She Lives

Yeah, yeah. I am still alive. Apologies for the lack of posting for...3 months. Woops.

So what have I been up to? Well, my initial reason for not posting was just because I got very busy with school. That quarter is over though. Since I last posted, we bought a new car, I've lost about 15 pounds, I got accepted to grad school, and I've been pumping up my geek cred.

How have I been pumping up my geek cred? Well, I had dabbled in the world of comics and superheros for a while. I always appreciated superhero movies. My first date with Hubby was to see Iron Man and that was my choice. But a few weeks ago, Hubby insisted that I watch the Justice League cartoons because I reminded him of Hawk Girl. 2 seasons of JL and 2 seasons of JL Unlimited later, I can see the resemblance. In the midst of all that watching though, I fell in superhero crush love with The Flash/Wally West and my appreciation for Batman grew exponentially. After finishing that show, I started watching the old Batman animated series. The one from the early 90s. I actually watched it occasionally back when it was originally on, but I didn't appreciate it as much then. Great show. I've also started reading comics thanks to the push from Free Comic Book Day. I'm looking for some good comics to start reading on a regular basis especially if it involves The Flash or Batman.

So anyway, I might try to start posting regularly again. Maybe. I can't make any promises because, well...this is my first post in 3 months. Time will tell. Even if I'm not posting though, I'm still out there reading all my fave blogs. Btw, congrats to Jumble Mash on her new engagement.

Until next time, whenever that may be, I bid you adieu.

Life List

So I started a life list about 4 1/2 years ago. I finally decided I needed to update it - cross off the things I've accomplished and add some more that I've thought of since the original writing. So I've put it below. The first 40ish are the original list, the rest I've just added in the last couple days. 

Go to Europe
Go skydiving
Go rock climbing
Go bungee jumping
Learn how to rappel
Lead worship somewhere
Go on a foreign mission trip
Write a novel, even if it never gets published
Get the novel printed
Learn how to sing
Learn how to play piano
Learn French
Fly a plane, even if only for a minute
Learn how to read music
Meet Johnny Depp     Proof and more proof in case you don't believe me
Go to California
Take a cruise in the Caribbean
Go sailing, preferably on a Black Pearl-esque kind of ship
Eat at a 5 star restaurant
Stay in a 5 star hotel
Drive cross-country
Ride a motorcycle
Go to NYC for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
See a broadway show
Go to a spa
See the Grand Canyon
Go skiing
Go waterskiing
Go parasailing
Go kayaking
Visit a chocolate factory
Take a vacation to Hawaii
Visit at least one spot where Lost was filmed
Go to Alaska
See the Eiffel tower
Go to the Louvre
Ride in a gondola in Venice
See the Roman Colisseum
Get published
Go Horseback Riding
Get my masters degree

Build a snowman
Take dance lessons
Go to San Diego Comic Con
Meet Zachary Levi and/or Yvonne Strahovski
Eat at at least 10 restaurants that's been on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives
Eat the giant donut Adam Richman holds up in the intro to Man Vs. Food
Visit Seattle, go see the fish market
Go to Chicago, eat at Hot Doug's
Read the top 100 books on this list
Stay in a log cabin
Try The Luther Burger at least once
Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Drink a Butterbeer
Go to Disney World
Drink a beer or mead in The Eagle and The Child in Oxford, England
Actually fill out a journal completely
Act in something - play, extra in a movie, whatev.
Eat at Paula Deen's restaurant - The Lady and Sons
Run in at least one 5K
Read all the books by C.S. Lewis
Play in a ball pit as an adult
Get a tattoo
Return to Boston, eat Italian food in the North End
Learn how to shoot with a bow and arrow
Eat the double cheeseburger at Holeman & Finch in Atlanta
Eat at In n Out
Go to a movie premiere
Go for a walk in the rain
Spend an entire day in silence
Go camping




There's a couple in the ones I've added that seem entirely unrealistic, but then again, when I wrote the original list, going to Europe and certainly meeting Johnny Depp also seemed unrealistic and you will notice that those are crossed off.


