Eek. Luckily, Twisy has already commented on this one, but I just have to reproduce the news blurb, it's just that good:

ITALY: NONVIRGINITY LESSENS SEX ABUSE CHARGE, COURT SAYS Sexually abusing a teenager is a less serious crime if the girl is not a virgin, Italy's highest court said in a ruling. The court ruled in favor of a man who forced his 14-year-old stepdaughter to have oral sex with him and appealed a prison sentence of 40 months, arguing that the fact that the girl had had sex with other men should have been taken into consideration at his trial as a mitigating factor. The court agreed, saying that because of the victim's previous sexual experiences, her "personality, from a sexual point of view," was more developed and that therefore the damage to her was less than if she had been a virgin. The decision, which drew a barrage of criticism, opened the way for the stepfather to get a lighter sentence.
(REUTERS)

Wow. I just, can't even formulate a comment on this one. Blaming the victim has taken on a whole new meaning. I'm trying to figure out how anyone with even a half-developed sense of logic, and a rudimentary form of empathy, could ever hand down this ruling.

Not quite in time for Valentine's Day.

Have you seen this story, of a man in Iowa, Travis Frey? He's under arrest for trying to kidnap his wife (and as The Smoking Gun points out in the article above, he's also been in trouble for child porn). But it gets even better! He wrote out a 4 page marriage contract. And this is a contract like no other I've ever seen. He's outlined for his wife exactly when, and how much, she must shave; the length her skirts should be; the definition of "sex acts" that he expects, including duration; and what's expected of her during his "my time" hours. What's the equivalent "her time," and the definition of sex acts she's comfortable with performing (let alone what she actually WANTS -- that's completely fallen out of the equation)? Glad you asked! They don't seem to exist, curiously enough.

Because there's nothing more romantic for a woman in a heterosexual relationship than receiving a contract from her husband/boyfriend/whatever to outline just how closely her "role" matches up with that of a sex slave in a brothel. I'm sure my heart was all aflutter reading the oh-so-thoughtful dictates on what his wife must buy for herself for her birthday (a sex toy, which she should consider a gift from him) and for their anniversary (lingerie).

Please, please tell me he's going to a maximum security prison. And please tell me they'll release the marriage contract to all the other inmates, prior.

The answer to why people are making a big deal of the Cheney hunting accident? This blog post title pretty much sums it up: "What Happens in Texas Hunting Accidents If You're Hispanic?"

"Juan Garza Mendoza, 34, an employee of the ranch, was charged Monday with manslaughter, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison....

Mendoza had apparently hit Barrera Vasquez while shooting at a feral hog, and immediately contacted authorities after the shooting, Hurd said.

"They mistakenly shot a human being," he said. "It's reckless. It's inexcusable." "

Great blog post with comments.

Big surprise, bottled water isn't doing the planet any favors. There are a bazillion reasons why not to buy bottled water. Here a few reasons off the top of my head:

1. It's WATER. As in, you can get it out of your tap for pennies.

2. Most bottled water comes from the tap. (So why the hell are you paying $1 or $2 for it? Get a real water bottle, and refill it at your own tap, where it probably won't come already tasting of plastic.)

3. Those plastic bottles end up in landfills.

4. Again, it's water, people.



"Clean, healthy and pure? Hardly. Bottled water is killing the planet
And our thirst grows, with 154 billion litres drunk in one year."
By Jon Neale and Jonathan Thompson
Published: 12 February 2006

Here's a snippet of what we can read without subscribing:
"A major new study has concluded that [bottled water's] production is seriously damaging the environment.

It costs 10,000 times more to create the bottled version than it does to produce tap water, say scientists. Huge resources are needed to draw it from the ground, add largely irrelevant minerals, and package and distribute it - sometimes half-way around the world."

So, again, why not just buy a Nalgene? (Although I'd recommend stainless steel -- Nalgene's new bottles are made out of #7 plastic (polycarbonate), which can leech bisphenol A, a chemical that interferes with hormones such as estrogen. Although it doesn't seem to pose a huge health risk, you definitely don't want to put your Nalgene in the dishwasher!)

Apologies for all my posts that are actually links to other posts. Just can't help it -- my life isn't very interesting lately. Basically, I get up, I eat my Wheatabix with whatever fruit I have on hand, I read, I eat whatever I can find for lunch, I read, then I either go to class, or I read some more. Then I have dinner, and I listen to music. And then I read. Sometimes I watch a tv show. More likely I end up checking on all my favorite blogs. Then I shower. And then I read some more, till around 2 am. Then I get up in the morning and do it all over again.

