Don't cha want a.......

I'm the yellow Fantana. Nikki is Red. Lauren is Purple. Tammy is Orange. Don't cha want a FANTA FANTA?

And here is the lovely pumpkin I carved.

I think we're skipping Franklin Street this year. That's probably a good idea. Not really in the mood to hang out with 70,000 of my closest friends this evening. Pizza and a movie sounds a whole lot better.....

Ouch

Turns out I have been walking, running and working out on a stress fracture in my left foot for over six weeks. Due to the excellent state of our mediical system, I had to wait 4 weeks before I could get an appointment with a podiatrist (I tried to just go see my PDC or whatever the hell they call it, but insurance insisted I go right to a specialist to avoid wasting anyone's time). After an x-ray and a mean foot massage from my foot doctor, the problem was diagnosed. Now, i have a stylish new accessory for the next four weeks.

Yet another soapbox. Have you seen that George Bush signed a bill today giving the thumbs up for a 700 mile fence to be put up between us and Mexico? A fence. 700 miles of it. Rumors say that at least 1 billion dollars are already in the pipeline for this project. If a massive river filled with pollution can't keep people out, how in the hell will a fence send them the other direction? http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top11oct26,0,7133412.story

I was proud to be a part of a generation where one wall was knocked down. I am now downright ashamed to be part of a generation where another wall is being put up.

VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7.

LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES IN YOUR LOCAL ELECTIONS.

CHANGE STARTS IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD.

No, I'm Michelle - not Nicole. HA!

Want to waste time? Go here: www.myheritage.com. You upload a picture of yourself, their program scans the face and matches the features with celebrities in their database. A great way to kill a few minutes.

And here is my result. HA!

Good day for the NY Times

I check the New York Times on a daily basis, but to be honest, I normally scan the "The Most Popular E-mailed Articles" and maybe check out a multimedia slideshow, a travel review or a silly Op-Ed. But today, there are two fantastic articles. One on the industrialization of our food production and another on early puberty in kids. Check this out:

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that our food supply now sickens 76 million Americans every year, putting more than 300,000 of them in the hospital, and killing 5,000. The lethal strain of E. coli known as 0157:H7, responsible for this latest outbreak of food poisoning [i.e. the spinach scare of 2006], was unknown before 1982; it is believed to have evolved in the gut of feedlot cattle. These are animals that stand around in their manure all day long [ahem....factory farming], eating a diet of grain that happens to turn a cow’s rumen into an ideal habitat for E. coli 0157:H7. (The bug can’t survive long in cattle living on grass.)" Michael Pollan, "The Vegetable-Industrial Complex", NY Times, 10/15/06

To see the whole article, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/magazine/15wwln_lede.html?em&ex=1161230400&en=fb88bad2f039ed21&ei=5087%0A

Most folks don't know that factory farming is something of a recent phenomenon that has grown rapidly only in the last 20-30 years. I hate to be pushy or throw this stuff in peoples faces, but there are a lot of folks out there who really don't know where there meat comes from - and that is now starting to affect the vegetable industry as well. To get a good idea of where meat does come from without one of those scary flesh-showing PETA ads, go to www.themeatrix.com. It's a cute cartoon in the style of The Matrix which explains factory farming in a quick and simple way.

Anyway, the other NY times article about early puberty in young children describes freakish events as five year olds growing pubic hair and young schoolgirls growing large breasts, and way too early (no laughing - this is serious!!!). You know the reason????

"In 1979, the medical journal The Lancet described an outbreak of breast enlargement among hundreds of Italian schoolchildren, probably caused by estrogen contamination of beef and poultry." Darshak M. Sanghavi, "Preschool Puberty, and a Search for the Causes", NY Times, 10/17/06

Wow. To see this article in full, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/science/17puberty.html?em&ex=1161230400&en=9af920c8ec9f2d1c&ei=5087%0A

okay, enough soapbox today. Actually, enough soapbox for the week.

And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE!!!!!!!!
and Brendan
and Stefan......

BEERFEST

Hi, all, and sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. It has been pretty busy around here, and I have just procrastinated (imagine that!) on taking some time to write about what's going on around here.

Just wrapped up a visit with Mom, and that went really well. Our variety of activities included watching scary movies at home, attending a gay pride parade, having dinner with friends, and plenty of shopping. It was a whirlwind few days, and very wonderful indeed. It was great to see Mom, as it had been nearly a year since the last time I saw her. Yay for Mom visits! Here is a pic from our Friday night out:

I am also still going strong in class (I think). I finally came up with an idea for my paper in the class. It wll be a comparison of the emblem books of the 15th and 16th centuries to the protest posters of the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa. Both has a strong imagery that conveys messages throughout art and society. I haven't received an okay on this yet, but I hope I will in the next few days.

Yet another exciting thing coming up is BEERFEST. It is tomorrow at the Old Durham Ball Park. Unfortunately, it is scheduled to rain all day today and a decent chunk of tomorrow. That means ball park = mud pit after a few hours. BUT - with plenty of beer and a bunch of friends in tow, it should still be a good time. Here is the site that describes Beerfest: http://www.allaboutbeer.com/wbf/home.html Those who attend look forward to it all year - it is probably one of the best, if not THE best event held in Durham each year. I should have plenty of pictures on Monday to share!

The next cool thing is that Sunday I am volunteering at a show at the Carolina Theatre, starring comedian Jim Gaffigan (http://www.jimgaffigan.com/). I haven't worked at a show in a while, so it will be nice to get back into the theatre - and the stand up show should be fantastic.

okay, I should probably get to work. you too. quit reading this. go outside and play :)