting a new relationship after the disaster of my last one. She didn't feel the same, she wanted us to be official if we were going to continue seeing each other. I was terrified, but I could feel something special about her. So, I caved. I asked her to be my girlfriend and promised that it wasn't a summer thing.
It wasn't.
And now, well, as of tomorrow, we have been together for 18 months.
Sure, there have been bumps along the road. But through thick and thin, emotion and ration, we have remained in love. She is the most wonderful thing in my life. It is painful to be so far away from her, but so amazing that she is understanding and patient. I know that someday I will be able to give her that companionship she deserves. She is the best decision I've ever made, and I love her.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
To My Friend, Emily
People are worth the effort.
I learned that lesson over the last couple months. Four months ago I met a girl who quickly convinced me that she was a blithering idiot and a surefire wear on my patience. She spoke too much, too loudly, and seemingly without thinking. She blatantly insulted me and didn't notice. In fact, months ago I wrote a passage in this blog about her and how much she had pissed me off.
Fast forward to yesterday and you find me driving back from the airport with tears streaming down my cheeks after dropping her off. I had said goodbye to a wonderful friend and was missing her presence within minutes. I had said goodbye alone, at four in the morning, because she had wanted me to be there for one final hug.
So why the change? How did I swing from derision and distaste to a platonic love?
It began as another of my friends and I began to search for a destination to travel to over Eid break. We settled on India, but soon our travel companions decided instead to go to Thailand. So we put out that we were looking for others to join us, and Emily (the girl this entry is about) jumped at the opportunity. I'm pretty sure that I set a world record for groaning and eye rolling when I heard that she'd be coming. But, I knew we needed more people in the group, so I didn't object. And I made a fateful promise to myself. Over the next couple weeks before we left for India, I decided to get to know Emily and find a way to handle her presence. I was not going to let her ruin my trip to India.
So I started hanging out with her more often. At first it was with others, and then the two of us alone. We watched movies and I tried once (unsuccessfully) to teach her squash. I went to her board game night. And we talked. Check that, she talked. And talked. And talked. Finally, one night, I talked too, and told her how much she pissed me off. It worked, and we began to talk openly and honestly with one another. And as time went on, we became comfortable doing just that. She no longer felt the need to show off her (honestly vast) intelligence and I know longer felt the need to sit there quietly contemplating murder. I learned to tell her when she upset me, and she learned to relax and be pleasant.
By the time we left for India, we were at a comfortable level. I wasn't ready to consider her a close friend, but I understood her and why she did the things she did. She ended up being a wonderful addition to our group, even if we ended up spending a good deal of time waiting for her to finish sari shopping.
When we got back, we continued to hang out. No longer out of necessity (in my mind) but now out of mutual pleasure and shared experiences. We grew closer and closer. Slowly, she became the person that I was able to complain about work to, cuddle with when I missed my girlfriend, and play games with when bored. I found out all about her passion for computer programming, baking, beading, and cats. She found out all about my passion for Sophie, cats, cooking, and much more. We bonded together over fear and confusion about our respective career futures and commiserated over missing loved ones.
I have a lot of wonderful friends here in Qatar that I love very much. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. But remarkably, after such a rocky start, she became the closest. She was my confidante, my cuddle buddy, and my dependable presence.
Now she has gone back to the States, where I pray she will get the job she is interviewing for in San Francisco. Our lives have separated, and we will surely go on as before. I have my friends, my family, and my darling girlfriend, and she has hers. But I will never forget how she touched my life and taught me not to disregard people. For that and the months of friendship that came as a result of it, I thank her and love her.
Emily, you made me a better person.
I learned that lesson over the last couple months. Four months ago I met a girl who quickly convinced me that she was a blithering idiot and a surefire wear on my patience. She spoke too much, too loudly, and seemingly without thinking. She blatantly insulted me and didn't notice. In fact, months ago I wrote a passage in this blog about her and how much she had pissed me off.
Fast forward to yesterday and you find me driving back from the airport with tears streaming down my cheeks after dropping her off. I had said goodbye to a wonderful friend and was missing her presence within minutes. I had said goodbye alone, at four in the morning, because she had wanted me to be there for one final hug.
So why the change? How did I swing from derision and distaste to a platonic love?
It began as another of my friends and I began to search for a destination to travel to over Eid break. We settled on India, but soon our travel companions decided instead to go to Thailand. So we put out that we were looking for others to join us, and Emily (the girl this entry is about) jumped at the opportunity. I'm pretty sure that I set a world record for groaning and eye rolling when I heard that she'd be coming. But, I knew we needed more people in the group, so I didn't object. And I made a fateful promise to myself. Over the next couple weeks before we left for India, I decided to get to know Emily and find a way to handle her presence. I was not going to let her ruin my trip to India.
So I started hanging out with her more often. At first it was with others, and then the two of us alone. We watched movies and I tried once (unsuccessfully) to teach her squash. I went to her board game night. And we talked. Check that, she talked. And talked. And talked. Finally, one night, I talked too, and told her how much she pissed me off. It worked, and we began to talk openly and honestly with one another. And as time went on, we became comfortable doing just that. She no longer felt the need to show off her (honestly vast) intelligence and I know longer felt the need to sit there quietly contemplating murder. I learned to tell her when she upset me, and she learned to relax and be pleasant.