Luckily, however, the weather has been damnably gorgeous lately. The past couple of days I've spent my afternoons on a beach blanket out on the grass (definitely not working on the tan, though -- I'm beginning to face the truth, that being this white, I need to use sunless tanners if I want a tan without the cancer). It's been about 70 degrees, sunny, and blooming. Supposedly it's going to cool down again, but I just have to bask in the fact that it's freaking FEBRUARY and I've been reading, outside, in the sun, without a parka on. This hasn't happened since... Ok this has never happened. I remember Feb. 14 two years ago, Andrew & I drove out to Quabbin Reservoir and took pictures of the snow and ice... and then we went to dinner... ahh.

But yeah, the weather makes me happy.

Anyway, the only notable things today:

1. I did my presentation in Alex's class. I think it went OK, I was actually glad to go in the last few minutes, so I could naturalize the fact that I talk too fast. But I was way less nervous than usual!! I had gotten some tips: breathing deeply, and using happy dots. Yes, red happy dots. It's supposed to act like a "stop, why the hell are you nervous?" sign. And I love it when people interject comments while I'm speaking. I realize that this has the potential to sound sarcastic, but I'm being completely serious. It makes me feel like it's a discussion rather than a test, and that there's some commraderie between everyone. Needless to say, I love the people in that class. And I love that we're reading these theories and these novels, but I just wish it weren't quite so much at a time. 500 pages a week is pretty hefty. According to my calculations, if each prof assigned that much (3 classes), then I'd have 1500 pages a week. And as I read at, optimally, a page every 2 minutes, that means 50 hours of reading each week. And I've decided, that that is simply unhealthy.

2. I got a card from Mum & Tim -- adorable!

3. This didn't happen today, but it's still exciting. Andrew sent a card that I wanted to carry around everywhere, and a part birthday part Valentine's gift: a lovely leather bag that fits my laptop! I have some guilt about the leather (and I can't write it off to Andrew's choice, as I did point out this bag)... but my rationalization runs thus: Since I've basically sworn off red meat and pork, and have very much limited my intake of poultry, I'm still in some sense "sparing" animals' lives and not supporting the agribusiness that treats animals inhumanely and all too often feels no responsibility for the environment. Hmm. I still feel kind of guilty.

OK, now for my shameless link posting. And yes, it's to yet another of my favorite feminist blogs. Are you ready for Twisty?:

"So, if a fully-realized human can’t compel another fully-realized human to give out kidneys, how can a microscopic bit of tissue compel a fully-realized human to cede over her uterus? Even if one defines the zygote as a fully-realized human (which it isn’t, but that’s another sordid tale), how in the name of Cool Whip are its rights to be construed as greater than the rights of the woman whose body must be appropriated as its incubator? I say again, even if the clot of undeveloped cell tissue is human, it cannot be more human than an adult woman, nor can it have the right to force any woman to acquiesce to an invasive parasitization against her will."

Ahh, Twisty, how I love thee... A must read if you're interested in the organ donor analogy (kidney: kidney patient:: uterus: embryo).

Eek. Selling off over 300,000 acres of public land? Including 85,000 acres of California'a National Forest property? Does anyone else find this completely ridiculous, short-sighted, and politically suspect? Can we please NOT diminish public lands any further, giving way inevitably to yet more strip malls, more housing developments, and more land cordoned off with "no trespassing" signs? Why are public lands important? Because we all don't have millions of dollars to buy ourselves ranches with enough land to never see a neighbor. Some of us, believe it or not, actually enjoy seeing and experiencing unspoiled and undeveloped land (rather than seeing dollar signs for every tree).

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2006/02/america-for-saleliterally.html

Ahh, an article for all of us who combine OCD with a healthy aversion to germs:

"For this project, Jasmine visited five fast food restaurants near the University of South Florida. She collected ice samples from self-service dispensers inside the restaurants, as well as ice from drinks served through drive-through windows. She also collected samples of toilet water from those restaurants.

She placed the samples into sterile containers and tested them at a lab at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, where she volunteers with a USF professor.

Jasmine found that in four of the five restaurants, the ice that came from the self-serve machines had more bacteria than the toilet water. Three of the five cups of ice from the drive-through windows had more bacteria than the toilet water.

Of the bacteria found in the ice, three out of the five restaurants tested positive for fecal coliform or E. coli, organisms that come from the feces of warm-blooded animals."

