shannongalactica

faith in faith

2010-11-15T18:12:00.002-05:00

it's so lovely to be prayed for. more than that, it is important to me. i need prayers right now.this is hard to explain, because i am not a praying person myself. i don't have faith, but i have a deep respect for others' faiths. i think they are vital, legitimate paths to truths.if i could pick one, i might be a quaker; possibly a buddhist, even hare krishna. it's pointless to speculate, really,

t.g.t.a.c.

2010-11-10T18:35:00.002-05:00

1. free stuff. makeup, yoga lessons...maybe that's it.2. i know if i break, there are loved ones available to pick me up and get me through.3. bullshit dissipates. good, strong people come through stronger and those who aren't become irrelevant.4. lost those quitting smoking pounds on a diet high in butter pecan ice cream.5. goodness, random kindness, from strangers and acquaintances.6. joining

a good day

2009-01-20T18:55:00.005-05:00

so today, p, z and i went down to the national mall and witnessed, with two million other people, the inauguration of our new president. good for us that barack obama is who we chose to represent and lead us.we were at the wwii memorial, nearly two miles from where the action was. but we were in a huge crowd that stretched another mile behind us, i'd guess. mr. obama's speech was amazing. i

yuck

2008-11-15T23:23:00.003-05:00

i have not yet seen it happen, but now we are all subject to search when riding the metro. flexyourrights.org, of unknown authority, has put together a list of how to refuse to be searched. the only one i may employ is leaving and coming in another entrance or another stop.

Hurray for voting

2008-10-25T18:53:00.002-05:00

The poll workers said that 11,000 Alexandria City residents have already voted absentee. The city only has about 130,000 residents, and about 90,000 registered voters. I think November 4 is going to be over the top.

one for old snaggle-tooth

2008-10-02T21:35:00.003-05:00

do you like this poem? i read it every few years, and am not sure. but i keep re-reading it.(Charles Bukowski, from Love is a Dog from Hell)one for old snaggle-toothI know a womanwho keeps buying puzzleschinese puzzlesblockswirespieces that finally fitinto some order. she works it out mathematicallyshe solves all her puzzleslives down by the seaputs sugar out for the antsand believesultimatelyin

2008-08-08T20:31:00.002-05:00

i need new music but have no leads. please help.the problem is that i normally go for folk music from the 60's and 70's, or severely depressing indie rock. but for the last two weeks, all i've wanted to hear is outkast, and i only know/like three of their songs. and generally, the people who i rely on for music recommendations aren't go-to people for anything outkast-esque. and why should they be

making friends in dc is hard

2008-07-20T21:20:00.001-05:00

i think it's just a numbers game. it's 99% this...http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/wdc/707239142.html

I'd pretend that I was a billboard..I fell in love with a beautiful highway

2008-05-18T20:16:00.002-05:00

i just discovered how ultimately perfect the song (Nothing But) Flowers (Talking Heads) is.it reminds me of this part of slaughterhouse five:Billy looked at the clock on the gas stove. He had an hour to kill before the saucer came. He went into the living room, swinging the bottle like a dinner bell, turned on the television. He came slightly unstuck in time, saw the late movie backwards, then

I'm done with you, Consumerist.com

2008-04-01T22:07:00.002-05:00

Consumerist.com made the outrageous, false, and inflammatory claim that irregardless is a real word. Dictionary.com also says this:"Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of

Seeing Things

2008-03-30T08:45:00.004-05:00

I've seen some good things in the last few days. One was the Eels, who were great live. I was surprised that they were just two guys.The second was a Smart car, which someone must have brought over here themselves. I think it's only in Europe right now. It was pretty tiny. And cool. I almost busted up some cars in the downtown rush hour getting a picture to send to P, who is a tree hugger.

Garrison Keillor, Advice Columnist?

2008-03-28T21:54:00.003-05:00

Sep 22, 1998 salon.comDear Mr. Blue,I find I have no desire whatsoever to write, either creatively or otherwise. This makes it hard to meet girls in odd clothing or even to be invited out to events where people say unusual things. How does one break the news without offense to intellectual friends that he has not the slightest impulse to assemble words in long, long strings?Mr. Black Mr. Black,

healthcare system in rwanda

2008-01-28T21:58:00.001-05:00

i wonder what my friend m.s. thinks about this:

real information

2008-01-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

i've been frustrated in following the '08 presidential campaign news because of the overall lack of information offered up by each candidate and the non-issues on which the media seems to focus.this website is a really good tool for matching you up to the candidate who agrees with you the most on the issues you care about.first, you give weight to different issues to designate which ones you care

And you know what else?

