Top 11 Ways to Know You're a Geek

11. You get really excited about the fact that work is getting all new computers so you'll have to back up the old ones and set up the new ones

10. You also get really excited about updating the OS on faculty computers and iPads

9. You use the acronym OS as part of your everyday vocabulary

8. Someone tells you about a teacher's conference where the teachers were learning binary and you respond "Binary? Really?  I learned that in 7th grade."

7. Going to Fry's makes you giddy.

6. You set up the TV so it can connect to the internet

5. Why get a CAT5e patch cable when you can get a CAT 6 or 7? 

4. You take pictures of cables.

3. While at Fry's you stop and look at all the pretty towers. 

2. You know that Bonjour is not just hello in French.

1. You've built your own computer.
 

Details

Looking at the course calendar, I read:

Last Day of Frustration - December 9th

It actually says:

Last Day of Instruction - December 9th  

Of course we have assessment week after the last day of instruction so the official "Last Day of Frustration" for me will be December 16th.  Then, freedom!  Glorious freedom!  

Is this really me?

 Picture from North and South

I was looking over my blogger profile recently and I started laughing at what I had on there.  Who was I trying to impress?  I liked all the books and movies but really?  If you were trying to get to know me on the basis of the profile, I would be pretty girly girl with my period dramas and Jane Austen books.  I like my movies funny and semi-romantic but my tv shows?  That's a whole different genre...  I love mystery and action with a little science fiction.  Favorite TV shows: Castle, Rosemary and Thyme, Stargate SG1, Star Trek: The Next Generation, MacGyver, Remington Steele, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Walker Texas Ranger, NCIS, Covert Affairs, you get the picture. Not exactly what you'd expect from the period drama nut.

So Many Reasons... pt. 2

Funny how thankfulness sinks in.  I've been struck by all the little things that I take for granted during my day.

22.  Caffeine
23.  Clean socks
24.  Sisters (genetic and "adopted")
25.  Hot water
26.  Alarm clocks
27.  Transportation
28.  Trader Joe's
29.  My Parents
30.  Blogs
31.  Meeting my neighbor
32.  Hanging out with friends
33.  Reading with 2nd graders
34.  Hearing children speak Spanish
35.  Children that don't laugh when I speak Spanish in return.

Nerdyness

I went for a hike today.   And not just any hike, a hike with some plant nerds like me.   Ones that initiated the plant talk and had a game going looking for fungi.  So much fun!  I've missed that type of thing.  My family gets that I'm plant nerd.  My mom's a plant nerd.  We like to be plant nerds together.  But being a plant nerd with peers... a little harder to come by.  When I was taking environmental studies classes, no one else really got excited about plant id, drawing plants, or finding out more about the plants.  I was "weird' even in that context. 

During high school and my first year of college, I was involved with a plant group.  We were all plant nerds.  We did plant nerdy things together like getting excited about new plants, arboretums, and plant identification.  It was fun having friends interested in the same thing.  It's times like this I wonder about my major. 

The same type of situation comes with period dramas.  In high school and early in college, we had a group of girls that appreciated period dramas like A&E's Pride and Prejudice, Wives and Daughters, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility.  Tonight, my sister and I were discussing how we miss meeting people who appreciate period drama.  She just met up with a group who are interested in period dramas.  Kindred spirits are in short supply here in this area. Or I need to look a little harder for them.  :) 

So many reasons...

A couple friends have been posting what they're thankful for each day on Facebook.  I like the concept. I'd just rather do it on my blog...

I'm thankful for:

1. "Free" weekends where all I need to do is homework
2. Having the Bible in multiple versions and forms
3. Freedom 
4. Dreams
5. Vacuums :)  
6. Spanish Flashcards
7. First graders who are enthusiastic about P.E.
8. the campus Christian Club
9. Finally being able to nail the "correct" theme (or at least come super close) in my children's literature class
10. An excellent local library
11. A yellow flower growing outside the library
12. Boxes that can be recycled to make dvd shelves
13. Face to face time with the sister over the internet
14. A great place to work, where I can stop in between classes just because I have time
15. Getting the classes I needed for Spring and mapping out the last semester.  
16. Sharing the same interest in TV and movies with a co-worker 
17. Carpeted floors for dropping electronics
18. Fun friends in my classes
19. People with French accents and fun senses of humor
20. Finding a good run/walk route 
21. My education
    

Tent Syndrome

Public Service Announcement:
Do you have tent syndrome?  This temporary condition afflicts thousands of people every year.  People go camping and think that no one around them can hear what's being said inside the tent.   This may be due to a temporary loss of object permanence once you step inside the tent.  If you can't see it, it's not there.   This dangerous condition has threatened many relationships.  Its insidiousness is not limited to tents but can be observed in other situations including the dreaded "This is a private conversation that no one else should hear but I'm talking about it at Starbucks."  You too can raise awareness and help stop tent syndrome by talking loudly about tent syndrome in public places that might give people the illusion of privacy.  A public restroom is a good spot to start.

----End of Public Service Announcement---

We've all seen tent syndrome in action:
Like when we'd go to Mexico...  You'd have a line of tents, a boy half and a girl half.  Invariably, someone in the girl half would be talking about a boy who is just a few tents over...  Until someone in boy tent starts talking and all of a sudden the girl side realizes that the fabric walls don't stop the sound.  Oops! Both sides would do this.... the things you would hear! 

