cat's cradle

anyone else out there have this book? i LOVED it and was recently thinking about it when i picked up a chain at conference last week. i still find myself throwing a jacob's ladder out there whenever i come across anything that'll work. really, the game, cat's cradle, is fun to play at any age and is quite a throw back.

cleveland rocks!

well - i've been at this new job for exactly one month today (which means i've been gone from asta for a month!!) and i leave tomorrow for my first nqf conference. its an implementation conference on overuse. i'll let you know if i learn anything interesting.

the conference is at the renaissance cleveland hotel - pictured above - a historic hotel built in 1918 in cleveland, ohio. i'm hoping it will be a chance for me to bond with some coworkers as well as prove myself in tough situations (which always arise at conferences). can't say there will be a lot of blogging going on while i'm there. nqf said they won't pay for internet in our rooms. i will be sure to say somethign when i get back. until then - enjoy your week!

fave.

i thought i'd post this picture of my favorite - reese witherspoon. i always think she looks great and this picture is no exception.

jeffrey eugenides

kirstin dunst as lux, along with sisters

for months (maybe even years) now i've been wanting to read middlesex. don't ask why its taken so long, it just has. i finally got my hands on a copy last night and realized its by the author of the virgin suicides. this makes me even more excited to read the book.

virgin suicides is one of my favorite movies. directed by sofia coppala, it is the story of 5 sisters living an incredibly sheltered life because of their fundamentalist, ultra-conservative, christian parents. the story is told from the point of view of a group of boys who become obsessed with the sisters after one commits suicide. kirsten dunst as lux - the sister who dares to disobey - starts a chain reaction of events that ends in tragedy. if you haven't seen it and like to find movies off the beaten path, i suggest giving it a whirl. you won't be disappointed.

for now, i'm excited to dive into the mind of jeffrey eugenides again with middlesex. i'm sure you'll hear from me again about it . . .

congratulations are in order

my brother, evan, graduated from basic training/infantry school yesterday. he graduated as the distinguished honor graduate from his class (very exciting). this particular graduation was extra special/exciting because it was coupled with the dedication of The National Infantry Museum in Fort Benning, GA, set to open for visitors in June. there were thousands of people there for the ceremony. this is a picture of evan reciting the army creed, the rest of his company (or whatever the appropriate term is) reciting it after him. you can find an article and a video of evan being interviewed and reciting the creed here.

evan has had a bit of a bad run the last few years and i think this is a great accomplishment. i couldn't be more excited and proud.

erin go braugh!

happy st. patrick's day! this is such a fun holiday, even more fun if you happen to be irish, and i love to ebrace it because of my favorite phrase erin go braugh. it means ireland forever and i encourage you to use it all day!

as some of you may know, i studied abroad at oxford university when i was in college...and i loved it. it was only for a summer but it was possibly the best part of my four years at roanoke college. today, rj sent me an email with this picture inside. it made me happy on a day that has not gone so well. luck of the irish? i think not.