Fun Fact #43: Add teenagers to the list of things that can make me emotional

Sometimes I feel as though I've experienced parts of life that I really shouldn't have experienced yet. I played a large role in raising my youngest sister during my high school years due to my parents' rather tumultuous divorce. She and I had (and I think continue to have) a rather unique relationship, she almost felt more like my child than my sister. I believe that might be one of the reasons it has become so tough to watch her transform from a sweet little girl into a self-absorbed teenager.

I feel that I must have had some influence on the person that she's become but I worry that they've contributed more to her negative qualities rather than her positive ones. She's extremely aware of how the world works and is no where near as innocent as I was at that age, this adds to her sense of superiority that she feels around her peers. She's been exposed to so many things both because she's the youngest of four kids and because she grew up hanging out with our friends.

She used to idolize me and would excitedly call me while I was away at school just to talk. But now I've become some sort of leper. Most of the time I find her antics humorous, but her constant criticisms and whining are exhausting to deal with. There are occasional flashes of the little girl she used to be, but they're far and few between.

If anything, this experience has prepared me for the day when my own children suddenly see me as a social pariah. I also feel bad for all the things that I put my poor parents through. My dad always talks about how, in fifth grade, I abruptly came to the decision that he was "lame" and made him and my sister walk a good ten feet behind me on the way to school as not to infringe upon my utter "coolness". I remember that phase of my life(the one my littlest sister is now fully entrenched in) passing by relatively quickly, but my parents assure me that it was long and arduous process. So I'm looking forward to more years of "fun" with my littlest sister, but I still hope that she'll come out of it quickly and revert back to the way I remember her.

Fun Fact #42: I discovered a website with Jewish American Girl dolls and was reminded of a childhood obsession.

Being a history nerd and a girl, it should be of no surprise to anyone that I adored American Girl dolls when I was a child. I had Samantha, the rich (but still sensitive!) Victorian-era doll. I picked her because she looked the most like me, while my little sister got Kristen, the dull (in my opinion) Swedish immigrant doll, because she looked the most like her.

I grew up reading every American girl book and, much to my mother's horror, would sometimes announce how they incorrectly portrayed the conditions of sweatshops, immigrant conditions, food rationing, race relations, etc. Obviously, I've always just been full of "fun facts".

I soon got sick of Samantha though and promptly decided Molly was my new favorite. I asked my mom for a Molly doll and instead given the Molly glasses as if that would transformed Samantha into Molly. But Molly had blue eyes while Samantha had brown and it obviously wouldn't work out. I never did get a Molly doll but my obsession continued unabated.

I even wrote my own American Girl story for my second grade creative writing class. It was all about a lovely immigrant family heading toward Ellis Island (yet another weird obsession) on a boat to start a new life in America. I decide to add some tension by having the boat sink, but I wasn't quite old enough to cope with a death and made sure all of my characters lived. The book was basically a masterpiece and, if I could find it, would probably be eligible for a Pulitzer. At the very least it was far better than my biggest competitor's (aka my little sister) work at the time which featured the adventures of a squirrel named Plumpy.

The main character in my story was Jewish (to make her more like myself since I was quite the narcissist as a child), but, much to my disappointment, there never were any Jewish American Girl dolls. Well, that's now been fixed thanks the introduction of Gali Girls which, according the website, are "Jewish Dolls for Jewish Girls".

The dolls honestly look like the slightly touched cousins of the American Girl dolls. In fact, they're absolutely hideous. But, on the bright side, they all come with a little Star of David, a Jewish holiday playset, and a book. What could be more fun?! You can even buy dolls from the historical line and own Miriam, your own doll from the shtetl, or Shoshana, a Sephardic Jew! I believe that these dolls are a good idea but even myself at eight, both Jewish and a rabid American Girl fan, wouldn't have wanted these dolls since they're so awkward looking. They have giant heads and weird, little bodies.

I hope that they'll have better looking Jewish dolls by the time I have my little history nerd kids.

