tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81833778325082591912024-03-13T02:44:21.169-05:00A Sojourn in St. LouisStories from my volunteer year, plus
thoughts on health disparities, social justice, Vincentians, history, architecture, and being Catholic.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-15734321869866715792010-04-05T12:52:00.002-05:002010-04-05T12:55:09.301-05:00Shoutout to the road warriors in scrubsOne of the NFNF nurses in Tennessee was recently featured in a <a href="http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/special_reports/vid_282.shtml">local news broadcast</a>. She's a fantastic example of their mission and work. Oh, and I miss carrying those portable scales and walking past racks of baby clothes in the office!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-84931530366361960012010-03-04T10:38:00.003-06:002010-03-04T10:42:45.308-06:00VSC VideoOne of my fellow St. Louis volunteers just alerted all of us to this VSC video, which has been updated to include pictures from our year! We're mostly toward the end, and there are some real gems here.<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UC4M3iccl94&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UC4M3iccl94&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />It's hard to believe it's been eight months since we all went out separate ways to jobs and schools. We've managed to keep in touch through email, blogs, Facebook stalking, phone calls, and even the occasional visit. As Sr. T would say, "You all have a great community."Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-41369408563400290942009-12-30T15:51:00.003-06:002009-12-30T15:55:59.383-06:00New blog!Seeing as how I have not lived in St. Louis for a good 6 months now, I think it is time for me to move on in the blogosphere. I'll probably post here once in a while about Vincentian things, but I also need a place to write about grad school and random stuff in general.<br /><br />From now on, you can find me at <a href="http://beatencopperlamp.blogspot.com/">A Beaten Copper Lamp of Deplorable Design</a>, i.e. beaten copper lamp (dot) blogspot (dot) com. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you there!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-12029716625313137842009-12-30T15:02:00.003-06:002009-12-30T15:35:27.893-06:00RecruitmentNow that I am a former VSC, Sr. T can put me to work promoting Vincentian service and recruiting volunteers. She claims I get a "finders fee" for influencing a college friend to join this year's VSC Community, but that money has yet to materialize. Maybe I get paid in prayers.<br /><br />I've also had the opportunity to talk about VSC at two very different places: Villanova University's Post-Graduate Service Fair, and my high school's Religion 12 classes. Here are some observations about both.<br /><br />Villanova<br /><ul><li>Why must college campuses be inherently confusing to visiting drivers?</li><li>Villanova is indeed as "affluent, attractive, and athletic" as an STL friend once told me</li><li>Ladies of 'nova, I salute you for actually wearing jeans, or even cute skirts and tights! All the leggings-as-pants and nasty sweats on my current campus make me want to gag.<br /></li><li>Villanova university, I salute you for giving your students great information about how a volunteer year works and what students can do with it. It was also cool to see monks running around in their black habits.<br /></li><li>Fellow volunteer programs, I salute you for display boards that were snazzier than mine, and for the great work you do all over the world. I had some great discussions with people who did radio ministry in Alaska, taught English in China, helped at Covenant House in Philly, or even ran a pregnant women's shelter.<br /></li></ul>Religion 12<br /><ul><li>I'd forgotten how crowded and chaotic my school's hallways could be.</li><li>People actually laughed at my jokes about "Improving my nun acquaintance 1000%"</li><li>All those brightly colored VSC pens leftover from Villanova were the surest way to the teenagers' hearts.<br /></li><li>Baby pictures from NFNF were also a hit.<br /></li><li>I tried to say things that I would have found provocative at age 17: social justice is for all Catholics, not "liberals;" you don't know everything you need to know about your faith yet; if abortion were illegal tomorrow, there would still be major social problems that need fixing as well. I doubt I blew anyone's mind, but the teacher seemed to think I did a good job.<br /></li></ul>Overall, these were both fun adventures that prompted me to re-evaluate my VSC year. What did I learn? Have I been following those lessons? How did a year of service change me? What do I need to do to continue to live that out? My resolution for 2010 is to find a weekly service commitment in my new city, now that I am settled in.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-72122242158051570082009-12-24T10:41:00.003-06:002009-12-24T10:57:28.040-06:00Merry Christmas!!The other day I finally found my boxes of Christmas cards, so I need to send some out to all my St. Louis friends. Mail service here is up and running despite the deep snow ruts that remain on our street. Compared to the remains of the blizzard, our mailman's truck looks positively dingy.