I've seen all my family now, including my "little" cousins from Alabama. The oldest, Caleb, is 13 and almost an inch taller than me! I saw him and my jaw dropped. He's gonna be a big one! They're all so cute and seeing them again made me miss them even more. The younger ones, Stephen and Daniel are such cuties. They've all changed so much in the last two years. I'm thinking about taking a trip to Alabama next summer to see them for a while. I only got to spend four hours with them on Friday and that just wasn't enough.
I also saw my grandfather who's in the nursing home. That was very, very hard. He fell and broke his hip about a week before Christmas but he was out of the hospital and back in the nursing home when we saw him on Saturday. They had his leg in traction and he was in a lot of pain. He recognized us and was very happy to see us. They had just given him two pain pills and after about thirty minutes he was pretty out of it. We left for a while and when we came back he was flying high but still kind of out of it. I must say though, I'd rather see him out of it than in pain. That was unbearable.
All in all I have to say it's been a really good Christmas. I have no plans for New Years, I'll probably just hang out here with the folks... safer than driving around the metroplex at least.
Hmmm I'm stalling... need to start cleaning out some of my old junk to make room for my new acquisitions I've acquired in MN.... It'll be interesting to see in May if all my stuff fits into two rooms and a closet ;)

Oh! On the way down to see my grandfather we stopped by the breeder we got Bear dog from and she said she's about to breed a couple of her dogs and the pups would be born in March. We put in a request for a male and put a down payment... does that seem odd to you? Putting a down payment on a house, car, bike, etc... that I can see.... but a dog? Just seems odd to me, but then I tend to see dogs as partially human *shrug* Anywho, we're getting a puppy!!!!!

I'm home!
Seen one set of grandparents and an aunt, some friends, put up and decorated the christmas tree and wrapped some presents. Not bad for less than 48 hours :)

Wahooooooooo!

(saw ROTK)

Just two tests left & LOTR ROTK comes out tomorrow. Definitely gonna go stand in line for that one, only problem is it's gonna be cold and snowy.... but it's worth it ;)

Lotsa stuff going on, good and bad. At the moment the bads outweighing the good, but I'm sure that'll change... hopefully at least. Somebody tipped my scales and I'm just still trying to recover.

Aya told me to write a letter to Santa, that it would make me feel better... So here goes:


Dear Santa,

I hope all is well up in the North Pole. I've tried really hard to be good this year even though it was really hard sometimes. Hopefully you're grading on a curve this year.

All I want for Christmas is for my family, friends, and critters to be healthy.

Thanks!

Aspen

When you wear your heart on your sleeve it's bound to have a few bumps and bruises.

This post is all about the Word of the Day: Septuagenarians

Courtesy of New Age Girl, by DeadEye Dick.
As heard in Dumb & Dumber.


*just had to look it up!

Warning - in a very reflective/pondering - sort of mood today.


I love life. Really I do. It has this way of throwing you a curve ball when you least expect it. Whoever said life is like a rollercoaster was dead on. It can be exciting and terrifying, it has twists and turns, ups and downs, you can't see coming. That's how my life is at least...

I enjoy many of the surprises and others leave me speechless, sad, shocked... But I never know what's coming next.

I'm wondering about taking control of your destiny... I guess I believe you can control your destiny to a certain extent. The decisions you make and the actions you take affect how your life turns out, but what other's do also affects you. I never know what other people are thinking. Sometimes I think I understand dogs better than people, at least better than men. Very confusing creatures.


Anywho.... enough of that... :)
I finished all the papers I needed to and have turned all but one in - it's due on Tuesday. There's only one week left of class and all I have to worry about now is finals - eek! I have five this semester and I'm really not looking forward to finals week. I need to start studying now, but it's Friday - my break day... I want to just relax and hang out. Of course I'm ta'ing from 8am-6pm tomorrow so I won't have much time to study then, but Sunday... yes Sunday. That is the day I will start studying ;)



Word of the Day: Peccadillo


Picture of the Day: Snow

I had a good Thanksgiving. I went to Aya's house and enjoyed delicious food and good company. Lots of both actually :) Also I had a friend over who couldn't go home for the holiday and Aya had three friends over as well.
I played a game of life, in which I came in second... hmm.. we chatted, watched Dogma and ate. It was a good day.

Went shopping with a friend today. He got a new leather jacket and some pants. He's very excited about his new jacket :)

Now it's time to get to work. I still have 8 pages of write-ups left for Monday's science class. UGH. I can do it in two hours if I just buckle down. *gets a determined look on her face*

Here goes....

Hope everyone's doing well.

Happy Birthday to ME! I'm 25 years old today.

I'm having an awesome birthday.
It started out Sunday afternoon when I had a party at Aya's mom's house. I'd invited her family and the other RA's in my dorm. There was a total of 18 people there and it was a blast! We had lots of food and yummy cupcakes with Scooby rings on them. YUM!
Last night I had some friends up to finish off the cake that came with the cupcakes and we chatted for a bit. Then I went out to see the movie Elf which was pretty good.
Today I had balloons, a card, cookies, and juice waiting for me in class. They also sang Happy Birthday to me.
I got two emails from my mom wishing me Happy Birthday and I talked to my dad for a bit on the phone.
And tonight I'm meeting some friends at Applebee's to eat and chat.
So far this has been one of the best birthday's I've ever had :)

/feels loved

I'm a very lucky person.

I had two Mondays in one week, that hardly seems fair...
We had classes as usual on Monday and then Tuesday the school closed for Veteran's Day, which was a much appreciated break. When Wednesday rolled back around though... ugh, a second Monday reared it's ugly head. Luckily Wednesdays are my short days :)

Today I SOOOO didn't want to come to class, I'm not feeling well. But I hauled myself out of bed and treked on over only to find my class canceled. My next class isn't until 2pm today so I was thinking YEY naptime! Yeah right! My classroom is right accross from the comp lab where I work and I saw a girl in there I knew from class so I walked in to say "Hi." BIG MISTAKE! I was jumped " Ohhhh Aspen Sweetie, Darling I need your help" Says my boss.... Yup.... There was this emergency and no one to work the rest of the day so I told her I would work until 1pm. /sigh... All I wanna do is crawl into bed and sleep the rest of the day, but no..... No.... Nooooo!... NO!.... hehe It's so easy to say when I don't NEED to say it or reallllllly want to say it.

Anywho, here I sit at work. /twiddles thumbs....

I'm loving Get Fuzzy. I've been reading it everyday now and more times than not it gets me to chuckle :)

My birthday is next Tuesday and I'm having a party on Sunday. Aya's family will be there, at her mom's house, and so will some of my RA friends. I want to invite Janelle too, but everytime I've called she hasn't been there :( I should call her cell! I'm hoping it'll be a fun party.

Word of the Day: Forejudgment

Picture of the Day: Sniff, Sniff

Jinkies!
Somebody out there knows me pretty well!

You would drive...
The Scooby gang's Mystery Machine. You want a car with personality, but you also need space for all your friends. That's why you drive this big van, painted with a colorful (some might call it 'tacky') design. It has plenty of room for the whole gang, and even a big dog, right in the front seat. What are you waiting for? Throw your tools and equipment in the back, and hit the road.

/bounce

My new favorite comic!

My favorite strip o' day: HAHAHA!

Word of the day: Pugilist

Practicum Week One is done. I finalized my grading for last week. Now I need to prepare for next week. My group is teaching Proabability.... eeep!

My morning class was canceled today so I'm hanging out in the computer lab until I have to go to my next class, mass communication & society. Actually it's pretty interesting.

I get to register for spring classes next monday - my last time to register for classes.... as an undergraduate. I'm beginning to consider what I want to do after New Zealand and it's looking like graduate school might be a contender. I am looking at staying in NZ for grad school or possibly a job down there... or maybe colorado grad school... so many possibilities!

Lots and lots to do. In addition to my once-a-week practicum I've been doing a week-long science practicum this week. Have a break next week, just the one-day one, then a full week of math practicum.

Have a midterm tomorrow and one Friday, then another next Tuesday.

Feeling the stress. Big time.

I can do it though. Like I told my mom today, I won't let anyone or anything get in my way. I want to graduate with honors and I will. I want to go to New Zealand and I will.

Period.

/is determined.

Hmmm... according to some site if I were a smurf I'd be Papa Smurf...

