MY year in pictures!!

Here's a not-so-brief look at 2007... There are 37 photos, so bear with me here...

(Note: If you'd like to see the larger version of a photo, click on it!) :)

1.) Rock climbing was a big hobby of mine this year!




2.) Mary & Shawn got engaged!! (This is us at a celebration for them.)




3.) Sarah graduated from college! (Here are our parents at the ceremony.)




4.) I quit teaching after my first year. (This is a painting one of my former students did our last month of school.)




5.) I moved to a lovely little house...




6.) ...And got a new job! (Here's a photo, previously shown on this blog, of me on my first-ever overnight business trip to Winslow, Arizona!)




7.) My best buddy, Andrew, and I went to a friend's wedding in Colorado.




8.) My own sister, Katie, then got married!




9.) These days, it's rare to have the whole fam together.




10.) The wedding was beautiful and awesome.




11.) Mr. and Mrs. Knapp enjoyed some time with their niece, Claudia!




12.) I also acquired a kick-ass roommate (James) and kitty (Isaac, here with laser-eyes).




13.) James & I overwhelemed the living room with our colletion of books and movies.




14.) I learned that two high school friends of mine (Amanda & Maria) now live in Arizona, too!!




15.) Sedona, extremely close to my new home, proved a wonderful place to frequent.




16.) James introduced me to the drama class's costume room. Hehe.




17.) Our sage-like office printer offered words of wisdom.




18.) On a random trip to Albuquerque, I stopped to admire the annual hot air balloon festival. It was awesome.




19.) The weekend after Albuquerque, I hit up Vegas with a high school/college friend of mine (Joe), and we met some very nice strangers.




20.) I got to see my cousins and their respective children!




21.) James made our house's first fire of the year! :)




22.) On a spur-of-the-moment splurge, I flew to Cleveland for Thanksgiving, just in time for my niece, Claudia's, birthday.





23.) The four sisters posed with one very bored boyfriend.




24.) During Thanksgiving, I was also fortuante enough to see some good friends.




25.) My father showed his patience with my niece, Tabatha's, antics. (I can't help but find his expression here hilarious, considering how little Tabatha is.)




26.) I flew a lot (14 flights this year alone)!




27.) I also drove a lot (about 30K miles logged on my car)!




28.) Andrew got his first "real" job as a guidance counselor in Page.




29.) Meanwhile, we got mini basketballs to play with at my work.




30.) My new buddy, Jared and I, showed off some shades in a ghetto-fab store in Phoenix.




31.) Back in Cleveland, I got to see lots of friends again! :)




32.) Sarah and I kicked it with our nieces and our family.




33.) Yay, friends!





34.) And yay, more friends!





35.) I love my parents. :)




36.) Old college roomies get to bowl when we're all in town!




37.) Again, it's so awesome having good friends.





That's all! It was a crazy, eye-opening year, and I shall remember the important lessons I've learned.

2008, here I come!

Survey says...

So I've been taking some online surveys to get some free stuff... The surveys are actually pretty cool. One time, they mailed me a new Progresso soup that I got to sample & report on. Good stuff.

Anyway, I took another survey today about Sure antipersperant/deodorant. Here are some excerpts:

[Prompt:] Describe the ad as if you were talking to a friend.

me: "Hey, Andrew."
Andrew: "Hey."
me: "So I saw this new ad for Sure deodorant."
A: "Really? Tell me about it."
me: "Well, it had this guy running in a train station, and the ad said 'u r not afraid of a morning jog' or something like that."
A: "And how was 'you are' spelled? Don't tell me it was like a text message."
me: "Oh, it was. They just used the letters ‘U’ and ‘R’ to represent the actual words."
A: "But you hate stuff like that, Ms. Grammar Queen!"
me: "I know, but upon further examination, I realized that if you took out the 'S' and 'e' in 'Sure,' you're left with 'u r.' Brilliant, really."
A: "Surely. So, what are we doing this weekend?"


[Prompt:] What does the phrase “Protect who U R” mean to you?

It means that the texting/internet culture has dominated over conventional use of the English language. Honestly, it's a bit disconcerting, but those who ignore change have to deal with it anyway.

season's greetings...

... from my trash people. i'll share with you... though you may need to click on it to be able to read it. it's harmless, i promise:



happy holidays, all!! :)

Birthdays and Top 10 Lists

First, I forgot to wish my momma a happy b-day!!! (Happy b-day, Momita!!)

Second, I'd like to list my New Year's resolutions... (There are quite a few.)

1.) Only hit the "snooze" button ONCE in the mornings.
2.) Spend 30 minutes or less on the computer at home each day.
3.) Take only 1 trip per month.
4.) Only eat out once per week.
5.) Pay off at least 2 times each credit card bill's monthly minimum each month.
6.) Clean house/room 15 minutes each day.
7.) Make good eating choices.
8.) Get more tutoring/work hours if possible.
9.) Find some way to exercise (even a little bit) every day.
10.) Do not do anything that is inconsistent with who you are.

So there.

