2.19.2008
un boulot.
i was just wandering around msn and found a list of the top 15 states in which one is most likely to find work. with a useless degree of art and foreign languages about to fall into my lap in several months the prospect of finding a job is looming and i can't tell you how much i want to live and work in south dakota, idaho, wyoming, nebraska or utah, and that's just the top five. maybe there's hope for me yet.
une aventure à vélo.
yesterday was one of the sunniest days i've ever seen in portland. it felt more like a fall day in tahoe with that really intense, golden afternoon sun and a very crisp, strong breeze in the air that swirls up all the dead leaves. so i thought what better way to celebrate after completely a busy monday of classes than to go for a bike ride.
i departed from my house and went up a street i rarely venture to, for what i was about to find out, good reason. i was humming along on a sometimes steep but always uphill street when i started to get into suburb hell. you know the kind with all the houses that look similar and are perfectly groomed but there are no people in sight. i had my basic directional instincts to head north and then circle back to my house. the only thing is that so many of the streets in this part of town are dead ends. i picked one that seemed to go for a long while. this long while ended up being a series of three large dips with rather steep uphills.
then i ended up circling around on tiny little streets on top of the hill. i'm sure there are great views of portland and since it was so clear, mt. hood and mt. st. helens, but there are just too many gosh darn trees up there (disclaimer: i like trees and would never harm them, unless i needed firewood). so i eventually got back to a more main street that i thought i recognized the name of, but all the names are similar up there: ridgecrest, maplecrest, laurelcrest, etc. and the grid system totally breaks down. i would pass 32nd street then somehow be around 14th. i almost thought i was in the twilight zone.
luckily one of the crest streets headed downhill in what seemed to be a never ending spiral of speed, when i ended up back at the street where i had began. all in all in was a nice ride and i was only gone for about a half hour. it's funny how slowly time passes when you don't know where you're going. i decided to illustrate my adventure below.
i departed from my house and went up a street i rarely venture to, for what i was about to find out, good reason. i was humming along on a sometimes steep but always uphill street when i started to get into suburb hell. you know the kind with all the houses that look similar and are perfectly groomed but there are no people in sight. i had my basic directional instincts to head north and then circle back to my house. the only thing is that so many of the streets in this part of town are dead ends. i picked one that seemed to go for a long while. this long while ended up being a series of three large dips with rather steep uphills.
then i ended up circling around on tiny little streets on top of the hill. i'm sure there are great views of portland and since it was so clear, mt. hood and mt. st. helens, but there are just too many gosh darn trees up there (disclaimer: i like trees and would never harm them, unless i needed firewood). so i eventually got back to a more main street that i thought i recognized the name of, but all the names are similar up there: ridgecrest, maplecrest, laurelcrest, etc. and the grid system totally breaks down. i would pass 32nd street then somehow be around 14th. i almost thought i was in the twilight zone.
luckily one of the crest streets headed downhill in what seemed to be a never ending spiral of speed, when i ended up back at the street where i had began. all in all in was a nice ride and i was only gone for about a half hour. it's funny how slowly time passes when you don't know where you're going. i decided to illustrate my adventure below.
2.07.2008
c'est moi!
i don't mean to gloat or anything, but take a look at this. when i was wandering around in brussels around new year's i was stopped and asked if i speak french. i responded yes as i was feeling confident in my skillz after entering several souvenir shops with attendants who would speak to me in english and i would respond in french to which they thought i was french. so i was on a roll and it turns out the girl who was doing the asking has a fashion blog located in brussels. me on a fashion blog? right. so apparently, not only was i able to shake the dumb/ugly/lost american look, i was stylish enough to be considered stylish by the overly stylish. if that makes sense. so yeah. i think i look a little scary in the picture but i was caught off guard and hadn't really slept at all the week before, due to various circumstances. not to mention it was about -6 degrees out, centigrade of course.
