Present

the new rules

2011-08-04T01:46:00.001-05:00

I decided a few days ago I need to write. And I need to not care what other people think, to not write with them in mind. So, we shall see how it goes.

Evening Thanks

2011-04-12T22:29:00.003-05:00

It's the first really nice day in South Dakota, and after ending a great day with a great beer, I stepped outside for a bit. In fact, I wore my pajamas and hideous yellow crocs out on the patio to sit a bit and appreciate the night. And randomness came to my mind, random things I was thankful for. And what better place to write randomness than on a blog? Of course. So I thought about how thankful I was for the minute sounds you can hear at night...for the crack of twigs, the neighbor closing a door, the squeak of an unidentified bug or bat, the ability to lateralize and localize those sounds, the pines towering over the yard, for how long the pines have been towering...there is just. so. much. to. be. thankful. for.

Read This

2011-03-15T21:49:00.002-05:00

Book #14 of the year, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, was a spring break favorite. A little Flannery O'Connor, a little mystery, and a lot interesting. Read it.

The Tsunami

2011-03-11T21:59:00.009-06:00

I finished up the previous post, still very relaxed from 3 glasses of rioja, and got ready for bed. I read through my RSS feed as I drank a few bottles of water to rehydrate, and as I turned off the TV to go to sleep, my dad called and said there had been anearthquake and a possible tsunami.

Now, if you know my dad you know he doesn't always listen to the details...so I didn't really think much of it. But, a quick search of the googles and I knew he was right. Our hotel was directly on the beach on Waikiki, and another quick search showed we were in the tsunami inundation zone. I didn't know what to think...I had watched last February when the tsunami was nothing but a few big waves on the beach, but I had also

seen footage of the Indonesian tsunami. Actually, the think that instant

ly came to mind was Nate from Oprah telling his story about losing his partner in the tsunami. Not sure why that stuck out, but it did.

The hour or two after hearing about the tsunami was cha

otic. My dad said he was packing so I followed suit. He was on the phone with the airline, deciding if we should stay or go. Eventually, after hearing th

e area would be shut down, we decided to go. We drove to the

airport, which seemed to be opene

d, and tried to get a hotel room. All of the hotels at the airport were full. We drove around for a while, eventually making the decision we were best off back at the hotel.

Civil defense sirens had been blaring hourly since about 10 PM, and as we drove back into Waikiki around 1:45 AM, cops were on the street making lo

udspe

aker announcements to clear the streets. We made our way back to the 14th floor, littered with refugees from lower floors curled up with their comforters in the hallway. I knew we were going to try to fly out around 6 AM, so I tried to get some sleep until the event started. It was diffic

ult because every 15 minutes or so the hotel made annou

ncements over an intercom system...I had no idea the intercom even existed.

Around 3 AM I got up and went out on the balcony. It was ca

lm, and lots of people were on their balconies watching. There were a few helicopters in the sky, beaming light down on Waikiki. I'm not sure if the were sweeping the beach for people or checking out the surf. At one point four or five people from a

hotel down the way got in the water, but as soon as the helicopter appeared they got out again.

The event itself wasn't really that dramatic, although it was interesting. You could see the water receding, being drawn out by some unseen force. When it came back it sounded like a freight train, but the waves didn't come up too high. I watched this hap

pen a few times, the water turning foamy near the shore, but other than the receding and waves coming back, it was really a nonevent on Waikiki. Which was great. Around 4 I went back to sleep, and by 5:30 we left for the airport.

The pictures aren't great, taken in the dark of night with a camera phone, but they do show a bit of the strangeness of the ocean, and the helicopters flying around.

Gotta Say...

2011-03-11T00:33:00.003-06:00

Gotta say...despite the cold I have I just enjoyed an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. dinner at The Beachhouse at the Moana. I am clinging to a piece of research I read that says that moderate exercise during a cold helps to shorten the duration, so I spent 30 minutes or so on the elliptical today hoping that I would be able to better enjoy the last few days I have in Waikiki...

and enjoy I did. The appetizer was a bowl of Maui onion soup which I shared with my mom, and for mains a filet mignon (again, shared with my mom) which was cooked per.fect.ly. Sides were parmesan mashed potatoes and garlic butter/cayenne fresh corn. Mmm.mmm.mmm. Along side...a few glasses of an outstanding rioja. And for dessert? Yep...rum creme brulee. delish.

And the atmosphere...grand. A banyan tree in the courtyard, uplit, music....a beautiful dinner.

Sick.

2011-03-10T14:02:00.003-06:00

Ick. I hate being sick...especially on vacation. My mom has had what sounds like whooping cough (it's not) the whole time we've been here, and I finally caught a bug. I can't complain too much though because there's no better time to be sick than when you have absolutely nothing to do.

So, the plan is to wait it out on the beach. I drove around the eastern part of Oahu yesterday, and have been toying with the idea of making it to Pearl Harbor at some point, but today the idea of sitting on a chair and maybe reading is winning out due to said cold.

On Tuesday I sat on my chair and finished book #13, The Oracle of Stamboul. I really enjoyed it...there was kind of an ominous feel as though the protagonist could fall into danger in any number of ways at any moment, but it never happened. I would highly recommend it. I'm not sure what today's reading adventure will be yet.

Beach Books

2011-03-06T21:37:00.002-06:00

I continued Books 10 and 11 today (Greg Boyd where have you been all my life? and um, Jay-Z, boooooring), and read #12, Michael Pollan's Food Rules. It's short, and if you've read his other books, repetitive. Not a bad reminder though.

2011-03-06T12:22:00.003-06:00

I am writing this post from my balcony in Honolulu, and I could not be more grateful to be here right now. It's lightly raining this morning, but I have coffee, the air is warm, and the scenery gorgeous. I'm here solely due to my parents' generosity, and loving every second of it.

As I mentioned in the previous post, nothing went quite as planned yesterday, but it all turned out to be good. I woke up late, my flights were delayed, but I still made it and with little chaos (save the man behind me who thought I should not recline my seat and SHOVED it up when I did).

I also got some reading done. I finished Book #8, Super Sad True Love Story. I enjoyed it. It's futuristic, and somewhat depressing, but the main characters have something just quirky enough about them that they're loveable. I can't say it's my favorite ever though, and did take me a while to wade through reading bits and pieces here and there.

Book #9 was read on my LAX to HNL flight, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. If you've watched any media at all you've heard about it. And I have to say, I think Amy Chua might be on to something. Not entirely, but at least in part. Why not assume strength and instill discipline in children? She certainly makes some glaring mistakes, but it seemed like an honest struggle on her part.

I started books #10 and #11, which couldn't really be more opposite. #10 is Greg Boyd's Present Perfect: Finding God in the Now, and #11 is Jay-Z's Decoded. Greg Boyd is definitely a better writer than Jay-Z, but I think I'll stick through Decoded, despite it being somewhat boring so far.

I have quite a few books with me (I will be protecting my Kindle from water with my life on this trip!), and am hoping to finish a few more while I'm here.

It's 6:45 and I'm an hour late...

2011-03-05T10:09:00.002-06:00

So, I get kinda paranoid the night before I fly anywhere. I usually have a hard time getting to sleep, and wake up every couple of hours to make sure I really did set the alarm clock for the right time.

It was during one of those panics last night that I realized my alarm clock was flashing 12:00 AM. No good. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on, and I realized that the door to the battery compartment was missing, and the batteries were falling out. I shoved them back in and in the fog of sleep tried to figure out what to do next...turn the light on. Look at my watch. Try to remember how to set the time. The clock is atomic and given enough time usually sets itself, so I hadn't had to reset it for a while.

I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost exactly 12:00 AM, so I set the clock for that, the alarm for 5:40, and went back to sleep.

And then I woke up...and the light in my entryway was on. It doesn't go on until 6:15 AM, the time when I had been planning to leave the house...yikes.

Long story short, I was late. My friend Jenni had been trying to contact me for about 20 minutes as she waited on my driveway, but I keep my phone in the living room so it doesn't wake me up, and somehow slept through the doorbell.

Thankfully I overplan so I had plenty of time and made it to the airport and through security to my gate by 7:10 for my 8:05 flight.

YES

2011-02-05T11:30:00.002-06:00

In the midst of a chaotic week, I have managed to fit in 5 workouts, for a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes of exercise. I've even gotten up consistently at 6:15 to make it happen. And yes, I am pretty darn proud of myself right now.

So sad...

2011-02-04T23:01:00.001-06:00

So yesterday I was giving a kid a language test. In the test you say "Tell me what ____ means." One of the words was "poor," so I asked the kid "Tell me what poor means," and he said "It means...um, that sometimes, at school....the kids....sometimes the kids at school don't wanna play with me."

It broke my heart.

Job

2011-02-01T07:44:00.002-06:00

So one of the things I decided to do in 2011 is read through the entire Bible in a year. And I have to say, I was very thankful for Feb. 1st because I'm following a chronological reading plan and on Feb. 1st I started reading Exodus.

Although it's about oppression and deliverance, Exodus feels like rainbows and puppy dogs after reading the book of Job for the last half of January. And I have to say, I was genuinely confused with Job. It was depressing, but I am not sure I really understand it. Like who was right in what they were saying--Job? His friends? Neither? I have no idea.

Pandas Are On Sale at the Zoo

2011-01-29T23:15:00.003-06:00

I came down with a cold one week into the semester. This is not good. I am attributing it, although indirectly, to working out. :) I decided that in order to make working out happen consistently, I should switch it to mornings. So I got up earlier all week. The only problem was I didn't get to bed and earlier, and just ended up sleep deprived.

Along with the sleep deprivation, it was a busy week. I got overwhelmed on Tuesday, which is a little early in the week to be overwhelmed, but Thursday was our first day of clinic. It went well! I started with 2 of my clients, mostly just getting to know them. One of my kiddos did tell me how he bought a panda at the zoo (on sale!) and keeps it at home in his bed. That was pretty awesome.

Somehow, before the craziness of the semester started I was able to finish Book #7 of the year, City of Tranquil Light. It was good, engaging, but not earth-shattering. If you're into books about far off places and very sincere missionaries, I'd recommend it.

Seriously....

