* That's the sound of the video game in the other room.
* I will most likely not post for the next few days, due to the fact that I will be out of town. Tomorrow starts a weekend full of currently unknown activity for me as K is taking me out of town for a couple days for my birthday. I have no idea what to expect. All I know is that I must pack the following items:
Clothing for overnight Thursday and Friday
Biz casual dress - nothing fancy just Milky Way appropriate
Tennis shoes
Sweatshirt/jacket
Jeans
Shorts
A sense of adventure
Flips
Bikini
Hair Ties
A sense of humor
A lighter
Corkscrew
* My brother is able to call me now. He calls every few days on his new cell phone. He still doesn't know how to carry a conversation very well, but it is good to hear his voice. He sounds like he's growing up and learning a lot about life and himself in general. I miss him and love him dearly and I'm very proud of his accomplishments in human development.
* I feel unaccomplished on my bike. I like that I have become part of a biking community, but I'm so skiddish on my bike. I don't like to go fast, around corners, down hills, near people, or do anything that involves breaking.
* Schoolwork is doing all right now. I guess. I spent all day doing homework, reading, writing and such. I guess I'm starting to feel caught up, but tomorrow is a new day filled with a whole new list of assignments. Hopefully I'll be able to devote Sunday night and all day Monday to that list.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
I'm Sitting In Tech Class Right Now
This is my fourth official day of classes. So far I've missed two assignments and a couple readings. I'm taking 15 credit hours this semester and teaching one 3-credit hour class on top of that. That's 18 total credit hours that I'm accountable for. Full time for a grad tudent is 9 credit hours. For those of you who can't do the math, that basically means I'm double full time right now. I didn't think it would be too bad, but so far I feel overextended and stressed out. Plus, all I really want to be doing is work for the class I'm teaching rather than work for the classes I'm taking.
*sigh*
I just keep telling myself that this will get better. I know I can do it; now I just have to get it done.
*sigh*
I just keep telling myself that this will get better. I know I can do it; now I just have to get it done.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Between Us, The Two Patriots And David Bowie The Smoker
Kelly and I were on the hunt for an in-town off-leash dog park today near Fort Boise when we stumbled upon an old military cemetary. It had been relocated there in 1980 and evidently was abandoned after the relocation. Some of the grave markers were dated from 1867 while others mentioned specific wars: the Indian Wars, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. Two graves had new, hand-held size American flags in front of them and one grave for a Mr. David Bowie of Illinois had a fresh, filter cigarette lying on the ground in front of it. Many of the men were from the first infantry of the Washington territory, but most of them were from other states, mostly Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and New York. There was a separate section from the rest for children, infants and unknowns. Another separate section was devoted to officers. Among the officer section was the family of a captian; they lost five sons under the age of six years old within a ten-year span. The dry desert grass has grown up around most of the grave sites making the find all the more treasurable. But now we know it is there and so do you, so between us, the two patriots and David Bowie the smoker, this cemetary shall not go unforotten.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Personal Letter
I was asked to write a letter to one of my professors as homework. Here's what I came up with:
August 25, 2005
Dear Jeff,
I am not your average 23-year-old (but only for another eight days), married with a dog, English and psychology degree holder with a flair for knitting. But then again, I don't think anyone is really average.
Lately, I have begun to identify myself as a "grown-up." I think this is such a big step for me because I've always wanted to be a grown-up and, even as a child, a big part of me has always felt already grown, despite the fact that my cognitive senses told me otherwise. What has made this realization apparent to me is the fact that I have a certain command over my life and my decisions that has never been there before. My life, until recently, has been greatly dictated by adults, bureaucracy, society, tradition and even roommates.
