When people ask me to describe my family, I usually start rambling about us being loud and goofy, but sort of introverted and overly thoughtful, and really open to new people so there's never enough beds for all the people at holidays, and of course, interested in saving the world.
While this description creates a very interesting run-on sentence, people usually seem more confused than enlightened.
A new way to describe my family came to me this morning... my family is like the Weasley family from Harry Potter. We don't have red hair, and we're not wizards. And there of no twins. But other than that, it's pretty much the same. Everything is loud and energetic until everyone passes out from exhaustion. There are always random people hanging around from other countries or families, and Mom jokes that she collects stray children instead of animals. There's usually someone playing a practical joke, but simultaneously, others sitting in the corner discussing the state of politics or religion. The house is usually a "good mess, the proof of life," and thankfully, there's always enough to go around even if it's not fancy.
Thanksgiving was a great time to enjoy these dynamics, as well as to blend them with Mark's family's characteristics. Mark and I are very blessed to have such wonderful families who seem to enjoy each other, even though they are pretty different.
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving too!
Nov 29, 2010
Nov 20, 2010
moving forward
Graduate school has seemed like a much longer haul than undergraduate. Of course, in reality, it's only been 2.5 years instead of 4. Still, I'm going to be done in mid-December, and I am really grateful to move forward.
And I am officially going to be working at a hospital as a research assistant in the pediatric surgery group. I'm really excited to be starting a new chapter and moving forward in my life and career. It will be a blessing not to have to commute to or live in a different city from Mark, especially once we get married. And I'm excited to be getting more clinical experience that will be more informative than filing charts.
I'm especially grateful for this job, given the economy. This is my daily bread, and I'm very thankful.
And I am officially going to be working at a hospital as a research assistant in the pediatric surgery group. I'm really excited to be starting a new chapter and moving forward in my life and career. It will be a blessing not to have to commute to or live in a different city from Mark, especially once we get married. And I'm excited to be getting more clinical experience that will be more informative than filing charts.
I'm especially grateful for this job, given the economy. This is my daily bread, and I'm very thankful.
Nov 3, 2010
election results
When something really annoys me, I always try to consider Jesus' words in Matthew 7:5: "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Usually I find that I need an attitude adjustment, even if my annoyance is still legitimate.
Such was the case when I was driving to work this morning, listening to the results of the election. So for the sake of full disclosure and avoidance of hypocrisy, I admit that I did not vote yesterday. Normally, I vote in every election, but I didn't vote in this one. It was a mistake of paperwork, and I did not put forth due effort to correct the problem. When I moved, I changed my DMV address and neglected to change my voter registration. In effect, I became ineligible to vote at either my old or new polling station. I didn't get it fixed fast enough to be able to vote this year. So, I fully admit that I did not complete my civic duty in this midterm election.
So, I can only be so annoyed at people that I hear on the radio who are decrying this or that, because I admit, I didn't vote. But my annoyance still stands. I respect peoples' right to express their opinions, but I get really frustrated when I hear people saying things like, "I lost a lot of money in the economic downturn, and they (the government) haven't doing anything about it!"
I want to respond, saying, "I am sorry that you lost a lot of money during this crisis, but I disagree that the government hasn't done anything about it. The government is made up of real people-- your neighbors some of them-- who are trying to alleviate this problem regardless of their political affiliation. You may totally disagree with their methods, and I would be interested in hearing your ideas about how they could improve or about policies that might help. But please do not accuse them of apathy. Just because the economy is still struggling doesn't mean they aren't trying. I am sorry that you haven't felt, or haven't recognized, the effects of their work. They will continue to try to make it better for you and this country."
And then I just to tell them to go study economics and policy (shocking, I know) so that maybe they can actually have an informed, grounded, knowledgeable, and consistent opinion about anything.
It's mean, I know. I can't say that I have an informed, grounded, knowledgeable, and consistent opinion, and I'm studying policy full-time. In fact, the more I study, the more moderate I get. But I guess my point is that government isn't this big, bag wolf out their who is trying to neglect the public, or worse yet, sabotage it. Indeed, there have been governments like this in the past, and America's government is not immune to that possibility. However, at the present, I think that the government is more like a huge, complex balancing trick, performed by our neighbors, and representing a vast collection of interests competing for scarce resources. So, despite my failure to vote, I want to suggest that these people re-imagine the government as an organization in which they can be involved if they so choose. But if they choose not to be involved and can't say something knowledgeable about politics or economics, then I wish they wouldn't say anything at all.
Such was the case when I was driving to work this morning, listening to the results of the election. So for the sake of full disclosure and avoidance of hypocrisy, I admit that I did not vote yesterday. Normally, I vote in every election, but I didn't vote in this one. It was a mistake of paperwork, and I did not put forth due effort to correct the problem. When I moved, I changed my DMV address and neglected to change my voter registration. In effect, I became ineligible to vote at either my old or new polling station. I didn't get it fixed fast enough to be able to vote this year. So, I fully admit that I did not complete my civic duty in this midterm election.
So, I can only be so annoyed at people that I hear on the radio who are decrying this or that, because I admit, I didn't vote. But my annoyance still stands. I respect peoples' right to express their opinions, but I get really frustrated when I hear people saying things like, "I lost a lot of money in the economic downturn, and they (the government) haven't doing anything about it!"
I want to respond, saying, "I am sorry that you lost a lot of money during this crisis, but I disagree that the government hasn't done anything about it. The government is made up of real people-- your neighbors some of them-- who are trying to alleviate this problem regardless of their political affiliation. You may totally disagree with their methods, and I would be interested in hearing your ideas about how they could improve or about policies that might help. But please do not accuse them of apathy. Just because the economy is still struggling doesn't mean they aren't trying. I am sorry that you haven't felt, or haven't recognized, the effects of their work. They will continue to try to make it better for you and this country."
And then I just to tell them to go study economics and policy (shocking, I know) so that maybe they can actually have an informed, grounded, knowledgeable, and consistent opinion about anything.
It's mean, I know. I can't say that I have an informed, grounded, knowledgeable, and consistent opinion, and I'm studying policy full-time. In fact, the more I study, the more moderate I get. But I guess my point is that government isn't this big, bag wolf out their who is trying to neglect the public, or worse yet, sabotage it. Indeed, there have been governments like this in the past, and America's government is not immune to that possibility. However, at the present, I think that the government is more like a huge, complex balancing trick, performed by our neighbors, and representing a vast collection of interests competing for scarce resources. So, despite my failure to vote, I want to suggest that these people re-imagine the government as an organization in which they can be involved if they so choose. But if they choose not to be involved and can't say something knowledgeable about politics or economics, then I wish they wouldn't say anything at all.
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