Kara

Cancun

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:46:46 GMT

we recently took a trip to Cancun with my cousins, Julie and Paul. I put together a little slide show of the pictures we took while there and wanted to share them with you.

http://2226432512.slide.com/p/4/Cancun_2C+Feb+2007

We had a really great time, although the weather was less than ideal. Of course, it was still much warmer then around here but still a little too windy and chilly to be out in your swimsuit! After a day of that, we just started wearing our swimsuit under our clothes and pretending like the weather was great.

Besides the weather though, the trip was great. Julie and Paul are always a ton of fun and we went out and did a lot. Neils and I went parasailing and went to a water park called Xelha. Xelha is where a fresh water river meets the ocean. There is an inlet where you can snorkel, a lazy river you can float down, underwater caves you can explore and much more. We actually didn't really have enough time to see all of that, but we still had a great time. You won't see any of those pictures on the slide show however, because we took them with a water proof camera and are saving the rest of the film for when our return trip to Cancun.

We also ate at some incredibly fabulous restaurants. The one with the best food by far was the JW Marriot on lobster night. What's Lobster night? Well you pay $50/person and then eat all the lobster tails you can. Seriously, they were fabulous! But also, you get to eat from a buffet that was just incredible. Anything your little heart desired, it could find on this buffet and it was all phenomenal.

The restaurant with the best atmosphere (probably in the WORLD) was the Thai. You will see a lot of pictures of this place on my slide show. This restaurant is right next a giant interactive aquarium. They actually share a wall. So the night we discovered it, we were looking for some where to just stop and have a few drinks. We went in and it is all these wonderfully private little bamboo huts, some are more sectioned off then others. Because it was a little later in the evening when we went the first time, we had the pick of the place. Our hostess seated us in what seemed like it might be a VIP area because it was roped off. This table was right next the aquarium, so we spent the evening having drinks and watching the dolphins swim by. It was AMAZING!! The second night we went back it was Neils' birthday. We were seated out on the ocean and had a great meal!

Besides the trip things are pretty non-eventful here. On a regular basis we ask ourselves why we don't live some where warmer. We're working on it! More immediately though, we will be gearing up for the next Cancun trip in April.

It's so almost here!!

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 16:07:52 GMT

Ok so it's almost Christmas and right about now I start to get all excited. It's not so much really the presents but more the prospect of everyone being together, and you should probably know that when I say everyone I really mean those of my favorite people who I rarely get to see.

Paul just called, and they are going to be leaving for Isabel around noon. And this is our year to have Christie and Tommy (Paul's sister and her boyfriend) so that makes it even better!!

I also just got off the phone with my little sister who lives about an hour outside Denver. We were a little worried that she wouldn't be able to make it home, but it looks like things have cleared up enough out there to travel so she should be in Isabel tomorrow morning!!

Neils and I are going to meet Julie, Paul and crew in Isabel tonight! They will all be meeting him for the first time. I can't wait. I love sharing amazing people with other amazing people.

I'm at work right now and I'm afraid it's going to be a very long day as I'm already having a hard time concentrating!

Merry Christmas everyone!! Or Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Winter Solstice or whatever it is that you celebrate. I hope your season and your life, for that matter, is filled with amazing people!

Abstinence Only for Adults - US Centric

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 14:56:57 GMT

Do we have nothing better to spend our federal money

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-10-30-abstinence-message_x.htm?csp=24

Abstinence message goes beyond teens

By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY
The federal government's "no sex without marriage" message isn't just for kids anymore.
Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money that will be available to the states under revised federal grant guidelines for 2007.

The government says the change is a clarification. But critics say it's a clear signal of a more directed policy targeting the sexual behavior of adults.

"They've stepped over the line of common sense," said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that supports sex education. "To be preaching abstinence when 90% of people are having sex is in essence to lose touch with reality. It's an ideological campaign. It has nothing to do with public health."

Abstinence education programs, which have focused on preteens and teens, teach that abstaining from sex is the only effective or acceptable method to prevent pregnancy or disease. They give no instruction on birth control or safe sex.