It strikes me that today I have eaten hummus, Muenster cheese and two different varieties of fresh vegetables. My six younger siblings most likely have no idea what those things are, much like me at their age. Even though I grew up knowing only about spam and scrambled eggs, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce from a jar, and Bisquick pancakes, I can take a different angle on something as taken for granted as my food consumption; now I drink soy milk and grill salmon outside with fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
Being married also contributes to this feeling of being a grown-up. It isn't the fact that I made an "adult" decision or that we're now home-owners or that we call our dog our child, but that marriage was a decision I made against lifelong conceptions about what I thought I needed in life. Once I realized that I truly wanted to be married and redefined what I wanted marriage to be like (instead of how it was demonstrated to me by various adults in my formative years), I was able to come to an understanding with myself that I could make marriage whatever I wanted it to be. Marriage doesn't have to be a house in the suburbs with carpeted stairs and appropriate wall art; marriage doesn't have to be reporting to my husband or being afraid of him or even worse, being afraid of not having him; marriage doesn't have to be restrictive or burdensome like muddy waters that flood my path to happiness. Rather, marriage could be something that starts off happily and continues in a partnership. Of course, I was only able to make this realization after deciding on the person I wanted to be my partner for the rest of my life. That fact is something else that indicates to me a level of grown-up-ness that has never before existed; when I was 16-years-old I was convinced my then-boyfriend and I were going to be married because, like my parents, that's just what you were supposed to do – although I never thought about it critically as I did before actually marrying.
I come to your class attentive to the world of knowledge. I want to learn how to be the best teacher I can be. As cliche as that sounds, it happens to be true. I already have some tools that will aid me in being a good teacher, but unlike many in academia, I know that teaching is a science that does not come naturally just because you know the material. Yes, I am strong-willed, smart, dedicated, passionate, organized, efficient, caring, friendly, empathetic, energetic and punctual. Yes, I know how to listen, how to read, how to write and all about literature. But I don't know the proverbial nuts and bolts of the profession. I don't know how other people do it, how they have done it. I want to know what works for other people and what doesn't and how stupid it would be for me to try it that way anyway. I want to be prepared to walk into a classroom ready to effect change.
My life plan at one time had been that I would go into counseling and then after having a full career in counseling I would go back to school and get my degree in teaching high school literature. Then I could retire being relaxed, doing what I enjoyed most. That was about six years ago. Because I wanted to counsel, I started my college career as a psychology student. However, I soon found it nearly impossibly for me to resist taking literature courses. So, to save some anguish and guilt, I simply added English as a major and graduated with both disciplines. After graduation I enrolled in a counseling program at The College of William & Mary where the workload was almost non-existent but the emotional intensity of the courses was more than I had bargained for. Toward midterms I had to write a theory paper for my course in counseling theories. One of the gals in my cohort, and one of my closest friends in Virginia, came to my apartment with her paper so we could host a mini writing workshop. After she read my paper she looked at me and abruptly asked, "Why are you in this class?" In response I looked at her blankly. Of course I was in the class because I wanted to be a counselor. Somehow, though, I couldn't explain that to her. She went on to tell me that I had written a stellar paper but that there was more passion in the paper for the paper itself and the argument of theory than for the actual theory. She told me she though of me as an amazing counselor and had thought so since the first week of class, but that after reading my paper she thought I would make a far better writer and teacher. I broke down in tears and asked her how she knew because already that semester I had been asking myself the same questions. Soon, it didn't make much sense to stay there and finish out the counseling program. At the end of the semester I returned to Boise and enrolled in this program instead.
So I come to the question you posed: How can I help you? You can help me by pushing me to do better, challenging me to experience more. You can believe in me as a student and as a teacher and provide me with opportunities to excel. You can provide me with a good example of what a prepared, motivated, engaged teacher looks like. You can hold me as accountable as you allow me to hold you. You can be prepared to keep up.
I look forward to the rest of the semester.
Sincerely,
A H
August 25, 2005
Dear Jeff,
I am not your average 23-year-old (but only for another eight days), married with a dog, English and psychology degree holder with a flair for knitting. But then again, I don't think anyone is really average.