Finally, since I'm into "top 10" lists lately, I'm going to make one for another situation in my life. You see, my roommate and I have not been able to get the heat turned on in our house yet (looong, stupid story). Thus, we've had to be creative with how we stay warm at night & in the mornings. Without further ado, my list:

You know it's too cold in your house when...

1.) Putting a Dura Log in the fireplace raises your thermostat by 7 degrees.
2.) You lay the cat on your stomach for extra body heat.
3.) You don't change out of the clothes you wore from the day because it'd be too cold to remove them and change into pajamas.
4.) Breakfast is eaten in front of the open stove, set to 400 degrees.
5.) You sleep with a robe, a hat, gloves, and a scarf on.
6.) Friends come over and never take their coats off.
7.) You brush your teeth by candlelight because of the added warmth.
8.) You warm up by drinking warm beverages and doing any exercises you can.
9.) You wake up with a headache from a night spent with chattering teeth.
10.) Work seems more appealing because there's heat at the office!

Ta da!! Good news, though: this problem should (hopefully!!!!!!!) be remedied tomorrow, should the gas & electric people get their acts together.

For now, adieu.

I'm bad at coming up with creative titles.

So I've been listening to mainstream radio a lot lately... I've been trying to listen to NPR as much as possible, but there's only so much news I can take at once. Sigh.

Anyway, point at hand: there is a vast amount of songs that deal with men being crappy. Here are a few titles & artists that are presently played on popular radio:

-Who Knew by Pink
-Hate That I Love You by Rihanna
-Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood
-U + Ur Hand by Pink

There are countless others, but those are the only examples I could come up with offhand. While looking up songs online, however, I noticed that there are some performed by male singers who were equally screwed over by ladies. Some examples:

-Wake-up Call by Maroon 5
-Over You by Daughtry
-Dreaming with a Broken Heart by John Mayer

Maybe people in relationships can be bad, regardless of gender. :P I was just surprised by how many "men suck" songs there were on the radio the past few weeks, and I thought I'd share.

In other news, I taught back at my old school yesterday (where I taught last year). It's good to be there just for a few hours at a time, and I love seeing my old kids & teacher friends. However, I was a little (wrongly???) disturbed by an occurence yesterday...

When I abandoned my classroom at the end of last school year, I left a note in the desk for the next occupant of my room. The woman who now teaches in my old classroom called me, thrilled to be in contact. I've come in (on my own time) to teach math lessons for fun. (Sick, huh??) Anyway, I've been doing weekly nutrition lessons in her class for the past few months. At first, it was totally weird being back in the room where I had the roughest year of my life. Now, fortunately, I'm used to it.

Well, last year, I gave probably 200% of my efforts to that school. (And I'd like to think that my 100% is a lot!) Toward the end of the year, my class & I worked on a community-wide silent auction/raffle/carnival to raise much-needed money for a crumbling playground. With contributions and event proceeds, we raised over $4,000. Though I had been hoping for more (I was going for $10k), I was still happy we raised a significant chunk of change.

So yesterday, while doing a lesson in the current teacher's room, I learned that the class was on the front page of the local newspaper. They had raised $150 for Unicef, which is awesome. However, my pride overcame me, and I was suddenly both saddened and angered that my class & I hadn't been recognized for all of our outstanding efforts, and we raised more than 25 times what this class did! With a slightly wilted ego, I proclaimed to the class, "Wow! That's wonderful that you were able to raise that money! Congratulations!" Inside, my spirits sunk, and I then did a relatively bland lesson. (I'm usually pretty spazzy when I teach, so this was a huge change.)

So after the whole day of teaching (6 classes!!!), I got to the car in kind of a funk. Do I *need* recognition for the things I do? It seems so! How disheartening. I thought I was above that, but I guess not. Don't get me wrong; friends, family, and coworkers have been outstanding at making my efforts seem worthwhile... but I guess I just wanted a newspaper article or something. Yuck. And you know, I've always seen people in magazines or on Oprah or whatever who had gone unrecognized for months, years, decades, until someone decided to share what they were doing with the world. I figured then that the most amazing people are humble and do not go in search of fame. This makes my realization (that I need recognition) especially painful. Sigh.

Anyway, I suppose that's it for now. The roommate & I have decorated the house with lots o' Christmas goodness. As soon as I find my dang camera cord, I shall share some of those photos on this blog. For now, peace.

Sympathy for our leaders...

So I taught 4 classes today: two 8th grades, a 6th-9th combo, and a 4th/5th combo. Wowzas. I keep forgetting how draining it is to teach all day!!!

Anyway, driving back to work from my second set of classes, I had a brief rush of sympathy (and, to a degree, empathy) for the leaders of countries. (Yes, ladies and gents, this even includes our current head of state.)

I instantly recalled the feeling I'd have at the end of the day last year, after a full day of teaching... I was exhausted, drained, and unmotivated. All I wanted to do was go home, lie on the couch, watch a movie, and forget about things for 2 hours. Today, while it wasn't as bad, reminded me of that sense of sheer depletion. Oy, to be an effective teacher in today's age!!

