I'd like to mention...

Mario is a great dude. I haven't laid eyes on him for awhile but Mario is someone who consistenly calls me and tries to keep in touch with me. I want to thank him for that. I know he'll read this eventually. Mario, congrats on your engagement and your new job. Hope to hang out soon!

Come on over...

I'll cook you breakfast!

Highlights of New York

As some of you know I had the luck to fly back to New York to hang a bit with the family and meet up with a tiny smidgeon of friends. I could write an elaborate post (a play by play really) of my trip there but then this would go on forever. Instead I've decided to break it down into bullets and share some of the great tidbits of my trip.

-Some great walks with Dad and The Dog. The green trees and grass are so lush it was beautiful. Sure Tahoe has a bunch of green but it doesn't have the vibrance of deciduous East Coast.

-Mom and her yummy coffee. Whatever addiction I had beat over the summer was instantly reestablished.

-Anthony Jr. proving that little boys really are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails.

-Karolyn and her enduring search for her own mini slice of New York.

-Callan and I enjoying some tikka masala and the consistent watering of our glasses. (Well, his really, I talked so much I never really made a dent in my drink)

-Antagonizing my sister's creepy rodent pet.


There are other stories that will simply need to have it's own little post so keep your eyes peeled for those.

Distorted View

Ah...home! Since I've been here I've been exposed to hours of what appears to be many women's favorite daytime television show, The View. Now when The View first came out I was a high-schooler and I liked it. I did! But to me then it was grown up, opinionated, and if I was watching it that meant I probably wasn't at school that day which is always a great thing.

Of course now I'm here, back home where everything seems foreign to me at this point in my life and I'm listening to these really loud women yell over and at each other (how can I not? volume is at it's max) and a recent episode touched on the fact that this Sherri Shepherd (who I have to admit made me laugh until this particular segment, now my jaw is just agape) doesn't believe in evolution. Wha?!

Of course not believing in evolution ends up in a conversation about her belief in God and the Bible and how we were given our thought processes and human abilities and moralities straight from the Big Man Himself and she doesn't believe that this is something that has evolved through time. How is this even possible!?

I am aware that there are crazies out there who let EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT AND ACTION they do be dictated by a book called The Bible, but just the fact that someone who appears to be a fairly modern and witty person can actually believe that evolution is a fallacy! I thought these scary tendencies where restricted to creepy townsfolk and people who have never left their county and demand that their child's science textbook have a disclaimer in the front stating that evolution is just a theory.

Of course this train of thought on Ms. Shepherd's part did seem ludicrous to another of the hosts as well because she challenged her to answer the question "Is the world flat?" She actually answered "I don't know, I've never thought about it." "If your son came up to you and asked you if the world was flat, what would you answer?" "I don't know, I'd have to think about it probably."

What...WHAT!!!

Have we not numerous photographs of planet Earth? Of every planet in our solar system? I...I...I'm just at a loss for words. (well obviously not really) My initial reaction is that there was no way this woman thinks the world is really flat. Perhaps she was just being defensive because the tone of the question to me appeared to be 'if you are so backwards to think that evolution didn't happen then could you be so stubborn against modern science that you would still claim our world to be flat?'

I just don't understand how in this day and age when we can slice atoms and break down DNA to it's very bits that people will still say that they don't believe evolution is possible and happened and is happening.

I know I'm not exactly breaking out facts here and quoting textbooks but I don't really think that's what I was going for. I think I'm more in shock that someone will so blindly believe in a God to not believe what is right in front of us.

I feel homeless in a way...

I've had this particular post stewing as a draft for weeks now and then I reached a stand still and didn't know what to write. Add that to the fact that at home was a lack of internet connection (that's not a complaint I think it was a wise choice on Mark's part) and at work I was actually busy; the end of the summer bringing substantial refund paperwork and I have to put together binders for an incoming conference. But now that I am in New York City for family together time it's all starting to come to me. Here it is at it's most basic (and obviously the most confused):

If you live in New York City, never leave.

If you have left New York City, you will probably never get to come back to the life you once had. At the same time when you visit you may think: How the hell can anyone live here?

One thing that is contributing to these thoughts is the fact that Mark and I are in the semi-process of trying to figure out where home will be when we return from Colombia. Another factor was my reading of Nora Ephron's book 'I Don't Like My Neck and Other Stories on Womanhood' (A very funny and witty book for a female audience that is very much worth the short amount of time it takes to read).

I think of how cool it would be to come back to NYC and start to hang out with all my old friends who, as much as I know they will always be my friends, I also know that I really don't know what they are doing with their lives, I pretty much left the city as soon as college was over.
Of how it would be nice to hang with my family on holidays and eat my Uncle's ribs at his BBQs and get lots of reading done while taking the subway and having Dunkin' Donuts coffee and for having the opportunity to be a city person!


Then I think: WHERE ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE COMING FROM! Go away, stop screaming in my ear and just go grab your kid's arm, thanks for throwing that garbage in the middle of the sidewalk because that garbage can two steps away is so far, why do we even bother with driver's licences and traffic laws when everyone does what they want anyway, you want how much for this studio, excuse me sir but there is a roach crawling on that Boar's Head ham, no I don't have any spare change.