Lately, I have begun to identify myself as a "grown-up." I think this is such a big step for me because I've always wanted to be a grown-up and, even as a child, a big part of me has always felt already grown, despite the fact that my cognitive senses told me otherwise. What has made this realization apparent to me is the fact that I have a certain command over my life and my decisions that has never been there before. My life, until recently, has been greatly dictated by adults, bureaucracy, society, tradition and even roommates.
It strikes me that today I have eaten hummus, Muenster cheese and two different varieties of fresh vegetables. My six younger siblings most likely have no idea what those things are, much like me at their age. Even though I grew up knowing only about spam and scrambled eggs, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce from a jar, and Bisquick pancakes, I can take a different angle on something as taken for granted as my food consumption; now I drink soy milk and grill salmon outside with fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
Being married also contributes to this feeling of being a grown-up. It isn't the fact that I made an "adult" decision or that we're now home-owners or that we call our dog our child, but that marriage was a decision I made against lifelong conceptions about what I thought I needed in life. Once I realized that I truly wanted to be married and redefined what I wanted marriage to be like (instead of how it was demonstrated to me by various adults in my formative years), I was able to come to an understanding with myself that I could make marriage whatever I wanted it to be. Marriage doesn't have to be a house in the suburbs with carpeted stairs and appropriate wall art; marriage doesn't have to be reporting to my husband or being afraid of him or even worse, being afraid of not having him; marriage doesn't have to be restrictive or burdensome like muddy waters that flood my path to happiness. Rather, marriage could be something that starts off happily and continues in a partnership. Of course, I was only able to make this realization after deciding on the person I wanted to be my partner for the rest of my life. That fact is something else that indicates to me a level of grown-up-ness that has never before existed; when I was 16-years-old I was convinced my then-boyfriend and I were going to be married because, like my parents, that's just what you were supposed to do – although I never thought about it critically as I did before actually marrying.
I come to your class attentive to the world of knowledge. I want to learn how to be the best teacher I can be. As cliche as that sounds, it happens to be true. I already have some tools that will aid me in being a good teacher, but unlike many in academia, I know that teaching is a science that does not come naturally just because you know the material. Yes, I am strong-willed, smart, dedicated, passionate, organized, efficient, caring, friendly, empathetic, energetic and punctual. Yes, I know how to listen, how to read, how to write and all about literature. But I don't know the proverbial nuts and bolts of the profession. I don't know how other people do it, how they have done it. I want to know what works for other people and what doesn't and how stupid it would be for me to try it that way anyway. I want to be prepared to walk into a classroom ready to effect change.
My life plan at one time had been that I would go into counseling and then after having a full career in counseling I would go back to school and get my degree in teaching high school literature. Then I could retire being relaxed, doing what I enjoyed most. That was about six years ago. Because I wanted to counsel, I started my college career as a psychology student. However, I soon found it nearly impossibly for me to resist taking literature courses. So, to save some anguish and guilt, I simply added English as a major and graduated with both disciplines. After graduation I enrolled in a counseling program at The College of William & Mary where the workload was almost non-existent but the emotional intensity of the courses was more than I had bargained for. Toward midterms I had to write a theory paper for my course in counseling theories. One of the gals in my cohort, and one of my closest friends in Virginia, came to my apartment with her paper so we could host a mini writing workshop. After she read my paper she looked at me and abruptly asked, "Why are you in this class?" In response I looked at her blankly. Of course I was in the class because I wanted to be a counselor. Somehow, though, I couldn't explain that to her. She went on to tell me that I had written a stellar paper but that there was more passion in the paper for the paper itself and the argument of theory than for the actual theory. She told me she though of me as an amazing counselor and had thought so since the first week of class, but that after reading my paper she thought I would make a far better writer and teacher. I broke down in tears and asked her how she knew because already that semester I had been asking myself the same questions. Soon, it didn't make much sense to stay there and finish out the counseling program. At the end of the semester I returned to Boise and enrolled in this program instead.
