1. I've started and finished three hats while I've been home. Have managed to finish 0 of 2 blankets I started working on before Christmas, meant for Christmas gifts. Oh well. I just hope I can get cracking and finish them before I go back to DC, because I don't want to have to bring them back with me. They take up a lot of space, you know.
2. Amazon always does $5 MP3 albums every month, changing them from month to month. They put out January's early, I guess, and I was looking through them tonight just for kicks. One that I found made me particularly excited, as I've been wanting to buy it for over a year now: the soundtrack to the Ken Burns National Parks documentary. Oh. Yes. You'd better believe I bought that sucker. I also very much want to buy the new True Grit soundtrack. It had lovely music.
3. Speaking of, I've seen two movies in the theater since I've been home - True Grit and The King's Speech. Both were highly excellent. (And the King's Speech also had a great soundtrack too.) I also watched the 2008 BBC version of Sense and Sensibility, which I highly enjoyed. Liked that one's Edward Ferrars better than the 90s movie version, in which Hugh Grant played Edward Ferrars. Am now slowly making my way through the new BBC version of Emma. So far, pretty good. Quite different from the Gwyneth Paltrow version, which I love.
4. We got a delightful snowstorm today. Well, driving home at the worst of it this afternoon wasn't so delightful. The problem was that it had been warmer earlier today, and the first signs of snow just melted on the roads, and it got really cold so that turned to ice and then the rest of the snow fell on top of ice. And it all happened relatively quickly, and everyone saw it was getting bad so decided to leave work or wherever they were early, and thus when the snow was the worst it seemed like there was a greater volume of cars. Anyway. I had been at the mall with my sister, and it's pretty much uphill the whole way home from the mall (with some flat parts), but I saw so many cars that had spun out and couldn't get going, or were stuck against curbs, and then on Constitution, which is all hill, there was a lot of that and people who were going downhill (I was going uphill) were not having a good time of it. I saw at least one car who lost control going downhill and ended up facing the wrong direction. Not good. I made it ok because I was in a Jeep, and they're awesome. Thankfully the times I was stopped because of other cars having issues ahead of me, I was able to start up again with little to no trouble. It all worked out ok, but it was interesting! And now it's lovely and snowy and cold and I love it. The only Colorado snow I'll see until next winter. At least it's a pretty good one (thanks God!). Even if it is supposed to go back into the 30s and 40s and then 50s by next week. Oh well.
5. I got a new camera for Christmas, which is awesome. I'm still trying to figure out the different settings (there are more/better ones than my old camera), but it's been fun. I love taking pictures! I know it's ridiculous, and most of them are soooo boring, but I love it. They're fun to go through again once in awhile, too, especially the pretty Colorado ones when I'm far away and longing to see some blue blue sky. :-)
6. I went for a hike yesterday with my friend Cathy. We did the Crags, which I did this past summer with Mom (and the summer before with some other friends). I really like that hike. It's not really too strenuous, aside from a little at the beginning and towards the top, but the view is so worth it. Last night when I was going to sleep, I kept having these images of the beautiful mountain ranges pop into my head, pictures I've been privileged to see in person on my various hikes (Pancake Rocks, Pikes Peak) and sightseeings (any time I've gone up to Rocky Mountain NP). I don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing those lovely snow-capped mountaintops as far as the eye can see. It really is magnificent. It just makes my heart sing. I feel like Maria von Trapp at the beginning of the Sound of Music when I'm up there with those mountains. Except slightly less emotive, as outward emotion is not my strong suit... Seriously, though, I can't get enough of it. I'm sure it wouldn't be at all nice as I picture, but oh, how I yearn to go live in one of those tiny mountain towns, surrounded by towering vistas. I know exactly what one of the two worst drawbacks would be: the Catholic factor. I don't imagine most of those mountain towns have much in the way of catering to various leanings of Catholicism, which usually means it would lean more toward the liberal side of things. Just a guess, though. (The other drawback would be a lack of easy of accessibility to my family. Duh.)
Oh yeah, and after falling asleep with visions of mountaintops dancing through my head, I literally had a dream about Pikes Peak. Don't remember much of the specifics, but we (I and whoever else it was in my dream) were quite close to it. And then maybe sort of on it, I'm not sure. (And at one point someone fell off, and everyone thought he was probably dead, but then he wasn't somehow.) Anyway. I want to live in a mountain chalet. The end.
7. Speaking of, I would like to tell something to the world at large: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M GOING TO DO WITH MY DEGREE. So stop asking. I know, it's just curiosity, and it's the normal thing to ask. I just have no idea. God doesn't really tend to tell me much, especially in advance. I'm sure he's got something cooking out there for me, but I don't know what it is, what it looks like, or if I'll like it. Just because I will (God willing) have a master's degree in theology does not mean I'm going to be a counselor. Really, it doesn't mean much, actually. Oh man. I just wrote a really longish post about this whole thing. Didn't post it yet, though...not sure if I will, since it's pointless. We'll see.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Procrastiposting
I have one more final in my next-to-last round of graduate school finals. Tomorrow afternoon. And darned if I can't get myself to be motivated to study. I don't even know how I've made it this far in higher education; sometimes I feel like such a fraud to be here.
But, here I be, and hopefully it's somehow shaping me into a better person. (If nothing else, I'm sure that living with my roommate can't help but make me slightly better since she's bound to rub off on me. Especially considering the ridiculous number of hours we see each other every day, what with the working and schooling and living together. And she, my friends, is good people. Much better than I.)
My thoughts are so disjointed right now. Not entirely sure why; I think part of the reason, dumb as this sounds, is because I just checked the weather forecast for Colorado Springs, and it's supposed to snow tomorrow, but then the temps go up again and it's supposed to be 50s all next week. Which, as we all know, is terrible weather to begin with (I hate in-between more than either extreme), and especially so for Christmas. Which should be at least cold, if not snowy. I need a white Christmas this year. At the VERY least, I would like to be able to see snow while I'm home, before Christmas. I'll be lucky if tomorrow's snow, however much it is, isn't all gone by the time I get there Friday night. I can't quite put my finger on why, but this likelihood that I won't be seeing snow for at least the first week I'm home (and, let's face it, the rest of the time, too) makes me sad. C'est la vie, though. Nothing I can do about it. I'd love it if God gave me a white Christmas for once, but if he doesn't, I suppose he's got his reasons. I'm trying not to think too much about this or other things that are nibbling at my recent inner calm and joy right now; I already had enough of a finals' week freak-out on Monday night. Don't need another one.
On the bright side, my office had our Christmas party today, and it was lots of fun. We had a special Mass this morning, just our office, in the chapel, and then a little later headed out to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the American Art Museum, followed by a delicious lunch. Good times were had by all. I wore my red bell earrings, a red bell necklace I just bought because what goes better with red bell earrings than a matching necklace?, and my new highly winter-impractical but super-cute Christmas heels (with bells on them, of course). I couldn't sneak up on anyone today, but it's fun to be Christmasy.
Gonna go try to clear my head a bit with an episode of 30 Rock, and then try to get myself studied up for tomorrow's final.
But, here I be, and hopefully it's somehow shaping me into a better person. (If nothing else, I'm sure that living with my roommate can't help but make me slightly better since she's bound to rub off on me. Especially considering the ridiculous number of hours we see each other every day, what with the working and schooling and living together. And she, my friends, is good people. Much better than I.)
My thoughts are so disjointed right now. Not entirely sure why; I think part of the reason, dumb as this sounds, is because I just checked the weather forecast for Colorado Springs, and it's supposed to snow tomorrow, but then the temps go up again and it's supposed to be 50s all next week. Which, as we all know, is terrible weather to begin with (I hate in-between more than either extreme), and especially so for Christmas. Which should be at least cold, if not snowy. I need a white Christmas this year. At the VERY least, I would like to be able to see snow while I'm home, before Christmas. I'll be lucky if tomorrow's snow, however much it is, isn't all gone by the time I get there Friday night. I can't quite put my finger on why, but this likelihood that I won't be seeing snow for at least the first week I'm home (and, let's face it, the rest of the time, too) makes me sad. C'est la vie, though. Nothing I can do about it. I'd love it if God gave me a white Christmas for once, but if he doesn't, I suppose he's got his reasons. I'm trying not to think too much about this or other things that are nibbling at my recent inner calm and joy right now; I already had enough of a finals' week freak-out on Monday night. Don't need another one.
On the bright side, my office had our Christmas party today, and it was lots of fun. We had a special Mass this morning, just our office, in the chapel, and then a little later headed out to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the American Art Museum, followed by a delicious lunch. Good times were had by all. I wore my red bell earrings, a red bell necklace I just bought because what goes better with red bell earrings than a matching necklace?, and my new highly winter-impractical but super-cute Christmas heels (with bells on them, of course). I couldn't sneak up on anyone today, but it's fun to be Christmasy.
Gonna go try to clear my head a bit with an episode of 30 Rock, and then try to get myself studied up for tomorrow's final.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A bit of randomicity for your Tuesday.
I had a mild-to-medium freak-out last night. I got home (from class and 4 hours of work), had an email prompting me to get two questions for Thursday’s final review sheet done, since some of us are studying together-ish, so I felt like I needed to do that ASAP despite the pressure mounting on me to study for the two finals I had today. And then suddenly it was 9pm. Woo. In the middle of that, though, I was also worrying about being gone for three weeks, and our apartment being empty for part of that time while we’re all three gone, and my car sitting in the parking lot the whole time, and not having renters insurance and not having time to do anything about it this week and WHY DID I WAIT UNTIL THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS TO THINK ABOUT THIS, and what I have to pack, and on and on and on. Commence breakdown.
One or two tears were shed. But then I was done. Calmed myself down. Went on with the studying. And now I’m better again. I feel like I should keep worrying about the apartment and car, but today I can’t bring myself to do it. Yes, I should have insurance, but I don’t, and that’s just the way it is. I’ll just have to pray that nothing happens. I don’t feel like I need to worry, other than that I can worry about it, kind of, if that makes sense (which I know it doesn’t). It’s borrowing trouble that I don’t need in my life right now. Sure, something could happen. Something could always happen. Nothing I can do about it. It’d be ridiculously inconvenient beyond words if, say, the apartment burned down while we were all gone, but...I don’t know how to finish that sentence. Anyway. Whatever. Finals. I need to focus on that.
Also, I’m happy it’s cold. I recently bought a pair of sweater tights for the first time, and they’re delightful, let me tell you. It’s freezing out today (wind chills in the teens, I think), but with the tights, my almost knee-high boots, and a knee-length jean skirt, it’s not too bad. I love them. I hope I get to wear them when I’m home (hint HINT Colorado weather, which appears to be 50s and sunny for the time being...but it’ll snow on Christmas, I know it will).
And I just took one final, so that’s off my shoulders.
And lastly (well, probably not lastly), I just checked, and a box of knitting stuff I ordered this weekend (shush, I know what you’re thinking) should get to my house - in Colorado - on Friday! So it’ll be there waiting for me when I walk in the door. It along with Nutmeg. Glorious.
Also, it’ll be nice to be home for Three! Whole! Weeks! for the first time in a long time. To be able to have conversations with my parents about things. I miss talking to them about world/state/religion issues. They’re good people. And three weeks is a good time to be able to do things I want to do without feeling so rushed about it. So that’s good. Also: knitting. My goodness people. The knitting. I love it. With my heart, soul, and fingers. Oh my gosh. Last night I knit something like three rows of the afghan I’m working on (one while I was waiting for my dinner to heat up, and two while taking a brief study break), and even just those three rows made my heart feel so much better. I know it’s weird. Even I think it’s weird. But it’s totally real, the positive effect it has on me. Glorious. That is all.
Oh, and good news, I’m playing for the championship in my family’s fantasy football league. :-) Haha. I’ve played the last three or four seasons, and the first year I made it to playoffs (had been close to #1 the whole season) and lost in the first round. I did really well this year, and have won the first two rounds of playoffs, and this coming weekend is the last round. Woo! I’m a little bit more excited about that than I probably should be...Take what you can get, right my friends?
Seriously. So excited to go home. And knit! And watch movies. And, man, hopefully, get some start on comps studying. (Bleh.) We all know that there’s nothing more fun than studying for comps right after you finish studying for finals! And over Christmas break! Woo hoo!
But ooooh! ND vs Miami on New Year’s Eve! Sun Bowl! yay.
I need to buy a cheap pair of gloves and start putting them on with moisturizer at night. Especially when I’m home. Seriously, my hands do not like the winter, and I’m not very kind to them. (I really need to make myself a pair of gloves, since I seem to have misplaced mine somewhere, I think.)
One or two tears were shed. But then I was done. Calmed myself down. Went on with the studying. And now I’m better again. I feel like I should keep worrying about the apartment and car, but today I can’t bring myself to do it. Yes, I should have insurance, but I don’t, and that’s just the way it is. I’ll just have to pray that nothing happens. I don’t feel like I need to worry, other than that I can worry about it, kind of, if that makes sense (which I know it doesn’t). It’s borrowing trouble that I don’t need in my life right now. Sure, something could happen. Something could always happen. Nothing I can do about it. It’d be ridiculously inconvenient beyond words if, say, the apartment burned down while we were all gone, but...I don’t know how to finish that sentence. Anyway. Whatever. Finals. I need to focus on that.
