The Past Few Days

Last night I got the news that my Capstone Proposal has been rejected unless I do some serious revisions. My Capstone is my big project, kind of like a thesis, except my plan was to do a creative project. Except my advisor recommended some changes. Those changes led to a proposal that I wasn't tremendously excited about and ultimately got turned down. Now, I really like my advisor, but I am very frustrated right now. I got his email at 7:30 last night. Tomorrow the university closes down until January 2, and my proposal has to be accepted by January 5th to do my project next quarter. It takes one to two weeks to get a proposal approved. You see the problems inherent in this dilemma. I do have another class to take, so I am thinking of doing that next quarter and my Capstone in the Spring. That will work, I think. Spring is just a crazy time at work, so I was trying to avoid doing that. Also, I was told today that if I want to do a Creative Capstone, I should consider changing advisors. What's a girl to do to solve a problem like this on Christmas Eve? I think this girl is going to ignore it until at least after Christmas Day.

Yesterday I finished my shopping, and while I was at the mall I had one of those experiences that is small, but changes you, and reminds you that hesitation is stupid. A man in a wheelchair was waiting to be helped at the Information Desk, and the women behind the counter kept ignoring him. Whether this was on purpose or due to the fact that they couldn't see him over the counter, I don't know. I knew just by watching him that he was frustrated, so I stepped back and waited to see if they helped him. If they didn't, I was going to ask the man if I could help him get their attention. Before I could do that, another person walked up and was helped, even though this man had been waiting. The man then yelled an expletive very loudly and motored away. The perfectly put-together women looked shocked, but not in the, "oh, that poor man, we didn't see him" way, but in the "oh, my what a disgusting man with no manners" sort of way. I should have just acted, instead of hesitating, and it left me with an icky feeling the rest of the day.

Joe is at work, and we leave as soon as he finishes, at 4:00. I'm ready to be home, to be comfortable, to be myself. Why is it so hard to keep track of ourselves and who we are?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Our First Christmas, Take 2)

So, Joe and I celebrated our "first" Christmas as a married couple last year, but it was a harried, no-nonsense Christmas, since I was crazy at work and going to school, and Joe was working retail. Ick. This year, we slowed down and actually decided to celebrate Christmas at our house, not just at our respective parents' houses. Today we bought a tree, some trimmings, and went to work on our own little Christmas.

Joe set up the tree and fluffed out all the branches.


He's a good fluffer!


The finished tree!


This rock nativity belonged to my parents. It is one of the Christmas things that I love and brings back memories of my childhood.


This nativity was given to me by Barb, a mentor of mine at the church I interned at my last year of college.

I love Christmas.

I Stuff

I am-desperately avoiding homework.
I want-a vacation at the beach.
I have-a wonderful life.
I wish-for contentment.
I hate-rudeness.
I fear-too many things.
I hear-the dishwasher.
I search-for answers when I should know that God has them all.
I wonder-if I'll get pinkeye from the kids at school.
I always-brush my teeth twice a day.
I usually-have to make Joe floss his teeth.
I am not-energetic.
I dance-when I'm feeling energetic and silly.
I sing-a lot.
I never-get close to spiders, if I can at all help it.
I rarely-stay up super late.
I cry-when I am overwhelmed.
I am not always-patient or polite.
I lose-confidence.
I’m confused-about LOTS of stuff.
I need-to be myself.
I should-be more productive.
I dream-about people.
I TAG-Joe, Darci, Chelsea.

A Tidbit

We're watching the debate, and I was cheering for Obama's statement about increasing funding for early childhood education, (not making a political statement here, just cheering for my kids,) I thought of this quote that a friend of mine who is working on her doctorate in Child, Family, and School Psychology (or something along those lines,) sent me from her reading.

"...up to half the achievement gap assessed in school age exists before children begin kindergarten."

I don't have the source, but isn't that incredible to think about?

Our New Car!

Today we bought a new-to-us car. It is a 2004 Saturn Vue, and we are very excited about it!

Fun

These videos are very fun:

Matt Harding's First Video

Matt Harding and the Huli Wigmen

Matt Harding's Second Video

What's in a bed?

What's in a bed? That is a rhetorical question, of course. Joe and I bought a new bed today. We've been talking about it, and as both of us were rolling toward the center of our old bed (my bed before we got married,) and every morning I could feel a spring just beginning to stick out of my side of the bed, it was time to invest in a new one. (Thanks, economic stimulus money!)