However, as a teacher, you can take a break. You have the weekends (or part of them) to unwind; you get summers mostly off; you can even call in sick and/or attend a workshop now and then. Being a country's leader, on the other hand, is not so simple. You cannot "turn off" your term for a bit to escape. (Well, Bush seems to take quite a few vacations, but still...) It would be impossible to forget the awesome responsibility you have to society and the world. In a word, it would be maddening.

I suppose I'm just trying to say that I have a newfound respect and understanding of the world's leaders. Granted, I may not always agree with their decisions, but I can absolutely identify with a sense of being overwhelmed and tired to your core.

On this (random) note, I leave you to tutor some adult learners!! Ciao.

Turkey Day!!!

It was really, really awesome. Here’s my story:

I booked a spur-of-the-moment ticket to Ohio on Tuesday (2 days before Turkey Day), and was on the phone with my sister, Sarah, when I did it. I was like, “Wooo hooo!!!” And then I realized that I booked my flight not to Cleveland, but to Akron/Canton (which is an hour out from Cleveland). Not bad, and it worked, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

On Thursday, my brother-in-law picked me up and we drove to my parents’ house. Part of the ride, we were cavorting and came up with a brilliant plan. It was executed thusly:

A street before my parents', at a stoplight, I got out of the passenger seat and ran into the backseat (I now call it an Ohioan fire drill). We got to my parents’ house, and I hid in the backseat while my bro-in-law went inside to join the rest of the family. Whilst in the backseat, I phoned my parents. My dad answered, and I didn’t think he’d fall for my plan, but I had to be cool, so we talked for a minute. “I really wish you could be here,” he said. I did all I could to keep from blurting out my secret. The phone was passed around, and I finally got my mom on the line. Our phone conversation is about as follows:


Me (Mb): “Hey, Momita! Happy Turkey Day!”
Momita (M): “Hi, precious! Happy Thanksgiving!! Oh, everyone’s here, I wish you could be too.”
Mb: “Awww, me too, Momma. Oh, that reminds me, did you get my package?”
M: “What package?”
Mb: “Oh, you didn’t get it? They guaranteed it and sent a confirmation and everything!!”
M: “No, I haven’t seen it.”
Mb: “Bummer! Would you please do me a favor and look outside? It’d really mean a lot.”
M: “Ok… I’ll give the phone to Sarah while I check.”
Mb: “Ok.”
Sarah (S): “Hola, Issima.”
Mb: “Hola, Issita. I’m here, executing Operation Black Hawk. Don’t tell. I’ll be there in a minute.”
S: “Ok, see you soon.”

In the meantime, I was running from the car to the house. I got there just as Momita opened the door. I opened my arms and yelled, “Surprise!!!” For a second, I don’t think she really comprehended what went on. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs, “OH, MY GOD!!!!” And she cried and jumped on me. Then my dad came over to see what the commotion was. As soon as he saw me, he yelled, too, and we all cried. Yay! It was totally worth the $400 it cost to get there. :)

So it was a really good visit. I saw friends, ex-boyfriends, and lots o’ family!! I finally got some quality time in with my nieces, which was great. I was very sad to leave yesterday. Surprisingly so. I even cried a bit, since it was so good to see everyone! However, once I was on the plane, I was looking forward to warmer weather and my kitty, so it was cool.

Actually, if I get around to it in the next few minutes, I'll post some photos... Stay tuned! :)

God bless Vicodin!!!

So I'm in love. With Vicodin. But not in a bad way!!!

Here's my story:

I went to bed last night at a fairly reasonable hour (before midnight, anyway!). I've been sick for the past week, and the past three days have been awful.

Anyway, last night, I had SEVERE pain and pressure in my left cheekbone, jaw, and forehead. I was congested, and every time I coughed, it caused excruciating pain in my throat and chest. Owee!!

After an hour and a half of this misery, I did something I don't do as much as I once did: I prayed. I prayed to God/the Universe/my grandparents/whomever was listening. I wanted the pain to end!! I have no idea how people deal with migranes; I don't know if I'd be able to do it. Ouch!

I was kind of upset when my pain wasn't automatically alleviated, so I sat in bed and sulked for a while. Then, I finally stumbled to my computer to go to webmd.com, where I read enough to realize that I have a sinus infection. A rather nasty one, too!

"Well, self," I reasoned, "this thing ain't gonna cure itself. Off to the hospital!"

I drove my sorry ass to the local E.R., which is just a few miles from my house. At this point, it was about 1:30am. Within a mere hour (remarkably fast for the E.R.!), I walked out, diagnosis and prescriptions in hand. A nice doctor (who may not be so nice when I get the bills in a few weeks) confirmed my self-diagnosis of sinus infection. He sent me home with 3 prescriptions: one for an antibiotic, one to get rid of mucus, and ... yes, Vicodin.

Possibly the only other time I've come in contact with oxycodone is when I had my wisdom teeth out 5 years ago. However, this wonderful drug has let me get through a full day of work in virtually no pain!!

