Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

This is my last, quick, post of 2008. 2009 will begin in a matter of hours. Posts to come on Christmas 2008. Happy New Year!

Our electric bill

We use Green Mountain Energy as our electric company. Not only were they offering one of the lowest rates when we moved, we like that they are using clean energy to power our house. They even include information about how much carbon emissions you eliminate each month by using them versus a standard company. If you don't use them check them out.

Since Hurricane Ike hit our bills have been weird. Our bill in October was for only $20.00. Then for November up to $90 (closer to our normal. I also did a ton of cooking this month and thought maybe that explained it.) Our December bill is $1.28. Yea. A dollar.

The only thing I can think of to explain the two months of crazy low billing is that our meter was damaged in the hurricane and it hasn't been discovered yet. Anyone else know of an explanation?

Four years later.

Yesterday was our four year anniversary so we went to dinner at one of Chris' favorite Houston restaurants and saw "Four Christmases". Overall, fun date night.

Our Christmas decor is all out so I need to post some pictures. I'll work on that early next week. I'm getting excited about our Christmas party but worried it will be me, Robyn, our spouses and a punch bowl because people are not RSVP'ing ha. Oh well. We'll enjoy it if it's just us.

Yesterday I sent in the final payment on one of my student loans! (Yay!!) I have two left in my name and they don't start gaining interest until February. I think I can pay off the smallest remaining one before then and we'll have one left in my name.

The bad news is two new loans will be in Chris' name starting December 29th. (Boooo) I'm doing what I can to keep his debt to a minimum though and once mine is paid off we will be able to focus only on his stuff.

Our church here in Houston is taking a group to Cambodia at the end of July to work in some orphanages. I do not know if I will be able to go yet but I really want to. We would like to adopt from Cambodia but it is currently illegal for US citizens to do so. Maybe by the time we get to the stage when we are actually expanding our family this policy will have changed. Regardless, I would love to be a part of this mission. We'll be praying about it to see if it's something I should do. Chris cannot go because of school commitments.

I cannot believe Christmas is next week. I'm excited!

Socially conscious investing

One of the benefits of working at Rice is the pretty generous retirement contribution plan. We do not have a lot of options of funds to invest this contribution in, but one of them is a socially conscious fund. The companies that are part of this fund are all companies that do not test on animals, do not fund genocides, and just generally are not participating in some of the sleazy activity companies may participate in to make money easier. While my other retirement accounts are down 20% and 31%, this fund is actually up 5%. Interesting.

Justice in Rwanda

This news story makes me glad. While sending one man to jail does not justify their actions or forgive them for the horrid crimes they committed, it at least keeps them off the streets so their victims do not have to see their face again. And to finally credit a single individual for organizing the campaign that lead to over 800,000 people being killed in about 100 days is huge. The ability to bring an organized justice process to such a chaotic criminal spree shows the power and strength of international war tribunals. The ICTY and ICTR have both had major victories this year. Hopefully these will continue to lend credibility to the permanent International Criminal Court.

A busy weekend and a break

My busy weekend officially started on Thursday of last week. I had dress rehearsal for our choir concert from 7-10. Got up early the next morning and drove to Denton, graduated, saw family and friends, returned to Houston Saturday morning. Performed in concert Saturday night. Ate at food fest.

Relaxed on Sunday. Ahhh... no Pier 1. No journal editing. I didn't even cook.

I did finally get our Christmas tree up and wrapped gifts. I love Christmas.

Here are some photos. One of Lindsey Fowler and me at the choir concert. Six years out of Cooper we find ourselves in choir together again. The other is my parents and me at graduation.

Well said!

Jeremy over at Generation X Finance wrote a brilliant blog post about how the media is reporting on the economy. The focus of his post is all of the sob stories currently in the media about people in their upper fifties or sixties who's retirement savings is heavily invested in stocks. They have now lost huge chunks of their retirement savings in the stock market troubles this year and fear they can never retire.

Instead of taking the opportunity to educate the public about how to allocate funds as your life cycle progresses, the media just says "how sad" and wants us all to feel bad. Many people are hearing this and interpreting it as a reason to stay out of the stock market. However, most media outlets are not taking this grand opportunity to tell the rest of the story.

These sad stories should say Grandma/Grandpa lost 50% of their retirement savings having invested 100% of the retirement in the stock market. However, if they had slowly pulled their money out of stocks and into bonds over the past 20 years like they should have this would have been avoided and they could have gained modest returns this year.

Same story for all the parents who had their child's college fund in stocks when their kids leave for college in the fall or, worse, are already in college. If you need that money soon why risk it?

Don't fear the market but know how to use it before you invest. Know when to change your investing game plan.

Goodness, I love snow.

I love the winter. I feel better when it's cold outside. I love being able to cover up while I'm hanging out around the house. I love how cuddly the cats get when their cold. I love it all.

Today after work I went over to a spa/salon place in Rice Village and got my eyebrows waxed and hair cut. My hair is now eight inches shorter than it was before. It is so light and breezy I almost don't know what to do with it.

Tomorrow I have dress rehearsal for our choir concert from 7-10 so it will be a long day. I'm sleepy already.

Then Friday is graduation. I get to get up early and drive to Denton. I will see some family I haven't seen in a while though so it will be good.

Happy.

Tonight I went to a cookie swap hosted by one of Cathie's classmates. I knew no one at the event besides Cathie but they were all really nice girls.

I'm going to go buy tickets to Legally Blonde by the end of the week and I'm super excited about it. I love musical theatre.

I'm also loving television shows this week. On one hand the episodes are amazing. On the other hand the half point in the season is over and many shows are cliffhangering for a few weeks. Boo.

I just finished watching last nights episode of Gossip Girl and WOW! A lot happened. Almost all of the major characters had major storyline movement. Well done writing staff. And I've never loved Dorota or Chuck more.

