The Condensed Version

Breast Cancer 3-Day Update!

2008-06-18T11:17:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned before, my girlfriends and I have signed up for the Seattle Breast Cancer 3 Day benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Our fundraising party with the 80's theme was a big success--we collected lots of money between the cover charge and the raffle and had a ton of fun!

Our training walks are well under way, with each of our team members walking individually and sometimes in groups for ten miles or more at a go. We've got more fundraisers planned for the summer--including a community garage sale and possibly an old fashioned summer time cookout--and we're well on our way.

But we still need some help. In order for each of us to participate in Seattle 3 Day we must each raise a minimum of $2,200.00. That's where you come in: take a second to visit the 3 Day website and make a donation; whatever you can afford, one dollar or one hundred, will go to support our team on its walk.

I am a walker

2008-05-14T11:01:00.001-07:00

Some of you may already have heard: I am crazy. That is, my wonderful girlfriends have talked me in to getting a team together for the Seattle Breast Cancer 3 Day in September.

So here we are: Team TaTas for Tots. A team of women dedicated to raising money for The Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer research. We're training, we're hosting parties, we're going to walk! And we'd appreciate your help.

We know not everyone is crazy enough to walk 60 miles in three days, but we are! So here's your chance to get involved too. You see, we've agreed to raise a minimum of $2,200 each in order to participate in the 3-day walk. Every donation, small or large, will be appreciated, and of course, put to good use. People who sponsor a TaTas for Tots team member for $100 or more will receive a special gift as a way to say thanks.

So, if you've got some spare change in your couch cushions or are looking for a good way to spend that newly received economic stimulus check, head on over to the 3 Day website and make a donation for participant 2058488 in event 1189. Thanks!

in the news and my inbox

2008-04-03T09:53:00.001-07:00

I recently received an email from a very good friend containing an essay purported to be written by Jay Leno. My favorite thing to do, when I receive email forwards of this kind, is to head over to Snopes and find out whether or not it's bunk. Despite my overwhelming feeling that the essay was a load of crap (as was the idea that it was penned by Jay Leno) I decided to let it slide. Perhaps out of love for and deference to my friend. I don't know.

This morning, I was visiting another of my favorite web locales, Obscure Store, when I came across this article. I clicked through, as I am wont to do, and read. And then I cried. I can't recall when a news article has ever made me cry. And then I started to think.

I was forwarding the article on to my girlfriends when I remembered the email I had received containing the "Jay Leno essay" and it made me angry. Not because of my subsequent discovery that the diatribe, in fact, had not been written by Jay Leno. No, it was because the author, for it is a real essay, had the audacity to tell the American people to shut the hell up and quit complaining. Combined with the article from this morning it was just too much.

So I got up on my soapbox for a quick minute. An act I will now repeat (with an excerpt from my email to the gals).

I'm not trying to be a big downer for you all today, but I read this article this morning and it made me cry--news articles rarely do that to me.

It made me think about a lot of things. About the war and the real cost, a cost that we've become desensitized to. Just because young men and women volunteer to serve in our armed forces doesn't mean that when they die in battle their loss is any less tragic or that we don't have an obligation to question whether it was preventable.

I thought about the importance of participating in our upcoming election. And about how, sometimes, the most important thing you can do as a citizen is voice your dissatisfaction and never be complacent with the status quo, even when the status quo seems pretty comfortable.

We may have a lot of advantages here in the U.S. and for those things, I am sure, most Americans are genuinely grateful. I know I am. But having all of these advantages does not mean we don't have a right to complain and to protest when our government--a government of the people, by the people, for the people--does not heed the voice of its people. If anything, our advantages ensure our obligation to do just that because our government is nothing without its people. Our advantages become shackles when they're used to placate or silence our dissent.

Another Obscure Store reader put it thusly:

I am patriotic, almost insanely so; my family have been warfighters for our country since its inception. Our government was designed to promote free speech and thought, and to be by the will of the people. But our government has made that difficult, maybe even impossible. Blind faith is for religion, not for government. I want people to stand up to our government, I want people to protest, I don't want "yes men" in the government. Burn my beloved flag if you must. Protest is what keeps a government honest (at least as much as that may be possible) or at least on its toes.

And now, once again, I step down from my soapbox.

marching, marching

2008-03-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy March in the Anderson household. We've both been working hard. My husband finished his National Board Professional Teaching Certification Portfolio and the regular debate season. Between my classes, my internship, and my job, I've been too busy to do much of anything else. And yet, we still found some time (where we found it I have no idea) to celebrate Easter and six, count 'em, six family birthdays. Including the birth of the newest member of our family.

On Monday March 17th 2008 at 2:42 p.m. Emelia Midori Pendergraft made her early debut.

