what's up, seven up?

after a little more than a week of having entirely the right amount of fun, i've spent the past couple days catching up on the responsible adult-type stuff i've been putting off.

or, as kj would say, i've been doing a little admin.

here's what's on my mind.

1. haiti. to say it breaks my heart seems like an unfair understatement, but i don't know quite what else to say. last night i read barack obama's piece in newsweek entitled "why haiti matters" and i loved it. haiti matters to us because we are fortunate enough to be leaders, and leadership is compassion. i often fall victim to thinking there are some problems in the world too big for a good solution, but compassion seems like the place to start.

2. the jay leno/conan o'brien throwdown. it is the train wreck i can't look away from. and i can't even stay up late enough to watch late night tv. i think jay leno is coming off like a big douche canoe here, but then again i've always like conan and his ridiculously tall hair.

3. the water heater at the casa de bennett. i think it must be inordinately small, because two mornings in a row now someone has beat me to the shower in the morning and there has been not a drop of hot water left. this means two mornings in a row now, i have washed my hair in the sink. it wasn't even fun when i tried pretending i was at some awesome, cheap hostel on an exotic vacation. plus, it made my neck hurt.

4. my new home. i am feeling really happy and settled here in a new and more confident way. of course, i knew that i would eventually work my way around to feeling like this, but it's nice to have a taste of it, with plenty more to come, i am sure. my life has the pace and the tone that i like right now. happy sigh.

5. i wish i had had a better hair cut when i met the president. i know this sounds like a "my diamond shoes are too tight" kind of dilemma, but my hair bugs me every time i look at the picture of me with president obama. and that is a lot, including just a few minutes ago. getting a good hair cut in d.c. has proved extraordinarily difficult, but i think i have worked up almost enough courage to try again.

6. fundraising for the press institute. i am in the throes of it. wanna help me out? every little bit makes more than a little bit of difference, especially since all donations will be matched dollar for dollar through march 10. your $20 will become $40! your $50 will become $100! and i will love you forever. think about it.
(and go here once you've made up your mind: www.globalpressinstitute.org)

7. i don't think i have time to get scuba certified before i leave for australia. i do have time to get unbelievably excited though.

what's on your mind?

(did reading that make you think of those capital one "what's in your wallet" commercials? because writing it made me think about them. i think i liked the ones with the vikings best.)