I think I'm living in a tent.  I used to want to live in a yurt.  I take that back now.   My neighbors were in their yard late last night and early this morning.   I was half asleep; but this morning, I woke with a memory of someone talking about Jesse being gay.  Tent syndrome strikes again!  Just because you're talking to someone doesn't mean the rest of the world can't hear.  You're outside.  Sound travels. 

I have a partition dividing my room from the entry way so if you stand in common area, I can hear just about everything you say.  So at 6 am, my housemates came in and started to settle some friends in to camp out on the floor in the common area.  My favorite bit: housemate says to friends, "I'll see you both in the morning."  I respond: "Um, it's 6 am; it is morning!"  Silence.  Tent syndrome. 

Yes, thanks to tent syndrome, I watched the sun rise this morning.  It was beautiful. 

Now, I'm going to go dig out my white noise machine and plug it in.

So neighbors and housemates, if you can hear my "ocean", I can hear you!

  

Garden Day

Today, I went to play in my garden and took my camera along.

 My favorite heirloom bean: Rattlesnake.

 Best part about rattlesnakes is that the pattern on the bean differentiates it from the stem.  Most beans blend with the stem color which makes them harder to find.  Although, I still miss finding them even with the pattern! 

 My cilantro grew nice and big earlier in the summer.  I came out one night to cut it for dinner only to find that something had been nibbling on it.  I'm going with rabbits here since deer aren't usually in the residential areas.  Both plants were nibbled back over two days.  When the cilantro grew back it started to bolt.  I left them since I think the flowers are rather beautiful.  The flowers have larger white edge petals.  The centers are trimmed with pink.  They work as cut flowers but smell like cilantro.

So far I've lost 4 different plants to gophers.  The gophers have breached the chicken wire under the plot.  Plants lost: 1 tomato, 1 nasturtium 1 cilantro, 1 cucumber.  

I'm taking bets on what plant will disappear next!

 The tunnels are collapsing but I don't have a clear entry point to work with.  I'm curious if planting poisonous plants like poison hemlock or oleander around a garden would do anything to deter gophers.  When I first started my garden plot, there was a large poison hemlock plant in the center and no gopher trouble.  The hemlock died and was taken out.  Now I have gophers...  Of course, I may just have the five star plant buffet or the gophers took advantage of our wet spring to go forth and multiply.  Who knows?  :)

Update

It's been a fun couple of weeks.  The program I work for at the University was going through an accreditation process and we ran about making sure everything went smoothly.   It went incredibly smoothly and the program passed with flying colors.  My new nickname is "the Dean's Assistant" as someone mistook me as such.  I'm not going to complain about that... I just need to live up to it!

Tonight, in my multicultural literature class, we were looking at Jacqueline Woodson's book If You come Softly. It's an excellent book that will be added to my library.  In the book. Jeremiah makes a comparison between rain and the looks he and Ellie receive  while dating (he's African American and she's White).

"Think of it..." Jeremiah said slowly. "Like weather or something. You got your rain, your snow, your sunshine.  Always changing but still constant, you know."

In class, snow was compared to the overt acts of racism and sunshine to the days where racism isn't present.

Jeremiah continues with, "Let's say it's rain- the people who've got problems with us being together-let's call them and their problems rain."

A little later, the snow is melting on Ellie's face and I made a point about snow as a metaphor for racism in the book.  This got my professor really excited.  And he proceeded to emphasize snow as he read the rest of his selections in the book.


But what he didn't know was...




My mom was an English major in college. 

 

She would do this thing when we were growing up, pointing out the symbolism and metaphors as we watched movies or read books.  She ruined more movies that way. :)  We'd be watching a movie and all of a sudden there's Mom talking and pointing out patterns and symbolism (see the waves crashing, that implies...or when Mr. Darcy goes for a swim, that's a symbol of rebirth...  yada yada yada ).   This is all wonderfully helpful as an adult but when you just want to watch a movie, not so much.

I caught myself doing the same thing recently while watching the "other" Pride and Prejudice (2006). I'm turning into my mother! When Lizzy wanders through the statuary room at Pemberley, there's an awakening and Lizzy gains the awareness of a woman. It wasn't a very subtle metaphor though.   I have to have a disclaimer here. This was my first time watching this version all the way through.  The first time I tried to watch it, I wanted to smack Bingley for acting like a 15 year old boy, walking into a girls room WHILE knocking, being coached on proper etiquette and his general silliness....  I just couldn't take it. ;) 

Anyways, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to post.  The picture at the top has nothing to do with the post.  I just wanted to add a picture.  Plus, I had been thinking about the trip Mom and I took to Washington a year and a half ago. 

Thanks Mom for making me look smart!  Love you!  :)

I feel as though I've discovered a treasure trove. 

Since encountering Elizabeth Goudge, via Lanier's writings, I have been on the lookout for Miss Goudge's books.

http://laniersbooks.com/2010/01/14/precisely-miss-goudge/
http://laniersbooks.com/2010/04/19/bereft/
http://laniersbooks.com/2007/02/23/elizabeth-goudge/


I have to admit that when I first picked up one of her collections of short stories, I only read a few before returning it to the library.  Somehow, it did not capture my imagination nor was I willing to devote the attention required by its beauty.  Beautiful books cannot be skimmed.  They must be absorbed word by word.