<br /><br />I hope all my NFNF co-workers have a joyous holiday. I know one nurse is excited to finally have her husband home from Iraq! I'm also praying for all the clients and their kids. At my new parish in Delaware I chose a name from the "Angel Tree". I thought about all the babies back in STL while I shopped for 2T clothes for a little girl I'll probably never meet.<br /><br />Today Nicholas Kristof has a neat <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/opinion/24kristof.html?th&emc=th">article </a>listing lesser-known charities that would make good holiday gifts. As I read, I couldn't help wondering what an agency had to do to get on the list ;-)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-73287179573671603382009-12-17T09:20:00.001-06:002009-12-17T10:39:29.265-06:00Happy Advent!Can you believe we're past Gaudete Sunday already? Time sure flies when you are writing final papers. Around this time last year, I was preparing to return to Virginia for the first time in over four months. We VSC girls were gathered around our awesome "living simply" Advent wreath, which involved dirt-filled shot glasses. Tennessee Volunteer got an A+ for creativity.<br /><br />One of new goals for post-VSC life is reading the scriptures from daily Mass. I did that a lot in undergrad. Looking back, my meditations on the daily readings, especially during Advent, are what influenced me toward a service year. I became more and more convinced that social justice is not an optional part of following Christ. Here are a few verses my 2007 self marked down in a journal:<br /><br /><br />Isaiah 11<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">But he shall judge the poor with justice, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">and decide aright for the land's afflicted. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Justice shall be a band around his waist, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. </span><br /><br />Psalm 146<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The LORD God keeps faith forever, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">secures justice for the oppressed, </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">gives food to the hungry. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The LORD sets captives free. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The LORD gives sight ot the blind; </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">the LORD raises up those who were bowed down; </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">the LORD loves the just; </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">the LORD protects strangers. </span><br /><br />And of course Mary sums it all up in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Magnificat </span>as Christ's incarnation fulfills these promises:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent empty away</span>.<br /><w:ignoremixedcontent></w:ignoremixedcontent><w:donotpromoteqf><w:compatibility><w:breakwrappedtables><w:snaptogridincell><w:wraptextwithpunct><w:useasianbreakrules><w:dontgrowautofit><w:splitpgbreakandparamark><w:dontvertaligncellwithsp><w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables><w:dontvertalignintxbx><w:word11kerningpairs><m:mathpr><m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"><m:brkbin val="before"><m:brkbinsub val="--"><m:smallfrac val="off"><m:dispdef><m:lmargin val="0"><m:rmargin val="0"><m:defjc val="centerGroup"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></span><i><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span><br /></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:16pt;" > </span></i></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></m:brkbinsub></m:brkbin></m:mathfont></m:mathpr></w:word11kerningpairs></w:dontvertalignintxbx></w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables></w:dontvertaligncellwithsp></w:splitpgbreakandparamark></w:dontgrowautofit></w:useasianbreakrules></w:wraptextwithpunct></w:snaptogridincell></w:breakwrappedtables></w:compatibility></w:donotpromoteqf>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-9805563458214659702009-10-06T22:28:00.000-05:002009-10-06T22:30:25.843-05:00It's true<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpqm3zrSDx1qzu0t9o1_500.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 495px; height: 531px;" src="http://2.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpqm3zrSDx1qzu0t9o1_500.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />(via <a href="http://chicklit.tumblr.com/">chicklit</a>)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-17076985063830281352009-08-28T22:39:00.002-05:002009-08-28T22:50:43.879-05:00Random little thingsSo I just remembered something else I miss about the STL: the neighborhood Schnuck's on a Sunday. If you go in the afternoon, people are coming by after church to get a newspaper. I love how the older African-American men are all dressed to the nines in their pinstripe suits and fedoras. Nobody dresses like that in NOVA, the land of the soccer mom.<br /><br />There are some things I missed about the "DC Metro Area" too, though. There, everyone is from somewhere else, so you don't have to rely on high school connections to find a social network. It's also a big ethnic melting pot. I love how the women in saris always take their evening walks around the neighborhood. Nobody dresses like that in St. Louis, the land of the 4th generation Midwesterner.