Sunday the 16th was my hubby's birthday and Tuesday the 18th is shared by my younger sis Melody, my father in-law Gary, and my younger sis in-law Caroline. What a week.

On Saturday the 22nd we attended the baby shower for Emelia--who made sure she could attend her own bash by coming two weeks early.

After which, my family went out to Red Robin for a drink in celebration of my younger sister finally hitting the big 21.

And on Sunday the 23rd we headed north to Redmond to celebrate Easter and multiple birthdays with Jim's family.

suggestion box

2007-10-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

One of my very few readers has politely requested that I blog more about what I'm learning in school. This is a great idea, one which I will try to implement. No promises, though. I am taking 18 credits this quarter (and doing 20 credits worth of work--more on that later). And, as if I didn't have enough to do, I just started working for a local purveyor of legal highs.

biodiversity at the beach

2007-10-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

This past week my program took a field trip out to Washington's Long Beach Peninsula to do town studies in the area. On Wednesday we had a little free time to do whatever we wanted. I headed up to Leadbetter Point State Park at the Northern most tip of the peninsula with a few of my class mates for some beach walking.

At the trail head we ran into this sign:

Along the trail that leads to the beach we were treated to a glorious display of fungus, the likes of which I have never seen. Thankfully, I had thought to bring my camera.

After a 2 mile walk we finally arrived out of the forest and grasslands on to the beach.

Snowy Plovers use much of the beach area, even this late in the year, and are the reason that the beach is closed to dogs and vehicles.

During our walk we came across a lot of garbage that had washed up on shore from passing ships.

We also found this milk crate which we used to collect the garbage. We took it as a sign to do our Greener best to leave the beach better than we found it.

In response to S. Renee Mitchell

2007-09-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

I may be joining this discussion a little late but...

I have read and re-read both the original article and the subsequent blog post and comments and I have a few things that I'd like to point out, Ms. Mitchell.

I too can look at the drawing on the Starbuck's board and acknowledge that it has the potential to be offensive to some and not to others. I also recognize that we are far from completely obliterating racism and bigotry in our country. However, despite the claim you make in your article that your purpose is "confronting insensitivity to stop it," there are several times when your own insensitivity is grossly displayed.

First, your quest to identify the artist appears to exclude the possibility that the artist may, in fact, have been an African American. Though you don't say it outright, your scavenger hunt to eradicate this display of insensitivity seems to be founded on the premise that the artist is white. I can only assume that you reached this conclusion because the artwork in question appeared in a Starbucks. What does this say about your own prejudices?

You acknowledge in your article "that public art is interpreted through the cultural lens of the beholder" and never once stop to consider that perhaps your lens might be set to hyper-sensitive.

You again wantonly wield your own insensitivity in your description of "Starbucks' front-line staffers -- who assemble specialty lattes as if they're creating a culinary art form." This statement reveals your prejudice that Starbuck's employees are nothing more than assembly line workers with pretensions. Furthermore, it never enters into your mind that anyone with this type of job could possibly take pride in their work, their product, or their company.

However, these are minor offenses when compared with the way in which you chose to handle this matter from the outset. You don't reveal, until the very end of your article, the identity of the person who gave you the picture in the first place. I can only assume this was to lend to the sense of mystery, the feeling of being on a scavenger hunt. Instead it seems more like a witch-hunt when one realizes that all you really needed to do was ask your source to identify which Starbuck's had the artwork. At that point you could have called or gone into that store alone to speak to the manager about the potential for offense and the necessity of sensitivity. Instead you proceeded to march yourself into every Starbuck's location in the immediate vicinity. I'm not sure what this accomplished aside from increasing your ire over the piece of work, as well as deliberately and erroneously implying to your readers that there was some big mystery to be solved.

You have completely overblown this situation. As a journalist you have a responsibility to carry out your investigations, even those that concern racism and bigotry, with the utmost of integrity. You say in your article that "evidence of our insensitivity to each other's context is inevitable. But we have a choice: We can confront the offense with anger or we can experience these awkward encounters as teachable moments." If your goal truly was to "confront insensitivity to stop it," you failed miserably. You stomped off on a crusade without first doing any of the research that is normally associated with quality journalism and then, despite the fact that the offending artwork had been removed and the manager apologetically explained that no offense had been intended, you still proceeded to write a highly inflammatory article regarding your personal crusade. In sum, you let your indignation and anger cloud your judgment and lost any opportunity for a "teachable moment".

No, your goal was not merely to confront and stop insensitivity. It seems much more likely that your goal was to publicly denounce an entire company and it's workers as insensitive without first stopping to consider your own insensitivity.

dinners for two, by popular demand: tasty chicken fajitas

2007-09-11T17:13:00.001-07:00

I made dinner tonight just as I do most nights of the week. And just as I do most nights of the week I created a meal without following any recipe. Rather, I threw into my concoction what looked right and smelled good--a technique I learned from my mother a long time ago. Back then I complained, "How am I ever going to learn how to cook if you don't write anything down or measure ingredients?!"