By the time we left for India, we were at a comfortable level. I wasn't ready to consider her a close friend, but I understood her and why she did the things she did. She ended up being a wonderful addition to our group, even if we ended up spending a good deal of time waiting for her to finish sari shopping.
When we got back, we continued to hang out. No longer out of necessity (in my mind) but now out of mutual pleasure and shared experiences. We grew closer and closer. Slowly, she became the person that I was able to complain about work to, cuddle with when I missed my girlfriend, and play games with when bored. I found out all about her passion for computer programming, baking, beading, and cats. She found out all about my passion for Sophie, cats, cooking, and much more. We bonded together over fear and confusion about our respective career futures and commiserated over missing loved ones.
I have a lot of wonderful friends here in Qatar that I love very much. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. But remarkably, after such a rocky start, she became the closest. She was my confidante, my cuddle buddy, and my dependable presence.
Now she has gone back to the States, where I pray she will get the job she is interviewing for in San Francisco. Our lives have separated, and we will surely go on as before. I have my friends, my family, and my darling girlfriend, and she has hers. But I will never forget how she touched my life and taught me not to disregard people. For that and the months of friendship that came as a result of it, I thank her and love her.
Emily, you made me a better person.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Should've seen this coming...
It took less than a day for Bush to speak about the NIE that reported Iran's lack of a nuclear weapons program. Did he announce a bold new initiative to reengage Iran diplomatically after proof that Iran was willing to make concessions? No. Did he call for a reexamining of our strategic position? No. Did he act like he knew what this report meant? Incredibly, no.
What he did do was continue to label Iran as "dangerous" and harp on it as a threat. Sure, now he's talking about a potential threat, but that didn't stop him from invading Iraq. According to the President, Iran is still dangerous because it has the potential to build a nuclear weapon at some point down the line. Basically, that's like worrying about someone learning how to sharpen sticks of metal based on the fear that someday they will make a pair of scissors and then proceed to run with them. This is, of course, still ignoring the greatest tool towards preventing international hostility in the American toolbox, direct diplomatic contact.
Am I the only one who is terrified of what imbecilic actions Bush will take as he enters his last year in office. The man has paid little regard to consequences so far, what will he do when he is a lame duck?
Kudos to Joe Biden for speaking up for everyone not in the Bush administration.
And a hearty fuck you to Republican National Committee spokesman Brian Walton who attempted to raise the bar of American political discourse with this little gem, "Apparently Joe Biden has seen recent polling that shows his statistical insignificance and is looking for relevance in the debate by offering heated rhetoric."
This is a very good analysis of the situation by Michael Hirsh.
What he did do was continue to label Iran as "dangerous" and harp on it as a threat. Sure, now he's talking about a potential threat, but that didn't stop him from invading Iraq. According to the President, Iran is still dangerous because it has the potential to build a nuclear weapon at some point down the line. Basically, that's like worrying about someone learning how to sharpen sticks of metal based on the fear that someday they will make a pair of scissors and then proceed to run with them. This is, of course, still ignoring the greatest tool towards preventing international hostility in the American toolbox, direct diplomatic contact.
Am I the only one who is terrified of what imbecilic actions Bush will take as he enters his last year in office. The man has paid little regard to consequences so far, what will he do when he is a lame duck?
Kudos to Joe Biden for speaking up for everyone not in the Bush administration.
And a hearty fuck you to Republican National Committee spokesman Brian Walton who attempted to raise the bar of American political discourse with this little gem, "Apparently Joe Biden has seen recent polling that shows his statistical insignificance and is looking for relevance in the debate by offering heated rhetoric."
This is a very good analysis of the situation by Michael Hirsh.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Have a Little Faith
There have been some interesting developments on the international political scene in the last couple days. Namely, two key stories give me hope for progress in the future. The first is the failure of Hugo Chavez to guarantee President for life status. The second is the startling admission of a mistake by the Bush administration.
Hugo Chavez is a pompous ass who has been vilified by the Bush administration into some kind of South American Saddam Hussein. The truth of his position is far less threatening to America, yet still counterproductive for the Venezuelan people. Simply put, his concern with his own personal image and power, especially through antagonizing America, has overshadowed the positive reform promises that allowed him to take power in the first place. Most recently, he attempted to pass a constitutional revision that would negate the need for him to run for reelection and convert Venezuela into a socialist state. Surprisingly, the measure failed a popular vote. Even more surprising was the grace with which Chavez accepted this decision. There is no guarantee that he will leave power as gracefully, and he still controls most of the power structure in the country, but his gesture of respect for a democratic decision is hopeful for the future.
