There goes my last bubble

I grew up in a small, rural area of Michigan with little diversity and where bigotry can be prevalent. But, I grew up hearing my grampa tell his stories about the navy... and the diner that refused to serve his black friend, so all of the navy boys walked out. Maybe it's because of those stories that I became more cognizant of bigotry that is even more insidious when it's disguised in humor.
I also grew up in a church that, I believed, preached a message that emphasized love and forgiveness. I have since become rather disillusioned about the "church" itself, but I've held on to my belief in the message that it emphasizes.

Today, however, I happened across a blog with a picture and a caption about Obama that was meant to be humorous but was really very appalling in its obvious bigotry. The especially hard part for me was that the blog belongs to my childhood minister.
Now, I know that people are not perfect (certainly not me) and that no one church is perfect in living up to the ideals of the message it purports to preach. But, I've been clinging to a small sliver of hope that the message of love and forgiveness that I heard growing up really was meant for everyone.

I know that it is. But it's time for me to find a church where I really am welcome. A church where differences are welcomed. A church where I can find a spiritual home that accepts me, just the way I am.

(Katherine will love this. I always tell her that I could become a Catholic if it weren't for the Pope. Now who's talking. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Nothing feels more like Thanksgiving to me than making the stuffing the night before, the way my mom did it. The smell of celery and onions sauteing in loads of butter.... mixing in the toasted bread with all of the seasonings... it brings me back to all of the Thanksgivings and Christmases in my past. Yes, the smell of butter, onions, and celery... that's the smell that brings me back to thoughts of love, thanksgiving, and family. That was the smell in our home last night. Good thing I have my very best taste-tester always ready to pop in and tell me that the stuffing is just right.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoys the day with the special people and animals in their lives.

Fighting the chip baby

Earlier this year, probably back in January, I wrote about this year being the year to "lose the chip baby" (i.e. my weight gain due to my excessive eating of Frito Lay sour cream and onion chips, among other unhealthy food). Well, this year is almost over, and my chip baby is still present. However, I told Katherine that I have at least stopped the growth of the chip baby.
But, I am happy because despite not losing the 30 lbs that I need to lose, I have taken a healthier approach to eating/dieting/weight loss. In the past 6 or so months, I have largely stopped my snacking at night, and Kath and I are cooking and eating more healthily. I also don't crave unhealthy food as much as I once did. (Of course, I type this after having eaten onion rings for lunch. Hee hee.) And, when I do eat unhealthy food, I don't necessarily feel the need to eat unhealthily for the rest of the day "since it is ruined anyway."
So, now I just need to ramp up my metabolism and shrink some of my fat cells and build up those dormant myocytes. How timely, since Katherine recently purchased the "Hip-hop Body" workout program which was delivered last weekend. I can improve my hip-hop dance moves and get in shape at the same time. Also, Katherine will no longer be able to make fun of my dancing abilities. So, good-bye chip baby, hello Hip Amy!

"Denny Crane"

Whenever we watch Boston Legal, I want to smoke cigars, drink scotch, and have sleepovers. My only question is, would I be Alan Shore or Denny Crane?

Today for you, tomorrow for me.

Katherine has gone to the grocery store. We have a new strategy for cooking and doing the dishes that has developed after 3 years of coming home every night and asking "Who wants to make dinner tonight?.. Not me... I don't have any ideas either." Well, not every night, but more often than not.

So, our new plan is to alternate weeks. Last week was my turn to grocery shop and cook dinner. Kath's job was to do the dishes last week. This week, I do dishes and Kath shops and cooks. The beauty of this plan is that we each take turns making the kind of dinners we find most enjoyable... and the other person gets to enjoy yummy (or not so yummy as in the case of my pumpkin black bean soup) meals.

This morning, Kath woke up and said, "I get to be Mum this week." And she's starting off with a bang... french toast this morning and roast chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner.

A loss in CA, a gain in New England

Why it's great to have Katherine around when I'm sick

I came home early yesterday as I had diagnosed myself with viral gastroenteritis. Good timing, because as soon as I got home I found myself quite incapacitated in the bathroom with a bucket. Now, Katherine is one who is easily grossed out by, well gross things. And I admit that I take great delight in tormenting her. Including last night when I told her that she could tell me what I had for lunch by looking in the bucket, if she wanted. (She didn't want.)