Despite my complaints, I learned how to cook quite well. Now it's my husband who has taken up my old query. Frustrated that I put together meals that he can't recreate because I don't use recipes, Jim has helpfully suggested that I make a recipe file on my blog. So, here it goes...

Tonight's meal was chicken fajitas--a pretty easy undertaking for just about anyone especially with the myriad seasoning mixes to be had at the grocery store. However, I discovered the last time I tried to use packaged seasoning that I didn't much care for it, so tonight I improvised. Using the standard chicken, onions, and bell peppers I made the dish my own by substituting cayenne pepper, garlic, black pepper, and soy sauce for the yucky fajita seasoning packet. Here's my best approximation of the recipe:

1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil (or your preferred vegetable oil)
Flour Tortillas

Place olive in large skillet or non-stick pan over medium heat. Slice chicken breasts into thin strips approximately 1-1.5 inches in length. Place chicken breast strips in pan and add cayenne, garlic, and black pepper, mixing to season evenly. Cook chicken until done and remove from pan placing on plate covered in paper towels to drain excess oil.

Return pan to medium heat and add onions. Cook onions for 1 minute before adding red peppers. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes and add 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add chicken and remaining soy sauce to vegetable mixture and cook until vegetables are done. The onions should be completely grilled while the peppers remain just a bit crisp.

Warm tortillas for 10 seconds in the microwave and fill to your heart's content. Fajitas make a great light meal on their own or can be pared with beans (tonight I used white beans, other times I use black), rice, or any of your own favorite side dishes.

the efficiency of the system

2007-08-31T22:07:00.001-07:00

Over two years ago I was temporarily laid-off from my job at a local floral greens distributor. Much like any other person who had spent the last 9 years of their life working full-time, I filed an unemployment claim and followed the standard Employment Security protocol of applying for other jobs. Simple.

Somewhere along the way this process became much more complicated than I had initially anticipated. Paperwork that I had filed with Employment Security was lost, my worked hours were miscalculated, and another person's Statement of Wages and Hours was sent to my home (with all of their personal information--fortunately, I'm no identity thief). All the while I tried to maintain the utmost of patience, working with State of Washington Department of Employment Security to provide the lost paperwork, correct the miscalculations, and inform them of their grievous mailing mistake. Eventually, my claim was denied because as a "full time student the Department finds that you are unavailable to actively seek employment."

In the meantime, despite the Department's confidence in my inability to secure employment, I managed to do just that. And then I filed an appeal, informing them that I was not only available to actively seek employment, but that I had found said employment. I also took the time to remind the Department of Employment Security of the many ways in which my claim had been mishandled, offering names, dates, and forms filed as evidence (my mother would be so proud). Satisfied that I had made my case, I went about doing my new job schlepping handbags and awaited the compensation I was due.

My claim was denied again. This time because I "did not work 680 hours during" my base year. Overwhelmed by frustration at the thought that I would once again have to submit all of my pay stubs proving I had indeed exceeded 680 hours, I gave up.

You might wonder what all this preamble is leading up to...

Today, August 31st 2007, I received a letter from The Washington State Employment Security Department informing me that my claim from July 10, 2005 was DENIED. That's right folks: over two years later and with absolutely no prompting from myself, Employment Security sent me another Statement of Wages and Hours to inform me that my long forgotten, hopeless, incompetently handled claim, is still denied.

Evidently, parking fees were all that was holding the system together. God help the system.

something to aspire to

2007-08-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today my parents in-law celebrate 32 years of laughter, tears, bocce, dominoes, tent-trailer camping, road trips, and sheer craziness. That is, 32 years of marriage. Congrats, Mom and Dad. We love you!

Spain: the aftermath

2007-08-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

My husband has been after me to update my blog which is suffering a new post drought thanks to my recent return to the real world. What he really wants is for me to recount my time in Spain in full, no easy task.

You see, despite my smiling face in many of my photos, my two and a half months in Spain were not the mostly-easy adventure I had been anticipating. In fact, just about everything about my study abroad experience in Spain was surprising, often rather unpleasantly so.

Rather than rehash all of the dirty [and believe me they are] details of my ten weeks in Spain, I though I'd just share a few of the things I learned while I was there.

1) If your flight is longer than 6 hours, pay the extra money and fly business class. You'll regret it if you don't.

2) No matter how you say it--two and a half months, ten weeks, 71 days--it's still a long, long time to be away from home, especially if you're married.

3) There is absolutely no way to pack light for ten weeks away from home.