2011-01-25T21:45:00.002-06:00

Ah, so ready for this day to be over. I am officially overwhelmed. I kept looking at this week on my calendar, and knew I would be overwhelmed. I kept looking at the space between Tuesday and Thursday, knowing I would get my clinic assignments on Tuesday and see kids on Thursday. All the staring at the calendar didn't help...

I made a decision at Christmas to not be overcome by trying to control things. So maybe this is a chance to work on that. All I know is that I'll be much happier 2 or 3 weeks from now when everything is underway.

It Begins

2011-01-24T21:28:00.002-06:00

I think right now I am equal parts excited, terrified, and motivated. We start clinic this week, which means I'll be treating my very first clients all by myself. The terrifying part is I'll look at their files tomorrow, and likely see them on Thursday. Oh, and there's school and a church meeting and some other obligations...nothing like a full week.

Although, maybe it's good for me that I have limited time. When I'm starting something new and don't know how it's going to go, I overprepare. Every first day of school as a teacher had me spending hours on lesson plans, materials, etc., probably more than necessary. Having a limited amount of time freaks me out, but maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

Maybe because I didn't have enough going on, or because I know I NEED to fit it in this week, I've decided to move my exercising to the morning. Which means I'm feeling a little sleep deprived today, but hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Day 1, Semester 4

2011-01-14T16:19:00.002-06:00

Today was the first day of my fourth semester as a graduate student in a speech language pathology program, and it was great. Last semester was...well, horrible. But if today is any indication, this semester is much more promising.

Today I have 2 of my 3 classes, Indian Education and Advanced Language Disorders. The Indian Ed. professor is kind of out there with his teaching style, so that could be interesting. He also isn't making me do any extra work even though I'm taking the class for graduate credit. He just said he expects me to take a leadership role. That's it? Done and done.

Advanced Language Disorders also sounds promising--we're going to cover literacy, adolescent language disorders, and autism spectrum disorders, all things I'm interested in.

Next week I'll start my Neuromotor Disorders class, and have a meeting about clinic. I'm so happy that I'm actually looking forward to things right now. I hope the interest sticks.

Prayer

2011-01-13T22:08:00.004-06:00

Sometimes it takes my breath away to see how much pain people have to endure. And there are situations neither you nor anyone else can do anything about. Something happened like that today. Not something I can or want to share publicly, but something I feel the need to acknowledge. And when these things happen, although it doesn't change the events, I've found praying some of the prayers that people have prayed throughout the centuries helps. Today I've been praying this one from the Book of Common Prayer:

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give
him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Chocolate stout in all its glory

2011-01-12T11:39:00.002-06:00

There is a beef roast with Rogue chocolate stout in the crockpot right now, smelling delicious. I didn't want to waste the rest of the bottle, and it's a little early for me to be drinking the stuff, so I'm trying these brownies too. They are currently baking in the oven, and if the batter left in the bowl is any indication, they might turn out to be delicious too.

I also reordered cable this morning. It's been nearly a year and a half since I canceled my cable, and I'm ready to have it back. I miss it. And, I think after going without it for quite a while, I will watch it a bit differently than I did before. I'm used to long stretches of silence, and actually really appreciate them. What I am looking forward to is watching some of my favorite shows when everyone else does, and having more options for working out at home (Fit TV), and having more options for watching when I'm on the bike trainer. And reality shows. Of course. :)

Vacation: Day 6 and Beyond

2011-01-11T20:18:00.009-06:00

And then...I got too lazy to post pictures daily. Let's just say that it was an interesting, fun, sunny vacation. Some of the highlights for me included snorkeling, getting to ride a bike again, and hiking to the Nakalele blowhole with my brother and nephew.

We had done the hike about 5 years ago, but for some reason the landscape felt completely different this time. We didn't really remember it being so steep, so we're wondering if erosion or weather has changed it since last time. Being a photo hoarder, I found a picture from 5 years ago to compare:

Dec. 2005

Dec. 2010

Dec. 2005

Dec. 2010

Dec. 2005

Dec. 2010

I'm not sure it's super convincing, and of course these pictures are taken from different angles and with a wide-angle lens, but I'd like to think I wasn't being a total wuss in thinking it was steeper and rockier.
The trip was also strange in some ways. My grandfather passed while we were gone. We knew it was coming, it was expected. But, it was still hard to see my mom get the news. It was also difficult for my parents to get flights out of the islands, so that complicated things.
When things weren't weird, we did our daily vacation thing, which is mostly lounging by the pool. My nephew figured out how to snorkel and loved it, which warms my heart. I love snorkeling! I bought him a pair of fins to use while we were there, which I'll give him for his birthday. My niece is too young (1 1/2) to really swim, but hung out around the pool most days. One day she scared the crap out of all of us by falling in. I happened to be closest so I grabbed her out, and I have to say I can still picture her floating there. She was fine.

Speaking of falling in the pool, I lost one of my favorite things to the chlorine/saline combo. I had been sitting on a boogieboard on the side of the pool, with my legs dangling in, reading. I had just started The Hunger Games, which was amazing, and didn't want to stop. I went in the house to get a drink, and when I came out, my dad was holding my Kindle and said he had knocked it in the pool. I literally just stood there for a moment, sure he was kidding.
He wasn't kidding. This is what a bricked Kindle looks like. Hey Jane Austen. The worst part wasn't even that it was broken, I knew he'd replace it. In fact, that was the first thing out of his mouth. The worst part was that we had nearly a week left in our vacation, and I had lost my books!!!

Before my Kindle took the plunge, I had finished two of Lauren Winner's books, Mudhouse Sabbath (Book 1) and Real Sex (Book 2). The day it happened, I had started the Hunger Games (Book 3), and was reading voraciously because it was so good.

So, the first step to reading recovery was going to Barnes and Noble, where I got a paper copy of the Hunger Games and Mennonite in a Little Black Dress (Book 4). I had the first book of the Hunger Games done that night. It's good. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress was interesting...the best word I can think of for the author is caustic. Most people who write a memoir about going home have at least some fondness or appreciation on some level for their home or upbringing. I didn't really see that here.

After finishing the Hunger Games, I couldn't not read the next one, Catching Fire (Book 5) But, B&N didn't have a paper copy...so, I bought it on Amazon, and read it on my computer. I tried bringing the laptop out by the pool, but the sun made that impossible. So I stayed up late reading it in bed. Then reading Mockingjay (Book 6), the last book in the series. I was less impressed with the final book than the first two, but definitely worth it.

Now I'm home, and trying to make good use of my time before school starts. I don't really do New Year's resolutions, but I have sort of thought about what I want to keep doing and start doing. I want to continue the workout routine I've gotten into, and eventually add strength training. I also want to read through the entire Bible in a year, so I've found a plan to do that.

I also want to keep cooking, something I've really grown to enjoy. It was hard not being able to cook totally my way for 2 weeks while I was gone, so I've been overjoyed to do it this week. In between doing that I've been cleaning out cupboards and organizing, and trying not to hyperventilate when I think about school starting. Okay, not just school. Clinic. And it's not like I don't think I'll be good at it, I think I will. But I have dreaded every first day of school/class, and this is no exception. I can't wait until I am 2 or 3 weeks into clinic. Oh, and then there's that whole grade thing. Yeah, not freaking out about that this semester. I'm going to keep telling myself this. Over. and Over.

Vacation: Day 5

2010-12-31T22:09:00.003-06:00

Vacation: Day 4

2010-12-30T21:43:00.002-06:00

Helicopter Tour!

Vacation: Day 3

2010-12-30T00:51:00.002-06:00

On Day 3, the boy learned to snorkel, and we ate at Bubba Gump's.

Vacation Day 2

2010-12-28T23:46:00.003-06:00

Gin & guava, some splashing in the pool, and some coconut whacking.

Vacation: Day 1

2010-12-28T23:38:00.002-06:00

23 hours of travel with 2 kids under 5 is a lot, so we had some photo shoots on the plane. And some wine.

Traveling Books

2010-11-23T08:22:00.002-06:00

I got a lot of reading done on my recent trip. There's nothing like solo travel and hating to talk to seatmates on planes to amp up the reading time. A couple of weeks ago I finished Vinegar Hill, which was well written, but utterly dark and hopeless.

I needed something light after that, so started in on I'm With Fatty. The story itself was interesting, a journalist sets out to lose 50 pounds in a year, but I wasn't nearly as taken by the story as I was by the writing. Witty and entertaining doesn't quite cover it here. Ugel whipped out more novel similes and metaphors than I could count, almost all apt. If you're looking for entertainment and self-loathing, this is it.

I finished I'm With Fatty on my first flight, and started in on a book I had to read for class, Still Alice. It's a fictional account of a 50 year old professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. It's written by a neuroscientist, which makes me think it might be accurate? Accurate or not, it's engaging. It's written from the main character's perspective, so you descend with her into the Alzheimer's and see life from her perspective. Even though it was assigned for my Acquired Disorders of Language and Cognition class, I would have read it (and enjoyed it!) even if it wasn't. Fascinating.

A few weeks back we got into a discussion of Arminianism vs Calvinism at my small group, which left me at a loss for articulating the tenets of Calvinism in a way that made sense to people from outside of the tradition, so I grabbed Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport off of the shelf. I've read it before, way back, but didn't realize Richard Mouw was the author. I recently listened to him on Being, talking about Christian civility in politics, and LOVED it.

So I had started the book a couple of weeks ago and had a chance to finish it on my trip. It was really interesting to come back to it after a number of years outside of the Christian Reformed Church. There are things that still resonate for me and things I question and need to think through.

At the same time, I was also reading Exponential because someone at church asked me to. The two books could not be more opposite. I disliked Exponential almost from the beginning, but couldn't quite figure out why. Reading the two at the same time made some of it clearer. There are some values from Calvinism that were informing how I read Exponential, though that may not have become clear to me had I not been reading Mouw's book at the same time. I have to say I wouldn't really recommend Exponential unless you are looking for something to challenge your thought...or maybe you will agree with it.

I am currently without a book, which feels very shiftless. I'm looking for a new one, and have a few ideas. Crazy as it sounds, I heard Jay-Z on Fresh Air and have some interest in reading Decoded. I'm interested in The Hunger Games as well. Whatever I choose may have to wait a couple of days until Thanksgiving is over, and maybe even a few weeks after that until the semester is over. Christmas break, though, is for reading. I'm making my book list, checking it twice.