Also, a lot of thing on this list have to do with food and beverages. Well...I like to eat and drink and I watch the Food Network a lot so I know where a lot of good food is.


So there it is. My life list. Here's hoping that I get to cross everything off and even cross off some things I haven't thought of yet.


Peace!

ZombieGeek

Yeah, I haven't blogged in like 3 weeks or something. My bad. It's been a combination of sleep deprivation, being busy, and just not having much to say. So let me catch you up on the life of me:

I finally applied for graduation...again.
I only have one class left for next quarter.
I finally applied for graduate school. It'll be nice to not be a third year senior anymore.
The weather 'round here has been great this week. I even got to go out on the motorcycle a couple of times.
I finished 1984. It was depressing.
I also finished Fahrenheit 451. It was also depressing, but it was a very moving book.
I also finished Uglies by Scott Westerfield. It kinda sucked.
Hubby and I are getting a fat refund back from our taxes. We're planning to use it to buy a new(er) car to replace the unreliable POS I'm currently driving.
We also finally got a joint checking account and have crafted a budget that involves putting lots o monies into savings. It's pretty scary for both of us.
Pillbsbury Sweet Moments Bite-Size Brownies are heavenly.
Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs have returned.
I will never ever teach junior high. They are crazy and dumb in a very illogical manner. 

So there ya go. That's what's up with me.

If you all have been paying any attention at all to the news, you'll know that there is some sort of hoopla going on in Wisconsin. Here's the gist of it: the governor and his peeps are trying to end collective bargaining, in other words, they're trying to take all power away from the unions. Here's what most of America doesn't know: Ohio is on the verge of doing the exact same thing.

Now, let me be clear, I'm not some huge union advocate. I really don't give a rip if I'm part of a teacher's union or not. I'm confident enough in my education and my abilities as a teacher to not need a safety net. If a school district fires me unfairly, I don't want to work there anyway. But there are a lot of fine details that fall under this bill in Ohio that I'm not kosher with and I think are going to shaft the kids in the long run. For instance, when I finish my masters and get my teaching license, I will be licensed to teach grades 7-12. I will have been educated to properly teach that age group. If this bill passes, school districts, cities, the state, whoever could actually shove me in a Kindergarten classroom. Yeah...no. Not only would I not really be qualified to teach Kindergarten as teaching those wee rugrats requires an entirely different kind of teaching, but I wouldn't be good at it. I'm fairly sure I'll be a good high school teacher, but Kindergarten? Or even anything below ninth grade - no. So what does this mean for the kids? It means they might get stuck with a teacher in elementary school that is not qualified at all to teach them. There's more specific info about it here.

As I said, I'm not a big union person. I understand how many might think unions have gotten too powerful. However, I am vehemently opposed to anything that will make educating our kids even more difficult than it already is. I plan on leaving the state of Ohio anyway, but knowing that I have friends around here whose kids could be getting a crummy education because their government for some reason doesn't value educating young people infuriates me.

On a lighter note, once I get to Spring quarter, you might hear from me a bit more since I'll only have one class and NO observations at all. It's gonna be awesome. :)

Peace out!

Half-Assed Weekend - January 30, 2011 (Post-Its)

So, I can't seem to form any semblance of a complete blog from my thoughts, so I thought I'd take a page from the JumbleMash book and make this a post-it post.

I've been wearing this exact same hat every day since November.

4 O'Clock and All's Well

So, yesterday's post was decidedly unfunny and may have given the impression that I am currently unhappy. My bad. I actually am happy. I have a wonderful marriage with a man I love more than I ever thought possible and who loves me just the same. We make good money. We have a wonderful home and 3 beautiful kitties. So really, I have it made. There are just certain aspects of life that stink right now, namely cold weather, sleep deprivation, and busyness from work/school.

