my sister is hilarious (the future)

a text message conversation with brelin today (in typical text fashion there were a couple of trains of thought at the same time - i edited out the side conversation to create a better narrative):

brelin: Rob Lowe is so hot

me: I know! On the cover of vanity fair this month -- yes PLEASE.

b: hahaahah!!!

m: I have to forget he's almost old enough to be my dad.

b: Ewww, really?

m: oh yeah, he's definitely almost fifty.

b: how old is he?!? Ok just watching him getting interviewed about his autobiography on oprah / i'll keep you posted on all i learn

s: ok good then i don't have to give you the mental math i did based on his movies. i almost trivial pursuited myself thru his life, which would've been embarrassing.

b: he's 47

s: hahahahah! Knew it! i'm the shit.

b: ugh.... / i said that with the disdain of my empty trivial pursuit piece.

s: more embarrassing, though: i used "trivial pursuit" as a verb. / and this is why i'm alone, as joy and i say.

b: be embarrassed. hahaha!

s: one day i'll be at bar trivia and meet the love of my life. i can see it now.

b: except you'll find out he's an engineer, dump him -- and then go out with him again. / maybe marry him.

s: you're a monster.

b: i speak truth.

s: dammit. and i will dump him and date someone unemployed, of course, knowing full well Engineer Dan is the one i'll end up with.

b: yep. but until then, poor Dan will be left alone, scorned, wondering what is wrong with him.

[end of scene]

Engineer Dan --- i'm sorry. you're out there, i know you are. but you'll just have to wait until i'm done dating Blake/Tyler/Chase, the singer-songwriter/barista/bartender with no life goals who just wants to "live life and make people happy with my music/art/poetry." this is me apologizing in advance for not returning your calls or texts, not giving back that DVD you let me borrow, or telling you that "i'm not ready to be tied down yet." that wasn't nice. - sarah, your future girlfriend and wife.

relief (sorta)

welp, finally turned in my semester-long research paper for the only class i really care about, Race and Urban Redevelopment. i had the thrilling experience of returning 10 library books (3 of which i will be purchasing/requesting for my birthday), printing out the 24 pages the day before the paper was due, and busting out some really sweet quotes. i started out the paper with this really good one: "Poverty is a reflection of our failure to achieve a more rational, more responsible, more equitable distribution of the abundance that is within our grasp." how great, right? from a congressional hearing in 1964 about LBJ's War on Poverty programs, said by UAW President . (oh, fun fact -- if anyone says those programs didn't work, hit em with this: 22.2% poverty rate in 1960, 11.1 % in 1973.)

i still have another 8 pager, a take home exam, and another 4 pager due -- child's play compared to this 24 page beast. also, i kind of don't care about the others. so sue me.

whew...close to victory, people! Year 1 of MPA almost over --

shutdown

taking a short break from poverty research to update you all about the government shutdown situation. and then giving a little insight from a federal government worker who would be one of the 800,000 who would not be allowed to work on monday if it did shut down. as hopefully all of you have read, last night they passed a short term continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government until Thursday to get the rest of the budget legislation and such passed. $38 billion in cuts, and thankfully no rider regarding women's health at all. i think every woman in DC would rally on the mall if that crap happens. that stuff is going to a vote next week, and it won't pass in the Senate. not a chance in hell.

however, one of the riders that did pass was Boehner's favorite DC Opportunity Scholarship program, which spends roughly $13M in funds for DC students to get vouchers and has not proven to work in the last 7 years. no empirical evidence showing that there have been any gains. . but no worries! fiscal austerity, right? i just hate that Boehner does crap like this to feel better about helping poor kids when it doesn't help at all, when the public school system is in shambles and there is little funding for any other large scale anti-poverty programs or initiatives at all in DC or in the even worse-off Prince George's county. don't even get me started on PG county. give me a call if you want an earful (which you don't, i guarantee you)... but i digress.

that means i get to go to work until Thursday. yep, the whole thing is is as ridiculous as it sounds.

friday i spent my entire day at the office getting emails about shutdown procedures, surrendering blackberry's and email addresses at the stroke of midnight, and refreshing the CNN political ticker every twenty minutes. everyone i know was watching MSNBC and CNN last night like it was the Oscars. preparing for this foolishness took basically the entire days of wednesday, thursday and friday for everyone's support staff. the whole thing was a circus. the good news is everyone can still get paid. including my little pittance of a paycheck -- which enables me to buy food. phew.

i continue to be amazed at the absurdity of my life. back to tax-base sharing for regional development intiatives! yeeeaaahhh!