Two days, two fire drills.
Very odd.
Yesterday it was a blessing because I was running late to class and the fire alarm went off just as I was almost to class. Since everyone had to file out nobody noticed I was a few minutes late :)
Today we were in the middle of class and it went off again.
The security people are baffled. They don't know why it went off either time. The system shows a fire on third floor but there is none. Both alarms were at different times.
Odd.

Word of the Day: Phalanx
(found on the NZHerald page)

I'm feeling overwhelmed. And highly annoyed. Some people shouldn't be allowed to teach.
Enough said.

Had a fun weekend. Homecoming Game - we won. Aya's cousin Holly hung out with us for a while. And got to spend time with Aya - always enjoyable.
My floor had a pizza/game night after the football game and finished by watching Equilibrium. Pretty good movie although there was a part I couldn't watch.... <-- animal lover.

A couple of my friends went to Colorado this past weekend to a wedding. My parents were in Taos, New Mexico and now they're up in Colorado. I'm feeling left out :(
/misses Colorado
Of course I get to go to New Zealand *BIG GRIN* *bounce* Weeeeeee!

Still feeling a bit overwhelmed with all my work for classes and I'm being naughty and procrastinating on a few things. I wish I didn't work better under pressure - maybe I wouldn't procrastinate so much. *sigh*

Bought my plane tickets (can't remember if I said that already) to go home for three weeks during Christmas. Been feeling slightly homesick lately. I really miss my parents, home, friend, critters. On the other hand I'm very happy up here and it makes me REALLY sad to think about leaving. Maybe I'll teach down South for a few years... then come back here for my Masters. I still have no clue about where I'm going after New Zealand. Really I'm hoping for an opportunity to knock me over and say "Yoohoo! What about me?" It's happened before...
Until then I'm content to search around for something that interests me and enjoy my life as it is today.

Word of the Day: Pontificate

Picture of the Day: Haha!

Busy, busy, busy.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed with class assignments and I sort of procrastinated this weekend. I did get the stuff done that is due right away though. Yeah me.

Emailed old friends today.

Listening to music while typing... slow song... need something more up-ity.
Charmed 2-hour season premiere was last night. Angel is this Wednesday at 8pm! *bounce* SOOOO excited about that... they have Spike guest staring. I can't wait to see who else guest stars!!!! weeeeeee! Long live the BtVS/Angel legacy.

Okies that's all. Lots to do. Blog ya later.

Every year you return to the dorms they "give" you a gift. Last year it was a rainproof jacket and this year we got to choose between a breifcase or a blanket. When I went in to look at the options last spring the breifcase looked like crap and the blanket looked so-so. Yesterday they came in and when I saw the breifcases I was shocked, they were leather, not cloth, and they had a calculator, notpad & holder, and pen - not at all like the sample one they showed last spring. The blankets are still so-so... kind of ugly *shrug* oh well... they're "free" *chuckle*

I'm growing grass. For my science methods class I dug around collecting dirt for about 30 mins this morning and then in class we planted some grass seeds. I hope they grow! We get graded on whether they grow or die and we have to record everything we do to them. We all split our dirt in half and exchanged with someone else, so I have to grass pots to grow.

I have been checking the NZ Herald website everyday lately and weeee.... some depressing stuff, small countries still have murdering stepfathers and such... very sad. But there is beauty to behold as well. I'm trying to stay focussed on the positive. They have some advertisements of things to do and there's a mini-article on World of Sheep which sounds like fun... I wonder if they'd let me keep the fiber I shore from the sheep.

I'm supposed to be working at the moment, but really I've just got my headphones on - listening to my music - enjoying the calm before the storm. 25 people just went out to film some stuff for making an imovie and when they come back I'll be running around like a maniac again.

I had a nice relaxing weekend - about time for one of those.

I did get some school work done and cleaned out bits of stuff to get rid of.

Watched Underworld on Friday afternoon = good movie. Also saw Cold Creek Manor on Sunday afternoon... uhm... WAY too drawn out.

That's about it. School is flying by.... Went to my 9am class this morning and there was a note saying no class today so I came back and took a little nap... now I have to go to my 11am. Not a bad way to start out my Monday :) It's a long one though, not done until about 8pm tonight.

Have a good day!

Ok... so last week could have gone better.
One of my classes required us to do a camping trip on Thursday night. We were to meet out at a park owned by the school at 6:00pm. I was there a few mins late and by that time everybody had left. So I got my stuff together and set off down one of the three paths to find them. I got a good ways down the one path and was yelling for people but nobody answered. So I headed back to take another path. I was almost back to where I parked when I ran into two other girls and so we took off down another path and went way off, yelling and searching. We got really far out and decided it couldn't have been that far off. So we went back to the parking area again and another girl showed up. We stood around for a few mins wondering what to do. Then a car of four more girls came and they were SOOOOO drunk. Add their behavior to my already unhappy disposition and I was ticked. By this time I'm SOAKING wet, I've been wondering around for 45 mins in the cold rain, yelling and honking my horn and now this. We set off down the center trail again and JUST past where I stopped, around a corner, was the group standing around. They had been in a nice dry cabin and hadn't heard me yelling. So I'm walking up with these drunk girls, carrying cups of more beer by the way, and I'm almost an hour late. The professor has decided we need to head back to a park in town with a pavillion so we can have shelter. We hike back to our cars and I stopped by my dorm to change clothes since I was compltely drenched, I wrung the water out of my hair, and set off again. (On a happy note I saw a full rainbow and part of a another one. Don't see many double rainbows. And it was a beautiful sunset.) I met the group and was about 10 mins late but at that point I didn't care and then there were some other people even later than I was. We sat on the freezing concrete, next to the windy lake, trying to have a philosophical discussion over the traffic noise (we were right next to the street), and with a homeless man smoking and possibly drunk walking around us talking to himself. Yeah... it was not fun. The professor was upset to say the least, not only was this the first time in 12 years the event had been rained out but 4 girls showed up drunk and were being obnoxious (why he didn't tell them to leave I don't know - he's too nice I guess - but he apparently had a talk with them Friday morning). UGH! Anywho, he let us go at 9:00pm because we were cold and wet and miserable. All I wanted to do was come home, take a hot shower, and go to bed. I was drinking a nice hot cup of Sleepytime tea when one of my residents came in to talk. She's really nice and it turns out we have a lot in common, but she didn't leave until 11:30pm and I passed out as soon as she left.
The class met again at 9am on Friday and when the group set off for an outdoor part at 10:30am I split off since I have an 11:00 class. I'm going to write three papers as a result of being late yesterday, him letting us go early last night, and for having to leave early today.

Friday night and all day Sat until six I was TA'ing for a class. So my week wasn't over until Sat 6pm and then Sunday flew by and it's already Tuesday. Yeeeps!

Sunday dinner was fun. I went to Pizza Hut with a few RA's their girlfriends, and two parents of the guy from India. We had a good discussion and it was fun.

Monday night we had our second RA meeting and we met out at our RHD's house which is beautiful and we played some games, had ice cream, and discussed businessy stuff.

I feel like I'm so far behind, but I'm really trying to not be. It's just that I've overdone it again this semester, even though I really planned on not overdoing it... if that makes sense.
Anywho I need to get to work.

Oh, and note to self and Aya: Angel starts again Oct. 1st.... I'll most likely be recording it. Hopefully it takes a good turn.....

Blog ya later.

Where to begin....
Obviously the past week and a half has been crazy.
I got back from Texas two Thursdays ago and started RA training the next day. Aya and I were also preparing for her brother's wedding which took place that Saturday. We missed some training on boy Friday and Saturday while we decorated and participated in the wedding. I had fun doing the music and then afterwards at the reception and dance. It's always good to see Aya's cousins. Her family has basically adopted me and so they're like an extention to my own family.
Training was insane. They had us from 7:30 am to well after nine almost every night, there were a couple we were done at 6:30pm but that was time to get our floors ready for residents. We even spent last Thursday night at a group of cabins - I slept in my car. It was so cold and the beds were so uncomforatble that at about 2:00 I finally gave up and went to my car. I would turn the car on and let it get warm for a bit then turn it off and go to sleep for an hour or so when I'd wake up with my teeth chattering and have to repeat the process. I got up at about 6:00 or earlier and waited for the rest to wake up. We spent the next day scraping paint of a couple large cabins and priming them. Let me just say this, in addition to little sleep and an already long week they had us doing manual labor... we were so exhausted. That was one of the nights we were done at 6ish and I went to bed at 8:30-9pm.
It was absolutely exhausting, but it was also fun. It was a time for us to bond as dorm RA's and I learned some interesting and valuable things, but UGH! I'm very glad I will never have to go through that again.
Training ended last Friday night and then we helped new students move in on Saturday, did check-ins on Sunday and Monday and classes started on Tuesday afternoon.
Where did the summer go? I didn't get a summer.... summer classes and work, trip to Texas to visit family and friends and help at the folks shop, RA training, and the first week of Fall semester done..... wow.