Heroes was crazy. The twists in Sylar's storyline as well as the demise of one of my favorite Heroes made this a great episode.

I have yet to watch Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother. I am currently watching last nights episode of Privileged. I am the only person I know that watches this show but it is clever, fun, and light so I'm digging it.

Exhausted

I am worn out. I haven't had a day off from work in four weeks with the exception of Thanksgiving Day. Between the job at Rice, Pier 1, a few social functions, holiday prep, graduation (this weekend), choir, and just basic cooking and cleaning I am tired. My feet are sore. My back is aching. I'm really sleepy.

And my sleep schedule is completely bizarre. I went to a birthday girl's night on Friday and stayed out until 2 knowing full well I needed to be at choir by 9 the next morning. From choir I went straight to Pier 1 eating a granola bar on the way. I got off at six and fell asleep around 8:30. Woke up at 11, back to bed from 4-8. Then a full day of Pier 1, baking, cleaning, and prep for this week.

Chris' schedule has been less random but just as busy. He has seven finals this week and will miss my graduation because one of his finals is Friday morning. It should be interesting.

On a good note I love all the Christmas movies that are on all the time now. The cheesy made for TV ones are the best. I've also forced Chris to watch Elf with me once and watched it alone at least one other time so far. I love it.

The assistant director for Chao Center starts this week and I have to say I'm excited about it. The woman currently filling the role is incredibly sweet but is technology impaired and that drives me a bit batty.

Quick weight loss update: I'm down a solid 3 pounds. It has been gone for about 2 weeks now and I consider that a feat during the holidays!

I'm off to finish up laundry before bed.

Have a great week!

Heinous

http://www.freep.com/article/20081204/BUSINESS01/81204058/1118/RSS

Even with an auto industry bailout economists predict at LEAST 90,000 jobs lost in Michigan. If the auto industry is already that bad off I don't see a bailout helping them. Their CEO's proved they are woefully unaware of the concerns of the current American public. While foreign automakers began experimenting with new technology (with success), creating smaller more fuel efficient cars the US automakers pumped out the Hummer and other large SUV's. During times when fuel costs were causing concern the American auto manufacturer's missed the mark.

They took private jets to a congressional hearing asking for money for their companies a week or so ago. If that doesn't scream of a disconnect with the American public, their values, and concerns, I don't know what does. Granted they took hybrids this time around it just screams publicity stunt.

From what I have read, allowing the auto industry (or at least 2 of the big 3) to go bankrupt will be devastating to Michigan's economy. But bailing them out will cause great harm to the national economy for far longer. I vote no bailout.


edit: I found this map that breaks down auto industry jobs by state. Thought it was neat.

http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/storysupplement/stateautoworkers/index.html

A matter of perspective

Isn't it funny how things are perceived? I read an article this morning that claims the lone gunman captured following the three day rampage in Mumbai, India participated because his family would receive less than $1500 dollars if he was martyred during the attack. He and his partner during the attack are attributed with killing 54 individuals. In return for the death of 54 innocent people and his own death his family would received $1250.

To me $1250 is mortgage, HOA fee, and utilities for a month. It is a few months student loan payments. It's a semester's worth of books for Chris. It's less than two weeks work. In the scheme of our expenses, it is nothing.

But to this man and the nine others that died carrying out the attack it was worth It was worth inciting terror for. It was worth killing for. It was worth dying for.

I wonder what this amount of money would have meant to his family. Would it have been life changing or a quick fix? It must be a large sum or it wouldn't be worth it, right? I know that I am blessed to live in a largely prosperous country. Even in the middle of one of the greatest economic declines in modern history we are still a prosperous country. But I cannot wrap my head around the idea that this act of terror and violence was committed over such a small some. How tragic for the victims. How tragic for the gunman's family to live in an area where this act could be considered an opportunity. How tragic for the gunman to feel so helpless that this was the best option to help his family. How tragic that after all of this his family will likely not receive their prize because their son was captured, not killed. In the end his actions did not benefit him or his family. It was all in vain.

Good news, bad news

Remember when I talked about/posted about jobs at Rice being secure? Well they still are for now but we are officially in a hiring freeze. At this point they are saying everyone who is currently on staff is safe and we can still expect moderate raises next year but no non-essential staff will be hired until at least April. Boo.

I have several things I want to write about but I feel myself on a bit of a roller coaster so I'm going to take time to think before I write.

One year ago...

Today is December 1st - also known as the first day acceptance letters go out for dental students. A year ago today I woke up very early and compulsively checked email, made sure the phone was on, and basically did everything to make sure we got the email, letter, or phone call that let us know Chris was in fact going to dental school.

And I remember how incredibly crushed I was that Chris did not get a phone call, email, or letter that day. I was sure he would get in on the first round. It never really crossed my mind that he wouldn't. He had already interviewed at two of the three dental schools (Baylor and Houston). Within a week he had a letter in his and saying he could interview at San Antonio on December 17th. This is not a good interview slot. Fifty percent of all the seats are given on December 1st. A wait list is already started. You aren't even being fully considered yet!

A month after the interview Chris got an email from Houston saying he was accepted (known formally as UTHSCH)...we didn't even realize that he letter we got on the same day was his acceptance from San Antonio (know as UTHSCSA)! We both felt a little ungrateful that after all that anxiety and nervousness we were so ungrateful that we didn't even realize he got two separate acceptances.

Just goes to show how emotional the process is. For those who are going through it best wishes and hang in there. I know your anxiety level has risen greatly if you didn't get in today but keep with the program because there are a lot of seats to give away still. And congrats to those that received the letter saying you're in. Enjoy the next few months before the real work begins!

