sigh

Sometimes I am really frustrated with how careless I can be. I lost my keys. I am sure they are at work, but I can't find out until tomorrow because I can't get into the building without a key. In the meantime, I had planned to spend the evening picking up some things I need for my backpacking trip this weekend, but I don't have a key to my car right now.

Have I mentioned that this is the second time in two weeks I have not had my keys? The first time, I locked them in my house and Izzy lifted me up so I could climb in the window that is ten to fifteen feet above the steps to my fire escape. This time my neighbor let me in the front door to the house and I climbed in through the window on the balcony.

The irony of today's forgetfulness is that I was very careful this morning to make sure I had my keys with me when I left the house. I hope, hope, hope I left them at work and didn't drop them anywhere.

University Falls

This weekend Katie, Izzy our friend Jason and I went hiking at a place called University Falls. It is out past Georgetown off an unmarked dirt road. The attraction at this place is a series of waterfalls that you can slide down. It is basically a natural waterslide park that is more fun than a regular waterpark (if you can handle a six to seven mile hike).

We had a lot of fun sliding down the falls into freezing water and warming ourselves on the rocks.

When we made our way back out, we stopped for pizza in Georgetown. Georgetown is past the middle of nowhere and the town is a quarter mile long, so we didn't think we were going to have a good dinner. Mostly we were stopping for the beer. We were surprised by the best quality pizza I have ever had. There was no grease. They used fresh ingredients including fresh cheese and the pizza was yummy.

Eventually we returned home sleepy and full. I love summer!

Pictures (and hopefully video) will follow when Katie sends them to me.

Pretty!

How do you like my new blog template? No more crazy pink! The new template has some bugs I need to work out, but I like it a lot better.

Happy day.

This deserves its own post. Izzy brought me flowers at work today. I was very happy because I have only seen him for about an hour since Monday and wasn't scheduled to seem him until Friday. I am spoiled and usually get to see a lot more of him, so I was sad.

I am more happy because I got to have lunch with him before I had to go back to work. But the flowers are so nice and beautiful too.

Now I have a huge, pretty boquet of flowers sitting on my top shelf letting everyone in the building know that I am loved.

Christmas Eve

It really isn't Christmas Eve, but it felt like it at work today. The Agency I work for is getting a new director tomorrow, and everyone in the building is full of hopes and fears. For my part I am hopeful.

I think that the core program could be much better than it is even with the present lack of funding. However, there has been a lack of leadership and direction. As I have sat in my seat for the last seven months, I have seen a lot of people working very hard to do the best they can without leadership. If they had leadership they could do even greater things than they have been doing. Officially, my job is to support these people. However, I have not had permission to do as much as I could have to assist them. I hope that changes.

I have been frustrated with my job because the agency has issues with leadership that micromanages. I haven't been able to do much, though I am fortunate that I have had more to do than most of the other people in my unit. I like being given a job to do and being allowed to do it. Right now I have nominal duties that I can only do when my supervisor is standing over me watching. She hasn't had much time for that lately so I have mostly been left to my own devices to fill my time in a purposeful manner.

I am told that tomorrow everything changes. That the agency will no longer function on a "need to know" basis, that people will be given specific duties and be empowered to perform them, and that it will become a community of people working together for a single purpose. I remain somewhat skeptical, but if we at least move in that direction, I will be extrememly happy.

Blast from the Past

This Saturday, Izzy and I went to Berkely for a Torey Honors Institute alumni event. The event included a (very good) dinner and a discussion of George's MacDonald's The Golden Key. It was a very good time.

I had a good time talking with a new alumn who was a philosophy major about the program, old professors and his future plans. I also had a good time talking with my old professors, who I haven't interacted with much in years.

I enjoyed the discussion. It has been a long time since I have had that kind of a discussion and while I didn't really have an opportunity to read the story carefully (and therefore didn't have much to say), I still learned a lot. I also enjoyed watching Izzy participate in the group.

What was really interesting was seeing Torrey through Izzy's eyes. I am glad he got to go to the event because it is really difficult to explain Torrey to someone who hasn't seen it first-hand. I love Torrey and am very glad I had that experience. I am glad that Izzy was so interested and appreciative of the experience I had, both the benefits and pitfalls of the program. In some ways, Torrey is the least diverse place ever. Nearly everyone in the program is while, upper middle class people who have been raised in Christian homes. At the same time, there is a diversity among Torrey students that is harder to capture in words, but is not something that isn't often found in too many other places.

The other high point of the day was getting to spend time with Rahime and 'Chung. Visiting them is always fun and I appreciate their hospitality because I really wouldn't have liked driving home that late in the evening.