ASHA

2010-11-22T21:39:00.003-06:00

So much going on lately, where to start....let's start here--I hate this semester. I really do detest it. It needs to be over now. And people need to have clearly stated expectations and quit surprising us with stuff, etc. etc. And I need to stop getting Bs.

On to more interesting things.

This week I was in Philadelphia for the ASHA convention. It was fabulous! I'm used to TESOL conventions which must be smaller (ASHA had 12,000 ppl this week) because I was not nearly so overwhelmed by the program book and options for sessions. ASHA could also help by organizing the sessions by time instead of subject area, but I would still probably only be able to get to about 1/5 of the sessions I want to see.

I saw quite a few really interesting sessions. One I really enjoyed looked at transition strategies for young adults who use AAC. It was really practical, and presented well, which is just as important as the content.

Another interesting research presentation looked at predicting stuttering onset in the context of the Early Language in Victoria Study. They found that you can't really predict it, so that's not great, but it was a good presentation and had some other useful information.

I was really interested in a presentation I went to on starting a private practice. It was exactly the kind of information I was hoping for too, not too detailed but not too broad either. It definitely helped me think through some of the options there.

My very favorite presentation though was Christina Santhouse talking about having the right hemisphere of her brain removed due to Rasmussen's Encephalitis. It was fascinating because not only did Christina recover from the hemispherectomy, but she finished college, earned a Master's degree and became an SLP. The PhD who presented with her said that either this type of success has not yet been documented, or does not exist. I wouldn't say it's the presentation I gained the most factual information from, but it was by far the most interesting and inspiring. Christina even had her SLP in the audience for the presentation.

When All Is Well

2010-11-09T22:20:00.002-06:00

Last week was pretty crappy. Think breaking down in a professor's office crying, snot running down my face, hyperventilating. Kind of a mental breakdown. This semester in general has been difficult, and last week it just felt like there were far too many expectations, internal and external to live up to. Thankfully, it is in the past.

Tonight was my small group night, and we talked about our childhoods, and laughed. And laughed some more, and ended up singing the song from the commercials for My Buddy. After a crappy week like last week where there was more doubt in my mind than anything else, it just felt incredibly good to really share with people, and know that in that place I can just be myself. It was one of those nights when I left small group and just felt content.

The First Snow!

2010-10-27T08:29:00.003-05:00

It is a good morning. I woke up to an email that 2 classes for the day are canceled, and the quizzes in those classes have been postponed to next week. Hooray!

It is also snowing, and today that makes me happy. It makes me thankful that seasons change, things die and also come back to life, and there is a feeling of incredible coziness being snuggled in on the couch in my PJs drinking my coffee under a blanket while the wind whips the snow around outside. I'm sure I won't feel the same when I'm actually walking across campus this afternoon in the wind, but for now it's nice.

2010-10-25T16:52:00.002-05:00

Today, thankfully, has been a much better day. My family came up and we went out for dinner last night. Resources are much more in balance today. There's still a lot to do, but it'll happen.

Plus, there are still pretty trees like this, and it's the end of October.

2010-10-24T23:03:00.003-05:00

I had a dream last night that I got a B on an assignment, and completely and utterly freaked out. Today it happened. I got a B, but did not freak out. However, I realize how much this should NOT matter, but it does. I know exactly how many Bs I've gotten as a graduate student, and the fact that I know that and let it get to me sucks. What's the saying-Bs get degrees? Ugh.

the overwhelmedness

2010-10-24T15:48:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a class called Professional Issues right now, and in that class we talk about...well, professional issues...certification, licensure, burnout, stress. This past week, or maybe it was two weeks ago, the professor talked about stress in terms of resource allocation, which made a lot of sense to me.

She described stress as an imbalance between the demands you feel and the resources you have. I previously had a notion that stress was an accumulation, or something heavy, and always progressing or regressing, but I didn't see it in a sort of give and take, back and forth mode. But this makes far more sense to me experientially.

There are times when you have heavy things on you, and it's fine. You have the support, the internal resources, etc. to deal with it. There are other times when your resources are extremely limited, maybe you're sick or hurting, and there's nothing to balance the stress and someone's tone of voice can lead to tears.

I'm so there. Not tears, but overwhelmed. The demands right now are overwhelming the resources I have to deal with them. It's temporary, yes. But a very ugly feeling. I'm still trying to take care of myself, but finding that recently the things that should help mange the demands are becoming demands themselves...exercise, eating well, church, devotions, etc.

And, at the end of it all, this too shall pass. The next few weeks will be over soon, as will the semester. With the cholera epidemic raging in Haiti, I am reminded that it's a luxury to be stressed out about school work and obligations instead of food and shelter.

Making Faces

2010-10-10T17:12:00.003-05:00

Het Weekend

2010-10-09T22:26:00.002-05:00

It's a 4 day weekend and I couldn't be more thankful. While you all may be celebrating Columbus Day elsewhere, in SD it's Native American Day. And I love it.

My schedule has felt really busy lately, and I've found myself with just an hour here or there, with no big chunks of time to really dig into something. So this weekend I'm doing just that. I am ignoring the very strong pull to get out of town for the weekend, and instead getting some important things done, and also celebrating having some free time.

Yesterday I started the weekend out with drinks and dinner with a friend. Today was cleaning and running errands until late afternoon, when I went on a bike ride with a friend. The sky was somewhat ominous, but we went anyway. We got sprinkled on, and eventually rained on, but it was warm enough that it wasn't miserable, and we finished 22 miles on the trail, some on parts I'd never seen before. That was fun.

Tonight has been spent laboriously reading and taking quizzes on research ethics and the protection of human subjects. I totally get the importance of it, but as I was reading it through, somehow it struck me as absurd that we have a billion little rules and processes to protect human subjects in research, but we do so little to protect humans from disease, famine, etc. etc. I know, totally random, but it's where my mind went.

Tomorrow is baptism of Ang and Ryan's littlest, which I am very much looking forward to, and then starting in on a paper for my Articulation and Phonology class. I'm going to be writing it about the use of sensory feedback in articulation therapy, which I'm really interested in. What I'm not really interested in, however, is actually writing the paper. We'll see how that goes.

Monday is so far planless, other than a bike ride with another friend. My hope is to use the day to organize closets and cupboards and get rid of things I don't need anymore, but we'll see. At some point I'd like to go and see The Social Network too. Hooray for long weekends!

2010-10-03T17:26:00.004-05:00

It is a wonderful day. Not only because it's an amazing fall afternoon, but also because...

I rode my 500th mile on my bike today!!!

I went to church this morning and then out to lunch with friends. When I got home, I was really pretty much certain I was not going on a bike ride. I had a bunch of reasons it wasn't going to be great, like it's coldlish, there was too much wind for my liking (more than none, basically) at 15 mph, etc. etc. Basically I was whining to myself about it. But, the other options were 1) workout at the gym, or 2) go for a walk outside.
Here's the problem with #1, go to the gym. This is the view out my living room window right now:

Going to the gym on a day this nice just seemed like a travesty. I am really, really enjoying fall this year, and trying to soak it in without fretting about the impending winter. So #1 was out. And #2, going for a walk, is just kinda boring after starting to ride bike...it's way too slow.

So I thought I'd get out on my bike, and if it was really awful, come back after a few miles. Thankfully, that was not the case. The portion of the bike trail south of my house has been closed most of the summer so I haven't ridden there much, but did today. What I hadn't realized is that a lot of that section is in the middle of parks with tree breaks, making it much more impervious to the wind than the wide open section by the airport.

The other great thing was that after much deliberation I seemed to have come up with a good biking outfit to suit the weather today. I was neither too hot nor too cold, which made for a really pleasant ride. That, and a new Shakira song from zumba on the iPod. A little Waka Waka is good for everyone.

This Morning's Oats

2010-10-03T10:27:00.002-05:00

Oats, milk, plain yogurt, raisins, trail mix, & honey

My New Favorite

2010-10-02T21:03:00.004-05:00

My new favorite, and current obsession, is overnight oats. I don't think I blogged about it, but I've been thinking about oatmeal lately. It's good for you, and though I ruled it out as a kid, I thought I might like it.

So a few weeks ago I made some hot oatmeal in my rice cooker...and it was okay. Not really any flavor though, and by the third or fourth bite the texture was making me a little gag-y.

Enter overnight oats. Ryan and Ang introduced me to them on our Okoboji weekend. And then I realized that my current favorite blog, Kath Eats Real Food, has been talking about them too (somehow I assumed she cooked them).

So the idea is simple--mix oats with yogurt and/or milk, let them sit overnight, and voila. They are a bit chewy, flavorful, cool, and ready to be topped. I am a huge fan.

Okoboji Weekend

2010-09-26T19:23:00.003-05:00

I spent the weekend at the lake with some amazing old friends. We've hung out periodically, but with kids it's not always easy to really connect, and this weekend was a great time of doing that. And of course, there were obligatory self-portraits with the oldest kiddos.

Nothing much important

2010-09-21T22:26:00.003-05:00

This week I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed. The semester is busier than those in the recent past, but mostly it's my own fault since I'm going out of town over the weekend and trying to get everything done. And it's not like things are unmanageable, but adding a night class and 12 hours a week of GA work means I need to be more organized and focused. And when I forget something or end up going out to eat because I haven't planned a meal ahead of time, that sucks because it's stuff I should have written down or gotten done. But such is life. And I have to say, as much as I hate dropping the ball on things, I am enjoying the pace in certain ways. Weeks go by quickly, and I feel very productive. Now if that could happen and I could do everything perfectly, I'd be all set.

Brrr....

2010-09-16T10:08:00.002-05:00

I was dumb this morning. I checked the weather and it was 48 degrees, so I thought it would be perfect bike weather...I always get too hot, so this morning would be a nice break from that. Only I've never biked in cooler weather and made some fatal mistakes:

1) I didn't wear socks in my bike sandals. Numb toes and feet.

2) It's kind of a darker day, so I didn't wear sunglasses. This meant wind in my eyes/face, and tears/snot streaming down my face.

3) Capri bike pants.

4) No ear protection.

5) No gloves. I have these sweet wristwarmers a colleague gave me when her mother-in-law gave them to her and she didn't like them. But, when I left I thought wristwarmers might be overkill. Yeah, no. Here's the thing...it's not like you can put your hands in your pockets on a bike. You kind of need them to make sure you don't run into anything. And can stop. So freezing fingers too.