Oh, on a funny note: the night we were camping a lot of us hung out at the campfire and talked and I think I gave about 17 or 18 back massages, one of which was for an Albanian. The next morning he told me, in front of a bunch of people, thanks and that he slept very well last night. Of course for those not at the campfire... well... they had to wonder eh? ;)

Bear-hugging Albanians, change of plans, and other bits...

Went to my favorite Italian restraunt tonight for my last meal (in Texas). Mom, Dad, Jeremy and I had a good visit and filled our bellies. Luigi, owner, said hi, gave me a hug and wished me well. I appologized for not having been able to talk with him before and he said it was alright and he loves me anyways *smile* As we were leaving one of the other brothers gave me a hug that nearly stopped my breath, strong lil fella ;)

I received a call from my new boss last night. He asked if I would be interested in changing floors. Instead of moving to another dorm I just have to move to the third floor of the same wing I'm on now. It was a tough choice, dorm A= non-smoking, smallest dorm, lake view, movable furniture. dorm B= students older than average (23 plus), smoking, medium sized dorm, non-movable furniture, lake view. The big cincher was that Steve (boss) feels I'm better suited for dorm B because they have more of a sense of community and will be more active and I want an active floor. So, dorm B it is. Added bonus=dorm B has elevator for moving purposes :) I feel special cuz he gave me a choice of which floor I would prefer to be on. He's a good guy and I'm excited to have him as my boss.

It's always hard when I say goodbye.... I know I'll see everyone again at Christmas - or at least I hope I'll be able to, with new job I'm not sure. It's still rough. There are so many wonderful people here I love and who love me. I know when the time comes to leave Minnesota it's going to be just as bad, probably worse. I will have lived there for three years and I have made many friends. The difference between leaving TX and leaving MN is I knew I'd come back to TX. When I leave MN I'll only come back, maybe once a year, to visit. Plus I'm leaving my bestest friend in the whole-wide-world behind. Ugh. But I refuse to think about that now. Who knows where I'll wind up eventually, I sure don't.

Thanks to Aya sending me to a school link I now know that my dorm has movable furniture (only one on campus), it's the smallest dorm on campus and my floor is a non-smoking floor. Weee! I'm allergic to cigarette smoke so this is a major added bonus!

Saw a poster for the new Scooby Movie... found link and added it to this page. CUTE poster ;)

Wahoooooooooooo!
I received a call today from my RHD (Residence Hall Director) asking me if I would like a RA position this next year. The call I've been waiting for. It's one of the smallest dorms, I have a lake view, free room and board and best of all my boss is a nice guy. I'm very excited. Now I have to start making the signs for my floor as I only have a week before I go back and the day after I go back I start training.... uhm... when will I have time to move... does that dorm have an elevator? *panic* no no... too early for panicing.... hehe :)

In other news I've been going around the City visiting friends at my old job and passing the word that I will need a job next summer. They're great people and they seem as happy to see me as I am to see them. One of them was upset because he thought I hadn't come to see them this summer and he wouldn't get to see me until Christmas. =0)

Having lunch with my Aunt and Mom tomorrow to celebrate my Aunt's birthday.

Gonna go picture hunting now to find something for putting my residents names on their doors.

Picture of the Day: Sad Scooby - How cute is that?!?

Forgot the Word of the Day: Badinage

Had fun visiting my grandparents and got to see my new baby cousin. After a good visit there we headed over to Shreveport and I pretty much broke even, always good.
On the way back we stopped at the dog kennels of the lady who breeds Belgium Groenendaels and we had a good visit with the puppies. Ever since our baby Bear died two and a half years ago my parents have been considering getting a new puppy from the same people.

Been working at the shop when I'm not visiting the doctors :P
Had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on Monday about my wrist pain and he set me up for an MRI on Tuesday morning. I always thought those were no-big-deal and I suppose if I had been laying normally it wouldn't have been. Since it was my right wrist they were examining though, it became somewhat of an ordeal. I had to lay on my stomach, which causes me back pain, and reach my right arm all the way up above my head, which killed my shoulder and made the rest of my are go numb, except for my wrist which throbbed. Then I bent my left arm and tucked it under my head which I turned to the left. My left arm went completely numb and it took almost fifteen mins for me to regain all the feeling. (should have seen me trying to put on my left earring. By the time I was done everything above my waist was either throbbing or completely numb. BAH!
I picked up the results yesterday and took them over to the orthopedic guy and now I'm waiting on his diagnosis. Though I did sneak a peek at the report from the hospital - "ganglian cyst just inferior to the pisiform bone" which is apparently 7.0 mm in diameter. Sounds awefully big to me.... but have to wait for the Dr to tell me what he wants to do.

Waiting for Jeremy to call me so we can make plans to go see a movie and maybe catch some dinner.
Better get to cleaning my house like I was supposed to be doing all day... slept in, went on a hunt for my grandfather who took off walking and scared everyone in the family - he has a tendancy to disappear and he's 87 and it's above 90 degrees outside, lots of traffic and construction, etc... He turned up back at his house safe and sound *sigh* doesn't bother him a bit, but gives everyone else close-to-heart-attack states.

Yeah...k.... cleaning house now.

Early...
Too early for summertime...

Dad and I are heading out to East Texas to see my grandparents. Then over to Shreveport for some gambling. Maybe I'll win big so I can have plenty of spending money for New Zealand ;0)

Saw my cousin yesterday and his wife and their two beautiful babies. Parker is 2 years old now and you can tell it, he's a handful and has way more energy thans should be allowed. Chloe is eleven months old already. I had only seen her once, at Christmas. She's beautiful and has big blue eyes and a big smile.
Dad and I are going to see my Grandparents in East Texas this Saturday and we may swing on over to Shrieveport to a casino.
Sometime next week I'm hoping to meet my newest baby cousin, Rachel.

Texas is warm and sunny, and a little bit humid. Not too bad though.

First time I've ever gotten on a plane and then been forced to get off. They de-boarded the plane after letting us sit there for fifteen-twenty mins because of technical difficulties. They got a mechanic to fix it and we were a little more than an hour late getting off the ground. I ran through the msp airport and missed my connecting flight by four minutes. Waited an extra hour and a half and caught a later flight. Made it home alright. Lots of hugs from the parents, didn't think my mom was going to let go of me at the airport.

Went to see LXG today with the folks, they liked it.
Went out to eat at On the Border /drool TexMex!!!

Having fun with my parents and the critters have welcomed me back with open paws.

Word of the Day: Presuppose

Did a short three-part skit with four classmates today in front of the class. I got to play a short-tempered teacher who yells at a kid and a trouble-making class-clown who was very disruptive. It was fun to let loose and be a huge brat.
Then we watched a video from the 2001 Paralymics in Sydney, Australia. It was amazing to watch a man with no arms win medals for the breast-stroke, women and men in wheelchairs competing in chair races and marathons, and a blind men and women running and swimming their way to the end.

I got another email about New Zealand, this one had a link to a site where I found a bunch of information about student teaching abroad and it is specific to me, so when my placements are made I can see where I'll be going and they'll have contact information for me as well.

Word of the Day: Bamboozle

Two days and Two hours till I fly home.
(But who's counting? ;)

Plans, plans, and more plans...
I'm such an over-achiever. Or maybe it's because I'm so excited.
I am planning what I want to see, where I want to go, I know I want to stop by Australia and pick up a boomerang. I want to see some kangaroos and koalas. I want to go to the top of a few mountains see some big volcanoes. I want to go to Ashburton where my spinning wheel was made. I want to see any remains of the LOTR filming.

I could go on and on but I have work to do.

Word of the Day: Altruistic

Hmm... having some problems with font colors and size. Gonna need Aya's help I think.

