Warning: Distrurbing Post: This article about a terribly abused girl is tragic. And read the last sentence!! Not how I was expecting the artcile to end!

A Movie Right Up My....Alley: Em and I are going to see The Oh in Ohio on Sunday-- a movie about Ohio and sex! What more could I ask for?? Woo woo!

You Are Welcome Here: At MIT, we have signs in our offices with this phrase! Better yet, Macalester, my alma mater, was rated on the the 100 top schools for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual & transexual) students. Yeah Mac!

I Know a Famous Artist: My friend Seth Koen, future HUSBAND of my friend Shelby, is featured in the portfolio section of the Aug/Sept issue of American Craft Magazine. Seth is an amazingly talented artist, although I must admit, I don't "get" all of it. (But that's my problem, not his) Not to mention, he is a warm, fun, interesting person. I am so pleased that he is finding success with his art.

Use of the Comment Section: Per another blog I was reading, here is my challenge to you...describe me in one word. Discuss amoungst yourselves...

A High School Meme from Michelle:
1. Who was your best friend? Judi and Lisa
2. What sports did you play?None. I was on the pom pom squad though (captain my senior year)
3. What kind of car did you drive? My parent's cars, which I think were two Camry's!
4. It's Friday night, where were you at? Hanging out at someone's house. Or Arabica Coffee House
5. Were you a party animal? No, I went to a few parties with drinking, but didn't even always drink. I was pretty much a goody to shoes (sp?)
6. Were you considered a flirt? Somewhat. But noone took me up on my offer. ;-)
7. Ever skip school? Never a whole a day. The day that college acceptance letters were to arrive, I spikked my last class to I could get a ride home with Tania and check the mail. I was so worried that my parents would be mad that I skipped class, I waited the appropriate 52 minutes to call them with my news.
8. Ever smoke? No.
9. Were you a nerd?No.
10. Did you get suspended/expelled?No.
11. Can you sing the Alma Mater? No, but I can hum the fight song and do the dance we did for marching band.
12. Who was your favorite teacher? Ms. Starr...who I just saw this year in Chicago!
13. Favorite class? Bioethics (but hated the teacher) or Criminology. I did my final paper on sodomy laws...in HIGH SCHOOL!
14. What was your school's full name? Shaker Heights High School
15. School mascot? Red Raiders.
16. Did you go to the Prom? Yes, with a guy I abrely knew, from BBYO. A crappy night. But I loved my dress...I'd still wear it now if I was 30 pounds thinner.
17. If you could go back and do it over, would you? NO FUCKING WAY! Not only was My high school time hard, I would never want to be 16 again. as I said on my 27th birthday, my life has gotten better every year since my 13th birthday.
18. What do you remember most about graduation? It was frickin' hot. I was so ready for high school to be over and to go to college. We also had about 40 parties ove rthe summer...starting with graduatation party which morphed in goodbye parties mid-way through the summer.
19. Favorite memory of your senior year? Hmmm...it is sad that nothing immediately came to mind. Maybe the band trip to England.
20. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall? What teh hell's that?
21. Did you have a job your senior year? I worked at Captain Tony's restaurant.
22. Who did you date? No one.
23. Where did you go most often for lunch? The Senior Lounge.
24. Have you gained weight since then? Yes, about 25 pounds.
25. What did you do after graduation? I went to Macalester College.
26. When did you graduate?1992

Red Sox, Lowell Spinners and Pawtuckett Red Sox: Anyone wanta go? Anyone have FREE tickets? It was pitiful that I didn't go to one ball game all last season and I am on track for a similarly inexcusable summer this year too. Who wants to go??? (I'll even pay...unless ya got a ticket for me.)

Two Follow Up Postings: Several weeks ago I wrote about driving behind someone who was oblivious to the fact that their back windshield wiper was on. This morning I was driving behind someone that had obviously "lost" their back wiper. However, the little mechanism was going back and forth, as if the switch was unknowingly on. I ran up to the woman's car when stopped at a red light and told her. Very funny! Secondly, I tried Lizzy's ice cream last night. One word: YUM! I tasted the Mocha [Something] Lace, which was rich mocha ice cream with chocolate cover sugar crystals. (always get a taste, even if you know what you are ordering) I was worried about staying awake with the coffee though, so I ordered the Mint Oreo. (plus, I love Oreo ice cream) It was FABULOUS! Now I need to figure out what my next ice cream exploration will be. Ah, such fun in the summer.

Alive and Well: Just for the record, I am alive, well, and not blogging for some reason. Things are good...interesting...and hot. Anyone coming to Boston?? I would love some summer visitors (or fall visitors for that matter)

This is Just Odd: President Putin lifted up the shirt of a little boy and KISSED his belly! Yikes!

