Coretta Scott King is gone

Maybe I was just tired, or maybe the sentimental overtone of the special edition CBS news last night covering CSK's funeral did it, but even though I didn't really know much about what she did and stuff, I am kind of sad. I think it is this whole change thing.

CSK's death marks the end of an era. An era of constant, physically dangerous fighting for rights and equality. While, there is still much fighting for equality around the world today, her death marks the end of the era of marching and beating and sitting down in buses to make statements. Not that people don't fight for equality these days, but that it is different.

When I started thinking about it I realized that living where I live now would be not allowed or looked down upon if it wasn't for the pioneers of that time. I would be restricted to which school I could go to, where I could live, who I could marry, where I could work, etc. And suddenly, the silliness that many associate to the civil rights movements (I like to think of it in plural because making it singular makes it sound like a one shot easy feat) is gone.

And then I started thinking... I disagree with a lot of rights being fought for today, some sound like abuse of power (not political power but emotional power, like when a kid who has been punished unjustly asks to eat chocolate because he knows mom or dad are feeling pretty bad right about now). How will my kids feel though? Is my disagreement a sort of forgoing of liberties and rights that I deserve and do not realize because I am too lazy to question the social ways of today? Will my kids look back on some of the figths won by the "fighters" of today and be thankful for them? Or will my kids look back and wish I had done something about my disagreement? Is the world truly getting worse? Are the rights sought truly not rights but priviledges? Or is the world and the fights of today simply an intact time translated snapshot of the world and the fights of yesterday?

This all probably doesn't make sense. I am very much thinking in Spanish today, things I feel passionate about usually do that. The point being that I am very grateful for those who fought so that I could go to any bathroon that was open when I have needed one. I am very grateful for those who fought so that I could vote and have a say in how my life and the world around me should work. I am grateful that we do not have to march today for these freedoms, but have different forums to obtain what we want or need. But I do have one wish for those who are fighters today: seek the wisdom of God in choosing your battles so that you choose battles which are just and honorable to God and remember that not everything that is allowed is good or righteous. Let us avoid the temptation to fight for things that are not good just because they should be allowed or they should be our right, that road leads to dangerous places and strangely enough, to many prohibitions.

Four Things

We were tagged by Chandra earlier today, so I figured I would use my lunch break and follow in the Four Things tradition. We are really boring as you can already tell though so don't hold your breath.

Four Jobs I've had:
Paper filing at Jorge's office--really not my job, but the current secretary just knew how to ask
Computer Programmer--for Jorge's company.. this job was actually mine
Teaching Assistant--throughout college
Jr. Development Consultant

Four Movies I could watch over and over (I am cheating):
Wedding Singer (really almost anything Adam Sandler)
Shrek (and Shrek 2)
Sleepless in Seattle
Elf

Four Books I could read over and over again:
Truly, I don't like to read anything more than once because the second time around I remember everything I have already read and it gets boring. Here is the closest to books I can read over and over
Harry Potter (audio book version)
Chronicles of Narnia (audio book version)--really haven't finished listening to it so I might be lying
Bible--not that I find it easy or super entertaining always, but you kinda have to read it over and over again
Harry Potter (audio book version)--there's 6 of them so they should count at least for 2

Four Places I have lived:
Carolina, PR
Caguas, PR
Cidra, PR
Atlanta, GA
I bet you didn't think there were that many towns in Puerto Rico... I didn't either until I moved to Caguas.

Four TV shows I watch (I am cheating again because I am not listing current shows):
We haven't been watching much TV, but this is what we would watch
The Apprentice--Always
Cosby Show --have slowed down recently
Quantum Leap--recently very often
Punky Brewster--on ocassion

Places I have been on vacation:
St. Lucia--honeymoon
Costa Rica--unbelievable trip
Montreal--really nice
California--not really on vacation but did vacation type stuff

Four Websites I visit daily:
www.webex.com
www.google.com
mail.yahoo.com
http://www.cnn.com--almost --almost daily

Four Favorite foods (cheating):
Grandma's
Rice with Cheese
Asian (Thai preferred, Japanese and Chinese follow)
Anything that lives in the water

Four Places I’d like to be right now:
Puerto Rico
Europe (never been)
Somewhere in South America (Chile and Argentina come to mind)
My mansion that is already paid for, where I am retired to at the age of 24.

Four Bloggers I’m tagging (cheating one more time for good measure):
I don't know 4 people who know about our blog, have a blog, would play along and haven't been tagged, I actually don't know 1 person that fits that description so I will tag people I think should get a blog.
Carolina (sister)
Christian (sister's boyfriend)
the lurker out there
Elba (I'll give her the address of this blog so she can see she's tagged)

One small post about nothing...

As you know, I'm not very good at blogging regularly. I suppose that part of the problem is that I only feel like saying something when a significant event happens, or when I'm particularly upset about circumstances. When I'm upset, though, I have Patricia read over a draft of my blog entry beforehand. Let me tell you - you've been spared more than once from reading my rants about various things.

Today is the last day of January, 2006. I can't believe 1 month has gone by so quickly. That's 8.33% of the year, done already. Tax papers have been coming in the mail, and I've been keeping them aside so that I can do all of the taxes in one fell swoop when I have everything. Taxes this year are going to be more complicated than last year, and last year was more complicated than the year before. Thank goodness for TurboTax.