4) However much you pack (90 pounds or 900) you will never have everything you want from home, never mind the things you need.

5) Roommates are best when they're heavily screened for undesirable behaviors such as filthiness, thievery, and general lack of consideration for others.

6) Despite what everyone in Spain may tell you to the contrary, ham is NOT the perfect accompaniment to every meal.

7) Coffee, wine, beer, and food all taste better when you can eat them at a table outside in the sunshine. Especially if the street has been closed to automobile traffic to make way for said table.

8) Life without a car is possible. Enjoyable even.

All joking aside, the ten weeks I spent living in Úbeda were, at times, nightmarish. I had to deal with things I never imagined possible. Granted, most of the problems I encountered had to do with my fellow classmates and not with Abadat Escuela or the city of Úbeda and its inhabitants, but there were problems nonetheless and they served to make my stay in Spain [during the first five weeks] very nearly unbearable.

Imagine my surprise, then, when upon driving out of the city for the last time (very fittingly to the musical accompaniment of "It ain't over 'til it's over") I found that I was sad to go. Overcoming homesickness and horrid roommates, I was shocked to discover that I was coming away with a few more good friends and lots of experiences to laugh about in the years to come. More than anything, I realized that despite the drama and frustration and bad food, this small Spanish city had managed to steal a place in my heart.

1095 and counting

2007-08-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today I stood in a backyard garden and said "I do" to my best friend, soul mate, and the man of my dreams. I love you, Jim. Happy Anniversary.

fotos VIII: A visit to Granada and the Alhambra

2007-06-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday June 2nd we took the final excursion scheduled for our cultural immersion program at Abadat. Our field trip took us to Granada, one of the most historically important cities in all of Spain and perhaps even Europe.

A view of Granada's old city wall from the barrio of Albaicin.

So this one is kind of out of order. Friday I had tickets to see the Czech National Orchestra with another girl from my class, but alas, it was not to be. The concert was canceled and we went out to dinner instead.

A view of the Alhambra from Albaicin.

Some pretty flowers on the walk up to the Alhambra.

One of many towers, as seen from outside the Alhambra wall.

A latern inside the Carmen of the University of Granada. It's hanging from the largest wisteria arbor I've ever seen.

Another view of the Alhambra, this time from the U of Granada's Carmen in the barrio of Albaicin.

Some cool arches in the Generalife, the summer palace alongside the Alhambra. The Generalife was built as a summer palace because although it sits alongside the Alhambra--on a hill overlooking the city of Granada--it is located in the convection zone. As a result, in the summer the average temperature is between 5º-10ºF cooler than that of the Alhambra and there is a constant, pleasant breeze, a definite necessity in the days long before air conditioning.

If there's one thing the Spanish love more than ham and mullets it has got to be arches. These are inside the Generalife and overlook the city. What a view.

One of the many gardens at the Generalife.

Outside the Palace of the Generalife.

The reflecting pool at the Carmen.

Outside the principal salon of the Alhambra. Inside this salon Spanish history was written thrice over.

This is the location where Boabdil, the last Caliph of Islamic Spain, signed the Capitulation, thus ending the 700+ years of Islamic rule in Al-Andalus and placing Spain and the Alhambra in the hands of the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabel.

In this same salon Columbus petitioned the queen and king for permission, and money, to find the new passage to India. Permission was granted, but instead of finding India he got a little lost and made his way to the Caribbean.

Finally, this is the place where Isabel and Ferdinand signed the order expelling all of the Jews from Spain after the completion of the Reconquest.

A ceiling inside a salon of the Alhambra. All of the ceilings are made from hand-carved wood and adorned with ornate designs.

A wall inside the Alhambra. The lower portion of each wall is covered with hand painted ceramic tiles above which are verses, in Arabic, from the Quran [or Koran, if you prefer].

One of the smaller palaces of the Alhambra. This one was the private residence of the Sultan or Caliph and his harem. The harem consisted of the four "official" wives of the Caliph [one for each cardinal point on the compass], their children, and the parents, grandparents, and sometimes siblings, of the Caliph.

Another of the many gorgeous gardens of the Alhambra.

fotos VII: a weekend in Almuñecar

2007-05-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend with a couple of girls from my program and some local friends in the pueblo of Almuñecar on the Mediterranean. We stayed in a beach house about 100 meters from the ocean--it was wonderful.

We spent a few hours lying on this beach, soaking up the rays before heading out to have some lunch at one of the local dives.

The ruins of a Roman fish-salting plant. If there´s one thing the Spanish love almost as much as ham, it's salty, salty fish.

An unholy combination of the two most popular Spanish past-times: ham and mullets. It´s a little hard to tell, but our friend the mounted pig is wearing a green Christmas garland mullet. Ahhh, Spain.

