Well That Didn't Work

WOHS STRIKES AGAIN
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I must again apologize for not having posted in the last few days; a lot as been going on, oddly enough. In case any of you were wondering, that's Dennis (isn't he just so cute?) and me in the picture above...it was taken right before we left my house to go to the prom. His company was the best part of the evening. For starters, the DJ lost power three times, a result of his own clumsiness as the outtages were due to his tripping over his own power cords and cables. The brief periods of quiet resulting from each such incident was a blessed relief, however, since all he played was rap music, which you can't really dance to (unless you "bump and grind" which looks like people are, to put it plainly, having sex right on the dance floor.) The fact that he actually replayed several rap songs rather than move on to some other, perhaps decent, form of music only serves to further show his complete ineptitude.

It wasn't only the DJ that made the prom a bust. The decorations consisted of four sets of four balloons stragically placed on the corners of the dance floors and autograph books at every table, but of course, there were no pens to be found in the entire building. Ms. Whitty, our class advisor and overseer of all prom planning was incapable of counting to ten, despite the fact that she is a math teacher, so several tables were over-booked, including ours. I had already been forced out of one table and into the one that I sat at, so I was thouroughly dissappointed when two of my friends were forced to leave our table. I wasn't looking forward to prom; its West Orange High School, everyone knew they'd mess it up somehow.

Anyway, I'm staying home from school tomorrow and Thursday for Shavuot; I'm so religious that I'll be going to Six Flags with Dennis on the latter of those two days. WoO hOo! Ok, that's it for now.


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THE BIG VENT
I've been experiencing incredible pain everytime I eat for about a week and a half now; its not body curling most of the time, but its gotten to that point. I became somewhat afraid to eat because of how much it hurt, so I started eating less and less each day. Anyway, I complained to my mother for a week before she let me see the doctor about it (she made me wait to see if it would just go away on its own, so she claims, but I suspected that she simply didn't believe me.) Once I made it to the doctor's office, following the scheduling of an emergency appointment, he asked me why I had waited so long to come into the office. I told him that it was only hurting when I ate, so I thought I'd see if it would go away, but when it started hurting all the time because of how hungry I was, I knew I needed to make the appointment. He decided that I had Acid Reflux Disease, something he claimed was becoming more and more common amongst teenagers and young adults and gave me a five day sample and prescription for Prevacid. As I was leaving he indicated, quite strongly, that if the pain didn't subside within three days to contact him immediately because the pain could be being caused by and ulcer.

I returned to my mother with the diagnosis and she tried to convince me that I should wait and see if the sample pills worked in the hopes that I wouldn't need to purchase the drugs. It was only after I told her that the physician had told me to take all the pills he prescribed that she agreed to go the pharmacy.

Continuing, one of the things the doctor told me to do was to go on a soft and liquid food diet (soup, jello, etc.) for a few days, perhaps two or three, to ease my stomach back onto regular food intake. My mom went to the grocery store today and bought steak, a food item which the doctor specifically advised me not to ingest for at least a week, but not even a single soft food. Point: I'm no less hungry now than I was when I went to the doctor because despite repeated requests, my mother hasn't helped me adjust to a different diet.

Its really ridiculous to me. When my mom was home recovering from her cancer surgery, I bent over backwards to help her. I did little things around the house like the laundry and the dishes, I waited on her hand and foot and I gave up my social and academic life for two weeks to cover her job and maintain her role as housekeeper for two and a half weeks. Is it so much to ask that she simply believe me when I tell her how horribly my stomach hurts? Is it? All I want is the acknowledgement that something could be wrong, or maybe some green jello. Better yet...I want a hug.

Again, I don't feel very taken care of. Dennis is the only one who has truly been helping me with anything in the last couple months, both situationally and emotionally, if that makes any sense. I'm not getting any support from my "friends" who are too self-involved to even respond to a party invitation, let alone see how upset I am or consider helping me. When one of them attempted suicide, who was there? When one's step-father died, who was there? When one's grandmother died, who was at the wake? One came out of the closet, who was there? Me and I was glad to do it, but I don't suppose it would be reasonable for me to assume that even one of them would do the same.