2.06.2008
allo dieu? c’est moi, marguerite.
tonight i saw the surprisingly well-attended lord save us from your followers: how the gospel of love is dividing america here at lc. it's a documentary on christianity and how divisive it is in the country today. the filmmaker is from portland and much of the footage was shot here. it was a pre-screening with the director, as it won't be released nationally until june. some of the graphics were still a little rough, but overall i would say it is made well. it raises many questions but is rather unsatisfying in the answer department. i guess that's kind of the point, to raise questions and start conversations, rather than dole out solid solutions for free.
i came away with two big questions. the first being, what role does the church play in the doctrine of separation of church and state? i think the government plays a somewhat significant role in this as far as banning prayer in public schools and removing religious symbols and monuments from government buildings {though i'm sure there are many people out there who would say that the government is not doing nearly enough}. but with the kind of influence that churches have over their congregants {according to the film, 80% of evangelicals voted to re-elect bush in 2004}, do they have an obligation to keep the state and politics away from the pulpit? i'm not saying religious values can't inform political decisions, i'm wondering what would happen if religious leaders were less outspoken about their political views and allowed their followers to make their own judgments. i honestly don't see a problem with same-sex marriage {oregon affirmed nearly 300 domestic partnerships yesterday, as the first state to do this, which gives same sex couples the same rights as married couples under the state} or abortion. i can understand a fundamental or conservative christian feeling strong moral qualms against them but i don't feel that should inform other people's decisions. so what if the reasons behind the misgivings were explained rather than antagonizing alternative lifestyles and only supporting candidates directly in line with closed minded views?
my other question is more personal. i would venture to identify as a recovering evangelical {that's a whole other story}, maybe even a christian. i mostly agree with the film's capstone or conclusion that we should love one another and not lambaste each other over our beliefs. where i become concerned is how that will be communicated to others. i have large issues with proselytizing and converting the masses, but i feel that loving and respecting one another is a very valuable tenet as human beings. my reasons for it lie in the life and works of jesus christ. i'm sure many people would disagree with me, so the argument that we should be nice to each other because jesus was doesn't get me very far. so how does this 'gospel' of love get communicated without coming off as a fanatic evangelicalism or a cracked-out hippie-peace-love?
i, for one, do not have the answers. like i said, the film raises more questions than answers them. but judging on conversations had and overhead this evening, the documentary at least gets the ball rolling and people are now talking in a respectful, intelligent manner. maybe there's hope after all.
i came away with two big questions. the first being, what role does the church play in the doctrine of separation of church and state? i think the government plays a somewhat significant role in this as far as banning prayer in public schools and removing religious symbols and monuments from government buildings {though i'm sure there are many people out there who would say that the government is not doing nearly enough}. but with the kind of influence that churches have over their congregants {according to the film, 80% of evangelicals voted to re-elect bush in 2004}, do they have an obligation to keep the state and politics away from the pulpit? i'm not saying religious values can't inform political decisions, i'm wondering what would happen if religious leaders were less outspoken about their political views and allowed their followers to make their own judgments. i honestly don't see a problem with same-sex marriage {oregon affirmed nearly 300 domestic partnerships yesterday, as the first state to do this, which gives same sex couples the same rights as married couples under the state} or abortion. i can understand a fundamental or conservative christian feeling strong moral qualms against them but i don't feel that should inform other people's decisions. so what if the reasons behind the misgivings were explained rather than antagonizing alternative lifestyles and only supporting candidates directly in line with closed minded views?
my other question is more personal. i would venture to identify as a recovering evangelical {that's a whole other story}, maybe even a christian. i mostly agree with the film's capstone or conclusion that we should love one another and not lambaste each other over our beliefs. where i become concerned is how that will be communicated to others. i have large issues with proselytizing and converting the masses, but i feel that loving and respecting one another is a very valuable tenet as human beings. my reasons for it lie in the life and works of jesus christ. i'm sure many people would disagree with me, so the argument that we should be nice to each other because jesus was doesn't get me very far. so how does this 'gospel' of love get communicated without coming off as a fanatic evangelicalism or a cracked-out hippie-peace-love?
i, for one, do not have the answers. like i said, the film raises more questions than answers them. but judging on conversations had and overhead this evening, the documentary at least gets the ball rolling and people are now talking in a respectful, intelligent manner. maybe there's hope after all.