Also, I’m happy it’s cold. I recently bought a pair of sweater tights for the first time, and they’re delightful, let me tell you. It’s freezing out today (wind chills in the teens, I think), but with the tights, my almost knee-high boots, and a knee-length jean skirt, it’s not too bad. I love them. I hope I get to wear them when I’m home (hint HINT Colorado weather, which appears to be 50s and sunny for the time being...but it’ll snow on Christmas, I know it will).
And I just took one final, so that’s off my shoulders.
And lastly (well, probably not lastly), I just checked, and a box of knitting stuff I ordered this weekend (shush, I know what you’re thinking) should get to my house - in Colorado - on Friday! So it’ll be there waiting for me when I walk in the door. It along with Nutmeg. Glorious.
Also, it’ll be nice to be home for Three! Whole! Weeks! for the first time in a long time. To be able to have conversations with my parents about things. I miss talking to them about world/state/religion issues. They’re good people. And three weeks is a good time to be able to do things I want to do without feeling so rushed about it. So that’s good. Also: knitting. My goodness people. The knitting. I love it. With my heart, soul, and fingers. Oh my gosh. Last night I knit something like three rows of the afghan I’m working on (one while I was waiting for my dinner to heat up, and two while taking a brief study break), and even just those three rows made my heart feel so much better. I know it’s weird. Even I think it’s weird. But it’s totally real, the positive effect it has on me. Glorious. That is all.
Oh, and good news, I’m playing for the championship in my family’s fantasy football league. :-) Haha. I’ve played the last three or four seasons, and the first year I made it to playoffs (had been close to #1 the whole season) and lost in the first round. I did really well this year, and have won the first two rounds of playoffs, and this coming weekend is the last round. Woo! I’m a little bit more excited about that than I probably should be...Take what you can get, right my friends?
Seriously. So excited to go home. And knit! And watch movies. And, man, hopefully, get some start on comps studying. (Bleh.) We all know that there’s nothing more fun than studying for comps right after you finish studying for finals! And over Christmas break! Woo hoo!
But ooooh! ND vs Miami on New Year’s Eve! Sun Bowl! yay.
I need to buy a cheap pair of gloves and start putting them on with moisturizer at night. Especially when I’m home. Seriously, my hands do not like the winter, and I’m not very kind to them. (I really need to make myself a pair of gloves, since I seem to have misplaced mine somewhere, I think.)
All righty. That's enough of this. Another final still to go tonight...
Saturday, December 11, 2010
I'm good at ignoring the bad when I want to
I'm feeling oddly positive about life right now.
Clearly it's only because I'll be home in less than a week (wooooo!), and it's Christmastime, and all that. I'm ignoring the fact that I have to take three finals beforehand, and worry about packing, and whatever else is involved in going/being home.
And then there's the fact that I have to start seriously thinking about studying for comps. More than thinking about it. Doing it. Bleh.
And also, jobs. I have to do that. Have to.
But whatever. I went to Mount Vernon today, and it was awesome. I walked around Old Town tonight, and it's pretty and Christmasly-decorated. And I love history. And that part about being on the East Coast and getting to do things like going to Williamsburg, and seeing the monuments and museums here, and all that is great. Maybe over Spring Break or something I can go up to Gettysburg. And Monticello. And I still have to go into the Capitol building. (Stupid Capitol and their stupid no-knitting-needles policy. Dumb.)
But seriously. Historical sites make me SO. HAPPY. I didn't get to take any pictures inside the actual house today (a lot of the stuff is original, I guess, which is super cool - it's always kind of disappointing when you get in there and they're like "Yeah, this stuff is all replicas." Or sometimes it's original to the time, but not necessarily the actual stuff that was there, which I guess is better but still. They had a lot of actual original pieces, which was cool. And we got to go up to the third floor, which apparently they only open six weeks of the year, and I love that because I've always loved the upper floors of old houses like that (the less-desirable places, usually, or servant's quarters, or whatever. I'm a sucker for attics and rooms with sloping ceilings). And I stood right outside the room where Washington died. I saw the actual bed he died in. Crazy! (I totally geeked out this past summer when we went to Williamsburg and one of the houses that Jefferson and Washington visited sometimes still had the original railing on the staircase, and I got to touch the same staircase that they touched! I love feeling a real connection to history like that.) Man. Just so cool.
Also, I've been spending too much money on knitting. But I love love love it. So much. Man. Those new needles I got? I'm seriously in love, if I haven't mentioned it before. I want to get that whole set so badly. They are just fantastic. I don't know where I'd be without my knitting. Ah. Lovely. Also, I've decided that, although they take longer to finish and thus aren't as instant-gratificationy, blankets are pretty much some of my favorite things to knit. And they're so useful! Haha. Looooovely.
Ok. Well. Maybe I should go study now. I have two finals on Tuesday, which means I'm a little bit screwed, but oh well. Hopefully my teachers will be merciful!
Clearly it's only because I'll be home in less than a week (wooooo!), and it's Christmastime, and all that. I'm ignoring the fact that I have to take three finals beforehand, and worry about packing, and whatever else is involved in going/being home.
And then there's the fact that I have to start seriously thinking about studying for comps. More than thinking about it. Doing it. Bleh.
And also, jobs. I have to do that. Have to.
But whatever. I went to Mount Vernon today, and it was awesome. I walked around Old Town tonight, and it's pretty and Christmasly-decorated. And I love history. And that part about being on the East Coast and getting to do things like going to Williamsburg, and seeing the monuments and museums here, and all that is great. Maybe over Spring Break or something I can go up to Gettysburg. And Monticello. And I still have to go into the Capitol building. (Stupid Capitol and their stupid no-knitting-needles policy. Dumb.)
But seriously. Historical sites make me SO. HAPPY. I didn't get to take any pictures inside the actual house today (a lot of the stuff is original, I guess, which is super cool - it's always kind of disappointing when you get in there and they're like "Yeah, this stuff is all replicas." Or sometimes it's original to the time, but not necessarily the actual stuff that was there, which I guess is better but still. They had a lot of actual original pieces, which was cool. And we got to go up to the third floor, which apparently they only open six weeks of the year, and I love that because I've always loved the upper floors of old houses like that (the less-desirable places, usually, or servant's quarters, or whatever. I'm a sucker for attics and rooms with sloping ceilings). And I stood right outside the room where Washington died. I saw the actual bed he died in. Crazy! (I totally geeked out this past summer when we went to Williamsburg and one of the houses that Jefferson and Washington visited sometimes still had the original railing on the staircase, and I got to touch the same staircase that they touched! I love feeling a real connection to history like that.) Man. Just so cool.
Also, I've been spending too much money on knitting. But I love love love it. So much. Man. Those new needles I got? I'm seriously in love, if I haven't mentioned it before. I want to get that whole set so badly. They are just fantastic. I don't know where I'd be without my knitting. Ah. Lovely. Also, I've decided that, although they take longer to finish and thus aren't as instant-gratificationy, blankets are pretty much some of my favorite things to knit. And they're so useful! Haha. Looooovely.
Ok. Well. Maybe I should go study now. I have two finals on Tuesday, which means I'm a little bit screwed, but oh well. Hopefully my teachers will be merciful!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Seven Quick Takes Volume XX
Seven Things I'm Doing in the Next Seven Days:
1. Saturday: Mount Vernon. (Hopefully.)
2. Sunday: Study. Study. STUDY.
3. Monday: Go to Mass said by Archbishop Dolan. Maybe meet him! (somewhat more unlikely, though.)
4. Tuesday: Take two finals (and try not to go crazy).
5. Wednesday: Office Christmas party! (Now with Norman Rockwell!)
6. Thursday: Take last final of the semester.
7. Friday: Cuddle with my favorite spice.
I wish I were done now. But at least there's plenty to keep me busy in the next seven days!
1. Saturday: Mount Vernon. (Hopefully.)
2. Sunday: Study. Study. STUDY.
3. Monday: Go to Mass said by Archbishop Dolan. Maybe meet him! (somewhat more unlikely, though.)
4. Tuesday: Take two finals (and try not to go crazy).
5. Wednesday: Office Christmas party! (Now with Norman Rockwell!)
6. Thursday: Take last final of the semester.
7. Friday: Cuddle with my favorite spice.
I wish I were done now. But at least there's plenty to keep me busy in the next seven days!
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Listacular
Some things about me right now:
- I currently have 12 tabs open in my Firefox window. Six of those are knitting-related. Two are espn-related. And one is Netflix.
- My obsession with nutmeg (the spice, not my dog) is reaching epic proportions. I put it on everything. First it started with the coffee. Then I tried it on some cookie dough ice cream. (Um, spectacular, by the way.) Yesterday, I put some in vanilla yogurt. And then later, in some hot chocolate. I. Love. Nutmeg. (And apparently it's a new way to get high, or something, which makes me not so happy. People are spoiling the good name of nutmeg!)
- My flannel sheets just make me so, so happy.
- Knitting feel so good. Except when I've been knitting for awhile at once, and it's a rather large blanket, and my left hand starts to get sore holding up the project. I wonder if I hold it oddly. Either way, though, the way the yarn feels slipping over my right hand finger totally makes up for it. Love love love.
- The first round of fantasy football playoffs in our league is this week. I finished #2 in "regular season" (I was 10-2, and #1 was also 10-2 but my second loss was to him, so in a tiebreaker he goes ahead of me), and I'm playing my brother this week. Haha. It's fun. Silly, but fun. Last time I was in the playoffs was like three years ago or something, when I did pretty well all season and then lost my first game in the playoffs. I'm hoping to do better this year.
- Two weeks left of school for the semester. My Monday morning class is canceled tomorrow, which means I can go to our office staff meeting that we have every week but which I've missed most of this semester, since they're during my class. Even better, it's one of the staff's birthdays (well, it was on Saturday, so we're celebrating tomorrow), so that's always fun, and the building is doing the lighting of the Christmas tree tomorrow morning before our meeting, and that'll be fun too. I really have a great gig there. (Last week, there was a ceremony to honor long-serving staff members, and one of ours was included - he's been there 30 years! - so that was fun. PLUS, they had a ton of good food. Like, really food. Chicken taquito things, chicken wings, some sort of crab puff type deal, turkey sliders, beef sliders (basically little hamburgers). Delicious. Plus cake and stuff. I got a good free dinner that day. :-) Oh, and next Monday, last I heard Archbishop Dolan is saying Mass at our regular noon Mass, so that's super exciting. And then our office Christmas party is next Wednesday, which I'm really looking forward to because last year I didn't get to go since it was during a time I had a final. But I have nothing on Wednesday, so it works out excellently. :-)
- I have fewer than two weeks before home for three. So. Excited. And my oh my I can't wait to watch Lord of the Rings. I do it every Christmas, which is kind of weird, but I love it.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Seven Quick Takes Volume XVIV
I'm a little late. Oh well.
1. A few weeks back, I was at Target (for the first time in awhile - thankfully for my bank account, Target down here is farther from my apartment than it was from my house last year, so when I need to go shopping, I'm more likely to go to the Giant that's closer), and they had sheet sets on sale. Cute ones. Christmasy ones. (Well, as Christmasy as snowmen and trees on a blue-and-snowflake background are.) Flannel ones. I bought them. Which was, incidentally, the first time I've bought sheets since I got the sheets I needed for college. Which is what I've been using ever since. I'm pretty confident that this was a good buy to break me out of that. Because, oh my gosh, I'm in love with flannel sheets. I don't know if I've ever used them before; maybe I had some once as a kid, or something, but I don't specifically remember. All I know is...they're fabulous. Like sleeping on a dream. Wait...Anyway, they're nice. And here's the best part: in early November, or maybe late October, I had put my under-the-sheets electric bedwarmer on my mattress, since I was starting to be cold at night. Especially when I would first get into bed. So unpleasant. So I did that, and lots of nights would turn on the bed warmer at least a few minutes before I got into bed so I didn't have to feel those cold sheets as much. Worked out ok enough, especially with the sweatshirt blanket, two knitted blankets, and my comforter doubled-up all on top of my sheets. I wasn't usually too cold at night. Sometimes in the mornings, though, since I don't run the electric warmer while I sleep.
Anyway. Since putting the flannel sheets on my bed a couple weeks ago, I haven't even had to think about turning on the electric warmer. I crawl into bed, and it's like crawling into a hug. Again, not really. But it feels wonderful. And flannel is just so not cold like regular sheets are. It's amazing. Why have I not known about this sooner? Sheets. I mean, sheesh. Haha. Seriously though. Magical.
2. I participated in Cyber Monday this week. At first I was just going to look at this knitting store from which I've been wanting to try out some yarn for awhile, as well as their needles (they have these interchangeable sets which I hear very good things about, and as I'm sick of having to go buy a new length of needle for every other project, I think it'd be a good investment. My first bunch of needles, aside from the two straights that I got in my "Teach Yourself to Knit" packet when I was first learning, was an interchangeable set. I still have it, and use it occasionally, but while it was good for me for awhile, and definitely when I was first learning, I'm a little bit...over it. Plus, it's all aluminum needles, and I much prefer bamboo now.
