Bush's tax cuts will create jobs for the likes of diamond-tip cane polishers and monocle-smiths. John Hodgman of Daily Show

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Memorial Day was spectacular- everything that summer should be (frisbee, BBQ, the beach, fireworks, helping mom garden, opening the pool, the patio bars in Chicago...) you couldn't force me inside if you paid me.

AND-- Bike the Drive was this past Sunday- so amazing! The CBF blocks cars off of Lake Shore Drive for a morning and allows only bicycles. Start to finish I did about 34 miles with four friends and 20,000 bikers (and, despite betting pools wagering otherwise, I didn't die)... (well, as far as I know).

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As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. --Marianne Williamson

updates

1. Chicago marathon registration will likely be capped by the end of this week... if you're thinking about running it- sooner is the word on registration people, not later.

2. I finally decided to plug back in- I got a cell phone. It's proof for Johanna that I don't plan on leaving the country anytime soon. At least for my 2 year contract. :)

*sigh*

When he was a baby, I used to stare at my brother for hours at a time... and I would imagine what he would be like when he grew up - what he'd look like, what he'd do, whether he'd like me, whether we'd be friends ...

Slowly, Vim got bigger. Me and him would run up to Ba and Dada's upstairs balcony, throw helicopter leaves off, run down, gather them and do it again... We played in sprinklers and on the slip-n-slide (don't pretend you all didn't have one!), teased vish, played catch on the stoop outside, camped in the backyard, planted tomatoes with our grandmother, played in the basement (where I would scare him with our Mr. T mask), did everything that little kids do...

(We built a million memories because we always had each other, even when no one else wanted to play. )

A few years ago, he shot up, and is now considerably taller than me. If that wasn't enough, last weekend, that punk had the nerve to graduate college!

Fortunately, he's grown up to be so beautiful- inside out. Better than I could have ever imagined back when I would stare and wonder about the future him. Proud doesn't even begin to cut it Vimz. Love you brother.
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On a similar note, my baby, JenMasterFunk, is now ** Dr. Jennifer Garcia. ** Holy lord. Happy freakin Diwali. ;)

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And, last but certainly not least, Vincenzo also claims to have graduated this spring. However, he also claims that his "graduation gown" was conveniently "returned" the day "before" I "saw" him. Consequently, there is no photographic evidence of his alleged aforementioned "Masters Degree." Feel free to draw your own conclusions....

Starting small...

starting with the kids.

"The community of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (NSWAS) has been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize....

... the Primary School at NSWAS was the first bilingual, bicultural school in Israel and has been a pioneer of bilingual, binational education in the region, with an administrative and teaching structure equally shared and run by Palestinians and Jews. Further, the School for Peace is an internationally renowned conflict management institution, leading the field in binational dialogue programs. "

- The MidEastConnect (the complete article)

I AM. IN LOVE.

WITH THIS MAN.