lizaroo's Xanga

in sickness and in health

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:14:01 GMT

one of the unexpected consequences of working at an alzheimer's disease clinic is the appreciation that it's given me for marriage.

on one hand, it's given me a much deeper appreciation for what exactly this lifelong commitment entails. we see couples in the most unpleasant of circumstances: the couple who came in a few weeks ago, for example, where the wife is in her fifties and suffering from early onset alzheimer's. she forgets everything after a few minutes, can't do anything on her own, becomes extremely anxious when her husband isn't around -- to the point where i imagine that he has to be with her all the time, answering the same questions over and over again, making sure she doesn't wander off and get hurt. there's no cure or treatment for alzheimer's this severe, and unlike most cases, this woman's body is still in good shape since she's so young... so there's a chance that their lives could be like this for a decade or more. or consider the couple who came in a few months ago, where the husband's alzheimer's has progressed to the point where he's mute and incontinent and starting to become belligerent and aggressive. they've been married for 51 years, and she now has to take care of him in every sense imaginable. this is the stuff you don't often see in your twenties, when all you see of marriage is the perfectly printed wedding invitation on your fridge and happy couples running through parks in commercials for david's bridal. this is the real stuff that marriage is made of, the for-better-and-for-worse, the in-sickness-and-in-health. this is commitment -- not just when you're both young and attractive, not just when you still have your bodies and wits intact, but also when you're old and your bodies are giving out and your frontal cortices are deteriorating to the point where you can't put a coherent sentence together. for me, it has been a sobering picture of marriage, and it has impressed upon me a much deeper understanding of what commitment really is.

on the other hand, as natalie reminded me this morning, working here has also given me incredible faith in marriage. we see some beautiful stories, especially in the healthy research patients who serve as controls in our studies. natalie told me about the couple she interviewed last week, where the wife, beaming, declared that the man sitting next to her was her soul mate. to be able to say that after 50 years of marriage, after having children and mortgages and cross-country moves, after weathering the best and worst of life together -- that's mind-blowing! but even the clinical patients, the ones whose cognitive problems are glaringly obvious and stressful on their relationships -- they give me hope for marriage too. on more than one occasion, i have interviewed a couple and listened to their heartbreaking story -- progressive memory decline, loss of functioning, depression. but when i go through their history and ask how long they've been married, almost invariably, they turn to each other and share a little smile. sometimes it's the only smile i see during the entire interview. even in the midst of bleakness and despair, the distant memory of their wedding still brings them happiness, and their marriage is what sustains them.

i was reminded of this again this morning, when joe brought a patient to the lab for testing -- an adorable elderly gentleman with bushy eyebrows wearing a tan corduroy jacket with elbow patches. joe, making small talk, asked him if he lived on the beach, presumably based on the address he saw in the file. the man smiled and said, "i've done two things right in my life. fifty-four years ago, i married my wife. and forty years ago, i bought a house on the sand."

i almost cried when i heard that. i've always been a big sap, and i am all the more so now that i'm with a man i adore; and to hear things like this, from people who are easily in their 70s and 80s... it melts my heart. it gives me hope and faith in this whole marriage thing, in the crazy idea of tying yourself to one person for the rest of your life.

this week in eating: the best of pasadena

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:09:46 GMT

as i anticipate my parents' arrival on saturday (!), and as a person who is regularly thinking about where to eat, i've spent quite a bit of time lately contemplating my favorite restaurants in my little town. pasadena has more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the world, so there's certainly a lot of places to consider; however, while the old town restaurants are usually the first to come to mind, i posit that the best ones are generally elsewhere. hence, i now present to you my 5 favorite restaurants in pasadena, along with 7 other staples that i love.

the best

la luna negra, green btw delacey and fair oaks

this is the one exception to the "best is not in old town" rule. the sweet rolls with olive tepenade served by this tapas restaurant would be enough to catapult it into the top 5. but add to that killer tapas -- for my birthday, robert and i got the apple and goat cheese salad, along with herb-encrusted pork tenderloins with caramelized onions and pomegranate seeds and a lovely spanish quiche, all incredible. and then add a space that is incredibly decorated (be sure to look up at the draping and lanterns hanging from the ceiling) and live flamenco every friday and saturday nights, and the combination throws this restaurant over the top. absolutely phenomenal.

elements kitchen, fair oaks and dayton (btw del mar and california)

christina was the first person to suggest this restaurant, and when we arrived, we found ourselves in a lovely, sunlit room that seated about 10 people, with tables for 12 more outside. elements is primarily a catering business that runs a restaurant on the side, and i am thankful for this fact, b/c there we had some of the best sandwiches i have ever eaten. we split an elements cheese steak -- made with marinated tri-tip, caramelized onions, green peppers, and garlic aoli on a baguette -- and a cuban pulled pork sandwich with sweet plantains, black bean hummus, and orange sauce. the sandwiches weren't cheap -- think zingerman's prices -- but they were worth every cent.

