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last night was anne's tap dance recital. she was awesome! i am so proud of my friend and her talents. it's truly inspiring.
dawn and i were thinking the same thing last night. as true social scientists, we were fascinated by the dynamics of the evening. here, packed into a tiny room at the vfw, were about 50 (mostly) middle-aged women and one man and their supportive loved ones in chairs surrounding the dance floor. i kept asking myself what inspired them to pick tap dancing? was it, like anne, a love for broadway and a desire to be glamorus? was it sheer boredom with their upper-middle class lifestyle and the need for a new stimulus? or was it, as dawn remarked, simply a form of low-impact aerobic exercise?
whatever the reason, the women danced their hearts out. and succeeded. dressed in their black pants purchased from nordstroms and their festive holiday knit vests, these women tapped and tapped away.
i am still debating which part i loved the most -
was it billy, the flamboyant, drag queen instructor in his black sequined hot pants and rhinestone eyeliner (i have got to find out how you do that!)?
or the 50-something asian woman with the sparkly rocawear t-shirt?
or the moment when janelle shouted to the audience, show me the beavers! |
| posted by Paige @ 6:40 AM |
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| 17.12.03 |
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| i really want a pair of penny loafers. my mom used to wear these great, burgandy penny loafers and i loved them. they had such a classic style to them; 1 part 1960s prep and 1 part comfort. i want to know where to find those again? do you suppose the sears catalogue still sells them? |
| posted by Paige @ 1:30 PM |
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| this onion article, although humorous, makes a really good point about the american ability to justify. it makes me wonder what other things i have been justifying that perhaps i shouldn't be. |
| posted by Paige @ 8:56 AM |
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| 16.12.03 |
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this is the week that never ends! i feel like it's already been two whole weeks, and it's not even 1:30 on tuesday!!! will friday never come?
but, i was pretty excited to receive boyd's coffee's rainforest alliance-certified coffee from my favorite colleague, jonathan. that makes my day. |
| posted by Paige @ 10:27 AM |
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| 11.12.03 |
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there is an interesting article today in the la times about how some high schools are going to a co-principal system. the article shares the success that long beach has had with having two pricipals, specifically praising the arrangement for how it works well with complimentary styles.
while, as one who is training to enter the education field, i think this could be a very good idea (with the right people), i was reminded of how the arrangement seems to work like a marriage. i mean, it must be a difficult task to manage students, educators, school boards, parents, etc., much like it is difficult as a parent to manage children, spousal relationships, friends, work, etc. the article specifcially mentions how one principal will use their strengths in some areas while the other uses their strengths in other areas. i hope that my marriage will be a complimentary one and that our strengths together will make the family strong. |
| posted by Paige @ 10:54 AM |
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| 10.12.03 |
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earthquakes are interesting natural phenomina. to think that there is a force so powerful that it can move the ground of an entire state. it's a powerful reminder of the forces at work in this world that are more powerful than humanity and beyond our control.
there was an earthquake here yesterday. though it was epicentered around richmond, va, it shook the entire state. and i felt it here in washington.
this experience has made me realize that i have a perspective that most of my friends and colleagues don't. earthquakes have played a major role in shaping my life and i realize that others lack that understanding. i grew up in a world that was shaken - literally - every couple of years. my coworkers looked at me with a blank expression that turned to a smirk when i asked them the words we hear so frequently in southern california, "did you feel that?"
"feel what?", they asked. "the construction downstairs?"
but it was more than the construction, as i explained it to them. but they smiled and almost laughed at me as they shoo-ed me away.
but the earth did indeed move again yesterday.
i certainly have the same reactions that most do - fear that the ground shaking will become worse and that my life will be in danger, startling fear at the surprise of the shaking, fear that my loved ones are in danger. but i think what scares me the most about earthquakes is that it means the ground under me has shifted. things are not the same as they used to be. God has moved what i cannot.
but what is He moving and what will become different? |
| posted by Paige @ 8:36 AM |
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| 8.12.03 |
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| karl and i went to see ryan adams last night. he puts on an amazing show, and he is so talented. i'm still turned on, 12 hours later! |
| posted by Paige @ 9:15 AM |
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| 5.12.03 |
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well, we got our first snow of the season. and it's only december 5! i think it's going to be a long, cold winter....but hopefully full of snow days!
in honor of the season, here's a fun (disturbing?) article that appeared in the post today.
You Better Watch Out: The Hazards of the Season
By Joel Achenbach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 5, 2003; Page C01
No, Virginia, there isn't a Santa Claus.
Drop the twinkling angel ornament and come out with your hands up.
The state of Virginia this past summer adopted new fire codes that prohibit certain apartment dwellers from possessing a freshly cut Christmas tree. The rationale is that, in buildings without sprinkler systems, dried-out Christmas trees can become lethal. A fir so easily becomes a fire.
Here is a list, compiled over several hours of careful risk analysis, of all the things that must be banned immediately before someone gets hurt:
1. Eggnog. Hideously fattening; leads to coronary artery disease. When "spiked" it incites the drinker to turn to more dangerous holiday beverages, including mulled wine, hard cider and schnapps.
2. Decorations. Broken glass ornaments can lead to fatal bleeding in hemophiliacs. Strings of lights offer unusual electrocution opportunities. Extravagant outdoor lighting displays can cause automobile pileups on the street and/or blindness. Live animals in a manger might bite children.
3. Carols. Hypothermia risk. Certain high notes are hard to hit, causing embarrassment, stress and other harbingers of early death. Religious themes of carols could prove offensive to some listeners and inadvertently trigger a clash of civilizations.