The National Center for Health Statistics says well over 90% of adults ages 20-29 have had sexual intercourse.

But Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families at the Department of Health and Human Services, said the revision is aimed at 19- to 29-year-olds because more unmarried women in that age group are having children.

Government data released last month show that 998,262 births in 2004 were to unmarried women 19-29, the ages with the most births to unmarried women.

"The message is 'It's better to wait until you're married to bear or father children,' " Horn said. "The only 100% effective way of getting there is abstinence."

The revised guidelines specify that states seeking grants are "to identify groups ... most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock, targeting adolescents and/or adults within the 12- through 29-year-old age range." Previous guidelines didn't mention targeting of an age group.

"We wanted to remind states they could use these funds not only to target adolescents," Horn said. "It's a reminder."

Last year, 46 states applied for the federal abstinence-education money, to fund programs in schools, neighborhood clubs and faith-based organizations.

Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, says abstinence programs are among many messages that have helped reduce teen pregnancy rates. But "the notion that the federal government is supporting millions of dollars worth of messages to people who are grown adults about how to conduct their sex life is a very divisive policy," she says.

"We would oppose any program that stigmatizes unmarried people," adds Nicky Grist, executive director of the Alternatives to Marriage Project, a non-profit organization based in Brooklyn, N.Y., that advocates for the rights of unmarried people.

For last year's state grants, Congress appropriated $50 million. A similar amount is expected for 2007, but the money has not yet been allocated, according to the Administration for Children and Families.

"I think the program should talk about the problem with out-of- wedlock childbearing — not about your sex life," Brown says. "If you use contraception effectively and consistently, you will not be in the pool of out-of-wedlock births."

Interesting Op-Ed from NY Times

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 14:07:35 GMT

October 16, 2006
NY Times Op-Ed Columnist
Why Aren’t We Shocked?
By BOB HERBERT

“Who needs a brain when you have these?”
— message on an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt for young women

In the recent shootings at an Amish schoolhouse in rural Pennsylvania and a large public high school in Colorado, the killers went out of their way to separate the girls from the boys, and then deliberately attacked only the girls.

Ten girls were shot and five killed at the Amish school. One girl was killed and a number of others were molested in the Colorado attack.

In the widespread coverage that followed these crimes, very little was made of the fact that only girls were targeted. Imagine if a gunman had gone into a school, separated the kids up on the basis of race or religion, and then shot only the black kids. Or only the white kids. Or only the Jews.

There would have been thunderous outrage. The country would have first recoiled in horror, and then mobilized in an effort to eradicate that kind of murderous bigotry. There would have been calls for action and reflection. And the attack would have been seen for what it really was: a hate crime.

None of that occurred because these were just girls, and we have become so accustomed to living in a society saturated with misogyny that violence against females is more or less to be expected. Stories about the rape, murder and mutilation of women and girls are staples of the news, as familiar to us as weather forecasts. The startling aspect of the Pennsylvania attack was that this terrible thing happened at a school in Amish country, not that it happened to girls.

The disrespectful, degrading, contemptuous treatment of women is so pervasive and so mainstream that it has just about lost its ability to shock. Guys at sporting events and other public venues have shown no qualms about raising an insistent chant to nearby women to show their breasts. An ad for a major long-distance telephone carrier shows three apparently naked women holding a billing statement from a competitor. The text asks, “When was the last time you got screwed?”

An ad for Clinique moisturizing lotion shows a woman’s face with the lotion spattered across it to simulate the climactic shot of a porn video.

We have a problem. Staggering amounts of violence are unleashed on women every day, and there is no escaping the fact that in the most sensational stories, large segments of the population are titillated by that violence. We’ve been watching the sexualized image of the murdered 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey for 10 years. JonBenet is dead. Her mother is dead. And we’re still watching the video of this poor child prancing in lipstick and high heels.

What have we learned since then? That there’s big money to be made from thongs, spandex tops and sexy makeovers for little girls. In a misogynistic culture, it’s never too early to drill into the minds of girls that what really matters is their appearance and their ability to please men sexually.