So I come to the question you posed: How can I help you? You can help me by pushing me to do better, challenging me to experience more. You can believe in me as a student and as a teacher and provide me with opportunities to excel. You can provide me with a good example of what a prepared, motivated, engaged teacher looks like. You can hold me as accountable as you allow me to hold you. You can be prepared to keep up.
I look forward to the rest of the semester.
Sincerely,
A H
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Date Night
I was able to go on a real-live, Friday night date with my husband tonight. We went to a grill downtown that shows movies on the wall of the building next door and watched "Grosse Pointe Blank." We drank a little, we ate a little, we walked around afterwards a little. We had a good time and we kissed and held hands the whole night. It has been since the end of March that I've had a Friday night off in Boise and I've been missing it. I feel so in love...
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Downtown Bike Shutdown
Every third Saturday of the month bikers (as in "bicycles") meet up downtown and join the cars on the cruise. What ends up happening is that people on the cruise leave and go home because the bikers take up so much of the street. For more information, check out the myspace site with all the details, including plans for the next shutdown this Saturday, August 20. I think anything we can do to combat the cruise is a good idea. Let's stop those raucous teenagers with nothing better to do than waste gas, contributing to environmental disparagies, and make as much noise as possible.
Sometimes I can sound so old...
Sometimes I can sound so old...
Monday, August 15, 2005
Chicago!
I spent two days in the Windy City last week and completely fell in love with the place. They have millions of things to do, an amazing public transportation system, nice people, beautiful architechture, fabulous shopping and great restaurants. The city has a friendly feel to it, as though people are genuinely looking out for each other. The only down side to the area as far as I could see was the lousy Navy base where I spent all day Friday. This happens to be neither a fun nor an interesting place to be and I do not recommend it for your pleasureable trip to the Second City. I myself would have avoided it completely had my little bro not graduated from basic training there that day. Overall, however, I give an A+ to the trip and the city as a whole. And if anyone wants travel tips for the greater Chicago area and its transportation system, call Kathy.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Rip Off
I am known to rip stuff off from other bloggers every once in a while. This time, I received this activity strictly from Patri's blog, which I read on an irregular basis - much like I read most online things these days.
Anyway...The premise is this: You go to Google and type in "your name is."
I typed in "A is" and came up with the following:
This is what came up when I typed in "K is":
Anyway...The premise is this: You go to Google and type in "your name is."
I typed in "A is" and came up with the following:
A is a loving mother who retains her sense of humor.
A is the Lead Technical Editor for the Dreamweaver MX Bible.
A is the kind of movie that certain people don't want you to see.
A is the only skater who received three first place ordinals.
A is a prime example of the huge impact technology can make to one's career.
A is the attractive but hard-bitten wife of ageing Mafioso Saro.
This is what came up when I typed in "K is":
K is South Africa's top provider of innovative, flexible, customer-centric, responsible People Solutions that leverage greater client competitiveness.And to round out the family entertainment, "Radley is" turned up with this:
K is arguably Australia's greatest folk hero.
K is the Keynote Speaker for the upcoming Veteran Owned Business Expo.
K is a former New York area folk singer, songwriter/ journalist and artist.
K is another in the long line of cookie-cutter, faux rock chicks.
Radley is the oldest part of the modern village.
Radley is not a monster after all.
Radley is on the main line between Didcot and Oxford.
Radley is nude in his office at a third-rate law firm.
Radley is unique amongst independent schools in the way it tackles AS/A2 exams.
Radley is an active Member of The Forensic Science Society.
Radley is always an advocate for government leaving everything alone.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Lots To Cover
* I feel compelled to plug for Mandy again. If you missed my previous post about this, she's running a marathon for pledges for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Evidently, if she doesn't have 25% of her pledges in by August 16, they'll take that chunk out of her credit card. This is a great cause for a great girl and every dollar counts toward her end goal. If you want more information on the program or on her training schedule, HERE is a link to her blog. If you would like to donate to her campaign on line, click HERE.
