Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Roo's LiveJournal:

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Friday, June 9th, 2006
11:54 am	French-Americans? Who knew? Did you know that there is a sizable French-American population in Maine? Apparently they are descendants from an influx of immigrants from French-speaking Canada in the 1870's and many of them, until the 50's and 60's, grew up speaking French at home. In fact, the Maine Sate Legislature has a French Day in which all business is conducted in French. And, Maine was the first State to mandate that English be the language used in schools. Fascinating. (Comment on this)
11:12 am	Rock, Paper, Lawyers. A judge ordered two lawyers to meet in a neutral setting and settle a trivial dispute with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (apparently they couldn't decide where to hold a witness deposition). Hee hee. If you want to read the article in the NYT here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/09/us/09judge.html I can't decide what I find the funniest about this situation: that a judge can *mandate* a game of RPS, or that there is a USA Rock Paper Scissors Leauge, with its very own commissioner. (Comment on this)
10:01 am	Hypocrisy and relief I opened the NYT online yesterday afternoon and read the headline, straight from AP, that the FDA has approved the HPV vaccine Gardasil. In that one moment, I felt an honest rush of relief: thank God, I thought, our country is not so suck up its own ass to try to prohibit a drug like this. For those of you that don't know, HPV (aka herpes) is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women and effects 50% of all adults in this country at one point in their sexual lives. Not only does Gardasil vaccinate against 2 types of HPV (which account for 70% of cervical cancer cases in women), but it apparently also blocks infection by 2 other strains that are responsible for 90% of genital wart infections. This vaccine is a *huge* step forward in female health. The only drawback, of course, is the price tag which hovers around $400 for the full treatment (consisting of 3 shots over 6 months). That and the fact that the vaccine is only effective prior to being exposed to the virus. When I first heard about the vaccine, I thought that it was not going to get approved for much the same reason that an OTC version of Plan B was has not yet been approved. In the case of Plan B, the FDA has shelved any opportunity over the past couple of years to rule on it's approval for over the counter sales because of conservative tap dancing. The scientific panel that recommends drugs to the FDA has unanimously approved Plan B for OTC sales and yet, mysteriously, the FDA has yet to rule on it (this is highly unusual as the FDA generally does not go against a unanimous decision from its scientists). Even an attempt from Hillary Clinton to block Senate approval of a new head to the FDA pending a decision on Plan B has not resulted in one being made (could it be that the FDA was being headed by a conservative Bushie?). What I saw as the main point of contention with Gardasil is that it comes with a recommendation that it be administered to 11 to 12 year old girls (because it is not effective once you have been exposed to the virus). And we all know that vaccinating girls of this age would lead to a higher onset of sexual activity--much like handing out condoms and allowing Plan B to be sold in the corner drugstore. We are, afterall, talking about a sexually transmitted disease. Blah, blah, blah... However, much to my surprise and relief, it has been approved by the FDA (whether or not it will become one of the mandated vaccinations for school children is another debate altogether) and will be available in doctors offices by the end of the month. All of this with nary a peep from the conservative front, outside of the usual ministrations that abstinence is the only way to protect against STDs. Which brings me to the hypocrisy, and I will only mention this as food for thought: the conservative front is willing to allow for extremely expensive vaccinations against a cancer effecting women, yet they refuse to get behind condoms (ha ha) even when they have been shown to lower the risk of infection by HIV and other STDs and which, with the support of federal and world relief progams, could have a drastic effect on the rate of infection by these diseases worldwide. In other words, protection is availible if you're a rich (and chances are, white) little girl. But if you are poor, gay, or a minority...well, you get the point. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 31st, 2006
4:45 pm	Long day at the office. Whew. What a day. I looove that end-of-the-month-expense-report-time. But now I have 45min to kill before I get to leave so I thought I would let you know what an awesome Memorial Day weekend I just had. If memory serves, I think that this was the first *real* Memorial day weekend I've really had, in the sense that I have been a student for so many years prior to this: by the time Memorial Day rolled around summer vacation had already started so it didn't matter that you had a long weekend. But I get it now. Oh yes! The joys of a 3 day weekend. Lovely. At any rate, I took the train down to DC and hung out with my sister, E. And let me tell you, the train is so much awesome-er than planes. Well, at least when you only need to travel in the Eastern Corridor. First of all, I think that it is faster. Not only do you not have to be there hours before hand to check-in and be felt up, but it doesn't take nearly as long to get to Penn Station as it does to JFK or LaGuardia. So your overall travel time is less. And the seats are bigger. And you have more