I just need some TLC and not to discredit Dennis (because he's amazing and is more generous with his time and his love than I could ever have imagined) but it needs to come from more than one source. I can't wait until college.
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THE BIG COUNTDOWNS
These are all the things I'm looking forward to, yay! (I had some free time today)
I have 3 days until my prom.
I have 9 days left of school.
I have 23 days until my boyfriend's prom.
I have 31 days until my graduation party.
I have 78 days until my 18th birthday.
I have 79 days until I arrive in Israel.
I have 91 before I move to Washington
I have 103 days until classes start at American.
and finally...
There are 220 shopping days until Christmas.
Thank you very much.
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LOOK A PUPPY!
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I thought everyone could use a smile. Look how cute! Oh, puppies are the greatest. I told Dennis once (ok, repeatedly) that if he proposes to me one day, he should put the ring on a puppy's collar because who could say "no" to a face like that!?!

Anyway, I've been meaning to post for a while, but I've been busy with...being lazy. I have nine days left of high school; who could blame me? Everyone can feel the end approaching; the prom is this Saturday (I'm really looking forward to it, which is surprising because such things don't normally interest me), the senior awards dinner, which I was invited to, is June 1st, my last day of school is June 4th, graduation is June 17th, my graduation party is June 19th and I'm already registering for classes for American in the fall. I can't wait for college to start.

But before college comes, there's the summer, which promises to be both exciting and upsetting. I'm going to visit my grandparents in Texas, which I love and have done every year save one since moving from the southwest, I'm going to Florida to meet Dennis' dad, and best of all, I'm going to Israel for free! Birthright Israel (an organization which sends people between the ages of 18 and 26 to Israel for a full cultural experience for free) I leave the day before my 18th birthday, which would be a problem normally, but since my dad knew a guy that works there, we were able to convince the people who plan the trip that I'd technically be 18 when we landed in Israel, so I get to go! The sad part of the summer is that I won't see Dennis for most of it. His parents are divorced and his father lives in Florida, so every year he stays with his dad for six weeks. He's only staying for four this summer, but as soon as he gets back, I'll be leaving for Israel and then I'm moving to Washington, so I won't see him until nearly September. That's why I'm buying myself a round trip to Florida. I don't know whether to be happy or nervous over meeting his father.

On a more current note, I went to the doctor today following a week of intense stomach and chest pain and I have Acid Reflux Disease. Woo hoo! I have to take a little black and pink pill called Prevacid and I can only eat soft and liquid foods for the next two days. Worst of all though, I have to avoid chocolate for a while because it contains caffeine. Damn.

Ok, I said I was lazy and I wasn't lying...I've only been blogging to put off doing what little, actual school work I have left, so I must be going. I promise to blog again sooner than later.


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THE LONGEST BLOG IN HISTORY
I was so proud of how well I was keeping this blog up, but it's been nearly a week since my last post. Shame on me! Shame! I posted earlier that it was going to be hard for me to maintain this during Advanced Placement examinations, fortunately, those are ending tomorrow. Mostly though, I just haven't had much to post, not much goes on in my day-to-day life.

I suppose in the grand scheme of things, my life is pretty interesting (moving five times and having the family that I do will do that to a person's life.) I have more stories at seventeen than many do in a lifetime. For example, how many people do you know who've gotten a letter from someone in Pakistan?

Four days ago, I received the following letter via email:
"Hello Lifeisducky Lady,

My name is Nadia (yes it's given under sender but it feels "proper" to introduce myself in this way....go figure). I came across your site while doing some research on the theatre of the absurd. I'm writing from LUMS, a university in Pakistan. (I'm assuming, having read some of your "blogs" and looked at your site generally, that you are not reaching for the nearest Atlas right now:)

I just had a couple of questions (some of them I'm only asking you because you're American, and you seem to be in possession of a higher intellect than most people). Your "news" link goes to cnn.com. Do you find that CNN is biased at all, and if so, do you manage to counter that prejudice with any other form/deliverer of news?

How many people do you know think Palestinians are dastardly rats, and do you think so? And what about Micheal Moore - uppity ingrate? irritating oik?