I've had an intersting day. My class spent half an hour walking around blind-folded. I had to guide this guy around and then he guided me around. We both managed to keep each other from banging into anything. It was a scary experience at first, very disorienting. I'm glad I knew the building really well already, still there are a bunch of little things you don't notice normally, like slight slopes and exactly how many steps here or there, just how low the water fountains are, etc. You have to really trust the person who is guiding you. After that we headed over to the gym where there is a big indoor track with several basketball courts inside it, one was sectioned off for us. In there we played wheel-chair basketball. Keep in mind I'm a horrible basketball player when I'm standing. It was pretty fun, I only got hit in the head with the ball twice, dropped it more than that... made no goals. I was only out there for about 15-20 mins and my right hand was developing blisters. I had to sit out the rest of the time and gave someone else a turn. My poor palm... It was fun though. Both activities were fun and informative.

Word of the Day: Aggrandize

Working on a new look for my blog, obviously. Having a bit of trouble with the blogouts not showing up and the blogger site doesn't want to link to my pictures from geocities. Aya said she'd host them for me, so just need to get them transferred to her server and change my links.
I got tired of purple, can you believe it?!

On Thursay, just after I posted, I received an email saying I had been officially accepted to the overseas student teaching program. Later that afternoon I got another email saying I was accepted to go to New Zealand! I was so beside myself it was all I could do to keep from jumping up and down like a giddy child. I found out just before I had to give a workshop on how to make a website, so I had to keep my cool, but as soon as I was out of there I called my parents and told Aya. Everyone I've told has been so happy for me and supportive. It's a wonderful feeling. Even people who I don't know very well are happy for me. Then there's the people that do know me who knew something was up right away: I walked into Aya's house and her mom's like "Ok, what's the good news?" I was like "Huh? How do you know there's good news?" "Because you've got a huge smile." hehehe ok ok... so I had a permagrin, can you blame me? ;)

I'M GOING TO NEW ZEALAND!!!!

*grin*
SO much to do: passport, plane tickets, find out exactly where in NZ I'll be placed and contact them, memorize some basic NZ geography, start collecting a teacher wardrobe, and more...
Luckily I found this awesome site: Pure NZ.com where you can plan trips and it has tons of info and pictures!
It's now been three days since I found out and I'm still so excited it's hard to sit still. I told poor Aya to just ignore me when I burst out with the random "Wow!" as I do when it strikes me again that I get to go.

Went to see Johnny English on Friday, and well none of us (4) was that impressed. It was too slow and too long in between jokes. I've never been an enorous fan of Bean but Aya is, and even she didn't like the movie.

Word of the Day: Beatific

You know just because they speak English in another country doesn't mean you'll be able to understand everything they say, slang and otherwise. I was scanning the The New Zealand Herald online and found a word I had never heard of before, spate using context I was able to get the jest of it, but I looked it up to be sure. The word was used in referenct to a recent spree of arsons. In other news there is a man in a coma after being attacked and the police are appologizing to a rape victim for a bungled investigation. Guess some things are constant throughout the world.
Hmmm looks like I need to learn how to convert Celsius to Farenheit as well as the exchange rate for New Zealand money to American. Ah so much to do. Need to get my passport... Yep yep... I will be going. I'm keeping a positive outlook.

In other news... I went to see Twelfth Night last night with a bunch of people from school at the local theater. It was quite fun. I went out to dinner before hand with everyone ate at an Italian restraunt. During dinner the subject of my not receiving an RA position, but rather being an alternate, came up and a professor, who happen to have given me a glowing recommendation, overheard. He was very upset that I didn't get it. He has some sway at the University and let's just say he is used to getting his way. I wouldn't be surprised if he called somebody to complain... *gulp* It was kind of funny... but mostly I just felt all glowy that he was really batting for me and was genuinely upset I didn't receive the job. A little while later he told me I should go talk to the secretary at the Ed office and tell her he sent me to see about a job. I politely declined as I already have two jobs scheduled for this fall. Anywho, it made me feel great that he's so supportive of me. I love that. Can't have too many of those kind of people in your life. I've got my parents, Aya, her family, that professor, and some other friends... Knowing people care is the greatest compliment you can receive.

Went to see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and it was pretty good. The guy who plays Dorian Gray was bugging me the entire movie... I knew I recognized him, or thought I did, just didn't know where from. When I got home I looked up Stewart Townsend and Hello! he was in Shooting Fish, a very good movie.

Have my midterm tomorrow.

Found out I got an A in my class from last session which raised my GPA to 3.60 = if I were to graduate now I'd graduate Cum Laude and I only need 3.70 for Magna Cum Laude. I don't know if I can make it before I graduate next spring, but I can sure try...

It seems like forever since I saw the first (teaser) trailer for Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl but all my waiting and excitement was finally rewarded. Aya and I went to see it yesterday evening after we dropped Jeremy (friend from Tx.) off at the airport. It was a great movie, with a double dose of hunkyness to boot. When I found out it was over two hours long I though eek, but I made it without interruption (if you know what I mean). I think I might go see it again in the theater if I can. Defintely buying the dvd.

Probably going to go see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I don't know much about it, but if it has Sean Connery in it, chances are it'll be good.

Then I'll just have to wait til the 25th for Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life which I'm not too sure about. Hopefully it's at least as good as the first one, if not better.

A month later, on August 26th is the release of LOTR: 2 Towers on dvd. WOOT!

Ahhh... so many good movies coming out!


Word of the day: Avarice

A lot has been happening this summer, no wonder it's flying by.

Our friend from Texas is up and we've been running around showing him things. We went to a fireworks show Friday night and a big 4th of July Party on Saturday. Sunday we went four-wheeling and to the State Park. In between these things we've been playing lots of board games and cards: Uno, Gin, Scrabble, Risk, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, etc. I've been loosing as usual... though I did win at Trivial Pursuit *cough* and we only played one game of that ;) We've also been to see Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Terminator 3 and we rented Just Married and The Recruit.

My poor parents are being stressed to the max. My dad's father is in a physical rehabilitation center, trying to get him to where he can walk again. My mom has been taking her parents around town to different assisted living places, trying to find some place that will satisfy them both. They're really picky and as expensive as those places are they really can't afford to be. Our friend who had cancer had surgery but still hasn't come back to work, he works for my parents, which means they are short-handed on top of everything else. I called my mom this morning and she sounded super-stressed.

On the up-side I get to go home in just three weeks. I know they're looking forward to seeing me and I can't wait to get the stuffings hugged out of me.

I can't belive I only have three weeks left in this class. I just started this morning. That's crazy-short. The class is Adaptations and Management. It deals with children with disabilities and inclusion and such.

Word of the Day: Ambulate

Very excited to find out the Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed movie should be coming out next year. Seth Green is in it, wooters, Alicia Silverstone, Peter Boyle, plus the main characters from the first movie. Should be out sometime next year! Very good news.

Hmm.... Blogger has revamped...

Well let's see...
I finished HP5 and just as good as the last one.
Aya and I went to see the new Charlies Angels Full Throttle movie.

Friend from Texas is coming up to see Aya and I this Wednesday and staying for a week.

Going to see fireworks this weekend and maybe party with some of Aya's family.

Just a few days left of class for this summer session. It went by SO fast. I have pretty much everything done but two papers I'm finishing up. I'll be done in time for the Thursday due date.

Oh need to get Aya to help me put some pictures up on my blog like she has.

Have you ever wanted someone or something you knew you shouldn't have? couldn't have?
It's a frustrating feeling. Especially when there is part of you that's certain it would be for the best if you did. Then there's the part that keeps saying really shouldn't even try. And the one that says you really can't, even if you did try. Through it all, even though it is obviously outnumbered, the first part keeps nagging at you.
Yep that's frustrating.

Wedding went well. Wound up sleeping in a tent Friday and Saturday nights.
Came back Sunday afternoon and watched The Hulk and it was better than I thought. The comic book style of editing was new and funky, though sometimes distracting.

I had ordered Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to be delivered Saturday, before I knew we would be heading out to a wedding. It was waiting for me at the post office today and I'm about a quarter of the way through it so far. Not at all disappointing.

Word of the Day: (you guessed it) Frustration

Picture of the Day: Why not?

To leave tomorrow or to leave Saturday. That is the question.
I have so much work to do still, but I am not sure I remember where Aya's cousin's house is.
Hmmm......
Better get to working now so maybe I'll have enough done in time to leave Friday and follow her family up.

So... bad things afoot.
Just found out a friend of mine back in Texas does have cancer.
Grandfather has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks now and he has to be moved to some sort of retirement/assisted living care facility.
Dad had bunch of tests run, found out what was wrong with him = good, infection from iv = bad.
Other grandparents need to find some sort of assisted living place, but that'll be a lovely battle for my folks.

Yup that's about all the bad stuff.