Whoa, how the hell are the "feces of warm-blooded animals" getting into restaurant ice?! Ick.

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBQOZP9MJE.html

So this would be... Reason #4309 why NOT to support the fast food business. Or, at least, to avoid the ice machines.

(Thanks to Andrew for the link)

OK, so I was taking a shower, and this quote kept going through my head, and I just had to post it while we're still thinking of Doug Anglin. Here's Anglin at the height of his eloquency:

"But he said: 'I'm not here to try to lower the rights of women or interfere with the rights of minorities. We just want to fix this one problem that we think is a big deal.' "

OK. I just have to say: We'll get to your "big deal" after we fix the following much more pressing learning inequities in this country (what would Doug call them? "Really big deals"?):

1. The fact that African American, Latino, and Native American children face performance gaps in school (check out this link: http://www.fwps.org/info/press/0001/010529gap.html)

2. The rising costs of college for those of us who DON'T come from solidly middle class families (and the budget cuts in federal aid programs). Oh, and while we're at it, the lost ground that many children of lower class families have to make up for once they reach school (because not everyone has parents who can help them with every school assignment).

3. The fact that female students, around the age of puberty, mysteriously start falling behind in math.

4. The consistent societal barriers that women face in getting equal treatment at work (promotions, salaries). The fact that women seem to be the new

5. The challenges faced by those with physical disabilities and actual learning disabilities.

I could go on. But suffice to say, I'd rather see these problems addressed, before dealing with Doug's desire to get grades for his ability to play sports.

Some really interesting blog posts highlighting the new "victimization sweepstakes."

http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2006/02/04/boys-achievement-crisis/

http://pandagon.net/2006/01/26/daring-white-boy-rebels-strike-for-stupidity/

And, if you want to see the article that sparked the blogging, here you go:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/01/26/schoolboys_bias_suit/?page=1

Ironically enough, white men are claiming that schools have become so "feminized" as to devalue "male characteristics." Suddenly, sitting at a desk is a "female" task. Funny, I wonder if those complaining have looked into the history of schooling, because, call me crazy, but I believe our modern day education system springs directly out of what was designed by, and for, well-off Western white men.

Somehow, the idea of discrimination against middle class white men doesn't hold much water with me. Maybe because I had a high school teacher joke to my face that I was "getting my MRS degree" at MHC because of a major and minor in English/ Spanish. Yeah, Bob Level didn't QUITE catch on to the fact that I attended a freaking WOMEN'S COLLEGE. Not exactly going to college looking to capture a husband. [Mr. Level also overlooked the fact that I had worked my ass off to get into a good college, and that I planned on going to graduate school. Mr. Level seemed to be behind the times, not remembering that in my graduation year, there were 8 valedictorians -- all of us women. We weren't particularly "favored" by the system. We all did the work to get to that point, taking risks with our GPAs to take the AP courses.]

Anyway, back to the news story that's linked above.

Basically, a white, middle-class male high school student is claiming he's been discriminated against in school. What's the solution? As you might have guessed, it doesn't involve Mr. Doug Anglin putting in more hours at studying a foreign language or calculus. No, Anglin astutely proposes that standards be lowered. And luckily, coming from a fairly privileged family, he can run to daddy:

"Anglin -- whose complaint was written by his father, who is a lawyer in Boston -- is looking for broader changes. He says that teachers must change their attitudes toward boys and look past boys' poor work habits or rule-breaking to find ways to encourage them academically."

OK, so we should get over "poor work habits." Yes, they must be "intrinsically male qualities," which males simply can't help. I'm confused -- we should ignore bad behavior (that often bullies other students)? Do we really want to propose that there are unalterable, essential qualities that break down by sex? With all the attention and theorizing on how gender is constructed, essentializing (and stereotyping) male/female traits is dangerous and unscientific (not to mention anachronistic).

As appalling as all this might sound, Anglin's father goes a step further:

"Gerry Anglin, Doug Anglin's father, said the school system should compensate boys for the discrimination by boosting their grades retroactively.

''If you are a victim of discrimination in the workplace, what do they do? They give you more money or they give you a promotion," Gerry Anglin said. ''Most of these kids want to go to college, so these records are important to them." "

Does anyone else find this downright offensive? Boosting grades retroactively?? I'm sorry, but if you want the grades, then work for them. As the other bloggers point out, when female students underperform in math and science, the solution is never "let's think about how we're favoring male students," it's always "let's get females up to the standard we've set." But here, somehow, we should lower the standards? Anglin the younger even proposes dropping community service requirements that are currently in place to graduate, simply because "it's another burden that will just set off resistance from boys, who may skip it and fail to graduate as a result." WHAT? Are you KIDDING me? Get off your ass and do something for the community you're a part of, and then go home and do your G*# d*#%ed homework!