All in all, I was fuh-reez-ing. Adjustments will be made. The good part? My average speed was a bit faster than usual because I wanted to get home and warm up!

2010-09-12T18:28:00.001-05:00

If only riding 26.2 was as awesome as running it...ah, well. It does make for my longest bike ride ever, and brings my summer bike miles up over 450. Whoo-hoo!

2010-09-11T15:29:00.004-05:00

So physical ability has never been my thing. I can kick ass academically, be at least moderately creative, and cook enough to eat quite well. But gym class? Well, let's just saw I was the last one picked for teams. Always. Well, I guess unless we include lesser known sports like bocce ball and laser tag, and most people don't.

When I bought a bike this summer I was excited about it, but about 99% sure I would fall off early and often. So far that hasn't happened...so far. And actually, I love riding. Mostly when it's a flat surface, but still.

I also think it'd be fair to say I am a rule follower and like to plan out anything unknown. If I can't study it, read about it, practice it by myself, you're not likely to find me doing it in public. Which is why I almost exclusively ride on the trails. Riding on the street with cars, other bikers, etc., is just a little too intimidating.

But I would like to do it. The bike trail is great for fun, but unfortunately the grocery store, library, etc., are not conveniently located directly off of the trail. If I want to ride my bike to these places, and I do, I will have to ride on the street.
Enter community education class Traffic Skills 101.

The class was awesome. We learned basic bike maintenance including how to change a flat, hazard/crash avoidance, and how to cycle in traffic. It was one of those things where I wanted to do it, was excited to do it, but really had to push myself, as I was generally terrified to show up at each class. The fear was mostly about doing bike maneuvers in front of other people, which turned out to not be quite as terrible as I thought. Sure, I was the least skilled person there, but no one laughed out loud which helped. The instructor was also really nice and helpful.

And today we did a road ride. Again, much anxiety about being able to keep up with everyone, etc., but mostly unfounded, with the exception of a couple of not giant hills (still kicked my ass). What was awesome was learning how to negotiate traffic in Sioux Falls. The map below shows our path, through some major intersections in town. I can't say I want to bike those streets any more than necessary, but I would feel a lot more comfortable doing so if I needed to.

So yeah, I did not die. I did not even fall off of my bike, although I did hit too many of the tennis balls in the parking lot drills. And I learned stuff! I love learning stuff.

Zumba

2010-08-31T21:32:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and I should be hole-punching syllabi and finding a binder to put them in. But somehow, as organized as I am about other things, it works better for me to get that all done after the first day.

So today I spent most of my day in 2nd grade, which was fun. I had the time free, so I helped Jenni do reading assessments with her kids. They were sweet. One girl wanted to hold my hand, another kept asking me who I was going to take next, I think hoping it was her turn. When it was, she wanted me to make sure I knew what a good read she is.

And then I came home and things kind of just went south. Nothing big. Just some little things that added up to a sour mood. But, that was okay, because I was going to Zumba.

That's right, Zumba. Where a roomful of white women try to pretend they have rhythm. Actually, some don't even pretend. And that's half the fun--you are just as awkward shaking your booty as your neighbor is. And, it's almost always guaranteed that there will be someone so awful that watching them in the mirror is so entertaining it takes your mind off of how hot and sweaty you are.

Tonight there was a substitute instructor. She's been in the classes before, but I've never taken a class she's taught, and if I can help it, I won't do it again. She is super enthusiastic, and I think that's why we don't mesh. I'm never very extroverted, but especially not while exercising. And if you want me to sing along to the music and shout out Zumba every once in a while, I need a drink or two first.

But all in all, the class was great. I went with a great friend, and the endorphins helped me kick the sour mood. And, tomorrow's the first day of classes. What could be bad about that?

Farmer's Market

2010-08-28T12:15:00.002-05:00

I rarely wake up, have coffee, and do whatever I do on Saturdays (bike, watch Project Runway) with time to spare to make it to the farmer's market before it closes at 1 PM. Today, I made it, and found these glorious looking items from Seedtime and Harvest. The tomato is already half gone (open faced toast/sandwich thingy with tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella), and I'm super excited to put the giant shallots to use. I'm not sure what I'll do with the carrots and eggplant yet, but I think reading through cookbooks and websites is half the fun.

PR

2010-08-27T22:51:00.003-05:00

Anyone else out there watching Project Runway? I just watched this week's, and I have a few things to say:

1) In reference to the ending, Go Tim Gunn!!!

2) If Gretchen and I ever had to work together on anything, we would have words. And I would win.

3) What is up with Casanova's man boobs/V-neck sweater this week?

4) I can't wait to see next week's episode where Michael Kors describes an outfit as something someone would wear to a "Church Bring a Pot Dinner." Apparently he doesn't attend many potlucks.

Books a plenty

2010-08-26T22:24:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been reading books I might not otherwise pick up. Not because I'm trying to branch out, but more because I haven't found any recommendations that seem like the kind of books I would pick up.

But, I've read some good ones. First, I read Lucky, which is Alice Sebold's autobiography. Or memoir...I'm not sure what the difference is. It was not particularly easy to read. The first few pages detail her being raped during college. And you keep thinking that the book will get past the rape eventually, but never does. Which I suppose is the point--you don't just get past rape. So I'd probably recommend the book if you want to read a memoir about rape, instead of just a memoir about Alice Sebold. It does explain a lot about The Lovely Bones though I think.

I also read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I will not be reading another book in the series. Probably ever. But not because it sucked. In fact, the characters were interesting, but the random violence and suspense got to me. I don't like horror movies or thrillers, and this book was some of each. I actually had nightmares from it, which almost never happens to me. So, despite being interesting, I'm not subjecting myself to that again. If you're not bothered by it, go for it. You'll also learn a lot about the Swedish social welfare system and the author's views on economics, which was kind of interesting. Also amusing were the precise descriptions of each and every electronic device used. It wasn't just a laptop, it was an Apple Powerbook 450GHz computer.

The last book I finished recently was The Glass Castle, another memoir, this time by Jeannette Walls. The writing in the book wasn't really very impressive, and I didn't like the ending, but the story of Walls' life growing up with a drunk father and somewhat crazy mother was super interesting. And surprisingly, she doesn't demonize either of her parents, though she easily could. They do some awful, selfish things, but Walls still recognizes their humanity. The one complaint I would have is that I felt like Walls describes a lot of events in her life, especially the latter part, without really going into depth. I would have like to know more about how she moved from being poor and homeless to being so successful. Her childhood and descripts are colorful enough though that I would still recommend reading it.

I just started reading The Help, and I think I'm really going to like it.

For the love of...

2010-08-23T18:17:00.004-05:00

I have now lived in Sioux Falls longer than anywhere else in my adult life. I've grown to like, and maybe even love it. Really. But occasionally, I get restless and wonder about pulling up the roots I've worked hard to put down, and moving on to a new adventure. And as much fun as it is to think about, right now I'm tied down pretty securely, given 2 more years in my school program. But a girl can daydream.

This weekend I went to Minneapolis with a friend, and started thinking about all the things I could do in a city like that. We went to horse races, which I wasn't sure I would love, but did. I picked horses solely on their names, and only won with Abounding Aptitude. Of course.

We also visited the Schells brewery on the way home. Schells Stout is probably one of my favorite beers ever, so it was great to get a free glass at the end of the tour. And the grounds are beautiful, though maybe charming is a better word. Old brick buildings built on a hillside, along with gardens and a mansion, make it feel more European than Minnesotan for sure.

I think my favorite part of the weekend though was a bike ride on Saturday. The idea had sounded good, until I saw the heat index predictions. I love riding, but riding when it's hot, sunny, and humid is more torturous than pleasant. But, the weather was perfect. It was cloudy/foggy, and cooler for the entire ride, and the sun just started breaking through as we headed back to the hotel.

What amazed me most was how bike friendly Minneapolis is. I have heard it advertised as such, but since I just started riding this summer, I've only started noticing these things.

Our ride on Saturday took us around three of the lakes nearish downtown Minneapolis. The great thing was that most of the paths were one way, bikes only, which made things really simple. We also accidentally ended up on a greenway that you could take all the way downtown, or to light rail. It ran past some of the most amazing community gardens I've seen. Sitting downtown Minneapolis Saturday night we saw people using the dedicated bike lanes (cars have to park away from the curb, out of the bike lane). We also saw more pedicabs than regular cabs, and a lot of different kinds of people riding. It was great.

And, Sioux Falls is a good place to bike too, despite a biker being hit and killed last week. I'm thankful we have the bike path we do around the city, and despite my recent wanderlust, I'm happy to live where I do.

Sunday

2010-08-16T11:11:00.004-05:00

I spent the day yesterday running video at church (let's not talk about how that went), and then geocaching. We found 16 caches, which was a good day's worth, but the best part was exploring Palisades State Park.

For a couple of the caches we hiked some trails into the area, and walked over the bridge at Devil's Gulch, where Jesse James supposedly jumped. I didn't get any pictures of that, but I found this sign really interesting. Not sure why mystery gets short-changed and remains uncapitalized.

We also saw three of these caterpillars on one of the paths. They were really quite beautiful. I'm curious what the spiky horn on the head (or rear?) is for. I'm also a little afraid to ask.

Not the most flattering picture, but a nice view of the scenery.

I had never been there before, but it's well worth the visit. It certainly doesn't feel like something that should exist in South Dakota.

Giddy!

2010-08-13T22:08:00.002-05:00

So I am giddy tonight, because tonight I saw a movie at Filmdrome. Art, classic, and independent film. In Sioux Falls!!!!

Now I'm not someone who loves every indie film or only watches art films or whatever. But, I do like some, and more than that, I love the idea that my town, a town like Sioux Falls, has something like this!

As cheesy as it sounds, walking into a museum every once in a while, or watching an independent film in a theater feeds my soul. I just walk out feeling like all is right with the world.

Wow, that does sound cheesy.

Anyway...

THIS. IS. AMAZING.

2010-08-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

I am eating cherries I paid $11 for, and it is worth it.