Good things...
I'm enjoying my summer here. Finally got to 85, just yesterday. It's been beautiful and I'm loving my view of the lake. Class has been fun so far and I'm looking forward to the one next semester also. From what I've seen and heard that instructor is a hoot.

Okies feel better now, off to class.

Been watching Buffy's 4th season on DVD. I didn't realize that was the season with Something Blue, Hush, Beer Bad, and more. I've only gotten through the first 3 cd's but ooooo la la. I likey!
I think it's one of the funniest seasons yet, though it dealt with dramatic things too. We'll see what I think after I peak at the next three cd's. All I can remember is that Faith comes back = trouble.

I'm doing well in my class. However, there's only a couple weeks left to get all of my projects done. And I'm going out of town this weekend to Aya's cousin's wedding. Ugh. Need more time!

Quote of the Day: "Happiness and love is a very intransient subject and wherever you can find it, however you find it, you should go and find it," Bruce Willis

For Aya, who luvs Brucey ;)

Word of the Day: Everlasting

For my summer class we are required to do at least two literature circles, perhaps three if we have time. My group just finished our first book, The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton. It's a very well written historical fiction book in which a family moves into an old house which was a stop on the underground railroad during the time of slavery. I enjoyed the book, though it was hard to only read a designated set of chapters at a time, especially since it's rather suspenseful. Today we acted out a scene from it and I was narrator.

I'm not sure what book I'll be assigned next, but any of the ones from the list he provided us would be good. We wrote down our preferences and he's going to tell us tomorrow which one we get.

I hung out with some girls I hadn't seen in quite a while, we watched the movie Old School. I hadn't planned on seeing it, but when they asked me to come watch it I said sure, why not. It was pretty funny, in a very dirty sort of way.

I need to go buy BTVS fourth season on dvd! Think I'll head over to the store after I get off work ; ) Must keep up my supply of Buffy... now that... *sniff* it's over.... *sigh* It was great while it lasted! And I did miss one episode last season, so that'll be new when they finally bring out the last season on dvd : )

Word of the Day: Splendiferous

Picture of the Day: Purty Flower

First week of summer school went well, and of course the first weekend flew by. I didn't get everything done I wanted to, but I got a good start.
Uhm... that's about all there is... school, work, school, work...

Okie dokie, it's been quite a while since I've blogged and a lot has happened since then. Let's see if I can sum it up quickly...

Spring semester is completely finished, I have my grades, did very well.
Aya is now a college graduate, though she's still waiting on her diploma.
I bought tickets to visit Texas at the end of July through August 20th.
Made it through Aya's grad party and the next day's wedding shower for her soon-to-be sister-in-law.
Spent all but one night of my two weeks off hanging out at Aya's house.
She and I had managed to get all of my stuff thrown into my new dorm room late Thursday night before her graduation.
I read all four Harry Potter books and all I can say is WOW. I've pre-ordered the fifth one and I can't wait for it to come. With each new book J. K. Rowling has gotten better and more descriptive and she's thrown more and more stuff into it. WOW!!!
I have started on the LOTR Fellowship of the Ring, but yet again I've been halted by my class load. There is a BUNCH of stuff I need to read for my summer class and it looks like LOTR will have to wait until next summer session. *sigh*

That covers the main points.

Most recently: my grandfather is back in the hospital. He is having mini-strokes, he has a herniated disc in his back, and he is falling almost everytime he tries to walk. I wish I could go see him now, but unfortunately I have to wait until the end of July/first of August.

On a happier note: Word of the Day: Pukka

Just one test to go, math at 3:30pm tomorrow. Then I just ta Thursday night.
Wowsers.... It's all coming together.
Aya's at her very last final right now. After this she's done with all things undergraduate! Wooty woot woot!

Got an email from a friend back in Texas last night. Said he might be coming to visit this summer! Very exciting.

I started moving into my new room last night. I can't move the rest in until Friday night or Saturday morning. Kind of sucky since I have to be moved out by noon on Saturday.

Word of the day: Graduation!

Picture of the day: Congrats Sis!

Well this weekend didn't go quite as I had planned, I was thinking quiet weekend studying for my finals. Instead Aya and I went to a last-minute birthday party for her cousin on Saturday. Then her two cousins spent Saturday night with us in the dorms. Sunday we went to a last minute Mother's Day party at her mom's house. I got a little studying in, but not as I'd planned.

The best layed plans go awry <--- Word of the Day!

Hey sis, I got you beat, I was a Skunk!
Also, a bobcat.
A clog.
Husky.
An Anatolian Shepard.
A Llama.
A lab.
A cologne.
A car.
Several horses.
And best of all, a wildlife sanctuary.

There's more but I should get back to studying : )

Toodles....

BLARGH!

*sigh* I'm too nice. I was scheduled to work from 11-1pm today and then I was going to be free... I worked until one and realized my replacement hadn't showed up. I looked over the list to see who was to come in and saw a note from them saying they couldn't work and they needed someone to cover their shift so they could take their final. The thing is that note was NOT there Wednesday, which means they just put it up there yesterday (my day off). There were people in the lab and I didn't want to have to kick them out so I'm staying until 2pm when the next person is supposed to come in.

BLARGH!

I wanted to be free at 1pm. *sigh* oh well....

On a happier note I found out yesterday I have my very own room from now until the time I graduate. I might have gotten stuck with a roommate (yuck) but I was the last person on the wait-list contacted. Lucky me! So not only do I get to just move once from now until next May, but I get my own double-as-a-single room and it faces the lake. The only thing which might alter this is if I were to be offered an RA position.

Also, I had talked to a Dr. on campus about being the faculty advisor for an ASL club I want to start, he said he had too much on his plate. Apparently, however, he spoke to another Prof (who I like very much, had him as a teacher, his wife used to be an interpreter) and this guy ran into me yesterday - he said that he would be happy to be the faculty advisor for an ASL club on campus, if he returns next year. That's the catch.... he may not be coming back, he'll know in three weeks though. I hope he does, he's a good guy. Even if the ASL club doesn't work out then I think I might have an unofficial one, just a bunch of friends getting together to practice.

I'm finished with most of my classes now, just la3 and math, and my ta class to go.

Grades
Music = A
Art = A
Math = B? (hopefully no less)
Social Studies = ?
TA = A
LA3 = ?

I got a 90 on that math test from Monday I was worried about.
Halfway done with my take-home portion of the final for math and need to study for Wednesday's in-class portion.
Need to study for my LA3 in-class final on Monday & hopefully will be showing the class our iMovie.
TA for the creative expressions final on Thursday night and then this semester is OVER!

Word of the day: Mollify

Picture of the day: Tornado

Had so much fun on my asl classes' silent outing last night. Then took my final, got 100% and found out I have an A in that class for this semester.
Checked out with my art teacher and have an A in that class.
Helped out at the garage sale on campus to raise money for the homeless shelter.
Turned in my social studies stuff, done with that class. Hopefully that'll be another A.
Packed some more of my stuff.
Tried out my new TV to be sure it works, and it does, woot!
Finished my math homework.
Finished recording the three video tapes for the guest speakers we had in asl a while back.
Did financial aid online, just need to turn in papers to office with my signature.

Need to go back to newspaper one last time today or tomorrow to send verification of publication.
Need to practice for my singing and recorder proficiencies which are tomorrow morning.
Need to talk to a prof about being faculty advisor for asl club.
Need to turn in paperwork for asl club.

Getting tired of typing: Need to...
Luckily this semester is almost over with.
I have my music proficiency tomorrow at 9:30am. I will be glad to be done with that class, I find it unervingly stressful, considering my musical background.
I have my la3 final next Monday at 3:30pm I believe it is.
I have my math final next Wednesday at 3:30 pm also.
Then I TA for a final class of Creative Expressions next Thursday night 5ish.

THEN I'M FREE!
I get to see my bestest buddy graduate next Friday and then go to her graduation party on next Saturday.
Have to be moved into my new dorm room by 1pm next Saturday, which poses a problem since the girl whose room I'm moving into isn't leaving until that morning. Also, it conflicts with preparations for Aya's party. Ugh. I'll work through it though :)

Word of the day: Blargh! (My sentiments exactly!)

Picture of the day: Blargh 2
aroo?
*shrug*

Finished my social studies paper.
Finished my music test except for the song which I need to write, working on that now.
Took math test = yuck.
Went to work and I think I'm pretty much done with that for this semester. (newspaper)

Okies X2 rocked. Nightcrawler was amazing. Loved him. Amazing effects and great character :) Won't say anything else, so as not to spoil it for anyone...