I promise you this, though. Come late March/early April, you'll be reading a different blog. Hubby and I have a romantic getaway booked for the last week in March. My b-day is that Saturday. I'll be starting my last quarter as an undergrad (haha. I just typed undergard by accident) which should consist of just 2 classes and NO classroom observations (Praise Jeebus). And, at long last, the weather will be getting warm and this makes me a much more amiable geek. For one, I'll get to start riding my motorcycle again and riding that thing makes me feel sexy and awesome in a totally bad-ass kind of way.

I think yesterday's self-loathing woe-is-me diatribe was primarily a result of sleep deprivation and an unforgettable experience earlier in the week. This quarter my classroom observations are with 7th and 8th grade Language Arts classes in an elementary school. I'm obtaining a license to teach high school, but that license includes grades 7-12 and that is why I'm stuck with middle school. It's normally not so bad because the regular teacher has great classroom management skills, but on Tuesday, we had a sub. I know you all remember what it's like to have a sub. Now think about what it was like to have on in middle school, add a 99% poverty level and a pinch of a really unorthodox system for discipline and you have the makings of a nightmare. Literally. The goings-on of that day haunted my sleep for the next two days.

The sub was a bit older, likely in her 60s and seemed to be...well...out of touch with the reality of who these students were. She thought it would be wise to have storytelling time. With 13 and 14 year olds. Well...stories were certainly told. One involved an orgy in a spaceship. Another involved an apparently true story of a 13-year-old boy getting high, going to the pool, stealing an iPod, 150 bucks, and a camera and then getting arrested and forced to do community service. For a while, Miss Sub thought it would be a good idea to "show them how it's done." To put it mildly, it was an unmitigated disaster. Every other line of the story was followed by "Quiet! I'm trying to teach you how to tell a story!" Did the demon spawn oblige? Of course not. Did she keep telling the lame story anyway? Of course she did. It was an unparalleled 6 hours of torture. More than one student comment that I looked bored. I tried my best to hide it, but to no avail. I strongly considered banging my head against the wall, but thought it would be decidedly unprofessional and thought better of it.

Had I been a student teacher instead of just an observer, I would've just told the sub to sit down and take charge myself. But I'm not a student teacher. I'm not technically supposed to be teaching these kids on my own. It's not in the course description and school administration discourages it. But I have to say, just sitting there and watching all this go down made me seriously doubt my goal of becoming a teacher for a while. But then I realized, I pick up on social cues. I knew this kids were utterly uninterested in what was going on and I would have the common sense to change the plan. Actually, I have the common sense to know it was a bad idea from the get-go.

So that little whirlwind of terror easily brought down my whole week. I'm still recovering. I'm dreading my next day in the classroom with all of my being. If I walk in and there's a sub, I may very well turn around and walk right back out.

For now, I shall bid you adieu.

Word.

For Granted and Wee Bit Wednseday

I think a lot of times, people take some of the most basic of luxuries for granted. It's easy to do thanks to that basic nature, but sometimes life reveals those basics to be worth their weight in gold (and gold is at it's highest price ever so that's a lot of change).

There are two things in life that I think many people take for granted. I know I did pretty much my entire life until this last year and a half. Those two things are time and sleep. A year and a half ago, I started my journey to become a teacher. I enrolled at the local university (from which I had already obtained an utterly useless BA in Art) full time in Integrated Language Arts. Somehow a part of me thought it would be the same this time as it was before. Well, it's not. Before, I was 18-22 years old. I was single. I was still financially dependent on my parents (except for maybe the last few quarters). I worked part time, the most hours I worked being about 16/week. I had 2-3 roommates at any given time to share housing costs with. Things are a little different now. I'm almost 27 years old. I'm married. I get no financial assistance from my parents whatsoever. I work full time, third shift. I have a husband, but no additional roommates to share housing costs with.

I once said in an earlier blog that I had recently read the blog I wrote during college and found it comical. Here's why: I spent most of my blog complaining about not having enough free time, being too busy, being tired, and of course, being single. Now, I'm quite glad to legitimately be rid of that last complaint, but regarding the first three - I was full of it. Back then I had ample free time. I had enough time to take naps, watch movies repeatedly, hang out with friends (a lot), be super involved in campus organizations and my church. Somehow, I would sometimes get burned out. What a load of waffle. I don't really have time for any of that now. I miss hanging out with my friends. I get to spend time with Hubby, but not a whole lot really. And sleep...