Prayer

2010-08-10T21:27:00.002-05:00

I love the language in the Book of Common Prayer, and this prayer has been on my heart the last few days:

O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that
thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men:
Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servant for whom
our prayers are offered. Remember him, O Lord, in mercy,
nourish his soul with patience, comfort him with a sense of
thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon him, and give
him peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Marielle

2010-07-31T09:15:00.002-05:00

Ang and Ryan had a baby, Marielle, and I got to hold her. Isn't she cute?

This is getting a little ridiculous

2010-07-29T18:40:00.002-05:00

I made guacamole on Tuesday, and there is still hot pepper oil from the jalapeno on my hands. Now, I made guacamole last weekend, the same way, and had no problems. This time, I maybe handled the seeds a bit more, and wasn't as aggressive in trimming out the white part (which I learned is called the placenta...ew). Apparently that is where the capsaicin resides.

I didn't know I had actually acquired the oil on my hands until I went to take out my contacts Tuesday night, and my eyes burned. And teared up, and I generally wanted to claw them out. There was much hand-washing with soap and water and googling to find out what might help get it off. Apparently alcohol could be tried, so a quick wash with vodka and I called it good.

Wednesday morning more burning. Intense burning. I thought I had done serious damage to my eyes. I rinsed with rum this time, thinking my classmates may think I have a drinking problem if I show up smelling like a mojito, but oh well. The worst part is that the only way I can tell if it's still there is by sticking my finger in my eye and seeing if it burns. Rum didn't help.

Then I remembered I have latex gloves in my backpack from school, left over (but unused) from an oral mechanism exam I did. I donned the gloves and finally got my contacts in. Someone recommended milk, so yesterday I soaked my hand in milk. No better. So I'm still using the gloves to put my contacts in and take them out, but this is getting a little ridiculous.

This is where I leave you

2010-07-28T18:31:00.002-05:00

Last night I went to bed early, 9 PM. It was downpouring, making the living room a few decibels too loud, given the rain on the skylights. Plus, I had a good book. So I stayed up late finishing it, and like any good books simultaneously wanted to read it all the way to the end, but also knew that meant I would soon be finished with it. Tear.

This is where I leave you was a book I don't really remember picking up, other than that I remember getting the recommendation from NPR books. The thing about the book is that it's about some incredibly hard stuff (affairs, divorce, infertility), but is done in a way that doesn't make you want to claw your eyes out (Revolutionary Road style). In fact, I really liked Judd Foxman, the protagonist.

Somehow, Jonathon Tropper lets you really get the gravity of what the characters are facing, but also lighten it up with humor. At times the characters lean toward caricature, but not often enough to really bother me. They do fight a lot, I will say that. Like physically punch each other out.

Anyway, if you need a little relationship drama (who doesn't?), I would highly recommend it. Or if you want to read about a family sitting shiva.

Class

2010-07-19T21:13:00.001-05:00

I'm in the second week of my second summer class, Craniofacial Anomalies. Today we heard 14 presentations on genetic and other syndromes that include craniofacial disorders. All I can say is this: It is a miracle babies are born without craniofacial anomalies, and if I ever have a baby, I will be paranoid.

Sore

2010-07-15T22:34:00.001-05:00

When I was in California last week, I missed my bike. I actually thought about it at least 3 or 4 times throughout the week, wishing I had it with me so I could ride a bit. That's weird.

Tonight I finally got back on it despite some wind, and it was great. Not quite as great on the middle miles where the wind was blowing hard, but still great. Only about 20 more miles and I'll have ridden 300 so far this summer.

I also played kickball tonight with people from church, and it was really fun. I was maybe not the worst player (there were 2 eight year old boys playing), and even made a couple of catches. I think mainly I was afraid the ball would hit me so I caught it, I'm not sure.

I do know that after a 14 mile ride (after missing my bike for a long time!) and an hour and a half of kickball, I will be sore tomorrow.

Must Read

2010-07-13T14:13:00.002-05:00

I would never have picked up A Dirty Job on my own. But, I joined a summer book club, and already missed the first meeting...so I thought I had better make sure I make it to the second one.

And I loved the book.

Describing the plot would just make it sound dumb, and anyway you can read that for yourself. Here's why I liked it--Charlie is an interesting protagonist. And there is an amazingly interesting cast of supporting characters, including someone named Minty Fresh. The book is clever, somewhat plot driven, and although the ending was somewhat unsatisfying to me, I would highly recommend it. Who wouldn't want to read a book about Death? (I wouldn't, but having read it, I'd recommend you do)

Skymall

2010-07-12T22:10:00.005-05:00

I should be going to bed. Actually, I should be in bed as my alarm is going to go off at 5:45 AM tomorrow, and that is early.But going to bed before it's completely dark just seems wrong. And, there are some very disturbing items in the Skymall catalog that must be discussed.

1. Sperm Shoes I'm not even really sure what to say about these. Other than why, oh why, do they have a sperm on the side? Seriously, why? Because of sperm's athletic prowess?

2. Giant Chair
This I just do not understand. It looks so...uncomfortable. The poor man's feet aren't even touching the ground.

3. Mermaid Fins

Weirdly awesome, for every girl who ever wanted to be The Little Mermaid. When I first saw them, I thought the girl in the middle was the mom. Which would have been weirder.

2010-07-10T02:02:00.003-05:00

It's late, and everyone else is long in bed. But I wanted to say how grateful I am this week for old friends. Situations have changed, I've moved away, but it's still amazing to be able to talk about everything and still feel comfortable enough with old friends to rummage around in the fridge.

Barbecue at John and Donna's

2010-07-06T01:40:00.004-05:00

Annabelle wasn't quite sure who I was after having not seen her since Thanksgiving (she quickly warmed up to me)

John, the grillmaster

A lovely dinner and night in San Jose

Things I Learned from Eclipse

2010-07-01T23:26:00.002-05:00

Here's what I learned from the movie Eclipse last night:

1) Vampires carry backpacks from The North Face, and they also carry ginormous tents up gigantic rocky mountains, when a smaller tent really seems much more practical.

2) Vampire families do an excellent job of color coordination, and their wardrobe would make a great winter collection for some designer. Also, when preparing for battle, they don only gray and black.

3) If your boyfriend is a vampire, and you are camping in a ginormous tent from The North Face on a rocky peak and it is snowing outside, you will become hypothermic. You must have a wolfboy to keep you warm. Wolfboys are also good when you get sick of hiking because they can carry you everywhere.

4) If your boyfriend is a vampire, you will no longer have any interest in doing any activity outside of laying down and staring into his eyes, sitting down and staring into his eyes, or standing in a group of people while staring in his eyes.

5) Edward and Bella wear the same lipstick color (Sarah McQ noticed this too).

Books

2010-06-27T22:30:00.002-05:00

I realized I haven't blogged about what I've been reading lately. Or even recently...or in the distant past. It's been way too long.

Being in school and all I didn't read a ton this spring, but when I went to Hawaii with my parents I finished up Censoring an Iranian Love Story, and read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Censoring an Iranian Love Story was interesting...I wasn't sure what to make of the narrator, or what to make of the entire story really, though I liked the writing style.

I was (and am) a big fan of Pollan's books. I definitely think those will be worthy of re-reading. I was also a big fan of a book called Little Bee, a fictional tale of an immigrant, as well as In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, which reminded me a lot of Jhumpa Lahiri's writing.

I started The Lacuna, but didn't finish it. I'd like to sometime, just somehow let it slip by me. I did finish Marilyn Robinson's Home, which I liked, but not as much as Gilead.

I was really excited to read some of Kate Braestrup's writing after being fascinated by an interview she did on Speaking of Faith. The first book I read was Here If You Need Me, and I'm glad I read that one first. The writing wasn't compelling, but the actual, gritty stories about the day to day realities of her job kept me interested. I then read Marriage and Other Acts of Charity, and found it so uninteresting I'm not really sure why I read it all the way through. I guess I was hoping for more vignettes about her job.

I'm currently reading The Lonely Polygamist, and I'm not sure yet what I think. I'm about halfway through, and it's not boring enough to stop, but certainly not a page turner.

Wisdom

2010-06-27T13:20:00.003-05:00

On Friday I was driving somewhere, Target maybe, and NPR was on as it usually is in the car. The program was Fresh Air, and Terry Gross was interviewing a man who turned out to be Dr. Dan Gottlieb. The man speaking was a quadriplegic and was discussing how his injuries had changed him. I heard a lot of wisdom in his words, wisdom that applies to so many situations in addition to his. Here are a few things he said that struck me most:

GROSS: I know that the car accident that left you paralyzed nearly killed you. So that forced you to change your life. Youve had a few close calls with death in the past few years. Did those close calls almost allow you to change your life, you know, allow you to make changes that you actually wanted to make and felt like you couldnt?

Dr. GOTTLIEB: Yes. Yes. What a great question. The vision I had - have - about my accident is that when my neck broke, my soul began to breathe. I became the person I always dreamt I could be and never would've been if I didnt break my neck. And with each time I faced death, I became more of who I am and less worried about what others might think of me.

That question struck me as wise, but also made me wonder that it takes something so severe to stop caring what other people think.

More along the same lines:

GROSS: I mean did you feel that there were certain pressures that you or other people had put on yourself to become somebody who you weren't particularly?

Dr. GOTTLIEB: We're all like that.

GROSS: No.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: Not me, ever.

Dr. GOTTLIEB: Most people I know spend their lives trying to be the person they think they should be and never get to discover who they are. And that's the gift - one of the gifts - the fact that I can't run away from my demons, literally. I have to sit with them. The person I wanted to be - I had always dreamed of being a visionary, of being a peacemaker, but I had to be a psychologist. I had to be a father. I had to be the kind of man I thought I was supposed to be. And when I broke my neck, that was gone. I had to be the kind of man I was.

And finally, thoughts on the moment of the accident that paralyzed him:

GROSS: I imagine that you dont remember the moment of impact.

Dr. GOTTLIEB: No.

GROSS: Is that a good thing, that you dont remember that?

Dr. GOTTLIEB: I think it is. The last thing I remember is a big black thing in the sky, and that's the last thing I remember. I think, though, all of us, if we can use that metaphorically, all of us have been hit by a big black thing coming out of the sky.

You know, it's a lump. It's a doctor saying, I think it's malignant. It's a spouse saying, I dont want to be in this marriage anymore. I'm no different than anybody else in that regard.