Finished my music binder.
Finished my war journal for social studies.
Finished my lesson plan for music.
Finished making signs for the hall council end-of-the-year party.
Made good progress on my take-home test for music.
Finally figured out how to record the dv tape from my asl class (couple months ago) onto vhs.

Need to edit social studies paper.
Need to finish music test.
Need to practice for my singing and recorder proficencies.
TAKE MATH TEST today! eeeeep!
Need to turn in financial aid papers, STILL.
Check out tomorrow with my art teacher.
Study for my language arts 3 final.
Show my iMovie for la3.
Study for my math final.
Go into work today (last time) to check on ad proofs.

I'm sure there's more but that's all I can spare time to think of right now.
Back to studying for my math test that's at 2pm today.

Picture of the Day: Arf!

It's been while since I've had a word of the day so here's two:
Ingenue
Sinecure

Working some extra hours today, instead of 11-1pm it's 8:30-1:00pm. Can use the money and there are worse things to do than play around with computers and answer people's questions.

Looking forward to seeing X2 today. Can't wait to get out of here, but then there's an hour of work to do at my other job and another hour for math. So maybe I shouldn't be in such a hurry, eh?

Back to work I go ; )

Turned in one of the essays for my Social Studies Class. Have a good start on the other.
Did class-copy day in music (cost $11.70 for all those copies). Started on my music Resource Book.
Signed up for my music singing and recorder proficency next Thursday 9:30am and got an idea for final lesson plan.
Next Tuesday is my "silent outing" dinner to a local restraunt and then back to school for an 8:45pm final interview.
I looked into starting an ASL club on campus, got the paperwork yesterday.
Finished updating my language arts kit for LA3.
Finished my second concert review for music.

Going to see X-Men 2 tomorrow! WOOOT!
STILL need to turn in my Financial aid forms.
Need to finish second essay for Social Studies and War Journal.
Need to do final lesson plan for music.
Need to finish final math homework.
Math test on Monday.
Math Final next Friday.
Check out with Art teacher on Tuesday.

Moving right along. : )

I had my last hall council meeting yesterday. I was the only hall council member to show up. No one bothered to let us know they weren't going to be there and I encouraged Aya to go on to a party she was late for. So we finished up plans for the end-of-the-year party and called it quits. I'm definitely not signing up for hall council next year. Way too much work with not nearly enough participation or by the residents and only half participation from the RA's.
Anywho, off to Social Studies.

I've had quite a weekend.
Friday night Aya and I went to go see Anger Management. Yesterday morning we took some more of Aya's stuff to her mom's house (we're trying to get a head-start on moving out). Had spaghetti her mom made for us. Then yesterday afternoon I went with my friend Mary to a state park which is nearby. Aya's mom has bene after me since before I moved up here that I needed to see the park, and I finally made it there. We toured the visitors center, saw a couple of the oldes trees in MN and climbed the fire-watch tower. I barely made it up and had to come back down. We were pretty high up, but the wind which was blowing the tower is what made me very uncomfortable. We also saw a mink, first time I've ever seen one. Cute lil creatures. Also saw some red squirrels and on our way back from the park we saw an elk. I had a good time.
Then last night I drug Aya out to Applebee's and we came back home and she whooped my arse in N74 007.
All in all I'd say iit's been a good weekend.

Watched the new Angel, Buffy was an old one. *sigh*
I finished my second concert report and my autobiography is finally acceptable to me and my proof-readers. YEY me! Now I just need to take the application and all the other stuff in... with my $300 check *eeeep* Nervous just thinking about applying. I HAVE to get it, or else... uhm.... I'll cry?
I taught my mini-lesson in music yesterday. It wasn't as good as I'd hoped but it wasn't as bad as I feared. Overall I'd say it went pretty well.

I still need to:
Finish math homework.
Study for music finals, in class and recorder/singing proficiencies.
Finish reading Dewey Book and write 2 essays and finish war journal for Social Studies.
Finish filming and begin editing iMovie for LA3. Have last two people coming today for me to film them and then I'll starte editing on Monday. Also need to do my kit for that class (almost forgot about that).

Not bad... Better than before, that's for sure.

We have one more class of ASL 2 and then for the last week of official classes we are doing a silent outing. We will all meet at a restraunt and we can't say a word. We have dinner and the entire time we use only ASL to communicate. It should be fun! But then of course anything involving ASL is fun to me.

XMen 2 comes out next Friday!!!!!! We're SOOOO there!
Maybe we'll go see a movie today, kind of want to see Anger Management and Identity. Depends on whether we want to be scared or laughing.

hahaha! I was listening to Brown Eyed Girl and two guys on the other side of the lab asked me to turn it up, they have good taste ;0)
Hmmm not so keen on Elvis's Devil in Disguise though.

I called my mom after work on Monday and sang Happy Birthday to her and then later that afternoon Aya, Janelle, Myra, and I were all gathered so I called her again and we all sang to her. She enjoyed it. She said she was having a good birthday.

Met with most of my group for LA3 and filmed all but a few of our skits. Need to meet with 3 other people and then I can start editing our iMovie.

I'm kind of nervous about teaching my music lesson tomorrow. It's always harder to get up in front of your peers than in front of a bunch of little kids. May sound a bit odd, but it's all too true for me.

Our dorm rooms are looking a bit sparse since we've taken down our posters and started packing up our belongings. I found out something rather unpleasant last night - this summer the wing of the dorm I'll be living in will be getting a face-lift, of sorts. They are going to tear apart all of the bathrooms on that wing and redo them. This means I will be trecking over to the other wing, third floor, just to powder my nose. I'm hoping it was a false rumor, but I had it from a reliable source... *sigh*

SO MANY new movies coming out that I want to see:
Bruce Almighty
Finding Nemo
X2
Pirates of the Caribbean 1
PotC 2 intro'd by Orlando
The Hulk
Tomb Raider 2
Charlies Angels: Full Throttle
Matrix: Reloaded

And don't get me started on the final LOTR... I tend to start drooling ; )
I also heard that the second Spiderman will be coming out next summer, YEY!

Word of the Day: Befuddled

Link of the Day: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
I need to remember this one and check back later. They're going to have new desktop pictures and posters to download.

That's enough for now, have a good day!

Happy Birthday to my Mommy!
I'm stuck at work right now, but I'll call her as soon as I'm done.

I had a good Easter. Hung out at Aya's grandparents house on Sunday.
Watched Charmed, Naughty Nymphs last night with Aya. Was humorous, as usual.

BTVS left us hanging last week and according to TV Guide Online there isn't a new one this week.... hmmm...
Angel should be new this week though *grin* wooty woot woot.

Today I finished my music lesson plan for Thursday and I "finished" my autobiography for New Zealand. I say "finished" because I have yet to show it to the head hauncho of the student teaching office for approval. I'll be keeping my toes crossed that he likes it.

Been thinking about summer pretty much non-stop. I can't wait for this semester to be over with. Except of course all the work I have due. Lemme see how caught up I am:
Math: started last batch of homework, 1 section of about 6 done
Music: did lesson plan, teach on Thursday, need to write 2nd concert review and take final and do last proficiency test
Art: done, just need to keep going to class and bring stuff in at end of semester for him to check off
History: need to finish reading Dewey book, write 2 essays, finish war journal
ASL: keep going to class, final interview
Language Arts 3: do iMovie, final exam... more?

Hmmm... doing better : )

One day at a time, one thing at a time.

Found some new sites about New Zealand:
Site Number 1
Site Number 2
Site Number 3
Site Number 4
Site Number 5

And one from the United Kingdom for Aya.

I am, as my mom would say "Busier than six-killer-snakes."

Have a Happy Easter!

Random Thoughts:
When will they develop a cure for stress?
Can't we reset our entire time-scheme (never mind day vs. night) to have more time in the "day" to get things done?
Why do bad things happen to good people?

Picture of the Day: Howdy
Found Here.

Word of the Day: Congeniality

My mini-lesson to 2nd graders turned out to be a mini-lesson for 3rd graders. Luckily my lesson worked well with them too. It was actually kind of fun and I had lots of help from Dan.

I did another draft of my Autobiography for my trip to New Zealand and I did a rough draft for my music lesson I have to teach next Thursday.

Things are getting done, even if it is one thing at a time.

Oooo found some great frames at the dollar store. They're 4x6, simple and black, but perfect for my black and white pictures I want to make. I want to decorate my room next year with b&w photos of the pictures I took at the Ft. Worth Zoo.