A nice weekend

Saturday I went to the Ten Thousand Villages 20% bag sale. If you don't know about Ten Thousand Villages it is a non-profit store run almost entirely by volunteers. They promote free trade by selling goods produced by artisans in developing states. Cathie and I spent an hour and a half in there in Saturday just looking at everything. Some of it is too kitchy and not my style, but there are a lot of really unique gift and home decor items.

I went straight from Ten Thousand Villages to Pier 1 where I received my "associates appreciation gift". Anyone that started working at the store before September 1st got $50 to spend in store. So that's fun. I have my eyes on some stuff I want to buy once it goes on sale. Sale price+discount+free money= happy Meagan.

Chris pretty much studied all weekend. He has a test Tuesday and then he's done for the week. Yay.

We're staying in Houston for the holiday and I have to say that I'm glad. With everything we have going on I feel stressed as it is and adding in a long drive to see more family members would be excess stress.

Hopefully, I'll start baking tonight after I get home from choir. I found a recipe for iced pumpkin cookies I want to try.

It's a rich man's world

I've been listening to a little ABBA lately so the song "Money, Money, Money" unfortunately has been stuck in my head for a while. This song selection is timely in part because of all the talk of the economy that is hitting us from every angle. If you read anything online, watch television, have a job, or a bank account you should have an idea of what's happening.

Personally, Chris and I have not felt a pinch yet due to the economic crises. Our retirement accounts have taken huge hits - around 30% each - and the contributions we made this year have all but disappeared at this point, but we only contribute money that we don't need now anyway. We don't plan on using it for another forty years so we can take the hits now. I'm not concerned.

The interest rate on our high interest checking has dropped from 6% to 4.5% over the course of a year, but that's still a great rate.

I got a pretty good job with great benefits during one of the worst months for our economy in recent history. Chris is in school getting an education that will provide a good job for him in the future. Really, the only area that I see us really getting into economic trouble in would be a loss of loans for Chris' school. As of now that is not a worry.

I have to say I agree with ABBA. It is a rich man's world. But rich doesn't mean millions in the bank. You are rich if you have money in the bank, a home you can afford whether that be by renting or owning, and secure employment. It's too easy to focus on all the problems and worry about what might happen but I'm not right now. I don't like seeing people suffering but economies go through these cycles. It won't always be like this. And I don't think we've seen the worst. I fully expect it to get worse before we see the upswing. For now though, we'll keep contributing to retirement, paying down student loans, and living life as normal.

A bit TMI

At my job I currently work on the fifth floor of the library. It is very quiet as can be expected. I was liking the space a lot. However, today I made a very disturbing discovery.

The women's restroom has green marble floors with a shiny finish. It looks alright. But today someone came into the stall beside me. Shiny finish=reflection!!! Eww! You can totally see what is happening in the stall next to you in far more detail than should ever be seen in a bathroom. It's disturbing. So now I have a mild fear of the fifth floor bathroom.

I then discovered the fourth floor bathroom does not have this problem. So now I will take the stairs down the floor if I need to use the bathroom at work. This is good for the whole weight loss plan as well!

Student Loans, weight loss, and Pier 1

Today I put a nice chunk of change toward paying down my debt accrued for graduate school. We had the money to pay it all off up front, but decided to allocate that cash to our condo down payment instead. So now we'll pay it off slowly. I will officially reenter repayment in February so I am trying to pay off as much as possible before interest hits. I also paid down some of Chris' dental school loans because he has some unsubsidized stuff that is already gaining interest. If we are able to keep the repayment plan I have in my head my debt will be gone within 18 months.

If only losing weight was that easy. While I have not gained any lately, I've been pretty stagnant. I like to attribute this to my new job in part as I have not developed a great workout routine since I started. We also got into the habit of eating out again. We've done to eat at home this week though. The key is meal planning/ grocery shopping on the weekend. If this doesn't happen on the weekend it usually doesn't happen for the week.

I am not sure how much longer I'll keep the Pier 1 job. I still like it but I work 40 hrs a week at Rice and have averaged another 10-15 at Pier 1. If I stick it out through the holidays I will likely only get one shift a week starting in January, if they even keep me on, and I wouldn't mind that. We'll see.

Good morning!

Since moving to Houston we do not let the cats sleep with us anymore. Tabby (the oldest) had a habit of meowing loudly around 3-5 AM and Chris had enough of it. Turkey is not a problem but I feel guilty locking one in a room and letting the other stay out so it's all or nothing.

So usually one of us gets up first and lets them out. Today Chris got up first and I was greated by the kitties in bed. Tabby (the typically more stand offish one) starts cuddling.

Turkey slaps me in the face. Haha. She's usually the cuddler and it cracked me up. I think she was starting to play with my hair but I started laughing to hard to pay much attention.

I love my kitties.

I want that condo!

Today at work I got a little bored and decided to check our local real estate site. I found a condo in our complex that I want to own! It is almost entirely redone - nice cement countertops in the kitchen, new fixtures in the bathroom, new laminate down in the living spaces and beautiful new carpet in the bedrooms. It's two bed/two bath with a split bedroom arrangement. We currently are in a two bed/one bath. It's a top floor unit (we are currently on the second of three floors). I want it.

We could buy it and rent out the 2/2 because the lay out is perfect for roommates. It would likely be easier to rent out than our current 2/1. It's an extra 200 square foot as well. And it's priced perfectly for our market. There must be something wrong with it.

Our current financial plans include focusing on our retirement accounts and blasting out the student debt we have and preventing the accumulation of more as much as possible. This purchase would make that plan take a huge about face. So we won't do it.

Sometimes I dislike being sensible. It would be fun to be impulsive right now.

The White House Butler

A Butler Well Served by This Election
For 34 Years, Eugene Allen Carried White House Trays With Pride. Now There's Even More Reason to Carry Himself That Way.

By Wil Haygood
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 7, 2008; A01

For more than three decades Eugene Allen worked in the White House, a black man unknown to the headlines. During some of those years, harsh segregation laws lay upon the land.