During the summer, I was poking about the library and spotted several of her books.  Castle on the Hill had me drawn in on the first page.  I've since devoured two more, A Pedlars Pack and The Golden Skylark.  Each one is filled with beautiful thoughts and word pictures.  She reminds me a bit of L.M. Montgomery in her descriptions of nature.  If I ever make it to Europe, I would like to visit the Channel Islands.  For that is where the Du Frocq's live with their mischievous, good hearted children!  

My summer reading plans never quite materialized.  I didn't finish any of the ones that I had on my reading list.
But, I made a new book friend in Elizabeth Goudge.  I'll be seeking out more treasures by her and looking to add some to my collection!    

Remember way back when?

Ever re-visit something from your childhood?

Last year for my birthday, my parents bought be the complete set of the Gospel Bill Show. It was my absolute favorite show when I was little. It came on right after re-runs of RinTinTin in the afternoons. It was also on Saturday mornings with Quigley's Village and Joy Junction. Along with the childhood standards of Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, I have vivid memories of watching Gospel Bill.

Even though I received the DVDs last year, I didn't get a chance to watch them. I left them at home when I moved and the idea was that we would watch them as a family. Last time I was home, we were celebrating my birthday and I pulled them out with the intention of watching them.  We went swimming instead. I brought the first dvd back with me.

I curled up on my bed and braced myself for disillusionment.

Nothing

It such a pleasant surprise to have something be as good as I remembered it.  It was something that I think I could show to kids now (depends on the kids) and they might (hopefully?) enjoy them.   The live action stories, the puppet storyline, and the music made me smile.  I'm looking forward to working through the whole set.  Silly of me? Maybe. But definitely very enjoyable.  

Do you have a favorite childhood program that you like to revisit?

I'll leave you with one of my favorite bits.

I write down little sentences each day... ideas for a post... yet I can never get the full idea onto the page. I'd love to write something contemplative or pithy.  I'd even settle for humorous.  Instead, I have word snapshots of the last couple weeks floating through my head.

My dad using the word loamy in a sentence...  "Wow, this soil is loamy"  To which I expressed my approval and surprise that mom's green thumbness was rubbing off on him.

Working on a building project that initially made our high school built homes in Mexico look like they were built to code.

Yellow sticky insect traps in trees as reminders of God's faithfulness.  Even as careful as I was about saving enough money for school, if I hadn't worked at the county agriculture department, school would have been a lot more challenging.

Learning about home birth in my human development course.  It was intriguing to hear the differences between home and hospital, and reasons why someone would choose to have her baby at home.

Having an awesome kick off for the Christian club on campus.  We packed out the room and had standing room only!

I tried something new this semester.  I love it now.  I just wish that I would let myself learn.  I tend to want to do something right the first time which makes learning a new skill difficult.

Joking with friends before class about the abysmal lack of men in our classes, only to have a guy walk in later (looking for another class) and remark (while looking at the 30 girls), "Wow, I really like this class. Really like this class!"  The teacher asked what class he was looking for.... "Human sexuality."  Yeah guys, looking for girls?  Try Liberal Studies... We average 10 girls to every guy.  With odds like that... ;)

Taking time to hang out with a friend, meet new people, relax and watch rugby.  I have to say, rugby is way more fun than football.

I wish I had something more cohesive but I'd rather have an updated blog for my friends and family than leave you all wondering what's happening...   Not that I'm sure anyone outside of my family checks regularly but I've got to keep up appearances, you know
 

Hair Story

Ducking under tree branches, my hair was adorned with bits and pieces of plant material.  It had been a delightful day working on a building project, but I needed to check for ticks before heading back to the university.  My mom pulled out a hairbrush.  A hairbrush!

I haven't used a hairbrush in years.

Curls just don't respond well to "The Brush."   Since I couldn't come up with an alternative so I wouldn't go home with a new "friend,"  I submitted to the brush. 

My brother saw me afterwards and declared that I looked like Hermione (from the early Harry Potter films) and the Princess Diaries' Princess Mia (before the makeover).   Flattery will get you everywhere... 
Personally, I was going to say I looked like the female triangle hair Dilbert cartoon character.

The whole incident made me think back to my childhood... the good years with de-tangler, the bad years of the hair dryer and funky bangs and the years of braids and buns in an attempt to keep the friz down.  Dad blowing drying my hair upside down after bath time when I was six.  I think my hair was horizontal until Mom came in to fix it.  And then, I discovered conditioner.  The most vital thing for a curly girl: conditioner.  The brush became a fixture in the back of the drawer.  The hairdryer was left behind.  My hair slowly morphed into something manageable.  I even liked it.  And now, I love it.  

Stay back brushes and hairdryers, this head is all natural and naturally curly.

Senior Year???

It's almost the end of the week, and I just realized that I started the first part of my senior year of college! Crazy! The end is in sight! I have a three semester senior year, though.

This also has been the slowest start to a semester. No major projects due next week! I'm relaxed about school and ready to go. No tears, no pulling of hair or panicked calls home, am I sure it's the first week of school?

I'm taking second year, first semester Spanish, multicultural children's literature, adolescent development, infancy, elementary physical education and an activity class.

My Spanish professor is from Germany originally. I'm totally jealous of her multilingual ability. She's got me excited about Spanish again! She only uses English if someone is totally lost or for detailed grammar instructions. She makes us try to explain definitions in Spanish. She's awesome. My last Spanish professor used mostly English and didn't teach. We were expected to teach ourselves, and class was mostly busy work. She had a great sense of humor, though.

My adolescence professor is ok. I know I'll like the class content; however, he has an off sense of humor that I really don't appreciate. I do appreciate: no major research papers!!!

