:)

It is true what they say- always keep your mind and heart open- because you don't know what will happen if you do- and take a chance.... :)

Blood Runs Cold

I have never experienced what it feels like for your blood to run cold- except when I have been scared out of my wits- until tonight. This time, it was a sensation that stayed with me and didn't leave- it pierced down to my bones and knawed at my marrow. It made my heart thud against my sternum and left me short of breath- it made me feel alone- yet calloused.

...and please note I did not congratulate you- there is nothing to congratulate when all you did is roll over and play dead.

The Feminist Male

I truly have a respect for men who are not ashamed to make the claim that they are feminist. But then there are those that may not necessarily claim to be feminists, but claim to be progressive thinkers on women's issues- and prove to be anything but.

In my mind- they are public enemy number one for all women. They are men who claim to respect women, yet throw them away with each day's trash. They are the ones that claim to break the patriarchical structure, yet saddle women with the yoke of that oppression.

I am not saying that there cannot be feminist males, but rather, an understanding of what is means to be "progressive" on women's issues- what does it mean to have the lived experience of being a women- and understanding that there is a diversity of women's experiences and how they interpret and interact with their perceptions of reality.

Random Thought at 3 in the Morning

I have always found it slightly tragic/odd/whatever when someone's parents are infinitely cooler than they are- it makes you wonder what happened along the way......

Oh to rectify mistakes- chances not taken and risks unwisely chosen- making the worse decision of two set before you. grr...

My Fathers, My Brothers, and My Uncles

This is a bit late, but here are my reflections from this past Memorial Day. The 5th since the war in Iraq started, the 5th, to see over 4,000 lost.

I come from a family that has served our country in its time of greatest need- grandfathers that fought in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II. They have risen to the cause when it was needed most.

I reflect on my dad and my brother- both currently serving in the military, and my fears that my brother could be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan- yet his complete willingness to go.

And then I worry about the failed trusteeship of our elected leaders. They use the military at will without regard for the consequences- the post-war effects of combat, stress, and loss- the loss of time and your buddies who stand next to you in battle. The attitude of their expendability- yet the other talk of "we support our troops"- but won't enact a bill to ensure their families aren't on welfare or that they have the proper equipment in the field of battle.

Just as I thought things were going to be dull

....they get interesting again.

So I was lamenting the fact that Blacksburg in the summer can be boring and dull- it actually isn't that bad. The weather is great, so you can walk everywhere- and people are more relaxed- not putting up fronts about why they can't do something or hang out. And for me, it is a wonderful nice, quiet break from academia and the full-on assault of my impending PhD.

Blacksburg in the summer is quite an expected suprise.