POLL TIME!!!

I've got about 20 free downloads from that new emusic.com website and I'm sending out an APB for music suggestions.

Any CD that you couldn't stop listening to recently? A new artist that you're smitten with? Let me know in the comments!

Sullivan's Travels

Charming comedy about John L. Sullivan a successful comedic director ready to take more serious turn. When his bosses inform he's never experienced any suffering that could inform a more dramatic turn, he sets on the road as a hobo...hilarity ensues.

Overall, I thought the film was very cute and entertaining. I'm not sure if it is any better or worse then some of the comedies that got kicked off - African Queen comes to mind. Again, the mere fact that is remains cute and entertaining almost 70 years ago is a testament but I'm beginning to realize that the movie industry loves nothing more than a movie about itself and that might be the real secret to this movie's critical acclaim.

Tuesday: Barbefu

Tuesday: Barbefu
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Monday: Tacos

Monday: Tacos
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Saturday: scallops and spinach fettuccine with red bell pepper cream sauce
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

The past few weeks have been crazy so Nicholas and I really enjoyed our nice weekend. On Friday, we went on our first date night in several weeks. We had a great dinner at Palena Cafe and went to see The Nanny Diaries. Despite the mediocre reviews, I felt required to see it because I'd read the book. Unfortunately, the reviews were correct, although Laura Linney was really great.

We had our friends Chris and Alice over for dinner on Saturday night. Chris and I were Moot Court partners this year and we both brought our significant others to the competition in Colonial Williamsburg. Needless to say, hanging out together was the highlight of our trip. So, we had them over for a little post-bar dinner for scallops and spinach fettuccine with red bell pepper cream sauce (recipe linked). Nicholas really outdid himself with this one. However, Chris and Alice were most excited about being featured on the blog. So, everyone wave to Chris and Alice! ;)

Sunday was for shopping. We went to C-Mart to get Nicholas some new shoes. Then drove all the way to Potomac Mills so I could finally see Sarah Jessica Parker's new clothing line. I bought a couple of cute things and was pretty impressed overall. We also stopped by my friend Guinevere's house where she was having her own little clothing sale and I got some great new work clothes.

The reason we had a car to drive all over God's creation to go shopping was we rented one to go see the Indigo Girls at Wolf Trap last night. This is my sixth time seeing them (counting performances at marches and on the Hill) and they never disappoint. This was our first time sitting on the lawn at Wolf Trap and it was really nice. We were a little late and had to squeeze in between a couple of other people. Nicholas was cursing me under his breath for being late, but then my stellar luck kicked in and we got a big patch of lawn after people went to their actual seats at the beginning of the concert. :)

I can NOT stop listening to this song

Cat Power – The Greatest

!!!!

Holy Ginger, Batman!!!

Little Rock, AR
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Last week I traveled to Little Rock, AR, to work on the campaign's advance team. The team was preparing for the Senator's trip to Little Rock this past Monday. I was only a trainee, but it was a great experience. One I hope to replicate, which is why I won't be blogging in great detail about it. ;)

The best part of the trip was Mom and Mema drove down from Paducah to hang out in Little Rock with me over the weekend. We got VIP tours fo the Clinton Library and had birthday cake in celebration of the President's birthday, which was Sunday. We also went over to Central High School to learn about the desegregation battle there in the late 1950's. Pretty fascinating stuff I have to say. We had a great couple of days together and I'm so glad they were able to drive down.

What is the What

I just finished Dave Eggers's brilliant novel What is the What, based on the story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Valentino Achak Deng. While the book came highly recommended from Nicholas and my good friend Dylan, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to connect to the story and might not finish it. I looked only at the surface and thought I could not relate to the story of an African male escaping genocide. This was not the only preconceived notion this book blew right open.

Now, after finishing the book, I've realized I was more afraid of connecting with the book then anything else. It is not an easy story to hear - the murder, the deprivation, the invisibility - and I think on some level I was really scared to hear it, scared of feeling helpless in the face of it. However, Eggers did a really brilliant thing by beginning the book with Valentino already in America. While his problems don't disappear once he's on American soil, as becomes abundantly clear in the first couple of pages, on some level you know he survived - you know he made it out of Sudan.