Multicultural children's literature will be a challenge. I'm going to have to really think differently about books, society and what I want to stand for as a teacher. Biggest pet peeve in the class: Dr.L using the "words" gooder, goodest, and badder. Umm.... you have a doctorate???


P.E seems straight forward, read, make lesson plans, teach and take exams.

Infancy is on Fridays so we'll see how that goes.

Someone asked me what clubs I was going to be in... outside of the Christian club, I have no clue. I'm still waiting for the full load of work to drop but until then I'm enjoying my first week of school.

My heart is a bit heavy...

I want to step into a messy situation and make things right. I want to rescue the child caught in the middle. I want people to act like reasonable adults. I want to make everything better.

My heart breaks because there is no easy way to fix things. It breaks because even with the good intentions, I cannot make everything better. And I can only help those who want to be helped.

Instead, I cannot stay. The situation is transient and in a few weeks, the people involved will be in distant places. I must return to complete the work I've been given by the Lord. So I'm left to pray and encourage people to act in the best interests of the child. I'm reminding myself to trust that God has a plan and he can make the impossible into the possible. My heart is so very heavy.

Please pray for the situation. It's difficult and heartbreaking but the child is safe and loved.

Integrity

–noun

1.

adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2.

the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

3.

a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

(dictionary.com)

I've been watching Zen, a new mystery series on pbs, this week. The whole point of the show is that Detective Zen is a man of integrity on a police force known for its corruption. I've always thought of integrity as doing what's right regardless of the cost. Yet, for a man with a reputation for integrity, Zen bends the rules when he needs/wants to. He has a double standard when it comes to relationships. He uses his pull to get his rival reassigned.

Still sound like a man of integrity?

Maybe compared to the rest of his department.

When did integrity become a relative matter? By the end of the show, I wasn't sure that I liked him very much. It was a well done show and enjoyable but I couldn't get past the integrity issue. Even according to the dictionary.com definition, he wasn't acting with integrity as he violated his own moral code. At least, he never claimed to be a man of integrity. I'll give him that.

I know why the birds are angry...

Is it wrong to want an iPad just so you can play Angry Birds?

We have an iPad 1 and an iPad 2 at work that we're testing to see how they work with the online components of course work. Part of that testing is making sure that we can help students that may have trouble. Part of that included downloading apps. Now, when I download apps I try to find something free and "educational." While I was at lunch yesterday, someone was testing out the new Apple Cloud app store downloading and downloaded a bunch of games. When I came back, I was told to download a free app to try it out. With everyone watching, I chose the first free thing at hand... Angry Birds. Well, I actually looked around for awhile for something more... ahem... "educational" but alas, nothing could be found. Ahem.

I had heard about it... the "addictive" properties, the fun. I had even had someone show me the app on their phone. So during a quick break, I decided to give it a whirl. It was the hardest thing to put it down and go back to work. Now, I want to play it at home. I'm pathetic; I know.

Besides Angry Birds, I've become relatively proficient in all things iPad related. I've spent more time on Apple products in the last 3 weeks than I have since we used to play games on an old Apple IIc.

The iPad has such awesome capabilities for being a tool in the classroom. Need to demonstrate the piano/scales to your students? There's an app for that! :) There are so many great programs that allow you to enhance the classroom environment with very little output (money/time) on the part of the teacher.

I'm really hoping to get to play with Doceri someday soon. It gives you an interactive whiteboard (some schools have those now!) but with the ability to move around the room while "writing" on the board or pre-arrange a presentation.

I'm totally jazzed about some of what I'm doing. It's nice to feel invested in something and part of a team. There are days where I'd rather be working with kids or outside and not in my concrete cave but I like my job. I've tried hard to keep a good attitude about it. In the beginning, it was rather frustrating. I would come to work and there wasn't a set list of responsibilities as the work ebbed and flowed. It was frustrating, I wanted to feel productive and all I could do was clean out my inbox. I missed the freedom and responsibilities I had in my previous jobs. I still feel that way sometimes. But then I can pick up the iPad and work on my "testing." ;) Actually, (sadly :P ) I usually end up filing or shredding when I finish my work but at least I'm productive with my time.

Things that make me smile....

Nature's Artistry

A Cat in the Box

Tiny Flowers

Cute Visitors at Work

Finding the Unexpected

Something I Call "Fire Bush"

"Sticky Monkey Flower"
Mimulus aurantiacus

Lupinus arboreus?

BEANie Babies

The Little Garden Plot

Tree Hugs

Tree wrinkles

Clarity

New "Tools" at Work

Fun Colors

Finished Projects

Watching my brother try something new... And rocking it!

Ant -i -bodies

If you give an ant a library book, it's going to bring it's friends.
I'm in the midst of an ant war... I've kept my room clean since moving in but these ants are wonderful at finding any bit of anything, a stray m&m, watercolour paints... I've cleaned, vacuumed, wiped and sprinkled repellant (at least three of those everyday!). I bought poison (this is pretty drastic for me) and yet they keep coming. They're all over my deck too. I have no idea what they're after anymore...

But, I think I've found the solution... MacGyver style! ;)



Time to pull out the big guns!

Play

A friend asked if I play/wanted to play this summer. I realized that I don't really play during the school year or do the things I enjoy the most. Play during the school year means kids, a quick walk, reading or looking about on the internet.

Now that it's summer, how am I playing?

I pulled out my watercolour materials today.