2008-01-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the spasm of posts, but this form is the new bullshitting, right?What do you think about the money fable about the Mexican fisherman? It bothers me. On the other hand, there's a more realistic depiction of Benny the Boatman, and it doesn't sound that cool.Which one is the sucker? How does one achieve non-suckerdom?

good live music

2008-01-16T21:17:00.000-05:00

So first, I think we can all agree that nothing beats great live music. Based on that, I highly recommend seeing Mirah. (sample) P & I went to see her last night, and it was the best show I've been to since Simon & Garfunkel reunited (Major Life Milestone, that concert was).I guess I don't mean to build her up too much because unmet expectations can ruin an otherwise enjoyable time (Clinic!), but

Umm, bad idea...

2008-01-16T20:48:00.000-05:00

I guess what I'm trying to say is: please don't vote for this man.

new things

2008-01-12T13:37:00.000-05:00

with the new year, so many things are new for me:new schoolnew job (technically, i'll be doing the same job, just being paid by someone else. and by someone else, i mean you. )new phone, which is like The Most Fun New Toy i've had since barbie had relevance. i am aware that it's no iPhone, but it's so light years ahead of what i had that it makes me swoon.ok, so i guess that's only three things.

There is hope for the youth of today!

2008-01-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

I love it!reminds me of my favorite poem by Shell Silverstein (when I was 8...I remember it as being much better)SICK"I cannot go to school today,"Said little Peggy Ann McKay."I have the measles and the mumps,A gash, a rash and purple bumps.My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,I'm going blind in my right eye.My tonsils are as big as rocks,I've counted sixteeen chicken poxAnd there's one more—that's

ask your doctor if kickbacks are right for you

2008-01-05T18:13:00.000-05:00

"...[P]harmaceutical companies spend almost twice as much on promotion as they do on R&D."According to this new study, drug companies spend (per year):$31.5 billion on research$57.5 billion on marketing(in addition to consumer ads, that's an average of $61,000 per physician on marketing).If reading studies is not your thing, consumerist.com gives a good digest here.

not our cup o' tea

2007-12-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

so we were backed into a holiday party at a country club in the snootiest area of this very-snooty-to-begin-with city.p decided to wear his chuck taylors in passive aggressive protest to having our saturday night hijacked. otherwise, he was nicely attired in dress pants and a dress shirt.at the coat check, he had a funny exchange with the coat check lady:ccl: do you need a jacket, sir?p: no,

wacko

2007-12-09T12:17:00.000-05:00

in 1992, mike huckabee proposed quarantining AIDS patients like was done in the past for TB.his quotes were in response to an AP questionnaire. He was in the Senate at the time."If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague.""It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It

What's that song that goes like...?

2007-12-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

This is AMAZING...except that my microphone is too complicated to set up at the moment and I haven't actually tried it. Maybe you should.Go to Midomi.com, hum a tune, and it will tell you what you are humming.This is more than a fun gimmick. For example, one time a couple of years ago, I woke up abruptly from a dream with an incredible melody in my head. I hummed it all day so as not to forget it

motherfuckingcocksucker

2007-12-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

AAARGH! i am about to raise high hell. my school's registrar's office just sent me a letter saying that i'm NOT graduating because....well, they don't say why. of course. this is because, in a nutshell, the university of the district of columbia fucking sucks.i am posting this because i googled "udc fucking sucks" and got no hits, to my severe surprise.i have received approximately 17,000 verbal

holidays and wars on concepts

2007-11-30T22:40:00.001-05:00

so my beloved subscription to the daily candy lead me to the discovery of these enchanting xmas cards: which lead me to more anti-xmas propaganda searches, which brought me to "the war on christmas" controversy, and eventually to wikipedia's list of wars on concepts, which to my dismay is very random and generally anemic. i mean, we haven't even declared war on crime yet. i wonder which pro-crime

Shades of Blue...Laws

2007-11-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

I thoroughly enjoyed Slate Magazine's installment article, American Lawbreaking. There are the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government, with their near-perfect symbiosis of checks and balances, but actual policy all hinges on enforcement. Enforcement is what plugs our society's daily operations into its rules, or lets things run afoul of the law, in plain view. Usually because

the tall one is bugging me

2007-11-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

i am trying to compose an intelligent post, but the larger being in my living room is insisting i help him brainstorm ideas for an ebay business. no, really.so, i will return to him what my public (both of you) come up with.s

Home Inspection Nightmares

2007-10-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Most of my afternoon has been consumed by these home inspection nightmares photo galleries.My own home inspection was tons of fun. We found several easily fixable risky situations, like an uncovered ceiling light bulb right above where a door swung when opening. It had burned a pretty big spot out of the top of the door. Some things, like the fact that one window pane pops right out when you open

society of friends

2007-04-17T21:12:00.000-05:00

religion, spirituality, and other sorts of mysticism are, for better or for worse, pretty much lost on me. i just don't buy it. i had a brief pre-adolescent affair with the christian pentecostal denomination, but it was one of those infatuations where beyond three months one either loses themselves or loses the shtick. I lost the latter, along with a bit of dignity and any lingering curiosity.i

13lb. Gummy Bear

2007-03-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

This is just a note to remind myself come May of what I am making for my darling husband for his birthday this year. It looks dangerous, but one only lives once.