Of course, another perception the book destroyed is that escaping Sudan was the only goal for most refugees. Whatever the circumstance, home is home and it holds a powerful pull for all the characters in the book. The book not only shifted my perception of Sudan but also my perception of the refugee camps so many Sundanese live in to this day. The book makes clear that these are not temporary camps but permanent settlements where people live out their lives. It's not surprising I suppose but distressing all the same.

The book not only shifted my perceptions of the places in a refugees life but the refugees themselves. Either because of my own prejudices or what I believe would be my own reaction to the situation - I expected the Sundanese refugees, including Valentino, to be more than willing to ask for and accept help and aid where ever they could. But, of course, this was not the case. Just like any other group of people - some were embarrassed to ask for help, while others were willing to exploit it.

I suppose this was the ultimate lesson of the book. By telling Valentino's story with such honesty Eggers does an excellent job of illustrating that, despite everything, the Lost Boys are just human beings. Human beings put through an extraordinary situation - some survived, some didn't, some thrived, some didn't. But at the end of the day, they are just like us and we have a larger connection then I expected.

WHAT THEN!?!?!

Much better...

Thanks to all of you who reached out to me after my down in the dumps "Confession" posting a week ago. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have such an incredible support group of people who love me so unconditionally. It felt so good to hear your words of encouragement and, not surprisingly, your reassurances that things would eventually change were true. Almost a week after I wrote that post a really exciting opportunity opened up at the campaign and I am currently out on the road. I promise to post all of the details when I get home on Tuesday. :)

Mindblowing

Every time you think this administration can't possibly be more ridiculous...

The Return

It is so WRONG how much joy I get from The Hills. I mean this show is just too wonderful. Their clothes, their jobs, their apartments. Yet, beyond all that, the same struggles we all face. Career insecurity, psychopath boyfriends, cat fights! I mean MTV has really raised the editing hear to an art form.

But what I love the most are the little pearls of wisdom that manage to escape their mouths. Lauren - "I think every girl wants to be that girl - the girl he changes for."

Whew! - truer words were never said.

Holy crap!

This dude cut his iPod in half!

The General

This film was amazing. Most of the oldest films on the list are interesting only because of what they contributed. They don't really entertain on their own. They are only interesting for their historical importance.
However, this film was both - interesting for it's historical importance AND entertaining in its own right. Buster Keaton is amazing. It's amazing how much humor he portrays with no sound. The most impressive part is not his face but the stunts. The whole time I kept thinking, "He did this with no stunt man! No CGI!" Actually now that I think about, maybe it's historically important because it's still entertaining.

Thursday: Rolling Lettuce Tofu

Thursday: Rolling Lettuce Tofu
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Monday: Gnocchi in Pesto with Tomatoes

Monday: Gnocchi in Pesto with Tomatoes
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Confession

So here it is...

My one major flaw...

What keeps my from the perfection of personality we all strive for (and my mother claims she's achieved)...

I suck at transitions. S-U-C-K. I can't handle it. They transform me from a strong, confident woman into a big ole weepy ball of confusion. And it happens every stinkin time.

You'd think I'd be better at it by now. I mean I've spent almost my entire life as a student, where transition is the name of the game. But no.

Now, for example, I am interning at Hillaryland and trying desperately to find a job. And frankly, it's not going so well. I try to tell give myself little pep talks. "I am employable. I will not work for free forever." I ask myself, "What would Oprah say?" And I know what Oprah would say. She'd probably have Dr. Robin give me a good dose of "get over yourself" - followed up by a solid helping of "get going."

My logical self knows all that. However, my illogical self worries that I'll never get a job, that I've messed up my life, or (the scariest one of all) that this "transition" will never transition and that I'll be stuck here forever.

Big Surprise

You Are 96% Feminist

You are a total feminist. This doesn't mean you're a man hater (in fact, you may be a man). You just think that men and women should be treated equally. It's a simple idea but somehow complicated for the world to put into action.

Are You a Feminist?

It's a cruel, cruel summer...

Seriously, this heat is oppressive!