yahaira's cafe, colorado btw el molino and oak knoll

i'd passed this little mexican place many times on my way to the bank or metropolitan cafe before eric suggested that we try it. and then i went back two more times that week. why, you ask? two words: breakfast quesadilla. it will change your life. the cafe is a cute little space with a friendly owner who is always there. marston's gets all the (undeserved) hype for breakfast, but yahaira's is really the best breakfast place in pasadena.

green street restaurant, shoppers lane (btw lake and mentor) btw green and cordova

the menu appears ordinary -- creative american/californian -- but everything at this joint is good. their dianne salad, a deceptively simple mixture of lettuce, chicken, dried noodles, almonds, sesame seeds and magic dressing, is incredible. actually, all of their salads are great, and large enough for several meals. as are all of their quesadillas (try the mango and brie, or the basil and tomato)... and sandwiches... and entrees. and their giant ice-cream sandwich -- two huge, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies encasing vanilla ice cream -- is the perfect finish. it's impossible to go wrong here, and even though the prices are a little high for a grad school budget, the fact that you can get two (or three) meals out of each dish makes it worthwhile.

soumarelo, allen btw washington and mountain

hana was the first to recommend this place -- she'd read about it in the la times, which had declared that this mediterranean restaurant's rotisserie chicken was better than zankou's (shock!). lo and behold... the times didn't lie. the chicken is fabulous, as are their kebabs, and they come on plates with rice, pita, garlic sauce, and an appetizer and salad of your choice (not easy, given that there are about 10 choices each). the first time i went, the owner threw in free lentil soup for all... though that could have been because i was with 5 hot ladies. and you can wrap up your meal with ice cream -- 4 scoops for 99 cents. truly superb.

other places you must try

magnolia, lake btw del mar and california

this is my favorite happy hour in pasadena both for the fun, funky lounge atmosphere and the 40%-off food, which is unilaterally delicious. the french fry trio (steak, thin, and sweet potato with three sauces), the cheeseburger (with grilled onions... yum), the chicken salad sandwich, the turkey chili in a cornbread bowl, and the mac and cheese have all become familiar friends. other great happy hours: yardhouse (i've never ordered anything bad there, though i do get tired of their hh menu) and manny's (the best pizza you've ever had, half off every day from 4-7pm).

a'float sushi, colorado btw raymond and arroyo

pasadena is not a great place for ethnic food in general, but i'm a sucker for this sushi joint, where you can sit at the bar and pick your dishes as they float by on boats in a moat. a'float isn't cheap -- the dishes add up -- but the fish is top-notch, and the chefs, who are chinese, have been known to give free samples to their countrypeople. not that i know that personally or anything. more affordable, and still delicious, sushi can be found at sushi island and midori. totally overpriced: sushi roku.

saladang, fair oaks btw del mar and california

the other exception i make for ethnic food in pasadena is thai. saladang may be a little bit americanized, but it's hard to beat. check out the pad thai, the pad see ew, anything curry, and the barbecue duck. another great thai place: daisy mint on colorado east of lake, which may give saladang a run for its money.

zankou chicken, colorado btw chester and holliston

the original rotisserie chicken joint cannot be overlooked. their chicken, especially when coupled with pita and garlic sauce, is so good that i have to close my eyes when i consume it. incredible.

roscoe's chicken and waffles, lake btw orange grove and mountain

the idea of fried chicken with waffles was initially disgusting to me, but now that i've had it... i've converted. the fried chicken is literally perfect -- perfectly cooked, perfect batter-to-chicken ratio, no trace of grease (though i'm sure it's lurking there somewhere). the waffe is similarly crisp, with butter and syrup on the side. the crispiness of the chicken, coupled with the sweetness of the syrup, is an amazing combination. put down your preconceptions and try it.

pasadena sandwich company, sierra madre villa just north of foothill

try the "trust the cook", where the cook puts together whatever he feels like, and you get a triple-decker sandwich, usually hot on one layer and cold on the other, that could only have been created by a culinary magician. it's enough for two people, even if one of those people is a big dude. their potato salad is also fantastic.

taco truck, fair oaks btw del mar and california

the supposedly best taco truck in all of greater los angeles happens to be in our neck of the woods. make sure you're at the right truck -- there's another one slightly north, but you'll know this one by the giant santa claus sitting atop the antique shop next door. their tacos are the best $1.20 you could put in your mouth.

now i turn it over to you. where are your favorite places in pasadena? or where you live now? please share for the edification of the masses.

two stories

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:34:15 GMT

... in honor of valentine's day, and some people that i love very dearly.