All that to say, I bought some stuff on sale at this knitting store's cyber monday sale. A few skeins of yarn, and tow of the needles to try out. I'm excited to get that package. I also bought a peacoat, which I'm super excited about. I checked JCPenney's Monday sales on a whim, while I was waiting for the other one to start, and realized I should look at their coats. I've been really wanting a peacoat for a long time - especially since it seems like every girl in America has a peacoat, or something similar, and I have an old, worn-out, too-big leather jacket. Good enough for several years, but...eh. So I checked. And lo and behold, while I struck out with the first one I looked at (didn't have it in my size/the color I wanted), there was another one in the "related" section that was quite similar but had a hood. And they did have it in my size! And in black! And the best part is, they don't just have regular misses, they have talls too! So it's (I'm assuming) a little longer than a regular coat would be, which makes me even happier. It was on sale for $60, down from regularly $225. So, um, yeah. Awesome. It came yesterday, and I wore it today, and it's delightful, and so warm. I'm so excited about it.
3. My knitting is getting nigh on ridiculous. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about myself, or happy I have something like this. Mostly I'm happy, although I have all these things I want to knit for Christmas and Christmas is three weeks away and two of those weeks I'm here at school, and I have finals to study for. So...yeah. Oh well. I have two bigger projects I need to work on first (one's about half-done, the other I finally have all the supplies I need so I started working on it tonight). I doubt they'll both be finished in time to send for Christmas, but that's ok. No one's going to reject a late Christmas gift, right? :-) Seriously though, I have a lot of yarn. It's kind of crazy. But also beautiful. I just had one tub of it when I came out here last August. Now it'd probably take three (maaaaybe two) to fit it all. I bought these pretty cubby-crate things back in August in order to store it better, since it was getting frustrating having it all mixed up together in the plastic tub. Now it's semi-color-coordinated, but easier to navigate. Good stuff. And I've only bought yarn there a few times, but I will say this: one place I'll really miss when I leave the DC area is the local knitting store down in Old Town. It's fantastic. Maybe I just like it because I've been there a lot, but I like it. I went to a knitting store in the Springs last weekend, and I had been in there once before (when I really didn't know what I was doing, yarn-wise), but even still, I just...I don't know. I don't like the feel of it as much as I like the Old Town place. Maybe that's a good thing, though, because maybe I'll be less prone to go there, assuming I move back there. (I hear Denver has several great stores, though... :-) ) Well. Yay knitting, is all I have to say.
4. Also, I love 30 Rock. Not sure if I've mentioned that before. 30 Rock and Monk are two shows that bring me no end of happiness. They're both so fantastic. Oh man. So wonderful. It'd be nice to get Monk on DVD (although, I don't know), but the seasons are kind of expensive. The first three seasons of 30 Rock were on sale at Target on Monday, for pretty cheap, so I may or may not have bought them.
5. I love Google Docs. I just want to throw that out there. It's so convenient, most of the time. Sure, it's a little annoying that the default is Ariel size 11, neither of which are the standard accepted formats, and I also dislike that it doesn't separate pages so you just keep writing and writing and writing, and to find out how many pages you have you have to go to "print preview" (unless there's some feature I don't know about that lets you view as you would a normal document. Entirely possible, since I haven't really poked around much). But in general, it's so nice. I can start something on my laptop, and finish it anywhere else there's a computer with internet. Quite lovely.
6. Hey, I went home last weekend. Which was Thanksgiving. And it was wonderful. I got to see friends, my family, lots of Nutmeg time (oh my GOSH I love that dog soooo so much. She cuddled with me big time the first night I was home, and it was so wonderful. I could feel the endorphins that only dogs release in me. Haha. I miss those endorphins here). Palmer Park, a few trips around the neighborhood park. SNOW on Sunday night, which was fabulous. Just a little bit, but enough for my DC-weary soul. (I won't be sad if I don't see snow here until I come back, though. Given last year's Snowpocalypse #1 trauma, I'd rather not repeat that again. It's fun to be snowed in, but it has to be the right circumstances for it to be really fun, in my opinion.) And now I'm here again, and will be going back home two weeks from today, which is great. I'm excited because last year (thanks in part to Snowpocalypse), I didn't get in until Monday afternoon, and Christmas was on Friday. This year, I get in on Friday night, and Christmas is the next Saturday. Which means a full week of pre-Christmas at home, which is great. I want to go window shopping in Old Colorado City. I don't know why, it just feels like a Christmas thing to do. Also, hiking. But not necessarily before Christmas.
7. I decided that, if possible, I think it would be really great to work for the Life Network in the Springs. Or specifically, the pregnancy center they run. I don't know if that'll be possible, but I'm definitely going to look into it. Of course, part of me thinks that, much as it'd be nice, and easier, to stay in the Springs, Denver might have better opportunities. Specifically in the church arena. I know one other thing about this area that I'll really miss, that I won't have in the Springs, is a plethora of vibrant, traditional churches. Or even a single one. I really love St. Rita. I'm more likely to find that type of church in Denver than the Springs (since I don't even know once place where I'd find that in the Springs). So. I'm definitely not going to limit myself to the Springs. There are lots of reasons it'd be preferable, but maybe Denver would be better for me. (Maybe somewhere else entirely would, too, but as I have no idea where that'd be, for now I'll be limiting myself to those two, thank you very much.)
Also, bonus: yesterday after work, and school, and work, I came home and at about 5:15, laid down for a nap. 4.5 hours later, I woke up, more than a little confused as to the day and what the heck I was doing. And then I realized I slept through 30 Rock, which made me sad. But it was a nice nap. Man, I'm not as young as I once was - those late night paper nights just don't work for me anymore. Makes for a good story, though.
1. A few weeks back, I was at Target (for the first time in awhile - thankfully for my bank account, Target down here is farther from my apartment than it was from my house last year, so when I need to go shopping, I'm more likely to go to the Giant that's closer), and they had sheet sets on sale. Cute ones. Christmasy ones. (Well, as Christmasy as snowmen and trees on a blue-and-snowflake background are.) Flannel ones. I bought them. Which was, incidentally, the first time I've bought sheets since I got the sheets I needed for college. Which is what I've been using ever since. I'm pretty confident that this was a good buy to break me out of that. Because, oh my gosh, I'm in love with flannel sheets. I don't know if I've ever used them before; maybe I had some once as a kid, or something, but I don't specifically remember. All I know is...they're fabulous. Like sleeping on a dream. Wait...Anyway, they're nice. And here's the best part: in early November, or maybe late October, I had put my under-the-sheets electric bedwarmer on my mattress, since I was starting to be cold at night. Especially when I would first get into bed. So unpleasant. So I did that, and lots of nights would turn on the bed warmer at least a few minutes before I got into bed so I didn't have to feel those cold sheets as much. Worked out ok enough, especially with the sweatshirt blanket, two knitted blankets, and my comforter doubled-up all on top of my sheets. I wasn't usually too cold at night. Sometimes in the mornings, though, since I don't run the electric warmer while I sleep.
Anyway. Since putting the flannel sheets on my bed a couple weeks ago, I haven't even had to think about turning on the electric warmer. I crawl into bed, and it's like crawling into a hug. Again, not really. But it feels wonderful. And flannel is just so not cold like regular sheets are. It's amazing. Why have I not known about this sooner? Sheets. I mean, sheesh. Haha. Seriously though. Magical.
2. I participated in Cyber Monday this week. At first I was just going to look at this knitting store from which I've been wanting to try out some yarn for awhile, as well as their needles (they have these interchangeable sets which I hear very good things about, and as I'm sick of having to go buy a new length of needle for every other project, I think it'd be a good investment. My first bunch of needles, aside from the two straights that I got in my "Teach Yourself to Knit" packet when I was first learning, was an interchangeable set. I still have it, and use it occasionally, but while it was good for me for awhile, and definitely when I was first learning, I'm a little bit...over it. Plus, it's all aluminum needles, and I much prefer bamboo now.
All that to say, I bought some stuff on sale at this knitting store's cyber monday sale. A few skeins of yarn, and tow of the needles to try out. I'm excited to get that package. I also bought a peacoat, which I'm super excited about. I checked JCPenney's Monday sales on a whim, while I was waiting for the other one to start, and realized I should look at their coats. I've been really wanting a peacoat for a long time - especially since it seems like every girl in America has a peacoat, or something similar, and I have an old, worn-out, too-big leather jacket. Good enough for several years, but...eh. So I checked. And lo and behold, while I struck out with the first one I looked at (didn't have it in my size/the color I wanted), there was another one in the "related" section that was quite similar but had a hood. And they did have it in my size! And in black! And the best part is, they don't just have regular misses, they have talls too! So it's (I'm assuming) a little longer than a regular coat would be, which makes me even happier. It was on sale for $60, down from regularly $225. So, um, yeah. Awesome. It came yesterday, and I wore it today, and it's delightful, and so warm. I'm so excited about it.
3. My knitting is getting nigh on ridiculous. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about myself, or happy I have something like this. Mostly I'm happy, although I have all these things I want to knit for Christmas and Christmas is three weeks away and two of those weeks I'm here at school, and I have finals to study for. So...yeah. Oh well. I have two bigger projects I need to work on first (one's about half-done, the other I finally have all the supplies I need so I started working on it tonight). I doubt they'll both be finished in time to send for Christmas, but that's ok. No one's going to reject a late Christmas gift, right? :-) Seriously though, I have a lot of yarn. It's kind of crazy. But also beautiful. I just had one tub of it when I came out here last August. Now it'd probably take three (maaaaybe two) to fit it all. I bought these pretty cubby-crate things back in August in order to store it better, since it was getting frustrating having it all mixed up together in the plastic tub. Now it's semi-color-coordinated, but easier to navigate. Good stuff. And I've only bought yarn there a few times, but I will say this: one place I'll really miss when I leave the DC area is the local knitting store down in Old Town. It's fantastic. Maybe I just like it because I've been there a lot, but I like it. I went to a knitting store in the Springs last weekend, and I had been in there once before (when I really didn't know what I was doing, yarn-wise), but even still, I just...I don't know. I don't like the feel of it as much as I like the Old Town place. Maybe that's a good thing, though, because maybe I'll be less prone to go there, assuming I move back there. (I hear Denver has several great stores, though... :-) ) Well. Yay knitting, is all I have to say.
4. Also, I love 30 Rock. Not sure if I've mentioned that before. 30 Rock and Monk are two shows that bring me no end of happiness. They're both so fantastic. Oh man. So wonderful. It'd be nice to get Monk on DVD (although, I don't know), but the seasons are kind of expensive. The first three seasons of 30 Rock were on sale at Target on Monday, for pretty cheap, so I may or may not have bought them.
5. I love Google Docs. I just want to throw that out there. It's so convenient, most of the time. Sure, it's a little annoying that the default is Ariel size 11, neither of which are the standard accepted formats, and I also dislike that it doesn't separate pages so you just keep writing and writing and writing, and to find out how many pages you have you have to go to "print preview" (unless there's some feature I don't know about that lets you view as you would a normal document. Entirely possible, since I haven't really poked around much). But in general, it's so nice. I can start something on my laptop, and finish it anywhere else there's a computer with internet. Quite lovely.
6. Hey, I went home last weekend. Which was Thanksgiving. And it was wonderful. I got to see friends, my family, lots of Nutmeg time (oh my GOSH I love that dog soooo so much. She cuddled with me big time the first night I was home, and it was so wonderful. I could feel the endorphins that only dogs release in me. Haha. I miss those endorphins here). Palmer Park, a few trips around the neighborhood park. SNOW on Sunday night, which was fabulous. Just a little bit, but enough for my DC-weary soul. (I won't be sad if I don't see snow here until I come back, though. Given last year's Snowpocalypse #1 trauma, I'd rather not repeat that again. It's fun to be snowed in, but it has to be the right circumstances for it to be really fun, in my opinion.) And now I'm here again, and will be going back home two weeks from today, which is great. I'm excited because last year (thanks in part to Snowpocalypse), I didn't get in until Monday afternoon, and Christmas was on Friday. This year, I get in on Friday night, and Christmas is the next Saturday. Which means a full week of pre-Christmas at home, which is great. I want to go window shopping in Old Colorado City. I don't know why, it just feels like a Christmas thing to do. Also, hiking. But not necessarily before Christmas.
7. I decided that, if possible, I think it would be really great to work for the Life Network in the Springs. Or specifically, the pregnancy center they run. I don't know if that'll be possible, but I'm definitely going to look into it. Of course, part of me thinks that, much as it'd be nice, and easier, to stay in the Springs, Denver might have better opportunities. Specifically in the church arena. I know one other thing about this area that I'll really miss, that I won't have in the Springs, is a plethora of vibrant, traditional churches. Or even a single one. I really love St. Rita. I'm more likely to find that type of church in Denver than the Springs (since I don't even know once place where I'd find that in the Springs). So. I'm definitely not going to limit myself to the Springs. There are lots of reasons it'd be preferable, but maybe Denver would be better for me. (Maybe somewhere else entirely would, too, but as I have no idea where that'd be, for now I'll be limiting myself to those two, thank you very much.)