Fun Fact #41: I have the pleasure of sharing a room with a teenager

It's been about a month since I last posted and much of that month has been spent sharing a room with a hormonal, messy, and "popular" thirteen-year-old girl aka my youngest sister. As one might imagine, it's definitely not the most enjoyable experience in the world. But it's also provided me with plenty of "fun facts" about thirteen-year-old girls that are solely based on my experiences with my sister and her friends.

1. They can be the most self-absorbed individuals on the planet.
It takes my littlest sister a good hour and a half to get ready for school in the morning. She spends much of the time staring at her self in the mirror and painstakingly applying make-up. She often comes out of the bathroom looking a little bit too whorish for my liking.
2. They don't ever take the easy route.
My littlest sister has yet to catch on to the fact that just doing a task is far easier than trying to avoid it. For example, she and I were home alone last weekend and it was therefore my job to keep the house clean. She left her grimy clothes on the floor of the bathroom and I asked her about ten times to put them away. But instead of putting them away, she'd move them to a new location: behind the door, under some towels, stuffed into the corner by the toilet, hidden under the shower curtain, and a bunch of other hiding places until she finally had to give in and throw them in the laundry basket.
3. Their cell phones are the world to them.
The absolute worst thing I can do to my sister is take away her phone, she screams like someone amputated some critical appendage and she either doesn't stop until it's back or she starts plotting her revenge on me (which is usually taking my phone). It's actually a pretty funny sight to see but it the hysterical reactions can get old quickly. Oh, and she also reacts this way when someone reads her precious text messages of which she sends about fifty or sixty a day.
4. They never listen to advice.
I realize that I can sometimes be a little intense about my opinions and sometimes I refuse to admit that the other side can have a valid argument. But I at least listen when someone gives me good advice, this is not the case with my sister. I don't even give her complex advice, it's more along the lines of "If you want Mom to buy you those new shoes, then I suggest you not act like she threw acid on you the next time she tries to give you a hug". But of course, she doesn't listen and then gets hysterically upset when she doesn't get what she wants.
5. The world revolves around them.
This can be a positive because it allows them to believe that they deserve everything and anything they may want. But it's also negative for it means that everyone is watching and judging their each and every move. For example, I picked my sister up from school today and the Feist was playing in the car. She promptly issued a hideous screech, claimed that the music was lame and everyone would make fun of her for listening to it, demanded I change the music, and then slammed the car door shut. She never realized that in all reality most people weren't judging her by the music being emitted from the car picking her up and perhaps only started to pay attention after her antics. Oh, and she also feels the need to constantly reiterate how I, my mom, my dad, my -step dad, my step-mom, my siblings, and any other semi-authority figures have all wrecked (or are currently wrecking) her life. My most recent "life-wrecking" move was moving her cell charger.

But as aggravating as my littlest sister's actions can be, I always try to be somewhat understanding because it's just such a miserable age to be. You're constantly on guard and people older than you are disgusted by your actions while those younger than you are just terrified by the creature you've become. Neither me nor my other sister were the most pleasant teenagers to be around, yet we both outgrew it (for the most part at least) and I have faith that my littlest sister will do the same. She does have some charming qualities that manage to appear ever so often.

Fun Fact #40: Running and smoking do NOT go hand-in-hand

So, today is my last day at work and I leave Pittsburgh permanently early Tuesday morning. I'm excited to get back to California and have no qualms about leaving Pittsburgh early. I have absolutely nothing to do at work and today has perhaps been the most unproductive day of my life. There's a bike/running path that goes by the office windows and I've watching people using it for the past hour or so.

Anyways, my favorite person I saw on the trail during today's people watching session had to be this older man, probably about fifty or so. He was dressed head-to-toe in Nike running gear and seemed to be ready for a pretty intense workout, but one accessory of his was totally out of place.

He was carrying a lit pipe during his whole run. There was a trail of smoke following him and every minute or so he would would lift it up and take a puff or two. It was pretty surreal. I'm assuming that it was filled with tobacco since Pittsburgh has pretty strict weed laws.

It made me think of CKC and her dreadful smoking habits. Let's hope CKC quits before she needs a cigarette to sustain her during a run. Maybe she needs another beautiful cigarette shaped birthday cake to remind her of the horrors of smoking...

