Lent in Brazil: Finding the Spirit through Dogmatic Tradition

It is no coincidence that I am here. On the beach, that I may not but ponder your greatness oh God, but taste it, see it, smell it, feel it in the vast waters you created; in each grain of sand, numberless but to you. It is no coincidence that I come here now-during your great Lent, where we remember your season of trials, tribulations and suffering that have brought us the eternal resurrection. It is no coincidence the timing of our great fast oh Lord. You have made is so that we begin during the winter-all things dead, dormant and dark. Here we start always and as the season develops, so do we.

We hold fast to the disciplines you have taught us. Fasting, prayer, meditation as our nourishment, knowing that this transformation is completed only when we put our faith in you-just as we know the winter passes and spring brings new life and light through your resurrection.

Thank you for always giving us tangible analogies that we may understand in the simplicity of our being, i know i spend this time alone, in transformation to recognize I am never alone, but always with you and in you. I know that the spring brings resurrection-I know not what else.

Give me the peace to accept this God and the discipline to prepare for it. My transformation continues, only you know when it is complete. This is the ultimate truth that comforts my soul. Praise your name Oh God.

Ode to Bastille Day

Happy Bastille Day people! "Parlez-vous anglais?" IF you ever go to France, learn this phrase which means, "Do you speak English?" to really make the French love Americans more than they already do. ;)

3 years ago today I was in Paris reaping the immediate benefits of the French national holiday commemorating the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress prison on 14 July 1789.

Benefits including free entrance into the Louvre and a great fireworks display with the Eiffel Tower lit up in the background. Meeting Parisians who were our age and friendly and having a wonderful discussion with them as they offered us paraphernalia that we politely rejected.

That's really all I got. Because I'm already bored with this post, I'm going to refer you to Kelsi's. She's got some great pics and a perfect synopsis of the events that occurred while we were in Paris. Enjoy Peoples! Eat a croissant, drink some red wine, but don't smoke a cigarette cause that's nasty.

Red Line Metro Crash

There's a silence uncharacteristic of Washington D.C. purveying the streets today. The buses are full, metro is empty yet the common understanding innate in the human spirit causes people to acquiesce, remaining patient as the city adjusts to the tragedy of yesterday. Most are probably thinking, "It could have been me." I know I am.

Riding the red line into town today was just as chaotic as it was yesterday. Like sardines we squeeze together, making room for just one more. Yet at a certain point the bus is too crowded and safety issues come into play. One man trying to step onto our already packed bus must not have seen the news yesterday, for he shouts, "What is going on here?" at our bus driver who is all too accommodating to the circumstance. There was a red line metro crash yesterday during rush hour. On CNN last night, the footage of people being rescued was almost too hard to watch. Several people on stretchers weren’t moving. Most people riding the metro are reading or zoning out without fear that at any moment there may be a crash. There are no seatbelts or restraints of any kind on the metro, but then there’s never any doubt that something may go wrong. Here’s what we know so far:

• 76 confirmed injured
• 9 confirmed dead
• This is the third Metro crash in the past 15 years in Washington D.C.
• The collision occurred between the Fort Trotten and Takoma station.
• The trains were going the same direction, but hit with such force that one train was left resting on top of the other.

Speculation sets in. What was the female driver of the second car doing? Weren’t there systems in place to compensate for human error? Most phones don’t have service when the metro is underground, yet this crash occurred above ground. Could she have been texting? What kind of training do these drivers have before they are certified to be responsible for millions of lives daily?

This is not the first crash, nor will it be the last on any vehicle of transportation. But barring what happened with the airplane crash from Brazil and now this, I begin to question the training involved with pilots, conductors and the like. Has our society become lax in the issues of properly training individuals to do their jobs and testing them sporadically as well as holding them accountable for the lives at stake? This accident could and should have been avoided, how can one explain that to the families of those that didn’t make it?

To learn more, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/22/AR2009062203261.html?hpid=topnews

Washington D.C. Interns et. al

So, shady is the nicest way for me to describe my whereabouts in D.C. for the time being. I'm still looking for a place to stay and until then my brother suggested I get some mace to carry around? Really, must it come to that?

Saturday, I went apartment (room) shopping. Some prospects, but nothing to report except for the fact that some dude wanted to lease his room for $1400 and made it sound like he was doing me a favor, while at another house the 'housemates' asked me questions like "Do you like 2 Pac, Do you eat meat, do you like sports? What the hell does any of this have to do with me renting a room from you people? and yes to all.

After 6 miles, blistered feet and borderline exhaustion/frustration/starvation I went to the Jazz Festival on the national mall. What a freakin cure all. All I needed was a beer and I would have been in heaven. This girl I met on the metro (interning at Dept. of Homeland Security) joined me and we had a splendid time, then went to Oyamel's for some Spanish tapas. A thank you lady who works at the Mexican embassy and recommended it-Touche. We sat at the bar, chatted up the chef and got some sweet little tuna ceviche appetizzle for it.