He trekked home every night, his wife, Helene, keeping him out of her kitchen.

At the White House, he worked closer to the dirty dishes than to the large desk in the Oval Office. Helene didn't care; she just beamed with pride.

President Truman called him Gene.

President Ford liked to talk golf with him.

He saw eight presidential administrations come and go, often working six days a week. "I never missed a day of work," Allen says.

His is a story from the back pages of history. A figure in the tiniest of print. The man in the kitchen.

He was there while America's racial history was being remade: Brown v. Board of Education, the Little Rock school crisis, the 1963 March on Washington, the cities burning, the civil rights bills, the assassinations.

When he started at the White House in 1952, he couldn't even use the public restrooms when he ventured back to his native Virginia. "We had never had anything," Allen, 89, recalls of black America at the time. "I was always hoping things would get better."

In its long history, the White House -- just note the name -- has had a complex and vexing relationship with black Americans.

"The history is not so uneven at the lower level, in the kitchen," says Ted Sorensen, who served as counselor to President Kennedy. "In the kitchen, the folks have always been black. Even the folks at the door -- black."

Sorensen tried to address the matter of blacks in the White House. But in the end, there was only one black man who stayed on the executive staff at the Kennedy White House past the first year. "There just weren't as many blacks as there should have been," says Sorensen. "Sensitivities weren't what they should have been, or could have been."

In 1866 the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, sensing an opening to advocate for black voting rights, made a White House visit to lobby President Andrew Johnson. Johnson refused to engage in a struggle for black voting rights. Douglass was back at the White House in 1877. But no one wished to discuss his political sentiments: President Rutherford Hayes had engaged the great man -- it was a time of high minstrelsy across the nation -- to serve as a master of ceremonies for an evening of entertainment.

In the fall of 1901, another famous black American came to the door. President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington, head of the Tuskegee Institute, to meet with him at the White House. Roosevelt was careful not to announce the invitation, fearing a backlash, especially from Southerners. But news of the visit leaked quickly enough and the uproar was swift and noisy. In an editorial, the Memphis Scimitar would write in the ugly language of the times: "It is only recently that President Roosevelt boasted that his mother was a Southern woman, and that he is half Southern by reason of that fact. By inviting a nigger to his table he pays his mother small duty."

Fifty years later, invitations to the White House were still fraught with racial subtext. When the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow pianist Hazel Scott to perform at Constitution Hall because of her race, many letters poured into the White House decrying the DAR's position. First lady Bess Truman was a member of the organization, but she made no effort to get the DAR to alter its policy. Scott's husband, Harlem congressman Adam Clayton Powell, subsequently referred to Bess Truman as "the last lady of the land." The words outraged President Truman, who vowed to aides he would find some way to punish Powell and barred the fellow Democrat from setting foot inside the Truman White House.

The first black to hold a policy or political position in the White House was E. Frederick Morrow, a former public relations executive with CBS. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower's presidential campaign operatives were so impressed with Morrow's diligent work during the 1952 campaign that they promised him a White House executive job if Ike were elected. Ike won, but Morrow ended up being placed at the Department of Commerce. He felt slighted and appealed to Republican friends in New York to force the White House to make good on its promise.

The phone finally rang in 1955 and Morrow was named administrative officer for special projects. He had hoped the title would give him wide responsibilities inside the White House, but found himself dealing, for the most part, with issues related to the Brown desegregation ruling, the Rosa Parks-led bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., and the 1957 Little Rock school crisis.

"He was a man of great dignity," says Stephen Hess, senior fellow emeritus at the Brookings Institution, who worked as a speechwriter for Eisenhower. Morrow was in a lonely position, but "he did not complain," says Hess. "That wasn't Fred Morrow."

When Morrow left his White House position, he imagined there'd be corporate job offers. There were not. "Only thing he was offered were jobs related to the black community," says Hess. Nonetheless, "after Morrow, it was appropriate to have a black person on the staff of the White House."
'Pantry Man'

Before he landed his job at the White House, Gene Allen worked as a waiter at the Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Va., and then at a country club in Washington.

He and wife Helene, 86, are sitting in the living room of their home off Georgia Avenue NW. A cane rests across her lap. Her voice is musical, in a Lena Horne kind of way. She calls him "honey." They met in Washington at a birthday party in 1942. He was too shy to ask for her number, so she tracked his down. They married a year later.

In 1952, a lady told him of a job opening in the White House. "I wasn't even looking for a job," he says. "I was happy where I was working, but she told me to go on over there and meet with a guy by the name of Alonzo Fields."

Fields was a maitre d', and he immediately liked Allen.

Allen was offered a job as a "pantry man." He washed dishes, stocked cabinets and shined silverware. He started at $2,400 a year.

There was, in time, a promotion to butler. "Shook the hand of all the presidents I ever worked for," he says.

"I was there, honey," Helene reminds. "In the back, maybe. But I shook their hands, too." She's referring to White House holiday parties, Easter egg hunts. They have one son, Charles. He works as an investigator with the State Department.

"President Ford's birthday and my birthday were on the same day," he says. "He'd have a birthday party at the White House. Everybody would be there. And Mrs. Ford would say, 'It's Gene's birthday, too!' "

And so they'd sing a little ditty to the butler. And the butler, who wore a tuxedo to work every day, would blush.

"Jack Kennedy was very nice," he goes on. "And so was Mrs. Kennedy."

"Hmm-mmm," she says, rocking.

He was in the White House kitchen the day JFK was slain. He got a personal invitation to the funeral. But he volunteered for other duty: "Somebody had to be at the White House to serve everyone after they came from the funeral."

The whole family of President Jimmy Carter made her chuckle: "They were country. And I'm talking Lillian and Rosalynn both." It comes out sounding like the highest compliment.