* If I were to add up all the time I've spent with individuals in my life over the past week I would find that the person I've spent the most time with is JP, one of my coworkers. I like him a lot and he's great to work with, but Kelly usually wins that contest and I don't like him being usurped. Thank goodness he returns to me tomorrow.
* I watched a cartoon the other night about a skunk. This skunk only wanted to find love. He had a good heart and was nice to the girls of the forest, but when they found out he was a skunk they ran away. Often times they ran when he had his back turned to pick flowers or had his head bowed to kiss their hands. When he would look back for the girl, she would be gone without a trace. So the skunk paints himself to look like a fox. He finds a girl fox and they traipse through the forest contentedly. At one point they cross a log bridge, slip and fall into the water. One of them surfaces and you see paint wash off to reveal a skunk. Then the other surfaces and, like the first love-struck creature, you see paint wash off to reveal a skunk. I think this is a metaphor for my dating/love life. It touched me.
* There are so many books I want to read, but somehow I don't seem to have the time to read them. How is this possible? What do I do that doesn't involve reading? It's depressing, really.
* I think Radley has some major psychiatric disorders. I know he doesn't cope well with change and he could most likely be diagnosed with separation anxiety. Lately I have started to wonder about self-esteem issues. I heard on NPR recently that children who don't feel a sense of reliable security from their parents can develop low self-esteem issues. With the amoun that we have been gone - especially when we first adopted him and also this summer - I can see that being a problem for our sensitive boy. Currently he's walking around the house whining. I think he really misses Kelly. He's already decimated one pair of Kelly's underwear and two socks.
* Lately at work I've been working with the two new guys. They're both awesome and we're becoming pretty good friends. Not the point. The point is that they are new. I'm not. Therefore, they ask me a lot of questions and depend on me to teach them how to do things. This is great for my work ego. It makes me feel established and knowledgeable.
* I like Gwen Stefani's new song (I think it's called) "I know we're cool," but it makes me a little nauseous to listen to it. Not sure why...Maybe it makes me remember or at least think about something unpleasant in my own life.
* If I were to add up all the time I've spent with individuals in my life over the past week I would find that the person I've spent the most time with is JP, one of my coworkers. I like him a lot and he's great to work with, but Kelly usually wins that contest and I don't like him being usurped. Thank goodness he returns to me tomorrow.
* I watched a cartoon the other night about a skunk. This skunk only wanted to find love. He had a good heart and was nice to the girls of the forest, but when they found out he was a skunk they ran away. Often times they ran when he had his back turned to pick flowers or had his head bowed to kiss their hands. When he would look back for the girl, she would be gone without a trace. So the skunk paints himself to look like a fox. He finds a girl fox and they traipse through the forest contentedly. At one point they cross a log bridge, slip and fall into the water. One of them surfaces and you see paint wash off to reveal a skunk. Then the other surfaces and, like the first love-struck creature, you see paint wash off to reveal a skunk. I think this is a metaphor for my dating/love life. It touched me.
* There are so many books I want to read, but somehow I don't seem to have the time to read them. How is this possible? What do I do that doesn't involve reading? It's depressing, really.
* I think Radley has some major psychiatric disorders. I know he doesn't cope well with change and he could most likely be diagnosed with separation anxiety. Lately I have started to wonder about self-esteem issues. I heard on NPR recently that children who don't feel a sense of reliable security from their parents can develop low self-esteem issues. With the amoun that we have been gone - especially when we first adopted him and also this summer - I can see that being a problem for our sensitive boy. Currently he's walking around the house whining. I think he really misses Kelly. He's already decimated one pair of Kelly's underwear and two socks.
* Lately at work I've been working with the two new guys. They're both awesome and we're becoming pretty good friends. Not the point. The point is that they are new. I'm not. Therefore, they ask me a lot of questions and depend on me to teach them how to do things. This is great for my work ego. It makes me feel established and knowledgeable.