1.22.2008
je suis arrivée.
it's been exactly a month since i've written but it feels like a year. the title is i have arrived, and that is true in more ways than one.
i spent two weeks traveling around europe by train. i first spent a bitterly cold afternoon in strasbourg strolling around the christmas markets. then i took a night train to munich where i spent christmas with some distant cousins of my dad's family. it was my first christmas away from home but it was really fun to have a traditional bavarian christmas complete with real candles on the christmas tree. while there i also went for a nice walk around the snowy lake tergensee which sits about an hour outside of munich in the alps. i also played the bavarian style curling on a little frozen lake. it was my first time on a frozen lake and i was more concerned about the ice cracking {it didn't--seeing that the air temperature was well below freezing} than slipping and low and behold around my fifth step on the ice i was down {if you know anything about me this would probably not surprise you as i am rather clumsy and make a habit of falling or tripping over nothing--see below}. i was also shocked to see many mothers ice skating while pushing their babies in strollers. i also made it a habit in munich to try the bavarian beers, which i'm fairly convinced are some of the best in the world.
after munich, i took a train, or several trains rather, to geveva, switzerland. i hit a minor hiccup along the way. i was traveling with a eurrail pass which works on all local trains. to take a long distance or high-speed train a reservation and fee is required. so being the cash strapped student that i am i planned the trip with local transport, overnight. so i left munich in the afternoon with my dutiful list of nine trains to get to geveva. the only hitch was a five hour stop in neuchatel. i figured five hours isn't that long and i could just sit in the train station and read. the catch is that the five hours were from 1 am to 6 am and the train station closes at 1. so i wandered the streets of neuchatel which was practically a ghost town at that hour and during a holiday. i spent the time in a park, evading the cops and half-sleeping in a little alley and then wandered back up to the train station around 5. amazingly the little grocery store next door was open and i got a hot chocolate croissant, which had never tasted so good. i then caught my train and finally made it to geveva. i spent my time there wandering around and taking pictures with my film camera. it is a really pretty city and the water in the lake is surprisingly clear. it was also very nice to be back in french speaking territory after hearing german for 4 days.
as another twist of fate with my eurrail pass, i took eight trains to get back to munich around 1 am and wait for my 6 am train to paris. i lucked out and watched the sun rise over the swiss alps from the train. the countryside was gorgeous and no, the hills were not alive with the sound of music. i also had a couple hours in basel along the way. when i arrived in munich i was luckier than in neuchatel as the train station stays open all night as well as several bars and restaurants nearby. i had a kebab which are the token drunk food in europe consisting of shaved meat, lettuce, tomato, onion and yogurt sauce served on a roll. i accompanied it with a lagerbier hell, a beer made in munich. again, it never tasted so good. as i was waiting for my train there were two obviously american guys standing around with large backpacks on trying to make sense of the munich train station. i could hear them whispering daring each other to come ask me if i spoke english. when one of them finally got the guts he asked me how to find the train. when i responded in perfect english he looked shocked and/or dumbfounded that i also happened to be american and on the same train. so i dutifully helped the hungover knuckleheads from louisiana find the train {even though it was right in front of us}.
i spent the afternoon in paris. i had some lunch at a small café near the train station. the other three tables in the place were occupied by anglophones who made no effort whatsoever to speak french with the waitress. i was able to speak entirely in french with her and i noticed a bit of a difference in the quality of service. i also went to buy some flowers for my hosts in brussels, where i was heading that afternoon. i picked out a simple and elegant bouquet of roses that i thought i could manage on the train. then the florist asked me if they were for the home or for a gift. i replied a gift and got the full treatment. first he added some red palm frons. then rafia. then a large wrapping of cellophane. then more rafia. then some ribbon. then finally he stapled his card to the top. my simple bouquet almost doubled in size. the craziest part is they don't even charge extra for all the bells and whistles.