Sleep might be the most precious commodity at this point in my life. I've always felt that sleep is important, but that rings true now more than ever. I came into work tonight on about 2 1/2 hours of sleep. This has become a regular thing for me, and if you've never experienced that kind of regular sleep deprivation, it sucks. To me, having to force myself to stay awake, whether it be for work, class, observations, homework, whatever, when I'd really rather sleep is one of the most frustrating things ever. What really sucks is my lack of sleep kinda throws off every other aspect of my life. It makes me grouchy which makes me snap at Hubby. It makes me tired (duh) which makes me not want to do things like laundry or dishes which makes our house a wreck (let me be clear about something - I am not the only one that does this stuff. Hubby definitely does his fair share, but he is in the same boat as me - full time student with a full time job). It makes me not hang out with friends because I'm either just too tired and lethargic or I'm actually asleep for a change. It sucks. I hate it.

Right now the deck is totally stacked against me in terms of happiness. It's winter which we've already established that I despise. And right now, I'm right smack dab in the middle of my 3 year journey to teach. I've been at it a year and a half. I'm tired. I'm worn out. I'm losing my fervor for my goal because that goal still feels so far away. I think once I get passed next quarter and FINALLY become a grad student instead of a 6th year senior, that I'll get a little more pep in my step. I hope so.

So why am I telling you this? Well, I wanted to tell someone. Plus, it has a lot to do with why I never update Monday through Thursday. I'm tired and I'm busy. Although I'm off from work, I tend to milk every free moment at home for either sleep, time with Hubby, time to clean, or if I'm lucky, time to just relax.

So now to make up for my pity party, I shall do Wee Bit Wednesday, a couple days late:





{one} how tall are you?5' 3.25" Yeah, I'm the type to add the .25"
{two} besides bills, what do you spend most of your money on?Gas, food, and books.
{three} what are your three favorite websites?Thinkgeek, Etsy, The Oatmeal
{four} what brand of tennis shoes do you prefer?Converse Chuck Taylors and Sketchers
{five} what food can you absolutely not stand to eat?Yogurt. It makes me gag.
{six} How many pairs of jeans do you own?2 and I can't wear either of them currently.
{seven} if you could have any job, what would it be?I'd be Lady Gaga, but less weird about it. Britney Spears but less slutty about it. I guess I'd be Kelly Clarkson or Taylor Swift.
{eight} have you ever ridden in an ambulance?Yep. I hope to never repeat the experience.
{nine} how many pillows do you sleep with?Dos.
{ten} on a scale of 1-5, how organized are you?3ish. I'm organized when I want to be and I have the time.

Half-Assed Weekend - January 22 (Music)

So a couple posts ago I talked about how much I love music. A few months ago, there was a trending topic on twitter that was #songsthatnevergetold. So I thought I'd create a playlist of such songs and share them with you to give you an idea of my broad tastes in music. Here it goes, in alphabetical order, because that's how I roll:

Alejandro - Lady Gaga

All I Want - Toad The Wet Sprocket (what the hell does that mean anyway?)

Always be my Baby - Mariah Carey

Angel - Aerosmith

Angel Eyes - The Jeff Healy Band

Anytime - Brian McKnight

Backwards Walk - Frightened Rabbit

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

Better Together - Jack Johnson

Blue Beard - Band of Horses

Broken -Lifehouse

Building A Mystery - Sarah McLachlan

California Love - Dr. Dre

Catch My Disease - Ben Lee

Come Away With Me - Norah Jones

Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band

Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake

Don't Stop Believin - Glee Cast (No judging. It's a very spirited rendition.)

Don't Wanna Be A Player - Joe

Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds (80s movies rolled into a song)

Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House

Dreamlover - Mariah Carey

Empty Me - Jeremy Camp (Unplugged)

Evacuate the Dancefloor - Cascada

Every Little Thing - Dishwalla

Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon

Father Figure - George Michael (Don't ask. I don't know why, I just like it.)

