tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-103062532011-04-21T18:38:26.678-04:00This is my place to rant, rave, bitch, moan, pine, wish, wonder, question, preach, rejoice, connect and evolve.Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1134055269218218172005-12-08T10:11:00.000-05:002005-12-08T10:21:09.250-05:00

I am busy studying for finals and getting ready for the holidays, so I have even less time to write than usual. But I came across this quote today at the end of Cary Tennis's column on Salon.com and had to post it. "Oh, and one more thing: It used to be that little boys played with little tin soldiers and little girls played with dolls. That was fine with me. When my little boy friends

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1131460997094182262005-11-08T09:34:00.000-05:002005-11-08T09:43:17.096-05:00

I bought my wedding dress on Saturday, I LOVE it. I won't be posting any pictures, since Darling fiance read this blog on occasion and I am determined to keep it a secret. If you want to see a picture, send me an email.I ended up buying the first dress that I tried on. Of course, I tried on about 15 dresses after that just to be sure. Including some that I had no intention of buying--like a

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1131136460769078402005-11-04T15:20:00.000-05:002005-11-04T15:34:20.783-05:00

My whole study group was redfaced after checking out these T-shirts with dorky law school inside jokes on the them. My favorites:

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1131030282997247312005-11-03T09:53:00.000-05:002005-11-03T10:04:43.010-05:00

The move to Buffalo has reminded me how much I missed "real" fall. Fall in D.C. is when the temperature finally drops below 80, but it only lasts a week before it goes down to 40 and stays there. I love the multi-colored leaves and crisp bite in the air. I love wearing a sweater and a scarf, but no jacket, to go out to dinner.But the change of season has made us all sick. Darling fiance, angel

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1130860950549928732005-11-01T10:09:00.000-05:002005-11-01T11:03:05.713-05:00

I know that I haven't posted in quite a while and doubt that anyone is still checking for updates, but I've been busy.I'm in the law school library, where I spend a large portion of my time these days, I found a quite corner tucked away on an upper floor and I am sitting under a skylight, listening to the rain. It is serene, despite the stacks and stacks of books and institutional furniture.

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1128607543188992192005-10-06T09:45:00.000-04:002005-10-06T10:05:43.196-04:00

I'll be 29 in one week. So I am spending some time taking stock of my life. I have much more quiet time to think than I used to, I am supposed to use this time to study, but my mind occasionally wanders.I've always thought that I was a nice person. Smart, articulate, fun, caring and nice. More and more lately I don't think this is true. Little things make me snap at my family. For example, Angel

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1127849653631710682005-09-27T15:14:00.000-04:002005-09-27T15:35:17.713-04:00

I don't have anything very exciting or insightful to share--I guess that's why I haven't been writing very much lately. The excitement and angst of moving has passed and we are all settled into a nice little routine.Well, except for last week--darling fiancé got in a car accident and I couldn't be reached because my new cell phone is a piece of crap. But he is fine and I really don't want to

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1126793943052826012005-09-15T10:02:00.000-04:002005-09-15T10:19:05.596-04:00

Today I could write about law school, or the open house at Angel babe's school last night, or about how much it sucks that we have cut our family's income by three-quarters--but , I think I will just post a picture to help remind me of why I moved back to Buffalo. Sure, it was mostly to go to law school, but it was also to be part of a community again. On Sunday darling fiancé and I went to the

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1126707370241389142005-09-14T10:06:00.000-04:002005-09-14T10:19:19.146-04:00

Why is it that nothing succeeds like failure and it always seem like the person in charge knows way less that the person five rungs down the ladder?Here's an answer Mediocre Frat Boy Theory. (tip to Republic of T. )I am trying to figure out what the corollary to this is, is it the cute blonde theory or the sycophant in a pretty dress theory. For now I will stick will my mother's motto "Competence

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1126278494221131342005-09-09T10:59:00.000-04:002005-09-09T11:13:34.726-04:00

The devastation from Hurricane Katrina is unfathomable to me. I can't imagine losing everything I have and starting over with nothing and having to rely on the government to help me.This incredible photo timeline really brought the experience home for me. It is very eerie to see how optimistic things looked after the storm passed and before the flooding started. This guy's tale is amazing.You can

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1126112230224365332005-09-07T12:49:00.000-04:002005-09-08T10:39:58.993-04:00

I am finally back to blogging after a too long hiatus. Since I last wrote I have moved to Buffalo with Angel babe and Darling fiancé, sold my car, moved my whole family in with my mother and started law school. We are pretty much settled in, but it wasn't without a few bumps in the road. The "friend" who was supposed to help us pack up the moving truck bailed at the last minute, so DF and I did

