Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy Birthday America!
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
- Declaration of Independence
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sound Familiar?
Thousands of people out of work...
People losing their homes...
"Immigrants" desperate for a job (any job)...
Employers cutting wages, knowing desperate people will work for less money...
I'm actually not talking about our current economic situation. I'm talking about the John Steinbeck classic The Grapes of Wrath.
I somehow managed to make it through a Midwest adolescence without ever reading this book.
And I'm SO glad!
I know I wouldn't have appreciated it at that age.
And I doubt it would've been as powerful if I'd read it while we weren't going through a similar situation.
The book tells the story of the Joads - one family affected by the industrialization of the agriculture industry.
But really it tells the universal story of the disenfranchised - the struggle for survival, the resilience and resourcefulness, the quest for a home, the desire to retain their dignity, and hope.
Steinbeck's direct involvement with the plight of the Dust Bowl migrants created his obsession with telling their story honestly. "This must be a good book. It simply must. I haven't any choice."
He succeeded - it is a good book.
If you've never read it (or only read the Cliffs Notes!), now would be a great time to fix that.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I Don't Want to Work
A few years ago, I was walking through an old building in downtown Chicago on my way to lunch.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a girl standing in a flower shop.
The sun was shining through a window, and she was making a bouquet, her hair pulled into one of those messy buns that I can never do.
Earlier today, I started to fill out an online application for a Financial Analyst position at a software company.
But for some reason, the image of that girl popped into my head, and I stopped.
Then closed the website.
Being a Financial Analyst in another company isn't going to make me any happier than being a Financial Analyst where I am.
I want to do something like this...
Jennifer Aniston (in Love Happens), not some girl in Chicago
Chose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
- Confucius
Sunday, June 12, 2011
How to Make and American Quilt, Pt. 2: The Blocks
I've finished the blocks that will be used to make my first quilt.
This is just a sampler - so each block is different.
Log Cabin
Log Cabin (variation)
Churn Dash
Nine Patch in Corners
Double Nine-Patches on Point
Puss in the Corner
Pinwheels in Corners
Sawtooth Star
Ohio Star
Next up: Sashes and Borders!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
The group was started by two sisters, during a fly-fishing trip, and has now grown to over 1,000 women ("sisters") between the ages of 21 to 88 who go on fun outdoor adventures.
Eventually, they created the "Cowgirl Caravan" of vintage trailers, so the sisters can sleep in their own beds at the end of a long day.
I've always said "I don't camp", but I might have to reconsider...
Whiskey Ho - Obi-Wan - Sister # 12
Joie de Vivre - Sister # 823
Miss Rodeo - Sister # 6
So cute!
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