Hmmm....
According to this the average height for New Zealand women is 5' 3" and for men it's 5' 7".
According to this the average height for United States women is 5' 3 3/4" and for men it's 5' 9".
Aspen = 6' 1"
I feel like a freak half the time in the United States. You think the New Zealanders will mind me towering over them?
Hope not.

Word of the day: Exiguous

Doing a mini-lesson tomorrow afternoon to a classroom of 2nd graders.

Finished everything I needed to do this semseter in art. Just have to go to class and participate.

Bought a new shirt today, summery and blue.

Sent an extremely long email to Sara, friend from Texas who I haven't spoken to in forever.

Had dinner with Mary and Aya.

Had fun in ASL.

Watched a kick-arse BTVS, found out Aya and I missed an episode somehow. SOOOO not happy about that, only 5 more to go :( Also not happy with how tonight's episode ended.

The end.

Link of the Day: Who me?

Picture of the Day: Cuteness

Got my hair cut last night. It's been driving me crazy and I got a wild hair last night to do something about it. It's quite short but it looks much better than before.

RA get-to-know-you meeting last night went well.

Got my picture file done for art and I'm about to start working on my self portrait in symbols, I have everything ready for it, I just need to set it down in the right order. I decided to do a timeline collage of my life.

Hmmm... gonna call the folks, miss talking to them.

Have a good weekend.

Countdown to my extremely intimidating Math Test: 1.5 hours

Link of the Day: Try the Scooby one!

Have RA (Alternate) training this afternoon from 3-6:00pm. Should be fun... I hope.
Even though I didn't officially get hired I may get a job. Some current RA's have chosen not to return and there is a chance of others turning down the job. By attending the trainings now I'll be up-to-date if I get a position later. Plus I get to hang out with a great bunch of folks. Aya's going too (she got a position).

WordS of the Day: Endocentric & Exocentric

Stress is a bad thing. I should not stress. SO MUCH TO DO.

I have to teach a mini-lesson in a public school here next week, to a class of second graders.
I have to teach a music lesson to my music class.
I have to start getting ready for finals. I have to finish my war journal for Social Studies.
I have to teach about spinning in my creative class where I am a TA. I have to get the rest of my paperwork in for student teaching abroad.
I have to get my financial aid application in.
I have to stay sane.

I'm sure there's more but right now I need to go see my advisor to get a code to register for fall classes!

Word of the Day: Happy

Yesterday was beautiful and classes were not in sessions, some student appreciation thing, so Aya and I walked around downtown and did some shopping. We were going to go the library but it was just TOO gorgeous outside. I'm glad we took the day off from studying.
We also got to see Angel as it was running, instead of a taped version. It was a pretty good day :)

Link of the Day: Art Wolfe

Boredom busters:

Can you pass the quiz?

How well can you spell?

A tough quiz about oft used phrases.

And... How well can you spell?

Quote of the Day:

SOME say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

~Robert Frost

Word of the Day: Fiery

Word of the Day: Chagrin

Watched the 13th Warrior last night. Hadn't seen it in quite a while but it is a good one. Also watched Cold Comfort Farm (which I'd never seen - funny britis-type comedy) and Friday I finally saw Maid in Manhattan.

Also went to a piano concert yesterday presented by a junior here. She did a wonderful job, and she even played a Beethoven piece (my favorite composer).

Word of the Day : Palindrome

Thought of the Day: Ugh

PictureS of the Day: Mmm Mmm Good & Hi there!

War journal is going well. I've been printing out Images of War from msnbc.com which they update daily. That's how I've been starting out my days.... It makes you stop and think about everything. When I'm looking at the pictures of people suffering and children bleeding and articles about missing and killed loved-ones, among other war attrocities, I tend to stress less about when I'll get my homework done or how I'm doing in my classes. I have managed to push the war and other current issues out of my concious mind in order to go one with my day-to-day activities. If I weren't able to do this I do not know how I would be able to function in my daily routine. It's a matter of survival, self-preservation really. This does not mean that I have forgotten about what is going on in the world. I find myself drifting to thoughts of the images I saw earlier in the morning and I take a moment to say a little prayer and move on with what I must do. But I have not forgotten.

Word of the day: Facetious

I had an up and down weekend.
Friday night I came home from watching The Core to find my beloved Alphie dying. He has now passed on to that great big fish bowl in the sky. May he rest in peace.
Saturday I studied some and watched some tv/moives at Aya's mom's house.
Sunday was a birthday party for Aya and her mom and I spent the majority of the day taking her three little cousins around on a four-wheeler. Little sore today - bouncy fields and what-not.

Picture of the day: Sad but true...

Word of the day: Pholiota Aurea

Wooty woot woot!
I Outsmarted Ty Pennington & Amy Wynn Pastor.

Word of the Day: Thwarted

Radio:
I heard the radio address by President Bush and Prime Minister regarding the war with Iraq. Sad to say, but it was the first time I had heard the PM speak and he really is well-spoken. His final part about the atrocities commited by Saddam and his regime etc. was very empowering. Uhm yeah... enough serious stuff...

Picture of the Day: Snoopy!

Journal Idea
My Social Studies Methods teacher gave us another option for a project we must have completed by the end of this semseter. I have opted to do this project: a journal/portfolio of the War with Iraq. I've been trying to keep up with information by word of mouth, internet, and tv news. This is a way for me to keep a record of my feelings as well as the events that take place. This is something I can show my children and grandchildren. It be interesting if my ancestors had done the same during WWI and II.

Word of the Day: Enmity

Picture of the Day: Ever wonder where that other sock went?

Thoughts:
We are safe because they choose to protect us:
Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force,
Remember their sacrifice as you go about your daily routine.

A wise person once said...
Procrastination is like masturbation, in the end you're only screwing yourself.

Naughty? Maybe... True? Definitely

It's getting towards that time of the semester with projects, papers, and lesson plans due soon. Time to put my nose to grindstone... or something like that.

Word of the day: Uncouth

For Aya

Watched the Oscars last night.

Reaction:
Poor Katherine Zeta Jones, beautiful as ever but SOOOO pregnant.
Could have done without the anti-war rants, especially the big one.
LOTR could have won more awards *cough*
Holly Cow Adrian Brody good job on the win but poor Halle never saw ya coming... well maybe not poor Halle... That boy has some serious puppy-eyes.

Speaking of which... Picture of the day: Smooch!

For overal summary click here.

Word of the day: Voracious

Ok, maybe I'm more tired than I thought or maybe it's the medicine, but I was looking around at pages about the cast of Stargate SG1 and I found a page for Christopher Judge who plays Teal'C. I learned a lot about CJ and it seems he's a man of many talents. But getting back to my original point.... Here is A LINK to one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. I was laughing so hard I almost started crying.

Quote of the day:
"Vig used to call me 'elf boy', and I'd call him 'filthy human'. As an Elf, I never got a scratch on me, never got dirty. And Vig would come out with blood and sweat all over him. And he'd say to me, 'Oh, go manicure your nails."
- Orlando Bloom
Found here

Word of the day: Boisterous

Feeling much better and it's a beautiful day today so YEY and stuff :)
I think I'm going to grab my school stuff and my fold up chair and go sit by the lake!

Toodles.

Word of the day: Bellicose

Just saw the movie How to Loose A Guy in 10 Days and it's one of the best movies I've seen. It was sooooo hilarious, Aya and I were laughing out of our chairs. Loved it, 5 smiley faces from me :) :) :) :) :)

Another picture for today: Click Me!

Picture of the day: Zoom Much?

Still sick.
Need more sleep.
Sleep is good, sleep is great, sleep is something to appreciate!

Word of the day: Vapid

Germs are bad.
Being sick SUCKS! I'm sure everyone just LOVES hearing me sniffle as I struggle for air and I know I look good when sweat is pooring off of me as I suffer the effects of a fever. I've been sick for a week and a half and I've been in the same condition for the past five days. Antibiotics aren't cutting the mustard.

New Zealand Update:
I have sent in my official transcript, my letters of recommendation have been sent, my application is filled out and ready for the head of student teaching's signature.... now I'm just trying to scrounge up the $300 to send in with the application, and I need to put the finishing touches on my autobiography.

Word of the day: Tremulous

(like aspen trees....)