So I was thinking about it today: perhaps my prayers really *were* answered, somehow, somewhere. If the pain had just subsided last night, it would almost certainly be back today, and I'd be right back to where I started. However, the pain was so remarkably unbearable last night that I took actions to get it taken care of in the longer term. Score. So maybe I'm looking for something that isn't necessarily there, but maybe... it is.

That's all for now. One more hour, then I bust outta work for Turkey Day weekend!! :)

Oh, shenanigans...

So I'm pretty sick at the moment. Yesterday was particularly rough, so much so that I called off work. Yucky!!

Anyway, my roommate's been pretty cool as of late. On Sunday, we bought puzzles to assemble & eventually hang on the wall. Here's the current state of puzzle #1:



Perty, huh? It's *only* 1,000 pieces. Leave it to James to start with the hardest one!!

Second, James took it upon himself to get our fireplace goin'! He bought some (fake) logs, and we then had our first fire ever:





Score!! Then, last night, James took it upon himself to get me tulips (lovely!) and make a killer dinner, since he's leaving today for Thanksgiving break. (Lucky bastard.) It was awesome, even though I couldn't really taste anything and didn't have much of an appetite. Observe:



So, all in all, good roommate stuff in these parts.

Next topic: a recent positive experience I've had. We'll call it "mini church." So Sunday, there was this Mitzvah ("good deed") day throughout the area where I live. It was a day where all kinds of groups (religious, service, etc.) come together and volunteer for various projects. I helped wash windows at a senior living community, which was a lot of fun (even with a nasty cough and no voice!).

The whole day was started at a community Catholic church. While I can't say I'm a big fan of organized religion, there is something from it I miss dearly: a sense of community. Well, Sunday's "mini church" was just the ticket! At the kick off for Mitzvah Day, we all registered, ate food, and gathered in the church's pews for some singing and a quick blessing by both a rabbi and a priest. It was then off to do our volunteer work!

I couldn't help but think: this is how religious services should be!! Gather together to eat food, sing some songs, have a quick blessing, and then go out into the community to serve others. It was wonderful. If services were like that, I'd go all the time! What better way to celebrate and love than to go out and share your service with others! I left the church, refreshed, invigorated, and inspired. Perhaps I shall have my own religion. I may call it Awesometology.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Wanted to share some good news with y'all! :)

Something new

So this is part 2 of my two-post day (see the previous entry for reference)...

Something unusual happened last night. I got home at 3:20am (not completely unusual, being recently out of college and all) after a night of dancing (again, not really out of the ordinary). What WAS different, though, was that I was the designated driver last night. Thus, I remained completely sober at a dance club.

...

For those of you who have not had the dubious honor of going dancing without drinking, it is an interesting experience.

First, let me backtrack. For the past few days, I've been pretty physically sick. At present, I have virtually no speaking voice. (This is almost unbearable for someone like me, who thrives on conversation!!) Anyway, a bunch of my teacher-friends from last year decided to have a girls'-only "slumber party." (This means, for my naive readers, a sex-toy party for girls.) Though I was sick, I had been looking forward to this get-together all week. After work, I sucked it up and drove 45 minutes back to the land that nearly took my soul (the town where I taught last year).

The party itself was a hoot! There were 8 of us gals (all but 2 of whom I worked with last year) and a (female) vendor. They had products for all sorts of things I'd never even thought of (e.g., a talc-based spray for use after bedroom antics to get rid of that dreaded "wet spot" on the sheets...). I even took a packet of information on being a vendor myself, for extra income and some girls'-only fun! I also had no idea how crazy some of these ladies were until I saw them in their element at our little gathering.

Anyway, after we had all placed our orders (everyone bought something!) and the vendor took off, it was decided that we were to go out dancing. The older teachers left, leaving the original "newbies" and a sister behind. At that point, I had only consumed a few drinks in a span of 4 hours, and had been guzzling water for the past hour. I was, hands-down, the soberest one there. To be sure, I waited another hour before we left, drinking water and munching the whole time.

At 11:15pm ("Oy, I'm getting too old for this," I'd thought), 4 of us piled into my little car and drove 45 minutes into the closest "big" city. I wasn't particularly keen on going, but I wanted to make sure that no one was driving drunk, so I agreed to be the DD for the night.

Lucky me.

Once inside the club, the 4 of us shuffled over to the dance floor. I was astonished by how difficult it felt for me to dance! I *love* dancing, alcohol or not, yet I felt pretty uptight and self-conscious at the club. All around the perimeter of the dance floor were collared-shirt-clad, crew-cut guys with drinks in hand, openly oggling the undulating female bodies. I couldn't help but think of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big, Bad Wolf. The dance floor itself was full of semi-conscious girls (and a few guys), moving ceaselessly.

I was also surprised by the pretense present in the club. When I think of "dancing," I think of it as moving to a rhythm with the sole purposes of having fun and getting some exercise. I do NOT equate it with fornication. However, I noticed numerous couples essentially having sex with their clothes on. Some of the moves were downright pornographic!! (I would give examples, but I'm trying to retain some sort of respectability on this blog...)