Fun Fact #39: Death notices are certainly a way to liven up getting the mail

It's no secret that I'm living in Pittsburgh, but it may come of surprise to some people that I'm basically living in a retirement home while I'm here. I truly believe that the average age of my "neighbors" is about eighty.

The fact that I'm living with a group of people about six decades older than me means that death is a constant presence here. I often see an ambulance parked out front when I come back from work or the gym (my only two activities here besides eating). The deaths don't really bother me since I don't know the people, but it's just a kind of sad situation all around.

What makes it even more awkward is how the building handles these deaths. The deaths are so common that the building managmment has a box pre-printed signs that read:

We're sorry to inform you that blank from apartment blank has passed away on blank date. The funeral is scheduled for blank date.

It makes sense to have these signs but they still come across as a little morbid to me. They're also posted by the mail box, so everyone gets a chance to read the news while they're getting their mail. It's pretty a pretty special experience to learn that Mildred from next door passed away the night before while you're thumbing through the newest issues of US Weekly.

I don't think I ever want to live in a place where death is such a constant part of life that having 20 or so death notices on hand makes total sense. I'd much rather retire someplace where I'm not constantly reminded how close death is. Of course that opinion could very well change in the next fifty or so years.

Fun Fact #38: I've come to some major decisions...

It should be readily apparent to anyone who reads my blog that I'm not a fan of Pittsburgh. I don't like the city, the climate, or the culture. I haven't really had the best experience here and I'm excited to be leaving in May. But, all in all, I'm still happy with my decision to come here because it taught me that I need to live in someplace with a relatively mild climate.

Therefore, I eliminated New York, Chicago, and Boston from my law school search due to the weather and a variety of other criteria. These had all been places that I planned to end up in but my time in Pittsburgh allowed me to see that I am a true West Coaster. I even miss all the hippies!

So I applied to schools in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. I got into a variety of schools, some were a better fit than others. But I've decided that California (specifically the Bay Area) is the place for me and therefore I am going to be attending UC Hastings (located in the heart of San Francisco). I'm extremely excited and I believe that this will be the best place for me.

There are so many things I'm looking forward to: finally living in a city that I love, actually going to law school, being surrounded by an amazing city with an amazing culture, leaving Pittsburgh, paying 1,500 a month for a closet, being the perfect distance between my Oregon friends and family, making new friends, and a million other things.

I know that people have asked me to post more often but I can't really think of anything to write about. Ask me some questions or give me some ideas and I'll totally start posting more.

Also, any advice or tips regarding San Francisco would be totally welcome. I lived in Palo Alto when I was kid but haven't ever lived in the city itself.

Fun Fact #37: Could "Hamsterdam" ever become a reality?

Editorials can be hit or miss. Sometimes the author just seems to whine and complain, but other times editorials can be thought provoking pieces that tackle some of the toughest issues in society.

This editorial, titled The Wire's War on the Drug War, written by the scribes of The Wire (some who are also extremely respected novelists) definitely falls into the latter category. As I mentioned in my previous post, our prisons are overcrowded with drug offenders and obviously something needs to be done. But I didn't (and still don't) have an answer to that question.

These esteemed writers suggest a rather controversial, though admittedly only partial, solution to that problem:

"If asked to serve on a jury deliberating a violation of state or federal drug laws, we will vote to acquit, regardless of the evidence presented. Save for a prosecution in which acts of violence or intended violence are alleged, we will — to borrow Justice Harry Blackmun's manifesto against the death penalty — no longer tinker with the machinery of the drug war. No longer can we collaborate with a government that uses nonviolent drug offenses to fill prisons with its poorest, most damaged and most desperate citizens."

They're basically saying that they will vote to acquit if they ever serve on jury for a drug trial (which is unlikely after writing this editorial), no matter what the evidence is (though acts of violence are taken into account). They argue that other "people of conscience" should follow their example.

I personally think that they make an amazingly good case considering it is such a controversial "solution". I don't necessarily agree with it but it's certainly a thought provoking concept. It's almost as though "Hamsterdam" (for fans of the show) would become a reality...