Vacation!

I am on vacation. It seems like a long time to me, but because I have hardly posted in the last six months, it looks like I was just on vacation.

I was supposed to go backpacking in Utah this week, but that fell through - very sad. So Izzy and I packed up and came down to the central coast. We spent the weekend inn Ventura with some friends of his from the Navy. He slept and I went walking around with his friends.

On Sunday we drove to Pismo Beach to stay with my sister. We went wine tasting yesterday for my birthday. It is becoming a tradition for me to go wine tasting on my birthday. We bought some great wine from the Rusack winery. Then we had a nice lunch in one of the little towns and went back to Crissy's house. Her roommate Diana made me mole, my new favorite Mexican food, and Izzy and I made rice and beans. It turns out that it was also Diana's friend Jose's birthday. After we were stuffed, Crissy took us to a nice restaurant for drinks and dessert. It was a really fun birthday.


Today we took Izzy to get breakfast burritos for breakfast (as a surprise) and then we went to San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle. It was foggy everywhere except on top of the mountain. The tour was nice and we enjoyed it.

We are having a really good time not working and spending time with Crissy in her house on the beach. It makes me want a house with a huge view of the ocean too. But in lieu of that, it is a nice vacation spot.

Freezing

What kind of person runs the air conditioning when it is raining outside?

Seriously, if anyone has any tips for how not to freeze to death in the office, please let me know. I am currently wearing a sweater, a jacket, and an overcoat. I am also drinking tea. I am cold. There are crazy middle-aged women running around the office in tank tops. I think they have control over the thermostat.

Happy Cesar Chavez day!

It is a state holiday today. We are commemorating the birthday of Cesar Chavez. For all who don't know, he organized the labor movement among farm workers in California. Now it is a paid state holiday. Apparently school children were protesting at the Capitol yesterday because they didn't get the day off school.

Izzy took me to my first hockey game yesterday. My weekend activities have taken to alternating between the arts and sporting events. Last week ballet, this week hockey, next week we are watching Othello, the week after we are going to a Kings game. All very fun.

I enjoyed the hockey game, but it was very cold in the arena. I found it amusing that the crowd was much more excited about the fights than they were about scoring. Who knew there were so many fans of monor league hockey by the way? These people were reallly in to their team (the Stockton Thunder). Everyone was decked out in team colors and really mean to the opposing team. I am probably not very fun to take to sporting events because I can't bring myself to any demonstrative behavior in favor of whichever team I want to win. It feels strange. I can get into the game, but even still, I will usually sit there quietly.

A Rather Sad Commentary

Izzy and I watched Fast Food Nation sometime last week. If you haven't seen it, it is like The Jungle in movie form. Both are fictional stories about what happens in the meat processing industry and both paint a sad picture of how the people who work in this industry are exploited.

What is interesting is that when The Jungle was published, people were outraged. They were so outraged that the FDA was created to regulate the food processing industry. The same is not true of Fast Food Nation. I don't think anyone is surprised that their food might not be of the best quality. I am not. However, I am sure that the people who process our food (and who harvest our food) are suffering in terrible conditions. No one ever says anything about it and no one does anything about it.

Actually, this is the third movie I have seen in the last few months that highlights how the corporations who provide certain products abuse the vulnerable in order to get the products to consumers at a cheaper price. I have no doubt that the practices portrayed in these films actually happen. As of yet, I have heard very few people who were disturbed enough by these practices to look in to what is actually happening in these industries and see what could be done. The sad fact is that I haven't and I have no idea how I could do anything about this kind of exploitation. Shame on me.

Coffee

I gave up coffee (among other things) for Lent. I have since learned a few things.

1. There is coffee EVERYWHERE.
   
2. Coffee is my version of comfort food.
   
3. It is also how I relax and I associate it with indulgence.
   

I really want to drink coffee. I can't wait until Easter.

I never had trouble fasting for Lent before. I don't even remember it being this hard to give up TV and music in the car. This time fasting is really a struggle, which was my purpose, but it is hard. I am not particularly fond of self denial (I guess no one is) and I keep finding myself craving the things I gave up (mostly coffee).

Introducing...

Ismael Alarcon (Izzy)

So most of you have heard the rumors. Or you have met him because he has been around for a few months now. Here he is. I met Izzy at church in August, we spent a lot of time together in the fall playing guitar and stuff, and we started dating in December.

Sorry

I have been hearing some comments that I have been neglecting my blog and a lot of people. This is true. I am really sorry, but it is literally 40 degrees in the room with my computer during the day. I don't do well writing to people when I can see my breath in here. I am very sorry.