leg room. And you get that James-Bond-ultimate-woman-of-mystery feeling, which you can never experience on a plane because you are too busy being shmooshed up against your neighbor and feeling some kid kick the back of your seat over and over again. E and I had a really great time just relaxing, shopping, dining, and monument gazing. Yes, my mother would be so proud--I actually got out of the car and walked up to the Lincoln Memorial! That was about all that I could take, but one is better than nothing. But we did drive past the capital! More than once! Although we were lost, so I'm not sure that it counts. My only regret is that I didn't find out that there was an FDR memorial until I was literally leaving town. But there will always be next time and, as E is going to be there for at least 2 years, I'm sure there will be plenty of next times. E also gave me an awesome bag for my upcoming birthday which, apparently, is from a line that was described to her as the "Gucci of the South". How's that for stylin'? Regardless of its claims to fame in the South, I will say that the bag gets alot of appreciative looks on the subway... (Comment on this)
Friday, May 26th, 2006
12:09 pm	Al Gore vs. Hillary To my surprise, the newly released documentarty "An Inconvienent Truth" appears to have warmed up the chances of Al Gore running for President in 2008. Imagine that. The day before yesterday, Maureen Dowd addressed the possibility of Al running again in her op-ed peice in the NYT. With its imagery of two people who "thought they were once President" fighting over the support of someone who really used to be President, the article was surprisingly witty for Ms. Dowd. Not that she is normally dull, mind you, but I don't usually find that her humor matches up with mine. At any rate, I dismissed her suggestion as mere fodder for an amusing essay. However... However, Slate's featured article yesterday was an indepth analysis of exactly this possibility! And it included quotes from Democrates that seem to be taking this idea seriously! Imagine that. Imagine Al Gore as President. It can't be that hard, seeing as how he was actually elected to the office at one point. I think that the Slate article offers good food for thought about the idea of Al Gore running again, but I'm not sure if I come out as pessimistic about the idea as the author does. I will be the first to admit that the idea intrigues me. In fact, I would vote for Al before I would for Hillary (and we know how much I love Hillary). I would even do it if you took away all the concerns about the feasibility of voting a female in to office. And if it is true that the past couple of years, coupled with the new movie, has warmed up the image of Al again then I really see no reason why he cannot get elected. Especially, as Slate points out, if Al has Hillary to his right acting like a rail gaurd to prevent him from straying too far to the center (as, lets face it folks, *every* canidate must do to get elected in this country these days). But perhaps I only think this way out of some nostalgic attatchment to the first presidential canidate that I really supported. Or because Al was the one face that would repeatedly come to mind when I thought about how things "might have been". So. Perhaps we really do need someone totally outside of the Clinton shadow. Joe Biden, anyone? (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 25th, 2006
4:46 pm	This is not going to be as easy as I thought... I just found out that a hedge fund is just a *type* of private equity investment... As if that clears everything up. (Comment on this)
9:37 am	Well, well, well. Look who's back from the dead. I suppose there are a lot of reasons that could explain my long absence but I'm not a big fan of excuses so I'm not going to get into all of that. What I will say, however, is that I'm really looking forward to having the space to say the things that I want to say now and again. As for what's been going on and what I've been up to, there is too much that has happened on that score for me to do it justice here. All I can say is that I'm sure that the important details will eventually come to light--everything else is water under the bridge. Briefly, however, I am living in the city still. I am in the process of moving out of my apartment in Brooklyn and into one in lower Manhattan (yes, I am that fancy). I can afford such a move because, wait for it, I'm moving in with someone. And by that I mean Someone. I have a real job. Not to diss on the coffee scene, but it just wasn't cutting it financially. Nor did it offer the health care package that I need (as we know from past experiences of phantom illnesses--which may or may not be phantom). Do I like my job? It's too early to tell--I started not quite a month ago. Sometimes I feel too smart for this job, but I imagine that that is the case for most entry level jobs. The good news is that it offers a chance for growth--the company is growing and as it does, I will grow with it by taking on more responsibilities and so forth. I guess that is really all you can expect from a first time job and, the plan is, that after a couple of years I will be able to find that perfect job with all of my newly found marketable skills. Because, one of the first things that I realized is that an MA from an Ivy Leauge school overqualifies you for most entrylevel jobs even while my general lack of "real world" work experience underqualified me for everything else. So there you have it: the urban 20-something trifecta (job, apartment, significant other). It took awhile to transition from Ithaca, but I think that, after almost a year, I am finally hitting my stride. And the good news is that Ithaca seems to be trickling back into my lfe. RE is making the move next week. SL has been a great companion over the last year here in town, not to mention my re-connect with HAT. SO is coming home in a month. And who knows, perhaps Mr. F. will make the move later this fall. Now, if someone could just clue me into the difference between a hedge fund and a private equity investment I'll be good to go... (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 15th, 2005