A view of one of the many beaches in Almuñecar.

Sunset on the Mediterranean.

The street by the beach house.

More of the sunset...what a spectacular sight.

On our way home we met a friendly, if slightly creepy, clown at the local Mickey-D's. After 8 weeks in Spain, McDonald's is culinary perfection for homesick Americans.

The view from the mountain* in Almuñecar.
[*Really just a big rocky hill that jutted out into the ocean, but in Spain...]

The Mediterranean was as turquoise and clear as I had imagined, and much more vast than maps and globes imply.

Another view from the mountain.

Our sun-bathing beach, as seen from above.

fotos VI: Jim's visit to Spain

2007-05-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

Jim came out to Spain on May 10th for an all too brief visit. The pictures below are from the tours of Úbeda and the neighboring cities of Baeza and Jaén. We had a great time riding the bus and seeing the sights.

A view of the olive groves in Úbeda.

Úbeda´s sister city, Baeza.

Um, Jim took this and I´m not really sure what it is.

Fountain in la Plaza de la Constitución in Jaén.

Ruins of an old church in Úbeda.

Church tower in Baeza.

The Cathedral of Baeza, a mish-mash of Gothic and Renaissance styles of architecture--not that impressive as cathedrals go, according to one of my professors.

On the left, the rear wall of the Cathedral of Baeza. On the right, the wall of the Judería (where the Spanish Jews lived, secluded from the rest of society, after the reconquest). Above, the "road" by which the Jews communicated with the outside world.

Inside the Cathedral of Jaén. One of the most impressive examples of a Renaissance-style cathedral in all of Europe.

A walk about in Jaén during the mediodía (the lunch hour, which is only referred to as siesta if you plan on taking a nap).

The Castle of Santa Catalina in Jaén. Perched on top of a foothill of the Sierra Máginas, it was too far to walk and we didn´t have a car, so this photo is as close as we got.

In front of the Cathedral of Jaén. Just as impressive from the outside, it literally dominates the landscape.

Jim just wanted a picture of the Burguer Queen. They serve hamburgers, but they´re really ham and not beef. Crazy Spaniards.

Tower on Hospital de Santiago. The tower roof is covered in hand-made ceramic tiles. I learned after Jim left that both towers of the Hospital were struck by lightning at different times and completely destroyed. This tower is a 1978 reproduction of the original.

The church at Hospital Santiago. The Hospital and church were both contructed by Francisco de los Cobos, son of the Bishop Diego de los Cobos, and a bishop himself as a demonstration of the superiority of his generosity and wealth to those of his father.

View of Hospital de Santiago from the gardens.

More pictures inside the Cathedral of Jaén.

And again.

Self-portrait near the old wall of Úbeda with a view of the olive groves and Sierra Máginas behind us.

Jim, in front of the Palacio Vazquez de Molina in Plaza Vazquez de Molina in the monument zone of Úbeda.

Tree-lined street of Úbeda.

View from the interior patio at Hospital de Santiago.

The patio at the, aptly named, Puerta de Granada, which is a bar located at the old Puerta de Granada in the old muralla (city wall) of Úbeda. The door (puerta) in the wall is named such because it faces the city of Granada and once was the end of the highway between Granada and Úbeda.

fotos V: a visit to the provincial capital, Jaén.

2007-04-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the steps in the tower of Castilla de Santa Catalina, Jaén.

Inside the sanctuary of Catedral de Jaén.

Outside Catedral de Jaén.

The inmate-tour guide in the prison at Castilla de Santa Catalina. His face was animated using projection technology. When he "talked" it was very creepy.

Castilla de Santa Catalina

The mountains beyond the ramparts of Castilla de Santa Catalina.

Ramparts and main tower of Castilla de Santa Catalina

fotos IV: the sister cities of Úbeda and Baeza

2007-04-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Cala Lilly in the courtyard of the convent near Abadat in Úbeda.

Blue skies over the convent.

Fountain in Plaza de Leones in the city of Baeza. The fountain is from the 16th century, the lions that adorn it are more than two thousand years old.

Graffiti on the wall of the old Universidad de Baeza. In Medeival and Renaissance Spain university graduates marked their accomplishment by tagging the walls of public buildings using the blood of bulls.

The street behind the Catedral de Baeza. On the left is the rear of the cathedral on the right is the wall around La Judería where the Baeza´s Jewish residents lived, almost completely isolated from the rest of the city, after the Christian Reconquest.

Preserved section of La Muralla, the wall of the city of Úbeda.

A stairway to the "road" around the top of La Muralla.

Look! More olive groves.

Irises growing alongside the road.