that evening i took the train, flowers and all to brussels where i met up with my mom's friends who are americans and work at the american embassy there. as i was getting out of the backseat of their mini cooper convertible at their house i managed to step in the wrong part of the curb and ended up on my face in the gutter. i thought i was fine until later that evening i realized i had completely skinned my knee through my jeans and long underwear without tearing a thread in my clothes. i spent my first day in brussels wandering around the center. it was new year's eve but all the events had been cancelled due to the terror warnings. so i headed back to the house before midnight and had a mellow new year's eve with champagne and the tv show house, but this year i stayed awake until midnight. while in brussels i did enjoy the local specialties of moules frites {mussels and french fries}, frites {french fries served in a parchment cone with a variety of sauces} and gauffres {waffles made with chunks of crystallized sugar in the batter--i had mine with strawberries and whipped cream}.
i returned to nancy for one night to visit again with my host family and so the kids could show me the cool presents they got for christmas. it was nice to see them one last time and i am already missing them.
i arrived back at my parents' house in lake tahoe on january 5, just in time for a massive storm that dumped about 4 feet of snow and threatened to make me spend the night in boise. i was also home just in time to recover from a nasty cold and cough. it was nice to relax, do some laundry and ski for probably the only time this season.
i flew back into portland just in time for an arctic cold front. i can seriously see my breath in my bedroom. classes started today. i'm taking 2-d design, french 321, linguistics, philosophy of art and beauty, and art in contemporary china. it will be a tough semester but they are all classes i'm really interested in so i think it will be worth it. i am living in a house with many {7} other lc students. it's the first time i've had my own room since high school. today woke up before my alarm, made breakfast, made a lunch, and cooked dinner. i also had to run some errands downtown and took trimet instead of the school shuttle. it was the first time in a long time, if ever, that i felt like i had my own life and that i'm actually in control of it. it's a really good feeling. i think finally, i have arrived.
and some things i learned along the way:
+the small luxury of a cheap, hot meal after traveling all day and self-imposed strandedness at a european train station/airport. it really does make everything better.
+how to lie to french-speaking men {oh i'd love to follow you, a stranger in a strange city to a bar around the corner but i'm sorry i have an early train to catch tomorrow}
+how to not look american {everyone i talked to while i was traveling thought i was either french or german}
+that even though my room is a mess, i'm not unpacked, and it's cold enough to store vodka, it's mine and it's really nice to feel like a real person again, maybe even myself.
i spent two weeks traveling around europe by train. i first spent a bitterly cold afternoon in strasbourg strolling around the christmas markets. then i took a night train to munich where i spent christmas with some distant cousins of my dad's family. it was my first christmas away from home but it was really fun to have a traditional bavarian christmas complete with real candles on the christmas tree. while there i also went for a nice walk around the snowy lake tergensee which sits about an hour outside of munich in the alps. i also played the bavarian style curling on a little frozen lake. it was my first time on a frozen lake and i was more concerned about the ice cracking {it didn't--seeing that the air temperature was well below freezing} than slipping and low and behold around my fifth step on the ice i was down {if you know anything about me this would probably not surprise you as i am rather clumsy and make a habit of falling or tripping over nothing--see below}. i was also shocked to see many mothers ice skating while pushing their babies in strollers. i also made it a habit in munich to try the bavarian beers, which i'm fairly convinced are some of the best in the world.
after munich, i took a train, or several trains rather, to geveva, switzerland. i hit a minor hiccup along the way. i was traveling with a eurrail pass which works on all local trains. to take a long distance or high-speed train a reservation and fee is required. so being the cash strapped student that i am i planned the trip with local transport, overnight. so i left munich in the afternoon with my dutiful list of nine trains to get to geveva. the only hitch was a five hour stop in neuchatel. i figured five hours isn't that long and i could just sit in the train station and read. the catch is that the five hours were from 1 am to 6 am and the train station closes at 1. so i wandered the streets of neuchatel which was practically a ghost town at that hour and during a holiday. i spent the time in a park, evading the cops and half-sleeping in a little alley and then wandered back up to the train station around 5. amazingly the little grocery store next door was open and i got a hot chocolate croissant, which had never tasted so good. i then caught my train and finally made it to geveva. i spent my time there wandering around and taking pictures with my film camera. it is a really pretty city and the water in the lake is surprisingly clear. it was also very nice to be back in french speaking territory after hearing german for 4 days.