4. Sledding. Involves a kinetic event that would more properly be described as skidding. Any close analysis will reveal that sleds not only have poor traction but are expressly designed to have minimal grip on a slick surface. Should be every bit as illegal as dangling a baby from a balcony.
5. Hearths. The ultimate fire hazard. People often use them to have open fires, complete with exploding embers that can land on furniture, on heavily gelled hair or even on a small furry pet that could suddenly go FOOF! and turn into the Yowling Fireball of Doom.
6. Menorahs. Still more open fire. Why not just pass around blowtorches and cans of gasoline?
7. Artificial Christmas trees. Fairfax County assistant fire marshal Mike Reilly, defending the ban on cut trees, said Tuesday: "I just put up my nine-foot artificial tree. I don't think it's a major inconvenience when you look at the risks." Obviously, plastic Christmas trees are growing to enormous size these days, and anyone who stands under a nine-foot colossus runs the risk of being crushed.
8. Gifts. Small gifts are a choking hazard. Large gifts lead to hernias. Coal in the stocking of a person who has been bad poses a severe fire risk. CDs have wrapping that requires the use of knives and scissors in a manner that can lead to the loss of a finger. Shopping leads to excessive debt, anxiety and compensatory high-risk behaviors such as smoking, heavy drinking and attempted gift returns. Improper gift-buying, such as when a well-meaning male gives his sweetheart something unromantic, like a Dustbuster, or a 52-piece socket wrench set, or a jumbo can of Dr. Scholl's Foot Deodorant Spray, can lead to domestic violence.
9. Mistletoe. The number of unwanted pregnancies resulting from the placement of mistletoe on the ceiling and over doorways has never been properly calculated, but is surely astronomical. Tongues are a choking hazard.
10. Shopping mall Santas. A strange man wearing a disguise who asks small children to sit in his lap. You make the call.
11. Reindeer. Lyme disease vectors.
12. Elves. Ideology and political allegiance unknown. Terror risk? |
| posted by Paige @ 8:51 AM |
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| 4.12.03 |
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| oh my...more people with too much time on their hands - http://load.pquinn.com/binaries/fries/ (cut and paste the link into a browser) |
| posted by Paige @ 11:36 AM |
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| walking back from lunch just now, there was a huge truck with a big hose on it labeled "storm water treatment". the sub title said, our job sucks. hehe |
| posted by Paige @ 11:09 AM |
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hey, now this is really handy for finding cheap gas. ...too bad i don't live in la anymore. in wonder if dc has one...
last night i had a very vivid and joyful dream about moving back to los angeles. my move back was on a whim, like i'd decided to stay after going for a visit. the funniest thing is that a coworker of mine came with me and as i was showing her around la, we walked from my cheesy 70s stlye la apartment (with brown carpet and stucco, very common in la) to many areas in la. specifically, i remember walking from the airport, to my apartment and through the police station, which was right by the ocean, just like in the movies. actually the whole dream was like movie. you know it had to be a dream if i could walk to all those places. nobody walks in la.
but i am feeling especially nostalgic. i feel a change is going to come in my life very quickly, and perhaps that is a move.
thanks for reading. and for your intellectual enrichment, here's a little quiz on earthquakes! wee... |
| posted by Paige @ 6:50 AM |
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i bought alicia keys' album yesterday. it is incredible - i highly recommend it!
every woman needs a little soul in her life, and a little alicia can help. track 11 - mmm, amen sista! |
| posted by Paige @ 8:31 AM |
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| 2.12.03 |
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you know what happens when i complain? God always comes back with a "oh yeah? you think you've got it bad, paige? check this out..." and then proceeds to allow crazy stuff to happen. stuff like i decide to go to a different metro stop in the morning, the one with the platform outside, on a 30 degree, windy morning. and further, the platform is crowded enough to be annoying, but not crowded enough to block the wind. and then i see the display which "regrets to inform me" that there's a 20 minute delay. and then that 20 minute delay turns out to be 45 minutes.
ok, you got me. at this point, i'm laughing because it's just too rediculous to even get mad at. and to further prove His point, a guy walks past me and catches my eye. looking for a sympathetic ear he proclaims, "damn! it's always fucking something!". although i don't share his anger, i do admit he's got a point. it is always something. life is full of somethings that will enter your life and inconvenience you. and really, that's all it is, an inconvenience. it's so not worth getting angry over.
thanks, God. |
| posted by Paige @ 10:00 AM |
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| 1.12.03 |
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sometimes i just really don't like being a girl! grrr....i think men have it easy....but then again, that's probably just what i think and not the truth. the grass is always greener, right?
i mean, why does everything have to have an emotional reaction? why did God make women like this? its the little things like having your alarm wake you up 10 minutes later than you expected...having to run in the freezing, dark morning...or just barely missing the train...or finding the soy milk for your coffee spoiled over the holiday weekend...being snapped at by a boss at work...or waiting until 5 pm to write your polisci paper that's due at 7:30....forgetting that it's your mom's birthday and then when you realize, you've already missed her leaving for work....
but being a girl does mean that you bounce back. i know that this is only a series of moments that create emotion and that those moments will pass (eventually).
am i allowed to chalk it up to waking up on the wrong side of the bed? having a bad day? it's paige and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. i think i'll move to california...there's no bad days in california.
amen to my sista, natty! exactly...it's all related to want. i want things to go my way.
sometimes things just don't go my way. |
| posted by Paige @ 10:38 AM |
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