Merry Christmas, or not if it's not your thing. I have to admit the governmental mandation of Judeo Christian holidays is a it creepy, but when it comes to holidays, whose really going to argue, right?

As for me I'm off to my sister's to spend the day with my newly-arrived, jet-lagged-but-still-lovely mother and sister, as well as the rest of the flock. Hope your is lovely and filled with good cheer (by which I mean food).

I can always tell when this happens because I find myself not caring about things I know I actually do care about. I am one of those rare nerds who actually cares about things like democracy and all the pretty shiny rights that may or may not come with it, and how to get those things to people and make sure they matter. But as I sit here studying I find myself bored to tears by theoretical descriptions of the relationship between civil society, democracy, and human rights. I am bored of tedious, hair-splitting definitions of democratic governance that run on for twenty pages and were obviously written by someone who cared a lot more about their academic reputation and being right (or proving someone else wrong) than how to make the world a better place, which is depressing. Did all these knee-jerk(s) academics start off caring and wanting to change things too? Does education suck the will to care out of all of us? Can all the world's problems really be reduced to a fat stack of papers, and does anyone think that producing these stacks actually accomplishes anything?

I know, I know, understand things before you change them. But honestly, I don't think I really needed to jump through all these hoops to know that shit just ain't all right in the world today.

Can you tell I'm ready for a break?

6 days till the return of the matriarch (and little sisteriarch)...

three exams down now. two more to go. so maybe I'm just mentally fatigued and loosing it a bit as a result, but I find myself wondering if that's all getting an "education" is really about, a defense against feeling meaningless, a sort of "My life must be meaningful because I understand third world exploitation and can debate the merits off post-structuralism" type assertion that keep us from feeling quite so small... Or we should just all stop trying to be so meaningful all the time. Maybe I need a nap.

Family googlisms:

sasha is more than a friend; she is the friend god sends when no one else will fit the bill
sasha is as tough as she is gorgeous
sasha is being breastfed every three hours
sasha is on the supporting therapy at home
sasha is very high and the insurance money from her husband's death is nearly gone
sasha is one of my few wild elves
sasha is it the reason to live and breath
sasha is livin' up the good life and some of our volunteer dog walkers report that sasha doesn't know the meaning of the word "no"
sasha is a rough and tumble girl from the outskirts

katrina is a dc native with over thirty year's experience as a grassroots activist
katrina is a meld of the traditional romanian vampire
katrina is a ruthless and deadly killer when she wants to be
katrina is a noblewoman by birth and owns the powerful masquerade sword
katrina is becoming absorbed by a cold front and is losing its identity

vanessa is not only a tale of dark passion and somber irony
vanessa is driven to the bad guys hideout
vanessa is a study in bright cheery florals
vanessa is recognized both nationally and internationally for her professionalism and expertise
vanessa is a very special "angel" who certainly will make the angels in heaven "fold their wings" in awe when she sings about what jesus has done for her

chenoah is a home visitor
chenoah is our first experience with a white sibe she has shown us that white really isn't white it is actually a magnet for dirt
chenoah is my honesty

shoshanna is a good combination of names
shoshanna is excited about attending a party where there will be party games
shoshanna is a balanced starting character
shoshanna is an israeli army operative with esp abilities
shoshanna is somewhere laughing her ass off
shoshanna is about exploring your fun

wiley is a jewel that has been overlooked and is way undervalued
wiley is closely intertwined with the history of the universe

further proof that I'm not guily of having too much fun.

• A recent report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that after falling during the first half of the 1990s, the number of hungry people worldwide has increased in recent years to 840 million people, or one out of every seven people in the world. What, if anything, ought wealthy countries and/or individuals do? Did you personally provide some form of assistance (such as donate money or volunteer your time) in support of a humanitarian issue in the last year? Why or why not? What do you think your response tells us about the relevance of the theories of morality we encountered in the class?
• Last year, Canada admitted 203,000 immigrants who qualified for admission to Canada on family reunification or economic grounds (skilled workers, investors, etc.), and admitted 25,000 immigrants who qualified as refugees. Is this an acceptable situation? That is, who, if anyone, should be permitted to immigrate to Canada, on what basis, and who should be given priority? Who should be excluded, and why?
• Was the government of Canada right in its decision not to join the U.S. in wagin war against Iraq? Why or why not?

So I have a list of 10 of these gems that I'm going to have to write on three out of a selected four of on my exam "drawing upon all relevant readings from the course and making use of all the theoretical perspectives we have encountered". Right. 2.5 hours to make or remake the toughest decisions in politics. It should be fun...

writing my first exam today. I can't help but think that lit exams are a bit stupid and it'd be far superior to discuss said lit and grade students on that. The problem with an exam: no one to disagree with but myself. In other news:

• my new least favorite poem: Wordsworth's Prelude. Not only is it NOT a prelude to anything, but it's self indulgent, boring, navel gazing that seeks only to explain how W. ended up a mediocre poet who only writes about the way trees look in his mind.
• days till the departure of my roomate: gods willing, 13
• days till the return of my mother and little sister: omg! 16!!!
• number of exams next week: 2
• and the following week: 2

Party party party.

Have a least favorite poem, author, story or collection? Do share.