What came to mind next was, "My God, did *I* ever dance like this?!" It was a real slap in the face. The whole scene was nauseating to me, which added to my discomfort and inability to "shake it" on the dance floor.

My friends, all drunk, were having the time of their lives. I tried to keep up with their hip-thrusting and belly-dancing moves, but I felt at a loss. At one point, a guy came up behind me and started dancing with me. I screamed, startled. We danced a bit, me with no rhythm, him a swing dancer, and the dialogue was pointless.

I know this is obvious, but going out "dancing" seems to be an excuse for much less... wholesome things. It was disheartening but interesting at the same time.

However, there is a light side to this story. At the end of the night, the 4 of us gals were dancing in a circle and 2 guys joined in. We kept our circle formation, and went around showing off our "moves." That was actually an innocent, fun time! The guys were solely interested in dancing (as evidenced by their departure once a string of songs was over), and we were all laughing the whole time. Why can't dancing be like *that*??

Sigh. Anyway, the friends & I all made it home, safely and soundly. (They got home at 2:30; I at 3:15. Not fair!)

Hmm... I suppose I was just surprised by something that's seemingly obvious: the devious nature of the dance club.

C'est toute.

Yay for intellectual stimulation!

I've got some recent "input" I'd like to share with you, readers! This will have to come in two installments, though, as these deal with two separate issues. This particular installment will focus on biology and warfare.

So I'm currently at the college, awaiting someone who needs tutoring help! My nametag, under my name, reads "Chemistry, Biology, Math, English, Spanish," telling tutees in which areas I may be of assistance. Well, I'm feeling pretty confident with my abilities in the last three subjects, but I've been trying to brush up a bit on chemistry & biology. As I haven't once had a student needing help in chemistry, I've decided to read up on biology for the time being.

Each time I crack open the bio book, I'm met with fascinating details of how the world around us functions!! Today is no exception.

I've long been fascinated with infectious diseases like Ebola and the hantavirus, and this fire has been well-kindled today by the trusty bio book we keep here. Unwilling to wade through chapters of terminology, I skipped right over to the "Human Infectious Disease" chapter, and OH, was it awesome.

For fun, I'm going to throw in a photo of the Ebola virus (courtesy of the CDC) and a photo of a HILARIOUS idea: a plush version of the virus (courtesy of warehouse23.com)!! :)

The Ebola virus, magnified a gazillion times:



The cute little plush version:



Anyway, back to the case at hand: viruses. Fascinating stuff, man!! They cannot live on their own (as they have no enzymes or cellular structure capable of reproduction), but they DO contain genetic material (RNA or DNA). That's insane. Anyway, they latch on to a "host" cell, which the virus then uses to make copies of itself. When enough (sometimes hundreds) of copies are made, they are released, which usually means the host cell bursts open. (The book notes that the host cell is usually destroyed in the viral replication process.)

Wow. And the parallels between this and warfare are crazy! Granted, I obviously don't have a strong background in pathology nor warfare strategy, but it might be interesting to point out the similiarities. There is one side (the "host" cell or country) who is going about its business, thinking everything's hunky dory. Another side (the invading virus or country) comes in (with or without conscious thought) and decides to take over the host. From there, the host is essentially defenseless. In time, the "weapons" deployed by the invader are much more powerful and plentiful than those of the host, and thus victory is inevitable for our invading friends.

Ok, so maybe it's not perfect, but it is interesting. And humanity's been having wars long since it knew anything about pathogens and diseases. I'm always intrigued when there are these seemingly parallel processes between the human and the natural world.

I also can't help but wonder: at what level does consciousness cease? A few weeks back, I was having a conversation with some fellow tutors. One was so baffled by half-lives; he was convinced that there must be some kind of consciousness within atoms to let them "know" when to die off. (What he meant was, how do half of the atoms in a given molecule "know" when to go, and others stay?) Maybe it's not that way at all, but who knows? So I can't help but think that maybe viruses and cells have a sort of consciousness that makes them "know" when to invade or fight or replicate. Hmm...

I hope this post isn't too incoherent, dear readers. As always, just some random thoughts. It all does factor in, however, to my curiosity about there being any kind of "objective" reality at all. Sigh...

Rest assured, though, that the post I'm about to compose is much easier to deal with. So there.

Ah, November...

So I'm still feeling pretty restless, and this is exacerbated presently by the fact that I am alone in the office. There's a lot I *could* be doing, and I'll get to it momentarily, but... I dunno. I hate when apathy strikes. This time, it's in full force. Luckily, this is a 4-day week (due to Veterans' Day) and next week is a 3-day week (because of Turkey Day).

I'm still debating where I'd be most useful: with the health department, or in my own classroom. I just don't know. For the time being, I'm happy where I am, but there's still an annoying thought in the back of my head saying I could do more to help out. Oh, vell.