This is actually a huge deal. I haven't painted with watercolours in over 2 years. I was so scared that I would open the paint tubes and find them dried out. Thankfully, the paints are all in working order and my brushes are great. The brush cleaner crystallized but seemed to work just the same.

I'm not working on anything amazing. I did a pen and ink a year or two ago on watercolour paper but never did anything to it. The hardest part of painting for me comes long before I pick up the brush. The composition and drawing components coupled with my perfectionist tendencies make the initial process long and frustrating.


Being able to start in the middle of the process was freeing. Painting makes me incredibly happy. I was painting and dancing and making little exclamations about how much fun it was or how good the colours looked! I feel giddy just thinking about it.

Of course, I'm playing in other ways. I have the beginnings of a summer reading list. My goal is to finish Insectopedia andthe Lord of the Rings trilogy after starting them last summer. I need to prepare for the CSET teaching tests. Also on the reading list: North and South (E. Gaskell) and some P.G. Wodehouse. Aside from Insectopedia and the CSET, I'm steering clear of the academic this summer. I'd love to hear from you! What do you like to read? Any suggestions?

My garden has expanded. I now have a plot in the community garden. It's only a block away. I went over and picked out my plot tonight. I started to clear it and found a garden warming gift: a carrot. I also have a large poison hemlock in the middle of the garden (and yes I know the difference between a carrot and hemlock). I'm thinking about leaving it since my garden (and others with hemlock) didn't have signs of burrowing creatures. The garden is only 6'x10' but any bigger and I would be overwhelmed with ideas. I'm currently ripping into seed packets with the glee of a child on Christmas morning. Beans and radishes and onions, oh my!

How do you play? :)

Holidays

There's something wonderful about being home with family. Yesterday was filled with catching up with my family and just being a part of their life. I deadheaded roses and pulled weeds. I ran errands for people. I got caught up on the last few weeks of my sister's life. She's getting ready to go away to college and I wonder how much longer we'll have these face to face sister chats. My brother and I got to play around on the piano together. He always amazes me with his knowledge and skill in drums and piano. He actually talks to me and I love to hear what's going on in my philosophical brother's head. My aunt is visiting over at my grandmother's for a few weeks. Grandma's almost ninety but she and Aunt L. are like teenage girls on a sleepover. They were up past midnight chatting and dare I say giggling?

I'm trying to savor this holiday of sorts since I have jury duty next week. Then, it's back to the university for work. I got a full time summer position on campus so I'll be busy.

Little House?

Piles of stuff litter the curbs. Some of it's trash; some things waiting to be loaded into waiting cars and trucks. As people pack up their apartments and depart for places unknown, I'm drawn into thinking about my stuff and what the curb and car will look like when I leave. The idea of living simply has been nagging at me since I had two friends depart for distant places and for long periods with just a suitcase or two, and then I saw this video...




Growing up in California, I dreamed of big houses. I dreamed of big farm houses, sprawling ranches, colonials, victorians, craftsmans and haciendas. The house would be filled with children and clever storage ideas. The house I grew up in was only 1090 sqft but it felt enormous at age six. By age 16, that feeling had faded. The idea of having my own room and my own space held great allure. I designed houses for large families in which two children in a room was the exception and the rooms were spacious enough that it wouldn't matter.

The last couple of years, I've spent time in some large houses. Enough time to see the drawbacks of lots of space. Momentary moments of panic when a child goes missing and it takes you longer to search the inside of the house than it would to run around the house twice. More space means more things. Being alone in a huge house and having the alarm tell you that there was movement in a distant quarter of the house. In my family's house, you have to be an excellent hider to be lost for very long. We constantly bump into each other.

There's a large part of me that want to have a little homestead of my own with a little house built by me. I think I read too many frontier themed books growing up. ;) The idea of a little house like the video appeals to me. Of course, I would want a shower of some kind (maybe outdoors?) and I would want space for my books. Instead of designing large houses, I now dream in miniature. Which is better since it's more probable that anywhere I live will be small. There's another part of me that just wants the suburban life I grew up with. American dream much? Although, I'd like to add some goats to the mix of suburban animals...

When I signed the lease for my apartment, the list of permissible animals included birds. Dangerous thing to tell a former 4-Her. I was tempted to ask if that included chickens but realized that would scare my roommates since we were all signing together. A couple small banties to round out my balcony maybe?

Post 50!

So for having this blog for three years, this is only my 50th post... Can you say slacker? ;)

Then again, my motivation to post has increased over the last year since this is a great medium for sharing my life with family and friends.

I'm sitting on the floor, looking at clouds rolling overhead. It looks like a time lapse video; they're moving so fast! I should be working on a paper for tomorrow but it's halfway finished and I've been called in to work.

My hawk buddy was back outside my window, yesterday. A hawk looks a lot like a scrawny chicken when he/she stretches up to get a better look at something. I think it's the legs... I love it when the hawk hunts outside. It reminds me too look up, and usually I grab my camera to take pictures.

Currently my camera is out of commission until I find my batteries. I have a pack of AA somewhere in my room, but with finals week my room isn't the best place to find anything. It looks like Miss Messy moved in. This is not ok. I don't like Miss Messy and she will not be staying long. Part of the problem is that my garden moved inside since the exterior of the building is being painted and there's a lot of clutter from that. Paper, my worst enemy has taken over. I started the semester with neat files for every subject. Now, I have neat piles for every subject. So much for a campus move towards sustainability and reduced paper usage. At least filing will be easy. I just have one paper and I'm done for the semester!