<br /><br />Brother #3's elementary school open house looked like the UN this week. His classmates are Indian, Asian, African-American, and of course Irish/Italian/Polish "European mutts" as I call us. I'm glad he has to interact with people who are a little different from him.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-52460599925033300592009-08-20T20:00:00.003-05:002009-08-20T20:41:16.521-05:00Thinking of the Loop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFoLViwwJcNv6UVdnaDggFQ66RZ5l08jOdL4X-nctIYxTG6EYrSXLbF1G1BRBpsBViwoedVvSxl1OzISQC3JhwmdxKuDV7nxxXp2NZw8XI-s0F74v7URH8G2JY925fBrrRSMTCG_ZMFbz/s1600-h/P4079909.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFoLViwwJcNv6UVdnaDggFQ66RZ5l08jOdL4X-nctIYxTG6EYrSXLbF1G1BRBpsBViwoedVvSxl1OzISQC3JhwmdxKuDV7nxxXp2NZw8XI-s0F74v7URH8G2JY925fBrrRSMTCG_ZMFbz/s320/P4079909.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372225817281584450" border="0" /></a><br />The other night I was at a grad student gathering and met a conservator from Missouri. It was amazing to talk with another person who knows all the St. Louis landmarks too! She went to UMSL for undergrad and even lived on The Loop for a while. We swapped stories about all the wacky characters you see on Delmar and about catching the Metrolink at Skinker and Forest Park.<br /><br />Oh boy, I do miss that part of town. A few weekends back Other Sarah and I wanted to go out to eat, maybe take in some local flavor. Even with GPS and an iPhone, we ended up driving in circles, finding only office buildings and hotels. If only there was a Loop, or South Grand, or Central West End around here! We could dress up cute and then stroll the sidewalks for something to eat, and maybe some vintage clothes while we're at it.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-11489118895575612272009-08-18T11:20:00.005-05:002009-08-18T11:36:43.130-05:00Art imitates life?!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.marriedtothesea.com/071807/church-bar.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 515px; height: 423px;" src="http://www.marriedtothesea.com/071807/church-bar.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After seeing my post about churches in malls and bars in churches, a friend alerted me to this gem of a comic.<br />I love <a href="http://marriedtothesea.com/">Married to the Sea</a>, since it combines two of my favorite things: snark and old-timey images. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.marriedtothesea.com/011708/masters-degree.gif"><br /></a>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-65832296928228236582009-08-16T13:13:00.004-05:002009-08-16T14:03:28.510-05:00God and shopping malls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.catholicchapelmall.org/images/center_entrance_3056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 304px;" src="http://www.catholicchapelmall.org/images/center_entrance_3056.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.americanpapist.com/2009/08/offbeat-mall-church-hears-confessions.html">American Papist</a> picked up a story about the coolest idea I have heard in a long time - Capuchin priests making Confession available in a shopping mall. Brilliant! What a great evangelization tool, reminding people about spiritual needs in the midst of so much buying and selling. Why doesn't my mall have a chapel?<br /><br />And so, yet another example of Catholic architecture evolving in the 21st century. I was just <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Sanctuary-Understanding-Sacred-Spaces/dp/0253346991">reading </a>about a church in Pittsburgh that is now a brewery and restaurant. The religious pun names for beers is cute I guess, but I was disturbed by the report that "Indeed, the huge beer vat that produces the beer that patrons are drinking is situated on the altar directly under the baldochino." Seriously?<br /><br /><br /><br />The same article profiled <a href="http://www.stmark.org/index.php">my childhood parish</a> as an example of post-Vatican II architecture. I was rather surprised to turn the page and see a photo of the Activities Center! The author's <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1z8DYhY15lFkh6gS0bFNb-FXOchW6-pclY8o5jpgjtR2Y9uJgTxBlRcKhXU3BYkyGIF_p6sLkpzMV_E2JfbwFIvhHch4lC1Rf5Fl_9DDaJkPBq1xYv60LGBq1GxYT9quMc4syHSXFsjc1/s1600-h/PC243918.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1z8DYhY15lFkh6gS0bFNb-FXOchW6-pclY8o5jpgjtR2Y9uJgTxBlRcKhXU3BYkyGIF_p6sLkpzMV_E2JfbwFIvhHch4lC1Rf5Fl_9DDaJkPBq1xYv60LGBq1GxYT9quMc4syHSXFsjc1/s320/PC243918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370632120823478482" border="0" /></a>interpretation felt a bit off, though- why did she not include a picture of the current church building? Whom did she interview to get the scoop on parish outrage over the plexiglass/bronze crucifix? (Shown here in all its Christmas glory.) There are no footnotes. Curious.