Feeling Good - Michael Buble

Fire - Babyface and Des'ree (This song was way hard to find for some reason.)

Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine

The General Specific - Band of Horses

Giving Him Something He Can Feel - En Vogue

Good Life - OneRepublic (This song is currently being used in just about every movie and TV show around, but it's good.)

Good Lovin - Blackstreet

Good People - Jack Johnson

Gravity - John Mayer

Halo - Depeche Mode

Hands to Heaven - Breathe (Look it up on youtube, you'll recognize it.)

Hanging by a Moment - Lifehouse

He is the Love - David Crowder Band

Home - Michael Buble

I Belong To You - Brian McKnight

I Could Fall In Love - Selena (Ever seen the movie? Only one that's made me cry every time I watch it.)

I Feel You - Depeche Mode

I Wanna Sex You Up - Color Me Badd

I Want You - Savage Garden

I'll Be - Edwin McCain

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice (Word to ya mutha.)

If You Leave - OMD (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark)

In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins (Yeah, I'm with Mike Tyson on this one)

Invisible Man - 98 Degrees (Shush. I was in junior high when they got started.)

It Feels Like Home To Me - Chantal Kreviazuk (This is the song Hubby and I had our first dance to <3)

Just Another Day - Jon Secada

Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Keep Your Hands To Yourself - The Calling

Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye

Life After You - Daughtry

Love Games - Lady Gaga

Love Story - Taylor Swift

Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson

Mine - Taylor Swift

My Desire - Jeremy Camp (Unplugged)

My Friends - Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd Soundtrack)

No Diggity - Blackstreet

No Surprise - Daughtry

Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

On Bended Knee - Boyz II Men

On Our Own - Bobby Brown (From the Ghostbusters II soundtrack. Yeah that's right.)

Only You - David Crowder Band

Open Skies - David Crowder Band

Over My Head - Starfield

Part of your World - The Little Mermaid

Picture to Burn - Taylor Swift (Peppiest break-up song ever.)

Pieces - Red (If I had to pick one favorite song, this would be it. It's beautiful in every way - musically, melodically, lyrically, everything. It's used in youtube shipper videos galore such as this one. I even got away with doing this song at church a few times. Loved it.)

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

The Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News

Push - Matchbox 20

Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae

The Reason - Hoobastank

Rush Rush - Paula Abdul

The Seed 2.0 - The Roots (The sexual euphemisms in this song are quite funny.)

Sexy Silk - Jessica Cornish

Shameless - Garth Brooks

She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals

She's Got The Look - Roxette

Short Skirt Long Jacket - Cake

Somewhere In The Middle - Dishwalla

Song of Hope - Robbie Seay Band

Songbird - Eva Cassidy

Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift

Stand Out - PowerLine (From A Goofy Movie soundtrack, and I would argue, the best Disney song ever.)

Stomp - Kirk Franklin

Sway - Michael Buble

Take A Picture - Filter

Take You Back - Jeremy Camp (Unplugged)

This Is Me - Dream

This Woman and This Mean - Clay Walker

Thnks Fr Th Mmrs - Fall Out Boy

Thunder (Acoustic) - Boys Like Girls

To The Moon And Back - Savage Garden

True - Ryan Cabrera

True Blue - Madonna

U Drive Me Crazy - 'NSync

Until the End of Time - Foreigner

Valerie - Glee Cast

Wannabe - Spice Girls

Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi

The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson

What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band

What's It To You - Clay Walker

When I'm Gone - 3 Doors Down

With Or Without You - U2

Without The Girl - Daniel Bedingfield

Wonderwall - Oasis

You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift

You Don't Know Me - Harry Connick Jr.

You Won't Ever Be Lonely - Andy Griggs

Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Zion & Babylon - Josh Garrels

Yeah, it's 122 songs long, and you probably didn't even read through all of them, but oh well. I felt like doing it and it's half-assed weekend.

Peace!