For those I haven't talked to in a while, work is going well, Christmas and New Year were great, and there is a new addition to my life who truly isn't the reason I am neglecting you all. I am travelling to Pomona tomorrow on business, but when I come back, I will turn on a space heater in here and catch everyone up on the detials of my life.

One Week Down

I just finished my first week at my new job. I am tired. Mostly I am tired because I am still working at the restaurant from hell. But I am also sick and unused to working on a traditional schedule. I haven't had to be anywhere before noon more than a few times a week in years. Even when I did so, it was always a choice.

So far, I feel very confined by my work schedule. I feel trapped, but I suppose I will get over that in time. Perhaps when I feel more comfortable in my position at work or something. Right now, I don't have a lot to do. I have no real defined job description, and my supervisor just started as well, so she can't give me much direction because she is still trying to figure out what her job is. I think I will feel better about the job when I know what I am supposed to do.

One thing I have learned this week is that even though I feel very strongly about the work of my agency, I do not want to be a State employee for very long. I might stay around long enough to work at the DoJ for a while eventually, but I want to move into a non-profit or an organization in which the wheels don't turn quite so slowly, and where people with my skills are actually closer to the work actually being done. I spent some time reading about the great work the agency is doing, but odds are, I will never get closer than meeting the people who are impacting working with the people impacting the community. So I am prepared to do my job, get what I can out of it, and move on to somewhere else...

Last Day

Today was my last full day in England. I sent Matt and Abby off to a football game and went shopping on Oxford and Regent Streets. I think the introvert in me was dying for some time by myself, and the selfish independent part of me was definetly glad to not have to worry about anyone but me. Shopping was okay. I only bought gifts for Abby and me to take back to friends and family because I know where to get all of the same things I found here for less back home. I really did enjoy looking at all of the fancy window displays, though.

While I was shopping, I realized how much I missed my mom. I don't think I ever go shopping without her unless I am with someone else. If I don't take her with me, I spend the entire time I am shopping on the phone with her. She would have loved the clothes and the window displays and it would have been nice to share that time with her and get excited about things with her.

This evening, I met Abby at St. Paul's and we went to the Evensong service there. I really enjoyed it. It was a choral service and the choir was fantastic. The sermon was also very good, and I was so happy to hear the gospel preached to all of the tourists who were only there so they could see the cathedral for free. I can't remember the exact texts, but they were from Isaiah and Matthew. What struck me was the priest's comment that while we are concerned about the horrible things going on in the world, we must first look to our own hearts to see the healing begin. Each of our hearts is a battleground, a Darful, an Iraq, or a Babylon. We each have something in us that has taken us captive and Jesus came to earth and became a man in order to free us from that battle and bring us peace.

I think this was my favorite part of the trip. I loved participating in the beautiful service in that beautiful cathedral. I was not able to take any pictures, but there were the most beautiful mosaics all over the ceiling and on the sides of the dome. I will look online later for pictures to post here. I was very happy to go to church since we didn't go last Sunday and because we won't get to go tomorrow. I was and still am sad that I am missing the first Sunday of Advent.

I am off to get ready for the trip home tomorrow. See everyone soon.

P.S.

I found out for sure this evening that I definetly have a job when I get home! Praise the Lord! I am officially an employee of the State of California.

I Love Holland!

Yes, I said Holland.

Abby and I went to Amsterdam for Thanksgiving! We flew over in the morning (it took longer to get to the airport than to fly to Amsterdam), and spend the afternoon and evening with the Wearons, the family that has hosted us now in both countries. It was very nice to meet them, they are wonderful people.

In Amsterdam, we took a boat trip around the city, walked through the city center, went to a mueseum in the Church in the Attic, a secret Catholic church from the 17th century, and visited the Christian bookstore, which operates a coffee shop (one that sells coffee) at the edge of the Red Light District.

The Wearons took us shopping and to dinner in Leiden, a university town outside Amsterdam. It was really cute there, and there was good shopping, but I couldn't buy anything because I didn't have room in the small bag I brought with me to take anything back to England. We spent the night at Carol and Phil's home in Voorschoten and saw that town in the morning, and then we came back to London. I really wish we could have spent more time in Holland. I like it much better than England. Abby likes England better.

When we got back today we saw St. Paul's Cathedral, which was beautiful. There weren't any pigeons, but we kept singing the "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins anyway. And we took pictures of ourselves sitting on the steps. Then we walked through Harrod's a bit, but we didn't stay long. I really have a hard time shopping in places where I would't buy the clothes, even if I could afford them. Everything was beautiful, but I don't think I could sleep at night if I spent that much money on clothing.