Why should society lower its standards (sure, don't worry about being a productive member of your community; and actually, who cares about study habits?) because the most privileged people in it are falling behind when the playing field is more level? This high school student sees, everyday, that the people in the most powerful positions in society are white men (government -- hell, look at our freaking Supreme Court, CEOs, etc.). And the well documented "glass ceiling" means that many women don't rise up in the ranks of businesses as men do. Oh, AND women STILL earn 70% of what men earn. So please, spare me the victimization crap. Instead of filing a lawsuit, why don't you find some studying skills that work for you?

File under: Another blatant attempt to avoid taking responsibility for one's own actions.

Ok, so, I was taking yet another break in reading The Tempest, and I found in the Feministe archives the most hilarious thing: The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005.

Link:
http://www.buffalobeast.com/91/50.htm

Here's my favorite:

"1. Pat Robertson

Charges: If Pat Robertson’s local Starbucks caught fire, he would claim that God was punishing them for giving him a caramel latte when he ordered vanilla. Robertson has always been a demonic charlatan with the credibility of Miss Cleo and a lust for Armageddon in his vile, rat-toad heart, but this was really his year to shine. In 2005, Robertson called on God to vacate seats in the Supreme Court (the almighty obliged, killing Rehnquist), advocated assassinating Hugo Chavez, said ‘judicial activists’ were a more serious threat to America than terrorists, called criticism of the war treason, said John Roberts should be thankful for Hurricane Katrina, which he implied was “connected” to Roe v. Wade, attributed Ariel Sharon’s stroke to divine retribution for the Gaza pullout, said “the Antichrist is probably a Jew alive in Israel today,” and implied that God would wipe the residents of Dover, PA off the map for rejecting Creationism. Not to mention raising huge sums of cash from his zombie army, much of which is diverted from his charity operations to his business interests, including African diamond mines. Has long advocated that America simply ignore the Supreme Court. Robertson’s God is an insecure, misogynistic, homicidal fanatic—just like Pat.

Exhibit A: Vehemently opposed to voluntary abortion in America, but okay with forced abortion in China, where his cable investments depend on the good graces of the government.

Sentence: Repeatedly struck by lightning."

So I'm reading The Pickwick Papers in Prof. Woloch's class (Realisms & Anti-Realisms), and I keep coming upon these magnificent moments. These two have some strangely similar elements...

The Pickwickians visit a town during a spirited election campaign:

"'Who is Slumkey?' whispered Mr Tupman.

'I don't know,' replied Mr Pickwick in the same tone. 'Hush. Don't ask any questions. It's always best on these occasions to do what the mob do.'

'But suppose there are two mobs?' suggested Mr Snodgrass.

'Shout with the largest,' replied Mr Pickwick." (167)


The Pickwickians go bird shooting:

"'What's the matter with the dogs' legs?' whispered Mr Winkle. 'How queer they're standing.'

'Hush, can't you? replied Wardle, softly. 'Don't you see, they're making a point?'

'Making a point!' said Mr Winkle, staring about him, as if he expected to discover some particular beauty in the landscape, which the sagacious animals were calling special attention to. 'Making a point! What are they pointing at?'" (248)

Ahh I love it.

(The page numbers are to the Penguin edition. Note to Penguin: It would be wise to print in larger than 9 point font.)

There's a great op-ed piece in the NYT today, "Jurassic Pork." I just had to paste an excerpt because it's written by a fellow at the Hoover Institution (yes, as in, Stanford's right-wing think tank), Kori Schake (a prof. at West Point). Her bio. also credits her as the director of "defense strategy and requirements at the National Security Council" 2002-5.

"THE military budget for the 2007 fiscal year clocks in at $439.3 billion. And that doesn't include the $120 billion that reflects the real cost of the war. We have a behemoth defense budget that inadequately addresses the top national security threats."

Schake goes on to say that she's convinced increasing the military budget so drastically was a mistake. As suggested by the title, she finds the priorities not in line with reality (not a huge surprise):

"Mr. Rumsfeld disparages his opponents as industrial age dinosaurs. Yet this is precisely the approach of this latest defense budget: it continues programs and practices that have been made obsolete by technology, innovation and field experience."