***

the way he tells it, my dad was a hot commodity in his day. he's a good-looking guy, and his family was relatively financially stable at a time when taiwan was dirt-poor. i'm not sure which was more important, but regardless, he apparently had many women interested in marrying him. (he tells of riding his motorcycle with the girlfriend of the moment hanging on in back -- an image that becomes funnier to me the older he and i get.) my grandmother, interested perhaps in further securing his future or in making sure he didn't end up with a gold digger, also tried to set him up with numerous single ladies from well-off families and would send him their pictures while he was away at school.

my father, however, had different ideas in mind. strongly influenced by the catholic missionaries who lived in his hometown, he had decided that he was going to become a priest. (never mind that he's buddhist -- he sees all religions as basically the same, so he could be catholic as easily as he is buddhist.) he would live a quiet, contemplative life, a life full of scholastic work and celibacy. this, he says, is what he told the girls who wanted to procure an engagement before he left for graduate school in the states; and this is what he told his mother as he set aside the pictures she sent.

he had stints at brigham young (the taiwanese FOB amidst a sea of lily-white mormons, whose church had permitted entry to non-whites a mere 8 years before his arrival) and princeton (where he claims he was chased by a mexican american girl and dissuaded from aggressive women by his mentor) before settling at wayne state in detroit, where he would finish his phd. the young, taiwanese grad student was devoted to his studies, mentally preparing for a life in the priesthood.

but then something funny happened: he met my mom.

... at a dumpling party, of all places. well, actually, he had seen her in the elevator before but thought that she was korean (beautiful, but near-impossible to communicate with). but then they showed up at the same dumpling party over thanksgiving of 1976, and lo and behold, pretty girl from the elevator was actually from taiwan.

i can't remember exactly how the relationship started, but all i know is that it centered around food. at one point he offered to cook for her... and it ended up taking him 2 hours. and there was something about them walking around campus once and happening upon a piano, and my dad played something for her (he was, and still is, quite the pianist), and she was impressed. i remember another story where he and his roommate wanted to cook dinner for the female friends from whom they mooched food relentlessly, and they invited my mom to help, and she ended up having to cook the entire meal. (she must've really liked him to continue hanging out with him after that.) but the gist of their dating relationship involved them eating together every night. they would go grocery shopping together, she would cook, and he would do the dishes. since he ate more, he paid 2/3 of the bill, and she paid 1/3. ("but i ate 3/4 of the food, so i got a good deal!" my dad exclaims with glee.)

my mom had apparently had her share of suitors in grad school, but my dad was the first one she could really talk with. and she liked that he played the piano. oh, and she was also impressed with his statistics prowess. what woman wouldn't be, really.

after 9 months of this eating-and-talking business, my mom started a post-doc at columbia. my dad drove her to new york, and she cried when he left, and when he got back he was lonely. "nothing tasted good anymore," he said. so one day, he ended up calling my mom and suggesting that perhaps they should get married.

"are you serious?" she said.

"yes," he said.

"okay," she replied.

and then the ball started rolling. she flew to taiwan over christmas break and met his mother, whom he had instructed to buy my mom a ring. my grandmother, peeved that her son had rejected countless young ladies of wealth that she had chosen, was convinced that my mom, being an unmarried phd student in her late twenties, must have been beaten with an ugly stick. but alas, my mom turned out to be lovely, so my grandmother changed her tune. when she introduced my mom to all of her friends, she bragged that this was her son's fiancee, a phd student, beautiful and smart. booyah, grandma.

when she returned to the states, my mom arranged to do her second year of post-doc in michigan, where my dad was still working on his phd. they got married in august of 1978, not long after she moved back to michigan, less than 2 years after they met. and that's the story of how my dad didn't become a priest.

***

it was the friday of our first week in orvieto, the fourth day of our class. the twenty-five of us fuller students, along with our lecturer and professor, boarded a little bus to siena, where we would be spending the day. i took a window seat on the left side, and not long after, a tall blond fellow asked if he could sit next to me.

"i'd want to sit there," he said contritely, gesturing to the seat next to our professor, "but i need to finish the homework." i smiled.

poor guy didn't get any of his homework done on the bus. we ended up talking the whole hour-plus way there, a bit while we were there, and then the whole way back. at some point in the conversation, he mentioned that he was half-seriously contemplating becoming a priest. he certainly had the aura of one -- calm, centered, present -- though he also admitted that it was partly because he hadn't really met anyone he was interested in dating since this thought had first entered his mind.

a month later, after two more long bus rides, four long late-night walks (including one where we got to see fireworks), and two weeks of wondering if our chemistry in italy (the most romantic place on earth) would translate in los angeles (a decidedly less romantic place), this boy expressed interest in dating me.

"what about you wanting to be a priest?" i asked.

"i'm not serious about that," he said.

"okay," i said.

and that's the story of how robert's halfhearted aspirations to the priesthood ended.