new discovery

2007-03-10T20:40:00.000-05:00

I just found a great listing of chords to tons of folk-ish songs here. I have been carrying on about leaving on a jet plane, teaching your children well, and ain't got (having?) money all evening, to my heart's delight. Yes, the downstairs neighbors have turned up their horrendous Spanish-language soft rock, but I kind of take that as a compliment.It's an impressive stock of some fiercely cheesy

being married

2007-02-24T21:12:00.000-05:00

Having beer at home on Tuesdays andWeekend mornings finding the ski ball in the mall arcade feels like playing hooky from churchOn the couch with my book in condo canyon lying next to youI used to chase cities and vodka and serendipityI found you and exactly thisUs as a working machine taking care of morning coffee and small bricks to build our lifetimeIf I am trapped, it is by happiness, not

look at the time fly

2007-01-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

well, i started this blog right before last semester started, and then got right to neglecting to update it.here's another semester starting, one of three left. this college stuff is the worst. (and the best...)one day i will be free, and when i am, watch out. i mean it.loves

longing for lawn darts

2006-12-17T20:49:00.000-05:00

this is a wonderful compilation.

oh i wonder

2006-12-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

so p and i officially love stained grass bluegrass. i think. we've listened to it almost every sunday for maybe two or three months. at first, we sort of made fun of it. not that it was bad, but it was just so easy to mock; twangy accents, people using the word "ain't", and no one taking themselves seriously. well, now when we get up on sunday morning, we turn it on and just listen. i've always

finals are almost over

2006-12-16T11:54:00.000-05:00

uugghh. finals are almost over, and I am so beyond tired. i have to say, though, that today's final was the best one in my scholastic history. here's how it went:teacher comes in.teacher says, "shannon, you're here!"i said, "yes, don't i have to be here?"teacher says, "no. you don't have to take the final, and you will get an "a" in the class."i gathered my stuff and sped home, singing.turns out

movies

2006-11-05T23:07:00.000-05:00

so many things right now could really change, but i'm worried they won't.too, too much to begin to write about. so instead, i reccommend two movies in order to change the subject: lord of war, and borat.

oh my xenu

2006-10-07T15:36:00.000-05:00

beck is a scientologist. dammit, i used to really like him.

borat borat

2006-10-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

i know it's awful, but i am so excited for this movie to come out. for make benefit me.

"i think this will be the single greatest windfall of pennies i ever get." -p

2006-10-01T20:07:00.000-05:00

so p & i drove out to his friend's rental house to assess the damage cause by the most recent renters as the friend has now moved across the country. what a sorry mess-- the renters left all but their bedsheets, from what i could see. An entire life's worth of stuff. i guess the woman and her two children just picked up and went to live with her sister, so they didn't bring any of their

2006-09-09T18:42:00.000-05:00

i hate the drug companies, even if it is not their fault.i hate personal responsibility, as a shield, most especially when there is nothing i can doi hate hate that i am not keeper of this universe, because i do care enough to fix it, or tryand someone should tryhate that i am not even keeper of those very few people that i lovenot even keeper, if i could just keep them from pain and doomi would

2006-09-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

today i worked, worked worked. and then for lunch i dieted. i must say, though, that i am growing more fond of and more proud of my work, and the diet has me shrinking at a satisfactory pace.it's straightforward and rewarding to set goals and keep the nose to the grindstone, but it's damn terrifying to have those "life is what happens while you're busy making plans" cliche's lurking among

happy list

2006-09-07T21:20:00.000-05:00

-The Squid and the Whale, and my new fondness for jeff daniels- timmothy hutton and his fabulous get-ups on a&e's nero wolfe series- seriously digging finance & fiscal policy, especially today's lively debate with enlightened enlisted classmate in full fatigues. we didn't agree on much, but i very much appreciate his point of view.- i'm doing a damn good cover of "wish you were here"- renaissance

first day of school

2006-08-28T20:29:00.000-05:00

new classes started today, and i'm tired. on mondays and wednesdays it's international finance and business finance. although they sound similar, international seems like it will be a lot of fun, whereas business will be a soulsucking experience.for economical and bmi reasons, i have resolved not to eat dinner at schlotzsky's every night before class. (this is extremely difficult, because their "

kitten mind control

2006-08-26T16:52:00.000-05:00

so in addition to our two adorably wonderfull kittens, we're also boarding my sister's old, fat tatter-eared cat named fred. what fred lacks in cuteness he makes up for in sociability, and I've actually grown pretty fond of him. my kittens are not anti-social, but they are more interested in me entertaining and doting on them, whereas fred just straight up adores me. he breaks out into purrs if i

coincidence

2006-08-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

few things swirling through my mind today, the most interesting having to do with my mind itself. on sunday night i heard a great program about how we interpret coincidence. it reaffirmed for me how nice and bland i could continue to have it as an empiricist (a belief i wouldn't defend it in an argument, but must cop to in the interest of full disclosure).more importantly,it reminded me that i