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-32025433586560271722009-08-12T00:41:00.002-05:002009-08-16T14:05:16.364-05:00Through the looking glass<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi3Gk_d1MnvBOAnN7ZaPL8FnnDSuKwPi9xHA77uH3VFrYLuY-M4_SOuVQ4lh-z3w6MP9PmQ5w90iKsoCvqdOBfWFK_usUpkdP1NUiDiePUsIovOz42SzboaTGyEgf-WGQG4xQXcRXp2q8/s1600-h/P8102164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi3Gk_d1MnvBOAnN7ZaPL8FnnDSuKwPi9xHA77uH3VFrYLuY-M4_SOuVQ4lh-z3w6MP9PmQ5w90iKsoCvqdOBfWFK_usUpkdP1NUiDiePUsIovOz42SzboaTGyEgf-WGQG4xQXcRXp2q8/s400/P8102164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368948613272789954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.</span><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">I Corinthians 13:12</span><br /><br />All the 18th century mirrors in the museum make me think about St. Paul.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-25565651999706204512009-08-09T16:03:00.008-05:002009-08-16T14:04:34.753-05:00"Memory, that winged host that flew above me" - Brideshead Revisited<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.enterstageright.com/blog/gmarchives/bridesheadrevisited.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 204px;" src="http://www.enterstageright.com/blog/gmarchives/bridesheadrevisited.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited is my favorite book. Ever since it was on my summer reading list senior year of high school, I've re-read it about once a year. On every return visit I've changed a little, and so I notice or enjoy new things. The notes my 17 year old self made feverishly in colored pencil seem a little silly today.<br /><br />I did put BR aside during my year in St. Louis, however. Around this time last year, I raced to see the new film adaptation at the Chase Park Plaza theater. The trip had an air of nostalgic melancholy, like realizing you and an old friend no longer have much in common. I realized I was coming to say goodbye. My days of Oxford Arcadian fantasies were over.<br /><br />But it wasn't really goodbye, apparently. Like the Flyte family in Charles' life, whole sections of the book keep popping into my mind now that I spend my days at a "museum and country estate."Maybe my old friend and I have found a new way to connect.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">Is the dome by Inigo Jones too? It looks later."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"Oh Charles, don't be such a tourist. What does it matter when it was built, if it's pretty?"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"It's the sort of thing I like to know."</span><br /><br />On my first visit to Winterthur, I scoffed at its opulence and seemingly redundant acres of antique furniture. Now, as I'm learning to guide tourists through those Chippendale corridors, I'm also discovering the joy of knowing about style and connoisseurship. The other day, I did some exploring one my own and was genuinely wowed by the beauty of the Blackwell Parlor. The information binder in the corner was very helpful. Historical context is the sort of thing I like to know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwWz04pCPGjc6eZJdUlm8wLcP-z-zKyWTNF4OqvA6TAXeA8FAL8fKLn8p2mq98mOO0l4wgVPUYbb-EIp5_Asly8ZFtNJzRCqNk2KKXBkc5n131Z84ENrfEoLnYCk2YYRXWBtGnX6iGPtd/s1600-h/P8092048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwWz04pCPGjc6eZJdUlm8wLcP-z-zKyWTNF4OqvA6TAXeA8FAL8fKLn8p2mq98mOO0l4wgVPUYbb-EIp5_Asly8ZFtNJzRCqNk2KKXBkc5n131Z84ENrfEoLnYCk2YYRXWBtGnX6iGPtd/s320/P8092048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368094505291447330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">It was an aesthetic education to live within those walls, to wander from room to room, from the Soanesque library to the Chinese drawing-room, adazzle with gilt pagodas and nodding mandarins, painted paper and Chippendale fret-work, from the Pompeian parlor ... to sit, hour after hour, in the pillared shade looking out over the terrace. </span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-76108327866205580702009-08-08T21:18:00.004-05:002009-08-08T22:32:28.266-05:00Bon Appetit!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/whining_dining/julie-and-julia-movie-still.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/whining_dining/julie-and-julia-movie-still.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I just returned from seeing <span style="font-style: italic;">Julie and Julia</span> with my roommate, Other Sarah, and I have to say that my heart has been thoroughly warmed. Slow-roasted for hours in a savory wine sauce warmed. Wrapped in a pastry crust and baked to golden brown warmed. Other Sarah and I have both declared that we can think of nothing better than to find doting husbands and then spend the rest of our lives cooking French food for them and our friends.<br /><br />I could identify with Meryl Streep's Julie as she longed for "Something to do-oo" and chatted non-stop with her sister. I also identified with Amy Adams' Julie as her cubicle labor prompted her to cry "I can write a blog! I have thoughts!" Julie is also bit self-absorbed, which alarmed me. Am I like that? Yikes. At least I know my reader's lives will go on if I stop writing.<br /><br />I also enjoyed analyzing the technological differences between the protagonist. Back in "the last century," Julia relies on letters to keep tabs on distant friends. On the other hand, Julie can instantly encounter her idol through the ubiquitous visual culture of the 2000's. <span style="font-style: italic;">The French Chef</span> reruns, parody skits, and a Smithsonian exhibit all allow the protagonist to commune with Julia's creative genius. Likewise, Julie's project does not have meaning until it is validated on computer and then movie screens. It's a far cry from Julia's original cookbook draft as stacks of onion skin paper.