Also, bonus: yesterday after work, and school, and work, I came home and at about 5:15, laid down for a nap. 4.5 hours later, I woke up, more than a little confused as to the day and what the heck I was doing. And then I realized I slept through 30 Rock, which made me sad. But it was a nice nap. Man, I'm not as young as I once was - those late night paper nights just don't work for me anymore. Makes for a good story, though.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Oversighted
I had a busy day today.
I woke up, reluctantly, at 8am to drive to the metro and take the train into downtown DC to go walk in a walkathon for the homeless. It started at 9, and despite my best efforts I didn't get there until almost an hour later. So I kind of just threw myself in with the large mass that, I'm assuming, had started at the start time. And then at the finish line (which was also where they started), I checked in. Hahaha. So, I didn't do the whole thing, but some of it. Oh well. And then I resumed my plan for the day, and headed over to the National Art Gallery. Spent a few hours there, saw pretty much everything. I love landscapes. Man.
So, part of my plan was to see the temporary Norman Rockwell exhibit, which I thought was at the National Gallery of Art, but in fact is at the American Art Museum. So after wandering around the first for awhile, I asked one of the people at the information desk of the Norman Rockwell exhibit was there or at the American Art Museum. He told me it was the American Art Museum, and gave me directions. I was wearing (what else) an ND sweatshirt, and he jokingly said "I don't know if someone from Michigan State should help you" and then told me that he wrote a book with an ND prof, who, surprisingly, I actually had a class with. (A cool class, on medieval history.) So that was pretty cool. Then I walked a few blocks to the museum, and the first thing I went to was the Norman Rockwell exhibit. Oh my goodness, I love him! It was such a cool exhibit. All paintings from the collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. I'm jealous they get to own those great paintings. Seriously, I love Norman Rockwell! Ah. So great.
After I finished that, I decided to walk around the rest of the museum since I'd never been there before. It was cool. I saw some interesting things. The American Art Museum is connected with the National Portrait Gallery (which is weird...), so I kinda just walked around the whole of the first two floors and saw both of them. Each floor is half one, half the other. I don't really understand it. But anyway. I didn't spend as much time there, because I have found that I absolutely can reach a point where I've just seen and looked at too much. I had almost hit my limit by the end of the art gallery, but I really wanted to see Norman Rockwell. But I didn't dwell on much else at the art museum. I did see some things I love, and by the end of the day I'd decided that I really want to have art on my walls if I'm ever somewhere for longer than like a year at a time. Including paintings by this guy. And this guy. And Rockwell. And SO MANY OTHERS. I saw this one today called "Winter Scene in New Haven, Connecticut" that I really like. And The Old Violin.
Anyway. It was pretty good stuff. I also inadvertently walked through an exhibit at the national portrait gallery that was basically about homosexuality, and...uh...well, I mostly just looked straight ahead so I could get through to the other side without seeing things I couldn't un-see. Ick. But other than that, it was an enjoyable first trip to the art museum.
And then as I was walking past the National History Museum on the way to the metro, I decided to go in there just real quickly because they have this thing called the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef. This summer the local knitting stores were doing a lot with this - having crochet groups and stuff, lots of announcements about it, etc. Obviously I did not participate, as I don't crochet, but it's very cool. So I decided to go check it out. I took some pictures - I'll put them up here later, maybe. It was cool to see. Definitely worth the price of admission (haha).
So that was my day. I was out a lot longer than I expected to be, and I had a throbbing headache by the time I got home around 4. Combination of not enough caffeine today, not enough sleep the last two nights, and probably not enough water today. And also just the overstimulation of seeing so. many. things. Sometimes going to art galleries kind of makes me...not dizzy, but just feeling weird. All that looking and looking and turning and looking and staring some more. It's weird. So anyway, when I got home I proceeded to take a three-hour nap. And now I'm watching ND beat Army at Yankee Stadium. So that's cool.
The end.
I woke up, reluctantly, at 8am to drive to the metro and take the train into downtown DC to go walk in a walkathon for the homeless. It started at 9, and despite my best efforts I didn't get there until almost an hour later. So I kind of just threw myself in with the large mass that, I'm assuming, had started at the start time. And then at the finish line (which was also where they started), I checked in. Hahaha. So, I didn't do the whole thing, but some of it. Oh well. And then I resumed my plan for the day, and headed over to the National Art Gallery. Spent a few hours there, saw pretty much everything. I love landscapes. Man.
So, part of my plan was to see the temporary Norman Rockwell exhibit, which I thought was at the National Gallery of Art, but in fact is at the American Art Museum. So after wandering around the first for awhile, I asked one of the people at the information desk of the Norman Rockwell exhibit was there or at the American Art Museum. He told me it was the American Art Museum, and gave me directions. I was wearing (what else) an ND sweatshirt, and he jokingly said "I don't know if someone from Michigan State should help you" and then told me that he wrote a book with an ND prof, who, surprisingly, I actually had a class with. (A cool class, on medieval history.) So that was pretty cool. Then I walked a few blocks to the museum, and the first thing I went to was the Norman Rockwell exhibit. Oh my goodness, I love him! It was such a cool exhibit. All paintings from the collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. I'm jealous they get to own those great paintings. Seriously, I love Norman Rockwell! Ah. So great.
After I finished that, I decided to walk around the rest of the museum since I'd never been there before. It was cool. I saw some interesting things. The American Art Museum is connected with the National Portrait Gallery (which is weird...), so I kinda just walked around the whole of the first two floors and saw both of them. Each floor is half one, half the other. I don't really understand it. But anyway. I didn't spend as much time there, because I have found that I absolutely can reach a point where I've just seen and looked at too much. I had almost hit my limit by the end of the art gallery, but I really wanted to see Norman Rockwell. But I didn't dwell on much else at the art museum. I did see some things I love, and by the end of the day I'd decided that I really want to have art on my walls if I'm ever somewhere for longer than like a year at a time. Including paintings by this guy. And this guy. And Rockwell. And SO MANY OTHERS. I saw this one today called "Winter Scene in New Haven, Connecticut" that I really like. And The Old Violin.
Anyway. It was pretty good stuff. I also inadvertently walked through an exhibit at the national portrait gallery that was basically about homosexuality, and...uh...well, I mostly just looked straight ahead so I could get through to the other side without seeing things I couldn't un-see. Ick. But other than that, it was an enjoyable first trip to the art museum.
And then as I was walking past the National History Museum on the way to the metro, I decided to go in there just real quickly because they have this thing called the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef. This summer the local knitting stores were doing a lot with this - having crochet groups and stuff, lots of announcements about it, etc. Obviously I did not participate, as I don't crochet, but it's very cool. So I decided to go check it out. I took some pictures - I'll put them up here later, maybe. It was cool to see. Definitely worth the price of admission (haha).
So that was my day. I was out a lot longer than I expected to be, and I had a throbbing headache by the time I got home around 4. Combination of not enough caffeine today, not enough sleep the last two nights, and probably not enough water today. And also just the overstimulation of seeing so. many. things. Sometimes going to art galleries kind of makes me...not dizzy, but just feeling weird. All that looking and looking and turning and looking and staring some more. It's weird. So anyway, when I got home I proceeded to take a three-hour nap. And now I'm watching ND beat Army at Yankee Stadium. So that's cool.
The end.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Christmastime is (not yet) here...
It's that time of the year. The time when the stores start selling Christmas stuff like crazy, making it difficult to navigate quickly, without unscheduled stops the aisles of Target for those of us distracted with every Christmas-related item we see (not that I have a problem with this, of course). The time when Christmas-themed and -musicked commercials start crowding the commercial breaks. The time when, shortly, the radio airwaves start being taken over by Christmas songs.
I know it's not Thanksgiving yet.
I know it's constantly and consistently in the 60s here, which isn't really my idea of Christmasy weather.
I know that, even once Thanksgiving comes, Christmas anything isn't particularly liturgically correct.
But you know what? I don't care. I'm as liturgically careful as they come, typically. Overly so, really.
But you'd better believe that next week I'll be breaking out the Christmas music. Haven't decided firmly yet whether I'll load up my mp3 player with my Christmas music for the Wednesday flight, but I'll definitely be listening to Christmas music by next Thursday. Of course, the radio station I listen to out here is starting Christmas music on Friday, so I might be listening to it before that.
You guys, Christmas makes me so happy. I love, love, love the (secular) Christmas season. And the best part is, I get an extended Christmas season, since I don't stop with the Christmas music on Christmas like most of the rest of the world.
I'm going to enjoy it. Even those stupid, overly commercialized commercials. Wait...
I mean, I know those commercials with Christmas themes are stupid. I know that. And are just using the season to sell, sell, sell. But I just love all things Christmas. Maybe I shouldn't. But you know what? I do.
Christmas. I love Christmas.
(Although, considering it feels like it's still just barely fall, it does feel a bit weird to be gearing up for the Christmas season. I look forward to this upcoming month for the rest of the 11 months of the year, and sometimes, I just need something like this to lift my spirits. Like this song says, we need a little Christmas!)
That one's for you, Dad. :-)
I know it's not Thanksgiving yet.
I know it's constantly and consistently in the 60s here, which isn't really my idea of Christmasy weather.
I know that, even once Thanksgiving comes, Christmas anything isn't particularly liturgically correct.
But you know what? I don't care. I'm as liturgically careful as they come, typically. Overly so, really.
But you'd better believe that next week I'll be breaking out the Christmas music. Haven't decided firmly yet whether I'll load up my mp3 player with my Christmas music for the Wednesday flight, but I'll definitely be listening to Christmas music by next Thursday. Of course, the radio station I listen to out here is starting Christmas music on Friday, so I might be listening to it before that.
You guys, Christmas makes me so happy. I love, love, love the (secular) Christmas season. And the best part is, I get an extended Christmas season, since I don't stop with the Christmas music on Christmas like most of the rest of the world.
I'm going to enjoy it. Even those stupid, overly commercialized commercials. Wait...
I mean, I know those commercials with Christmas themes are stupid. I know that. And are just using the season to sell, sell, sell. But I just love all things Christmas. Maybe I shouldn't. But you know what? I do.
Christmas. I love Christmas.
(Although, considering it feels like it's still just barely fall, it does feel a bit weird to be gearing up for the Christmas season. I look forward to this upcoming month for the rest of the 11 months of the year, and sometimes, I just need something like this to lift my spirits. Like this song says, we need a little Christmas!)
That one's for you, Dad. :-)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
FTW!
I'm emotaposting, but in a GOOD way!
Today has been such a fabulous day. I met two of my old roommates at the National Arboretum (I keep wanting to call it the aboritorium for some reason), and it was so lovely! Fall is still in full bloom here. It's great. I took like 800 pictures. Not really. But 300 is fairly accurate, I think. Pathetic? Maybe. But you know what? I love taking pictures! I think I get endorphins from it, if I can get good ones. Gosh. And it was just so lovely and autumnal there today! A nice day, too. A little too warm, actually, and after I took off my fleece jacket all I had on was a long sleeved shirt. A pretty thin one, actually, and I was still almost too warm. But anyway. Nice and sunny and perfect for lots of pictures. So lots of pictures is what I took.
And then I drove back to the apartment, and on the way, just after I got off the highway, the guy in the car stopped next to me at a light told me to roll down my window. I, thinking maybe there was something wrong with my car, obliged, and then he proceeded to ask if I am a supermodel. Um, what? It was so weird! I mean, flattering, I guess, but...weird. He said he thought he's seen me in a magazine or something, and I laughed and said no. Then he told me to tell my boyfriend to take good care of me. So. I guess I'll pass that along when my boyfriend comes around. Haha. Definitely one of the oddest things that's happened to me in recent memory. But also definitely much better than him telling me my tire was flat, or something. (Of course, I, being the untrusting person that I am, was also slightly creeped out by it, especially when he turned down the same street I did, but then he went straight the next time I had to turn.) So bizarre.
And then, oh man, so I wasn't going to watch ND today, or I wouldn't be upset if I had missed it, but I got home right about when it started so I decided to watch. I got to see Utah (ranked #14, with one loss last week and I think 8 straight wins before that) score on their first possession, with a field goal, and us do not a whole lot after that. But then on a Utah punt, we blocked it and ran it in for a TD, and that turned everything around. Utah kept getting penalties, and we managed to be 14-3 at the half, and then awesome things happened the second half too, and we ended up winning 28-3. A HUGE win for us, really. It was amazing, and I'm so glad I got to watch it. The students rushed the field at the end, which is great for them. Kinda ironic that I went to ND two weeks ago when they were playing Tulsa, who shouldn't have been that hard to beat, and we lost. And then this week, against #14 Utah, we won, and I...was not there. Haha. Oh well. Still so fun to watch that happen. So so so fun.
And man. Just good things. It's like I had some felix felicis today. Hahahaha.
I had something else to say, but I have too many endorphins from things running through my head and making me crazy right now to think clearly and remember things.
Today has been such a fabulous day. I met two of my old roommates at the National Arboretum (I keep wanting to call it the aboritorium for some reason), and it was so lovely! Fall is still in full bloom here. It's great. I took like 800 pictures. Not really. But 300 is fairly accurate, I think. Pathetic? Maybe. But you know what? I love taking pictures! I think I get endorphins from it, if I can get good ones. Gosh. And it was just so lovely and autumnal there today! A nice day, too. A little too warm, actually, and after I took off my fleece jacket all I had on was a long sleeved shirt. A pretty thin one, actually, and I was still almost too warm. But anyway. Nice and sunny and perfect for lots of pictures. So lots of pictures is what I took.