A girl or woman is sexually assaulted every couple of minutes or so in the U.S. The number of seriously battered wives and girlfriends is far beyond the ability of any agency to count. We’re all implicated in this carnage because the relentless violence against women and girls is linked at its core to the wider society’s casual willingness to dehumanize women and girls, to see them first and foremost as sexual vessels — objects — and never, ever as the equals of men.

“Once you dehumanize somebody, everything is possible,” said Taina Bien-Aimé, executive director of the women’s advocacy group Equality Now.

That was never clearer than in some of the extreme forms of pornography that have spread like nuclear waste across mainstream America. Forget the embarrassed, inhibited raincoat crowd of the old days. Now Mr. Solid Citizen can come home, log on to this $7 billion mega-industry and get his kicks watching real women being beaten and sexually assaulted on Web sites with names like “Ravished Bride” and “Rough Sex — Where Whores Get Owned.”

Then, of course, there’s gangsta rap, and the video games where the players themselves get to maul and molest women, the rise of pimp culture (the Academy Award-winning song this year was “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”), and on and on.

You’re deluded if you think this is all about fun and games. It’s all part of a devastating continuum of misogyny that at its farthest extreme touches down in places like the one-room Amish schoolhouse in normally quiet Nickel Mines, Pa.

Free Hugs

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 19:56:45 GMT

Yeah...this is something I would totally do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Counter Culture

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:08:58 GMT

Check this out...

money.cnn.com/2006/08/31/...z2/index.htm

I am apart of the counter culture!!

I Can Do Anything, So How Do I Choose?

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 19:12:27 GMT

Ok...This is how I feel a lot. I'm kind of glad it got sent to me. It's nice to know I'm not the only one.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6594606/site/newsweek&&CM=EmailThis&CE=1

On an unrelated note, I would just like to say WTF to the random guys who get lost in my hospital, stop in to get directions and then ask me out. Dude, in case you didn't notice I'm working. Who does that? I may be over reacting a bit on this, but I feel like that basically just sends a pretty loud and clear message that you don't think my job is that important, since it totally acceptable for you to stop in, tell me some of your personal stories and then ask me out like we are at a bar or something. GET OUT OF MY OFFICE...I'M BUSY!!!

Study Shows...

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 13:24:05 GMT

Does anyone else find this a bit ridiculous?

http://www.tatom.org/documents/CNN.com-StudyNewstudyshows.htm

PostSecret.com

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 21:28:18 GMT

Have you seen this?

I've been enjoying it now for a few months. I find it to be absolutely beautiful.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

A Horrible Thought - US Centric

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:59:36 GMT

I just had a horrible thought.

I live in SD and as you know we are in the midst of a debate on a total abortion ban (with the only exception being save the life of the mother)that was passed by the legislature and signed into law. The ban has been referred to vote in Nov. So now the campaigning has started. Most S. Dakotans oppose the ban because they view it as being too restrictive and would probably support it if it allowed for a rape and incest victim exception. So now, the supporters are saying that it does, in fact, provide an exception for cases of rape and incest because it allows for the morning after pill.

I know there are a few other states that have passed the same sort of law, but I'm not sure where in the process. So I had this horrible thought, what if the only reason the FDA actually approved the morning after pill as an OTC drug was to give the pro-life people more footing with their stance that this ban does have an exception for rape and incest victims.

Could this "progress" actually be a bad thing?

Tom Petty - Update

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 14:24:01 GMT

Just thought you should know that the concert ROCKED last night. Um yeah, Stevie Nicks showed up and did a surprise guest performance!!! Which also totally ROCKED!!!

I rode our local public transit home, so I could come into work on this ever so lovely morning. We didn't get back to Pierre until 5am. I did sleep a bit on the bus, but it was very limited. One of the other guys on the bus comes into the bar where I work, so he was all excited to see me. Awhile ago this guy, who's in his 40s, decided that he was in love with me, so he sat in the seat behind me and played with my hair and reached over and adjusted my blanket the whole way home...Yeah it was a super comfy ride home. ;)

Very tired, but all in all it was good times!