<br /><br />Although it is female-focused, the male characters in Julie and Julia are what hold it together. Both husbands are patient, encouraging, and affectionate; although sometimes exasperated by their wives' cooking hobbies. It is rare to see men get so much dignity in a chick flick - there is no reason to gripe about these guys over cosmos. Their relationships with their wives make the film realistic but deeply romantic. No one chases anyone through an airport or builds an elaborate closet or breaks up a wedding. Instead, two couples love each other, work through problems, and generally explore what <a href="http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/julie-and-julia.php">this film review </a>calls the "happily ever after" part.<br /><br />A good biopic sends you running back to primary documents, and this film did that. I'm sorry to say my own memories of the real Julia Child are nothing special. When I was a child I only saw her master chef series, where guests did most of the talking. To me, Julia was some foreboding elite chef whose food was boring and complicated. I much preferred the shenanigans of Yan Can Cook or The Frugal Gourmet. Fortunately, PBS has corrected my misconceptions through the Julia Child videos posted on their website. <a href="http://video.pbs.org/program/1073557581/">Go check them out for yourself</a> - the Cheese Souffle one is my favorite.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-37021785930953908332009-08-04T17:30:00.004-05:002009-08-04T20:29:32.765-05:00Family field trip!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmpp_wrQHS5WfyvY1mxIydrv1gosN6-Tj_d0Q5esomCdAvEWeQ54RljstPTeUHga5vlsR1qNAkWJ7K5MT-IfDcT7T1dEN0dq2LrsmNYUzEmp-0h2z1tl4c8KavCcZweUbn14VrUWKYGPR/s1600-h/P8021992.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmpp_wrQHS5WfyvY1mxIydrv1gosN6-Tj_d0Q5esomCdAvEWeQ54RljstPTeUHga5vlsR1qNAkWJ7K5MT-IfDcT7T1dEN0dq2LrsmNYUzEmp-0h2z1tl4c8KavCcZweUbn14VrUWKYGPR/s320/P8021992.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366282762873733410" border="0" /></a><br />This past weekend I was able to make one of those impromptu trips home that my parents had been hoping would happen now that I'm within driving distance again. I was just in time for a family trip to the newly remodeled National Museum of American History. Besides Air and Space, this was always my favorite Smithsonian museum. When I was 5, I took home a First Ladies' gowns coloring book. It was a little frustrating since a good 25% of them were something impossible like white, cream, or "bombazine," but I loved it. I made my Mom read me the catalog entries a dozen times.<br /><br />Here are my opinions of the new, somewhat improved NMAH.<br />Good Things<br /><ul><li>Overall, the building is brighter and easier to navigate. I was surprised, though, at how little had changed in the overall floorplan.<br /></li><li>Vastly improved Star Spangled Banner display keeps the flag safe, but still looks cool. The walk-through exhibits about Fort McHenry and the flag's conservation were also good. </li><li>The extensive "America at War" exhibit was patriotic but not jingoistic. There was plenty to see and touch. My brothers spent a good hour there, not surprisingly.<br /></li><li>The transportation section was greatly improved. I especially liked how they used turn-of-the-century DC as a case study for emerging interstate markets and transport.<br /></li><li>"Within These Walls," a 200 year study of a house in Ipswich, MA. They managed to fit in abolition, Irish immigrants, and the WWII homefront, along with a healthy dose of architecture. I was able to identify Queen Anne and Chippendale chairs in the Colonial section!</li></ul>Not-s0-good things.<br /><ul><li>Lines for the "pop" exhibits. What is this, Disney World? Lots of people want to see the ruby slippers and First Lady dresses. Why are they then in a cramped space with a narrow entrance? I was pleased to learn that the single First Ladies' room is only temporary, though.<br /></li><li>Restroom entrances are also preposterously narrow. What would someone do with a stroller if there was a line backed up to the door?</li><li>My brothers reported that the invention section was mostly hand-wringing about the dangers of the nuclear age.<br /></li><li>Julia Child's kitchen was fun, albeit a little fluffy. It's indicative of our culture that everyone ended up just staring at the video clips of her show. </li></ul>Overall, the exhibits tried to suit their "national" role, painting broad pictures of major historical trends. I'll be curious to see what other innovations arrive in coming months.<br /><br />My favorite moment was walking through the 20th century war section. Each "generation" of my family related to something different. We all chuckled at the kitchy WWII war bond cartoons and posters. Then we arrived at Vietnam, which Dad could of course remember. We gathered around the plastic-wrapped avocado sofa to watch sobering news clips of Saigon. Then on to chunks of the Berlin Wall, which is one of my earliest news footage memories. I did a double take when a teeanger said, "Mom, what's the Berlin Wall?" My middle brother and sister were most fascinated by the twisted hunks of metal from the World Trade Center. Brother #3 didn't linger there; he was still in diapers when terrorists attacked it. What memories will he associate with war?Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-33229989376288324582009-08-03T21:56:00.003-05:002009-08-03T22:10:41.098-05:00Welcome new VSCs!It's hard to believe, but a new VSC year has started. The last of my roommates left on Friday, and the new volunteers arrived yesterday. WELCOME! Right now you still barely know one another, and you are probably still confused by all the random artwork and objects around the house. Sr. T will be keeping you busy with orientation and field trips to your service sites. It's a tough week, but an important rite of passage. (<a href="http://sojournstlouis.blogspot.com/2008/08/feels-like-freshman-year.html">Here's what I was feeling this time last year.</a>)<br />I can't wait to receive the VSC newsletter and hear all about you!<br /><br />As for me, I have moved yet again, to a lovely little apartment in Delaware. Grad school summer classes started last week. I am again in a community of 8, only this time we are all museum people. We even have not one, but two token males!<br /><br />I've only been here a short time, but already it feels like home. I remain woefully ignorant about antiques, but have had little trouble getting back into a school schedule. Today I studied (and handled) trade bills from the 1880's, ate lunch in the Enchanted Woods garden, then communed with 1760's Chippendale-style chairs. Can someone pinch me?Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-69483991552660792442009-08-01T21:26:00.002-05:002009-08-01T21:33:15.303-05:00I want to go to there!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.archimadrid.es/images/bannWeb2011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.archimadrid.es/images/bannWeb2011.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The new logo for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid was recently announced. Ooh, I really want to go! Spain! The Pope! Thousands of other Catholics! Spain!<br /><br />World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto the biggest adventure of my teens, and remains one of my fondest memories. Going to WYD as a young adult would certainly be very different.<br /><br />The Madrid event will be just after I finish my master's degree - graduation present? Or will I luck out and be already employed by then and too busy to travel? I better start thinking of a research project involving Spanish material culture.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-33994678075210600272009-07-29T17:20:00.002-05:002009-07-29T17:30:00.587-05:00The road goes ever on and on<p>Great article in the Washington Post today about <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/28/AR2009072803220.html">a group of Franciscan friars on a six-week, 300 mile walking pilgrimage</a> from southern VA to to the Franciscan Holy Land shrine in DC. Following Jesus' orders when He sent disciples out on missions, they took " no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic." Their story of relying on kindness of strangers, and offering their own kindness, brought tears to my eyes. </p><p>"Dressed like we are in our habits, it's like a walking sign that says, 'Tell us your life's problems,' " explained Cliff Hennings, the youngest of the friars at 23.</p><p>In every instance, the friars made time for conversation. They shot the breeze with a gang of drunk bikers, dispensed relationship advice to the brokenhearted commuters and bore witness to one and all, yea, even to the Chik-fil-A employee dressed as a cow. </p><p>What a beautiful, and humorous, tale of living simply and relying on Providence.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-26071079042318210472009-07-26T20:57:00.000-05:002009-07-26T19:57:12.444-05:00Alumni updateI am a guest blogger on my high school's alumni website today, thanks to an invitation from one of my former English teachers. He had visited this blog, and so asked me to write about my VSC experience. It was a good exercise to try to distill a year into one short article. I hope the stories I chose to tell will help people realize what a volunteer year is all about.<br /><br />While I was killing time in San Antonio, I was able to read Pope Benedict's new social justice encyclical <span style="font-style: italic;">Caritas in Vertitate </span>(Love in Truth). Besides making me look business-like in the hotel restaurant, this was serendipitous, as I discovered a great quotation to use in my article.<br /><br />“<span style="font-style: italic;">Only through an encounter with God are we able to see in the other something more than just another creature, to recognize the divine image in the other, thus truly coming to discover him or her and to mature in a love that ‘becomes concern and care for the other.</span>’” You can't get much more Vincentian than that. The Holy Father also cited a scripture verse that is the Daughters of Charity motto: <i>The charity of Christ urges us</i>. (2 Cor 5:14)<br /><br />P.S. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fun Fact</span>: The teacher who requested this article also got me on the road to Museum Studies. I wrote my first public history paper for his class my sophomore year of high school. He forbade any "depressing" topics, so I researched the history of the Smithsonian Institution. I liked the idea, but it turned out to be even more fun than I expected.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-13753645908248930892009-07-26T19:38:00.004-05:002009-07-26T19:56:27.856-05:00Two Palaces<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70zXjEhTCuD5ywyD08G0nMKvcdY5pNqyl1Ta5FGG4M_G-JYOf6YgskujgGFUNwV-f_2YMSg5zfoo3gw8KKW2gEE6NtBDcWgtPbSifAzsFN3EKZcA1p6HoGugrWHn8KSeTF4OCrO7cjM0E/s1600-h/Governor's+Palaces.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 434px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70zXjEhTCuD5ywyD08G0nMKvcdY5pNqyl1Ta5FGG4M_G-JYOf6YgskujgGFUNwV-f_2YMSg5zfoo3gw8KKW2gEE6NtBDcWgtPbSifAzsFN3EKZcA1p6HoGugrWHn8KSeTF4OCrO7cjM0E/s400/Governor's+Palaces.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362933856662568258" border="0" /></a><br />On my San Antonio trip, I visited the Spanish Governor's Palace, a well-preserved downtown adobe building dating to around 1749. I thought it would be fun to compare it to the reproduction Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg. Besides the contrast of Spanish and English building styles, their difference connote the difference in political clout and trade access of the two cities. CW's palace strives to be an equal with mansions in the mother country, while San Antonio's one-story, six-room home appears to be making the best of local materials. <br /><br />The biggest history lesson I took away from San Antonio's palace was that people of the past were much hardier than we are! That morning was about 90 degrees. Even wearing shorts and walking past electric fans, I was ready for a break from the stuffy indoors in about 10 minutes. How did those Spanish aristocrats in ruffled shirts and high-collared jackets survive? How did business meetings not deteriorate into bickering between sweaty, cranky colonial staff? Were they just accustomed to the climate from birth?Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-1668167940185764282009-07-21T23:36:00.004-05:002009-07-22T00:01:26.039-05:00Cathedral sights, Southwest EditionLast week I unexpectedly got to spend some time in San Antonio, Texas. I quickly fell in love with the festive, friendly atmosphere there, not to mention all the incredible Tex-Mex cuisine. I don't know if I will ever really accept salsa from a jar again.<br /><br />The sights were also amazing. Besides the Alamo, downtown is dotted with dozens of fascinating historic buildings. I went to Mass at the <a href="http://www.sfcathedral.org/">San Fernando Cathedral</a>, which was built in 1749. Pope John Paul II visited in 1987.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlNwgVKFjxXNVV0gae6tbWpcqe7dQT-nrRrbFjiNIR6P8v3dFB3f6IaTDKOwFezcH2PDXXm4xz5ZLtqhwt54xv4E-mxO0YE6m1JIwbEURNURvfeM3XaQYq6ty0gRa9mGblXITKCORYMrH/s1600-h/P7091725.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 374px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlNwgVKFjxXNVV0gae6tbWpcqe7dQT-nrRrbFjiNIR6P8v3dFB3f6IaTDKOwFezcH2PDXXm4xz5ZLtqhwt54xv4E-mxO0YE6m1JIwbEURNURvfeM3XaQYq6ty0gRa9mGblXITKCORYMrH/s400/P7091725.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361141054081003410" border="0" /></a>Despite its 18th century style, the magnificent <span style="font-style: italic;">retablo </span>of Christ the and evangelists was added only during recent renovations. The original sanctuary decorations were lost in an 1820's fire. (Which makes San Fernando a survivor in the style of the Wren, for all you WM alums.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0mATYNhjxWxQaIHiaS5xFFr9ZAPSFAsV2NqDJhvAHdGUtdwZ1Yh54VJof5t8AlKFaBg_2IPzIXMy-UTjYqqYomH-kJ1rs-5sZS97XMe_wG4GAnlStpqXV20Yfax1HaH2IdnorEqC6BJ9/s1600-h/P7091742.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0mATYNhjxWxQaIHiaS5xFFr9ZAPSFAsV2NqDJhvAHdGUtdwZ1Yh54VJof5t8AlKFaBg_2IPzIXMy-UTjYqqYomH-kJ1rs-5sZS97XMe_wG4GAnlStpqXV20Yfax1HaH2IdnorEqC6BJ9/s400/P7091742.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361140476121320418" border="0" /></a><br />I loved this painting in the narthex of the women at Christ's tomb.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jvLvKtHucfyjJBFvkwG7QJq75wqRc40_tC_d5m8cplSu6Qb0jJxJiKKZYZv1v4RTuGiMUgk7sCYjjJESx1mFH1_qwC815G-MMFgqvcJE9ZpHbNxh236yeFs83WQNDuA9XctJcnetD-xY/s1600-h/P7091728.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jvLvKtHucfyjJBFvkwG7QJq75wqRc40_tC_d5m8cplSu6Qb0jJxJiKKZYZv1v4RTuGiMUgk7sCYjjJESx1mFH1_qwC815G-MMFgqvcJE9ZpHbNxh236yeFs83WQNDuA9XctJcnetD-xY/s400/P7091728.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361139418104016770" border="0" /></a><br />A shrine to El Cristo Negro is decorated with prayer requests.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-OnPVcyTMAPPMSJxP0HcD7YAi_DpXJVnWecP92WVqiuOjLL-pW9KpZ5TaN4e6-3meXWxeavp7yX68dYntWlCTVVyN1zLmz8Ktq7GBTyatxibL9592m9nvzGJhtdRSlcXku5bCF4X8wSy/s1600-h/P7091729.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-OnPVcyTMAPPMSJxP0HcD7YAi_DpXJVnWecP92WVqiuOjLL-pW9KpZ5TaN4e6-3meXWxeavp7yX68dYntWlCTVVyN1zLmz8Ktq7GBTyatxibL9592m9nvzGJhtdRSlcXku5bCF4X8wSy/s320/P7091729.