* I like Gwen Stefani's new song (I think it's called) "I know we're cool," but it makes me a little nauseous to listen to it. Not sure why...Maybe it makes me remember or at least think about something unpleasant in my own life.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Wedding Pics
I said I would do it, so here it is finally...A collection of highlights from the wedding. Special thanks to Liz and Rex for supplying the photos. I looked for the CD from Crystal but I couldn't locate it anywhere. My guess is that Kelly knows where it is. Or that I'll find it when I clean up in the super disasterous study. When I find it I may post a few more pictures, but until then...enjoy.
Here's the whole gang. We're posing for the photographer at a completely different angle, but I lik this shot just as much.
Here's Kelly and the guys...
and me and the girls.
A shot from above.
This is during the ceremony.
This is after the ceremony. Everyone carried a flower during the ceremony except Kelly and me. Then we went up the stairs (there was a room at the top of the stairs which was where we came out at the beginning of the ceremony) and everyone passed their flowers to the center. Krista tied them all together with a ribbon from some chocolates Bethany brought to share, making the bouquet I tossed.
Here's the only surviving photo of Kelly and me with all our siblings (minus one). Kelly is the youngest of seven and I'm the oldest of seven. I say that it's the only surviving photo because this pose was intended to be captured by the photographer. Unfortunately his lense had something wrong with it and nothing turned out. We're incredibly greatful for this one for that reason.
Here's the whole gang. We're posing for the photographer at a completely different angle, but I lik this shot just as much.
Here's Kelly and the guys...
and me and the girls.
A shot from above.
This is during the ceremony.
This is after the ceremony. Everyone carried a flower during the ceremony except Kelly and me. Then we went up the stairs (there was a room at the top of the stairs which was where we came out at the beginning of the ceremony) and everyone passed their flowers to the center. Krista tied them all together with a ribbon from some chocolates Bethany brought to share, making the bouquet I tossed.
Here's the only surviving photo of Kelly and me with all our siblings (minus one). Kelly is the youngest of seven and I'm the oldest of seven. I say that it's the only surviving photo because this pose was intended to be captured by the photographer. Unfortunately his lense had something wrong with it and nothing turned out. We're incredibly greatful for this one for that reason.
Wedding Pics Continued
I could only do a certain number per post, so here's the rest of the ones I wanted to share.
Here's our first dance together. We danced to Sarah McLaughlin's "Ice Cream."
Here I am dancing with a bunch of girlfriends to *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye." It was kind of a memory thing from freshman year in the dorms...those were the days...Notice my dress starting to slip off? That was the first of two times that it completely fell down. The clasp in the back broke so I was taped in and safety pinned but still had to hold it up all night.
When it was time for us to leave we were hugging people as we walked toward the door. However, everyone managed to make it outside before we got there. We were confused and thought people just couldn't wait to get out of there. Turns out that they made two lines from the door of the depot to the door of the taxi we rode in to a hotel. When we walked outside they started cheering and clapping and congratulating us. It still makes me tear up to recall that moment. Thanks Matt.
Here we are at the end of the line climbing into the cab, laughing but still a little teary-eyed at the rush of joy and exuberance and love from everyone there.
Here's our first dance together. We danced to Sarah McLaughlin's "Ice Cream."
Here I am dancing with a bunch of girlfriends to *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye." It was kind of a memory thing from freshman year in the dorms...those were the days...Notice my dress starting to slip off? That was the first of two times that it completely fell down. The clasp in the back broke so I was taped in and safety pinned but still had to hold it up all night.
When it was time for us to leave we were hugging people as we walked toward the door. However, everyone managed to make it outside before we got there. We were confused and thought people just couldn't wait to get out of there. Turns out that they made two lines from the door of the depot to the door of the taxi we rode in to a hotel. When we walked outside they started cheering and clapping and congratulating us. It still makes me tear up to recall that moment. Thanks Matt.
Here we are at the end of the line climbing into the cab, laughing but still a little teary-eyed at the rush of joy and exuberance and love from everyone there.
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