The entrance of the convent.

fotos III: la ciudad de Úbeda

2007-04-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

La muralla de Úbeda [The wall of Úbeda]

Puertas de la iglesia en Plaza Vazquez de Molina [The doors of the church in Plaza Vazquez de Molina]

Yo, en la Plaza Vazquez de Molina. Finalmente, estoy disfrutando el sol. [Me, in the Plaza Vazquez de Molina. Finally, I´m enjoying the sun.]

Hecha de mano plato cerámica con Don Quixote y Sancho Panza [Hand-made ceramic plate with Don Quixote and Sancho Panza]

Torre de la iglesia [Church tower]

La muralla de Úbeda [The wall of Úbeda]

Una fuente en la Plaza Vazquez de Molina [A fountain in the Plaza Vazquez de Molina]

La iglesia grande en Plaza Vazquez de Molina [The large church in Plaza Vazquez de Molina]

fotos II: procesión de Pascua

2007-04-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Perhaps one of the most interesting things to see in Spain is something that you can´t see anywhere else in the world. I am, of course, talking about the festivities of Semana Santa, or Holy Week. The week spanning Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is filled with processions and parties the likes of which you have never seen. Never, that is, unless you have been in Spain for Holy Week.

For the uninitiated, the processions can be a little disconcerting. Especially for those of us from the good 'ol US of A, the costumes worn by the procession participants have some negative associations with the KKK. With that in mind, here´s a little background info on the traditional procession garb:

Before/during the Spanish Inquisition the robes and hoods were the mark of pure Catholicism. The pointed hoods with masks were to show that all "pure," pious Catholics held equal status in the eyes of God. The hoods are pointed because they elevate a person toward heaven. During the inquisition the Catholic church made heretics wear the robes and hoods as a symbol that they were lacking this pure Catholicism and were being crucified (or burned) in order to purify their souls.

The different colors of the robes signify specific parishes/churches. Each church has their own Jesus, corresponding to a specific day/event during Semana Santa, their own Virgin Mary, and a Patron Saint. The colors of each of the robes signify which Jesus/Virgin Mary/Patron Saint combination is "theirs." The robe colors follow a trajectory from light--starting on Palm Sunday--to dark. The wear the darkest colors on Good Friday: they are robed from head to toe in black with sashes of dark green, dark blue, and purple to signify the crucifixion and death of Jesus. The spectrum returns to light colors on Saturday and they wear the lightest colors (usually white robes with red or green sashes) on Sunday to signify the joy of the resurrection of Jesus.

Each church in Úbeda is responsible for organizing the procession that corresponds with "their" Jesus. The church who has "Jesus crucified" plans the procession for Good Friday. The church with "Jesus Resurrected" is responsible for the Easter Procession, etc. On Easter, the procession is led by the church that has "Jesus Resurrected" followed by representations of the ascent of Jesus to heaven, the Virgin Mary, and all of the other churches.

[Hat tip to my professor Alice Nelson, and also to the nice old man who runs the Super Regalo 99 here in Úbeda, for the information.]

fotos I: Baños de Encima and Ciudad Real

2007-04-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Church ceiling in the city of Baños de Encima.

Baños de Encima

Inside the castle wall at Baños de Encima.

View of the olive groves from the castle wall.

Looking up at the castle wall.

Standing on top of the tower in the castle.

The view from my living room windows in Úbeda.

One of many Holy Week processions in Úbeda.

Excursión: Castilla en Baños de Encima

2007-04-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

For our first field trip David from Abadat took us on an excursion to the city of Baños de Encima to see an ancient castle there and walk through the town. Here are some photos of what we saw. There are also a few pictures of the view from my apartment and the city of Úbeda.

[They are on Snapfish because I´ve discovered it is much easier to upload them there than it is to put them on Blogger. If you don´t already have an account you will need to create one in order to view the photos.]

¡Viva España!

2007-04-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

I´m finally posting a blog about my adventures in Spain. I´ve been here nearly a week and so far it´s been a little crazy. Just so everyone is up to speed let me explain briefly...

As many of you know, I left Washington on March 29th at o´dark thirty. Both of my flights (Seattle-Chicago, Chicago-Madrid) were relatively uneventful. The only hitch was that I couldn´t sleep at all. Talk about frustrating. I arrived in Madrid expecting sunny, spring-like weather only to find that it was barely 40º outside. Talk about disappointment.

By the time I finally managed to get my shuttle and get to my hotel I had been awake for over 24 hours and was pretty much delirious. Thank goodness they let me check in early at the hotel. Once in my room I proceeded to try calling my wonderful husband only to find that I couldn´t get my phone card to work. Exhausted, frustrated, and homesick already I direct dialed, praying that it wouldn´t cost an arm and a leg. Hooray...a familiar voice.