Anyway, I've been taking some time to catch up on people's lives (mainly through facebook and blogs)... It seems like most people are doing reasonably well. I found a hilarious list about being in 2007 that you may enjoy:

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2007 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3 . You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyoneis home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of thescreen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic andyouturn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting yourcoffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward thismessage.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 onthislist


AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING at yourself.

Hilarious! Ok, I'm gonna think of some more good stuff to write about and then I'll write it! Ciao for now.

a pause.

so i think it's crucial to take a moment, every now and then, to reflect on things a bit. whether "things" means the day's occurrences, a former relationship, the happenings of the world... it's irrelevant. but i think it so necessary to think and analyze some aspect of life from time to time.

unfortunately, i do this dozens of times each day! i constantly think about the state of the world, love that died out, what could be in the future, and so forth. hm. in my head, that sounded a lot more unique. i suppose (and hope!) that most people are constantly analyzing the world and themselves.

in my personal finance class tonight, we had an insurance advisor come and speak. she was great, and seemed to be equipped with good moral fiber. however, during the course of her presentation, i became increasingly angry and saddened by the state of our health care system (not to mention the concept of "insurance" as it's carried out in the u.s.!). a person who NEEDS good medical care is hard-pressed to find it (affordably), yet those who don't really need it (like myself) get excellent coverage. sucky. i understand the (immoral) logic behind it, but it still sucks.

ok, to a completely different topic... love. love! love? (and for this little tirade, i'm talking about romantic, "in-love" sort of love.) lately, i haven't been so much a participant in love as an avid spectator, but i can't help notice the dramatic effects love has, even on the seemingly stoic. for example, i have a good friend who's generally got an ideal life: great job, decent living situation, excellent grasp on philosophy, morality, and so forth... but when it comes to love, my poor friend is completely lost! and this holds true for many people i've seen! whether or not they admit it, a lot of people really crave love. as stupid and mushy and cliche as it sounds, i think love IS what it's all about! (and i suppose HERE i mean any kind of love- familial, romantic, fraternal, etc.)

i mean, really. so simple, so intuitive. love. and don't even THINK about arguing with me. you know i'm right. :P

for now, i'm off to think some more, and then maybe get some sleep. i really must write more important things more frequently! good night. :)

Happy November!

Good day, readers! I hope you're doing well.

First, as a complete and total aside, I was just re-reading this entire blog. I noticed some inconsistencies (e.g., soliciting comments, then taking it back, then soliciting again!), but I also realized something else... I'd mentioned 2 entries ago that I was going to send a philosophically-inspired e-mail to friends and family, in hopes of a great response. Though I can't always trust my memory, I'm pretty certain I *did* send out that e-mail (to maybe 20 people?), and NO ONE responded. Sigh.

Anyway, I've had some pretty cool experiences lately that have been completely altering my preconceived notions of some topics. I have been hanging with a gent who was in the military for over 8 years, and I've gained some amazing paradigm shifts from our conversations. Turns out you really *can't* sterotype a group, just based on one or two common characteristics. (I must admit, I was guilty of this at times.) No matter what their political persuasion, there are intelligent (and not-so-intelligent) people all around. So there. I'm growing up.

I've been noticing a kind of restlessness lately. At first, it seemed it was just among some of my friends, but I'm seeing it in the general population, too. I think we're so bombarded with concerns (e.g., global warming/pollution, debt, war, education, health care, and so forth) that we don't know what to do! I keep talking with my coworkers about how to go about making the world better... but it's not an easy task! I've been trying to start with myself (being the best person I can be and all that), but even in my own nature, I fall short of my aspirations. Seems self-control is a huge roadblock to some people (coughMEcough). Sigh.

Hmm... I'm even restless writing this entry!! I'm trying to think of writing something I haven't posted on this before, but it's very difficult. Ah, I can fortunately find solace in reading Sophie's World (even though I'm at the college, "tutoring"- but no students need help!!)... Anyway. My apologies.

I feel I should tell a story or a clever anecdote or something. Hmmm... Nope. Sorry. Nothing. For now, me voy (I'm going). Peace.

To everything a season...

So I'm thinking that, at this point in my life, it's not so much a time of romantic love for me as it is for philosophy. Yes, that's right, friends. Philosophy. Me. I only wish I'd happened across it sooner!!

In large part, this new interest in philosophy stems from the AWESOME conversation I'd had in Albuquerque, then with subsequent friends. I am now fully engrossed in the book Sophie's World, which I couldn't recommend more. In fact, I spent this past weekend in Las Vegas with an old buddy of mine, who bought the book so we could discuss it. Thus, our entire Saturday afternoon was spent reading the novel and pausing to discuss it. Awesomeness and nothing short of it!

I suppose maybe I'll try dating again when the new year comes along, but not before then. For some reason, I'm not really into the whole idea of dating at the time. It seems I'd like to get my head on straight before attempting that again. So here we are.

In the meantime, friends, I leave you with a few questions directly from the novel:

1.) Who are you?
2.) Where does the world come from?
3.) What does it take to live a good life?
4.) Are we born with innate "ideas"?
5.) Is there a basic substance that everything is made of?

