Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Weight training: advanced one-legged plank (1:00 each leg), advanced side plank (2:00 each side), advanced plank (3:00). Stretches. Breakfast at home by myself: dried mixed berry granola with vanilla yogurt and fresh sliced banana, orange juice. To work. Minor web edits. Helped the new class president with setting up a wiki. A student reported a cardkey not working as expected. Joel and I picked up lunch in the food court and took our lunches to the LGBT event in which Judy Shepard was invited to speak. It's been 10 years this month since Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered near Laramie, Wyoming. After his death, Dennis and Judy Shepard founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation which has been promoting diversity and tolerance through a variety of programs. The room, HSW300, was packed—I had never seen it fuller. A short introductory video preceded Mrs. Shepard's talk. She claimed to be an introvert and not good at public speaking, but she seemed a pretty good speaker to me, frequently using very effective humor to set the audience (and perhaps herself) at ease. The heart of her talk was her statement to the court that explained how her life had changed after Matthew's death. As she described the scenes from her life, particularly in the hospital room with Matthew, we all felt like we were there. Many in the audience were moved to tears, myself included. For a moment, she was overcome with grief and could not continue, and we all shared her pain. No apology was necessary, but she gave one anyway, and with effort she finished the retelling of her statement. A reminder about how important Proposition 8 was, then a few minutes for questions, and then time was up. Another class needed the room after us, so everyone had to leave. Several times during her talk she mentioned a desire for simplicity, which to me seemed fitting because the issues surrounding intolerance and bigotry are both simple and not simple at the same time. Chatted with and sat next to Kirk H before the talk. Checked out the CTS wiki, which Jilian fixed so that we all could edit it. Dentist appointment. Just a checkup—all is well. Had a chipped tooth about 2 months ago but no pain, so I had Dr. Lee grind down the sharp parts. Our dental insurance only covers one visit per year, so I had to pay out of pocket for this visit. I can't remember when that had started, but I think it used to be that the insurance would pay 2 times per year. Bought seeded sourdough bread at Arizmendi Bakery. My fortune from Panda Express at lunch: Your magnetic personality will draw people to you. Walked home. Refreshment: ginger orange juice. Dinner at home with Patrick: chicken and mushroom stew over farfalle, bread, Smart Balance Light. Watched Heroes Season 1 episode 23 and the "making of" documentary on Netflix DVD with Patrick. Updated entries for August 18 and 19 to include the feedback I gave to An Event Apart.