To Spurn Disillusionment. For at least a little longer

I just finished watching The Hours with my dear friends, Jenny and Patrick. I had forgotten how absolutely, exquisitely beautiful this film is. Not just score and cinematography, but also in prose and sincere philosophical searching.

There are things that I understand in it differently, now that I am older and have faced losses and seen things change so much from what I originally thought they would be.

I also forgot how much I genuinely enjoy feeling my heart ache in a movie like The Hours. What can I say? Like a good, dark chocolate or nice, complex red there is something to be savored in a beautiful agony.

Nonetheless, I delight in happiness.

In these past few weeks and months, I have felt myself ready to surrender to the dispassionate distance of pragmatism and complacency; this is what it is to "grow up." However, recently, certain people have been brought into my path to give renewed hope in the possibility of retaining innocence and sincerity and trust. Nathan, if your eyes see this, you are one of those. Also, my soon-to-be roommates, Marc and Kevin.

I have been injected with new hope and will keep my heart.

Perhaps a day will come when I will finish "growing up" and finish this process of disillusionment. But for now, I will smile and cling to some idealism.

Wanda Sykes On Gay Marriage

Wanda has some really funny observations on gay marriage in this 5 min clip. Seriously, whatever your political stance, it's funny. And I agree with all of it! Ha ha. 

For some of my faint-hearted Mormon (Christian, agnostic) friends, she does say something a little crass at about 4:10, so you can just stop there. It's all still funny even without the last joke. 

Menstruation Matters

So I am borrowing this issue from something my friend, Graeme, posted on his blog, so forgive me for blog recycling, but I think this is a really great issue. 

So here is the deal. Kids in Africa need an education if they are going have any hope of building their communities and nations. As you may know, I was involved with the WRI, that sponsored and ran education programs for women in Mali. Super. Awesome. Right? Well, here's the deal: what do you do if you are a young woman living in rural Africa, without access to Walgreens and you have a period??

The answer is, most young women stay home during the time of their menses. My chicas, you know about this better than I do, but that can result in missing up to a full week of school! Every month. That's missing 1/4 of all school days. 

This is not good. How are these capable young women expected to keep up in school? Some families use this as an excuse to completely pull them out of school. 

What is the solution? you ask. Well, clearly these girls need some feminine hygiene products. 

Now before you starting mailing out Maxi pads en masse, remember we are talking about rural Africa. No septic waste system or landfill system. 

So check out www.goods4girls.org. This site will give you instructions on how to help provide reusable (read washable) feminine hygiene pads to young women in rural Africa, so that they can go to school and be empowered by education.

This is not just important for the sake gender equality. Recent research has found that in African states where women are able to achieve leadership roles in business and politics, the state and local economies are stronger and more stable, there is less criminal activity, and there are more politically fair, just, and progressive laws on the books. Women in education and thus women in power are good for the future of Africa. 

I have already contacted one of my activist friends about starting something in Provo, UT. I will be emailing the WRI and getting in touch with a few of my female Mormon friends (because they have access to their local Relief Societies). But I would urge those of you who are Mormon, to talk to your Relief Society president about this. I think this would be a far worthier activity for Enrichment Night than making another damn hot glue creation. Remember, the Relief Society was one  of the first feminist organizations in the U.S. Keep that spirit a live. 

A Real Life Update

Okay. So I am feeling the beginnings of stress. By the end of this month I have to move out of my house in Provo and hopefully move into an apartment in San Francisco. 

I am going to go for one weekend (either this coming weekend or the following) to look for an apartment. I don't know what will happen if I can't find one in that weekend. 

I then have to pack up all of my crap, while still keeping up with school, and perhaps even get a little ahead to compensate for the days I will disappear off the face of the earth moving and settling in. 

The semester is done for me in the third week of May, after which I had darned well better have a full time job lined up. I am already looking into a couple of summer jobs working with kids (my default, fall-back work). 

Oh. And I still haven't printed out my portfolio or written my letter of intent for the art direction track in the advertising program! I am still uncertain as to whether or not I should redesign my resume. Everything needs to look polished and perfect. Thankfully, I am pre-registered for Fall classes contingent on my acceptance so I have had a bit of leeway on portfolio submission (but I am feeling like that time is up). 

So this is the month to buckle down. 

What have I been doing with my time? I have been making a half hearted attempt to regain the weight I lost when I came back from San Francisco. I plummeted to 145. At most recent weigh in (Friday) I am 147. Fortunately, my bench press has not suffered. 

Also, I have been disgracefully indulging in Sex and the City, movies with friends, and eating out with friends. At the same time, I think it's been a good thing for me. Well, I should probably not eat out so much since I need to save money, but I feel . . . pretty damn okay. 

In some ways it has been kind of frustrating because I just have this feeling of  . . . waiting before I can really do anything. Thankfully, I think I still have time, that if I am prudent in my use of time, I can get things done. It will just mean a cut back in stupid, frivolous stuff like watching TV online. :D

For my friends in life, I want to thank you for your love and support, you guys in small and big ways are a balm to my heart  and soul