Basically, the administration that runs on fear (remember all the claims of "protecting Americans"?) is actually not even doing a very good job of addressing the threats to the US. This fits right in line with the Center for American Progress's giving the Bush administration a failing grade (D+) in homeland security.

So as billions of dollars go toward a defense budget that experts call "pork," everyday Americans are going without healthcare and seeing slashes in education spending. I think it's time to reprioritize, both in how the military spends its money, and in how we allocate funds.

[Thanks to Ken for the gender correction -- I'm afraid that after having a male roommate named Kory, I'm doomed to always picture a very, very tall blonde man when I hear that name.)

An interesting look at the tragedies caused by Poland's strict abortion laws, which have become even more strict in practice than in the books. Women are being forced to carry on pregnancies despite prenatal testing that reveals severe disabilities, or risks to the woman's health. There's also a sad story about a woman who died during an illegal abortion, because her doctor was afraid of the legal ramifications for bringing his patient to the nearby emergency room. Luckily, more women seem to be speaking up about this problem. Also, with the recent case of a woman who is now basically blind from a pregnancy that she was forced to carry out, despite her eye doctor's recommendation for an abortion, it seems that the rest of Europe is starting to take notice. Very sobering considering our now mostly white male Catholic Supreme court.

http://www.federa.org.pl/english/news/tribunal/shana_penn.htm

So I just got back from Jing Jing's (followed by gelato!) w/ a group from the studio, and Andrew, who seems now to be pursuing a career in special effects, sent me a lovely picture of his culinary creation:


Andrew: i made fresh spring rolls!!
Me: wow
Me: beautiful
Andrew: hehe, well i staged that a little to hide the fact that one sorta burst and another was losing some of its innards
Andrew: i wonder if romero used rice vermicelli for intestines...
Andrew: but i made the sauce and even sprinkled chopped peanuts on top
Me: hahaha

Email the president about the budget bill that includes a $12 billion cut to student loans, and which just squeaked through a House vote:

http://www.studentaidaction.com/aid.asp?id=1157

It's that horrible in-between time in my room -- the sun is just setting outside, but it's too dark to read without turning on a light indoors. I've been doing laundry, and keep getting these bouts of mhc(home)-sickness. I think it was a combination of seeing a silver car parked out in front of the building (reminded me of Monday mornings in front of the Delles, watching Andrew drive off to work) and then noticing the slanting sunlight coming into the hallway from the entryway (ahh, so much like the golden color in my old dorm room facing west). And then it didn't help that I had a mix CD on from Jaime, which reminded me of junior year... ahh!

Anyway, I have been pretty horrible about writing things down here. I never updated on the last week of adventures while Andrew was here (lots of eating out -- Darbar, Pizza My Heart, Coldstone (dear LORD the cake batter is SO GOOD)), or on weekend activities (like last week's trip to a pizza place in Menlo Park for Megan's birthday). Hmm.

The big ventures off campus seem to correspond with activities planned by our CA's. About a week and a half ago, I went to the SF symphony and met some interesting chemistry folks (we listened to Michael Bolton on the way back in the car -- ironically, of course). I decided that I have no ear for music. Which might explain why I didn't have the self discipline to continue taking piano lessons back in the day. We caught performances of Stravinsky's Petrushka (apparently there's a storyline; might have helped to have known that prior, because I had no idea what to picture) and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor (for those of you who know what this is). Anyway, it did almost nothing for me. I was more interested in the architecture of the space. I kept expecting images to pop into my head, but I had nothing. I was thinking of Fantasia, but the little dancing mushrooms really only belong in that context. Oh well.

Anyway, the more appropriate-to-Becky excursion was this last Sunday. I went to Ano Nuevo w/ Jessica's event, which is this hang out on the coast for lots and lots of elephant seals. They're huge. They don't exactly excel at getting around on land -- they basically throw their bulk forward and then pull. Luckily for them, it seems they don't need to move much in the first place. Most of them were dozing in the sand, periodically flipping little flipperfuls of sand over their backs. Bizarre noises -- the males seem capable of only one noise: gutteral burp-like expressions. Crazy. Anyway, on the way back our group stopped off at a lighthouse for lunch, sat on the porch overlooking the ocean.

This weekend is going to be ridiculous. About 600 pages of reading (which is actually less than last week). Argh.

