march 16: happy freedom of information day

so, i noticed that march has a series of under-appreciated holidays right in a row like the following:
march 13 "friday the thirteenth,"
march 14 "pi day,"
march 15 "ides of march,"
and march 17 "st. Patrick's day."

but what of the 16th, you ask? i asked the same question. fortunately, my good friend natalie was able to find something we could celebrate today:

Freedom of Information Day

Freedom of Information (FOI) Day is an annual event on or near March 16, the birthday of James Madison, who is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and as the foremost advocate for openness in government.
Madison Awards

Each year, the James Madison Award and the Eileen Cooke State & Local Madison Award are presented by the American Library Association on Freedom of Information Day to recognize those individuals or groups that have championed, protected, and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know.

so, happy freedom of information day. remember not to take for granted your freedom to share information.

and let's face it, holiday movies are always fun. White Christmas, Groundhog Day, etc. so, for suggested movies to watch on these holidays, i've thought of the following:
friday the 13th - "freaky friday" (the old one with jodie foster)
pi day - "dying for pie," the best spongebob episode (i think my fam has this on dvd)
ides of march - "julius caesar" (with marlon brando)
st. Patrick's day - "darby o'gill and the little people" (or you could watch "behind the waterfall," if 'feature films for families' is your kind of thing)

i still need one for freedom of information day. any suggestions?

also, can i just celebrate something very exciting for me today? i donated blood for the first time today and considering the fact that i was feeling all queasy just watching "the office" episode where they donate blood and that m*a*s*h on occasion makes me nauseous, i was very excited to get past my big fear. so, happy blood donation day for me.

here's me with my tough hot pink bandage:

(i had a different picture up, but i needed to look tougher and i'm afraid this is as good as it gets)

o youth

this picture is hatsune chan who has been on my mind recently. i miss this little lady. we used to sing and play together, and i was "Barker teacher" at English class. how can you not be charmed by that wink and smile?

today, i played soccer on the sunny, soggy grass with a handful of law students and a flock of fifth-graders. i was so happy after that little bit of exertion, my heart sang a hymn to youth. how subtle those experiences are when we get to interact with children and experience their innocence once again... and feel free of care... and to think - i was once a child too... so why do we see them as a whole different subset of the population now? what changes occur that make us cease to "make-believe" and instead begin to doubt? i think i've forgotten too much what it was like to be a kid. do they know they bring joy and vibrance with them?

petit allegro

two tall queens
one blazing, one ice

standing on my instincts
of bricks, black and white

rosy cheeks, coy smile
magenta drapes
white chords
warm gaze, cool response
wink in the blur
against the pulse

i'll borrow that genius
borrow the burden too
'cause it was just two days
fearing not seeing you

words part IV

i'm not really an artist.
you made me realize things about myself
as we talked across plastic glasses of life.

i'm not really a poet.
i come, directions not included,
stumbling across my words.

i don't know. maybe it's not what i'm not.
maybe it's what i am.
and our lines crossed

like the kites in those lyrics that i like.
and i'm not sure which is stronger for you,
the wind or the pull.

i'm hovering over right v. wrong and
someone ate tonight's directions and left
a styrofoam leftover in my lap.

words part III

Passing ideas around with words. Words are inadequate, teacher. Paint me a picture. You may use Language. My writing teacher uses certain buzz words over and over and over again, but they have no meaning for me. It's like she is telling me about the ocean, but just keeps saying "ocean, ocean, ocean" and doesn't include "blue, big, beautiful." Let me see, feel, smell what a brief is like, and then maybe I can write it for you. Your words are sailing in and sailing out and my screen is still blank.

I need a Helen Keller moment where I can feel the water on my face and feel someone's hand making the connection between a communicated word and the sensation in my mouth.

words part II

The president = "just a bunch of words."

"...But, I think that rhetoric can change the world," she said.

A girl in the hall, who I consider one of the most intelligent in my class, said this in defense of Obama to my friend, the skeptic. This friend, the man who equates his religion with his political values, replied that though this be true, he will always vote on principle and never because he just likes someone for what they say. Substantive, always substantive.

"I'm waiting to see when he actually does something before I can tell if he is good or not." Do something? True, speech-giving is a different action than jogging, cooking, and fighting wars. But it is an action nonetheless.

I feel that political promises versus words of direction are hard to distinguish for most Americans. This makes sense, since they are often intertwined. People have come to rely on the evidence of executive programs, military deployments, treaty signings and stamped bills to prove that a president is "doing something."

But, shall we not consider giving credit where credit is due? Granted, it is very difficult to track the impact that a rousing speech can have, or the results of new found confidence in self and country instilled by words, but I think the effects are real and profound.

Maybe people stood up and decided to build something instead of thinking about their problems because the nation's leader's rhetoric pushed them there. We can't determine the effect of a vision that legislators, law students, lifeguards, and librarians alike invested in because someone told them where to look.

"He's just words." Just words? What changes have you made when your church leader spoke to you with Godly persuasion? What do soothing words do to put together a broken day?

Considering the rules of rhetoric, perhaps no one can identify any ethos to give sway to our president's words. But, his experience aside, I feel that we can't underestimate a positive impact inaugural words can have. When is the last time you heard those ideas communicated in such a way? Do we really think, ethos aside, that those in earshot are not affected? This indirect way of making things happen seems almost too ideal to me. Contrast one man's grunt and labor on behalf of a nation to make something happen vs. one man's words moving a lot of people to do a lot of action. Seems more efficient to me. I can respect a leader who can do that.

Words represent ideas and ideas are what we build our lives, nations, and faith on. Now, President Obama did not speak from Sinai. But, I appreciate that "rhetoric can change the world." What we say and how we say it and the hope we can infuse in others' hearts - that can have the sort of impact that stats and news reports may never reveal. What really does a president do but execute with his words? Words are his tool and I pray, literally, that he will wield them wisely.

words part I

sifting through pages of prose and sighing at pleasing passages, she said "i wish that i read more." cath said this to linds and me while we were browsing internship options on our laptops. she then committed us to re-read The Great Gatsby, which we both promised to do.

i'm sitting at my carrel right now. and i look up and see i have an entire shelf of books. my books. law books. i smile. i own books about law. i own books, period. is that awesome?

yet, like cath, when i look at these books - though i feel an honest, true feeling of gratitude for such an opportunity to even know the things contained therein - i feel like i am in the shallow end of a pool the size of the planet. there's a quote on this blog somewhere...scroll up or down maybe a little... it's on the right. it's about learning. it explains the sentiment.