Made it back in one piece, with my luggage, and nothing broken.... I'm setting a new record! That's three trips in a row where both I and my luggage have arrived safely.
Had a blast on Saturday. My mom and I started our day taking my grandmother out to breakfast and shopping at Wally World. Then my parents and I went to the Fort Worth Stock Show area and watched part of a horse show and chatted with some horses and horse people. Then we were off to the Botanical Gardens and lunch at Uncle Julio's (Mexican Food=Yummmm) And we ended our day by going to the Fort Worth Zoo and seeing their three new baby tigers. After dinner at Luigi's (Italian Food=Ymmmmm) we plopped down at home for a relaxing evening chatting. It was a really, really good day.
I flew back up here yesterday and got in at 6:00pm. I'm semi-unpacked... I hate unpacking, it's so final. By the time I'm ready to put the old suitcase back in storage, all my stuff back in its proper place, I'm just about deppressed. *sigh* Oh well. Only two more months and I'll be going back down for a summer visit. Then SUMMER SCHOOL! hehehehe Yeah!?

Word of the day: Bongo - Did you know it's not just a drum?

Got stuck with a needle today. Bah! But I'm not anemic and everything else seems to be alright, but the Dr. was just being cautious, covering all the bases, ya know. Taking my grandmother shopping and out to breakfast tomorrow morning then going to the Fort Worth Zoo with my parents and maybe the Omni. Should be fun, I'll let ya know ;)

Still sick.
Spent all day yesterday inside trying to get better. When my folks came home last night I talked my dad into taking me to the park here and we went to the pond and fed the duckies and geeses. They're cute lil critters. They get so excited when they see my dad's suv. I swear they know it's him because whenever he pulls off the come a running. After that we stopped at a local pet store and I got to pet a red macaw. He is absolutely beautiful, and only $1600. *Scoff*
Other than yesterday I've done absolutely nothing since being home. It's kind of nice, except for the me feeling like death-warmed-over part.
Hopefully I'll get better soon since we're supposed to go to the zoo Saturday. woot woot :)

Word of the day: Blithe

Okie dokie, for the record: It is not fun to fly when you are sick. I woke up Saturday morning and I felt like death warmed over, very flu-like. I was debating whether or not I should come home but I REALLY wanted to come home, and being sick made me want it more. So I opted to come home. I'm really glad I did, seeing my parents helped bunches. However, I can testify that being nautious and being on a turbulent airplane = not fun. But I kept it together, if you know what I mean ;)
Texas is warm, in the 60's but my mom is still making me wear a jacket-you know how mom's are especially since I'm sick. Anywho...
Time for bed, gotta get well.
Night All.

Fifth times the charm?
/bonks blogger upside the head
I dunno why but it won't let me post :(
Maybe this will work *keeps toes crossed*

I'm going home (to Texas) this Saturday. The forcast for next week is 60's-70's down there and teens and negative digits up here. Mwahahaha It'll be nice to warm up for a bit.

Hmmm... My fishie Alphie isn't looking so good. I hope he doesn't follow my Roomy's fish and commit suicide. It was so sad... Sam just jumped out of his bowl one night and headed to fishie heaven.... Aya found him the next afternoon.
I've had Alphie for almost two years... that's a good while for beta eh?

Ode to BTVS
Ok, so I've watched TV shows off and on throughout my life and I've liked some more than others. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an entirely different story though. I've become so involved with the characters and this alternate reality that I can't imagine not sitting down to watch them every Tuesday night.
Kudos to Joss Whedon on his expert creation of this magical, demon-arse-kicking world, where the good guys may win, but not without cost to themselves.
I love this quote: "I designed Buffy to be an icon, to be an emotional experience, to be loved in a way that other shows can't be loved." Well Mr. Whedon, I'd say you succeeded.
Buffy: destined to a life tormented, without love, but lucky enough to have her own Scooby gang – Sarah Michelle Gellar = AWESOME AWESOME JOB bringing this girl to life.
Xander: goofy, fun-loving mischief-maker, with a truly good heart - Nicholas Brendon = Love ya! Great character, fun, funny, with hidden substance, I was surprised by his singing voice – very good. Really hope to see this guy elsewhere.
Willow: innocent and pure (pre-Oz), now a force to be reckoned with, good heart, but don’t tick her off – Alyson Hannigan = Great Job creating a character with so many layers, great humor, and congrats on the upcoming wedding!
Dawn: slightly whiny, in the midst of teen-angst hell-mouth style, draws some sympathy - Michelle Trachtenberg = Up-and-coming, as they say, great choice for the slayers lil sis, sure we’ll see her around.
Giles: the stuffy watcher with a dash of sexy-arse-kicking-musician, guiding light for so long – Anthony Stewart Head = love the voice, love the accent, best possible choice for a watcher, looking for you elsewhere.
Anya: exdemon, blunt to a fault but funny as can be, surprising addition to the cast, but grew to love her bluntness – Emma Caulfield = she plays Anya like no-one could and I’m glad she was made a member of the cast.
Spike: Mmmm Mmmm good, can’t say enough about this bad-boy turned loving puppy turned semi-bad but still craving the slayer? He’ll always have a bad streak, that’s why we love him. That and he’s so bad at being bad ; ) - James Marsters = yummy, love that you play being bad at being bad so well… ; )

Ah I could go on and on and on….

Favorite Episode: BTVS Musical – Once More With Feeling

What has brought on this sudden reflection?
UPN has announced the show will not be returning next year.
/cry
/sigh
It was a great run and I’ve already bought the first three seasons on DVD (ouchie on the wallet but good for the soul and tickling the funny-bone)

Reading Addiction
I agreed to be a member of an online lit club this semester for a friend of mine. For a class project she developed an online portfolio and I helped her set up a message board. Two other women and myself have been asked to read Wizard's Bane and to answer questions regarding the story. It's a fantasy story by Rick Cook and reminds me a lot of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings but it has its own modern-day twists. It took me a bit to get into it but once I got through the first chapter I was hooked. The problem: I'm not supposed to read ahead and I really want to.

Spring Break
It's only a week away and my tickets are taunting me. I can't wait to go home, hug my parents, sleep in my own bed, and snuggle with my puppy and kitties... Maybe I won't want to come back!? hehehe Nah. I'm finally having fun in school. I can't think of any time before in my life when I really truly enjoyed school. But now, School=FUN!

Wahooooooo! Congrats to my roomy Aya on her new position as Graduate Teaching Assistant for this Fall's semester.
Wooty Woot Woot!

*BIG PAT ON THE BACK*

Word of the Day:
Interesting word eh?

Picture of the Day I found this pic here

Seen the movie Signs?

YEAH!!!!
Thank you sooooooooo much Ayleanna. My new blog template rocks!

I just got back from a four hour interview process. That was some crazy Shitzu. I don't like having dozens of pairs of eyes, glued to my every move. I think I did well but I will know for sure in a week and a half.

Time for sleepy sleep. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Okies since my blog went burp here, for the second time is
The Word of the Day: Persnickety

And....

The Picture of the Day

*prays she didn't mess up these links*

hmmm well thanks for trying Ayleanna :)

My blog went kablewie when I tried to put a link in my post : (

Ahh well, leave it to me to break something so badly it can't be fixed.

She meant to link to this....
MUHAHAHA the blog-cracker has struck again... or I just cannot figure out how to fix her bloglem. BAH

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

We are doing a mock-trial in my social studies methods class. Silly me, I volunteered to be the accused. Then the class went through crime ideas and voted on the one they liked best - apparently I'm accused of being neglectful and leaving my 13 month old in the car while I was at work. I'm going through listing the details of this fictional mother of three and her life's history. It's a horribly depressing topic and I'm wishing I hadn't volunteered. I never thought they would choose something like that as my crime. Anywho, the trial starts tomorrow.

I'm still waiting on a letter stating the date and time of my interview for the RA position. My roomy got hers yesterday and all I received was a crummy low interest credit card offer, imagine my disappointment!

Word of the Day: Persnickety

=0)

I had a fun weekend. My roomy and I went to hear her uncle and cousins play at a bar in a nearby town on Saturday night. It was a very nice place with a lounge/restaraunt area. They guys were good, wacky as always. I also danced with a cutie named Rick. My poor roomy got stuck with the drunk guy who had russian hands and roman fingers. I hated that we had to leave early. Hopefully they'll play there again sometime soon so we can go back.

Hmmmm.... Strong opinions in New Zealand about the situation between the US and Iraq.

On a happier note, I'm Bubbly!

You're bubbly! Life doesn't get you down, or if it
does, not for long! If your friends need
cheering up, you're right there for them!


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