No More Jerbs to Take

'Twas a much simpler time when we could explain the lack of jobs by blaming illegal immigrants for "taking our joerbs", the concept of which was spoofed on South Park in 2004 and echoed by lots of angry commentators on the CNN article accompanying the below video. Now that there are no jobs or jerbs for anyone, and no more jobs Americans won't do, the migrant workers are heading home.



I must admit that it deeply saddens me that the American Dream is failing even the most desperate (and arguably hard-working) community. An American dollar goes a long way in the 3rd world, and for countries like Ecuador where I've heard from friends (but can't find evidence online) that their 3rd largest revenue-generating export after bananas and flowers are Ecuadorians working abroad and sending their money back home.

After spending time in Ecuador in 2006 and seeing what a 3rd world country is like first hand, any negative view I may have harbored about illegal immigrants totally went away (after years of already being pretty liberal about it). Witnessing extreme poverty--women washing clothes knee-deep in the river, children doing cartwheels in traffic for pennies, eating in the only restaurant in town that was actually someone's personal kitchen--made me realize that I was 100% fine with people breaking US law to work here in order to provide a better life for their families at home.

Now that's not a viable reality for many, and I hope that the individuals that want to go back to their countries can get there, and that they will be able to provide for their families once they return.

And I hope that as our economy recovers, there will be Americans willing and able to take on the work of our lost workers.

Word Verification Wheelchair - WTF???

What is up with the man in the wheelchair that appears next to the text entry box on Blogger's word verification page??? (See image above.)

The first time I noticed this graphic was after receiving an error message because I typed in my word incorrectly, and was outraged that Google was making a connection between a typing error and being disabled. Hence the photo. This of course is not what they're doing--the little man is always there.

Now I'm just confused as to what this wheelchair-bound man is supposed to signify. Does anyone know? Has anyone else been baffled by this?

The Way I See It #76

It's very fitting that my Starbucks cup today had a quote about commitment:

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life" - Anne Morriss (Starbucks customer from NYC).

After 10 years of "Missa and Rob" we are finally ready to publicly commit ourselves to one another, and I feel nothing but relief. Relief that I no longer have to doubt our future, no longer have to say "if" instead of "when", or try to prove the validity of our relationship in words to someone who doesn't understand what we've always known and felt. I have the ring--the symbol of our commitment to get married--and that's all the explanation I or anyone else needs.

What a relief to feel so liberated yet so connected.

New York is Melting

When I think of melting snow in New York, I usually think of gray slush, slippery puddles, and grimy subway floors. Yesterday, I looked again.

Secret Single Behavior

What's your Secret Single Behavior? I'm sure Wikipedia has its own definition, but to me an "SSB" is an activity or ritual that you do only when you are home alone, and perhaps only after forcing yourself to break free from your standard routine when you are with others (like roommates, bfs, etc).

Living with my boyfriend for the past 5ish years has made it difficult for me to embrace my SSB, because we are usually together engaging in our Secret Couples Behavior (but that's another post...) and because our apartment is teensy, and when we're not together, I sometimes forget that I like to do things for myself besides watch Bravo marathons, scour Facebook, or go shopping.

When I had a recent evening to myself, instead of watching TV, I poured myself a bit of Amaretto over ice, lit candles, and put on my fav Putumayo album followed by Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree. I painted my nails for the first time in months, and thanks to a tip from the Luxury Spot, indulged in a mini facial c/o Elizabeth Grant's illuminating eye pads.

The best part about the mini facial, aside from feeling and looking legitimately refreshed afterwards, was how decadent it felt to spend 15 minutes lying on my couch, listening to my music...Relaxing for 15 minutes with your eyes shut without attempting to sleep--what a forgotten art!

I had time to think, and was reminded of all the hours I spent doing similar things with my bff Stephanie as a 13 year old girl: putting cucumber slices on our eyes, styling our hair just for the sake of doing it, using rejuvenating mud masks even though our skin was perfect, meditating to the flicker of a candle... Ahh, the good old days of focusing on ourselves and becoming women.

So since a blog is a conversation, and, of the handful of readers I have, most are men...Tell me: Do guys have Secret Single Behavior also? Does it freak you out when girls do their weird girlie behavior in front of you, like curl their hair and do their makeup without actually planning to go anywhere?

And for giggles, here is a list of my SSB's:

• Dancing to Reggaeton
• Getting glam and taking self portraits
• Drinking wine, listening to classical music, and thinking, mostly about melancholy/nostalgic sorts of things
  
• Netflix marathons

The secret is out :-P