Made Me Giggle: For the last half of my ride into work today, I was driving behind a PT Cruiser that had its back wondshield wiper on...and driving totally mindlessly. Mind you, its not raining. Usually this type of driver would drive me bonkers. Clearly this woman had tried to turn on her turn signal or for some other reason had hit the lever for the wipers and never noticed that her wipers are on. How can you drive 3 miles and not notice? Fool!

I Scream, You Scream...: The entire Food Section of today's Globe is dedicated to my favorite food...ICE CREAM! I have not tried Lizzy's yet (although Marshall, my fellow ice cream conousuer highly recommends it) but I love PICCO. I think I will try to get to Lizzy's over the LONG weekend. (Did I mention I am taking next week off!?!)

Craig's List Posting: Redhead seeking new spine and associated muscles. Current spine is causing constant pain from neck to arch of back and said redhead is ready to lose her mind (a bad state). Preference for backs that accomodate a 5'2 frame, but at this point all offers are considered. Call 800-STRETCH.

Laughing Liberally: Last Friday I went to see Mandy Dandy doing her comedy thing at a fabulous show called Laughing Liberally. It was six liberal comics telling jokes, making social commentary, and making me laugh so hard I cried. Not only was this 3000 steps better than the racist, sexist, sometimes simply not funny comics that Mandy sometimes performs with (excluding Mandy), but it was a perfect mix of VERY funny and fabulous insights into the world in which we live. Those of you in NYC and the other places the show is traveling, I HIGHLY recommend it!

Eleven Days in the Office: I am in the office for 11 days this month-- five of which are next week. That means I was in the office six days in the other 3.5 weeks. I have been "at work" (i.e. MIT Reunions, post-Reunions and a conference at Harvard) for another eight days, plus two weekend days. So I am working a normal number of days, but I have been switching my auto reply for email and voice mail constantly. No wonder I'm tired!

Internet Help from the MIT Class of 1951: I was reading the book that the class of 1951 put together for their 50th reunion (5 years ago) and was tickled by this "computer help" from one alumnus to another. (New Hampshire themed because the alum lives in NH...)
Log on- Make wood stove hotta
Log off- Don’t add no more wood
Monitor- Keep an eye on the stove
Download- Get firewood off the truck
Ram- The thing that splits the wood
Hard drive- Getting home in the winta
Prompt- What the mail ain’t in the winta
Window- What to shut in the winta
Screen- What to shut during black fly season
Screen saver- Duck tape
Byte-What the black flies do
Bit- What the black flies did
Megabite- What the BIG black flies do
Chip- Munchies for TV
Modem- What you did to the lawn weeds
Dot matrix- Old Dan Matrix’s wife
Cursor- someone who swears
Upgrade- Steep hill
Server- Waitress
Mail Server- Male waitress, damn few in NH
Network- Mendin’ holes in the fishnet

A Meme from Em (hey, that rhymes):
I AM: Excited for tonight...a special evening for Em that has been in the works for four months.
I WANT: a weekly massage.
I MISS: Shelby and Rebecca.
I HATE: mean people.
I HEAR: many people complaining about Bush, but worry that we'll still elect another Republican.
I WONDER: what the next few months will hold for me.
I REGRET: being mean to my mom.
I AM NOT: quiet, disorganized, or tall.
I DANCE: with enthusiasm, well, and not often enough.
I SING: poorly, but often.
I CRY: when I am frustrated.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: tolerant of people that annoy me.
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: a very loud clap (just ask me to demonstrate some time).
I WRITE: less than I speak.
I CONFUSE: a lot of my spelling.
I NEED: a vacation. (But I am taking a week off in early July for Em & Nat's wedding and to go to Cleveland to see my family and friends.)
I SHOULD: exercise more.
I START: planning lots of things.
I FINISH: almost everything I start.

Batwoman Is a Lesbian!: DC Comics announced that Batwoman will be a lesbian in the new comics being released. Awesome! One of my favorite quotes from the article reads, "Wouldn't ugly people as heroes be more groundbreaking?" asked one poster. "You know, 200-pound woman, man with horseshoe hair loss pattern, people with cold sores, etc.?"

More Amazing MIT Students: Four MIT students, calling themselves the Technomads, will attempt to travel a quarter of the way around the earth, from London to Mongolia, in vehicles with no more than one liter of engine power. They are getting lots of press and it is an extraordinary undertaking...the kind the world needs more of. Definitely read about them and consider supporting them if you can.

MIT Wins Alex Doonesbury: I love it! The daughter of the cartoonist who does Doonesbury was admitted to MIT, Rensselaer, and Cornell. There was a contest to see which school she should go to and MIT students hacked the system to flood the voting. Since the rules never said you couldn't hack (and they seemed impressed with MIT ingenuity) Alex has just registered for MIT.