I would attach pictures but I'm not a paid member, so you will just have to imagine how good it was and how beautiful my posse and I were!

Tom Petty in Sturgis

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:13:35 GMT

I just thought you should all know that I am going to see Tom Petty in Sturgis tonight. I decided Monday that I wanted to go and finalized the last of the plans this morning. I love last minute spontaneous trips. They remind of a more fun, less grown up times.

I will leave you with something to think about:

Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinking that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, an d if she had to die
Trying she had one little promise
She was gonna keep

Oh yeah, all right
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl

Cowboy George

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 14:39:42 GMT

This is really sad and infuriating that at our highest level of operation our county’s representatives think that this kind of behavior is appropriate. No wonder the rest of the world hates us.

http://nynerd.com/bush-gives-german-chancellor-merkel-a-backrub/

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/19/MNG3HK1MDI1.DTL

Some of my fav quotes from the article:

"When he is away from his script and his handlers, his true lack of intelligence and emotional maturity surfaces for all to see. The dangerous situation in Lebanon ... requires true leadership. Don't look for it from the world's uberpower."

"You could use this video for sexual harassment training. It's something you'd show and say, "No one in a boss' position should be doing that," Whetstone said.

It’s kind of hard to buy that he believes in equal rights when he has no problem singling out the only woman at the G8 for some inappropriate and un-requested physical attention.

The more I think about it the more disgusted and upset I get…WTF!!!

10 Reasons to be Single

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:26:55 GMT

Are you better off single?
By Dawn Yanek

Attention, unmarried people of America: You can splurge on a fancy new wristwatch without having to explain yourself. You can stay out till 3 a.m. without having to phone home. You can leave the toilet seat up. In fact, there are many, many ways that single life rocks, though you may forget that fact when your relatives are grilling you about settling down.

Not only do you have the freedom to do anything you want—it’s also the best time in history to be flying solo. The marriage rate has declined nearly 50 percent since 1970, according to the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, and right now, there are approximately 100 million singles in the U.S. And there’s strength in those numbers: “Today’s choose-to-be singles differ from the poor-me singles of past generations; there’s less of a stigma attached to being single, ” says Jerusha Stewart, author of The Single Girl’s Manifesta. “Singles are traveling, buying homes and doing everything they want to—you don’t have to get married anymore to live your life with style.”

Want more specifics on why you should celebrate being single? Here, 10 fascinating benefits to being unmarried:

Reason #1: You have a better body.
We’ve all been there—you get into a relationship, and suddenly you’re trying out new recipes all the time and cuddling instead of exercising. Well, things tend to get worse with marriage. A recent Cornell University study found that women generally gain five to eight pounds in the first few years of marriage and unhappily married women gain an average of 54 pounds in the first 10 years.

For the unmarried, though, the motivation to stay slim remains: “Singles look at themselves through the eyes of others and want to be attractive to potential partners,” says Susan Davis, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in New York City, “so they’re still ‘working on themselves.’” In short, being single is way better than any New Year’s resolution or exercise DVD to motivate you to stay in shape.

Reason #2: You’re more likely to achieve great things.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have the time, the quiet and the lack of familial responsibilities. In fact, your premarital motivation to excel in life may be biologically programmed. According to a study conducted at the London School of Economics and Political Scientists, male scientists who stay single longer peak in their careers later in life and tend to be more productive than their married counterparts. Researchers theorize that men, in general, may show off their talents to win the interest of women and then, once they’ve won a wife, get comfortable and do less. In fact, studies have shown that testosterone levels, which boost action, decrease after a man gets married and has children. So single folk should know they are primed to achieve — whether that means turbo-charging their careers or honing their rock-climbing skills — and get out there and work it!