Sunday went to church, tried to learn the bus system (watched my first live drug deal at the bus stop) went to whole foods, saw my first ever black squirrel (apparently they're mean little suckers) and went to dinner at my friend Paul's house. Sidenote, Paul and his dad and bro went golfing and OBama was there golfing-I asked Paul to run over there and give the Pres a hug for me, no such luck. :(

Day one of internship can best be described with my favorite A words- Awkward and Awesome. Awkward, because I feel as though everyone's gotta take a punch in the gut for their humiliation to kick in and and 'intern status' which I thought would be different when you're a graduate intern, is just perfect for pride. The weird shit of 'Do I introduce myself, do I not' and every other self conscious thought came right back up like a nasty egg salad sandwich does in your throat. Saving grace of the day, awesome event the Global Health Council put on concerning the W.H.O.'s efforts to eradicate polio can be viewed later on in the week on http://www.globalhealth.org/.

I just read these great little blips about d.c. interns that my dear little Kitty Cat Blackburn Frazier sent me and they're glorious. Based on what most D.C. dwellers think about interns, I've decided to keep my title top secret with most. Besides, I think I blend in. But that's probably what all the interns think.

Enjoy

http://dcist.com/2008/05/28/how_not_to_be_t.php#more

http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0609/The_DC_Intern_site_oh_yeah.html

My Letter to the President

Dear President Barack Hussein Obama:

Today is in fact a day that will go down in history, whether for the good or bad is yet to be determined. What is true is that I have hope. Hope that you will be true to the words you have spoken over the course of this year. I have faith. Faith that authority has been given to you by our almighty God and that His ways are perfect. respect. For the God who put you in this position, for your efforts and ability to overcome all odds that were against you, for the intentions you have pursued in your life. principles. Are what you speak of so often and seem to have founded your own life around-may these principles of diligence, uprightness, honesty, camaraderie, respect, and peace-will steer our country back to the direction in which it was founded. opportunity. Your election into office alone brings the hope of new opportunity to each and every person; possibilities exist. This is also your opportunity to show us that you can do more than inspire hope and change in this country with your eloquent words. It is your opportunity to bear witness and heavily impact the fate of the UNITED states of America in the upcoming four years. responsibility. We will hold you responsible for the decisions you make, for the encouragement, protection, and overall well-being of our nation.

It is not an easy task, but what comforts me is that you admittedly know this and understand your role as head of state. I do not envy you this task, but I promise (with my fellow brothers and sisters) to support and respect your decisions as well as attempt to fulfill my role as a law-abiding citizen of this great state.

On this day I fear the faith I put in you, but know that our God has put you in authority and know that He has authority over all things. On this day, I believe together as one nation under God, indivisible, will pursue liberty and justice for all.

YES WE CAN!

-Sarah H. Michel 1/20/2009

Beating vs. Cheating

My aunt came up with this question and I think it's a good one to ask in order to stimulate some conversation. Let's hope that none of us ever have to personally deal with any of these issues but based on statistics, we might.

Is it worse for a husband to beat his wife, or a wife to cheat on her husband? Why?

Something New

I want to take a break from talking and spewing out my own personal opinions-yes, I know it's my blog, but I want to make it interactive. Since the only people who read this thing are my friends, I want to hear what you all think about various topics and issues.

If you can't tell, I'm missing some conversations I could be having with any one of you on any given day about any given topic. So, I'm gonna post a topic or discussion question or something of that nature, and I'm hoping that this blog will serve as a place for everyone to contribute when you feel compelled. These days, I've had a lot of time to think and not speak and what I realize is that I've been in a bit of a bubble all my life (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and now I have a lot of questions that I want to hear your responses/feedback/opinions on.

Rules:

1. BRING IT: The blog is called candid communication for a reason-be candid, be honest, be extreme. Bring your thoughts to the table and know that you and your opinions will not be judged.
2. Don't JUDGE: Judge not, lest you be judged. That's not verbatim from the bible, but you get what I'm saying. This is a forum for all to participate in and in order to really get the variety of opinions that I KNOW exists, I expect the honesty, truth, and respect for others. By all means, disagree with someone's point-Tell me why Barak Obama is not fit to be President, BUT DON'T tell me I am STUPID, or my opinions are stupid for thinking he should be president. we are not all the same and that is why this will hopefully be a wonderful learning exchange where we can all get to know things about this world and the people living in it, that we didn't know before. We're not gonna get there with name-calling, obtuseness, or trying to convert everyone to what we believe.
   
3. Above all LOVE: People receive and understand love differently, but all people NEED love. This honest exchange is a way for each of us (who may only understand love how we were shown love or how we give love) to have a greater understanding of individuals and how each one may function a little differently from the other, and ultimately how they receive love.
   
4. HAVE FUN: Self Explanatory
   

K, I'm gonna think of a post now. hehe :) we'll start with something a little easy in order to stimulate the conversation.