MODERN IFIGENIA

It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I NEED a vacation, like really NEED a vacation. As in, if I don't take a vacation soon, I will be rendered totally dysfunctional. So as I began to look for an affordable destination, I landed on Pocahontas County, WV. Hotels were affordable and very remote. I contacted a B&B to ask for clarification on their location and policies. The owner of the B&B was very helpful, but began to apologize; you see, the B&B has no Wi-Fi, and Cell phone service was spotty. What the owner was apologizing for, I was looking forward to. I was looking for a place where I could getaway to and know that no one will be able to reach me...so unreachable that I would carry cyanide with me so that if I were to fall and break my ankle, I could euthanize myself because no one would be able to find me. That is the kind of remote I was looking for. Needless to say, I was SOLD on the property! In the alternative, I will stop by Angel Falls , nothing say...

I have been getting my health coverage in order and was very proud of myself. I had Health, Dental and Vision coverage. Until I learned that my dentist didn't accept the plan offered by Delta Dental, which meant that Delta Dental's website information was incorrect, which they decided not to do anything about because I was stuck paying them premiums without an ability to use the insurance plan...which they love...seriously getting paid to do nothing. So after a few minutes listening to DD telling me that I chose the wrong plan, that I needed to choose one my dentist accepted, but they couldn't tell me which one the dentist accepted, but that I couldn't use their website to figure it out because their website was wrong, but they could tell me my dentist did accept one and I had to figure out which one of their plans my dentist accepted before they could let me know which one the dentist accepted, I realized that I am very grateful for several things: 1. Not working in ...

I have always had an obsession with makeup. That obsession has gone hand in hand with the feeling that I am not attractive enough, and my love of colors. I have learned to master the art of makeup for every occasion, but never managed to look beautiful. I have looked pretty. In fact, the times I feel I look my best, my mom would comment that I didn't look good because the photo didn't really convey who I was. I never quite understood what she meant...until last week. Last week I had the opportunity to spend three days with female immigrant rights activists from across the country. I walked into the meeting room the first day and felt immediately ugly. These women were all beautiful, they looked powerful, wise, they seemed to own who they were. I have strived all my life to look like these women, but at best managed to look pretty. As the time went by with them I noticed one commonality, they didn't wear makeup. There were Mexican women, Korean women, Chinese women...

Woman: Just so we are clear, we are not in a relationship Man: Do you like me? Do we have chemistry? Do you enjoy my company? Woman: Yes Man: Well, I feel the same way about you so you are my partner Woman: But I don't want a relationship Man: That's fine, you will be my partner until you don't want me anymore, it's okay, my plans don't have to be yours.

Everyone in the U.S. seems outraged at the fact that France has banned the use of e-mail after 6:00PM by its workers. The fear is that there are so many things we need to have 24 hours a day, that their economy will crash. The reports of the number of employees affected by this rule were initially I million, but in reality the number is much smaller -seems to be about 200,000, see NPR Story on France's new workday. I for one think we have a culture in the U.S. that does not value self-care, and because of that we are a population constantly just one step off of an edge. Sadly though, this culture of more-is-better doesn't yield better results, France's productivity rate is actually pretty comparable to the U.S. A feat considering their 35 hour workweek and mandatory vacation days, none of which are common here. To me this indicates, that we are obsessed with a lot of work and not with good work. We feel that if we spend long hours at the office we are somehow more produc...