All Things Go

"So scared of getting older. I’m only good at being young."

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:09:13 -0500

““So scared of getting older. I’m only good at being young.””

- John Mayer, “Stop This Train”

My family.

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:30:30 -0500

My family.

Tonight, Drew came over and made us all breakfast for dinner....

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:23:22 -0500

Tonight, Drew came over and made us all breakfast for dinner. Thanks, Fish :) it was superb.

What’s wrong with this photo?

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:36:27 -0500

What’s wrong with this photo?

Canoeing with Dan at Pocahontas State Park was honestly the most...

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:16:09 -0400

Canoeing with Dan at Pocahontas State Park was honestly the most fun I’d had in a long while. It was so serene. The sounds of the birds chattering in the trees, the lullaby of water flowing over the oars, and a deer drinking by the waterside. There were quite a few people at one end, but we were able to find a little nook of peacefulness. Just me, Dan, and Nature. It was wonderful.

Despite the wackiness of these ingredients, this Ben &...

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:35:06 -0400

Despite the wackiness of these ingredients, this Ben & Jerry’s flavor is quite boring. Don’t bother.

classic dan.

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:51:23 -0400

Daniel: Best finish school, I need to get some interview pants.

Me: omg yes you dooo!

Daniel: I'm thinking assless, to show off my good side...

Me: old navy has nice khakis

Daniel: That or Jenkos...

Me: crotchless in my opinion

Daniel: No, I don't want them to get excited...

Old school Scrabble with my two favorite boys.

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:33:27 -0400

Old school Scrabble with my two favorite boys.

Sometimes, I just feel like an outline of myself.

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:19:46 -0400

Sometimes, I just feel like an outline of myself.

“Let the sun rise; let the birds sing; let there be light;...

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:11:22 -0400

“Let the sun rise; let the birds sing; let there be light; let there be morning” (the perishers)

Belle Isle on a beautiful September afternoon.

My creepy husband.

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:31:11 -0400

My creepy husband.

“Admit it. I look ten years younger.” (Jenna...

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:59:00 -0400

“Admit it. I look ten years younger.” (Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock)

el paso, tx or mexico, tx

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:36:34 -0400

One day, Dan and I were in Burlington Coat Factory. I had been looking everywhere for a good coat to take to Chicago, but I didn’t want to pay out enormous amounts of money either (because let’s face it, in EL Paso, a coat is about as useless as an Art History degree in America). So anyway, I digress, we were in this store dedicated to the sale of coats. I found one at a reasonable price, but noticed a small stain on the sleeve. It was the only one in my size, so Dan goes on to say that we should ask the manager for a sort of discount.

To veer off for a second, it should go without much explaining that the population in El Paso is about 90% Hispanic. These people speak Spanish not only at home, but in public 91% of the time. It is more unusual to hear English in this city than it is to hear Spanish.

Back to my story. We ask the cashier if a discount was in order due to the fact that the coat was stained and there were no others. Naturally, they had to check behind us. After that charade was over, the cashier insisted on the manager’s approval. After a long wait, an attractive Hispanic woman with an air of superiority comes over to register two and immediately addresses the cashier without giving us a fleeting glimpse. The conversation went as follows:

Manager: ¿Que pasa?

Cashier: Rapid Spanish indistinguishable by me, a Caucasian from the suburbs of Chester, VA

Manager: ….Bueno….Si…. (ok, hard to believe I took four years of this language in high school)

You get the point, no?

She doesn’t look at us as she walks away, but we are granted a 10% discount, in case you were curious.

I think, and will stick by this, that was rude. If I had crossed the border in to Ciudad Juarez and was shopping at Coat Factory de Burlington there, I would have been less surprised by the natural use of Spanish in front of customers. She had no clue whether we spoke Spanish. Let’s forget for a minute she didn’t acknowledge us by smiling or saying “thank you for shopping with us.” Eh, I never really need that sort of adulation from managers. She could have at least spoken broken English so we knew what the hell she was saying.

Before I came to El Paso, Dan would say crude things about having to press 1 for English. About how English is the language you should learn if you are going to live here. I would roll my eyes and make a comment about how obnoxious he was. Not anymore. The fact that I feel more like I live in Mexico than an American state is the most obnoxious thing I have ever come across.

To me, American culture isn’t about obesity or speaking English. And the actual Hispanic population does not bother me as much as it must appear by this essay. It’s the lack of diversity in this city that bothers me. Sure, we have some of the classic American stores and restaurants. But let’s face it, Mexico owns El Paso, Texas. If you don’t speak their language or listen to their music. If you don’t love their food or understand their culture, forget it. You will never make it here and you will forever feel like an outcast.

So if you are from the suburbs of tri-state Virginia and you plan on visiting or living in El Paso (well, first of all, you’re an idiot) prepare to feel very much like an immigrant, despite the American flag you see waving proudly 10 feet from the Mexican-United States border.

Well said.

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:24:56 -0400

Well said.

"After the first blush of sin comes its indifference."

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:19:52 -0400

“After the first blush of sin comes its indifference.”

- Henry David Thoreau