And then I drove back to the apartment, and on the way, just after I got off the highway, the guy in the car stopped next to me at a light told me to roll down my window. I, thinking maybe there was something wrong with my car, obliged, and then he proceeded to ask if I am a supermodel. Um, what? It was so weird! I mean, flattering, I guess, but...weird. He said he thought he's seen me in a magazine or something, and I laughed and said no. Then he told me to tell my boyfriend to take good care of me. So. I guess I'll pass that along when my boyfriend comes around. Haha. Definitely one of the oddest things that's happened to me in recent memory. But also definitely much better than him telling me my tire was flat, or something. (Of course, I, being the untrusting person that I am, was also slightly creeped out by it, especially when he turned down the same street I did, but then he went straight the next time I had to turn.) So bizarre.
And then, oh man, so I wasn't going to watch ND today, or I wouldn't be upset if I had missed it, but I got home right about when it started so I decided to watch. I got to see Utah (ranked #14, with one loss last week and I think 8 straight wins before that) score on their first possession, with a field goal, and us do not a whole lot after that. But then on a Utah punt, we blocked it and ran it in for a TD, and that turned everything around. Utah kept getting penalties, and we managed to be 14-3 at the half, and then awesome things happened the second half too, and we ended up winning 28-3. A HUGE win for us, really. It was amazing, and I'm so glad I got to watch it. The students rushed the field at the end, which is great for them. Kinda ironic that I went to ND two weeks ago when they were playing Tulsa, who shouldn't have been that hard to beat, and we lost. And then this week, against #14 Utah, we won, and I...was not there. Haha. Oh well. Still so fun to watch that happen. So so so fun.
And man. Just good things. It's like I had some felix felicis today. Hahahaha.
I had something else to say, but I have too many endorphins from things running through my head and making me crazy right now to think clearly and remember things.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Seven Quick Takes Volume XVIIII
1. I'll be home in two weeks. And it'll be after Thanksgiving already, which is weird. I am, not surprisingly, very much looking forward to going home. It will be grand, and magnificent, or at the very least, better than DC.
2. DC, where, driving home from work today, I saw at least five examples of terrible, rule-breaking, near-accident-causing driving. It's crazy. It's like people in DC never learned how to drive. Or they just plumb forgot. Either way, it's just ridiculous around here.
3. I finished one half of a pair of fingerless gloves today for a friend. She wanted separate fingers instead of just the general thumb spot and then four fingers mingling together, and I like to oblige what people want. So it's fine, except harder to find a pattern for, so I kind of had to improvise, and I think it might kind of suck. But I'm not sure. I mean, it is the first time I tried doing that, so yeah. Also, her hands are smaller than mine (whose AREN'T?), so that might be a problem too. Basically, I suck at knitting, for how much knitting I do.
4. Verbum Domini. I haven't read it yet, but I'm hoping to read at least some of it this weekend. (It's rather long, which makes it somewhat daunting.) But I'm excited. I've heard very good things about it. Which, duh, it's Benedict. How could it not be full of good things?
5. I love Michael Buble.
6. It feels like trees around here have been changing for awhile, but very slowly. All of a sudden, though, in the last week or so, it's like it exploded. All the trees in and around my neighborhood are full of color, and very lovely. It's great. I love autumn. It cause me to go out, for the first time since moving to VA, and take pictures of the trees and such around where I live. Crazy! (Kind of like the azaleas last spring...) Quite nice. But, I'm already really looking forward to being able to see changing aspens next autumn. God willing. Oh, I hope I can be back in Colorado. Sigh. (Honestly, I don't really know how I'd end up anywhere else. If I had something specific I wanted to do, a specific kind of job I was looking for, maybe it'd be different. But as I don't, it makes sense to limit my job search to location more than job description, right? So. Colorado it is. I just hope it works out that way.)
7. Speaking of azaleas, I bought yarn a little while ago with a color name of "azalea". I mean, come on. I couldn't not buy it when I saw that. :-) It's for this scarf I'm very excited to make. One of these days. I have so many knitting projects in my lap. It's overwhelming. I get too eager to make every cute pattern I see, and then it just gets bad. I'm trying to be better though, and pausing on the knitting random stuff for myself so I can get the things done that I want to finish by Christmas-ish. Even that's questionable. I mean, I am supposed to be a student, too. Unfortunately I can't spend all my time knitting. Also, I really need to stop telling people I'll knit them things. Like, really. Ugh. Too much pressure. Oh well! At least I enjoy knitting, when I don't feel like I suck at it. (Which is usually when I knit for myself, because if it turns out not well, I don't care as much if it's just for me.)
Bonus Buble!
(My radio station here has been giving away tickets to his concert for the last couple of months, every once in awhile. I've never called into a radio station before to try to win something, but I've called in four different times for Buble tickets. Sigh. Nothing. This morning I actually got the phone to ring! But then it just...kept ringing. Oh well. Just not meant to be, I guess.)
2. DC, where, driving home from work today, I saw at least five examples of terrible, rule-breaking, near-accident-causing driving. It's crazy. It's like people in DC never learned how to drive. Or they just plumb forgot. Either way, it's just ridiculous around here.
3. I finished one half of a pair of fingerless gloves today for a friend. She wanted separate fingers instead of just the general thumb spot and then four fingers mingling together, and I like to oblige what people want. So it's fine, except harder to find a pattern for, so I kind of had to improvise, and I think it might kind of suck. But I'm not sure. I mean, it is the first time I tried doing that, so yeah. Also, her hands are smaller than mine (whose AREN'T?), so that might be a problem too. Basically, I suck at knitting, for how much knitting I do.
4. Verbum Domini. I haven't read it yet, but I'm hoping to read at least some of it this weekend. (It's rather long, which makes it somewhat daunting.) But I'm excited. I've heard very good things about it. Which, duh, it's Benedict. How could it not be full of good things?
5. I love Michael Buble.
6. It feels like trees around here have been changing for awhile, but very slowly. All of a sudden, though, in the last week or so, it's like it exploded. All the trees in and around my neighborhood are full of color, and very lovely. It's great. I love autumn. It cause me to go out, for the first time since moving to VA, and take pictures of the trees and such around where I live. Crazy! (Kind of like the azaleas last spring...) Quite nice. But, I'm already really looking forward to being able to see changing aspens next autumn. God willing. Oh, I hope I can be back in Colorado. Sigh. (Honestly, I don't really know how I'd end up anywhere else. If I had something specific I wanted to do, a specific kind of job I was looking for, maybe it'd be different. But as I don't, it makes sense to limit my job search to location more than job description, right? So. Colorado it is. I just hope it works out that way.)
7. Speaking of azaleas, I bought yarn a little while ago with a color name of "azalea". I mean, come on. I couldn't not buy it when I saw that. :-) It's for this scarf I'm very excited to make. One of these days. I have so many knitting projects in my lap. It's overwhelming. I get too eager to make every cute pattern I see, and then it just gets bad. I'm trying to be better though, and pausing on the knitting random stuff for myself so I can get the things done that I want to finish by Christmas-ish. Even that's questionable. I mean, I am supposed to be a student, too. Unfortunately I can't spend all my time knitting. Also, I really need to stop telling people I'll knit them things. Like, really. Ugh. Too much pressure. Oh well! At least I enjoy knitting, when I don't feel like I suck at it. (Which is usually when I knit for myself, because if it turns out not well, I don't care as much if it's just for me.)
Bonus Buble!
(My radio station here has been giving away tickets to his concert for the last couple of months, every once in awhile. I've never called into a radio station before to try to win something, but I've called in four different times for Buble tickets. Sigh. Nothing. This morning I actually got the phone to ring! But then it just...kept ringing. Oh well. Just not meant to be, I guess.)
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Can't take the ND out of the Susie
Hm, a week out and I still haven't posted my ND recap. I've started it (in various places) but never here. So. Recap:
I'm still in love.
So very much.
Ok, more detailed. 10 hours in a car by oneself gets to be a bit tiring towards the end. Probably wouldn't be as bad if the whole 10 hours were done during daylight hours, because then at least there would be pretty fall foliage to look at. And it's so fun seeing the country when driving down an open highway. Because, seriously, I hit no traffic either way. Not that I would expect to see much in Ohio, since, come on, it's Ohio. But it's always so lovely to see the little farms and, oh! the little picturesque towns in northern Maryland and southwest PA! I love them. And the trees were still changing, some of them, so that was fun too. Quite enjoyable. Until I got to about 7 hours, both ways, and then I was ready to be done. (Especially on the way back, because I just got really creeped out for some reason on the way back, driving through the semi-mountainous WV and MD and such, with it all dark and isolated and I couldn't see much and could barely tell what was around me - mountains or forests or what. Plus I saw tons and tons of dead deer - and raccoons, but that's not as scary - while driving, and I was terrified that one would jump out at me at some point. That would be highly unfortunate. I did actually see one live deer on the side of the road, but oddly, it was on the GW Parkway in DC on the way back. Just chillin there. Weird to see one in DC instead of anywhere along the way in Ohio or PA or WV or MD. And I also saw a dead deer along that road too, so...I guess they're there.) I do really like road trips. And I had my music, which was very helpful (yay for Glee soundtracks volumes 1-3! And for mp3 and phone car chargers!). It's nice driving through different parts of the country. Makes me really appreciate all that America has. And, oddly, the more I love other parts of the country (if I were to relocate somewhere, I'd seriously consider some small town in PA), the more I realize how much I love Colorado. So that's nice.
And then ND. Oh, Notre Dame. When South Bend first showed up on the list of upcoming towns on the sign along the highway, I got excited. When I started seeing billboards for the ND bookstore, I got excited. When I finally was on roads that were familiar to me in college, I was so happy. And then...the Dome. Oh, how I love the Dome. Lovely. I got in at about 10:30pm, so it was dark, but the Dome was lit up, as usual. I got to my friend's (friend's) house, which is just a bit south of campus, and got to see a few people I hadn't seen in a long time. Very nice. We went to the Backer that night, which was alternately fun and...weird. Ah, well, nice to recreate college days (oh, so many years ago). Saturday, we woke up, hung around, and I walked to campus with a few people at noon or so. Ate some food at a friend's tailgate, and then I headed off on my own to walk around campus again. It had been two! years! since I had been there, and it was bizarre because it all felt just the same - and yet there are buildings that weren't there when I graduated, and so that was weird. But it's still Notre Dame, and lovely.
I eventually made my way, inevitably and predictably, to the Basilica. I can't even describe the rush of emotions that came over me the minute I stepped through those lovely wooden doors. The first thing that hits is the scent of incense. I don't know what kind they use, but it's different than what most places use, I think, because it's definitely "ND incense" in my brain. And I can't describe how much I love that scent. So, there was that. And then walking into the main part of the church. I forget how beautiful it really is. I know it's beautiful, but it's so different when you're there seeing it with your own eyes - no matter how many times and how many hours you've spent there. My favorite place in the world. Seriously, and this is kind of pathetic, probably, but I almost started crying then and there, just being in that glorious place. So much of who I am is tied to that building. I know it's just a building but to me, it's more than that. I ended up just sitting in a pew for awhile, taking it all in, enjoying it, letting it wash over me. It's like nowhere else. The Shrine here is nice, and yes, it's beautiful and impressive and breathtaking in some ways, but the Basilica at ND is...that's it for me. Anyway. I could go on (and on. And on), but I think you get the point. You probably don't understand, because very few could really understand what that place means to me, but I think it's clear that the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is pretty much...well...fabulous in my life.
Aaaanyway...so I kept walking around some more after that, saw a bit of the band marching through campus, went over by Cavanaugh and North Quad and Lafortune and such. Oh. It was just so nice, walking paths that I walked many, many times over the four years I was there. And then I had to make my way to the stadium, which I did, and I got to go in the super-special will-call gate for athlete guests, since my tickets (free!) were from my friend's brother, who's a senior and on the football team. Our seats were pretty good. But then after a quarter or so we moved over to the student section because my friend('s friend) who I was staying with is a grad student, so yeah. That was more fun, being in the student section (duh). And. AND. I went up for push ups after one of the TDs. Which I had never done in four years as an undergrad. (Partially because, I'll admit, I was always a little embarrassed since most of my female friends were of the tinier variety, and...yeah. Me, not so much.) I was still embarrassed about it, but they didn't leave me much choice (so, joke's on them). Anyway. It was fun, I guess. Nice to be able to check that off my list. And then, of course, we lost the game, in the last minute, when we should have easily won. (We were up for awhile, then they got a TD towards the end - maybe after an interception, I can't quite remember, and then it was 28-27 with just like two minutes to go, so we were down, but we made it to field goal range and then decided to run one more play, I guess, and make it a throwing play just for fun, and of course, they intercepted us in the endzone. And by then there was less than a minute to go, so they just took a knee twice or something, and won. It was so pathetic on our part. We have like the best FG kicker in the NCAA right now, and all we needed was a field goal to win, and we THREW IT. When that quarterback had thrown TWO other interceptions during the game. Ugh. Oh well. Wasn't terribly surprising, really. The worst part was that during our Alma Mater, which we always sing at the end of every game, and the team comes over and sings with the student section, and it just always happens, well their band started playing their fight song or whatever. Well after our alma mater had started. And dude, that's just not cool. Not cool. Bunch of jerks, those Tulsa people. (And their band is pretty much a joke, too. Their flag girls? Horrible. I'm so glad we don't have those. But theirs are especially pathetic.) (And, seriously, they're from Oklahoma, and their mascot is the Golden Hurricane. Really? Hurricanes in Tulsa? Common problem, I hear.) )
That was a long parenthetical statement. I need to work on that.