***

the moral of these stories: if you're thinking about becoming a priest, stay far away from the women in my family. i don't know if this phenomenon is romantic or blasphemous, but one way or another, consider yourself warned. happy valentine's day. :)

* gasp *

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:01:54 GMT

greektown casino evicts sweet georgia brown

this is a tragedy. not just because it was my favorite restaurant in detroit. not just because this marks the end of the fried lobster tails, crab cakes, sweet potato fries, maple-walnut butter, and heavenly peach cobbler with peach ice cream that i had the privilege of enjoying once every few years, when there was an occasion big enough to warrant a trip to this upscale soul-food restaurant downtown. not just because of all of the great memories -- savoring the goodness with my family; dining with ben after we came into a bit of cash; my parents meeting don shane, the local abc sportscaster, whom my dad thanked for coming into our home every evening. not just because this means that classie, my family's favorite waitress there (who remembered us every time, even though it was usually years between visits), is most likely out of a job. but also because, in my mind, this is a sign of just how dire detroit's economic situation is right now.

two of my five favorite restaurants at home have now shut down. granted, the other one closed because of criminal activity and not because of the economy. but still -- it just makes home a little bit less sweet.

this week in politics: a new day.

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:21:54 GMT

tuesday was something else, wasn't it?

and so it begins

- i watched the inauguration from jerry's famous(ly expensive) deli in westwood, which happens to be right next to my ucla lab. i took a table next to a bald, 30- or 40-something african american man, and we watched coverage on fox news, of all channels. (thankfully, they made no a-hole comments -- at least not during the ceremony -- though i suspect that they were significantly kinder about bush than the other networks were.) as soon as they announced obama and he entered the stage, the tears welled up. this brilliant, thoughtful, articulate, inclusive, diversity-embodying man was about to be our president. i could hardly stand it.

- i felt like rick warren was a strange mix of very evangelical and attempts to not seem very evangelical... which i guess was not as awful as it could have been, but it felt awkward and uncentered, perhaps b/c he was trying to catch everyone.

i think the tension that he must have felt, being a very popular evangelical pastor opening the official inauguration for a multi-faith country, reflects the tension inherent in our government around this issue. are we a christian nation or not? personally, i'd like to think that we aren't, given the plurality of faiths that are practiced here and the lack of an official state religion, not to mention the stance that the previous administration took on many issues. (the ex-prez claims he was guided by faith, but many of his decisions were decidedly not Christ-like, and i'd like to avoid slapping that label on them as much as possible.) but when upwards of 70% of citizens say that they're christian, we have yet to elect a president (or even have a major presidential candidate) who adheres to another faith, and we have an official morning worship, invocation, and benediction the day of the inauguration and a prayer service the morning after, who are we kidding? it's not an easy situation to navigate, and i think that warren's simultaneously inclusive and exclusive prayer reflected that.

(p.s. -- wondering where the "dr." in "dr. rick warren" came from? why, it came from fuller theological seminary.)

- aretha -- love that you're representing detroit and bloomfield hills, but that hat... that hat was a lot to handle. i doubt that neiman marcus will be inundated with requests for it, but props to you for being bold, i guess.

- LOVED the quartet playing the john williams piece. it was a little benetton ad of brilliance. i particularly liked yo-yo ma, who could not have looked happier to be playing his cello in the freezing cold, and the clarinet player. wind players don't have a lot of room for physical expression while they play aside from their eyebrows, and man, that guy was working his eyebrows. it was awesome.

- i spent much of the morning trying to figure out who the asian guy sitting behind obama was. turns out that it's his brother-in-law -- his sister, maya, married a chinese canadian man. speaking of which, the new york times had a great article on the diversity of the first family. we know about his kenyan father, his white mother from kansas, the white grandmother who raised him -- but there's also his sister, who is half asian; his brother-in-law, who is chinese canadian; michelle's brother, who is black and married to a white woman; one of her cousins, who converted to judaism and is now a rabbi. it's so diverse that it almost seems contrived -- but i really appreciate it, b/c it's not only a picture of what our country looks like but also of what our families are starting to look like too.

- the speech. oh, the speech. not as pithy and feel-good as the election night speech, but i so appreciated that it was real and honest while being inspirational and uplifting -- that's not an easy thing to do without sounding like you're delivering platitudes. i loved that he talked about caring for the poor and about caring for other countries -- that the concern is for the well-being of americans and for the well-being of the whole world. i'm not sure that i've ever heard a political speech with such a global feel. and interestingly enough, i feel like americans are more ready to swallow such ideas than ever before -- not just b/c of our globalized society but also b/c of the economic crisis. if nothing else, the crisis has illustrated how interconnected we (and our success) are, and i think obama capitalized on that moment really well.

i also liked the theme of responsibility -- of government to its citizens, and of citizens to the well-being of the nation. we now have a president that we (and the world) love, and it would be tempting to sit back and cast all responsibility on him to save us, but he's (wisely) chosen to emphasize that success depends not only on him but on everyone to contribute. and he's charismatic enough to convey such a message without making it feel like a drag. can you imagine -- civic participation and mutual responsibility as not only desirable but exciting? it's a new era, friends.