Reason #3: You do less housework.
You know that saying about a tree falling in a forest and there’s no one there to hear it? Well, if you leave a sock on the floor but there’s no one else there to see it, does it really need to be picked up? If you’re a single woman, you can contemplate deep questions like this one because you have more free time. According to one study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, women do less housework when single than when married. Men, on the other hand, do more housework when unmarried (that’s probably because there’s someone picking up after them once they’re wed…). So the message here is for unmarried women to enjoy their less chore-filled life; fill those free hours with classes, good books, blabbing with friends—whatever makes you happy.

Reason #4: You can do what you want with your money—including keep it.
Go ahead: Splurge on that pricey moisturizer or that obscenely large plasma TV you’ve been lusting after. You don’t have to justify your purchase to anyone but yourself. Once you mix money with marriage, though, things change—and fast. According to a survey by SmartMoney magazine, 40 percent of women and 36 percent of men have lied to their spouses about a purchase. “When you’re single, your finances are your own,” explains Phyllis Chase, a Los Angeles–based psychologist and co-host of the radio show Shrink Rap. “When you’re married, you have to deal with different styles of spending and saving, and you may take on your partner’s debt.” And a marriage that doesn’t make it for the long haul can also have a major negative effect on one’s wealth. According to researchers at Ohio State University’s Center for Human Resource Research, during a divorce, men and women generally lose three-fourths of their personal net worth. Double ouch.

Reason #5: You have better sex.
Married couples may have more sex (approximately 98 times a year vs. singles’ 49), but singles have better sex. According to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, married women are significantly more likely to report problems with their sex lives than single women. “People who are dating have better sex because it’s novel,” says Davis. “Married people have to relearn how to play. It’s natural for singles because that’s the nature of a courting relationship—they tease, they experiment, they explore.” Nature lends a helping hand, too. According to researchers at the University of Pisa in Italy, raging testosterone levels in both men and women makes the sex hotter during the first two years of a relationship. After that, other hormones take over—most notably, oxytocin, a bonding chemical, kicks in. While getting connected and comfortable is a positive step in a relationship, long-term lovers have to work harder to keep things hot in the bedroom. Singles, however, sizzle just the way they are.

Reason #6: You’re better rested and smarter.
While snuggling up next to a warm body can be pretty fantastic, according to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, your bedmate can cause you to lose an average of 49 minutes of sleep per night. Sleeping two-to-a-bed just isn’t as restful as snoozing solo. Other studies confirm that singles generally get more rest — seven to eight hours of sleep a night — than marrieds, which enhances memory, mood and concentration, as well as allows your immune system to recharge. And, according to scientists at the University of Luebeck in Germany, creativity and problem-solving may directly correlate with getting enough sleep. In the study, participants were given a math puzzle; those who’d had eight hours of sleep or more before tackling it were three times more likely to get the right answer than those who slept less. So, singles, revel in the fact that you’re alert, rested and have that extra brain-power edge.

Reason #7: You’re less depressed.
Although the media often perpetuates the image of single people being down in the dumps, overall unmarried people tend to be happier than their married counterparts—if you’re a woman, that is. One report by the World Health Organization indicated that married women, especially ones with children, have a higher risk for depression than single women, and researchers at the University of London found that single women generally have fewer mental-health issues. “Marriage, in many ways, seems to benefit men more than women,” says Davis. “For women, there’s more of a loss of self.” And, of course, today’s women often feel like they need to do it all—have a career, take care of the kids and perform other traditionally “female” responsibilities. “People who aren’t married are still investing in themselves,” says Davis. “It’s not selfish—it’s giving to yourself, and that’s something married people can learn from single people.”

Reason #8: You have better friendships.
Significant others are a wonderful thing, no doubt, but friends count, too. And on that front, one study found that, when women get married and have children, they spend much less time with their friends—less than five hours a week, down from 14 hours. Singles, however, often have the greatest sense of friendship and community—which can actually decrease stress levels, according to researchers at UCLA.

Here's another way to look at this: “Singles don’t rely on just one person to meet their needs. You don’t automatically know who you’re going to spend Friday night with,” says Sasha Cagen, author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics. “The plus side is that you have a lot of different people in your life and potentially a greater sense of social possibilities.”