Anyway...the rest of Saturday was good, I think. Nothing too special. And Sunday, I woke up early to walk over to campus and go to the 10am Mass, my old favorite Mass. Lit choir. Delicious. It was so nice. The music is so lovely there. Especially with all the smells and bells that go along with it at that Mass. Ugh. I can't stand it. It's so wonderful. The end.
I walked around campus again/some more after Mass. Oh, and went to the Grotto to light a candle. And to the Huddle to get some coffee for old time's sake. :-) And then just walked around more and more. And got a huge blister which then obviously passed the blister stage and moved over to the bleeding stage by the time I got back to my friend's house. Oh well. Nothing a bandaid or five won't cure.
I left shortly thereafter for the long drive home. All in all, a quite lovely weekend. Even if it was almost 24 hours of driving for 40 hours at ND. Just...great. Definitely worth it. And really, aside from a few hours of those 24 of driving, the driving part was pretty nice too. It was so weird being back, because I felt at the same time like I belong there, like I had never left, all that jazz, and also the disconnect that happens when an alum visits her school after graduation. But still, it's great. And really made me wish I had at least considered ND more seriously for grad school when I applied to the Institute. Oh well. Still nice to visit, at least.
Ok, well, I've blabbed on about this long enough. It was just a success of a weekend, overall. AND I managed NOT to buy any of the overpriced merchandise in the bookstore! I was tempted, but resisted. (I'm a sucker for anything ND-related, you know.) I did pay a couple bucks extra at the stadium to get the thermal mug of hot chocolate instead of just a disposable cup. So, good for me, right? haha.
Anyway. Sorry this isn't more exciting. But that's me.
I'm still in love.
So very much.
Ok, more detailed. 10 hours in a car by oneself gets to be a bit tiring towards the end. Probably wouldn't be as bad if the whole 10 hours were done during daylight hours, because then at least there would be pretty fall foliage to look at. And it's so fun seeing the country when driving down an open highway. Because, seriously, I hit no traffic either way. Not that I would expect to see much in Ohio, since, come on, it's Ohio. But it's always so lovely to see the little farms and, oh! the little picturesque towns in northern Maryland and southwest PA! I love them. And the trees were still changing, some of them, so that was fun too. Quite enjoyable. Until I got to about 7 hours, both ways, and then I was ready to be done. (Especially on the way back, because I just got really creeped out for some reason on the way back, driving through the semi-mountainous WV and MD and such, with it all dark and isolated and I couldn't see much and could barely tell what was around me - mountains or forests or what. Plus I saw tons and tons of dead deer - and raccoons, but that's not as scary - while driving, and I was terrified that one would jump out at me at some point. That would be highly unfortunate. I did actually see one live deer on the side of the road, but oddly, it was on the GW Parkway in DC on the way back. Just chillin there. Weird to see one in DC instead of anywhere along the way in Ohio or PA or WV or MD. And I also saw a dead deer along that road too, so...I guess they're there.) I do really like road trips. And I had my music, which was very helpful (yay for Glee soundtracks volumes 1-3! And for mp3 and phone car chargers!). It's nice driving through different parts of the country. Makes me really appreciate all that America has. And, oddly, the more I love other parts of the country (if I were to relocate somewhere, I'd seriously consider some small town in PA), the more I realize how much I love Colorado. So that's nice.
And then ND. Oh, Notre Dame. When South Bend first showed up on the list of upcoming towns on the sign along the highway, I got excited. When I started seeing billboards for the ND bookstore, I got excited. When I finally was on roads that were familiar to me in college, I was so happy. And then...the Dome. Oh, how I love the Dome. Lovely. I got in at about 10:30pm, so it was dark, but the Dome was lit up, as usual. I got to my friend's (friend's) house, which is just a bit south of campus, and got to see a few people I hadn't seen in a long time. Very nice. We went to the Backer that night, which was alternately fun and...weird. Ah, well, nice to recreate college days (oh, so many years ago). Saturday, we woke up, hung around, and I walked to campus with a few people at noon or so. Ate some food at a friend's tailgate, and then I headed off on my own to walk around campus again. It had been two! years! since I had been there, and it was bizarre because it all felt just the same - and yet there are buildings that weren't there when I graduated, and so that was weird. But it's still Notre Dame, and lovely.
I eventually made my way, inevitably and predictably, to the Basilica. I can't even describe the rush of emotions that came over me the minute I stepped through those lovely wooden doors. The first thing that hits is the scent of incense. I don't know what kind they use, but it's different than what most places use, I think, because it's definitely "ND incense" in my brain. And I can't describe how much I love that scent. So, there was that. And then walking into the main part of the church. I forget how beautiful it really is. I know it's beautiful, but it's so different when you're there seeing it with your own eyes - no matter how many times and how many hours you've spent there. My favorite place in the world. Seriously, and this is kind of pathetic, probably, but I almost started crying then and there, just being in that glorious place. So much of who I am is tied to that building. I know it's just a building but to me, it's more than that. I ended up just sitting in a pew for awhile, taking it all in, enjoying it, letting it wash over me. It's like nowhere else. The Shrine here is nice, and yes, it's beautiful and impressive and breathtaking in some ways, but the Basilica at ND is...that's it for me. Anyway. I could go on (and on. And on), but I think you get the point. You probably don't understand, because very few could really understand what that place means to me, but I think it's clear that the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is pretty much...well...fabulous in my life.
Aaaanyway...so I kept walking around some more after that, saw a bit of the band marching through campus, went over by Cavanaugh and North Quad and Lafortune and such. Oh. It was just so nice, walking paths that I walked many, many times over the four years I was there. And then I had to make my way to the stadium, which I did, and I got to go in the super-special will-call gate for athlete guests, since my tickets (free!) were from my friend's brother, who's a senior and on the football team. Our seats were pretty good. But then after a quarter or so we moved over to the student section because my friend('s friend) who I was staying with is a grad student, so yeah. That was more fun, being in the student section (duh). And. AND. I went up for push ups after one of the TDs. Which I had never done in four years as an undergrad. (Partially because, I'll admit, I was always a little embarrassed since most of my female friends were of the tinier variety, and...yeah. Me, not so much.) I was still embarrassed about it, but they didn't leave me much choice (so, joke's on them). Anyway. It was fun, I guess. Nice to be able to check that off my list. And then, of course, we lost the game, in the last minute, when we should have easily won. (We were up for awhile, then they got a TD towards the end - maybe after an interception, I can't quite remember, and then it was 28-27 with just like two minutes to go, so we were down, but we made it to field goal range and then decided to run one more play, I guess, and make it a throwing play just for fun, and of course, they intercepted us in the endzone. And by then there was less than a minute to go, so they just took a knee twice or something, and won. It was so pathetic on our part. We have like the best FG kicker in the NCAA right now, and all we needed was a field goal to win, and we THREW IT. When that quarterback had thrown TWO other interceptions during the game. Ugh. Oh well. Wasn't terribly surprising, really. The worst part was that during our Alma Mater, which we always sing at the end of every game, and the team comes over and sings with the student section, and it just always happens, well their band started playing their fight song or whatever. Well after our alma mater had started. And dude, that's just not cool. Not cool. Bunch of jerks, those Tulsa people. (And their band is pretty much a joke, too. Their flag girls? Horrible. I'm so glad we don't have those. But theirs are especially pathetic.) (And, seriously, they're from Oklahoma, and their mascot is the Golden Hurricane. Really? Hurricanes in Tulsa? Common problem, I hear.) )
That was a long parenthetical statement. I need to work on that.
Anyway...the rest of Saturday was good, I think. Nothing too special. And Sunday, I woke up early to walk over to campus and go to the 10am Mass, my old favorite Mass. Lit choir. Delicious. It was so nice. The music is so lovely there. Especially with all the smells and bells that go along with it at that Mass. Ugh. I can't stand it. It's so wonderful. The end.
I walked around campus again/some more after Mass. Oh, and went to the Grotto to light a candle. And to the Huddle to get some coffee for old time's sake. :-) And then just walked around more and more. And got a huge blister which then obviously passed the blister stage and moved over to the bleeding stage by the time I got back to my friend's house. Oh well. Nothing a bandaid or five won't cure.
I left shortly thereafter for the long drive home. All in all, a quite lovely weekend. Even if it was almost 24 hours of driving for 40 hours at ND. Just...great. Definitely worth it. And really, aside from a few hours of those 24 of driving, the driving part was pretty nice too. It was so weird being back, because I felt at the same time like I belong there, like I had never left, all that jazz, and also the disconnect that happens when an alum visits her school after graduation. But still, it's great. And really made me wish I had at least considered ND more seriously for grad school when I applied to the Institute. Oh well. Still nice to visit, at least.
Ok, well, I've blabbed on about this long enough. It was just a success of a weekend, overall. AND I managed NOT to buy any of the overpriced merchandise in the bookstore! I was tempted, but resisted. (I'm a sucker for anything ND-related, you know.) I did pay a couple bucks extra at the stadium to get the thermal mug of hot chocolate instead of just a disposable cup. So, good for me, right? haha.
Anyway. Sorry this isn't more exciting. But that's me.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Sooooon...
I am going to write a real post soon. I just haven't yet. It's going to be about Notre Dame. Fabulous.
Also, I just bought my plane ticket to go home for Christmas. Had I done it last week, as I really ought to have done, I could have just used my United miles and gotten round-trip and good flight times. But I procrastinate buying plane tickets, always, this time because I wasn't sure what dates to do. (Leave Friday? Saturday? Sunday? Come back earlier in the week after New Year's, or closer to the weekend?) So by the time I got around to checking today, the latest flight I could get to leave was early Friday morning the 18th, out of Baltimore. I could have done that, but I'll have a final on Thursday, and it'd be really tough to get to Baltimore in time Friday morning (I'd have to get a cab, which would probably be expensive, and I'd probably have to leave at like 3am), and I'd be up late packing Thursday night since I wouldn't have had time sooner due to finals and such. I mean, it'd be possible, and I could always do my fall-back sleep-in-the-airport thing, but there's just so much about that that's not fun. So. Instead, I used my Frontier miles (pretty much my whole stock of them, since they charge practically double for that time around Christmas) to get a flight out of DCA Friday evening, one-way, and I'll just use half my United miles to come back at the end of break. The Frontier thing is pretty nice - it includes two free checked bags, which is good, plus I got great seats near the front on both the DC-Den and Den-COS legs, and I'll get free TV on the DC-Den leg. But now I'm wondering if I should have just done the United thing and slept in the airport that night...
Nah. This will be fine. Not ideal (mileage-usage-wise), but hey, at least it's still free! And I do enjoy Frontier. And it'll be a lot nicer to fly out of DCA, since it's relatively close to my apt and easy-ish to get to.
Anyway. So we've gotten that taken care of, which is good. I should have done it sooner. (Story of my life, y'all.) Now this weekend I just have to winterize my bed (wash my sheets, put the electric bed warmer on the mattress, put my comforter on my bed), and I'll be golden. Not sure what that has to do with anything, except for the fact that I'm cold right now and know my bed is going to be cold when I get in it soon.
Ok, seriously. Better post coming soon. Perhaps tomorrow, but perhaps not, as well. I'm sure you'll all be on the edge of your chairs waiting.
Also, I just bought my plane ticket to go home for Christmas. Had I done it last week, as I really ought to have done, I could have just used my United miles and gotten round-trip and good flight times. But I procrastinate buying plane tickets, always, this time because I wasn't sure what dates to do. (Leave Friday? Saturday? Sunday? Come back earlier in the week after New Year's, or closer to the weekend?) So by the time I got around to checking today, the latest flight I could get to leave was early Friday morning the 18th, out of Baltimore. I could have done that, but I'll have a final on Thursday, and it'd be really tough to get to Baltimore in time Friday morning (I'd have to get a cab, which would probably be expensive, and I'd probably have to leave at like 3am), and I'd be up late packing Thursday night since I wouldn't have had time sooner due to finals and such. I mean, it'd be possible, and I could always do my fall-back sleep-in-the-airport thing, but there's just so much about that that's not fun. So. Instead, I used my Frontier miles (pretty much my whole stock of them, since they charge practically double for that time around Christmas) to get a flight out of DCA Friday evening, one-way, and I'll just use half my United miles to come back at the end of break. The Frontier thing is pretty nice - it includes two free checked bags, which is good, plus I got great seats near the front on both the DC-Den and Den-COS legs, and I'll get free TV on the DC-Den leg. But now I'm wondering if I should have just done the United thing and slept in the airport that night...