- did you see malia obama filming part of the speech on her camera? she's been seen taking pictures at a lot of events lately, and i like it. she's my kind of girl.

- it's entirely possible that i liked the benediction even more than the speech. lowery's presence itself would have been enough to be profound, but he was so eloquent on top of that, and i loved that he also talked about the poor and caring for the whole world. there's been some mild stink about the way that he ended the prayer, but dudes, give it up. take your energies and make me a mellow yellow t-shirt instead.

- after the ceremony was over, i introduced myself to the man at the table next to me and told him it was lovely watching the inauguration with him. he was at the same table when i walked by the deli this morning, and we waved -- my new history-sharing inauguration friend. it's funny -- except for that introduction, we didn't speak at all, but i'm going to remember this man for the rest of my life. whenever i think back on this inauguration, i will think of him and sunny-side up eggs with wheat toast and hash browns. we are forever connected.

the ball

- i liked the concept of the neighborhood inaugural ball -- open to the public (er, the public who could score tickets), aired on broadcast tv, putting the inclusivity piece into action. it was basically a giant concert, but those few moments with the obamas were priceless.

first, they looked so good. they're an attractive couple to begin with, but mr. president, you look fabulous in a white tie! michelle's dress was made by a young taiwanese american designer named jason wu, who didn't even know that the dress he made for her would be worn at the inauguration until he saw it on tv. a career made.

then there was the first thing obama said when he took the mic: "first of all... how good-looking is my wife?" and everyone cheered, and she smiled and clapped until she realized that he was talking about her, and then she got all embarrassed.

and THEN there was the dance. hot dang. "at last" is one of my favorite songs of all time (and one that accurately captures national sentiment), and beyonce has an incredible voice, but the way that barack looked at michelle the whole time... it was heart-wrenching. i cried more then than i did during the inauguration itself. i think part of the reason why everyone is so in love with them is b/c they're so clearly in love with each other, the kind of "in love" that you can't fake, especially not interview after interview. i love them.

and dang, brother can dance! so good that jamie foxx commented on it right after and joe biden had to give the disclaimer, before his first dance later in the evening, that he couldn't. he did fine, though. and jill biden -- what a little firecracker! loved the red coat during the day, the red dress at night. i didn't know she was a doctor, either -- apparently she has a doctorate in education and teaches english and composition at community colleges, where she feels like she can make the biggest difference. and she plans to continue teaching while she's second lady, which i deeply respect. i like the second couple, too. :)

- many props to the organizers for the all-star lineup -- alicia keys, beyonce, jay-z, denzel, leonardo dicaprio, stevie wonder.... (how is it possible that stevie wonder sounds just as good, if not better, than he did when i was 3 and "i just called to say i love you" was my dad's favorite song? amazing.) but negative eprops for shakira's performance -- what was that, really? -- and the anti-gravity routine. i have no idea what that was... and then the girls dropping from the ceiling in bungee cords at the end was even more bizarre. if you needed a dance/movement number, could you not have gotten jabbawockees instead? or, since your lineup was completely devoid of asians besides lucy liu, how about kaba modern? either act would have been infinitely more popular and interesting and would have required less equipment and setup.

the first two days

- i've been impressed with obama has started his administration. starting his first day by greeting people from the public in the blue room. how swiftly he's moved on some of his campaign promises -- signing executive orders yesterday to enforce government disclosure (something that will probably put the previous administration to shame, once their records are revealed), to freeze salaries of executive branch officials making over $100,000, and to restrict lobbying; ordering the close of guantanamo and secret prisons today. not bad, mr. pres. not bad.

- ray posted a link comparing the white house website when obama took office and when bush took office. it's an interesting commentary on the two administrations, i think -- one that's up with the times and gets it, and one that was quite the opposite.

images

- my friend phil sent me this sweet picture from the nation -- a rendition of the inauguration taking place before major civil rights leaders from all over the world. loved it.

- there were tons of incredible images from the inauguration, but the one that got me the most was one in the slideshow on the new york times homepage. i couldn't save the image and i can't find it anywhere now, but the caption read:

"bakary kamara, an immigrant from the west african nation of ghana, cried in new york after mr. obama was sworn in."