2010-06-24T21:19:00.001-05:00

Here's something I love about my church. The guy who sells beer at my favorite bar in town is also the guy who helps out in Vacation Bible School teaching the story of David.

Kid Overload

2010-06-23T12:34:00.004-05:00

My 4 year old nephew came up yesterday, and we went to the pool. It was probably the hottest day so far this summer, and the pool was packed. The picture is actually a slightly cleared out pool, after a few daycare groups left.

There were a few mandated rest breaks, so I made the kiddo take pictures with me.

I'm also helping with VBS this week, so that's a lotta kids.

MSP

2010-06-18T10:34:00.004-05:00

I spent the last three days up in Minneapolis, and it felt so much like a weekend away that I've had to stop a number of times today to figure out what day it is (Friday, not Monday). That's the nice thing about a mid-week getaway, you still have a weekend.

A trip means that school is indeed over, and I was really happy with how things turned out. Our group earned the high score on our final (as we did on our midterm), which I thought was quite an accomplishment with six different people contributing to the final result.

Minneapolis included some quick shopping, a lot of good eating that can't be done in SF, like thai food, pizza luce, a downtown St. Paul brewery with wheat beer brewed with lemongrass, some geocaching, attempting a Twins game ($40 for standing room only tickets was a no go for me), and a quick visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center's sculpture garden. I was a little disappointed at the MIA because the collection of photographs of the South were gone, and the other photographs on display were closed because they were finishing a new installation. Boo. But it was still worth going.

Oh, and I forgot, Chipotle. Mmm.

On the way home it hailed on my car, and despite fearing the worst, there isn't any hail damage, for which I am grateful.

Hail

Garlic mashed potato pizza at Pizza Luce

A view of the St. Croix river from a park in Hudson, WI, while geocaching

Lake Weekend

2010-06-13T22:16:00.001-05:00

I can't decide which photograph is my favorite from this weekend.

Joy at being at the lake house.

Joy about a new princess bike (for the future, obviously).

Baby rage, which looks a lot like joy.

Or baby surprise!

Midterm

2010-05-27T17:13:00.002-05:00

I am officially halfway through my first summer class, after only 8 days of class. In fact, I just finished writing part of the midterm exam. I have to say it feels very strange to be writing a midterm two weeks into the class, like you're pretending to know things you don't really know yet.

Only I have learned a lot. More than a lot. In some ways, I can see the wisdom of doing more classes this way. The intensity of it keeps your mind focused on one thing at a time. However, I find that I don't have any brain space left for other inputs, like music or reading or other people.

It's my first time taking a class from this particular professor, and although I find her analogies somewhat colorful (and unprofessional....like comparing taking her quizzes to having sex), it makes me realize how much I appreciate good teaching, and how I really want to get back into the classroom, particularly at the college level. I loved teaching a college class!

This weekend I'm heading up to the lake with the fam, and unfortunately have to study while I'm there. The task this weekend is to understand tests of central auditory processing and how they work in the brain, a task that doesn't come particularly easy to me. I will be reviewing. A lot.

2010-05-23T16:56:00.001-05:00

SoDak on a Sunday afternoon bike ride

It's the small things, really

2010-05-20T08:14:00.002-05:00

I put on a skirt this morning, since I am doing an observation in the clinic this afternoon, and was pleased to see that after 3+ months of working out, my cankles are decidedly less cankle-ish.

Processing, processing

2010-05-19T22:28:00.002-05:00

So here's random...last week I was off of school, with all the time in the world to sleep in, and sleep was elusive. This week I'm back to school, and am having no trouble sleeping. Go figure.

My class right now is intense. It's a semester course packed into four weeks. Two and a half hours a day, four days a week, for four weeks. Which equates to somewhere around 50-100 pages of reading per night, a quiz every other day, and a midterm project both assigned and due next week.

It's a good thing I like school.

I wasn't really sure I'd like the class, Central Auditory Processing Disorders (CAPD), but I've liked it better than I thought. One reason is definitely the professor. She's one of the foremost experts on the topic, so she really knows her stuff. Also, she's a really good teacher. And as exhausting as it is to be learning at such a breakneck speed, her teaching is impressive, and it really makes me want to have a chance to teach college again.

So if you're wondering what CAPD is, keep reading. If you're not, stop. Seriously, I've heard/read/thought about it so much already in the past three days I'm bound to ramble on a bit.

So basically, CAPD is a processing problem somewhere in the central auditory nervous system, in other words, your brain isn't hearing so well. You have no actual hearing loss, but what comes in isn't being processed appropriately, so you can't make sense of it. So far we've talked about historical problems defining it, some neuroanatomy and a bit about neuroplasticity and neuromaturation. We've also discusssed information processing, modality specificity, how speech and language tie into CAPDs, types of CAPD (Right hemisphere, Left hemisphere, Corpus Callosum), and typical indicators of CAPD.

In 3 days.

And I've got 3 weeks and a day left.

There will be more.

2010-05-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

It's a little old now, but this is making me laugh today.

Show Me Full

2010-04-15T18:00:00.002-05:00

My professor snapped this picture with her phone today while I was doing preschool language testing. It was fun, and the girl in the picture was extra fun. She kept telling me "I'm just calming myself down a minute" when I asked her to point at a picture.

Kitty Choir

2010-04-07T18:21:00.003-05:00

I meant to blog a long while ago, but then ended up traveling a bit, doing schoolwork a lot in the in between, and just generally being busy.

Over Easter I went to PA with the fam (most of it at least) to see my grandparents and aunt and uncle who live out there. We rented a 15 passenger van (yes, for 5 adults and 2 kiddos). You can't really accuse my dad of ever under doing anything.

Here's a video from the weekend. It's blurry because I took it with my camera, and no one else may even find it funny, but it cracks me up every time I watch it. It's my 4yo nephew who loves kitties, singing with the "kitty choir." I missed the beginning of it, but he had just told us the kitties like to sing a song called "Jesus clubhouse," which is hilarious in itself. It also amuses me to no end that my brother sings along. Or at least lip syncs. What a good dad.

Beet Red

2010-02-28T17:44:00.002-06:00

I just ran 20 minutes straight and did not die. Okay, to be honest I jogged, slowly. But I did it for 20 minutes! Straight! And did not die!

Which is an accomplishment. I'm on week 5 of the Couch to 5K, and have been dreading the 20 minute run. The run 8 walk 5 run 8 was hard enough, and I was pretty sure starting today that I wouldn't make it. But somehow the 8 minutes came and I thought I could go for at least 1 or 2 more, and so did, and by that point I thought to myself I'm not letting this beat me, and kept going. Okay, if you were really in my head there may have been a few expletives in that thought, but yeah, I made it.

And now, to show how hard I worked, my face will be beet red for at least a good hour or more. Some people sweat a lot, but not me. Sure I sweat, but mostly my face just turns red. I've googled it before, thinking it was just because I was out of shape, but it turns out some people's blood vessels are just closer to the surface, and having a red face is actually a very efficient cooling mechanism. Who knew?

I think it does scare people at the gym though, since they look at me with glances of concern. I'm pretty sure they think I'm about to have a heart attack and they're going to the be the ones who have to find the AED. But no, I just turn red. Lucky me.

Um, no

2010-02-24T21:39:00.003-06:00

Someone at school today asked me how I like the school district I live in, and when I gave her a quizzical look she said something like "Your kids are old enough to be in school, right?"

Um, no.

At least it was better than my carpool partner being asked if she lives in a retirement home.

Not so triumphant

2010-02-22T20:26:00.002-06:00

If I remember right, my last post was triumphant, pleased with myself for my workout progress. Ah, how quickly the mighty fall.

And how quickly I become mired in my own mind. It's those darn high standards, and wanting to do things all or nothing. Life just doesn't work that way. Like today, I got a test back, with a grade much lower than I wanted or expected. It's not the end of the world. It's not even a terrible grade in the grand scheme of things, but it is definitely not up to my expectation of myself.

And tonight, this self-imposed perfectionism, in certain areas, has me bogged down. I'm sure that expectations that I can really get it all together and keep it all together aren't helping, but that's really how I would like things to go. Until my magic wand appears, I guess I'll have to live with mediocre.

That Good Kind of Tired

2010-02-16T21:20:00.002-06:00

It's a tired kind of night, in a good way. In January I saw my doctor for my yearly checkup, and discovered I have a bit of a cholesterol issue. Part of it's genetic, as there are a number of people in my family who have high cholesterol as well, but I also knew that part of it was definitely my own doing.

So since then, I've been more or less successfully (depends on the day) making changes to both what I eat and how I exercise. More lettuce, less cheese. And far less butter, though that's still one I'm grieving. It's amazing how fondly I can think of a dairy product.

Part of what I've been doing is the Couch to 5K running program. Or in my case, jogging program. Slow jogging program might be more appropriate. And it's going well, I'm in week 4, but today kicked my butt. In a good way, yes, but I am exhausted tonight, and hopefully that means good sleep, which has been elusive lately.

It's amazing to me how things can slowly drift and change course. I did the Couch to 5k the first time I was in grad. school (it still feels weird to say that), and did the whole thing. I was in great shape, and significantly lighter than I am now. And slowly, over the years between now and then, I've become intimately acquainted with butter and bacon and have sort of forgotten my friends the fruits. So we're getting reacquainted, slowly but surely.

I'm also trying a few new things. My doctor said to limit my red meat, which is tough, since I rarely ate red meat before...maybe once a month at home. So I figured making more vegetarian meals couldn't hurt. And for the most part I'm a big fan of legumes and grains, and certain vegetables (sorry broccoli and cauliflower, we will never be a thing). I decided on fajitas one night last week, which I often make vegetarian, with just bell peppers and onions. Since I'm (re)discovering new things, I found a soy meat substitute at the grocery store.

As tempting as that may sound, DO NOT DO IT. At least not the meat-flavored ones. Seriously. It was bad. At least with tofu you know what you're getting, a flavorless, but high in protein block that can be manipulated to your own specifications. Faux fajita meat, however, had a texture that would have been fine for meat, but incredibly disgusting for a soy product. Along with icky seasoning, and some kind of smokiness that was out of place. I will not make that mistake again.

2010-02-15T22:12:00.003-06:00

Let's just speed past the it's been a while stuff, okay? K.