First lady Nancy Reagan came looking for him in the kitchen one day. She wanted to remind him about the upcoming dinner for West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. He told her he was well ahead in the planning and had already picked out the china. But she told him he would not be working that night.

"She said, 'You and Helene are coming to the state dinner as guests of President Reagan and myself.' I'm telling you! I believe I'm the only butler to get invited to a state dinner."

Husbands and wives don't sit together at these events, and Helene was nervous about trying to make small talk with world leaders. "And my son says, 'Mama, just talk about your high school. They won't know the difference.'

"The senators were all talking about the colleges and universities that they went to," she says." I was doing as much talking as they were.

"Had champagne that night," she says, looking over at her husband.

He just grins: He was the man who stacked the champagne at the White House.
Moving Up, but Slowly

President Kennedy, who succeeded Eisenhower, started with two blacks, Frank Reeves and Andrew Hatcher, in executive positions on his White House staff. Only Hatcher, a deputy press secretary, remained after six months. Reeves, who focused on civil rights matters, left in a political reshuffling.

The issue of race bedeviled this White House, even amid good intentions. In February 1963, Kennedy invited 800 blacks to the White House to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Louis Martin, a Democratic operative who helped plan the function, had placed the names of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and his wife, May Britt, on the guest list. The White House scratched it off and Martin would put it back on. According to Martin, Kennedy was aghast when he saw the black and white couple stroll into the White House. His face reddened and he instructed photographers that no pictures of the interracial couple would be taken.

But Sammy Davis Jr. was not finished with 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. He got himself invited to the Nixon White House to meet with the president and talk about Vietnam and business opportunities for blacks. He even slept in the Lincoln Bedroom once. When Davis sang at the 1972 Republican convention in Miami, he famously wrapped his arms around Nixon at a youth rally there, becoming forever identified with a White House that many blacks found hostile.

Lyndon Johnson devoted considerable energy and determination to civil rights legislation, even appointing the first black to the Supreme Court. But it did not translate to any appreciable number of blacks working on his staff. Clifford Alexander says he was the sole black in Johnson's White House, serving first as a National Security Council officer, then as associate White House counsel.

"We were fighting for something quite new," says Alexander. "You knew how much your job meant. And you knew President Johnson was fighting on your behalf." As a young man growing up in Harlem, Alexander had heard about Morrow. Mothers and fathers pointed to him as a grand success story. "Fred was a lovely man," says Alexander. "But they did not pay any attention to him in the Eisenhower White House."

Colin Powell would become the highest-ranking black of any White House to that point when he was named President Reagan's national security adviser in 1987. Condoleezza Rice would have that same position under President George W. Bush.

The butler remembers seeing both Powell and Rice in the Oval Office. He was serving refreshments. He couldn't help notice that blacks were moving closer to the center of power, closer than he could ever have dreamed. He'd tell Helene how proud it made him feel.
Time for Change

Gene Allen was promoted to maitre d' in 1980. He left the White House in 1986, after 34 years. President Reagan wrote him a sweet note. Nancy Reagan hugged him, tight.

Interviewed at their home last week, Gene and Helene speculated about what it would mean if a black man were actually elected president.

"Just imagine," she said.

"It'd be really something," he said.

"We're pretty much past the going-out stage," she said. "But you never know. If he gets in there, it'd sure be nice to go over there again."

They've got pictures of President and Mrs. Reagan in the living room. On a wall in the basement, they've got pictures of every president Gene ever served. There's a painting President Eisenhower gave him and a picture of President Ford opening birthday gifts, Gene hovering nearby.

They talked about praying to help Barack Obama get to the White House. They'd go vote together. She'd lean on her cane with one hand, and on him with the other, while walking down to the precinct. And she'd get supper going afterward. They'd gone over their Election Day plans more than once.

"Imagine," she said.

"That's right," he said.

On Monday Helene had a doctor's appointment. Gene woke and nudged her once, then again. He shuffled around to her side of the bed. He nudged Helene again. He was all alone.

"I woke up and my wife didn't," he said later.

Some friends and family members rushed over. He wanted to make coffee. They had to shoo the butler out of the kitchen.

The lady whom he married 65 years ago will be buried today.

The butler cast his vote for Obama on Tuesday. He so missed telling his Helene about the black man bound for the Oval Office.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=admin/registration/register&destination=login&nextstep=gather&application=reg30-politics&applicationURL=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/06/AR2008110603948.html

A new day, a new President-elect

Well, the seemingly never ending election FINALLY came to an end. While I do not agree with all of his policies, I have to say I feel better about the Obama/Biden team as a whole than I did with the McCain/Palin team. Sarah Palin one health incident or accident away from being president? No thanks.

I thought McCain showed his true class in his concession speech, as did Obama in congratulating McCain for his campaigning efforts. A few random thoughts:

1. The race factor: I know that as a white female I lose some credibility in discussing this issue, but it makes me simultaneously happy and sad that a lot of the celebration over Obama's victory focused on his skin color. This is a man that won the popular vote of the entire country in a way that many voters have never seen. He contributed to 50% percent of registered voters age 18-25 actually voting! While it is sad that half of the registered voters in this demographic gave up their voice, 50% is a huge number. Regardless, instead of promoting general statistics such as these, the camera panned to crowds of black American's celebrating. And interviews focused on the fact that he will be the first black President. I wish the focus could have been more about unity as a nation instead of focusing on race which can still be divisive. (I primarily watched MSNBC for election coverage - maybe this was different on other networks.)

On the other hand, it breaks my heart that over a century since slavery ended in this nation and fifty years since the civil rights movement achieved some of their most ground breaking victories there are black, Asian, Hispanic, etc. individuals that genuinely believed that they would never see a non-white individual move into the White House in their lifetime. I am glad for the hope Obama's victory has given them but appalled that this lesson is still being learned.

