she*had*a*thirst*for*knowledge

It makes me pretty sad sometimes to look at my delightful, strong, lovely, amazing daughters with a joy for life and a natural state of happiness and realize our society is set up to take all that away from them before they reach adulthood.

I wish they’d never have to feel the fear that comes with walking down a street, even a well-lit street, alone. Etc.

I’m feeling incoherent due to reading a pretty awful recent news story.

If one is going to wear stirrup pants - and one really shouldn’t, as those should have been laid to rest forever about 1985 or so - one should actually wear the stirrups over one’s foot, I would think, rather than allowing the stirrups to dangle halfway up one’s calves.

This ongoing resurgence in 1980s fashion has finally allowed me to feel like an old lady, complaining about what “the kids” are wearing these days.

To relate all the interesting bits about Christmas this year, I should just send you over to Maria’s journal, since we were at her house on Christmas Eve, and she captured the best parts, for example, the ham flying off of Tallulah’s fork onto my breast. I had told that girl many times to be careful about waving her fork around when she’s got ham on it, but she was excited, and so the ham finally did fly off. Directly onto my black-clad breast. Which aroused a few moments of amusing, be-careful-where-you-put-your-ham banter around the table.

The children greatly enjoyed their presents, and they got a number of good-quality, interesting stuff this year. But other than their joy (which is precious to me) not much else about this time of year is causing much happiness in me. To quote one Sufjan Stevens, “that was the worst Christmas ever.”

Here’s hoping 2007 is a good year. Though I know it’s going to be tough. I think I’m actually going to make a few very well thought out resolutions this year.

I was in the main library on campus yesterday for the final orientation in a long series of orientations when a fire alarm began to ring out in the building. All the staff members began orderly filing out, past the students who looked up, unmoving, from their laptops and books. A voice came over the PA - “Attention please, this is not a drill.” So we all huddled outside in the cold morning, and I noticed FLURRIES OF SNOW falling from the sky, trace amounts really, like delicate breaths of snowflakes coming down. It was lovely.

And then later in the morning it started raining. And it continued raining. All day, and night. And into this morning. This is my least favorite weather type. Cold rain. It requires so much extra wardrobe planning in the morning to make the trek to and from the bus stops as waterproof as possible. Despite the fact that galoshes are quite the trendy item this year (and last), they are indispensable - campus is riddled with puddles - so I purchased a pair recently. And then there will be flats in a plastic bag to change into at work because I can’t stomp around in boots all day at work. And then nylon knee socks so that they will dry quickly once I get to work. And then legwarmers over the knee socks because nylon doesn’t do much in the way of warmth. And then wool skirt and sweater for their warmth despite getting wet. And then wool overcoat, mittens, scarf, hat. And umbrella.

Hello winter.