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1122925937579719552005-08-01T15:51:00.000-04:002005-08-01T15:52:17.580-04:00

Well we have finally started packing. Yesterday we bought 3 huge--like coffin-size--plastic storage containers and 5 smaller ones to start packing up everything for the move. Most of our stuff is going to be stored in my mom's basement until next spring when we move into our own place, so I wanted to be sure it would stay dry. While we are staying at Mom's we really won't need much of our stuff

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1122650529024251972005-07-29T11:12:00.000-04:002005-07-29T11:22:29.783-04:00

Today is my last day of work. I am FREAKING OUT. Why? All of the changes I have been planning for the last 6 months are happening now. It is real; it is no longer an idea. As darling fiancé just reminded me, this is a leap of faith. One of the things that is freaking me out the most is not having a job. I won't be working during the first year of law school since it is basically not allowed. I

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1122566558594913682005-07-28T11:48:00.000-04:002005-07-28T12:02:38.600-04:00

Tomorrow is my last day of work. I have worked for this organization and this boss for nearly eight years--my entire adult life. When I started here as an intern in August 1997 I was 20 years old, I knew nothing and was unsure of my abilities.This organization is amazing and my boss and colleagues are phenomenal. I was so fortunate to end up here, from the time I started I was always treated like

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1122322478364654952005-07-25T16:10:00.000-04:002005-07-25T16:14:38.376-04:00

We went camping this weekend to Shenandoah National Park, we went there two years ago and had great time, so we thought we better go again before we move. So we packed up the tent, chairs, snacks, cooler, bug spray, water, air mattress, air pump, snacks, sun block, card games, Frisbee, candles, hot dogs, snacks…you get the idea, we ended up with too much food and not enough clothes, blankets or

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1121975847292783382005-07-21T15:38:00.000-04:002005-07-21T15:57:27.300-04:00

Darling fiance just called to tell me he was offered a job in Buffalo!! I am so excited and so proud of him. This is fantastic and means we won't have to mooch off my mother or spend all of our savings right away when we move next month. This is the best job for him of the prospects he was looking at--it offers oodles of training on bigger and better systems which he has been dying to do, it's a

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1121792379926833092005-07-19T12:51:00.000-04:002005-07-19T12:59:39.933-04:00

I am moving back to Buffalo in 35 days. When I tell people about this I get two different reactions: “YEAH!! I can’t wait to see you and hang out!” or “Why the hell would you do that?” The people who are excited are generally family and friends that live in Buffalo or friends that grew up in Buffalo, moved away and now want to go back. Those that are dismayed are people who have never been to

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1121781948651831312005-07-19T10:02:00.000-04:002005-07-19T10:05:48.656-04:00

Thanks to everyone for their very sweet comments on yesterday's post. I normally have about 4-5 vistors to my blog a day, but yesterday it shot up to 37! (I love site stats.) Very cool. Welcome to all of the new people--who unlike most of my readers I didn't go to high school with or see everyday.I'll have a bit more to say later.

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1121698706700450452005-07-18T10:25:00.000-04:002005-07-18T10:58:26.753-04:00

When I was a kid my dad always used to say that in his next life he wanted to come back as one of his kids. This was his way of letting us know how great we had it and how crappy he had it as a kid. Yes, we (me and my two twin brothers) did have it pretty well. We grew up in the 80’s, everything was bigger and better. We had music, dance, gymnastics and tennis lessons, we were able to join the

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1121115506607356092005-07-11T16:45:00.000-04:002005-07-11T16:58:26.613-04:00

I found this via Republic of T-- a belated Fourth of July quiz.You Are 56% AmericanMost times you are proud to be an American.Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringeStill, you know there's no place better suited to be your home.You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!How American Are You?I'm a bit suprised by the results. I don't like a lot of things about

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1121100645146196022005-07-11T12:33:00.001-04:002005-07-11T16:44:48.506-04:00

We had a fantastic time in Buffalo, and we really, really didn't want to leave. This was the first time we have been there since we decided to make the big move back. Darling fiance had two really good interviews--so the job prospects look decent even if the pay is markedly less than it is here in DC. We were expecting him to make less money, just not soooooo much less. We're both a bit nervous

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1120225282125108852005-07-01T09:39:00.000-04:002005-07-01T09:41:22.130-04:00

I'm off for a week in Buffalo. I hope to come back having secured a wedding date and location, darling fiance a job and Angel babe a spot at a good school for kindergarten.Wish me luck!!