as another twist of fate with my eurrail pass, i took eight trains to get back to munich around 1 am and wait for my 6 am train to paris. i lucked out and watched the sun rise over the swiss alps from the train. the countryside was gorgeous and no, the hills were not alive with the sound of music. i also had a couple hours in basel along the way. when i arrived in munich i was luckier than in neuchatel as the train station stays open all night as well as several bars and restaurants nearby. i had a kebab which are the token drunk food in europe consisting of shaved meat, lettuce, tomato, onion and yogurt sauce served on a roll. i accompanied it with a lagerbier hell, a beer made in munich. again, it never tasted so good. as i was waiting for my train there were two obviously american guys standing around with large backpacks on trying to make sense of the munich train station. i could hear them whispering daring each other to come ask me if i spoke english. when one of them finally got the guts he asked me how to find the train. when i responded in perfect english he looked shocked and/or dumbfounded that i also happened to be american and on the same train. so i dutifully helped the hungover knuckleheads from louisiana find the train {even though it was right in front of us}.
i spent the afternoon in paris. i had some lunch at a small café near the train station. the other three tables in the place were occupied by anglophones who made no effort whatsoever to speak french with the waitress. i was able to speak entirely in french with her and i noticed a bit of a difference in the quality of service. i also went to buy some flowers for my hosts in brussels, where i was heading that afternoon. i picked out a simple and elegant bouquet of roses that i thought i could manage on the train. then the florist asked me if they were for the home or for a gift. i replied a gift and got the full treatment. first he added some red palm frons. then rafia. then a large wrapping of cellophane. then more rafia. then some ribbon. then finally he stapled his card to the top. my simple bouquet almost doubled in size. the craziest part is they don't even charge extra for all the bells and whistles.
that evening i took the train, flowers and all to brussels where i met up with my mom's friends who are americans and work at the american embassy there. as i was getting out of the backseat of their mini cooper convertible at their house i managed to step in the wrong part of the curb and ended up on my face in the gutter. i thought i was fine until later that evening i realized i had completely skinned my knee through my jeans and long underwear without tearing a thread in my clothes. i spent my first day in brussels wandering around the center. it was new year's eve but all the events had been cancelled due to the terror warnings. so i headed back to the house before midnight and had a mellow new year's eve with champagne and the tv show house, but this year i stayed awake until midnight. while in brussels i did enjoy the local specialties of moules frites {mussels and french fries}, frites {french fries served in a parchment cone with a variety of sauces} and gauffres {waffles made with chunks of crystallized sugar in the batter--i had mine with strawberries and whipped cream}.
i returned to nancy for one night to visit again with my host family and so the kids could show me the cool presents they got for christmas. it was nice to see them one last time and i am already missing them.
i arrived back at my parents' house in lake tahoe on january 5, just in time for a massive storm that dumped about 4 feet of snow and threatened to make me spend the night in boise. i was also home just in time to recover from a nasty cold and cough. it was nice to relax, do some laundry and ski for probably the only time this season.
i flew back into portland just in time for an arctic cold front. i can seriously see my breath in my bedroom. classes started today. i'm taking 2-d design, french 321, linguistics, philosophy of art and beauty, and art in contemporary china. it will be a tough semester but they are all classes i'm really interested in so i think it will be worth it. i am living in a house with many {7} other lc students. it's the first time i've had my own room since high school. today woke up before my alarm, made breakfast, made a lunch, and cooked dinner. i also had to run some errands downtown and took trimet instead of the school shuttle. it was the first time in a long time, if ever, that i felt like i had my own life and that i'm actually in control of it. it's a really good feeling. i think finally, i have arrived.
and some things i learned along the way:
+the small luxury of a cheap, hot meal after traveling all day and self-imposed strandedness at a european train station/airport. it really does make everything better.
+how to lie to french-speaking men {oh i'd love to follow you, a stranger in a strange city to a bar around the corner but i'm sorry i have an early train to catch tomorrow}
+how to not look american {everyone i talked to while i was traveling thought i was either french or german}
+that even though my room is a mess, i'm not unpacked, and it's cold enough to store vodka, it's mine and it's really nice to feel like a real person again, maybe even myself.
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