Interesting article... You'd think that a vaccine against HPV, which can lead to certical cancer in women and can be transmitted even with the use of a condom, would be a VERY GOOD THING. So why are some conservatives reluctant about the vaccines being used? Because, naturally, once you're vaccinated against something, you of course just can't wait to expose yourself to it! As pointed out on the Feministe blog (Zuzu points out that children don't exactly go rolling in rusty nails just because they've had a tetanus shot), the logic doesn't really hold.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17950773-36398,00.html

I just have to pass along this great posting from the Feministe blog:

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2006/01/25/your-priorities-are-showing/

A new blogger to the site, going by Zuzu, highlights the ideology which permeates the FDA's decisions in approving certain medications for over-the-counter use. Apparently this diet drug (which would be called Alli) is used to block the absorption of fat. It doesn't have a very good track record, and produces rather disgusting and embarrassing side effects (no big surprise: the body wasn't meant to pass fat out through the digestive tract). And, it can be dangerous when taken with certain other medications. Also, as we can all imagine, it has a VERY high potential to be abused by teen girls (wait, where have we heard that one before?) Despite this, the FDA is approving it.

This might not seem like that big a deal, until you compare it with the FDA's much more publicized denial of Plan B's petition to be sold over the counter. As Zuzu points out (but I'll sum up in case you don't feel like reading the posting), Plan B has a very good track record, is very effective with few if any side effects, and has the approval of most everyone in the scientific community (even the FDA advisory board). (As a side note, I remember my gynecologist getting quite worked up over the FDA's denial of Plan B.) However, a higher up in the FDA, on pure ideology, blocked Plan B's path to being sold over the counter. Why? Because it could be abused by teen girls. (I think this is interesting, I mean, wouldn't we rather a teen use Plan B than later end up having an abortion?!)

Anyway, it's interesting that we're willing for teens to hurt themselves in the pursuit of becoming skinny, but we won't give them a safe way to prevent an unwanted pregnancy (or an abortion later down the line).

A condensed version of a conversation w/ Andrew:

Andrew: I think I'm going to watch tv now.

Me: Don't you have any homework?

Andrew: Well...I did some reading before on the couch. I have like 50 pages to read by Tues.

Me: 50 pages?...

Andrew: laughs

Me: I hope you have horrible midterms!

Andrew: I don't have any midterms.

Ahh, how did I end up taking 3 classes that assign around 700 pages of reading per week??

So, so far behind. Here's a journal like update, before I forget what I've been doing over my (oh too short) break.

Going way back in time, to Friday the 23rd...

Fri: Andrew arrived! I'd been sprucing up the apartment for the occasion, and walked to the transit center to meet his train from the airport. His hair has grown out, and one forgets the little details of a person, so at first it was funny, like meeting for the first time all over again. We ended up taking a cab back to my place -- enjoyed showing off the newly cleaned studio. Had a quick dinner involving cornbread, and I think we watched Land of the Dead, director's cut. Lots of added eating scenes.

Sat: Beautiful sunny day. Last sunny day for about two weeks, so it was lucky that we were outside for most of it. Biked all over for groceries, and Andrew helped us find a sane way to get to Safeway (ie, not going on El Camino Real). Dinner: Sushi feast.

Sun: Christmas! We went to James's for a very nice dinner, and it began to rain. Upon our return, it was time to start Hanukkah. Unfortunately, we had no menorah, so we ended up actually making two out of baker's clay. Believe it or not. I biked over to the department for paperclips which Andrew bent and molded and embedded in the clay in order to hold the candles above. Hilarious. Worked well, until the candles began to burn down... then it smelled like burnt bread.

Mon: Cloudy day -- walked the dish, and did not see the mountain lion mentioned on all the signs. Lake Lagunita was not a lake, but a muddy puddle with a few disillusioned ducks. Festive dinner of salmon & latkes. Amazing latkes. Took some good pictures of Andrew attending to the festival of frying. Then, went out to a bar to meet up with Andrew's friends. Fun fun -- and finally put faces to names.

Tues: Wandering around in SF day. We started out in the Mission, explored used clothing stores, and had coffee at Muddy Waters (not recommended: they have a buzzer system for the restrooms, which they use rather absent mindedly. For example, they buzzed in someone else while I was in there already -- luckily I was just attempting to wash my hands. Part II of why it's not recommended: NO SOAP). Next stop, walking toward the Castro district. Called Andrew's friend for directions to No Name Sushi, and realized we were like half a block away. This place is incredible, and IS recommended. It's in a residential area, and you'd never know it was a restaurant... The inside: tile, old tables and school chairs, a bathroom that's really an unfinished hallway, and the most amazing sushi ever. Huge portions, and the bestest yet... We basically gorged ourselves. I went from feeling damp and sickly to warm and well fed in about five minutes. Wandered back toward Caltrain, home late.