The process of picking out a new bed was fun. We went to two places advertising Memorial Day sales. The first place was bright and clean with friendly sales people. The second place was dingier and the sales person couldn't seem to find a firm mattress like the people at the first place had. That is the other thing about the bed we had. It was a pillow top, nice and sinky and cozy, but Joe prefers a firmer mattress, and I can sleep on a firmer mattress, so I didn't think it would be a big deal to switch.

After a very brief stop at the second place, we went back to the first place and purchased the bed we liked. It was delivered a few hours later, and we put the sheets and comforter on, laid down, and Joe was immediately in comfort land. I was immediately sad. I miss my bed. I miss the cozy soft feeling of climbing into it. This one is just hard and unwelcoming. I know it will change as I get used to it, and I know it's going to be better for my back, but I almost started crying. It was the first bed I bought on my own. I bought it when I moved to Houston, and it's traveled with me since then. And it's very nice for one person -- it doesn't matter if one person rolls toward the middle of the bed.

So, I know I'll get used to it, it was very fun to go shopping for "our" first bed, and I am thankful for a new one...but I am allowing myself to be sad for just a bit about the old one, which, by the way, is now sitting in our dining room. Anyone within driving distance need a bed?

One of Those Moments

Joe and I were grocery shopping in Target today. When I bent down to look at some conditioner, I heard a riiippp! I popped back up, said something like "oh, no," and backed myself up against the shelf. I reached back and realized that my pants had indeed ripped in a very obvious and not-so-good spot. Joe was on his phone, realized what had happened, and asked if I needed his sweatshirt from the car, to which I said yes and immediately tied my 3/4" sleeve sweater around my waist. He came back with the sweatshirt, I tied that around my waist, put my sweater back on, and we continued shopping.

The pants are at least 8 years old (how are they that old???) and made of thin material, so I'm lucky they lasted as long as they did. They weren't particularly tight, so I think it was just time for them to wear out. Once we got home, I changed my pants, no harm done. Except, I was at a baby shower for a co-worker this morning, wearing the same pants, and I thought I'd heard a similar noise while playing on the patio blowing some bubbles with a few kids. At that point, I thought I must be mistaken, but now I'm not so sure. If they did rip some then, how many of my co-workers noticed and didn't say anything? I'm blushing just thinking about it.

Poetry Procrastination

Tonight is homework night. Well, every night is homework night, but everything that has to be turned in is due at midnight tonight, so I've been doing homework fairly steadily since about 7:00 tonight. I have a one page reflection paper on phanopoeia in poetry yet to do, but my brain needs a little break, so I decided to take a moment to blog.

Joe is having a "guy's night out," which I think is great. He met some friends for a concert, but upon arrival, they discovered the concert is actually tomorrow night. Oops. Boys are funny. So, they're going to eat and hang out, and he'll be home later. It's easier to make myself do homework when there is no one here I want to spend time with. Mostly, I just want to avoid the neighbors, so I pretty much stay inside. (Believe me, if you knew our neighbors, you would understand why. There is "crazy lady," who has accosted me twice, once telling me I "scared" her - simply by walking into the complex's office; another time telling a man in the laundry room, in a rather accusatory manner, that I was still wearing my pajamas. I was still wearing my flannel pants and a sweatshirt, but they're quite decent, and I was doing laundry, for goodness sake! Then there is "Crazy Neighbor," who is very unpleasant. He is either pounding on our wall because I let the rocker we have in our living room thump against the wall we share - ONCE - or glaring at us because we spent some time talking in our living room with two friends before we went out to dinner, or yelling obscenities on the phone to someone, which I can hear clearly through the aforementioned shared wall.)

Joe, my wonderful husband, did laundry today. He HATES doing it. It is least favorite chore, but he did it and changed the sheets on the bed because he knew that they were things I was worried about doing and he didn't want me to worry or feel burdened. I came home, saw that he did the laundry, and promptly burst into tears. I don't know exactly why, but I was just so happy and felt so loved and taken care of. It was a good feeling, much better than the constant battle with feeling overwhelmed.


Tomorrow I'm getting a hair cut and then we're headed to Laramie to see Shawn's graduate school tuba recital. I've never been to a tuba recital before, but it should be interesting and fun. A co-worker who is also a musician is very excited that I am going to be tuba recital and would like me to bring her a program so she can see what he plays. Anyone else want a program?