I spent one night in Madrid, met there by another girl from my program and on Saturday we took the train from Madrid to Linares-Baeza together. The train ride went quickly and we were at the station before we knew it. Only a taxi ride away from our final destination, Úbeda, we hailed a cab and were on our way. Difficulties arose when we discovered that not only did the cabbie not know where the language school was, nobody in the city bothers to remember street names. Ugh! We were following a nice, old gentleman to the tourist information center when David, one of the proprietors of the school, spied two obviously foreign girls lugging around heavy suitcases and assumed we were looking for him.

Now, five days later I´m settled into my apartment with four housemates and classes are going well. Our first field-trip is this Friday and I´ll post more pictures afterward. For now I am just discovering the city and enjoying the festivities of the biggest Semana Santa celebration in the Andalucian province.

¡Chao!

The best Valentine's gift that money can't buy

2006-02-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

I will be the first to admit, I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day. Growing up, my mother taught us that giving someone a gift was not a matter of what day of the year it might be, nor did you do it with the expectation of receiving one in return. Rather, gift giving was something that you did for no reason whatsoever, except to show someone you cared. And you didn't necessarily have to spend heaps of money; a gift could be anything, from a thoughtful note to an act of kindness and generosity.

This Valentine's Day Jim gave me something wonderful; something which cost him nothing at all, save for a moment or two of his time.

I hope all of your gifts were as grand.

an open letter to friends and family

2005-11-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

Late last night my husband popped his head into our bedroom, "Babe?"

"Yes..."

"Are you still awake?"

"I am."

He then quietly asked if he could read me something. To which, thinking he was going to supply the latest clever commentary from his blog, I replied, "You're lucky I love you."

His solemn answer was a barely audible, "I know." This is what he read to me:

We drove in snow tonight. The wipers batted feebly at snowflakes glowing in halogen beams. I hunched over the wheel, staring at diminishing ruts in the slush, distracted by sopping whiteness that kept coming and coming and drawing my gaze from the road, nursing the accelerator, trying to stay ahead of approaching headlights and behind nearing taillights. Branches laden with early snow jutted out of the darkness. My wife sang along with the CD over the noise of the road and the sound of splashing tires.

This morning, fifteen minutes before the first bell, the staff met in the library to hear bad news. Usually I stand on the margin unaffected, unaware of the loss, but not this morning. This morning they said Brittany's name. Car accident, life support, brain dead, words that swirled in a snowy blur, dazzling, blinding.

In my memory: a persistent smile. A wicked grin, sometimes. A hello in the hall, a chat every week or so. Laughing about last year's class. Trying to predict the future. Fidgeting, shaky confidence, typical for a junior. Slight hesitation. Looking for approval. Tossing out big plans of school overseas, community college first, though. Running Start. Maybe soon, maybe later.

What should I do, Mr. Anderson? Don't wait, Brittany--sign up now. You never know how life could change, what'll happen in days or months. Yeah, she says, unsure but sympathetic. I dunno. A goofy grin. Take your chance while you've got it. Circumstances change. You'll change. You never know.

I said that. A day before the crash, I said that.

We drive in snow, searching the darkness for the road ahead, looking for the friendly glow of taillights, spurred on by the headlights behind us. We take our chances, we guess, we stray. We smile and press on until our moment comes and the snow and the darkness swallow us up and we are but shadows of ourselves in the memories of those who drive in snow.

On Sunday November 20th, my sister was shopping at JC Penney in the Tacoma Mall when gun fire erupted less than fifty yards away. My brother was hit by a car while riding his bike on the streets of Bellingham. On Monday the 21st my mom got the unofficial word that she had gotten a long-awaited new job with her employer. That same night while she was driving home she nearly ran over a woman lying in the road who had already been hit, and left, by another car.

On November 24th my family had every reason to give thanks--we were all okay.

Our lives can change forever in the blink of an eye and we often have no control over it. My husband sometimes teases me because I sing all of the time, but recently I think he got it when he said "You always have a song in your heart." And I do--because I love my life, my family, my friends, and I know that at any given second they may not be around any more.

We're all driving through this snow storm of life together; When you're leading my headlights will be shining behind you to encourage you to go on, when you're following my taillights will be there to guide you; I know you'll do the same for me.

I love you all very much and wish you a wonderful holiday season this year. Please remember this as you're going through life. Live each day of life as if it is a holiday, joyous and worthy of celebration.

The bottom line

2005-10-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart has just offered it's employees a new low-cost health insurance package. It's being lauded as a step in the right direction...and I am immediately suspicious.

