these people are pretty much my life

amazing.

"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." -Lila Watson

this video changed my life a little bit.

watch it, then go make a difference at cfcausa.org ;)

"We're at a moment where it's neither smart nor fun to trust other people with saving the world. When you make a conscious choice--as millions of people are starting to--to become the kind of person who is going to redefine the world around them to make it more sustainable, more just, and more beautiful, it actually changes the way you see the world. It lifts that burden of despair. It makes you somebody who's part of building the future, rather than somebody whom the future is bearing down upon. If I can recommend to people to do one thing, it would be to simply become one of those people."

-Alex Steffen, Worldchanger (stolen from readymade)

"why do they make you pay so much for something that's so important?"

-my 13-year-old sister on healthcare

I AM SO PROUD OF MY BOY OBAMA

!!

blog games round two

The Rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions of a very intimate and creepily personal nature. Or not so creepy/personal.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Nate's questions and my answers:

1. Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?

I've been thinking about this for almost an entire day and, I'm sorry, I just can't name just one. so here are a few:

[my parents] - for obvious child-life-developmental reasons. but also because we moved around a little more often than average, and I think that that mobility shaped me a lot. and they're just really fantastic, cool people.

[some friends in high school] - high school was a very spiritually-developmental time in my life, and a handful of friends walked with me on that journey.

[some professors in college] - I will just come out and say that Dr. Chance, Dr. Cadd, and Dr. Henson, and others, whether through their person or classes, changed my paradigm in lots of ways.

[some men that I've dated] - I would like to think that I'm a better person having come through...those relationships

[writers] - CS Lewis, Thomas Merton, Barbara Kingsolver, Brian McLaren, Peter Berger, Greg Behrendt...I am a different person because of these people. (don't laugh at Greg Behrendt, it's true!)

[the Capuchins] - these men (and those they hang with) were a tangible, human example of the reconciliation of intellect, service to God, and service to people that I had been seeking for several years...so those things...reconciled in my life. I continue to be inspired by them and by those like them.

[my crew] - past and present. I hang with the best people in the world, in my opinion.

okay, that was more than a few. :/

2. Tell us about one of your most embarrassing moments.

okay. one time, about a year ago?, a group of us went to go see Jesus Camp. Afterwards, we went to McCoy's to drink beer, as usual. There were about 10 of us. We were sitting in the big corner table, and someone says, about a guy sitting at the next table, "is that the kid from Home Improvement?" we look over, and are like, "...maybe, maybe not..." there is lots of speculation going on. and lots of talking about this guy. and then people start to talk about him even MORE loudly, so it is obvious that we are talking about him. and then someone pulls out their phone and start looking up facts about this guy. "So, he used to be MARRIED, he really likes to ROLLERBLADE, his favorite game is SOFTBALL...." so it is obvious that we are talking about him, and obvious that he can hear us...

...and I was SO EMBARRASSED, that I started sweating and was trying to hide under the table. at McCoy's. I have never been so embarrassed in my WHOLE LIFE.

(they finally did start talking TO him, and found out that he was in town for business. I saw him at Harry's a couple of weeks ago.)

3. Compare your favorite Radiohead song to your favorite place in the world.

my favorite song is "idioteque." my favorite place in the world...if I'm really honest with myself, right now, at this time, NOT counting places that I think are really beautiful or places that I'd like to visit or even maybe live someday...I'd say Kansas City. really. annnnd...I first heard "idioteque" during the summer that I lived in Kansas City proper for the first time. it was, maybe, a perfect moment. it was, maybe, a perfect summer.

4. Do you have any nicknames? If so, tell us where they came from.

I do. My father has called me "Roux" for as long as I can remember. I used to think that it was spelled "Roo," like "Kanga-and-," but I have since discovered the real spelling and that it is a cooking term. He also calls me "Liz," which is a reference to my middle name.

In high school, people started calling me "Phoebe," because I reminded them of the character on Friends. She's funny, but...

Now...people just usually call me "Sara." Tomika calls me "Sar" (I call her "Tom"). Others call me "Little Sara."

5. What is your idea of a perfect date?

hm. getting food somewhere cozy and/or eclectic. and drinking wine. then going to see a really good band/musician. yep! that would be perfect.

guilt

I've been really tired a lot lately.

I think it's because, since I've been back from India, I've had some trouble reconciling my work with my life...or my life with my work...regardless, while those things seemed to work together perfectly well before, suddenly they aren't, and I'm not sleeping as much as I used to? or working more? or just busier?

all this to say...I have had a hard time getting through my workdays several times over the past few weeks. and when coffee just doesn't seem to cut it anymore, or just isn't quite as satisfying as it used to be, I switch to...

...candy. which is HIGHLY satisfying in so many ways.

but...

...I...just don't feel like eating candy every day is making things better. and...it's increasing my guilty feelings.

so...

that's all I wanted to say. (with an empty butterfinger wrapper sitting next to me.)