Brace yourself...

Just a few weeks of school left. I wonder at time, how it can move so slowly yet fly so quickly. This morning feels like ages ago yet last month feels like yesterday.

Now is the time to prepare projects, presentations and final notes. I have two presentations coming up this week. The Spanish presentation is on Tuesday. Profesora M. announced the presentation days today. No surprise that the Thursday slots were filled by the time it reached our table. I have no clue what to present with my partner. It's only five minutes but I would like to be prepared. My upper division writing class has us presenting our public policy papers over the next few weeks. I was asked to go on Wednesday since my paper is pretty much done.

My linguistics project stalled back around spring break when I was still juggling other projects and that one seemed safe to drop. Well, I've picked it back up and now I'm scared. This should be fun though. I have to chose a non-native English speaker and analyze their speech patterns. Of course I tend to write phonemicly in British English while speaking like an American. Maybe I watch a little too much British tv/movies... maybe... ;)

I think there's more projects coming too. I have something due for California History but I think it's almost complete since I've been working on pieces since the beginning of the semester. I have an interview with la profesora for Spanish in two weeks? Maybe? I have one traditional essay style final but that's about it.

This is more of a "to do" list than a blog post but it's the best I can do right now. If anything, this will help explain my silence over the next few days (weeks). :P There are moments where I wish for a more "normal" life that isn't filled with periods of high stress, big projects, expectations and lots of people. But that is life. Even before I started University, those elements were a part of my life. Now, they're just magnified, condensed and I have less control. So like a bird, I adjust to the change in pressure and try to ride the currents. I may not move forward but I'm still in the air. I'm flying!

Week in review

Freedom. It's a wonderful feeling. I was tied to my computer for about a week trying desperately to finish my papers in time. I saw way too many 1 am mornings for my liking. The historical literature review was due on Friday. The public policy outline was due Tuesday morning. Both made it in on time and pretty much complete. The outline was ~ 19 pages without the reference pages before I double spaced it. I think it was the longest document I've completed but I still have to put it into paragraph form and present my policy to the class. I'm taking eighteen units, all upper division. I didn't think that 18 units would be that much different than 17 units last semester but I was wrong. I was so panicky last Tuesday and Wednesday trying to get started on the papers. I honestly don't know how it all was finished. It was a definite God thing. I appreciated the prayers of family and friends; thank you.

My history class last night was let out early with instructions to spend a half hour outside. I took my reading for the week and sat out behind the library. There's an odd dichotomy behind the library of nature and progress. We don't have a lot of manicured lawn here because of burrowing creatures. The main quad, the campus center and behind the library are the few places with lawn. I sat on the edge of the manicured landscape looking out into the meadow and realized there is a beautiful view. Clouds rolled overhead, yet I could see sunlight in the distance behind them.

Sometimes being on campus is a bit like the Wild America tapes we used to watch when I was little. Spotting a coyote hunting behind the greenhouses, watching hawks hunt, finding a frog during an Easter egg hunt, cottontail rabbits hopping across your path. I never know what to expect.

Two posts in one! Garden/Kids

Stir fry mix bouquet

Garden Update: After most of the lettuce and stir fry mix went to seed, I used the flowers in a bouquet. Then I pulled everything out. :) Some of the lettuce in the barrels had trouble with root rot. I wasn't watering but between the rain and too few holes in the bottom the soil was staying too wet. The peas were long gone.

The remains of the vines and my "water catchment system" ;) I used it to water and dumped the remains as I had my own mosquito farm starting.

I supplemented for a phosphorus deficiency since the vines looked like the pictures I found online. The symptoms however read like a nitrogen deficiency. I supplemented that and kept the tops of two vines alive (life support). But they succumbed as well. Not sure what went wrong. And yes, I was careful not to overdo the supplements.

Composted rabbit manure and a couple worms from home.

I'm guessing my understanding of the nitrogen cycle is lacking, the heavy rain and the plants being pot bound all contributed. I'm just not sure why it started in the big pots and then affected the smaller ones... More research! All this to say, my beds are basically barren. I've planted seeds but nothing is up yet.

This bed has some swiss chard coming up.

This one has a couple surviving lettuce plants and has been planted with more.

Special Mint

One of my friends D. likes to garden and has her yard on campus done up as a kitchen garden.

I offered her some of my seeds and she brought me mint that she brought back from France. It traveled to two of my classes which sparked a lot of conversations. Most people thought it was a strawberry plant. As we were talking about gardens, my professor, Dr. W., got really excited as he's just starting one so I brought him some seeds and we've been sharing garden ideas and recipes.

The mint was in partial shade so finding a spot on my south (slightly east facing) balcony was a challenge. It's pretty happy here on the back side of the tub so it only gets morning sun.

Post Two:

Kids are awesome.

I've been working with a class of second graders twice a week for about 5 weeks now. Last semester I was at the same school working with 4th graders. I've encountered a couple of the kids outside of class or school and they've come up and given me hugs! Sweet, but worrisome since their parents don't know me!


April 1st.
B.: "Your hair is pretty"
Me: "Thanks"
B.: "April Fools!" :D He got me good!

During a flower dissection, A.: "I want to be a garden scientist!" Me: "Someone who studies plants is a botanist. Someone who is a garden scientist is a horticulturist." A. "Well, I want to study plant disease." Me: "Well, in that case you would be a plant pathologist." I love it when kids get excited about learning.