But, she went to the store twice for me, last night. The first time to get Gatorade and soup, and the second time to get cola syrup and Pepto-Bismol. (Cola syrup was recommended by the pharmacist. It reminded me of being sick as a little child and given sugar Coke to drink. Which I never loved.) And, she sat on the couch all night so I could put my feet on her lap and sleep. And, she would've happily eaten her dinner in the bedroom because the smell of it was making me nauseated. And, she made sure that I did not drink coffee this morning and had Gatorade instead.

And she's going to come home early today (it's Records Day, so she has a shorter day) because I told her that "I might be too weak to open my soup." The best thing about Katherine is that she puts up with me and my attempts to take advantage of being sick. :)

The best part of Pittsburgh

My taxi driver on the way back to the airport was a Turkish Muslim who had lived in Pittsburgh for the past 8 years. He told me to cancel all of my other interviews because "Pittsburgh is the best place to live." We also chatted about our mutual excitement about Obama possibly being elected, how cultural differences between the East and the West impact mental health care, and he recommended a book by an Iranian philosopher, Ali Shariati, about the four prisons we all inhabit.

He also took me on a sight-seeing tour on my way to the airport at no extra charge because I "couldn't come to Pittsburgh and not go up Mount Washington."

The residency program should hire him for recruiting. He's quite convincing.

I can finally breathe a sign of relief.

Last night, when Barack Obama was giving his acceptance speech, tears were streaming down my face. Since I woke up four years ago to find that the American people had given George W. Bush a second term in office, I had lost a large amount of faith and hope in the democratic process. Yesterday, that faith and hope was renewed.

A Democratic president. Finally.

The FIRST African-American president of the United States. Monumental. Incredible.

I am really happy today.

Live, from Pittsburgh...

Sunday 11:15am Panera in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh

Sitting around me are many other people like myself typing on their computers. However, as I look around, PCs seems to be dominating over Macs. Interesting. I wonder what this means.

My thrill thus far for the morning was that the time changed last night. Yahoo. I did not realize this until I noticed the discrepancy between the alarm clock and my cell phone this morning. So, I went back to sleep for an hour. The woman in the room next door to me came in at 1 am and had the loudest, most grating voice EVER. It sounded like she was yelling next to my bed. So, learning about that extra hour was like Christmas in November.

Pittsburgh is a pretty city. Lots of interesting architecture around me with trees in fall colors. The city is surrounded by rivers... however, that does make me a little concerned about flooding. I never would have worried about this in the past, but...

All right. I'm off to find a watch battery. And, I did see some people walk past with Starbucks cups. I wonder if Starbucks has their peppermint mocha in season as it is now November and Christmas comes early in the retail business. Maybe I'll take advantage of that atrocity.

Amy, the travel reporter

Hello folks. This is me, your intrepid travel reporter.

If you continue to check in over the next few days, I will be documenting my exciting trip to PIttsburgh to interview . At least, I hope it's exciting. Well, "exciting" for me really means that there will be a coffee shop down the street from my hotel tomorrow morning where I can sit and read the New York Times and drink my morning coffee. I'm really just a simple person with simple needs.

Saturday 8:20 pm Terminal C in the Detroit airport.
It's a quiet place on a Saturday evening. There are undecorated fir trees in planters scattered about. I think that means that on Monday when I fly home, they will be decorated for Christmas. A bit too early, if you ask me.
The gentleman two rows ahead of me is trying not to fall asleep while he watches "McCain Revealed" on CNN. I hope that means that he's an Obama voter. Or if he's a McCain voter, hopefully he's just given up on his favorite maverick and is not going to vote on Tuesday.
I am drinking a tasty mocha with skim milk (and I requested only a "little bit" of whipped cream) from the Coffee Beanery. I did not take the automated walkways to my gate after buying the mocha in order to prevent the whipped cream from going to my hips.
My goal for the next hour until my flight leaves is to stay awake. It will be a challenge after taking two Dramamine tablets prior to my flight leaving in Cedar Rapids.