1:12 pm	The count-down ends. So I'm leaving tomorrow for NYC. I'll be staying with my mother for the first couple of weeks until I can move into my apartment in Brooklyn. I'm nervous about the whole thing, I have to admit. Mostly I'm concerned that I won't be able to get on my feet there, but I'm sure I'll feel better about it all once I'm there for a bit. It's just that I've done the whole NYC-paycheck-to-paycheck living experience before and I just keep thinking of all the things that could possibly go wrong. But sometimes you just gotta jump right on in there, right? I'm sad about leaving I-Town. More so than I initially thought I would be. There are a lot of good people here and I've had quite a ride in the past 4 years, so it'll be strange to leave it all behind. At any rate, if you happen to be in town tonight, come on down to K-Bar at 8pm or the Chanti post-10pm and help me toast the people, the places, and the memories that make this town so great. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 9th, 2005
12:13 pm	So what are you going to do when you get there? Apparently, that's the only question people can think of when they hear that I'm leaving academia and moving to NYC. Well, that and "do you have a job?" Which, as far as I'm concerned, is the same question in different clothes. It's really starting to get to me, this question. It's not that I mind them asking--one's identity is so caught up with one's occupation in this society that you can't really blame them for asking. Taken in one light it's as benign a question as asking where someone grew up. So the problem is not necessarily the question, but the quasi-concern and disbelief that registers in people's eyes when I tell them that I have no idea what I'm going to do. Because what inevitably follows is a request to hear "my plan" for getting a job once I get there. I feel like I'm graduating high school or something and every person that I come in contact with has morphed into some busy-body aunt of mine. Do you know how silly it is to be standing behind an espresso machine discussing your life ambitions with someone you only know because you have made their extra-hot latte every morning for the last 3 months? Why they can't just wish me luck and leave it at that is beyond me. All of which is just to say that I still don't know what I'm going to be doing in NYC. I have a job lined up in the Brooklyn branch of the coffee shop I am currently working at but I'm not sure how long I'll be there. I have to find a job with health benefits, and I hope to work there until I can find one. And that's about as far as I've gotten with the whole "plan" thing. And I'm mostly okay with that. I just wish that my anxieties were not being constantly stoked by well-meaning strangers. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 4th, 2005
1:33 pm	Whose frame is this anyway? Jim Wallis wrote an interesting piece for the NYTimes Op-Ed section today and points out an obvious fact that most Democrates have lost sight of since the last elections: in all this hubub and excitement about "framing" the Democratic message with the right langugae, everyone seems to have forgotten that the larger problem is the apparent LACK of a message. Wallis has some suggestions of his own to offer but I find some of them unhelpful. For example, he suggests that Dems should stay away from the traditional abortion platform (that clearly tired concept of a woman's right to choose) in favor of promising to cut the number of abortions by half. This of course would be done by offering incentives for adoption, reform of health and child care, in addition to "reasonable restrictions" on abortions (like "parental notificaton"!!!!!). Sigh. He argues that the "discussion that shapes our political future should be one about moral values", but my question is why? While I agree that the Dems need to work on their message, why should this message be inherently moral? Why must we give up platforms like a woman's right to choose or a gay couple's right to marry in favor of abortion prevention and family values? It seems to me that we are conceding too much before we're even out of the gate. While it's true that a lot of politics deals with moral issues, we needn't pander to the "value voters" by couching everything in terms of morality. The fact that government favors big business, with the result of many more families failing to reach a living wage and slipping into poverty, is a nasty political fact. By suggesting that Democrates create a message that casts poverty as an "issue of concious", Wallis is falling prey to his own observation that the messaging is more important than the message itself. (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 21st, 2005
5:43 pm	Cheers and Welcome Home Thanks to Hubcap for a rockin show last night. They sound great after being away on tour. Also, thanks to the Hurricane for the dance-a-thon: I suspect we embodied his moniker more often than not last night. (Comment on this)
5:39 pm	We'll see how long this one lasts... The NYC police will begin a policy of randomly searching bags of persons entering the subway system tomorrow. Does anyone else see this as innane? It's almost as bad as Rudy cracking down on the jaywalkers. (Comment on this)