As for the Bush administrations pronouncement that the Iranian nuclear weapons program has been inactive since 2003, I am honestly shocked. No, I'm not shocked that Iran isn't building nuclear weapons, I've been claiming that for years. What surprised me was that the Bush crowd would allow a report to be released from inside their administration that clearly countermands the fear-mongering rhetoric of the last half decade. Only weeks ago Cheney was still spewing bullshit about the imminent threat of a nuclear Iran. And now a National Intelligence Estimate (based on the consensus of ALL of the US's intelligence agencies) says that not only is Iran not building a nuclear device, but they most likely would be unable to build one until midway through the next decade!!! Ok, a round of applause for the intelligence community publishing something intelligent. And another round of applause for Bush's teams honesty on this one. One can only hope that this is the beginning of a new look at our relations with Iran.
While I'm on that topic, I have a bone to pick. Why is Iran our enemy and Saudi Arabia our friend? Don't get me wrong, I know all about the Iranian hostage crisis, the squabbles between Iran and Israel, and all the rest. But think about it. Iran is a quasi-democratic state that respects human rights, for the most part but we're no angel ourselves, and possesses huge supplies of oil. The issue with Israel could be resolved through concerted diplomatic efforts and they would be a valuable ally in a geostrategic position. Ok, so their President is an idiot (really, no gays in Iran?) but most of his rhetoric is designed to get attention and nothing more. Even his 'Holocaust denying' is BS that is not reflective of the true beliefs of the country. But Iran is our enemy, a key spoke in the terrifying Axis of Evil. And don't tell me that we haven't had a precedent for forgetting slights from other countries. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is our best buddy. They are horrifyingly non-democratic, some of the worst human rights abusers on Earth, even more antagonistic to environmental issues than we are, and among a list of other problems, just recently decided to lash a woman after she was raped. Brilliant. What's the price of this friendship? Oil. Same as Iran could offer. Call me crazy, but I'd like to see a reevaluation of our system of choosing allies and enemies.
Oh, and on a final note, kudos to the President of Sudan for pardoning Gillian Gibbons. I never thought I'd be happy with a decision made by Omar al-Bashir, but its always encouraging to see a leader admit a gaff. Sudan should be embarrassed by that entire situation. I know that she never should have been charged, but for Bashir to contradict the law would have been to dangerous in an already tumultuous country. A pardon was the right move, if not the answer to the larger problem.
Hugo Chavez is a pompous ass who has been vilified by the Bush administration into some kind of South American Saddam Hussein. The truth of his position is far less threatening to America, yet still counterproductive for the Venezuelan people. Simply put, his concern with his own personal image and power, especially through antagonizing America, has overshadowed the positive reform promises that allowed him to take power in the first place. Most recently, he attempted to pass a constitutional revision that would negate the need for him to run for reelection and convert Venezuela into a socialist state. Surprisingly, the measure failed a popular vote. Even more surprising was the grace with which Chavez accepted this decision. There is no guarantee that he will leave power as gracefully, and he still controls most of the power structure in the country, but his gesture of respect for a democratic decision is hopeful for the future.
As for the Bush administrations pronouncement that the Iranian nuclear weapons program has been inactive since 2003, I am honestly shocked. No, I'm not shocked that Iran isn't building nuclear weapons, I've been claiming that for years. What surprised me was that the Bush crowd would allow a report to be released from inside their administration that clearly countermands the fear-mongering rhetoric of the last half decade. Only weeks ago Cheney was still spewing bullshit about the imminent threat of a nuclear Iran. And now a National Intelligence Estimate (based on the consensus of ALL of the US's intelligence agencies) says that not only is Iran not building a nuclear device, but they most likely would be unable to build one until midway through the next decade!!! Ok, a round of applause for the intelligence community publishing something intelligent. And another round of applause for Bush's teams honesty on this one. One can only hope that this is the beginning of a new look at our relations with Iran.
While I'm on that topic, I have a bone to pick. Why is Iran our enemy and Saudi Arabia our friend? Don't get me wrong, I know all about the Iranian hostage crisis, the squabbles between Iran and Israel, and all the rest. But think about it. Iran is a quasi-democratic state that respects human rights, for the most part but we're no angel ourselves, and possesses huge supplies of oil. The issue with Israel could be resolved through concerted diplomatic efforts and they would be a valuable ally in a geostrategic position. Ok, so their President is an idiot (really, no gays in Iran?) but most of his rhetoric is designed to get attention and nothing more. Even his 'Holocaust denying' is BS that is not reflective of the true beliefs of the country. But Iran is our enemy, a key spoke in the terrifying Axis of Evil. And don't tell me that we haven't had a precedent for forgetting slights from other countries. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is our best buddy. They are horrifyingly non-democratic, some of the worst human rights abusers on Earth, even more antagonistic to environmental issues than we are, and among a list of other problems, just recently decided to lash a woman after she was raped. Brilliant. What's the price of this friendship? Oil. Same as Iran could offer. Call me crazy, but I'd like to see a reevaluation of our system of choosing allies and enemies.
Oh, and on a final note, kudos to the President of Sudan for pardoning Gillian Gibbons. I never thought I'd be happy with a decision made by Omar al-Bashir, but its always encouraging to see a leader admit a gaff. Sudan should be embarrassed by that entire situation. I know that she never should have been charged, but for Bashir to contradict the law would have been to dangerous in an already tumultuous country. A pardon was the right move, if not the answer to the larger problem.
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