GAH. i'm a sucker for good pictures, but the pictures of immigrants during this election and inauguration are the ones that have hit me the most. maybe because that's such a huge part of my own story -- heck, the very essence of my story, b/c my parents wouldn't even have met if they hadn't immigrated here. but they came here b/c america was the land where they could do anything, where anything is possible. and our new president proves that. (gosh, i'm getting teary just thinking about it.) obama's inauguration embodies everything they came here for, and that's so overwhelmingly beautiful and profound that i can hardly grasp it.

i'm going to try to relish the next 4(-8) years as much as i can, b/c it's entirely possible that i will never be this excited about a president in the rest of my lifetime. when else will we have a president this cool or this smart? it's a time to savor.

today in politics: inauguration eve

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:06:58 GMT

i don't think it would be an overstatement to say that this is the eve of the biggest inauguration of our lives to date. the fact that it falls the day after martin luther king day has not been lost on anyone, i'm sure, but as i sit here and ponder that a little more, it still blows my mind a little bit.

in honor of this momentous occasion, i have decided to... write about politics. i'm a little rusty, but there's been a lot going on in dc since the election, so there's no time to waste!

the pre-presidency presidency

while the inauguration is momentous, it also feels a little superfluous, since obama has essentially been our president since, oh, november 5th. brother didn't really have a choice, i guess, given the circumstances and the complete ineffectiveness of the standing president. will ferrell wasn't joking when he said that every time bush has had a press conference in recent months, the stock market has plummeted -- so i feel like he just decided to screw doing any kind of real work during his last few weeks in office and focus on trying to salvage his legacy. (one that will be difficult to salvage, as a review in this week's issue of the brilliant, nonpartisan economist sums up nicely.) he's spent a lot of time hyping up the amount he's contributed to combating AIDS in africa (which is noble), spending time with vets and young children, trying to divert attention from all of the disasters, and avoiding real decisions as much as possible -- to the point where, when asked at his last press conference if he was going to request the remaining $350 billion in bailout money, he responded, "president-elect obama hasn't asked me yet." even our commander-in-chief recognizes that he's not president anymore.

i feel bad that obama hasn't gotten much of a break -- but i think he's doing a pretty freaking good job so far, and 83% of americans seem to agree. much of that can be attributed to...

stocking the cabinet

i don't know about you, but hearing obama roll out his cabinet and advisor picks over these last few weeks has been like watching the wolverines score 20 touchdowns in a row. goodness gracious. for me, it's gone a little bit like "yeah!... YEAH!... ooh, interesting, let's wait for the replay to see if that one's good. alright, the refs are calling it good. excellent."

a few noteworthy picks:

- i was so stinking excited about timothy geithner. he's been one of three key players in the current bailout, so he wouldn't require any on-the-job training. well-known enough on wall street to rally stocks when he was named -- and yet little-known enough to the public to make people feel like there's a fresh voice in office. raised in new york, africa, and asia. educated at dartmouth and johns hopkins, with a focus in east asian economics. wrote a paper describing the south korean financial crisis that larry sumners read and considered so brilliant that he hired geithner to be his undersecretary for international affairs during the clinton administration. young, handsome, two young kids, likes to ski and snowboard and use "way" and "f---ing" as modifiers in conversation.

... but then this whole "not paying taxes thing" came up. goodness gracious. we can hope that it was an innocent mistake, but was it really? when this man is so well-acquainted with the flow of money into and out of the government? please. he paid it back with interest and he'll probably still get confirmed because we absolutely cannot have anyone with any less experience in his position -- but it definitely took the luster off of him. he was going to go on my wall of awesome, but now... he's definitely lost a few points in my book.

- do your parents ever have bits that they repeat to everyone they see? well, my parents do (they're professors, so they have more bits than the average person), and my mom's over the holidays was, "i am just SO excited that this administration respects science! i mean, eric lander, human genome project! it's just fantastic!" obama chose lander, mit professor and director of the broad institute, to be one of the co-chairs of the council of advisors on science and technology. and then there was my boy steven chu, nobel prize winner in physics, chosen to be secretary of energy. and the list went on and on and on. like my mother, i'm thrilled that the new administration is as pro-science as the last one was anti. at the very least, i'm relieved that the new administration won't be altering reports about global warming and climate change for their own ends. (that the current administration did such things is completely bewildering.)

call me an elitist, but i think that the smartest people should be the ones calling the shots, so props to obama for his all-star team.