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361139209906211874" border="0" /></a>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-9607815256557621312009-07-20T21:09:00.004-05:002009-07-20T23:17:14.158-05:00"A wild sojourn so I can learn"<object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p8g2wSOc4rY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p8g2wSOc4rY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object><br /><br />"How the Other Half Lives" from the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie helped inspire my blog title. In it, we meet Dorothy, a socialite who wants to try being working-class; and Millie, a small-town girl who wants to find a wealthy husband in the big city. AS they journey into the unknown, the girls become friends. <br /><br />The VSC was like that, since the 8 of us came from experiences and hometowns all over the country. In many ways, we took a year off from our normal lives and selves. I know that several of my old hobbies and habits went on hiatus. <br /><br />Now that I am re-connecting with friends back on the East Coast, it does seem like I have been on a trek into the wild somewhere. They really have no idea what I experienced there, but I have returned a year older and, I hope, wiser.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-19081812370962456312009-07-18T14:11:00.003-05:002009-07-18T14:23:40.897-05:00Archeological dig in my parents' garageDuring all this epic packing, I've come across artifacts from my past life that I haven't seen in years. Old textbooks and class notes, even the half-completed application from that time I wanted to study at the Jagellonian University in Poland. Now that a few years have passed I have no qualms about pitching all the physics tests and modern Russian fiction readings from the early WM years.<br /><br />I also found the calendar pages that decorated my walls senior year of high school - cathedrals and architectural photography of India. The more things change...Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-31329762039869953162009-07-17T22:21:00.004-05:002009-07-17T22:45:02.776-05:00"I'll take my heart into battle/Give that freedom bell a rattle!"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=10409"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 239px;" src="http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=10409" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Today marks the passing of another celebrity - legendary journalist Walter Cronkite. Being young'uns, my siblings and I know him better as the voice of Benjamin Franklin in the animated TV show <span style="font-style: italic;">Liberty's Kids</span>. We just bought the entire series on DVD - nerd party!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">LK</span> is a surprisingly good PBS production dramatizing major events of the Revolutionary War. We see Independence unfold through the eyes of Franklin and his print shop assistants- Moses, a free black man; James, an apprentice; Sarah, a British ex-pat girl ; and Henri, a mischievous French orphan. The newspaper business conveniently takes the spunky but often whiny kids around the colonies and back.<br /><br />Just watched the Williamsburg episode, which was pretty well done. On an errand for a new printing press, the group attempts to rescue Moses' brother Cato from slavery. Cato instead tries for freedom by anwering Governor Dunmore's call for slave soldiers. There's still time to hear Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech at St. John's Church in Richmond. James and Henri even partake in the fine tradition of colonial wall jumping!<br /><br />My one beef with LK is its' often self-righteous modernity. Any mention of the South must contain ardent denunciations of OMG SLAVERY. Did you know slavery is evil? Just in case, we'll say it a dozen more times and assure you that Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were more enlightened than bad old Virginia. James' passion for up-to-the-minute headlines also borders on laughable. He has the attitude of a frantic Twitterer releasing self-important news blasts to the world.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and then there are the celebrity guest voices. Ben Stiller as Thomas Jefferson? Sylvester Stallone as Paul Revere? We nerd haven't stopped laughing about it.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8183377832508259191.post-24486836004255250912009-07-17T14:59:00.003-05:002009-07-17T15:25:03.482-05:00New adventures in living simplyYesterday I got my first grad school stipend payment. Yay for money in the bank! It's a good bit more than my VSC allowance, but then I have to factor in new expenses like rent, utilities, the car that St. Joseph will find me etc. After some mental math I was in sticker shock.<br /><br />Good news kids - I am still going to be poor. My "pocket money" will likely be only slightly more than in St. Louis. Good thing I like rice and beans.<br /><br />Right now I'm in the midst of packing mania to prepare for the big grad school move. As usual, I have too much stuff. Today I spent much more at Wal Mart than I anticipated. I almost cried when I saw the total. Sure, I need a lot of miscellaneous things to start out in a new place, but not that much.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06628206579067878095noreply@blogger.com0