Discovering Diamonds

Who knew looking for engagement rings would be so exhausting? I'm not engaged but we are looking at rings. The picture shows just a handful of jewelry stores that Jim and I have frequented in the past two months, from Eugene to Portland to Seattle. I am down to three and Jim can make the final decision whenever that will be. Don't hold your breath friends. He wants to surprise me so it could be tomorrow or it could be like a year from now. From Tiffany's to Fred Meyer I am picky. Who knew? All I know is that diamonds are sparkly and I like the ones from Canada.

Kelly

So Jim and I went to Eugene to visit my brother and his fiance this past weekend. It was beautiful and 84 degrees. Something I have not felt in about 9 months.

We sat outside and barbecued one night telling stories while warming up over their fire pit. My brother told me this really funny story of a time when he practically beat up (by beat up I mean he stuffed the ball in his face, elbowed him in the eye and mouth, pushed him against the wall, etc.) a kid in PE his senior year while playing basketball because this kid had really creeped me out and stocked me the past weekend. I had never heard this story and my heart got all warm. I don't even remember telling my brother about this dude. I felt sorry for the kid but at the same time, my brother said "it was the only time I had to really stick up for you because you were completely shaken by this kid." And I totally remembered it. We didn't remember the kids name but my brother got totally in trouble from the PE teacher because he was protecting me. Needless to say the kid stopped bothering me but I never knew why. Thanks my brother!

PS-this picture is four years old due to the fact that I can't upload pics anymore to this computer. New ones will come soon once I get my new computer and can upload the ones for the Eugene weekend. Sorry!

Let's see how far we've come

So last night on my commute home from school I was listening to Rob Thomas's "Let's see how far we've come" song (Thanks Carren). And I had just watched the film "Milk" for a social justice club meeting. And so I really started to ponder how far I've come personally and how far we've come in the world. IN my short thirty years on life I have seen the Iron Curtain fall, a great feat. I have seen a part black man be voted into the highest position of power. Whether we are on either fence of politics it still is fascinating to me. Hate crimes laws have been passed in all fifty states.

I remember in Romania after one of the members had treated quite rudely a gypsy and I called him on it he said "It's just like how you treat the black population in America." And I said, um yeah like forty years ago (not to say that it still doesn't happen). So honestly when Obama won I thought of how much hope that might give the gypsies and I thought of the Romanians and how there view might differ of the gypsies.

We have HD and TiVo and DVR. We have the Internet and computers. We have cell phones. All happened in my thirty years of life. WOW

Anyway, just thinking about things a little. We've seen a lot of things happen in the world for the better and I'm excited to see what the next thirty have.

Blackmail should be legal!

Okay, so let me preface this entry by saying that I may sometimes indeed watch "Days of Our Lives" the soap opera. This is probably where this idea in my head about blackmail came from. That being said, let me continue on with my little diddy.

First off, extortion and blackmail are two very different things. Extortion is the demand for money or other valuable consideration coupled with the the threat to do something that is and should be illegal.

Example 1:Give me X amount of money or I will kidnap your children

or

Example 2: Sleep with me or I will burn down your house

Both are illegal, this is extortion

Blackmail is all together different. Blackmail is the demand for money or other valuable consideration coupled with the threat that is and should be legal.

Example 1: Give me X amount of your money or I will tell everyone that you take a bath with rubber duckies.

or

Example 2: Sleep with me or I will gossip about your hidden adultrey

Now, taking a bath with rubber duckies is not illegal nor is gossiping in the laws context.

These examples came with great help by Professor Walter Block and maybe the influence of Days of Our Lives (which by the way, the same thing is still going on from when I had to sneak to watch it in the fifth grade).

Blackmail is an enigma. How can two acts that are both legal when paired together be illegal? I overhear a conversation, some juicy gossip, why can't I demand for money to keep it quiet and not tell the neighborhood. Afterall, it was the stupid person who said it in public when it was meant to be private. Not my fault, right? So maybe I'm stuck on this because I would love to overhear a political conversation and demand money, I'm so sick of being poor as a grad. student! So this could be a bit biased to begin with.

And lastly, I'm not saying blackmail is ethical, but I do think it should be lawful! I conclude by saying that the evidence that blackmail should be legal is overwhelming. It consists of two legal acts which are properly legal and the interaction between them should not illicit them illegal.

Anybody have anything on anyone?

The Sartorialist just took my favorite picture ever!

The Sartorialist is one of my favorite blogs (you can click on it on the right side of my blog). Sartorial means pertaining to the art of tailoring or the manner of style or clothing one wears. The idea of the blog is that the author just goes around taking pictures of people on the streets all over the world. I eat it up!

If I ever need some art in my life I just go to the blog. The photos and fashion are amazing, and it really inspires me. I'm not huge into fashion but I always appreciate how people can pair things together and it works for them, my sister Whitney is one of those people. I also appreciate a good photo, my dad taught me that. And though I don't have the talent like my friend Carren, I do appreciate photography and only wish I had half the talent!