Reason #9: Your travel tales are enviable.
Marrieds take the most vacations, dominating the market with 62 percent of all trips taken, but singles arguably go on more interesting trips. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, singles corner the adventure-travel market, engaging in activities like whitewater rafting, scuba diving and mountain biking. Being single and relatively footloose certainly allows you to expand your geographical — and personal — borders. “I have lived abroad, backpacked for close to a year, have been in love three times and much more,” says Courtney Davis, 27, a media-relations manager in Boston. “With every place and every person, my world has expanded.”

Reason #10: You know yourself—and what you want out of a relationship.
You’re a better catch now than you were at 20. You may have signs of, ahem, experience etched on your face, but that’s OK because you’re more interesting and more self-aware. Not only have you grown as a person, but you’ve probably been through the ringer a few times in matters of love and now know what you want—and what you don’t. Experts say that bodes well for future marital success and may actually decrease the likelihood of divorce. “When people get married young, they often feel like the other person will complete them, and they have trouble moving past that Hollywood myth,” explains Chase. “But maturity brings so much, because if you’re able to communicate who you are and what you want, the better your chances of having a successful marriage.” And that’s a wonderful message: Your single self is great... and should you find the right person and decide to marry, you’re more likely to thrive in that stage of your life, too.

Not that I ever really saw much value in it before, but now I'm convinced there is really no good reason for me to get married. :)

Thanks from the S. Dakotan that Needed Your Help - US Centric X Posted

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 15:20:04 GMT

Thanks to all of you who sent Gov. Rounds letters asking him not to sign the abortion ban. Unfortunately, it did not sway his decision as he has done so...

I guess we will now have to turn our focus on the battle that will ensue within the legal system and possibly will be referred to a referendum at the 2006 polls.

One thing you could do now is to contact Planned Parenthood of South Dakota (sorry I can't get you the contact info right now...I'm at work)and show your support by donating to the pending legal battle. Proponents of this bill are already collecting donations to defend it. In fact, Gov. Rounds has signed a bill allowing private donations to be collected to do so.

It is sad day for women not only in South Dakota but for women all over the country. Many other states are looking at legislation just like this, so please get active in whatever way you can!!

S. Dakotan Needs Your Help - X Posted

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 00:48:31 GMT

I live in SD and as most of you may know, a very broad ban on abortion has passed both houses of the SD State Congress. It is now sitting on the desk
of Gov. Mike Rounds. I read in the paper that there are some
concerns of how the bill, if signed into law, might affect tourism in SD.

I have sent letters to the legislators myself while the bill was
moving through congress, but now I'm asking for your help. Contact
Gov. Rounds and let him know that if this bill becomes law that you
would boycott SD for any potential tourism options (even if you
never intended on vacationing in SD in the first place).

The bill basically bans all abortions, leaving only an exception
for saving the mother's life. Therefore, victims of rape and incest
would not have an option. It's direct intentions are to challenge
Roe V. Wade on a national level. Nothing about this ban is good for
this country.

Here is Gov. Rounds contact information:

Office of the Governor
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
605.773.3212

http://www.state.sd.us/governor/

Thanks!

FYI

Fri, 16 Sep 2005 20:00:23 GMT

The O.C. was AWESOME last night, in case anyone is wondering!!

Kara Bear

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:58:27 GMT

This is my new playa nickname. Paul said it came to him in a vision last night...well I don't know about all of that (especiall since I've been called it before) But Julie and Paul made me a CD and my artwork for the cover goes with my name, so there you have it.

So I'm getting very excited for BMAN. I have purchased a few things to wear (or not) during the hot days and then hopefully Julie will have most of the stuff to dress up at night. Although, I did find some old dance costumes that will work perfectly for this event.

I think, that when I get back I will get the pics developed and have them put on CDs so I can share the G rated ones with all of you!