Weds: All I wrote down for this day was that we made pasta. Real descriptive, right? I think the weather started out bad, but improved. Strangely better than Tues's SF drizzle, despite conflicting weather reports. I think we biked onto campus and rented a movie -- Drop Dead Gorgeous on Andrew's friend's recommendation. Hilarious. Thought it would be pure mindless entertainment, but lots of interesting stuff going on with class & the American dream...

Thurs: Another city day! We headed in around noon, and did some of the more touristy stuff... visiting the ferry building, walking along the wharf and seeing sea lions from afar, visiting Ghiradelli (ridiculously overpriced, but free samples), getting Belgian fries, walking up the steep hills & down Lombard St., taking the bus toward the museum... The SFMoma is awesome, btw. We went for the half price evening -- visited the special exhibits: Chuck Close, art banned by the Nazis, & some trippy videos (one involving naked people in a box, the other capturing the view from a barrel rolling down a busy NYC street). Got back to Palo Alto late, and hungry. Did the Cheesecake Factory thing: ate half our dinners, got cheesecake to go. Yums.

Fri: Picked up the rental car! Yay, mobility! Ran some errands (ahh I love Ikea), and got back in time for Jill's pizza party. Best pizza.

Sat: Weather had been bad -- food shopped, and then had a beautiful drive to Half Moon Bay. Foggy, drizzly, with lovely forest smells. Got back in time for Andrew to treat me to his homemade green curry, and then prepared for our mojito preparty. Took longer to make them than expected, but Andrew made a good bartender. Then we headed off to Gavin's New Year's Eve bash. Great night: tequila shots w/ our professor (Andrew was the only one to go back for a second round), Krispy Kreams at midnight, the champagne countdown, etc... Bowed out around 1 am -- the kids running about had more energy than I did...

Sun: New Year's day brunch in Berkeley w/ Andrew's cousins. Lots and lots of rain and wind. Got home & I made chili. Last day of Hanukkah -- I was finally starting to remember bits of the prayers. I loved that we did the entire 8 days of gifts, such fun.

Mon: Horrid weather, again. In case you didn't hear about our wretched weather, it rained for about a week straight. Thought we were going in for the whole 40 days and 40 nights. The news stations had many a field day, warning us of the dangers of standing water, and reporting live from mudslides and floods. Ridiculous. Interrupted every TV show we watched, including one special featuring washed up figure skating stars doing their thing to Kenny Rogers. Anyway, so we had trouble finding stuff to do that didn't involve enjoying the out of doors at all.

So we found ourselves again in Berkeley... did some used clothes shopping, made a Scharffenberger chocolate factory tour, and explored the downtown areas. This chocolate is freaking amazing. It's not candy-chocolate like Hershey's, but real, straight up cacao w/ coco butter & sugar and vanilla and some emulsifier. Even their milk chocolate technically is dark chocolate due to cacao percentages. They let us try their various types -- bittersweet was my favorite, then semi sweet, and milk chocolate. After the explanations & tastings, we saw the resting machinery. Then they let us try the 99% cacao: whoa. And the mocha. Apparently you should always go from highest cacao percentage to least when sampling. Andrew bought a great t-shirt that says "extra bitter."

After, took Andrew's cousins' dinner recommendation: a Thai place (great building: includes a greenhouse turned seating area) in the Gourment Ghetto. Good curry... Then digested while exploring a huge bookstore.

Tues: Another crappy weather day. Solution: more factory tours. Headed up toward Fairfield. Did the Budweiser tour first. Ridiculous propaganda disguised as informative videos. Lots of patriotic imagery -- eagles, stars and stripes, etc. Let's just put it this way: the TVs were embedded in larger-than-people plastic beer cans. Did give lots of free samples: two full beers. I tried their more experimental types, involving fruit flavorings like grapefruit, lime/cactus, and raspberry. They can fill 2000 bottles a minute in this factory, and we learned that their aging area (monstrous barrels of beer, I think we figured they hold like 70 million bottles of beer? Try using those figures in the 99 bottles song...) is actually the safest place during an earthquake. Gotta protect that yicky beer.