Nah. This will be fine. Not ideal (mileage-usage-wise), but hey, at least it's still free! And I do enjoy Frontier. And it'll be a lot nicer to fly out of DCA, since it's relatively close to my apt and easy-ish to get to.
Anyway. So we've gotten that taken care of, which is good. I should have done it sooner. (Story of my life, y'all.) Now this weekend I just have to winterize my bed (wash my sheets, put the electric bed warmer on the mattress, put my comforter on my bed), and I'll be golden. Not sure what that has to do with anything, except for the fact that I'm cold right now and know my bed is going to be cold when I get in it soon.
Ok, seriously. Better post coming soon. Perhaps tomorrow, but perhaps not, as well. I'm sure you'll all be on the edge of your chairs waiting.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Can't buy happiness, but sometimes, you can buy peace of mind!
So, I've been feeling rather apprehensive about my upcoming 20-hour round trip drive this weekend. Mostly because I'm tired a lot, and driving + tired = not good things. And as I haven't had a car out here until recently, I have next to no CDs, and my Zune definitely wouldn't make it a whole 10 hours. And neither would my phone, if I resort to calling people to keep myself alert, should it come to that.
Action was necessary. What action? Well, it occurred to me last night that maybe they have car chargers for Zunes. And then as I was researching that this evening, it further occurred to me that, hey, they make car chargers for phones, too! So. Thanks to my amazon prime membership, I should have both of those items by Thursday. For cheaper than they'd be in the store, too. The Zune charger also comes with an a/c adapter, which is also nice.
I feel better about life now.
(I may or may not have also purchased a CD or two of the Glee music, which I've wanted for a year now...)
Next up: buying tickets to go home for Christmas. Too many options...Do I go home Thursday night? (I think my last final will be Thursday. But that'd probably be too stressful.) Friday? Stay for the Christmas party on Saturday, remembering that last year I decided to fly out Sunday so I could go to the Christmas party, and ended up getting snowed in that weekend, and having to leave Monday? And then when should I plan to come back here? I have to be back by the 10th. But should I come back earlier and get in a few days of work? I'm not very good at making decisions when I have lots of options. So, I'm going to delegate to someone else. Tell me when I should leave and come back, and why.
And also speaking of buying things, I have a few knitting projects planned for Christmas presents. I really need to get the yarn bought for that...man. I have quite a few projects I need to do. Ah, to be a professional knitter...
I'm really feeling much better about this weekend. And I'm so excited to be going. Oh, how lovely it'll be to be back at ND. I really do love that place. A whole lot.
Action was necessary. What action? Well, it occurred to me last night that maybe they have car chargers for Zunes. And then as I was researching that this evening, it further occurred to me that, hey, they make car chargers for phones, too! So. Thanks to my amazon prime membership, I should have both of those items by Thursday. For cheaper than they'd be in the store, too. The Zune charger also comes with an a/c adapter, which is also nice.
I feel better about life now.
(I may or may not have also purchased a CD or two of the Glee music, which I've wanted for a year now...)
Next up: buying tickets to go home for Christmas. Too many options...Do I go home Thursday night? (I think my last final will be Thursday. But that'd probably be too stressful.) Friday? Stay for the Christmas party on Saturday, remembering that last year I decided to fly out Sunday so I could go to the Christmas party, and ended up getting snowed in that weekend, and having to leave Monday? And then when should I plan to come back here? I have to be back by the 10th. But should I come back earlier and get in a few days of work? I'm not very good at making decisions when I have lots of options. So, I'm going to delegate to someone else. Tell me when I should leave and come back, and why.
And also speaking of buying things, I have a few knitting projects planned for Christmas presents. I really need to get the yarn bought for that...man. I have quite a few projects I need to do. Ah, to be a professional knitter...
I'm really feeling much better about this weekend. And I'm so excited to be going. Oh, how lovely it'll be to be back at ND. I really do love that place. A whole lot.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Pointless post.
Today was a good day.
There were some not-good things that happened today.
But aside from that, I had a good and productive day. (Surprisingly, considering the hour at which I awoke this morning.) Went to the bank (had to deposit some money), went to the post office (had to send off a couple packages), watched ND fail epically to Navy (quite sad), got a few groceries I needed, made myself go for a run, did laundry, and baked some pumpkin bread (one loaf with chocolate chips, one with coconut). Yummmm.
And I watched Hook while I baked, and now I'm watching Sleepless in Seattle. And last night I watched While You Were Sleeping. Yay for early 90s movies! (Last weekend was 80s, with Back to the Future and Turtles 1 and 2.)
So, that's good.
There were some not-good things that happened today.
But aside from that, I had a good and productive day. (Surprisingly, considering the hour at which I awoke this morning.) Went to the bank (had to deposit some money), went to the post office (had to send off a couple packages), watched ND fail epically to Navy (quite sad), got a few groceries I needed, made myself go for a run, did laundry, and baked some pumpkin bread (one loaf with chocolate chips, one with coconut). Yummmm.
And I watched Hook while I baked, and now I'm watching Sleepless in Seattle. And last night I watched While You Were Sleeping. Yay for early 90s movies! (Last weekend was 80s, with Back to the Future and Turtles 1 and 2.)
So, that's good.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Don't want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard
You know, I really love my family. I do. They're fabulous.
I had a revelation the other day. Maybe it's not so much a revelation as...I don't know, something else. Maybe it was obvious. Maybe I've even mentioned it before. Anyway, point is, I realized that one of the things that makes being here so hard is that I don't have anyone. I don't have my peeps, as they say. (Who "they" are, I'm not sure, but I think someone somewhere says that.) But seriously, if anything really serious were to go wrong out here, I don't have someone to turn to, you know? All my family and friends are elsewhere. Especially my parents. I hate that feeling. It's so unsecure. (No, not insecure. Unsecure.) My safety net is thousands of miles away. Ugh, it's a terrible feeling. It really is. But that's why I have this incredible need to go home. Even just for Thanksgiving weekend. And I can't think about anything else. When I'm home, I'm safe. Maybe it's bad that I don't feel safe elsewhere, but I don't. (Not in a "I feel like I'm going to be mugged around every corner" way, but in an unsettled way.) Bad things can and do happen there, sure. But I'm not alone when they do.
I think it's ok that I feel that way, really. It's good for families to stay close to one another. My family is the lone wolf in our bunch of relatives, or was for many years before some cousins and such moved long distances away from the northeast region. I didn't get to grow up with a bunch of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents around all the time. I'm glad I grew up in Colorado, but I'm sad I missed out on that. And I don't want to have to experience that again, should I ever get married and have kids. It's ok for me to go home again. I mean, sure, I really have no idea what's going to happen in my future, but short-term, it's ok.
We had to read a book earlier this month called Hannah Coulter, a fiction by Wendell Berry, and it deals a lot with the theme of place and its importance in people's lives. Berry's view might be a little unrealistic, especially for the time and culture in which we live now, but the ideas behind it are spot on. (Maybe not for everyone, as some people have different callings that take them all over.) Family is important. Being nearby is important. Where one lives is not incidental to his or her life.
I'm not sure what I'm getting at, but all I know is, my place is with my family. In Colorado. Colorado, whose very name thrills me to my fingertips. (Name that reference!)
All this to say, I cannot wait to get home for Thanksgiving. Oh, how delightful to be going.
I'm so excited about it that every time I use semi-public restrooms (the ones at work and at school), I wish it were at an airport. I always associate public restrooms with airports for some reason. Probably because, other than work and school, I avoid public restrooms as much as possible. I have to make an exception for airports, though, because if I don't, I'll be holding it a loooooong time. Sorry, TMI. But yes. I can't wait to be back in an airport, is the point. Airports mean home. Except when it's the other end of the trip and it means leaving again. But still. Ah. Can't wait.
But first - next weekend I'm going to Notre Dame. And I'm nervous. First of all, because I'm driving 10 hours on Friday and 10 hours on Sunday just to do it. A little ridiculous, and scary to do alone. (Not that I haven't driven a distance like that by myself before, but still. Would be nice to have a companion to come along.) And...well, I guess that's most of my hesitation. I'll get there Friday night sometime, and will probably go to the bar shortly thereafter (haven't been to the Backer in over two years, obviously...ought to be interesting...). Saturday. Football. Traditions. Notre Dame. Oh, it'll be glorious just to be back on campus. Hopefully walk around a little, see some of the sights my eyes have been missing for so long. Oh man. And hopefully I'll get some sleep Saturday night because, did I mention? Ten hours of driving awaits me on Sunday...but before that. Oh, before that. My heart will be reunited with one of its favorite places on earth. The Basilica. That place where I did so much praying, so much growing, so much Church-loving. The most beautiful man-made place I've ever seen. (Nostalgic much?)
I'm apprehensive because I'm always like that when I'm doing something out of my routine (except when it involves my family visiting, or visiting my family, I've noticed - gosh, maybe I really just need to cut the umbilical cord), and I always second-guess myself up until it's time to do whatever it is I'm doing, and then I typically have a good time. Even knowing this, I'm still apprehensive. It's going to be a whirlwind weekend. Not very restful. But man, will it ever be good to be back at ND, even just for not even 48 hours. To see at least some of the old crew. Maybe have a shot with Schott. For old time's sake, of course. Yay. :-)
In the meantime, knitting. And schoolwork, I suppose. Man, it's so much easier to keep up with reading for only three classes instead of four. I never understood why people are surprised to hear my program makes us take five classes (but one of them audited), when I used to have five non-audit classes every semester at ND. But now, I get it. It's a heck of a lot easier to keep up with and internalize readings for three classes instead of four. Plus the audit. Which I read when I can.
One week to ND. Fourpointfive to Colorado. And then just three or four after that to Christmas break!
I had a revelation the other day. Maybe it's not so much a revelation as...I don't know, something else. Maybe it was obvious. Maybe I've even mentioned it before. Anyway, point is, I realized that one of the things that makes being here so hard is that I don't have anyone. I don't have my peeps, as they say. (Who "they" are, I'm not sure, but I think someone somewhere says that.) But seriously, if anything really serious were to go wrong out here, I don't have someone to turn to, you know? All my family and friends are elsewhere. Especially my parents. I hate that feeling. It's so unsecure. (No, not insecure. Unsecure.) My safety net is thousands of miles away. Ugh, it's a terrible feeling. It really is. But that's why I have this incredible need to go home. Even just for Thanksgiving weekend. And I can't think about anything else. When I'm home, I'm safe. Maybe it's bad that I don't feel safe elsewhere, but I don't. (Not in a "I feel like I'm going to be mugged around every corner" way, but in an unsettled way.) Bad things can and do happen there, sure. But I'm not alone when they do.
I think it's ok that I feel that way, really. It's good for families to stay close to one another. My family is the lone wolf in our bunch of relatives, or was for many years before some cousins and such moved long distances away from the northeast region. I didn't get to grow up with a bunch of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents around all the time. I'm glad I grew up in Colorado, but I'm sad I missed out on that. And I don't want to have to experience that again, should I ever get married and have kids. It's ok for me to go home again. I mean, sure, I really have no idea what's going to happen in my future, but short-term, it's ok.
We had to read a book earlier this month called Hannah Coulter, a fiction by Wendell Berry, and it deals a lot with the theme of place and its importance in people's lives. Berry's view might be a little unrealistic, especially for the time and culture in which we live now, but the ideas behind it are spot on. (Maybe not for everyone, as some people have different callings that take them all over.) Family is important. Being nearby is important. Where one lives is not incidental to his or her life.
I'm not sure what I'm getting at, but all I know is, my place is with my family. In Colorado. Colorado, whose very name thrills me to my fingertips. (Name that reference!)
All this to say, I cannot wait to get home for Thanksgiving. Oh, how delightful to be going.
I'm so excited about it that every time I use semi-public restrooms (the ones at work and at school), I wish it were at an airport. I always associate public restrooms with airports for some reason. Probably because, other than work and school, I avoid public restrooms as much as possible. I have to make an exception for airports, though, because if I don't, I'll be holding it a loooooong time. Sorry, TMI. But yes. I can't wait to be back in an airport, is the point. Airports mean home. Except when it's the other end of the trip and it means leaving again. But still. Ah. Can't wait.
But first - next weekend I'm going to Notre Dame. And I'm nervous. First of all, because I'm driving 10 hours on Friday and 10 hours on Sunday just to do it. A little ridiculous, and scary to do alone. (Not that I haven't driven a distance like that by myself before, but still. Would be nice to have a companion to come along.) And...well, I guess that's most of my hesitation. I'll get there Friday night sometime, and will probably go to the bar shortly thereafter (haven't been to the Backer in over two years, obviously...ought to be interesting...). Saturday. Football. Traditions. Notre Dame. Oh, it'll be glorious just to be back on campus. Hopefully walk around a little, see some of the sights my eyes have been missing for so long. Oh man. And hopefully I'll get some sleep Saturday night because, did I mention? Ten hours of driving awaits me on Sunday...but before that. Oh, before that. My heart will be reunited with one of its favorite places on earth. The Basilica. That place where I did so much praying, so much growing, so much Church-loving. The most beautiful man-made place I've ever seen. (Nostalgic much?)