- and please, can we talk about sanjay gupta. i freaking love him. maybe it's because he's a fellow child of asian immigrants from the metro detroit area (his title as valedictorian of novi high school would later be held by a certain roommate of mine); maybe it's because he's twice an alum of the university of michigan (for both undergrad and med school), the finest university in all the land; maybe because he's a kickass surgeon, professor, writer, and tv journalist; maybe it's because of his charming personality and incredibly white teeth, but whatever it is, i'm sanjay gupta's biggest fan. so needless to say, i was thrilled by the rumors that obama has asked him to be surgeon general. yes, he's a talking head -- but the surgeon general's whole job is to be a talking head and to raise awareness about issues and to push an agenda. so i wholeheartedly embrace him. way to represent, bro.

conspicuously absent

ray posted a link with speculations about who will be on obama's asia team. conspicuously absent from said list... ASIAN PEOPLE.

i think this says less about obama's administration than it does about asian americans. i've talked about this before, in considering why asian americans have historically the lowest percentages of voter turnout, and i think the same logic applies to public service as well. by and large, our parents came here so that we'd have safe, secure futures for ourselves, and providing the same for other people is, generally speaking, an afterthought at best. the sense of serving others and serving your country -- a country that may have been home to your parents for little more than a few years before you came along and may still feel foreign to them -- isn't really instilled; and hence, there are precious few asian americans in high-level government positions. this needs to change, kids. thankfully, i think the tides are starting to shift, and i hope that our new president inspires further movement in that direction.

as a notable counterexample, however, we have the case of eugene kang. i'd heard his name bandied about before -- he's one of obama's special assistants -- but it turns out that this guy is 24 and a michigan '05 grad. holy cow. janet showed me his picture in the new york times' inauguration gallery, and i was astounded -- he's much, much younger than the rest of the staff; he's asian american; and he's an asian from my time at michigan who i can honestly say i've never seen before. (though facebook informs me that we have 4 mutual friends.)

i have to give this guy props. the nyt caption says that he ran for city council in ann arbor while a student and was narrowly defeated... and now he's obama's special assistant? I WANT TO BE OBAMA'S SPECIAL ASSISTANT! freaking a, i'd leave my program right now, more than halfway through, to be obama's special assistant. so mr. kang, if you happen to read this: when you get promoted and need to think about a replacement, i'm your girl. pick me! pick me!

dude -- sanjay gupta, eugene kang? it's a good time for michigan asians :D

more links

- parade magazine asked obama to write a letter to his daughters as his inauguration approaches, which my brother sent to me earlier this week. and oh my, there were tears. the commitment to his family, his desire for change, all beautifully connected... i fell in love with him and his family all over again.

one thing that i deeply respect about him is the fact that he's an incredible writer. silvia put it best -- it's one thing to have good ideas, but to have words that do justice to the ideas... that's an entirely different gift. i'm grateful for a president who has that ability, b/c intellect and eloquence are two things that the presidency is sorely needing these days.

- BAGnewsnotes, a site that analyzes how current events are done in pictures, linked this article from the new yorker in 1996, where the obamas were photographed in a project about couples in america. it's fascinating to read their reflections on their lives and their relationship 12 and a half years ago (opening line from michelle: "there is a strong possibility that barack will pursue a political career....").

- speaking of BAGnewsnotes, i loved this picture of a little boy in a tree, eagerly awaiting the sight of the freedom train. that's how i feel too, kiddo.

- this is not related to the inauguration, but this snl sketch of ben affleck as keith olbermann is the best work i've ever seen from ben affleck. ever.

parting words

i am so freaking excited for tomorrow morning. i was trying to think of the last time, aside from obama's election night acceptance speech, when all of america was glued to the television, and the only time that comes to mind is 9/11. i remember sitting in south quad with sidney and maddy and sunny after hearing the news in my cognitive psych class (someone had run to the front of the auditorium after class to make the breathless announcement, and i thought, "if this is another sorority girl making some announcement about rush, i'm going to lose it." i ate my words moments later). i could hardly wrap my mind around what we were seeing, let alone what those falling towers portended -- the crumbling of our sense of security; the demise of our status in the world; the economic meltdown that would start mere blocks from the rubble 7 years later.

the last time we were all riveted to the tv, we watched the beginning of our fall; but election night, and again tomorrow, we will be seeing ourselves rise above. rising above oppression, injustice, racism -- not invalidating or denying its enduring existence, but rising above the confines and ugliness of our history, rising to meet the expectations laid out in the constitution and in the minds of everyone who comes to this country. because finally, america is a place where you can do anything. tomorrow. tomorrow is change. tomorrow is the start of something big.

smart shopping

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:40:38 GMT

i got to stay with kathy and dan in evanston this weekend (yay!), and they had a fantastic book that i recommend to all. it's called the better world shopping guide, and it rates companies based on their social and environmental responsibility -- human rights, the environment, animal protection, community involvement, and social justice. it breaks down the companies by product (gas, chocolate, fast food, etc.) and uses info from organizations like the better business bureau and corporate accountability international to assign each company a letter grade. it's extremely user-friendly and quite shocking; i was pleasantly surprised by some of the brands i buy (who knew that getting gas from the cheap-o arco was good for the world) and horrified by some of the abuses of others (kraft? really? wowie). the author, a sociology professor at uc davis, makes the point that money is power and if we're intentional about where we spend ours (i.e., the roughly $18,000 that each american family spends on goods and services every year), we can send a message to effect some kind of change.

their results can also be found online, with less detail, here. happy browsing, and shop wisely!

... and then some

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:33:24 GMT

"mom, we're a laughingstock. we die a laughingstock."
-- allan nerutanga, as he died in zimbabwe's cholera outbreak, grieving that he would never rescue his parents from poverty

i don't cry very often these days, but when i read that quote on the second page of the la times this evening, i lost it. today's news of the zimbabwe cholera epidemic is probably, without exaggeration, the saddest thing i have ever heard -- 775 dead, 16,000 infected, and a disease that is easily treatable given clean water. there are a myriad of factors that look to keep the numbers rising: "decaying water system infrastructure; burst sewage pipes left unrepaired; government failure to buy water treatment chemicals or collect garbage; a lack of nurses because of low wages; a shortage of medicines; poverty and declining literacy because of the education system's collapse." add to that a dictator who refuses to acknowledge the crisis, nor to relinquish power since being voted out 8 months ago. nurses in zimbabwe are paid the equivalent of 14 cents a month -- so small wonder that health care practitioners have fled for countries where they can actually afford to make a living, leaving hospitals woefully undermanned and filled with sick and dying people.

robert and i had a (very sad) conversation on sunday that basically revolved around this question: how can the world be such a beautiful and tragic place at the same time? it is completely beyond me. each time i read the quote, i want to break into the scene and exclaim to all no, no, you're not a laughingstock; no one is laughing; you are precious, beautiful, LOVED. only i cannot. so i will write it here, and pray for God to heal and to work miracles and bring change. God, that this news would bring CHANGE.

today in politics: my heart hurts

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:40:55 GMT

... for my city.

the senate rejected the auto bailout bid that had been endorsed by the house (on the first vote, by the same house that took two votes to approve the bank bailout) and even the white house (whose tenants are probably none too happy that they've had to oversee yet another crisis before they move back to texas). and my heart hurts.

yes, i know that the big 3 has done a terrible job of financial and developmental planning. i know that they rested on their laurels in terms of making better (read: more reliable and fuel-efficient) cars b/c they arrogantly assumed that americans would never stop buying american. i know that they were complete dumbasses for flying 3 corporate jets to dc. i know that they don't make great cars -- heck, i'm from detroit, all of my parents' friends worked for the auto industry, and i still only drive japanese.

but is anyone else the slightest bit bitter about the fact that the same government threw money at the banks within a week of them asking -- and without demanding that they spell out their plans for how they'd spend every cent? that they threw even more money at AIG after it was revealed that AIG had a $440,000 company retreat moments after getting their first $85 billion bailout? where was the demand for oversight there -- and the punishment for mismanaging the money they had been given? i understand that if the banks tanked, everyone would suffer; but i also know that the auto industry, which supports 1 in every 10 american jobs, isn't small potatoes either. and there are plenty of other jobs at stakes at suppliers worldwide who fear that without the big 3, demand will not be high enough for them to survive, which would then affect all auto companies around the world, and the dominoes keep tumbling.

i know that there are reasons why the auto industry shouldn't be bailed out, and a bankruptcy organization might good for them (as my brother maintains); but damn, the hypocrisy kills me. is the government just tired of giving away money? or is it simply that the government is more in bed with the banks than with the auto industry? regardless, my heart hurts for detroit. and it hurts for the stock market tomorrow, too. senate republicans, i understand that you wanted to spare the little people from carrying the burden of the auto industry's failure, but guess what: the little people will still pay for it. tomorrow, in fact.

[edit: make that today. the asian markets are already tanking.]

today in politics: in-freaking-credible.

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:45:54 GMT

i've been keeping mum about politics lately, but today's news about illinois governor rod blagojovich was too "omg, are you serious?" not to discuss.

"omg, are you serious?"

you wanted to sell obama's senate seat to the highest bidder? tried to use it as a bargaining chip to get yourself more power and your wife a high-rolling job on a corporate board? even said you'd take it yourself if you didn't get what you wanted? all of which would conveniently enable you to escape the investigation that the illinois legislature is already pulling on your ass for corruption?

"omg, are you serious?"

you were seriously considering withdrawing state funding from the chicago tribune unless it fired editors who didn't speak highly of you? what is this, communist china?

"omg, are you serious?"

you were seriously considering withdrawing $8 million in state funding for a children's hospital b/c one of its executives refused to give you a $50,000 contribution? are you freaking kidding me?

"omg, are you serious?"

you did all this while your predecessor sits in prison for shady business? while you knew that you yourself were being investigated for shady business?

david bazan noted that wickedness and stupidity can look awfully similar. i would like to think that you're incredibly dumb and not malevolent -- but the above facts make a pretty strong case otherwise. i don't even know what to say. i've been told that chicago and illinois politics are especially shady, but damn -- this is the kind of stuff i thought only went down in taiwan.