I guess that's it. I'm off to write my last paper and then get into my cozy bed.

Book Tag

Linda didn't actually tag me for this one, but I thought it was neat, so here it is.

The rules: Look up from the computer, look around the room where you are sitting and pick up the closest book. And closest really means closest. No cheating by running upstairs to unearth your pink highlighted college copy of "The Critique of Pure Reason." Open the book, turn to page 123, count down to the 5th sentence on that page and then post the next three sentences.

"He cleared his throat. 'I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will.' Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another" (Rowling, J.K. 2007. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.)

I tag In the Mix and Never Count Sheep.

Tag!

Linda M. tagged me, and since I didn't respond to her last tag, I wanted to do this one!

10 years ago:

I was going to MCC. I was an RA and changing my major every other day. (I'm employing some hyperbole there, but I did have a hard time making up my mind.)

Things on my To-Do List today:
(It's the end of the day, so I'll list 3 things for tomorrow.)

1. Pay bills.

2. Balance checkbook.

3. Read more of the last Harry Potter book -- finally!

Three Bad Habits:

1. Obsessively checking to make sure heat-related appliances and candles are turned off/blown out.

2. Picking at the skin around my nails.

3. As of late, not returning phone calls promptly. :(

If suddenly I became a billionaire:

A billionaire? Pay off all our debts and our familys' debts. Buy a house, complete with a library for me, and the most high tech and complete music room and recording studio for Joe, including instruments and CDs. Quit my job. Donate to things I believe in. Travel. Buy a Mini Cooper. Buy another house by the ocean and let all my loved ones use it. I'm not sure what else - that's a LOT of money. Oh, and I would pray like mad that I'd use it wisely.

Five jobs I have had:

1. Cashier at the Fun Center

2. Baby-sitter

3. Hastings

4. Child Life Specialist

5. Toddler Teacher

Five things you might not know about me:

1. Those air filled advertisement things that shoot up in the air like a pencil, deflate, then re-inflate scare me.

2. I desperately need new contacts.

3. I really like asparagus a lot.

4. I like Family Guy.

5. I am not a huge fan of skiing.

I tag Betsy, Matt, and Joe. You're it!!

Something New

Someday

Someday I’m gonna kiss a girl like that and ask her to marry me and she will be the happiest girl in the world.

Someday I’m gonna meet a boy who will buy me a ring and tell me he loves me and ask me to marry him and I will say yes and be the happiest girl in the world.

Someday I’m gonna be a rock and roll star and sing with a band and wear a bandanna and play the best music anyone’s ever heard, and that girl will fall in love with me.

Someday I’m gonna have a shirt like that and wear my hair all pretty and curly with a barrette on the side and listen to my rock star play music with the band.

Someday I’m gonna kneel down in front of a bunch of people and declare my love to the girl that I love and be a rock star all the way.

Someday I’m gonna listen to the quiet side of a rock star, his declarations of love and hope, and I’m gonna be his bride all the way.

Someday,

But not today. Today I’m only five.

-->I've never posted one of my poems before, and it's sort of twisting my stomach in knots to do it now, but I've been feeling like doing this for the last few days, so here it is. I wrote this for one of my classes. I was inspired by the two kids in the background of the photo. (I assumed they were not related.:) ) Enjoy!

Concussed

One of the reasons I don't post all that often is because I feel like I don't have that much going on, and not much to say.

So, here's an event: I got a concussion at school yesterday. A child in my class and I both leaned over to look at a sink that appeared to be leaking and he stood up before me. Wham! The back of his head slammed into my head right above my right temple. I had a headache, then started to feel lightheaded and see stars a bit, so Joe came to get me and off to the doctor we went.

I have a head contusion and a mild concussion. I'm supposed to take it easy and go to the ER if any of the symptoms get worse or new ones appear. He gave me some strong medicine for the headache, which seemed to work last night while I slept, though it made me a little restless.

Joe has the weekend off, and he's taking the best care of me. I feel slovenly and lazy as all get out, but I think today will be better. I feel more like myself today. So far, we've had two weekends like this, where I'm out of it and Joe has to take care of me. (I got an awful stomach bug 2 weeks after we got married.) I talked to him last night about when I'll get to take care of him, and he said he'll get sick eventually. :)

Anyway, that's what's going on here. Crazy that this happened because a two-year-old and I bonked heads. Oh, and the little boy seemed to be fine. That's the update for now.