The Douche Awards

I was inspired this morning.
As I walked out of my building, I saw a large truck taking up two parking spaces on an already packed street. Just to paint an accurate picture, he was parallel parked, so it had nothing to do with the size (or lack thereof) of his truck. He was just being a douche.
This is a common occurrence on my street and it angers me in a way that it probably shouldn't because it rarely affects me. But I have a hard time understanding how some people can be so blatantly inconsiderate.
This lead me to wonder how I could let people like the truck driver know when they're being total douche's without being confrontational.
There is an artist (whose name eludes me) who used to hand out these amazing business cards that said something like: "Hello, I am black. You may not have known that, which could be why you chose to talk in a way that you didn't realize I would find offensive" when she found herself in a conversation that was racist. She was a black woman with fair skin and was often mistaken for white. You can imagine how uncomfortable she must have been to find herself in conversations where African Americans were talked about negatively. So she decided to hand out those business cards whenever she found herself in a situation where she was mistake for someone who would have been interested in racist dialogue.
I'm not wanting to go quite that far with it. After all, I did say 'without being confrontational' (aka: I'm scared). But maybe I could make up some business cards like this:

Congratulations! You've been
awarded a DOUCHE AWARD.
Due to your recent behavior, the
Douche Committee deemed you worthy of
an award. To see what you've won,
please go to
www.doucheawards.com

(and then I'll set up some bogus website where I can give examples of people being douches.)

What do you think?

Slowly But Surely, I Am Becoming the Person I've Always Wanted to Be

One quarter down and 5 more to go; I am anxious to get back to school. Spring Break has been nice but it is a reminder of how little I was doing before I went back. The two classes I took last quarter have proven to be instrumental in getting me on the path I need to take. My English class refreshed my knowledge of writing a paper and analyzing literature. My Art class showed me a new side of myself; I am a feminist. It also led me to take the next step in my education. I am signed up for Sociology of Religion. I don't think I would have been able to take that class without having taken my Art class because it opened my eyes to how I truly feel about organized religion and took the fear out of it. I can hardly wait to learn more about religion in general and to finally see it from an outside perspective.
My anxiety finally feels under control. I have been seeing a new therapist since November and Susan has changed my life. To summarize an analogy from Aaryn: she is the Manolo Blahnik of therapists. Together we have translated the jumbled mess that was residing in my head and it feels amazing! There are times when I get a glimmer of how I used to feel and I quickly alter my thought process. Those moments are a reminder to be grateful for all the hard work I've put into my progress.
I am organizing my life around exercise and loving it. Yoga has been the primary focus for months now and I truly feel its intention. It is hugely responsible for my lack of anxiety (along with what Susan has taught me). Recently I started taking Hip Hop classes again and it is filling my soul up in a way I'd forgotten dance can do. In every class I have at least one moment where the moves are not longer thought about; they just come. And it is such a rush.
I am closer to Logic because of all these factors. We talk about what I'm learning in class and yoga and I think I can even take some credit for getting him back into reading. This makes me happy on so many levels - one of which being that it gives us even more to talk about. We are diving deeper into conversations we've already had and learning more about each other every day.
I am so grateful to finally look at myself and see the person that was hiding inside for so long. She is blossoming and her evolution is so far from over.

Or Maybe Not

I think the well might be dry.

Raise Your Hands

if you think this blog has been lame lately. Wait! Not so fast.
That's just hurtful that you all were willing to raise your hands without a second thought.
Nah, just kidding. It's been lame.
I'm on Spring Break now and feel like some of my creativity might actually be directed toward this blog. MIGHT.

38 Minutes Long

But worth it

Dear Ms Future President

For 2 Years, She Sat on a Toilet Seat

Thursday, March 13, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

By ROXANA HEGEMAN

The Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. — Authorities are considering charges in the bizarre case of a woman who sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years — so long that her body was stuck to the seat by the time the boyfriend finally called police.

Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman's skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

"We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it."

Whipple said investigators planned to present their report today to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.

"She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said. "It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself."

He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.

"And her reply would be, 'Maybe tomorrow,' " Whipple said. "According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom."

The boyfriend called police Feb. 27 to report that "there was something wrong with his girlfriend," Whipple said, adding he never explained why it took him two years to call.

Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her midthigh. She was "somewhat disoriented," and her legs looked as though they had atrophied, Whipple said.

"She said that she didn't need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave," he said.

She was reported in fair condition at a hospital in Wichita. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with investigators or medical providers. Authorities said they did not know if she was mentally or physically disabled.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

Duffy

Flickr Vision

This is very cool.

How Great Is This?

I get to meet him next month! He's speaking on compassion and civic responsibility and will be awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. There will be a part of the afternoon specifically set aside for students to ask questions. I'm so excited!

Tied Together

Yesterday's post was a joke that my sister loves. It's a quote from Road Trip where the dog is high and tells his owner "make me some blueberry pancakes, bitch". Well, I was looking it up this morning, hoping to find a link but instead found a little bit of trivia. Corky the dog was voiced by ... Jimmy Kimmel. Too funny.

"Make Me Some Blueberry Pancakes, Bitch!"

~courtesy of thedailykitten.com

Ishmael

"I need to get me a Logic" (said after he learned how handy my husband is).

School Schmool

It's the end of the quarter and I'm sure feeling it. Pressure from every angle is squeezing all the energy out of me.
40 hours of work
8 hours of school
8 hours of home work
2 hours of yoga
miscellaneous time spent with Logic or taking pictures or.. you know.. sleeping
equals
not much else

I'm hoping my momentum picks back up during Spring Break because I'm going to need it next quarter. But if it doesn't, I'll just take a look around and remind myself that my life has so much potential. I am not going to settle. I will work hard and make a few sacrifices and hey, maybe even get out of this one-bedroom condo someday. Who knows?