I worked with the reading groups today. Our class has about 28 kids in it. During the standardized test preparation, we bump up to about 30. We break into 3 groups based on proficiency levels so the two groups that I had contained 11-12 kids. I'm basically handed the material and I get to go for it.

D. and Y. are the two that worry me. D. is adorable but he's not "present". He's in his own little world and nothing seems to motivate him or excite him. He's been tested for learning disabilities and will be getting some additional help. Y., on the other hand, gets super excited, bounces around and blurts out answers. He's incredibly smart. He seems to pick up concepts quickly and is able to apply them outside of the context in which they are given. He's just one of those kids that I would hate to see crushed because of his behavior.

To know someone’s name…

I wrote this a couple months ago, but tonight, after chatting with a pastor from church #3, I wanted to revisit this issue.

When I moved to the area, I didn’t think finding a church would be hard. I wasn’t picky. I had my criteria all laid out:

1. Good teaching (preferably expository)
2. Friendly
3. Multi-generational

Yeah… not a lot to work with! I tried out three churches and each one was different. What really made a difference was how I was greeted and welcomed. Not surprising since a The State of the Church (Group Publishing Company, 2009?) found that welcoming/connectedness is one of the top reason a person visiting will stay with a church.

So how did the three churches do?

Church #1 This is a small Baptist church with ~150 members. I came for the main service. I sat down and was greeted by a woman in the pew behind me. She chatted with me for a bit and brought me a welcome packet. Really nice welcome packet, btw. She introduced me to others as well. The pastor came by and said hello. The meet and greet during the service was a little weird at first. Pews emptied as people moved from the front to the back and around greeting everyone. Even the kids were going up and shaking everyone’s hands and saying hello! At the end of the service, I was caught by the 20 something’s leader who invited me on a bike ride that they were having.

Church #2 This a large (2,000+ member) church with senior pastor model. I came for the last service and sat down. No one spoke to me unless they were asking if I was saving seats. During the meet and greet, I didn’t get anyone’s name and no one asked me mine. To the person who said, “Good to see you again”, I resisted the urge to say “have we met before?” If I wasn’t meeting someone after the service, I wouldn’t have met anyone! The entire service was just awkward and I'm not sure why.

Church #3 This is a mid size church that is “non-denominational” that was similar to my home church in teaching and worship. I came in a little late. During the meet and greet, I got some names but I didn’t feel a sense of community.

This made me consider my home church. What would a visitor experience there? Would they feel welcomed or ignored? Connected or drifting? Whose responsibility is it to make the connections and environment welcoming? I didn’t make a lot of meet and greet sessions in the last couple years… usually, I was late to service because of Children’s Ministry (CM). I do know that when I did greet people, I got their names and how long they’ve attended (it’s an easy and polite way to find out if they’re visiting). The goal is to engage them in conversation if possible.

So in case you were wondering, I chose church #1. It’s different from my home church and there’s less temptation to draw comparisons. It’s traditional and conservative which balances with the liberalness of the University. It’s also safe. I’m not jumping into CM or taking on leadership roles. When I left CM, I felt that a six month break was in order. I did some little things here and there for some churches but I needed the time to gain a better perspective. Church #1 is home for this time and this place.

Can I post this?

I'm still questioning whether I should post this. Every couple of months, I feel a little to introspective thinking about life and how I'm not where I expected to be. First problem: too many "I"s in that sentence. I may not be where I expected, but God knows where I am. He sees me. He holds the map. It's even better than a Google Map. It's a God Map. ;)

So here's the real post.

Do you ever feel like you're swimming and not moving?

I feel like I've been in the same place for the last 6 years. I'm coming up on the divider birthday between early twenty's and late twenty's. I'll officially be in my mid-twenties. And it makes me want to run; hard and fast as far as I can go. I feel like I'm missing the milestones that I should have reached at this point. I really didn't plan on making college my career, honest. Yet here I am 6 years into it and I have 2 more to go. And that's just for the BA!

I've never been asked out on a date.

I've been asked to dance once and accepted. Really, I don't bite, I swear. I've been to a lot of dances but in 4-H your chances were slim since there were 3 girls for every guy. Girls in 4-H had to take initiative to get a dance and in my mind that would be "forward". Civil War Balls involved bribing my brother to dance with me if no one asked and then elbowing or tromping on his toes so he would ask since the etiquette required boys to ask.

A boy brought me flowers, once. He was single; he was cute. He was five.

I know a lot of this is my own fault though, there are things about me that need to change.
My grandmother's voice adds to my list: wear brighter colors, wear makeup, smile at boys, flirt, make eye contact. For the record, I do make eye contact. ;)

Someone is getting married. I'm told "All the good ones get taken first". Gee thanks.

"So are you dating yet?" Every time a relative visits, this question never fails to be asked. Note to self: I need more creative answers...

I'm at a wedding (couple years ago) and a newly married friend leans over at the end with a "you'll be next!" Next in relation to what? And here I thought only grandmothery types doled out that one.

I met one other person who had never been asked out. We were both in our early twenties. Less than six months later, she was engaged. God works fast doesn't he! :)

The nice part about starting over in a new place is that no one really knows how old I am unless they ask. Most just assume I'm about 21 since I'm a junior transfer student. And FYI not wearing makeup helps with that assumption.

The funny thing is I like being single. I enjoy my freedom, time and space. I feel that I've used this time wisely. I think the trouble stems from seeing what's important to the world/culture and using that as my measuring stick. I just don't like being thought of as a failure and I feel like the world and even people in the church see me as that.