I'm still not sure about this whole blogging thing as an on-going thing, but I feel like writing tonight. And I do miss writing. Catching up on people via Facebook and Twitter is all fun and good, but really, the blog thing is more about the writing for me. Which I think is part of why I stopped...I'd started to worry too much about what people were thinking.

So for now, I'll keep writing, and not worry about it.

It does feel odd, to be doing this again after a few months away. What to talk about...how about some randomness. It feels appropriate. First, I heard a kid at school the other day talking about how Tiger Woods was his idol. Good for you, college kid. Let's see....what else...I got out of town this weekend, and despite crappy winter driving, it was great to be away.

That's about it, maybe I didn't feel like writing as much as I thought I did.

And There Was Much Rejoicing...

2009-11-06T17:10:00.002-06:00

I got into grad school! Hooray! It is a day of joy.

On another, completely unrelated note (or not so completely unrelated if you look at it very abstractly and from a great distance), I came across a great sermon by Rob Bell today. If you like sermons. It's the one called "The Importance of Beginning in the Beginning." I think they rotate them off after 12 weeks, so you might want to listen soon. If you're so inclined.

2009-11-05T19:31:00.003-06:00

I just got home from a class at the gym, and it kicked my butt. But, I went with friends, and it's always better to get your butt kicked with friends rather than by yourself. And, of course, now that I've worked out I'm going to watch Top Chef.

After I study...sigh.

I can't say I have much to say today, but I want to write more for fun again. For work I'm writing about 10 hours a week, but writing about hotels in Mankato or hunting in South Dakota isn't all that fun. Well, sometimes, when I get to blog about things like the zombie prom or the roller derby girls.

But not usually.

Still waiting on the grad. school news too. I met with my advisor this week, and learned that all may not go as planned, due to scheduling conflicts. But, once there's a problem my brain kind of goes into overload trying to find a solution. So I basically don't remember anything from class on Wednesday, but have a number of options to solve the problems.

We shall see.

Does anyone else get a beet red face when you work out? My face is easily the shade of a tomato after working out, even back when I was in shape (that one time, a long time ago). I understand that it's blood vessels near the surface of your skin trying to cool you off, but why doesn't everyone turn red? Why are only some of us subject to this visual indicator of having sweat profusely?

Such is life, I guess.

Oh, whatever...

2009-11-02T21:31:00.002-06:00

Hmm, yes, forever again. Well....well. There's not much to say about that that's interesting, is there?

And not even much for last week. Well, actually, here's a quick rundown of the last few weeks: lake weekend, car problems, sickness, more car problems. I am plagued.

Then there was Halloween weekend, and a mighty entertaining weekend it was. Halloween night started off watching the zombies walk the streets of downtown SF, and concluded with a stranger joining a friend and I, to tell us about his Lebanese girlfriend and how his Aryan friends wouldn't approve...hmm.

There was also a glorious Halloween-themed SD symphony concert, most excellent it was.

And now there is this week...a week for making up for when I was sick last week. Which means projects, work, driving, class, running running running. In a good way. It feels great to have the energy to really work at stuff and accomplish things. Though it does make it hard to slow down. I sat in one of my classes this morning thinking "um, I don't really have time for this...I have stuff to do."

It shall all be done. It will get done.

Two last thoughts--not sure why, but this weekend inspired immense gratefulness. Life is good.

and, last but not least, I should be hearing about graduate school very soon. and there shall be much rejoicing. (we hope)

that is all.

Couple-a kid stories

2009-09-23T22:36:00.003-05:00

This weekend we went to the zoo with the kiddos, and I was sitting in the hotel hot tub with my nephew and sister in-law. I'm not sure why, but I started showing my nephew where his heart, lungs, etc. are. After I showed him where his heart is, my sis-in-law asked him who lives in his heart. He confidently said "Kitty!" Not what she was looking for, so she asked "And who else?" His answer? "No one!" He knew she wanted him to say Jesus, but he's kind of stubborn.

He also thinks his Sunday School teacher is "my friend Grandma." It's not his grandma, but he calls her that. As in "So, did your Sunday School teacher help you with that craft?" and he answers "No, my friend Grandma did."

Tiny Cat Pants

2009-09-04T21:11:00.002-05:00

I'm tired. Mostly because I didn't sleep much last night (hello, insomnia), but also because it was the first week of school. Did you hear me, the first week of school!!! I loved it. Mostly. Except the one class I dropped. But that's neither here nor there, because I love school. My classes are really interesting. I think I can say that authoritatively, since I've studied pretty much everything at least once already.

But I'm still interested, so that's good, right? And it feels awesome for the professors to know your name, and not have to look quizzically around the room when they call roll. I even know some students this semester, and don't feel like I stand out so much. And I have new Snack Taxis to take my lunch in, and that makes me happy. Just saying snack taxi makes me happy.

One thing that doesn't make me happy is being confused on my homework. Randomly, does anyone know how many sounds are in the word "singer"? I can't tell if the "i" sound and the "ng" sound are one or two...maybe two? I'll find out next week when I turn in that homework, unless you want to comment.

I also took the kitties to the vet this week. Princess Pantaloons was none too happy about it, as evidenced by her nearly biting the hand off of the vet tech. Sorry, vet tech. This was like serious cat meanness...she gets herself so worked up I'm afraid she'll give herself a heart attack. And I found out that Cow weighs 20.2 pounds. Ugh. The vet said that although she's big boned, she must lose weight, so now she's on a prescription diet, and I have to feed them separately. (Princess Pantaloons has maintained her slender figure since I got her).

But here's the thing...the cats aren't really catching on very quickly that the food will be there for a short period of time, then gone. It used to be I'd give them 1/4 cup twice a day, but I'd leave it out, so they could eat it when they felt like it. Now, they have to eat it within the 1/2 hour or 45 minutes it's out, or go without. You'd think they'd catch on to eating it all when it's out, but not yet...

I think that's all the nerdy student and crazy cat lady news I have tonight. Enjoy.

The Weekend

2009-08-30T16:39:00.002-05:00

We went to the lake this weekend, but it was pretty cold. The baby distracted me from writing a statement of purpose for grad. school...

...and we watched some tv...

and of course, stared at the baby.

2009-08-25T16:14:00.002-05:00

Oh dear blog...how I have neglected thee. No longer. At least not today.

School is inching closer, but slowly. I am an uber-school-nerd, and can't wait to start. I already have the essentials (favorite pen, cute pencil case, tums) in my backpack, and an extra supply of loose leaf paper.

I had a gift card to Target and purchased a small thermos food jar for my lunch, and late last year purchased some Snack Taxis, so lunches should be good to go. And my night class just got moved a half hour earlier, so I will only be gone for 13 1/2 hours on Mondays instead of 14 hours. Life is good.

Also good, is the fact that I get to keep my kick-ass summer job through December at least, for 10 hours a week. Sweet! I love it because it's super-flexible, and the work is really fun. I should pick up something else as well, and I'm thinking subbing, since it's so flexible. The downside is that I know how kids treat subs, so eh...it would make for some good funny kid stories though, some fodder for the blog.

In topics I just can't seem to leave, I've cancelled my cable. I like it so far, though I'm only about 24 hours in. I've found pretty much everything I want to watch on the internet, and so far have only had to pay for one thing (Top Chef). So it's not like I'm tv-less, or show-less. Just cable tv payment less. For the first time ever. Well, I guess I didn't pay for it as a child, but I've always had it. Until now.

By cancelling tv, I'm hoping to make some more time (or reclaim some time, more accurately) to cook more and spend more time (willingly) at the gym. And read. I do love the reading.

I was in a video recently for my church, which turned out way better than I had thought, and which is why I'm willing to post a link to it here. The church is moving to a new space, so there's a big push to get the word out. That's why I'm in a video. Not because I'm just awesomely cool, which is why I'm sure you thought I was in it.

Ooh! How about a little reading update? I don't think I've updated on books in quite a while. Most recently I finished The Unlikely Disciple, which I LOVED. I have a strange fascination with schools like Liberty and Bob Jones, and the archane and detailed code they follow.

I'm about halfway through Shane Claiborne's Irresistible Revolution, and can't help but think of a crazy person from college when I read it. And not in a good way. I've also just started The Brothers K, and am really enjoying it so far.

I read the whole Twilight series earlier this summer, and man are they addictive. And I totally get why my middle school girls were so into them. Totally. They're not great literature, and not as good as Harry Potter, but I think they're worth a read to know what all the hoopla is about. I also saw the first Twilight movie, which sucked. Edward looked like he was going to cry for almost half of it.

Fieldwork has also been read, on the suggestion of Ruth. I'm not usually into mysteries, but I really liked this one. Partly because it features crazy missionaries. I'm a sucker for a book with crazy missionaries in it. And Ruth reads a lot of books, so she knows her stuff.

So yeah, that's about it for now. I'm hanging out with Jas and Panda tonight on their midwestern tour 2009, so maybe some photos later.

2009-08-05T18:10:00.006-05:00

So, new stuff...

I got a new (used) car. It's small, and blue, and has a moonroof. It's not quite as zippy as the Jetta, but it also isn't falling apart. It's cute, I think, and it's fun to drive. And it's a Honda, so hopefully reliable. No, I don't have pictures...I've never really taken pictures of my cars, unless something is or has happened to them, like towing.

Other new stuff...

I've learned about geocaching. That's a weird way to put it I guess, but yeah. I went with a friend this past Saturday, and we found 14 caches, which was awesome. We'd gone once before and looked for just 4 or 5, and only found 2, neither of which were my actual finds. So it was awesome to be the finder on some this weekend.

I also forgot to wear sunscreen that day and got a farmer tan.

More new stuff...

Working. Wait, that's not new. That's boring. Except that I've spent LOTS of time writing about hunting and fishing. That should make some of you laugh.

Random new stuff...

I replaced my 5/2 programmable thermostat with a 7 day programmable thermostat. It makes a lot more sense for me since my M-W-F schedule is way different than my T-Th schedule. Anyway, I was taking out the old one, and here's what I found:

Now, I'm no electrician. But somehow it doesn't seem right to me that you should jam a giant hunk of sticky tack (I know, it's some electrician's putty or whatever) into a hole to keep the wires in place. Is it?

Anyway, I replaced it with this beauty, no sticky tack needed:

You know you're an old boring homeowner when you can admire a thermostat.

You do not appreciate me!

