I got everything I wanted this Christmas and I am truly grateful. I had time alone. I had time with all of the people I love. I had wonderful food, naps, laughter, and excellent mulled wine (thanks Deb!). The dogs are happy, the kids are amusing, and the house is a mess in the aftermath. Fred is supportive (even though he's met almost everyone I've ever been related to), the computer is still working, and the power is still on. have a ton of passable pictures and choosing the ones to post is as challenging as deciding which edibles to pass by on the Christmas buffet. This is mom unwrapping a present from Adam and Ingrid. We are all impressed that Adam used duct tape which coordinated with the wrapping paper. Alle and Olivia are recorded for all posterity with actual plates of food before them. I was hoping that this would dispel rumors that I do not, in fact, feed my kids. But as Olivia pointed out, they are just holding the plates, and no actual ingestion appears to have ocurred. And here is yet another picture of a man in my life mistaking a small dog for a wrapped package that requires shaking to reveal its contents. My advice to Fred in this instance: don't push your luck with Peaches. She's quite fond of revealing her contents.
Jennifer @ 8:28 AM link
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
Completely wrapped up in the Festivus celebrations. Family gathering on Saturday included Adam and Igrid's latest addition, Charlie. I can see years of doggie therapy will be required because they've already begun to dress him up. Note: Charlie is the one with the bow on his head. Adam is the one with the hat :)
Jennifer @ 6:54 AM link
Saturday, December 21, 2002
cool new nyc blog, gawker, for all the hippest kids (but they'll let people in Neuvo Milford read it?). It's informing my cultural awareness* with such gems as the perfect personal ad . * a nice way to say 'snarky nosiness'
God, so many thoughts today. It's started out being a very schizophrenic day. I had a conversation with R last night, talked about 'the big project' for next year. It all seemed so diffuse and far away, but little bits of it began to come into clearer focus and i'm getting all jittery. I'm actually trying to stay calm and collected by the prospect as i don't want to blow all the buzz i'm brewing about it before i've built up enough movement to carry me though. Timing.
When we were talking, I told her about Anil's article. The desire to hide and protect one's identity was one aspect of Rebecca Blood's book that made me uncomfortable. Yes, I do think it is important to be prudent regarding what any of us puts out there for public consumption. I also think that anyone who believes that there is anything about themselves that will remain private, they are delusional. Just as every thing a person says in a conversation occupies a certain space, everything they don't say occupies a space as well. I don't actually have to post to my blog my secret thoughts about the instant message you just sent me, but the combination of what I have chosen to say, chosen to omit, the colors, images, placement...all tell a story. Web gestalt. What was so beautiful about Anil's article was that he confronts this reality head on. Own your name. Put out there what you want. Be honest about what that is and accept that despite your intentions, everything you do is telling your story. What emerges, is our humanity. It will be impossible to create a seamless image of a flawless human. So you can expend your energy trying to control it, or you can expend your energy being who you are in acceptance. What a cool thought.
Anil Dash makes me laugh, makes me think. Love that in a weblog. My brain is still in the post-Cancun mush stage. Reentry into work used up whatever I had in the thoughwave department, and that's okay. As you can tell by the look on my almost suntanned face (okay, it's actually one big freckle merge), I'm not complaining.
Jennifer @ 8:12 AM link
Saturday, December 07, 2002
Went to Florida for a week with Mom and the girls. We weren't off the plane a full hour before we were catching rays on a boat. But there's a price for everything, we came home to 10" of snow.
Jennifer @ 8:17 AM link
Sunday, December 01, 2002
Link and Think, World Aids Awareness Day, 2002. After the initial shock wears off, it's easy to forget issues and relegate them to the background of our awareness. I remember in 1986 when the first person I actually knew tested positive for HIV. He was a beautiful young man, full of life and light for everyone he met. His name was Michael. Things were different then. It was still a gay man's disease and there was a lot of fear of the unknown. Michael didn't live long and it was difficult to believe that someone so funny, charming, and loving could waste away the way he did. That was more than a decade ago and I've been fortunate that many of the people I know are still here and healthy. I learned something very important then, however. HIV/AIDS isn't something that happens "out there" to "strangers". HIV/AIDS is something that can happen here, to anyone we love. I wanted to be a part of Link and Think because while I don't believe in living each day full of fear, I do believe it is important to live my life with conscious awareness of the possibilities. Here are some links with information about HIV/AIDS issues in Connecticut