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1120166638598802912005-06-30T17:10:00.000-04:002005-06-30T17:23:58.606-04:00

I’ll admit it, I’ll watch pretty much any reality show at least once—and most of the time I end up mildly entertained or fervently obsessed (e.g. Project Runway, Kept). Last night I caught the latest episode of 30 Days on FX. This is show created by Morgan Spurlock who brought us Super Size Me about his 30 days eating nothing but McDonald’s food. The TV show concept is similar; people take on the

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1119969900924229112005-06-28T10:20:00.000-04:002005-06-28T10:45:00.930-04:00

I had a great weekend with Angel babe. The zoo was fantastic and we saw the new cheetah cubs. They were running around the yards and wrestling with each other, it so adorable. Easily one of my all-time best visits to the zoo. I'll try to post some pictures later this week. While at the zoo we ran into a family that goes to Angel's preschool and hung out with them for the rest of the time at the

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1119543593243494472005-06-23T12:12:00.000-04:002005-06-23T12:19:53.303-04:00

The run-off election in Iran is tomorrow and I’m sorting out what is going on. But this article from my favorite columnist in Asia Times did help explain it. The most striking thing is how it mirrors our 2004 presidential election. The less educated, more rural, more religious voters are going for the conservative candidate as a rejection of the elite intellectuals, loose morals, and engagement

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1119538465938316452005-06-23T10:26:00.000-04:002005-06-23T10:54:25.943-04:00

I'm a little scattered today, so here are some random thoughts and things:My thumb on my left hand has been tingling on and off for four days. At first I thought it was numb from a getting a burn while I was cooking, but now I'm beginning to launch into full hypochondriac mode and think that it is a sign of a brain tumor or impending stroke. But of course I'm not going to do anything about it

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1119277276008165572005-06-20T10:07:00.000-04:002005-06-20T10:21:16.013-04:00

For those of you wondering, the cake turned out great and pictures are forthcoming. The whole day actually went as planned and was wonderful. (I'm looking around to make sure fate isn't watching and getting ready to hand me a really shitty week to keep the cosmos in balance.)Get 4yr old to write "Daddy" on his card--CheckManage to make hollandaise sauce for eggs benedict--CheckHide massive golf

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1118952881930925802005-06-16T15:53:00.000-04:002005-06-16T16:25:38.636-04:00

I am attempting two firsts this week--first time posting a picture on my blog and first time making this cake.I am tackling it for Father's Day. I promised Angel baby boy that I would make it and Father's day seems like a good occasion, since darling “GA's” dream is for us to golf as a family. I'm trying and I like it, but I'm just, as he would say, “not very good with space.” When I was

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1118856734161837942005-06-15T13:03:00.000-04:002005-06-15T13:32:14.166-04:00

Today I am sending in my "Intent to Enroll" form for law school. So it is now official. I will be student as of late August and on my way to racking up some serious debt. But at least it won't be as bad as if I went to school in DC. UB law school (ranked number 77 in the country--not too shabby, right?) is $18,270 /year for non- NY state residents and $12,170 for NY residents (which I will be for

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1118768298408042412005-06-14T12:46:00.000-04:002005-06-14T13:00:36.293-04:00

I spend much of my work life talking about messaging and "talking to people where they are" and "framing the issues." Part of that means accepting that once a person chooses a side they tend ignore or disbelieve facts that don't support their position--the consultant speak for this is "facts don't fit the frame." After many years of advocating for policy change, I tend to believe this. The more

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1118683405337734582005-06-13T13:15:00.000-04:002005-06-13T13:24:17.086-04:00

Back at work after a good weekend, we braved the near 90 degree heat and humidity and went to the National Zoo. I love the Zoo, it's free and since we're members parking is free too!! There are so many exhibits that we can always switch it up and see something new. The highlights on Sunday were the bald eagles and the octopus in the invertebrate house--this is an often missed exhibit that I

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1118415178421017082005-06-10T10:50:00.000-04:002005-06-10T10:58:10.420-04:00

Last night after his "graduation" we took Angel to dinner at his place of choice--Red Lobster. How ghetto fabulous is it that we celebrated this semi-momentous occasion with a trip to the neighborhood chain restaurant?Anyway, he has been talking about eating lobster for months so we indulged him. I ordered the Lobster Lover's Feast (more food than 3 people should eat in one meal) and shared with

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10306253.post-1118341611249501542005-06-09T13:51:00.000-04:002005-06-09T14:26:51.253-04:00

So here I go, starting my blog. I've been lurking for a while so I think it is time for me to put myself out there as well. I'm trying to decide whether or not to give a bunch of background or just dive right in. I'll split the difference.I am about to go through some big changes in my life, after working as an advocate/activist/researcher for various foreign policy causes and issues for the last

Rissa Roohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08817331663606661717noreply@blogger.com0