One more day left in England... Abby and Matt are going to a football game, and I am going shopping on Oxford street.

Parliament

Well, we missed Question Time because apparently the question Tony Blair at a different time than everyone else. No Tony Blair for us. We probably wouldn't have gotten in anyway because there was a lobby today (kind of like a formal protest) and the lines to get in were very long. We did get to watch the debate in the House of Commons, which was almost my favorite part of the trip so far. I am glad Abby and I both like that sort of thing. They were debating foreign policy, so it was quite interesting and I actually know and care about what they were discussing. It is amazing how many problems there are in the world and how wrapped up the US and the UK are in all of them. I might have some more thoughts on foreign policy later.

Otherwise, we walked around the buliding, went to Westminster Abbey, where were weren't allowed in, and walked to Buckingham Palace. We got a late start and are calling it quits early today because we are tired and we want to have energy for tomorrow.

Running Around London

We have been enjoying ourselves so far in London. Matt has been very good to us and showed us around on Sunday. We didn't end up doing much, we just got lunch at a local pub, went to the store and got railway tickets for the week.

On Monday, we ventured out on the very complicated railway system and saw the British Museum. It is amazing how much they have plundered the rest of the world of ancient artifacts and brought them all here. We decided that in many cases it might have been for the best because most of what they left behind has been lost. In the afternoon we went to Covent Garden market, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and shopped around Picadilly Circus. This really isn't the kind of shopping I like to do because it is geared toward tourists and people who want to spend ungodly amounts of money on stuff they can get back home. And really so far, I haven't seen much I couldn't get in California. So mostly I have been looking and window shopping. I like just walking around and looking at things in town anyway. The pictures will come when I get home. Mostly we ran around in the rain, got our bearings and saw a lot of the city. I ended the day with a horrible migraine and all of my medication back at home.

Today we walked around the Tower of London, which was very important to Abby. We decided against going inside because it was so expensive, so we walked around the tower and across Tower Bridge. We had lunch next to the river, then we took a train back to the West End, where we bought tickets for tonight's show of Les Miserables (!), walked around the theater district for a while and had a pint at a pub.

This afternoon, we came back to the house in the suburbs early so we could get ready for the show. Getting to the show proved to be quite the adventure. We didn't have much time and had planned on taking the 6:00 train back into the city so we could grab something to eat before the 7:30 show, but the 6:00 train was cancelled and the next train was delayed until 6:30. We really weren't worried about making the show in time because the train was supposed to be an express, but the train kept randomly stopping where there were no stations. When we finally got into the city at 7:05, we had to run to catch the underground, finding along the way that the entry from the train station was closed and being forced to go out to the street and then go back down to the underground. We got down there, realized that the line we needed didn't connect at that train station, and quickly had to come up with an alternate route, which was fortunately not a problem since we had walked all over that area earlier that day. When we reached the street, we had to run several blocks to the theater, and we barely made it for the opening of the show. This ordeal was complicated by the fact that I was wearing heels and Abby has terrible blisters from walking around so much, so her feet hurt.

Les Mis was wonderful. The actors who played Jean Valjean and Javert were phenomenal, we had decent seats, and it was a generally nice time. Neither of us had ever seen the show before, and we enjoyed it. However, the show ended at 10:15 and the last train back out to the suburbs left the station at about 10:50. Needless to say, our trip back to the train station was a repeat of our trip to the theater including all of the running and pain in Abby's feet. I kept telling here she would laugh about the whole ordeal later, but she didn't appreciate that at the time. Honestly, I am thankful for her patience with me when I was concerned about making it to the theater on time, and for trying so hard to keep up with me the whole time we were walking quickly or running. Fortunately we got to the station a little early and were able to get something to eat before heading out of the city. There was a rude French couple sitting across from us on the train who were talking about us and according to Abby, objected to the way we looked and the fact that we were eating. (Honestly, as far as dress is concerned, that woman had no room to talk.)

I am off to bed. Tomorrow, we are going to try and make it to Question Time at Parliament, and we have something special planned for Thursday...

On the Other Side of the World

I am on the other side of the world...how strange is that? Abby and I arrived in London last night. It was a really good thing that Matt, the guy we are staying with, came to get us at the airport because half the trains in town were out of operation last night and we had to walk and change trains a lot and eventually take a cab to get to his house. I was glad, though, because we got to see quite a bit of the city. We are going to have so much fun!

Today we are going to brunch eventually, somewhere where they have TV screens because Matt is a football freak, and then I think we are going to church this evening.