2. I am beyond sick of uninformed people. This morning, over twenty four hours after the election was over I am still getting ridiculous email forwards, phone calls, and hearing conversations that disgust me. I do not understand how people can blindly accept information that seems so ridiculous.

There are reports that gun shops in Texas are literally running out of weapons to sell because of people wrongly believing that Obama does not support the 2nd amendment. Running out and buying a hand gun because you fear that Obama's policies might make it more difficult for you to have one in the future is idiotic. If you truly needed/wanted one you probably would have already had one. Buying a weapon that you cannot use does not protect you. In fact you are putting yourself at greater risk because the person that breaks into your house that you are fearful of might know how to use it and turn it back on you.

If these people making a rush to the gun shop to buy weapons, my own parents included, had any sense they would pop onto Obama's website or just do a google search to see what he thinks about gun control. I bet they would find themselves in agreement with a lot of what he has to say. Get rid of assault weapons. Keep excess weapons out of inner cites. Protect the federal right to bear arms, but leave the option open for states and cities to come up with their own policies.


3. And along the same lines, I am so tired of propaganda. For people that pass along email forwards you have not researched or spread rumors during the campaign about Obama you should be ashamed of yourselves. Because American's are apparently so gullible that we will believe anything that lands in our inbox, we have American's truly fearful of our soon-to-be president.

4. For Christians who believe that Obama's the Antichrist, who cares. If he is, you get to go to heaven sooner! As a Christian you should be taken in the rapture and you won't even be on earth to experience the plagues. Hallelujah!

I meant to write this post yesterday when I was truly excited about the election being over and more optimistic in the results, but I ran out of time. A phone call this morning just really frustrated and has really been on my mind all day. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on what I wrote or what they thought about the election results.

Quick vent

I cannot stand hearing stories from people making almost a half million dollars a year not having money. If you are making that much annually and you don't have money in savings, frankly, I think you are an idiot.

Sending out emails asking for help to your children making a fraction of your salary after being unemployed for three months does not make sense to me. Stop buying crap. Sell your ridiculous two seater BMW convertible that you just had to buy even though your own family can never ride with you. Most people are smart enough to figure out that if more than two people live with you a two seater is a dumb choice for a vehicle. I do not know why you would expect sympathy when you are wasteful and have the means to get yourself out of your own problems.

In a house that has 8 bedrooms (and thus 8 closets) shared by four people your clothes alone should not be FILLING 6 closets. You could make a small fortune in a consignment shop.

Or better yet, sell the 8 bedroom house in the well to do neighborhood and downsize so that you can afford your lifestyle.

Basically do anything except ask your kids for a hand out when you seriously don't need one.

Blogging from work

This is my first full week back in the workforce and I gotta say that I'm exhausted! The job I am currently doing is managing an academic journal on East Asian culture. Last year I worked on a journal with 4 employees and one editor in chief. On average we would have about 80 manuscripts out for review at any one time.

In this job it is only me and the editor-in-chief. We currently have over 200 active manuscripts out for review. So in sum, it is a TON of work! The past managing editor got overwhelmed and started letting everything slide before she just quit so I'm playing catch up. On top of that, the journal is moving from University of Washington to Rice so all week long I am trying to catch up on the manuscripts I have while new boxes of manuscripts are coming to the door.

Eek! I am going back and forth from being at peace and liking the job to being freaked out that we are so far behind and I don't really have any help.

I am still working part time at Pier 1. I took shifts every day this weekend since Chris is out of town. He left this afternoon to go to Memphis to present the research he did this summer.

Chris took my laptop since his monitor decided it wanted to not work this week so I'll be taking it to Best Buy (still under warranty...yay!) on Saturday after work to get it repaired.

I'm looking forward to getting a day off next week!

On a more random note, we voted this morning. I love voting.

Saving Christmas

I keep seeing all of these articles and news pieces about how great it is that stores are reviving their Layaway programs so that people will have gifts for Christmas. I understand that the Layaway system will help people afford to give each other gifts but these articles and such bother me for a couple of reasons.

Layaway is essentially a savings plan. These people are going to a store, seeing something they want to purchase, and instead of being instantly gratified actually paying for items before they take them home. This could be done without the assistance of a business. Companies that offer layaway will charge some type of fee, usually only $5 or $10 and if you change your mind you will lose a percentage of the money that you have already given the company and will still have no gifts. This is potentially a huge problem as our economy shows no signs of improving and it is likely that unemployment will increase as Christmas comes near.

Also, what's so bad about not giving store bought gifts? There are enough services to be gifted or homemade items that are a fraction of the price or potentially free. Why are we not hearing more about people simply choosing to break the gift giving cycle?

Shopping impaired.

Ever since I returned from Japan I cannot shop. I guess being to big for almost all clothes in an entire country will knock a girl's shopping interest right out of her. Now that I have my job I was going to treat myself to a few new things for my seriously outdated wardrobe. I have been to malls, discount stores, little hole in the wall boutiques and all I have purchased since my shopping quest began is two purses, a pair of boots, and a belt I needed for our choir concert tomorrow. So I have some accessories and no cute clothes to wear them with. I have got to get a personal shopper or a date with Tim Gunn to figure out how to pick things out. After being in and out of one or two stores I just get frustrated and leave. As motivation I have been watching "What Not to Wear" and "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" whenever I find them on TV. So, beyond my losing weight goal, by January 2010 I will no longer be afraid to shop. And all clothing items I purchased while still a student at Cooper High will be forever purged from my closet.

You're hired!

I'm so relieved to finally have a job with benefits. It is going to pay more than I expected and is actually in a field and topic that I am interested in. I am a little nervous though. I just got the call that I got the job today and I start tomorrow! The journal will consist of me (managing editor) and the founding editor. She is leaving on Thursday to go to China for three weeks! So I have 2 days to learn as much as possible before she leaves. This will be interesting.