2009-07-24T23:36:00.005-05:00

It was a sad day. I have done nothing but be nice to my car--I change the oil as required, I do all of the recommended maintenance, take it in as soon as the check engine light comes on, put premium gas in it as required by the turbo dealy, and yet it treats me like this...

I was all packed up and headed to the lake, when the engine temperature gauge went crazy, and the little floating buoy light started flashing. It all happened quickly, but I think there was also some dinging.

Long story short, it was towed to the mechanic. And it kind of feels like an abusive relationship. I treat it well, and all I get is crap in return, but I keep it around, and keep coming back. I hate my car, but we'll see if we can work it out.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

2009-07-20T14:10:00.001-05:00

I am still laughing about this...

And this.

Reading to my Goddaughter

2009-07-17T14:05:00.001-05:00

McDonald's Doesn't Quite Understand Turn-Taking

2009-07-15T15:42:00.002-05:00

When you take a look at conversation and language, you see that turn-taking is an important concept. Generally, one person speaks at a time, and we try to avoid silence. Violating these norms creates some kind of dissonance in a conversation. Pretty easy, right?

Well, that darn automated voice at McDonald's messes it all up. I've been to the drive through a couple of times in the past few months, and both times my experience was the same. I drove up, and the automated voice asked me if I wanted something...the days's special, or a certain value meal or whatever. I said "No, thank you."

And then there was silence. In a normal conversation, after I spoke, the other person should speak. I'm guessing McD's designed it to work that way, but for whatever reason, the person inside the restaurant working the drive-thru did not say anything. And so I sat there, both times, wondering if I should speak, or wait for them to ask me to order. Awkward.

So listen up, McDonalds. You need to fix this. Either get rid of the weird automated offers, or train your people to take the customer's order.

For Real

2009-07-14T21:17:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since I've written for real. Partly because there have been some hard things, partly because I want to avoid that private/public line where when people read something, they cringe because you just shouldn't have shared.

So yeah, some tough times with a friend. That's about all I'm willing to say about it. It's not mine to share, but it definitely kept me from writing for a while.

Other than that, I've been trying to work out consistently and get healthier. I've been hesitant to write about it, but at some point it's just like hey, you can all see it anyway, so why not acknowledge it. The kicker was some pictures I saw of myself which made my jaw fall to the floor...seriously, how did I not know I looked like that?

Anyway, the process of getting healthier has been interesting. I've done weight watchers before, but didn't really see that as a way to live for a long period of time. So instead I rejoined the gym, and have been trying to make better food choices. Not perfect, but better than before. When I rejoined the gym one of the trainers showed me how to use the weight machines, which was new to me, so that's been cool. It feels awesome to walk up to one of them, and not stare at it like an idiot. And surprisingly, it's not weird at all that they're in front of all the cardio. machines. In fact, I can't see anyone behind me, so it's kind of like they disappear.

I'm not planning any sort of before/after pictures, or updates much, unless it comes up in something else I feel like writing about. But yeah, it's been a big deal for me lately, so it's here.

Which reminds me, I went to a "matfusion" class tonight, which was supposed to be a blend of pilates and yoga. I hate yoga, love pilates. Well, the class was weighted more to the latter, and the room was ridiculously warm. And it wasn't the hot kind of yoga either, just too darn humid in the midwest. And I was pissed. Two years ago I did yoga with a couple of friends, and I had no problem holding downward dog, or any of the other poses...tonight, bah. I had to stop a few times and modify the pose, or just wait it out. It made me mad. Usually getting pissed about stuff like that doesn't really motivate me, but somehow it did tonight. I finished the class, but swore to not go back until I'm stronger.

I've also been hanging out with people from my new church quite a bit. When I was in San Jose this past weekend, I sat in my old chuch, and just had this overwhelming moment of feeling blessed. Blessed to have all of my people in CA, but also to have people to come home to. At one point a few years ago I watched the series Six Feet Under, and saw an episode about a woman who died alone, and no one found her for a seriously long time. It made me think, and I realized then that there were definitely people who would find me. This weekend I realized I now have that in Sioux Falls too. It's a strange way of measuring things, I know, but it works for me. If I were to die, I know someone would come and find my body before I was too badly decomposed.

So that's really what's going on.

For the random fun of it, here's a picture of the clouds in town tonight. Magnificent.

Baby Shower Surprise!

2009-07-13T14:22:00.003-05:00

I love adding the word "surprise" at the end of anything. It just makes it more exciting. Like tuna casserole surprise, or mango mojito surprise! This weekend was a baby shower surprise. I flew out to San Jose on Saturday, to surprise Jen and Brian (and everyone else) for their baby shower on Sunday. For those of you not on Facebook, here are some pics.

Jen and Brian opening gifts.

Donna and Annabelle.

Me and Annabelle.

2009-07-08T10:05:00.001-05:00

I will actually blog again sometime soon, probably. Until then, here's a picture of me and my new baby niece. She's a lucky girl, as she had the cord wrapped around her neck, and still got out safely.

Why, Of Course!

2009-06-23T22:48:00.003-05:00

I was uploading some old photos to FB tonight, and I found this, and it made me laugh out loud. It's me, in Europe, on a backpacking trip the summer after I graduated high school. The logo on the right, Athlete of the Year, with the Sports Illustrated logo was completely unintentional. I had found a disposable camera in my room, and took it with me. When I got back and developed my pictures, I realized that a good quarter of my pictures of European monuments and otherwise were emblazoned with "Athlete of the Year" and "Sports Illustrated." Of course, of course I'm an athlete of the year!

Non-Beige!

2009-06-21T21:21:00.004-05:00

The color of my house before...

And, after!

I approve!

2009-06-18T22:09:00.005-05:00

Yeah, so, no writing lately...for a few reasons. First, it seems a little superfluous. You can be my friend on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, so do I really need to add extra here? Not so much, at least not so that you know what's going on in my life. Also, the past few weeks have been, well, a time when I've not really felt much like writing.

But back to the first reason...I had lunch with my boss today, and he mentioned an article that traced the downfall of blogging to the exponential growth of FB and Twitter...it ma
kes sense. The only reason I can think that someone would still need/want a blog is to write...not necessarily read or be read, but to write. So maybe I'll keep this up....we'll see.

So for now...a photo. Me, and new friends from church, Sarah and Michael. Whoo-hoo for friends!

(I look all squinty-eyed because I had been wearing sunglasses all day and took them off for the picture)

Random

2009-06-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

I went to church twice this past Sunday, an event more rare since I have joined churches outside of the CRC. I suppose that fact is really irrelevant, but since this post is titled Random...

I went to Covenant Sunday morning, a church I used to call home. And Pastor Herm, someone I think is comfortable with areas of gray, preached on Rahab. And he surprised me. He described Rahab as someone we might dislike because she lies and is deceptive. But my opinion of Rahab couldn't be more opposite. I've always really liked her. I love the idea of a lying prostitute being the one to protect God's spies.

The idea of disliking her never really crossed my mind...if she were perfect, it wouldn't really be so miraculous that she hid Joshua's spies. It would be mundane, boring, and very "Christian." The way it really happened though, I love it...a woman of ill repute, acccomplishing God's purposes regardless of her perhaps selfish intentions. It's what David Plotz calls the messy Bible. Totally messed up, Flannery O'Conner-esque people, working out redemption. What's not to like?

2009-06-04T20:17:00.002-05:00

I am short on words tonight, and even shorter on pictures, since my camera fell out in the trunk of my car at the airport. However, Donna put up some pictures of my goddaughter Annabelle's baptism. What a beautiful church and a sweet baby.

I guess the title is This American Life...

2009-05-28T10:36:00.003-05:00

I don't remember ever being really angry at This American Life before, but I listened to No Map this weekend on my way home from the lake, and I was pissed. And shocked that This American life would let such ethnocentricity slide...at least seemingly so. They say they tried to get the other side, but still...definitely an interesting story, and worth listening to, despite a strong pro-American, pro-stuff bias.

Phew...

2009-05-26T21:36:00.004-05:00

The last few days/week? have been hectic. But fun. Today was my 2nd interview for a summer internship with an online marketing firm, and tonight they offered me the job! Whoo-hoo. They also asked for a writing sample, so I pointed out my blog...so if you offered me a job today and are reading this, hello, and thanks!!

I also went to Chicago last week to help my dad with the NCA candy show. I started going to candy shows with him when I was about 10. They used to have kids programs, so I would walk the show floor a while to get candy, and then spend the rest of the time at amusement parks and children's museums. Oh, and taking cabs all by myself in Washington, DC, as a 10-year-old (true story). I would never let my proverbial children do what my dad let us do at those shows.

But Chicago was awesome. I helped to set up the booth, and then helped the marketing folks get some press for the new mascot, Mr. Eiffel Bon Bons.

I even got to BE Mr. Eiffel BonBons, which was fun. Strangely enough, I got to be him at Soldier Field, where I had to ask what teams and/or sports played there. Good times.

I also helped hand out samples and do random other things at the booth, and I managed to get myself some press. First I got into the daily magazine of the show (I have no idea why I look like I'm tipping over...I think I was trying to look like I was hugging Mr. Eiffel Bonbons. I've learned my lesson).

The local Chicago news also did a story on the show, and I (or at least my hair) made it to the video.

I also had dinner and beer at the Hopleaf with Grant and Kristin, and then sat out on the pier to enjoy the Chicago skyline. (Sidenote: Heels are most innapropriate footwear for the beach)

I arrived home Friday at about 1 pm, mowed my lawn and procured paint for the summer house painting, and left for Okoboji. And realized, upon arriving in Okoboji, that I had forgotten to feed the cats. DOH! I am eternally grateful for friends from my new church for saving me from discovering kitty carcasses when I came home Monday night.

The lake was awesome, as usual. The boys got a new "park," and my one nephew helped my brother level it out to add sand. He's a crazy hard worker, and always wants to talk about work (You workin'? You goin' to work? What do you do at work? Not now, I'm workin')

Of course, we also spent some time out on the boat, and I only got slighltly burnt. Quite an accomplishment for my first time out in the sun this season, I think. Oh, and we only let the kids drive part of the time.

So now, 2 more days at home, and then I'm off to California for Annabelle's baptism. Or christening...I'm not sure if there's a difference, but I really like the sound of the word "christening." Busy, but all good stuff.