On another note, I have purchased four books about Thailand and am almost half way through the first. It is wonderful. It is written by a girl from Canada who lived in Thailand when she was 17. It seems very realistic. It seems like when you make a move like that it becomes both the best and worst place you've even been at first. Then once you get used to the difference you just start to love it. The way she describes the people and scenery makes me want to hurry up and get over there. I think it is going to be one of the best experiences of my whole life. I just wish I could get it started already!

Ok...well that is all for now. As you were.

~K

Contradiction

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 02:43:59 GMT

When I was in high school we had this librarian named Mrs. Melby. She was an older lady but a nice lady. We never had any real super special bond but we chatted now and then when I was in the library or passing through. And then sometimes when Amber and I went to breakfast with my parents (always at the crack of dawn) we would see her and her husband there. I would always stop and talk to both of them, maybe just saying hi or maybe actually chat a little. My parents usually stopped and talked as well.

Then while I still lived in Minneapolis, Mrs. Melby died. I'm not sure what of, but my mom called and told me.

So the other day my mom, a few ladies that work for us went and I for breakfast. On our way out the door I saw Mrs. Melby's husband. I walked over and said hi. He hugged me and asked what I was doing back. We made some small talk and I went about my day. The same sort of thing I always did when I saw him at breakfast.

Tonight while my mom and I were sitting around on our lazy butts, the phone rang. I have no idea who my mom is talking to but whoever it is they are clearly about me. So I hear her say something about breakfast at 6:45 tomorrow morning and I give her a mean face. When she hangs up, she tells me that it is Mr. Melby calling to say that he has a niece and a nephew that work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and that he could maybe call and see if they could find me a PR job there. So mom made us a breakfast date to talk about it.

How is it possible that you can live in a town that can make you crazy one minute and make you humble the next? Seriously, I never did anything extraordinary for this guy, just made small talk. And yet he cares enough to think of way to try to help get me a job he knows I would enjoy. Doesn't that seem a little crazy?

I don't know, maybe there is something more that I'm supposed to learn here. I forget how great small town people can be sometimes, because the bad stuff is just easier I guess. The bad stuff sticks out and you just forget about the little stuff. I bet it is those little things that make people want to stay in small towns. Now I'm not saying that I will ever be one of those people, but maybe I can understand them a little more now.

I don't know...but tonight was a nice night.

~K

My Church

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 15:30:12 GMT

So I read this article in our town's little weekly news paper (for the record we have a daily one too), and it has really been bugging me lately. It was about how the national Synod of the United Church of Christ recently voted on whether or not to affirm and actually perform homosexual marriage. The large majority at the national synod voted yes...so my national congregation now affirms and performs homosexual marriages. Yay my national congration!!

So now to the part that's been bugging me, both the Pierre and Fort Pierre churches disagree with the decsion and are 'disapointed' that the topic even came up for a vote. I should probably note here, that I was raised, baptised and confirmed in the Pierre church, so that should clairfy why I care. Niether church feels that this is an issues that a.) should have been brought to a vote as the people of this congregation feel uncomfortable with discussing the topic and now b.)that the decsion is not reflective of the way their congregations believe. The Fort Pierre church is even drafting a letter of dissent.

Now keep in mind, that the decsions that the natinal Synod makes are not forced upon each church. In my understanding, they are kind of like guidelines and each church is kind of allowed to use them as they see fit for their congregation.

So my question is first, when we are talking about a church, a place where people are supposed to be accepted without judgement, why then are people so upset about this decsion? Because afterall isn't that what this decsion is basically doing? Supporting people and their love for one another without judgement. I know the arguments for that side but they just seem ridiculous and I can't possibly understand how or why so many people still subscribe to them. I mean "It says in the Bible that homosexuality is wrong." Well guess what, if you look hard enough I bet you can find a verse to support whatever agenda you are going for. Seriously, wasn't that same "Well the Bible says so" line used to support slavery? You would now be hard pressed to find someone in a church in Pierre admit that the Bible says slavery is the proper way of life, and yet they use the same damn excuse to judge homosexuals.