Intro to the Main Street Theater

Tonight my dear friend Cathie took me to the Main Street Theatre to watch "... and L.A. is Burning". I thought it was funny that they pointed out in their opening announcements that "theater" was spelled "ER" in their case. I like a theater that comes with a spelling lesson.

The theater is very small. I would guess fifty seats. The stage is in the round and if you are seated in the outside aisle (as we were) you can easily have an entire scene acted out less than a foot away from you (which we did).

I didn't know what to expect when they described the play as dealing with the L.A. riots as a comedy but it was actually really good.

I look forward to future visits to our little hole in the wall theatre...I mean theater.

They say it's you're birthday.

So I'm now 25. Assuming I live to be 100 years old, one forth of my life is complete. Likely, I won't live that long so maybe more like a third of my life is done.

But it's been good. I've been blessed with many opportunities that have taken me dozens of exciting, zany, special places that have broadened my horizons, make me appreciate what I have, and long to see more.

Museum of Fine Arts

Today we went to the Houston Museum of Fine Art to see the "In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Coret to Monet" exhibit. The exhibit showed a collection of photographs of paintings of the forest over about 200 years.

Chris enjoys history and science museum but he's humoring me with the art. Since this exhibit is leaving Houston Monday we went and only checked out this exhibit. I will probably return on my own to see the rest.

The Weight Loss Cycle

In the six years since I left Abilene the same 15-20 lbs have come and gone more times than I would like to count. This has caused me endless frustrations and, even putting this information out there in a semi-public forum, I'm not sure I am yet in a place to permanently change this. I know what I need to do to fix it - eat better, move more - but I can't get myself into the habit of doing it. I lose weight and get to a point that I am happy with and then I resume my habit of eating junk.

I do not desire to be a stick by any means but I want to be healthy. There are several health problems that I am genetically more inclined to have and maintaining a healthy weight will go a long way in preventing them. I don't know what this block is that keeps me from doing this. Disappoints me about myself.

So in an effort to self improve I am on a mission to drop this 15 pounds and keep them off. I have to exercise regularly and consistently. I have to replace sweets and sodas with water and fruits and vegetables. Once I learn some self discipline in my eating I will be able to have sweets on occasion but frankly I don't have the self control right now. Occasionally I will post about progress. In an effort to be fair to myself, since this blog is mostly intended for me to get my thoughts out of my head, I will include the good, bad, and ugly.

Events in town.

Part of the fresh start in Houston is getting involved in activities I enjoy and not making excuses. I'm very lazy and after I get home from work (or if I'm not working at all) I have a very difficult time convincing myself to leave the house again. There are pros to this because it keeps me organize.d I dislike leaving the house to run errands so I plan my day to prevent this. However, this little habit keeps me from participating in things I would enjoy. So, I've joined some activities.

The first thing I became part of was the United Nations Association International Choir. This choir is made up of individuals of every race, nationality, color, and creed. There are a lot of really interesting people and I meet someone new every week. I had forgotten how much I enjoy singing and learning music. And I'm falling in love with the classic European composers again.

Then I found out about a Bible study Beth Moore is hosting at First Baptist Church of Houston. I went to the first class tonight and really enjoyed it. We'll see how this progresses.

Finally, I have found a yoga class right by my house that is fairly in expensive and meets on Thursday nights. Honestly, giving up The Office for exercise is not in my nature. I love some funny TV. But I can watch this on my own time due to the invention of online television! Yay.

Beyond these weekly activities I am trying to incorporate some of the opportunities a big city offers. Last Friday we attended the Tour of Gymnastics Superstars.

Most of the museums in town are either free or free on a certain day of the week. The Museum of Fine Arts is free with extended hours on Thursdays so we are going to see the Monet exhibit currently on display. Before the exhibits leave, we want to visit the Museum of Natural Science to see Bodyworlds and "Dinosaur Mummy CSI".

This Saturday will be my first visit the the Main Street Theatre. I am slowly learning of smaller more intimate settings to spend time and do things I enjoy. My dear friend Cathie recommends it and is taking me here.

There are many traveling theater groups that come through Houston in the next few months. I hope to see Spring Awakening, Les Miserables, and Legally Blonde.

Chris participates in my ideas when he has time, but a good restaurant or two is usually the main focus of his interest! We'll see what we can fit in and who I can convince to go with me when he's too busy/not interested. If anyone's interested in participating in anything here let me know and we'll play.

Catch up!

I thought I would try to post regularly here, but of course I am hopelessly behind less than ten posts into my new blog. However, I have a legit reason for at least part of my absence.

Hurricane Ike came to visit. Chris and I stayed in Houston and rode out the storm because we were not in an evacuation zone. We set up a little makeshift bed in the hallway. We were in the living room until about 10 pm when our power went out and the wind was starting to get a little scary. A section of the gutter fell off our building and tried to hit our patio door but luckily the railing blocked it. But the noise was loud enough to scare us into the hall. So we sat in the hall with a flashlight (me reading Anderson Cooper's book) and Chris studying dental anatomy until about 6 in the morning. We locked the cats in the bathroom because I had a fear of the window breaking and them either falling or getting sucked out or getting hurt by glass/debris. The wind finally calmed enough by early morning hours that we felt comfortable going to bed.

Probably the most time we will ever spend in this hallway:

Our power came back on after about twelve hours (yay for living near the Chinese consulate!) but Comcast couldn't get their act together for another two weeks.

After that Chris has been insanely busy making up for the time lost post hurricane (school closed for almost a week and a half since so many people had no power). I have been working part time at Pier 1 while I search for a full time job. Post-Ike I had many many hours since other employees had no power or water or access to gasoline.

Overall, Chris and I were incredibly lucky to come out of the storm with very minor water damage to our property and nothing else.