5:26 pm	Roberts So, it would appear that John Roberts will be the new face of the Supreme Court. Unless, of course, he manages to completely blow his confirmation hearings, which seems an unlikely possibility. It's hard to really say anything about him one way or the other, given that his record of decisions is so limited. Afterall, any position that he maintained and argued for during his time with Reagan, Bush I, and his DC law firm can be dismissed as merely a lawyer towing the line. I know that there is a lot of unrest (specifically about Guantanamo and an anti-abortion memo written for Bush I), but my feeling is that it could have been much worse given the circumstances. But I'll refrain from making severe judgements until I hear what the Senate manages to get out of him. Assuming, of course, that the Dems don't give him an easy pass. (Comment on this)
Friday, July 15th, 2005
2:44 pm	The count-down begins. So I have one month left in I-Town. Much of it will be filled with packing, moving, working and other odds and ends, which I'm not really looking forward to, but I hope to enjoy my last couple of weeks here. I am ready to leave. I must admit, even though I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing in NYC. But, as my mother so helpfully says, it'll work out one way or another. It does suck, however, that I'll be leaving town just about the time that a few old friends of mine are moving here, but they will just have to come visit me down-state. (Hint, hint...) Other than that, I am eagerly looking forward to the midnight release of the new Harry Potter book. And just as eagerly awaiting the demise of our own living Voldemort, aka Karl Rove. Although I might be disappointed in the latter: from what I'm reading it doesn't look as if Rove was the leak regarding Ms. Plame and I'm not sure that merely confirming information warrants death by flame. Or even jail time, for that matter. But I might be willing to settle for some egg on Bush's face (as a friend of mine characterized it yesterday). (Comment on this)
Friday, July 1st, 2005
11:59 am	Brace yourselves... Just heard that O'Connor is stepping down from the Supreme Court. This could be very bad. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 29th, 2005
5:21 pm	Is this it? I got an apartment set up in Brooklyn. I finally got myself a new pool cue. I gave my manager my final notice. Everyone around me is making plans and packing up. July will be the month that sees many adventures begin, while just as many draw to a close. Current Music: The Strokes: Is This It? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
5:11 pm	Ta-ta For Now. Paul Winchell and John Fiedler, better known as the voices of Tigger and Piglet, respectively, both passed away this week. My sisters and I were all very big fans of the creatures of the Hundred Acre Wood as children: while having nothing to do with the origin of my nickname, there is a reason why "Roo" has stuck all these years. And one of my sisters has Tigger tattooed on her foot. So, I offer a moment of remembrance for those that have provided so many memories. (Comment on this)
Friday, June 17th, 2005
2:56 pm	Transitional periods are always difficult to manage, and the past month has proven to be no exception. The point of this journal was, initially, to keep my lovely sister updated on the day to day of Me. Especially during times like this when so much is happening that our weekly phone conversations merely provide a gloss of events. So it is frustrating to approach this update knowing that, due to my neglect, gloss is all I can expect to achieve here as well. First and foremost, I finally sat my A-exam in late May and passed. And in doing so I have officially left the halls of academia for the foreseeable future. Those who have known me for some time know that my decision to leave Cornell with a Masters was a couple of years in the making and not an easy one at that. The exam itself was an interesting experience, wrapped up in bittersweet feelings of relief and deep sadness. Reflecting on the experience since, I have been satisfied by the knowledge that I am leaving here as a matter of choice and not simply running away. As most graduate students will attest, the transitional period from "student-of" to "producer-of" is a hard one to negotiate and typically racked with bouts of self-doubt and paralyzing criticism. It's also a very lonely process: no one else can help in the battles that occur in the mind when it's merely you against the blank page. Truth be told, there were moments in first years of graduate school when I didn't think that I could make this transition. My opinion about this did change over the course of the last couple of years, but the feelings still managed to resurface now and again. Ultimately, it was interesting to see this process culminating in my A-exam, where I held my own against three of the toughest minds I've met here at Cornell. The quiet realization that I could pursue a PhD if I chose to was reinforced by my conversation with these people. I don't think I can stress enough how important this knowledge is for me to have. Not merely for putting to rest some of the ghosts of my past, but also for enabling me to move forward and beyond that which has defined me for the past 9 years. Of course moving on has presented difficulties of its own. Questions about what I am going to do now are never-ending. I don't have any answers to give on this score, but I'm setting the bar fairly low for this round. Ultimately, I understand that I have done a huge thing by leaving academia and I don't want to set myself up for disappointment by assuming that life will be golden now that I have closed that particular chapter in my life. My only goal is to land a job that will give me the