It probably seems like a more than generous offer to the "humanitarian" millionaires who own Wal-Mart, but cheap is all a matter of perspective. Sure the monthly premiums are low, but if you read the whole article you see that the plan has high patient contributions toward prescription costs, high emergency room co-pays, and higher deductibles. If you're at all familiar with insurance plans then you know that patient co-payments including those for prescriptions, office visits, and emergency room visits do not count toward your annual deductible. Still cheap? Consider also that most Wal-Mart employees make under $19K per year.

Wal-Mart has always done everything in it's power to thwart efforts at unionization and this seems to be a conciliatory attempt on the company's behalf; one that wasn't designed with the employee's quality of life in mind.

I really want to believe that I am just being cynical; perhaps Wal-Mart is truly taking a step in the right direction. However, in light of the article this week in the times regarding yet another infamous Wal-Mart memo, I am led to believe that Wal-Mart's motives are not altruistic.

The bottom line is that Wal-Mart is only concerned with their bottom line.

"Over the Shoulder, And Over the Top"

2005-10-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

"A bag is sort of like a portable house. It represents you."

"For some women, finding the right bag is as important as oxygen."

These two quotes, ripped from the Thursday Styles section of the Times (NY that is) put the whole thing into perspective for me now. And if you're wondering exactly what I'm talking about when I say the "whole thing", feel free to read about my own personal dilemma. It's amazing to me that we live in such a vacuous and superficial society that we would let a fashion accessory define who we are to others. I thought our biggest concern was with encouraging conspicuous consumption in teens, but when an otherwise highly intelligent adult person would choose to spend upwards of $3000.00 on an accessory item that will be outdated faster than their laptop, I have to wonder at the scope of the problem. I think we're setting a bad example for the younger generation. And to those who would spend that much just to look cool to others I would offer this bit of advice: if you want to invest in something that will really make you feel good about yourself, try taking that three grand and slapping it down on tuition for someone who can't afford a college education, let alone such frivolity.

dilemma

2005-09-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

I hawk handbags for a living. You know which ones I'm talking about; they have vivid colors and high visibility logos, they have trendy sounding names and cost more than my husband and I spend on groceries in a month.

Many of you may know these accessories simply as purses, (things that most women find vital for the transport of every day personal items) but at the unnamed upscale retail store where I'm employed the entire department I work in is officially called Better Handbags. Why better you might ask? Well certainly because they're "better" than other handbags, or at least that is what the prices on said handbags would lead you to believe.

The quandry that I find myself in is that I'm often forced to sell overpriced handbags--clutches, satchels, wristlets, shoulder bags, crossbodies, totes, hobos, etc.-- to underage girls, against my better judgment. Now I know that there is no legal age at which one can purchase a handbag, but should a 15 year old girl really be buying a $250.00 Dooney & Bourke to use as a book-bag? Certainly, I've met very few teens whose behavior would warrant such extravagant rewards (I know my own never did and I was a good kid).

So, what do I do? I have to sling handbags to help out with the expense of being a full-time college student, and to give my husband and myself a little financial breathing room. What do I do when I faced with the very real possibility that I am promoting conspicuous consumption among the youth of America?

I smile and nod encouragingly...

"Your friends are all going to be so jealous when they see you at school with a Coach. I'm sure you'll be so happy with your new handbag."

I'm certainly going to be happy with my 7 percent commission; at the very least it will help me to silence my conscience.

A sneak peek...

2005-09-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

At long last...

A mere fraction, an iota, a tiny glimpse of the hundreds upon hundreds of wedding pictures that our photographers took on our happy day. And believe me when I say these don't begin to scratch the surface of the number of photos that we actually received. A big shout-out and thanks-a-bunch to Mathay Photography. Our photos turned out better than we ever dreamed and the experience was much more fun than either of us could have imagined.

Without further ado...

It's official

2005-08-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well, after much prodding and prompting, my husband (who has been blogging for over a year now) has finally convinced me to create a blog of my own. Will it be my platform for discussing world issues and literature? I don't know. Will I have a readership outside my family and group of friends? I don't think so. So why, you might ask, am I creating a blog? As a quick and easy way to share big and small moments from the lives of Melissa and Jim Anderson with those who would care to "hear" about them.

On August 20th, 2004 Jim and I were wed in a very small, private ceremony to which we invited only our parents and siblings. Almost two weeks ago, we celebrated our first anniversary by saying "I do" all over again in a much larger ceremony to which we invited (what seems like) everyone we know. Shortly thereafter we winged our way to Washington, D.C. for the nerdiest honeymoon in the history of all honeymoons. Our week of fun included visiting tons of museums, checking out government buildings, even attending and participating in a panel discussion on Biotechnology held by Reason Magazine.

Honeymoon now over and regular life resumed, I thought it would be a good idea to share some photos with everyone. Some are from the day of our "re-wedding" and some are from the honeymoon.

Enjoy!

wedding photos galore

2005-08-31T09:07:00.000-07:00