I'm different. I'm on a special God mission. He has a plan just for me and it doesn't look like anyone else's plan. I may be running right now but I'm running to him.

Commit your way to the Lord, hope in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
- Psalm 37:5-6

Teaching

This has been a fabulous week! I feel so blessed to be at my university. God orchestrated this week.... I feel like I've been able to make some good connections, personally, academically and professionally.

Around the middle of the week, a well known speaker on education and education reform gave a talk at the university. I was very impressed by what was said and took 5 pages of notes. I'm like my mom in that... It was awesome to hear a counter argument to what is being touted in the media as the latest and greatest reform: Race to the Top. There are points that I definitely want to know more about, but overall it was an inspiring message. Now we just need to do something about it.

The cool part was sitting with a new group of people and getting to know others in my major. I was four seats down from my physics professor so I finally got to nail him on the most missed questions from last semesters final. :) We then chatted about his class, the teaching tests and his teaching style. Such a worthwhile class and a great teacher! So many professors were there; it was fun to see them outside of class!

I caught up with Dr. W. to make sure that he had me down for some homework and we got to chat about the talk briefly. It dovetailed so nicely with what we had learned in class. It's wonderful when the pieces start to fall together and the picture becomes clearer.

Today, I had my first classroom volunteering spot of the semester. I almost canceled since my neighbors partied until 2 am, and I wasn't sure I was going to be useful as I was so tired this morning. I'm so glad I went though.

I'm working with 2nd graders. So cute! It's been interesting to see the difference between 2nd and 4th grade. I love the teacher. I like her style and her classroom. This is what I thought teaching would be like. As I was signing out, the principal stopped and said hi. She recognized me from Dr. W's class. When she heard that I was looking forward to her next visit to our class, she asked if I had time to ask her my questions now. I was able to ask my questions regarding scripted curriculum, expectations, her role as principal and the teacher removal process. A long term sub who had taught on the school's role in the community for my Learning and Teaching class stopped in and I was able to get his perspective on some of the issues.

What I really walked away with was: if I'm going to be a teacher, I'd better be positive that that's the right path for me and be ready to stick with it.

I know I'll be a good teacher. I'm just not sure I'll be able to handle the bureaucracy and politics that comes with it.

That's why I'm here.

One Year

God,

It's been one year since you turned my life upside down. You took my dreams and said you had something better. Left me wondering what my next step was.
I was comfortable; You changed that.
I had to depend on you.
Really depend.
My heart hurt. I felt betrayed.
Why me? Was something wrong with me?
Instead I was given a new life. New challenges.

My dreams are still befuddled. I'm not sure what to dream or if it's even safe yet. I know your dreams are better but I keep trying to peek around the bend to see what's next.
I thank you for this year.
You've given me a richer life than I hoped for.
It still hurts sometimes when I think about what I'm missing:
the people, the happenings, the changes, the growth.

But you've promised something better.
I'm trusting and waiting for your timing and wisdom to be revealed.

Soli Deo Gloria

Food vs. Foodie?

Part of life at the University is cooking for myself. I love cooking... but I rarely follow a recipe. I never really thought about the creativity that goes into food until I moved. I had to decide what I wanted to buy and make it affordable. Where did I want to put my money? One of my first purchases was "green" dish soap. When I bought ziplock bags and saran wrap, I had to think about what the trade offs were and if it was worth it. Yeah, my environmental conscience kicked in big time. Thus, I try to grow food and buy more at farmer's markets than the grocery store. The hardest part is figuring out how much vegetables I will use in a week. It all looks so good. Swiss chard and kale are my weaknesses, I always buy too much. There are some organic things that a college girl can't afford but it's about balance: balancing priorities, money, health and ethics.

It's rather nice to cook for myself. I was definitely influenced by the foodies at church and in Children's Ministry. We did food like you wouldn't believe. We're not in Costco anymore, Toto. Church luncheons are always surprising...

I've been taking pictures for a while of my creations and thought I would share some with you. All the vegetables are organic and most were bought at the local farmers market. The pictures were taken at different times so yes, some vegetables are out of season.
The main ingredients of most of my cooking: olive oil, fresh garlic and onion.

Chicken Stir Fry with yellow zucchini, red and green cabbage, carrots and broccoli over noodles.

This is a variation on a noodle bake. I omitted the meat and doubled the eggs. There is about one cup cooked chopped spinach, low fat ricotta cheese mixed with 2 eggs, spiral pasta, spaghetti sauce mixed up and topped with cheese. I made two of these last week. One for the freezer and one to eat!
Chili (from a can) with extra beans and carrots. I stirred in some frozen corn when I served it and topped it off with monterey jack cheese.

This was a left over creative inspiration. I had too much brown rice so I added chili powder, garlic, black beans and corn. I added some cheese and topped it with some left over chicken. The rice was better than the chicken which was rather bland.

This is a family favorite which has become my favorite study food for crazy weeks. Tuna Noodle Salad. A can of tuna, noodles, olives and green beans over a bed of lettuce and topped with a olive oil vinaigrette. The side dish is garlic sauteed summer squash.

This is my favorite summer meal. Corn chips and "salsa". Onions, sometimes a spicy pepper, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro and dash of lemon or vinegar. Yes, it's more of a pico de gallo but at our house it's called salsa...

My other favorite study food is salsa with frozen corn and black beans. Simple, fast, and filling!