Is any of this making any sense? Basically Nora Ephron has a huge chapter in her book just talking about her apartment and her neighborhood and making all the ridiculous stuff about living in NY sound amazing and making me really reminiscent and homesick. Mind you my family is not rich like Nora Ephron and we are far from the glamorous New Yorkers and I never really did anything cool and I have no idea what order the Avenues are in on the East Side and I get lost below 14th street; but I lived in New York! I was raised here! I was one of the huddled masses!

At the same time I can't stand all these people everywhere. That instantly aggravated feeling you get just walking down the street. The fact that I could never get a good paying and fairly tolerable job here and no I don't want to live in a two bedroom apartment with eight people and no I don't want to live so far out in Queens that the subway doesn't even go out there.

This sucks. How do you live in a city for 24 years and after just two years out of it you totally become a country hick?

And then this happened...

Jamie went out! Jamie socialized, had conversation, ate some pasta, told some jokes, laughed at some jokes. Jamie went out and stayed out. All the way 'til 8:30ish. I had some fun hanging with Office Staff peeps at Shirley and Les's beautiful home, petting a cat and a few dogs and getting a little wheezy. Then it was time to go home.

I'm driving home in a great mood sounding all hoarse from allergies and enjoying singing along to my cheesy music with my new Kathleen Turner voice when suddenly out of nowhere a coyote is in the middle of the road and I hit it.

I didn't have my brights on because I always have trouble turning them off when someone is approaching. I end up turning all the lights off instead. So I figured no brights was actually safer.

I never saw red eyes I just didn't see him there! I was singing, going the speed limit, in the pitch black dark. He was just outside of my passenger side head lamp and he had an 'oh shit' look on his little coyote face.

He definitely tried to stop himself and kinda turned away from the car. I braked but maybe not enough? I didn't slam on the brakes. I think part of it was I thought how I was breaking and him turning away would be enough and secondly the Suby is not really the kind of car that works if you slam things.

But then I felt him hit the car.

Did you see him out your window running away? Did you pull over? Was he still alive? I have no idea. I was so numb and truly in shock that I just crawled to the next stop sign. I said "I'm sorry" out loud to no one in particular.

I finally pulled into the parking lot and walked upstairs to my apartment. As soon as I saw Mark I broke down in tears. I cried....I sobbed. I felt terrible, evil, horrible. I could see him in my head lamp over and over. I hope maybe he hobbled away and if he did die then it was in a patch of grasses and not being squished by other cars. I didn't sleep all night.

Everyone keeps saying "You didn't do it on purpose". "Maybe he survived." "Coyotes run in front of cars all the time." "At least you didn't get hurt, people get really injured hitting animals." "If it makes you feel any better coyotes once attacked my dog so maybe one less coyote is a good thing" (this DID NOT make me feel any better)

All I know is I'm going to have to save a lot of squirrels to make up for this one.

Jamie of Assisi

The other day it was stormy and rainy (rare for around here) and I was sitting at my desk filing (shock!). A staffer named Brent came up to me and informed me that a squirrel had fallen out of a tree and seemed hurt and if I could come look at it. After an array of questions: Why are you telling me this? Is this a prank or some sort of joke? Where is it? I was led to the squirrel.

Brent had used a kitty scoop to move the squirrel out of harm's (and children's) way. There was this adorable little squirrel curled up, wide eyed, frozen, and obviously terrified. I mean...be the squirrel! I'm doing my thing in the tree and then BAM! I'm on the ground. Children are all around me, I 'm being scooped up in a shovel (you probably wouldn't know to call it a shovel) and now I can't move and two beasts are looming over me. Oh and now it's raining really hard.

Brent and I were cautious to not touch it. Our initial thought is if a squirrel is falling out of trees maybe it's sick. But we couldn't just leave it there to the elements. What if it was just hurt and we leaving it there meant it would die? We went inside gathered a small basket, paper towels, and a small towel.

I laid the paper towels down in the basket to make a nest and Brent scooped him back up and plopped him in my nest. I covered him with the towel to make it dark, perhaps lessen his fear, and to protect him from the rain. I ran through the downpour to the parking lot and with a strange and maybe embarrassing sense of urgency, drove to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

Everytime I had to pull over for a car (one lane road) I checked to make sure the little guy was still breathing. When I finally got to LTWC and we unveiled him he had curled up into a tight ball and was fast asleep. I felt great! Not to mention the sight of him looking a lot calmer and all snuggled like that was a real 'Awwww' moment.

Alas that is all I have to say. I'll just assume he survived and will once again be free. If you're looking for tips on what to do if you find and injured or orphaned animal go to: www.ltwc.org

PS when making a little nest never use terry cloth for the bedding. Little feet and claws will get stuck. Paper towels work best. Keep them warm and keep them in the dark. Don't feed them or give them anything to drink. Don't blast your radio in the car you don't want to assault the senses or cause their shock to get worse.

Of course I wanted to snap a picture but I'm sure a flashbulb in the little squirrel eyes would've done wonders for his condition. But I looked him up and it was a chikadee squirrel and he looked just like this.