My second question is, if your particular church doesn't have to affirm or perform gay marriage, you know because it is 'right' for your congregation, then why do you care. Continue on with your heads stuck in the sand and just don't even worry about what those 'crazy liberals' at the national level are doing.

I would really just like to get up in front of 'my' church and tell them this: "People are people. The one thing that all of Christianity has in common is that you are supposed to love one another. Besides, think about what percentage of your day/life you actually spend being your sexuality. It is very nominal. Homosexuals have whole lives that do not consist of their sexuality. They get up everyday, go to work, socialize with friends, contribute to the community and spend time with their loved ones. Most of their day is very similar to yours. So you are suggesting that we discriminate people based on what they do for a small fraction of their day? Everyone has something they can teach you, and I am not willing to miss out on life lessons for that reason. And my life will be more enriched because of it.

Who are you to decide what God thinks or what He/She wants. In situations like this, when you aren't sure what the correct answer is, I think you should just treat everyone with compassion and equality. Then on judgment day if God asks you, why you affirmed those gay marriages you can say, 'I was just doing the best I could.'"

Things like this always make me feel really torn. I know that Richard often struggled with why people were so terrible to each other (even though he had is own little terrible moments, he was at heard a really good person). And in his memory I would like nothing more but to boycott organizations that have this kind of mentality. But at the same time, how do I let my parents down. I'm here, they are going to want me to go to church and quite frankly they will never understand why this bothers me so much.

I can't wait to get out of here!

I would do anything for you

Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:04:46 GMT

So this is a phrase I seem to be hearing a lot lately by some of the men in my life, however what it really means is "I would do anything for you except the basic day to day stuff that most people would do for other people regardless of their relationship." With Nick it was (and basically still is) "I would do anything for you, except get a better job to help pay for my half of the bills." And now that I"m home I have this friend, and I will use the term loosely here, Otter (his real name is Justin). Ok so Otter and I have had our more than friend moments in the past but nothing like that recently. Now, just to clarify here, I have NO intention of being anything but friends with this guy, but I need friends too right. So while talking on the phone the other night about one of his ex-girlfriends he said "Well I have told her before I would do anything for her, but I would do anything for you so it doesn't really make her special." They are having drama, so that is where that statement is coming from. Anyway so after we finish discussing the drama, we make plans to hang out the next night when I get off of work. He is supposed to come down to the restaurant that I work at around the time I am going to get off and we would have a drink. Ok, so I'm at work, I'm off of work, I wait at work, I call Otter, he doesn't answer, I wait a little longer, I call again, he still doesn't answer so I leave and go home without hearing a word from Otter. So apparently with Otter it is "I would do anything for you except keep our plans or at least have the courtesy to call and give you an explanation of why I'm canceling."

Now, the only good I can find in guys right now is my 'friend' Joe, who I starting hanging out with shortly after Nick and I broke up. It was always crystal clear on both ends that we were a no stings attached deal, because I was leaving and he needs to get his life together. He told me that same thing before I left, "Kara I would do anything for you." He has yet to let me down, but is that just because I have never expected anything from him?

I think I give up. I think I will just adopt my little girl and we will just have each other. I think it will be easier than trying to do and be everything for three instead of just two...

~K

Breaking Up

Thu, 21 Jul 2005 20:10:45 GMT

In the future I think I might just never date again. It's highly overrated. It just becomes a permanent babysitting session that gets all messy when you try to end it....Yeah I think I'll pass.

My Last day

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 17:38:16 GMT

It's my last day at Transentric!! *Does a happy dance around the cube* Plans for next week include packing, cleaing and laying by the pool. None of which will start before 10am.

Where do they find these people?!?!

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 19:47:44 GMT

And who elects them...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61804-2005Apr17.html

This guy disgusts me!

Asia

Wed, 22 Jun 2005 15:58:17 GMT

So I have decided to quit my job, move home, save money and hopefully go teach English in Asia some where.

I have already put in my 30 day (yes I'm just that nice), I need to the same with my apartment and my parents are aware. My mom is excited that I'm coming home but not overly excited about the Asia thing.

Ok...that's all I'll say for now.