(As an aside, I think so much good can come from asking questions. After all, what is science if not the quest for answers?)

On philosophy, the Holocaust, and Albuquerque

So I took a road trip to Albuquerque this past weekend, and WOW!, was it a great trip! Among other things, I met some REALLY cool people and went to the annual Balloon Fiesta (pictures to be posted as soon as I've uploaded them).

For me, the highlight of the entire weekend was a 4-hour philosophical conversation with two virtual strangers. I happened across a museum on intolerance and the Holocaust, and the ensuing conversation made the whole trip worthwhile. I'm still not entirely sure how it happened, but an older gentleman (age 67), a gent my age, and I entered into a rare discussion. We talked about it all: the nature of humans (for good and for ill), perception, the universe, philosophy, and so forth. Hmm... I wish I could say more about it. I shall, I suppose, when I'm more in the mood.

Out of all of this, though, two things occurred. First, I had an AMAZING selection of documentaries and books recommended to me. (I've already procured myself a copy of Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder! It's phenomenal so far!) Second, I've had an odd ephiphany...

... I want to teach again. In my own classroom. Not this school year (as it's already halfway through October), but I think I'd like to try it again. There are SO many opportunities to have an amazing impact, and I want to do all I can for humanity. After numerous conversations with others, I can't help but feel the rightful place for me is in the classroom. (Granted, I go to various schools a few times a week for 45-minute lessons, but it's really not the same.) We'll see.

For now, I'm going to send off a philosophical e-mail to my friends and family to see how they respond. I'll publish any interesting findings here. Ciao!

A rose by any other name...

Quick story...

So this guy at work has been calling me Mary Jane lately. I guess it makes sense, since there's a gal in my office named Jane. However, it'd been kind of bothering me (I get called Mary Ann, Mary Lou, Mary... you name it all the time). Yesterday, said guy at work & I were at the copier at the same time. Our dialogue went like this:

Me: Good morning, Tim!
Tim: Morning, Mary Jane!
Me: Actually, it's Marybeth.
Tim: Oh, I'm so sorry! What was I calling you?
Me: Mary Jane.
Tim: Ah... That's probably becuase you work with a Jane.
Me: Yeah, it happens all the time. Don't worry about it.

... 5 minutes later... (as I'm leaving the copier area)

Me: See ya, Tim.
Tim: Later, Mary Ellen.

Sigh. :)

Groups: Some observations

So my latest observation is that people (whether they like it or not) fall into groups. Republicans, Lutherans, African Americans, Tri-Delts, goths, teachers, intellectuals, astronauts, lesbians, obese, anorexics, diabetics, smokers, gamblers, hippies, and so forth.

These groups have many benefits:
-ongoing support (generally), as long as you're a member of the group
-immediate identifying factor(s)
-sense of belonging
-networking

They also have downfalls:
-can lead to justifying unhealthy behaviors
-can impede personal growth
-can instantly exclude others not in the group
-group membership may incorrectly label people (both in & out of the group)

I've been noticing people lately, and I'm starting to see "repeats." People I thought were so unique in high school and college now have carbon copies. (As I'm sure the people *I* knew were themselves carbon copies.) There was the group in high school of pseudo-intellectuals who'd dress in funky, cheap clothes and wear conspicuous eyeglasses. They'd usually have unkempt hair and would quote Marx and Nietzsche as if it were a multiplication table. Driving home from work today, I saw a girl who looked EXACTLY like one of these aforementioned pseudo-intellectuals. This morning, I saw two others.

I notice trends among child and adult alike. A group of people 20-30 strong WILL get antsy after 45 minutes, no matter what the age range. There WILL be conflicts between people who have more similarities than differences.

Also, I've been watching the Fox reality show (I know, I know... I swear I don't usually watch Fox!!) "The Academy." It's about Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office recruits, and it's fascinating. I've read some discussion boards, and the opinions are varied... Some feel the sergeants are too tough on the recruits, others feel they're not tough enough.

I'm seeing, though, that in any given group (be it sheriff's deputy recruits or 10-year-olds), a group dynamic will form. There will be natural leaders, natural jackasses, those who will submit to authoritative figures, and so forth. What I've also noticed, however, is that the "jackass"es and seemingly indifferent people are usually the ones with the most to deal with. Something made the hard outer shell at some point.

I dunno... maybe I'm not really talking about anything here. Hard to tell sometimes. :)

I'm always interested in hearing your comments & thoughts, though. Send 'em my way, if you're so inclined. Peace.

It's Wednesday, clearly.

Apparently, I have an enemy and its name is Wednesday. Yes, folks, Wednesday. Here are some ways I knew that this particular Wednesday had it out for me:

-While preparing for my morning run, my iPod completely died. No music = no inspiration to run. So I walked for 30 minutes instead. In silence.

-When I got to work, I was extremely scattered. I eventually found the right keys to get to the back part of the building. However, once in said part, I forgot why I was there. Eventually, I remembered: to get coffee and make copies. On my second trip to "the back," a coworker called me Mary Jane. :P

-While home for lunch, I went to the bathroom. My cat walked in and peed on my bathmat!! (This is the second time he's done that... grrr...) No more of my bathroom for Mr. Neurotic Little Kittyman.