And do you believe in/accept the theory of evolution? (Any of them i.e Punctuated equilibrium theory, Eve theory etc)? How about the people around you? Are you very religious? What about people you know?

Sorry, I know these questions may sound a bit odd, but I'm just a bit curious about Americans. Mostly because what is "American culture" (or at least, how it's portrayed in the media) is constantly being pounded into the heads of the 30% of people here that have access to cable tv, and I suppose it's a case of knowing thy enemy. I want to know more about Americans. Or more accurately, what Americans (in your position i.e students; people mostly well off) think about their government and about other countries, and conflicts going on in other countries. And I don't really consider us enemies, but I know that our respective governments do assume that role with each other, in a way.

It's alright if you don't want to answer these questions. Or feel a bit put off by them. I understand.

But if you wouldn't mind giving me a better picture about Americans in general that would be great. Anything you feel that would make the people a bit more 3d to a stranger (I know already, for instance, that you don't think much of their intellect:) It really would help a lot. Instead of faceless, obese white blobs (note deliberate use of loaded language in past sentence) this inquisitive native may see someone quite like herself.

What do you think?"

I was so intrigued by the whole event that I immediately wrote her back:

"Hello Nadia,

(since you've introduced yourself to me as such, I hope you won't mind the informality)

I must say I was quite surprised, and even more intrigued, by your email; my website is fairly new and judging by the lack of comments and email I've received (yours is, in fact, the first) I didn't think anyone had even seen it, let alone cared about anything I had to say. I'll be glad to answer your questions if perhaps you'll answer one of mine: out of pure curiosity, how did you manage to stumble across my little pittance of a site?

Before I answer your questions, I'd just like to present the humble opinion that I am not like most Americans, that is to say, I don't believe I am quite the representative you're seeking, I'm just a simple girl in New Jersey. None the less, I will be glad to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

As far as your question regarding CNN is concerned, yes I do believe that CNN is a biased news source, however, this must be taken in context. All news outlets, especially those in America, are biased because all news venues are, in essence, businesses, and as such, are dedicated more to profits than news. As it happens, most American news networks are on the liberal side, but not extensively so. Despite the fact that our government is currently under conservative control, the population leans overwhelmingly towards the liberal end of the political spectrum. The networks choose to cater to the audience they find most profitable, in this case, the less conservative audience. Overall, I do find that in domestic reports, most news networks display low rates of bias, usually by presenting both sides of a story or directing the viewer to their website for further information. Sadly, this is not the case for international coverage. I do find that American news reports regarding foreign affairs tend to present biased information. To combat, what you refer to as, the prejudice that can be seen in the news here, I try to read international newspapers online such as The London Times and a few others, but it usually doesn't give me too much of an outside perspective because of the relationship our government has with many English speaking countries. In that respect I am quite limited; the only language I am fluent in is English, so I cannot truly be exposed to news venues with perspectives that vary too far from that of what I am presented here.

I don't know any people that consider citizens of Pakistan to be "dastardly rats," but that's probably because I tend to associate with people like me (as all people do) and I have no strong anti-Pakistani sentiments. I must confess that at seventeen years old ( I debated quite extensively with myself over whether or not to reveal my age to you, but seeing as you've read my website, you've no doubt read of my mentions of high school life) I am not very well informed about Pakistani-American relations. As a society, we are fearful of nuclear powers and even more afraid of terrorists (comparable to our crippling fear of communism throughout the latter half of the 20th century) which is, of course, where the general American cautiousness regarding Pakistan and several other Middle Eastern countries stems from. Overall, I do not personally know anyone who has expressed to me any anti-Pakistani sentiments, although I cannot legitimately claim that such people do not exist.

I've only seen one work of Michael Moore's, Roger and Me which was about the relocation of General Motor's factory in Flint, Michigan which employed a few thousand residents of Flint and its surrounding areas. While the movie was humorous because of its satire and upsetting because of its topic, it was a very one sided film. Right now I am following the Miramax/Disney dispute over the release of his next film, but out of an interest in the laws and politics driving the case, not Moore himself.