The highlight, though, was going to the Jelly Belly factory. Had a tour guide who was clearly channeling Johnny Depp. Didn't really answer questions, and ended every sentence with a squeaky "OK?" But, we did get to wear cool Jelly Belly hats. We could smell the Juicy Pear flavoring as soon as we hit the walkway (they have walkways conveniently located above the factory -- bird's eye view of bean making). The tour guide, who has clearly never lived near a pear orchard, squeaked: "Just like a pear orchard!" Bizarre place, with portraits of Ronald Reagan & Elvis made out of jelly bellies, dancing machines, and a jelly belly "bar" where you can order a banana split or even garlic bread. Bought "Belly Flops" (beans not quite perfect or fused together) for reduced price, had samples, took pictures... Couldn't eat any jelly beans for about 3 days, due to inhaling so many flavoring fumes.

After, bought some real food at the Berkeley Bowl.

Weds: Big day. Drove out to Muir Woods, along many twisty but pretty roads. Went across the Golden Gate Bridge. Took a damp but beautiful hike among the redwoods. Kept driving along roads with a view, until we finally got toward Point Reyes. Didn't know where to go from there, ended up at a lookout point (after driving through some truly stinky dairy farms) at a lighthouse. Above the ocean waves, watched the sun set behind a hill with deer grazing on it, made into silhouettes. Took some funny pictures. On the way back, saw the entire herd of deer grazing. Some stepped out in front of us. We caught another on film while engaged in the act of peeing (the deer, not us). On the way back, saw a buck set against the sunset. Got back really late -- luckily Andrew had made pesto that morning.

Thurs: Last big trip with the car. We drove out to Santa Cruz, visited Natural Bridges Park, followed the monarch's migration to the Lighthouse Beach Park, and saw an estimated 17,000 monarchs fluttering about the eucalyptus trees. Gorgeous. Lots of pictures taken. Then we crossed the street and watched the huge waves and surfers. Explored the downtown, splashed about on the beach, and walked along the wharf to watch the perfect sunset. Tried to take pictures of the alternatingly napping and barking sea lions that hang out on the wooden beams under the wharf. Walked back after the best of the sunset colors had begun to fade, and hurried to dinner (and warmth! I already think it's cold here, even though it's like a pleasant springtime according to New England standards). Went to a natural and largely organic place for dinner, Dharma's. Pretty good, though I don't think we got their specialties.

Fri: Early morning errands, dropped the car off, and joined half my cohort in a bike ride that ended at the veggie stand that's (unfortunately) closed for the winter. Went back home for a nap, War of the Worlds, pad thai, and, later, cake making.

Sat: Another day in SF: We ment up with Andrew's cousins for Dim Sum at Yank Sing (hope I'm getting the name right) down at Rincon Plaza... delicious. Then explored Hayes Valley (shops were too hip for me -- and too pricey), and a furniture place in the Mission that Andrew & I previously walked right by (remembered because Andrew commented on a lamp). So this furniture place was ridiculous. All 70's feeling furniture. Some of it rather ugly. Like stuff that's hopelessly tasteless in your great aunt's house, but somehow is cool if paired with hip things in your own place. Some of it was clearly beyond help -- like this orange lamp. Ok. The base was almost as tall as me, and seemed to have been shaped out of clay by a five year old. Then, the five year old's younger sibling finger painted it bright orange and brown, and the monstrosity was born. Most of the stuff cost about 10 times what it originally went for. And much of it could be found for under $50 at a local yardsale. Despite this, some cool finds, if you know how to decorate.

After, we just missed our train (damn huge hills in that city), so we took a later one. Biked to Jessica's for a lovely dinner, and then finally fell exhausted into bed.

Sun: Ahh wow, we're up to today! We woke up at a decent hour, and biked to Hobee's for brunch with the studio gang. Amazing smoothies & coffeecake. Then back here for a nap, a visit to the bookstore & the English dept, and some renegade citrus picking. Romantic candlelit dinner (pizza and salad w/ my splurge item, organic red wine). Took a shower early -- watched DH -- recaps of Grey's Anatomy -- original 50's Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- and now... time for bed.

But before that: The best quote of the evening:
I was peeling a very ripe mango while sitting on the couch, and I wanted Andrew to throw out the inedible stem part for me. So I thought it would be a bright idea to toss it to him, as he was standing at the sink (remember, I live in a studio, so the sink and the couch, not so far away from one another). Anyway, I threw it, and it ended up going about a foot and a half, landing squarely on my tote bag (which was sitting at the foot of the couch). Andrew said: "You have like negative athletic ability." So true, so true.

And now, for bed!