opportunity to feel things out for a bit while also allowing me to stand on my own two feet while I learn to live without the prop of a detailed life-plan. In addition to negotiating the above, I have still been dealing with the mysterious sickness-thing that came about a couple of months ago. The cause of the illness has not been determined and there have been a series of tests which have only succeeded in ruling things out. Which I suppose is a good thing in itself, but it has been difficult to deal with. As my father has counseled, I should be happy to know that I don't have leukemia, but if I have one more doctor tell me that we have to wait a couple of weeks and try again, I'll scream. The only symptom I've been having these days has been a lack of energy, but its hard to determine whether that is due to being sick or merely an aftermath of finishing school. Regardless of its cause, it has been wearing on me in many ways. My mood is rather gray, and I have fallen into a typical pattern of recluse-ness and irritability. Both of which are causing tensions with various friends in different ways. I'd like to shake myself out of it--after all, I'm about as fed up with myself as they are--but I also know that you can't always force yourself to do things that you don't want to or can't. Which brings me to my friends, many of whom will soon be leaving for parts far and wide. I will miss them. And, surprisingly, I will also miss Ithaca when the time comes to leave. I saw a great local band last night. And, while marveling at how much better they get from show to show, I had a chance to soak up the moment and realize what all I'm leaving behind. The life I've built for myself here in I-Town has been a good one, enriched by many things. It's no Portland, and no NYC, but it's been good to me. But I suppose the continual changing of the guard is in the nature of a town like this. One of the saddest things to be leaving behind here will be my pool team. We've done well this past year, and had a great time while doing it. We made it to the Regional Competition last weekend and played our hearts out. Although we lost after a critical moment in the finals, I know that we are the best team Central NY. Not just because we rock, but also because we work so well together. As the regional rep said to us, we have the best team spirit in the league. It's been a wonderful part of the past two years. Although, truth be told, it would have been cool to celebrate together in Vegas. I also turned 27. My friends have gifted me with a yet-to-be-purchased pool cue. My brother's wife has brought a new niece into the world. I was named Central NY APA MVP (for 2's and 3's). I might have an apartment in the city lined up already. And that's about all I can manage for my glossed over update today. Bets, I'll try not to get behind again. Current Music: 16 Horsepower: Sinnerman (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 15th, 2005
7:49 pm	Hope, Dare I? I tried to maintain some semblance of calm as the day drew closer. Given the last two letdowns, I knew any high hopes to be foolish. I checked any unbridled enthusiasm and kept a close watch on my nostalgic musings of past (and future) events. But no longer. A.O. Scott has raised my expectations: his review of "Revenge of the Sith" claims that it's better than the original "Star Wars". I'm so excited, I can barely contain myself. I've already started inflicting my best Wookie imitation on unsuspecting people. I'm dusting off the Yoda-speech. I'm heading for the Dark Side. Lucas-Wan was wise to keep this from me. (Comment on this)
Friday, May 13th, 2005
10:55 am	I received an uncomfortable reality check this morning on my way from the coffee shop to the bus stop. It was early and the caffeine hadn't really caught up with me so it took a while for me to recognize what was going on. But as the day continues, my mind keeps replaying the scene in my mind. It has disturbed me, but I can't really put a finger on why (except for the obvious). First, let me state that Ithaca, New York, is known for its progressive politics. In addition to the "Ithaca is Gorges" slogan plastered on tee-shirts and coffee mugs, a common bumper sticker one sees around these parts characterizes Ithaca as "10 square miles surrounded by reality". Imagine my shock, then, to see a small group of people (more specifically: white men) kneeling in front of our local Planned Parenthood reciting Hail Marys and clutching rosaries. Sigh. I suppose it's easy to take the general atmosphere in this town for granted. Don't get me wrong, I think that those people had every right to be doing what they were doing--I'm not about to go around denying First Amendment rights to anyone. And, truth be told, they were being respectful about displaying their opposition to PP. What has really been bubbling up to the surface this morning about these men is the visual reminder that I feel so far removed from a large majority of my fellow citizens. No big surprise, given the events of last November, but unsettling nonetheless. I worry about the direction I see America leaning towards. I suppose I could take comfort in the fact that, given my recent liberation from academia, I will soon be getting my hands dirty promoting the issues that I find most pressing. But sometimes the problem can seem so big that it's hard to know where to start. And it can be easy to let the fear become paralyzing. Especially since I just read, via Wonkette, that O'Connor is leaving the bench: when Bush became president in 2000 I remember thinking to myself "how bad could it really get?". Now I don't even want to think about it. Because its not just a crazy administration gone amok; it's also 52% of the population. (Comment on this)