I was raised in a Jewish household, but I have rejected blind faith as I've grown older (which seems a paradoxical statement considering my age.) In this respect, I am unlike most Americans who claim affiliation with any one of several major religions, for although I was raised in a Jewish home, I do not practice Judaism or any other religion. I do not have extreme anti-Palestine feelings despite my religious roots and neither do my parents although I know many Jews who do. I consider myself to be a fairly educated individual (please don't take that as American arrogance) and as such try to keep an open mind about everything. I realize that children are needlessly dying in Palestine just as they are in Israel and that the majority of Palestinians want peace and are not the militant minority. But I digress; you asked if I believe in evolution, I do. At this point in time, I feel it is the most probable and, to an extent, provable explanation of life and its development on earth. My public school teaches evolution; I live in an area of the United States that is less religious as a whole than many other areas of our country. It is those areas that give way to the stereotype that all Americans are close-minded fools. A Gallup Poll (a nationally recognized private polling and statistics group known for their accuracy) conducted in 2001 reported that:

45% of respondents chose "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so," the statement that most closely describes biblical creationism. A slightly larger percentage, almost half, chose one of the two evolution-oriented statements: 37% selected "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process" and 12% chose "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process." The public has not notably changed its opinion on this question since Gallup started asking it in 1982.

I obtained that information from www.http://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/current/creation/evol-poll.htm)

I hope that helps you in some way.

I was once told to "love my country and fear my government," and that is an attitude that many citizens here take. Overall, I feel safe here (as naive as that may sound) and I know that I have some opportunities, in fact several, that many people in the world will never know. I disagree with many of President Bush's policies, especially those concerning our involvement in foreign affairs, but having no access to classified documents has left me without all the information I would need to make a truly educated decision on such matters and much of my negative opinion of our current administration is derived from other political differences. I am not currently of voting age, so my opinion on this matter is fairly irrelevant, but I will be eighteen in time for the next election and consider myself a Democrat while Bush is a Republican (or repugnican, as I sometimes jokingly refer to them.)

I truly hope this has helped you in some way. I don't know what kind of insight a seventeen year old can truly provide, but I find cultural and information exchange a fascinating study, so if you have any more questions for me, I would be willing to answer anything that I am knowledgeable in.


Very Sincerely,
Samantha H. (the "Lifeisducky Lady")"


Sadly, I've yet to hear back from her, although I am really looking forward to it. So, how long did that take you to read everyone? Was it worth it, lol...just kidding. Now get on with your life!
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...THEY DON'T KNOW THEY'RE STUPID

1. AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership. He received a $26 million severance package. Perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence.

2. Police in Oakland, California spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, "Please come out and give yourself up."

3. An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts.

4. Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a line-up. When detectives asked each man in the line-up to repeat the words: "Give me all your money or I'll shoot," the man shouted, "that's not what I said!"

5. In Modesto, California, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate! a gun, but unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket.
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I SEE STUPID PEOPLE, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE...
"We've been harvesting plutonium from the planet Pluto."
--- AP Environmental Science student.
"What's leaf litter? People litter leaves?"
--- AP Environmental Science student.
"Who won the Civil War? It was the west, right?"
--- Honors United States History student.
"Cuba's a country, what about Mexico?"
--- That same -Honors United States History student.
"Oh, I know who Picasso is; he's the guy who designs the Tiffany's jewelery."
--- Honors World History student.
"Mr. Paganelli, when referring to cell size, when you say greater, do you mean bigger or best?"
--- Honors Biology student.
"Martin Luther King was a black abolitionist during the Civil War."
--- Honors Freshman English student.
"Oh my God! Caesar dies?"
---Honors Sophomore English student upon the completion of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

Ok, now let's compare what all those people say to what I talk about, shall we? This is what I'm working on right now:
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Its information on string theory, I've been kind of interested in it for a while now. Check out the Official String Theory Website (yes there is, in fact, an official string theory website for geeks like me) if you want more information, because the unifying theory of time, space and life is just too much to fit in my little blog thing.

I really wonder how those people and I are in the same classes, God help me. Well, off to ponder string theory some more, Nobel Prize, here I come.
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