BIG CAT!

In my post-finals haze, I decided to look at cute pictures of animals. When you type in "cat" to google, the second thing that comes up is:


"This cat is bigger than most dogs!"

Or is he on trial because he's an author?

Every year Georgetown makes its incoming freshman read a book and then has the author come and chat with them about it. Usually it's a task of some drudgery for students who are unwilling to interrupt the fun of orientation week for such a thing as schoolwork. Our author was Orhan Pamuk, author of My Name Is Red. It turns out that after meeting and chatting with Georgetown students, three years have passed and he's on trial in Turkey! Amy commented, "What did he do? What did he do? Oh, or do they just not like that he's an author?" Turns out, that's pretty much it. Really Turkey? I can't decide what you want, to be totally stand-offish or to court the EU. Stop being so high-maintenance and mixed-signals and let your authors out of jail.

Christmas Movie Moment - Classic B Moment

So this movie may not be at the top of everyone's Christmas shelf, it may not even be on everyone's Christmas shelf. Let's face it, most people have never heard of this movie. But it is one of my favorite Christmas movies, so instead of chosing just one moment from it, I will tell you to go rent it for yourself. It is, "All I Want for Christmas." See it, and you will thank me, just like the young Ethan Embry/Randall throws his arms in the air and shouts, "Thank you, Santa!"

Favorite Christmas Moment of the Day

Not from a movie, but a favorite Christmas quote of mine, and many. When I younger and living at home, we would always try to listen in for the local news radio station, KYW 1060's, reading of it. It is the Chicago Sun letter known as "Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Clause".

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Christmas lines, part dos

When I'm tired, and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep.
And I fall asleep
Counting my blessings.

I love that line. To those of you who don't, Christmas is the time of year that it's acceptable to be cheesy, so don't tease me too much ;-)

Favorite Christmas Movie Moments

Since I don't really have time for true blogs, per se, I think I'll at least make sure I post a favorite Christmas moment/line. Today's:

It's the summer of the soul in December.

Go figure out where it's from and enjoy the rest of the lyrics to that song!

Christmas feast

I only have a couple minutes to update before diving headlong into ILaw studying, but I felt I owed it to myself and my valiant cooking attempts to post about the Chambers Holiday Dinner.

The whole thing was Amy's brilliant idea, and it all went down this past Wednesday. There was a lot of stress on my part leading up to the big day, mostly based in obsessive desire to have turkey at the dinner and my obvious lack of cooking skills. That, coupled with several attempted Safeway trips defeated by too much work and/or the snowy wilderness (read: slushy state of DC), led Amy and I to buy a pre-cooked Turkey. So off we went to Safeway with, you guessed it, my GIANT suitcase to pick up all the groceries we needed. Including a nice 10-15 pound (they didn't label it, which proved difficult for cooking) pre-cooked turkey. Before you scoff at my cooking sell-out, remember that a pre-cooked Turkey still must be warmed in the oven for about an hour and a half, and carved. Which we did awesomely.

Amy also introduced me to the marshmallow school of sweet potato thought, since I was brought in a strictly pecan family. They were delish. Tim came over early to help with the cooking and was instrumental in my sautee-ing of onions to add to my instant stuffing. I also made brie with cranberry sauce on top that was delish, and served the remaining cranberry sauce as a side that went over quite well -- it was normal cranberry sauce mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and rum, so how could it not!? Anthony made delicious garlic mashed potatoes with chives which involved the debut of our electric mixer... very exciting.

And before your food jealousy is complete, we must not forget the copious amounts of wine everyone brought (including Tim's bottle of "Smoking Loon", which we all loved), and the amazing desserts provided by Jeff and Dominic and Jenny. Really, an awesome night.

And now, my current situation is not having *nearly* enough time to finish everything I have to. As part of my motivational inspiration, I'm revisiting old iTunes playlists. Right now we're about an eighth of the way through my Spanish music collection, which is impressive. But I'm sure you knew that.

Oh, and P.S. Safeway through the snow with a suitcase. Pilgrim that!

These are a few of my favorite things!

Taking after Amy, Tim, and Bob, I now present to you, the first thing that appears in Google images when I type in...

My first car: Camry

I forget what year it's from, but it certainly isn't quite so pretty. And it's tan. And five times dented by one sister.


Home town: Philadelphia



Or, Wayne, Pennsylvania




Current city of residence: Washington, DC


My name: Caitlin

I don't play lacrosse though.


My blog alias: McCaitlin

The one and only picture that comes up. Apparently my names are pretty sporty.


My favorite food: Brie



My favorite drink: Margaritas



My favorite song: Hallelujah

I like all versions that I've heard, Rufus, Leonard, Jeff. And I like the funny pictures that come up for Hallelujah images.


There, now you feel like you really know me, in person and in Google images. Hallelujah!

The "holiday season" : well wishes or the "worst elements in our culture"?

While I don't usually use this blog to link to different news articles, I couldn't help myself today. I particularly like the "war on Christmas" that seems to have snuck under my radar - who knew this was going down!

Analysis of a night on the second floor... in progress

11:00 Amy and Caitlin decide progress has come to a stand-still, a total contradiction, and head to the library to stop the paradoxical madness
11:30 Amy and Caitlin find 2 cubicles in the 2nd floor hot spot (the front cubicles are the place to be)... NEXT TO EACH OTHER. Insert audible gasp here.
11:45 Caitlin is answering e-mails.
12:00 Caitlin makes the rounds to see what cool people are hanging out on 2.
12:15 Caitlin answers more e-mails.
12:45 Caitlin and Amy take Mid Mug break
1:00 Caitlin answers more e-mails.
1:15 Caitlin starts her paper.
1:45 Caitlin has a pretty cool outline of half of her paper that's half a page long.
2:00 Caitlin takes a break to blog.

Productivity is so overrated...

Is there a 2nd floor facebook group? Because I so belong there.