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Wednesday, 18 April 07
we are virginia tech
Nikki Giovanni's speech from the convocation.
We are Virginia Tech.
We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are Virginia Tech.
We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.
We are Virginia Tech.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.
We are the Hokies.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We are Virginia Tech.
Posted by brooke at 09:09 PM
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Monday, 16 April 07
please pray for them.
the dead at virginia tech. please please pray for all of them, for all those affected by this tragedy.
if you know me at all, you know that this is where i grew up. people have called and emailed to ask about my family, for that i am grateful, and yes, they are all okay. everyone is shaken up, but everyone is okay, thank God.
for those who are not okay, for those who have gotten and are getting those awful awful calls, my prayers go out to all of you.
Posted by brooke at 06:05 PM
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Saturday, 14 April 07
risa
i found risa bear online. i'll never ever forget the day she showed me her drivers license - the F that was on it, instead of that pesky M. Sometimes when I recall that day, it brings tears to my eyes. The tears? are about courage, and bravery, and being so excited for that F, and the kindness by which she showed me that F, sharing that moment. I don't know why it has had such a huge affect on me, but it has. Really, to me, righting one's identity, no matter what it is, is the most courageous thing one can do. And what the trans community has gone through to demand and create their truth is more than anyone should have to go through to claim their identity. Risa - thank you for being such an example of being true to yourself, but more importantly, thank you for extending such kindness to me whenever I see you.
:)
Posted by brooke at 10:35 PM
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Wednesday, 11 April 07
contemplation
you know, i often contemplate how i could make this blog more interesting to bring in more readers. when i first started blogging, i had quite a few readers, and then after 9/11 and i was being all political and stuff and saying things people didn't want to hear back then i got even more readers. and then there was the nervous break down and what was once a thriving blog became only a shell of its former self.
and so, i wonder, i could write about my daily struggles being a single woman in mormon land, but that gets to painful at times. or i could write about how there is nothing more i want then to be partnered and have a family. but that too is to painful.
and to write about this path i'm on.. daily i understand myself more and more. daily i work on things that i think will make me a better friend to myself and those i hold dear. i challenge myself. but do i want to write about those things? do people want to hear the melancholy thoughts of a person who is desperately trying to stay on the sane side of that thin line that divides functioning from madness?
as someone who knows that the slide into madness can be a very quick one, i don't think i want to dwell on those thoughts here in this space. its not that i want to pretend they don't exist (because they do), but when i write something down i'd rather it be through the lens of seeing a life that is full, rather than a life that is scarce. that is the reflection i'd like to find in myself when i sit down in this space to write.
i don't know how many readers i have, and i've turned off the comments. but if you want to weigh in on what you'd like to hear about, i'd love to hear from you -- brookesblog@rivervision.com and if you don't want to weigh in, thats fine too. i started this blog without readers, and i seem to continue it, not knowing if there are people out there as curious about my life as i am about theirs (or yours).
Posted by brooke at 11:29 PM
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Tuesday, 10 April 07
my day started
my phone just rang, on the other end was my young friend l inquiring about plans for this afternoon. it was a great reason to jump out of bed to grab the phone.. here's to hoping that the little giggle i heard at the end of our brief conversation is a sign of how the day is going to unfold.
:)
Posted by brooke at 08:45 AM
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Friday, 6 April 07
the daily plate
so, when i got here to sunny logan, ut i was in pretty good shape. not as good as i'd like to be, but certainly not the worst ever. and, considering where i was just 3 years before, so much better than that. but then the phd program started. and the stress of being here in logan kicked in. and, well, lots of ands. and i have probably gained about 10 - 15 pounds since i've gotten here. i can still fit into my jeans, but not very comfortably at all. i've tried giving up sugar (my biggest demon) but that really has only lasted for a day or so. so, now in order to actually get accountability of the calories i'm consuming i've joined
the daily plate, in hopes that the accountability will get me to stop consuming as much and work on taking these pounds off. yes, part of it is looking better, but most of it is that when i can fit comfortably in my clothes. for the most part i'm happy with the size i am (though, admitedly it would be nice to knock another size off the clothes i'm currently wearing, but that's not a requirement), i'd really just like to be in better shape. i'd like to take advantage of living in utah, at the mouth of logan canyon. i'd like to be able to hike the trails so close, and maybe even bike some in the canyon. anyhow, so we'll see how it goes. there's a group of people in my lab that are doing the same thing, so i've joined their little group, and frankly, i don't want to take any shit from them for gaining weight when i should be loosing.
Posted by brooke at 09:59 AM
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Tuesday, 3 April 07
yes, i'm still alive
i'm here. its the end of the semester and i'm trying to finish it early so i can go home to oregon to get to heart of now. i'm writing a research proposal. it's not very good, but it's just the first draft of what will be a much better proposal come october when i've read a bit more, and when i understand statistics far better. i do have A LOT going on in my head, but nothing very processed, so it doesn't go on this blog.
i am heading to virginia next week for 4 days. dad's retiring. i can't wait till i'm a professor emeritus like him. yeah dad! he should be very proud of himself.
okay.
i'm out.
Posted by brooke at 04:06 PM
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