Since then I have had job interview at Rice that I will hear about at the end of this week. It is by no means my dream job, but it would give me a lot of experience in some areas where my resume is currently lacking and hopefully open more opportunities in the future. And it gets me back in the world of East Asian studies which I like.

Chris goes to a conference in Memphis, Tennessee in a few weeks to present the research he did this summer. It is a great opportunity for him, but I know it is making him nervous to miss tests/school to do this. Here's a quick picture of the two of us at his white coat ceremony.



I'll leave you with some photos of the damage Ike did to our immediate area. The first shows the downed carports, broken trees, and lack of a fence our complex was left with.


Another shot of the carports.

The complex behind us got much more damage.

A tree split in half about a block away from us. Reliant Stadium's missing roof (three blocks from us).

Getting greener.

After our move to Houston I made a point to implement more environmentally friendly moves to our daily lives. I've always done some things but am now making a stronger effort to do more. Chris is not fully on board but he puts up with it and is warming up to it. Here are a few products we using:

1. A recycling bin purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond. We put cans in one side and plastic in the other. Once the bin fills up we take it to the recycling center (no curbside pick up for us!). It's already sorted and we rinse everything before putting it in the bin so it's ready to go. It's a bit pricy, but the good thing is the minimal packaging that comes with the product and those ever present 20% off coupons BB&B sends out.

2. Sandwich pouches : Prior to using these we would wrap a sandwich in a paper towel and then placed inside a Ziploc. The paper towel doubled as a napkin and while Ziploc's can be reused they didn't always make it back home. They are easily cleaned so I recommend them.


3. Smart strips. These are a bit pricey for an initial investment, but they totally pay for themselves very quickly. If you have a television and DVD player and entertainment system (XBox, Wii, Playstation...) or a desktop computer with printer and accessories attached these will cut down on the phantom power that these electronics drain in your house. In our first month of using 2 of these strips our electric bill dropped $20. So if the environmental impact doesn't do it for you, think of the money you'll save!


4. Planted a small box garden. We are growing our own tomatoes, basil, mint, and oregano. I want to eventually be able to grow most of our vegetables, but I have to learn a bit more about gardening.

More to come!

Political Parties

I don't like them.

Political parties are divisive and result in participants in the American (well, democratic) political process to be pigeon holed into a complete set of beliefs. However, most people do not completely align with the full doctrine associated with a political party. For instance, I believe in a smaller government and many of the tax policies that the Republican Party supports. On the other hand, I don't agree with the Republican Party's environmental and education policies. So I find myself in the middle of both party lines. It becomes a matter of priorities. Since I don't believe average American's can impact the government structure or tax policies alone but we do have a choice on environmental and educational policies we put in practice in our own lives, I often vote Republican...not always.

I despise political commentary that falls only along party lines. It's as narrow minded as most racial commentary. Minorities are supposed to favor the Democratic Party so the Republican's show case high profile minorities that support them. American youth historically don't vote. So when young people show support for the Democratic candidate a spectacle is made of it. The reality is that all the commentary and discussion means nothing. It's who mobilizes on election day. Our political process encourages people to stay out of the political process by creating artificial boundaries between candidates.

NKOTB is back.

I was not a New Kids on the Block fan back in the day, but I remember hearing it coming from my sister's tape player. That's probably the reason I wasn't a fan - if she liked it, I couldn't. Sibling rivalry and all. Regardless, NKOTB seems to be making a come back of sorts.

I've seen them perform on the Today show twice now and I just have to say that seeing men in their thirties in a boy band singing about being someone's boyfriend when many of them are married with children just seems wrong. And one of them looks completely bored to tears on stage. I don't think this reunion tour was his idea and he doesn't appear to be fully on board with it.

Weird to anyone else?

Is communism like bureaucracy?

I am a bit of a connoisseur of bad television. It's ok, I admit it. So tonight watching America's Next Top Model I was a bit disgusted to hear the girls talk about their preparation for their photo shoot taking place at various polling places.

One girl was assigned a polling place with a bureaucracy theme. But of course she didn't know what a bureaucracy was. Another girl didn't understand what her environmental polling place had to do with the election. After two years as a TA working with students in political science classes it still continues to disappoint me the lack of interest and knowledge young people have about political processes.

By late teens/early twenties it should be visible to people that the government does impact their lives. They start working and paying taxes. The tax money is going somewhere. Whether it be to your grandparents social security checks or your federal student loans or with the military to the Middle East, your tax money is going somewhere.

Who allocates these funds? Who advises the decision makers on where they should allocate funds? That would be congress and the president.

When presented with the option I truly do not understand having complete apathy towards politics. The decisions directly effect you and your family. And your pocket book.

Returning to my regularly scheduled bad television.

International Adoption Holds

For many years I have wanted to adopt a little girl from China. Luckily, I married a guy that not only supports this but wants to adopt another child from a yet to be determined place. As a result we follow stories about changing adoption laws and try to understand what this will mean for us in the future and for parents currently going through the process.

Today I came across this news story. This makes me sad for the hundreds of families going through the difficult and time consuming process of international adoption and also for the hundreds of children that will now either lose a chance at finding a family or have the opportunity delayed. Currently Americans cannot adopt from Cambodia either. These are countries that carry stigmas against orphans. If they are not adopted the stigma may also affect them as adults.

Hopefully this situation will be resolved quickly and these children will be matched with loving homes. For the American parents waiting on a match or to hear if they will be matched with children, I hope they can remain patient until their families are complete.

New blog, new topics

I've blogged at Diaryland and Xanga and now I join the ranks at Blogger.

We just made the move to Houston and have adjusted well. Once I figure out how to do it I will post pics of our condo. We have finished the moving and unpacking but we still have some painting and decorating to finalize. And of course there are ongoing projects.


I am still working on getting a job. Hoping that one in particular works out. The job posting closes Sept. 5th so hopefully soon after that I'll get an interview call. We'll see.