-Upon arriving at work, I saw some cars in the parking lot with those "Support our troops" magnets. I realized I hadn't noticed mine in a while, so I went to the back of my car to find my magnet. It's missing!!! Someone took my "Bless the World" magnet!!! :( There was a picture of it on my first entry here. :(

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ok, a new train of thought... There seems to be a trend in movies and books where a kid, with no special skills or abilities, somehow has something magical happen to him/her. I can't help but wonder: are we all kind of hoping that, through no fault of our own, we become something better than what we are? The message in these media is clear: have a good heart, and something amazing and magical will happen to you. I can't help but wonder...

I had an interesting T.A. at Ohio State when I was a wee college student. This man pushed me to write better, but was a total jackass in the process. He'd go off on tirades all the time about seemingly useless stuff. He was particularly perturbed by "Forrest Gump." He felt that no one, by sheer virtue of being a good person, could lead the life Forrest did. He (the T.A.) was enraged by the notion that by doing absolutely nothing extraordinary, one could have an extraordinary life. ("What's the point of working hard, then," he'd bemoan. Maybe he was just having a grad-school-life-crisis.) However, this T.A. was incredibly smart, and I did my best academic writing EVER... in that class. Go figure.

Hokay. I think that's about it for now... Wednesday craziness: check. Good-person/good-life dilemma: check. Peace out, children.

Grass is greener??

This has been a most interesting week... I had several self-imposed "blasts from the past," and I'm left confused and slightly saddened. I taught at my old school on Wednesday for 5 hours, and I loved it. I saw almost all my old students, who were psyched to see me (and I them). It was bittersweet, indeed! However, after just 5 hours of teaching, my throat was sore, my feet were in pain, and I was pretty tired. I forgot how much straight teaching takes out of you! However, it was a good experience.

Today, I went to an AWESOME conference on adolescent brain development. Four other gals from my department came, and it was great. Except for the fact that an unexpected guest (my ex) also attended. Shocked the crap out of me!

Anyway, I've been thinking: how does one become grateful for what one has? I've been plagued with what I call the GIGS ("grass is greener syndrome") since I was a teenager. I want to "kick the habit," so to speak, and I'm not quite sure how to go about doing it. Time's flying, life is good... but there's this persistent little part of me that wants to cling to the past! Why!??

Hm. In other news, "The Office" season 4 premiere was on last night... It was great! Unfortunately, I missed 15 minutes of it (grrr)... Hm.

I always start these "entries" with the best of intentions & ideas, but they get lost somewhere between my snapses and my fingertips. Go figure. For now, I sign off, ready for a fun weekend of working (which I'm actually loving) and friends! Ciao!

On Russia, animals, and politics

So apparently Russia's quite the interesting country this week! Not only does its President (Vladimir Putin) name a new Prime Minister (Victor Zubkov), but it also claims to have the "dad of all bombs." That's right: Russia built a huge honkin' bomb that is much bigger and badder than the United States' "mother of all bombs." In case you want the details on how much better Russia's bomb is than ours, here's the article.

In other news, I'm actively looking for a cat (or two) to make life a bit more enjoyable. I really, really miss my two kitties (one ran away before I moved, and I had to take the other to a Humane Society when I moved). I may try getting my original cat back, but I'm really trying to get a FREE cat (or two), including shots.

ANYWAY, I was on craigslist, and there is a LOT of whacked-out stuff about animals. There is one family who wrote an entire blog about their dog... it's got a LOT of drama and a LOT of details... it's actually almost annoying. Here, decide for yourself! :P

Ay, ay, ay, people! In other news, I was talking with my coworkers today about politics. We're pretty much on the same (liberal) page politically, which seems surprising in a small-ish town in Arizona. We were talking about U.S. presidents: the good, the bad, and the ugly. One coworker openly disdains all politicians; another is very decided on her stances; my boss is relatively closed-mouthed on the topic; I am admittedly underinformed (aren't we all??). Anyway, we were talking for a while, and agreed that politics are quite frustrating; the more you read, the less you really know for sure. The less you know for sure, the less you feel you are able to do about certain situations. This all, of course, can easily lead to apathy. I've always been astounded at how EASY it is to remain apathetic about anything political (in the U.S.).

I suppose I'll just keep doing the best I can.

A bit of joy for you!

So things here are happy & relatively busy. Here are some hilarious/adorable cat pictures for you!! :) For some reason, they get partially cut off... sorry about that. I'll try to figure out how to fix it. The original source is icanhascheezburger.com, if you're interested!

Oh, and I'm thinking of adopting a cat (or two). Fortunately, the roommate's on board. :)

Also, it appears that it's 9/11 today... Six years since the tragedy. Perhaps (if you're so inclined) take a moment to send a nice thought (or prayer, if you're of that persuasion) to the families of all those involved.

Without further ado, the cats: