Number 1
Nicole�s blog entry about going back to high jumping.

In case you can�t tell, I�m very, very proud to call this woman my friend.

It�s not just because she�s incredibly talented, but because I know that talent is only one ingredient in a recipe for success. Being able to add talent to the mix is like being able to add cinnamon to a cake recipe. Yes, it does give it that little extra something, but more than anything, you need flour, and some kind of binding agent. Those things come in the form of determination and hard work.

Number 2
This article. I know it�s a small step, but it�s a step. Every revolutionary change must begin with a small, insignificant seeming, step.

This is how I see it:
Our culture has grown to the point where we so blindly worship beauty and money, that anyone who has these either of those things is automatically denied compassion.

I can understand hating the rich, if you believe they got their money by cheating or unfairly taxing the poor. Hating a beautiful woman is like hating a lottery winner. Yes, it affords her things, but in the end, she�s really not all that different from the average person.

I guess most people figure, they have one of the two most coveted things in the world; therefore, they have nothing to complain about. And, yes, that includes not being allowed to complain about being called fat and/or stupid, as part of your job.

When there was all that press about Gisele�s comment on the superbowl, Adam mentioned it to me, and made some sarcastic remark about how commentary like that is just typical of a spoiled supermodel. I shot back hard, on that one. Once again, I opened his eyes to the harmfulness of snap judgments, especially about someone you don�t know.

Why would you call someone who is categorized as one of the best at her job, spoiled? She�s a beautiful woman, right? Of course all of her success can be attributed to her beauty, and nothing else.

No. You don�t become the best at anything, especially in a crazy-competitive field, like that, without working your butt off.

So, anyway, I know that�s not exactly THE most positive commentary, but being nasty and cruel to a woman because you�re jealous of her looks? That�s another one of those issues that just pushes my buttons.

Number 3
I went to the bank today and ordered a new debit card. My old one had been deactivated because someone stole the number. Luckily, the bank caught it before any money was spent.

I was supposed to have my new card, by now, but some oversight caused it to not be ordered. I could have called, but I am not a big fan of the phone. I hate automated systems. I think it�s because I crave a connection with the person I�m doing business with. Being face-to-face makes me feel so much more comfortable� in any conversation, really. So, I went to the branch. It�s kind of a pain, but still less painful than making the call.

The task had been weighing on my mind as an annoying, but necessary to-do, during the past couple of days. I felt really, really good after it was done. It�s strange how something so small can give someone a huge sense of achievement.

I also got sort of a chuckle because the woman interrogated me about my account, as I'd gone there and asked to withdraw every penny, and she was sure I was really the identity thief. I just wanted a card sent to my home. The one listed on my account. I didn�t even want any information or money.

In the end, she asked me, �What is the approximate balance on your checking account?� with this weird, bug-eyed look on her face.

Ah. I forgot that upon first glance, most people think I�m a college or just-out-of-college student, who doesn�t have a penny to her name. Also, I forgot that, right now, I have an insane amount of money in my checking account.

Don�t get all jealous, now. It�s not mine. My brother wired me some money because, according to him, the banks in Turkey still rely on abacuses and carrier pigeons. His bank couldn�t figure out how to wire money to the small American credit union that he uses, which is barely out of abacus and carrier pigeon territory, itself. So, he sent it to my large institute of banking, so I could launder wire the money onto his account. Because I�m not allowed to transfer large amounts of money without being charged money, I�ve been sending it one small bit at a time.

I thought it was funny.

Also, I�m really starting to wonder why more people don�t teach abroad? There�s some serious cash in that.

1 comments so far

Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 at 4:06 PM