I'm apprehensive because I'm always like that when I'm doing something out of my routine (except when it involves my family visiting, or visiting my family, I've noticed - gosh, maybe I really just need to cut the umbilical cord), and I always second-guess myself up until it's time to do whatever it is I'm doing, and then I typically have a good time. Even knowing this, I'm still apprehensive. It's going to be a whirlwind weekend. Not very restful. But man, will it ever be good to be back at ND, even just for not even 48 hours. To see at least some of the old crew. Maybe have a shot with Schott. For old time's sake, of course. Yay. :-)
In the meantime, knitting. And schoolwork, I suppose. Man, it's so much easier to keep up with reading for only three classes instead of four. I never understood why people are surprised to hear my program makes us take five classes (but one of them audited), when I used to have five non-audit classes every semester at ND. But now, I get it. It's a heck of a lot easier to keep up with and internalize readings for three classes instead of four. Plus the audit. Which I read when I can.
One week to ND. Fourpointfive to Colorado. And then just three or four after that to Christmas break!
Yay for positive witnesses!
So, I never watch this show. I don't know anyone who watches it. BUT. Apparently people do, because one of the Catholic sites I go to linked to it the other day.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/video/
This past week, it was the CEO of Frontier Airlines. If you click that link and go to his episode, he starts talking about his family at about the 3:15 mark. And, get this - he says that after he and his wife decided they had enough kids, they practiced contraception, but then had a spiritual awakening or something and realized that they had to give everything up to God, including their family size. He says that. On national TV. Yay for big Catholic families! I've been a fan of Frontier for awhile, and might be more inclined to choose them now.
Anyway, related to that, I also read this article the other day: Contraception: The Bitter Pill. It's quite good. Kind of a long article, but definitely worth the read. (Granted, it's kind of a topic I'm particularly interested in, so of course I think it's worth reading.) People don't get the harm that is inherent in contraceptive use. I sit in my classes here, and we talk about stuff like that, and the way things used to be (even waaaaaaay back when, you know, like when the Bible was written), and see the beauty in how things were, and the way things were created, and how we've messed it up royally. Anyway. Sometimes it amazes me that people just don't see this stuff, stuff the Church has been teaching since it began, things that are still relevant and true today.
Gosh. Being Catholic makes me so happy. And it makes me so happy to see other people embrace it too. And be positive witnesses for it on national TV!
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/video/
This past week, it was the CEO of Frontier Airlines. If you click that link and go to his episode, he starts talking about his family at about the 3:15 mark. And, get this - he says that after he and his wife decided they had enough kids, they practiced contraception, but then had a spiritual awakening or something and realized that they had to give everything up to God, including their family size. He says that. On national TV. Yay for big Catholic families! I've been a fan of Frontier for awhile, and might be more inclined to choose them now.
Anyway, related to that, I also read this article the other day: Contraception: The Bitter Pill. It's quite good. Kind of a long article, but definitely worth the read. (Granted, it's kind of a topic I'm particularly interested in, so of course I think it's worth reading.) People don't get the harm that is inherent in contraceptive use. I sit in my classes here, and we talk about stuff like that, and the way things used to be (even waaaaaaay back when, you know, like when the Bible was written), and see the beauty in how things were, and the way things were created, and how we've messed it up royally. Anyway. Sometimes it amazes me that people just don't see this stuff, stuff the Church has been teaching since it began, things that are still relevant and true today.
Gosh. Being Catholic makes me so happy. And it makes me so happy to see other people embrace it too. And be positive witnesses for it on national TV!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
A-happenings
I've felt so much better the last few days than I have most of the semester. I'm not exactly sure why, but I have a few theories:
- I had a midterm on Wednesday, so once that got out of the way, I could breathe a bit again. I had taken my final the week before, and then this midterm was done, and now I just have my three (non-audit) classes to worry about for reading, which takes a lot of pressure off. And that's good.
- I decided to go home for Thanksgiving. I tried not to, but in the end, I just needed to. I was going to do it on Thanksgiving, so it'd be cheaper, but then...well, I ended up paying a bit more to go home the day before. And I'm so excited. I know it'll be so good for my mental health, and I really like being sane. Plus, I just love Thanksgiving and all it entails, and I'm glad I get to celebrate it with my dear family (minus our favorite little brother).
- I also decided to go to ND for a game in two weeks. The main reason (aside from the fact that oh my GOODNESS I miss it, and all of a sudden today started thinking about how nice it might have been to go to ND for my masters degree...) is that a friend of mine offered to give me tickets for that weekend. For free, you understand. And my Chicago ND friends who go for practically every home game have friends in the area that they stay with, so I don't have to worry about that, and all I have to worry about is getting there. It's 10 hours to drive, so that's not exactly wonderful, but it's probably something like two tanks of gas each way. Could be worse. I just think I'd regret it if I spent two years out here, marginally closer to ND than Colorado is, and didn't go for a visit. ESPECIALLY if I can go to a game for free. Oh man. I miss it. It's not at all the same visiting as opposed to living there and being a student (and man, now all of a sudden I just wish so much I had gone there instead of here...sigh), but I miss it and visiting is better than nothing.
- It's stupid, but I'm still loving the Chile miners' story. I hope they all manage this sudden fame and whatnot ok. Man, I love inspiring stories like that.
- I love knitting. And having things to knit. And having yarn to knit the things I have to knit.
- Oh, and did I mention, I'm going home for Thanksgiving? Still over a month away (39 days, to be exact, I think), but that's soooo much better than two months away. Which is what going home for Christmas would be. I can't wait. I can't can't wait. I'm nervous about having to drive up to Baltimore on the day before Thanksgiving (terrible day to drive, esp in DC, where I've heard something like 20% of the population exoduses since, you know, no one is actually from here). And I'll have to figure out long-term parking and such by myself - I'll probably do one of those off-site places, as there's one I've seen that has good reviews and is just as if not cheaper than the actual airport long-term parking. But once I get there, and am on the plane, I'll be golden. It's a direct flight to Denver, which is nice. I'm flying Southwest (first time ever, I think), and decided to pay a few bucks extra to have like priority seating, or something, since it's a first-come first-served deal with seats. This way I get to go after like business class or whatever and those kinds of people, but before just the regular people who get seating assignment numbers when they do check-in. Hopefully it'll save me a little hassle and let me get a window seat. Because a middle seat for a 4 hour flight? Not my idea of fun.
- Point is, I'm going HOME! And I'll get to take my dog to Palmer Park. And the park around my house. And have delicious Thanksgiving food with my family. And hold my dog on my lap. And give her puppy kisses on her sweet little Nutmeggy head. Oh gosh. I miss her. Oh! And see my fun nephews. I miss them tons too. I can't wait.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
To the rescue!
Last night, I watched live video of the first Chilean miner to be taken out of the mine after having been stuck down there for 69 days. I'm not one given easily to crying, but when his little son ran up to him and gave him a hug, crying, for the first time in over two months, I might have teared up a little bit. A couple of hours later, I watched the fourth guy come up, and while he was making the ascent they showed a few minutes of either the second or the third guy getting out of an ambulance, going into some building, and hugging what I assume are a couple of his family members (maybe siblings or something). It's just so cool.
I just watched the 12th guy come up. I don't have sound here (and last night when I was watching, none of it was translated anyway so sound or not doesn't make much difference), but it's still so fascinating to watch. I mean, can you imagine? Being stuck half a mile down in the earth for almost 70 days, and finally being able to stand on the surface of the earth again. To see sunlight again. Even those who came up in the middle of the night last night had sunglasses on. I can't imagine what that would be like - especially those coming up now, with the full brightness of day. Must be some pretty strong sunglasses. (It's kind of funny - I'm currently in the middle of re-reading The Silver Chair, the fourth book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, and the whole climax of the book, more or less, takes place in this city way way underground from which the main characters have to rescue the Prince. It's interesting to think about in light of this.)
Gosh, it's just so...inspiring. Seems like a trite word to use, but oh well. Triumph of the human spirit, and all. Everyone who worked together, so hard, so that they could reach and rescue these miners. (At least some of whom, if not all, seem to have pretty strong faith. In God. They even build a shrine to Our Lady in the mine.) Such a lesson in patience, that's for sure.
An awesome story about the second miner to be rescued.
Article about each miner's first minutes out.
Live blog of the rescue. (And another here, which I think is better.)
Pope prays for the miners.
Seriously, this is endlessly fascinating. No one could write a better story than this whole saga. And it's just so beautiful! The completely unscripted, real emotions that they all show every time a new miner reaches the surface and greets friends and loved ones....really, you can't write this stuff. And the rescuers! There are three men who voluntarily went down into the mine to help get the miners out, one by one. Better than reality TV for sure, bringing the whole world together. I love that this is getting top-billing on news channels. Such good news for once! Lovely. So lovely.
I just watched the 12th guy come up. I don't have sound here (and last night when I was watching, none of it was translated anyway so sound or not doesn't make much difference), but it's still so fascinating to watch. I mean, can you imagine? Being stuck half a mile down in the earth for almost 70 days, and finally being able to stand on the surface of the earth again. To see sunlight again. Even those who came up in the middle of the night last night had sunglasses on. I can't imagine what that would be like - especially those coming up now, with the full brightness of day. Must be some pretty strong sunglasses. (It's kind of funny - I'm currently in the middle of re-reading The Silver Chair, the fourth book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, and the whole climax of the book, more or less, takes place in this city way way underground from which the main characters have to rescue the Prince. It's interesting to think about in light of this.)
Gosh, it's just so...inspiring. Seems like a trite word to use, but oh well. Triumph of the human spirit, and all. Everyone who worked together, so hard, so that they could reach and rescue these miners. (At least some of whom, if not all, seem to have pretty strong faith. In God. They even build a shrine to Our Lady in the mine.) Such a lesson in patience, that's for sure.
An awesome story about the second miner to be rescued.
Article about each miner's first minutes out.
Live blog of the rescue. (And another here, which I think is better.)
Pope prays for the miners.
Seriously, this is endlessly fascinating. No one could write a better story than this whole saga. And it's just so beautiful! The completely unscripted, real emotions that they all show every time a new miner reaches the surface and greets friends and loved ones....really, you can't write this stuff. And the rescuers! There are three men who voluntarily went down into the mine to help get the miners out, one by one. Better than reality TV for sure, bringing the whole world together. I love that this is getting top-billing on news channels. Such good news for once! Lovely. So lovely.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Deplorable State of Down Syndrome
I came across this article today, found on the Aggie Catholics blog. Down syndrome comes up a lot in pro-life discussions, because did you know that over 90% of babies who are diagnosed with Down syndrome while in the womb are aborted? 90%. I mean, just think about that. And think about the fact that there are often false positives (although, really, we can't know how often because usually these babies are killed). There have been numerous examples of people who are told their baby will have Down syndrome, but choose (against most medical advice these days) to carry the baby to term anyway, and go on to have a perfectly healthy baby without Down syndrome. But even if every single positive was a true positive, that wouldn't be any less reason to let these children live. I mean...it just boggles my mind that people think something like this is reason to kill their own child. And what about this recent case in Canada? A couple wanted a child so badly that they used the (immoral) means of a surrogate mother to have one, and yet, when first trimester tests showed that the baby had signs of Down syndrome, they told the surrogate to have an abortion. This baby, this child they were willing to do literally anything to get, they decided to kill because it wasn't perfect enough for their standards. How is that ok? I mean, read this choice quote from the article:
It makes me so, so sad. I mean, abortion in general is such a sad, horrific thing. But the fact that people with Down syndrome are, essentially, becoming an endangered group - and not because they're being "cured" - is tragic. I'll admit that my exposure to people with Down syndrome is very limited. To the point where I'm not sure I've even really ever met someone with it, and if so then not more than just in passing. But there's something about them that I find so...beautiful, I guess. Maybe that sounds pro-life cliche, but whatever.
Some people try to justify killing these children by saying "No one would want to live like that," or "It's more merciful for the children," or "I'm just saving my child from a lifetime of suffering," or some other variant of that theme. I would venture to guess, though, that many people with Down syndrome are so much happier than those of us who were allowed to be born because we're "normal." Again, I haven't known many people with Down syndrome, but those that I've seen seem to exude happiness. I'm sure there's suffering there, too, but show me someone who's "normal" who hasn't experienced suffering in his or her life. Show me someone who hasn't had periods of unhappiness, even depression. Being born "normal" doesn't mean a lifetime of rainbows and butterflies and puppy dogs and lollipops.
I'm not trying to discount the huge sacrifices that are involved in raising a child with Down syndrome. But what in life doesn't involve sacrifice of some kind? Sacrifices help us grow. Well, unless possibly a person is sacrificing things like family in favor of material goods. I doubt that aids in growing the way we ought to grow. Whenever I talk about things like this, though, I feel the need to add the "I can't personally say I have any idea what it's like" caveat. But I know that there's an ultimate Truth, and I know with 100% certainty that certain things go against that Truth. Abortion - and in particular abortion as eugenics, as this is - definitely goes against Truth. And it makes me so, so angry. Especially the fact that women who do go through the testing that screens for Down syndrome (among other abnormalities), and get positives, are pressured by their doctors to terminate their pregnancies. How is that ok? How can we as a country let that happen, let that be the norm? From what I hear, it pretty much is the norm now. And they expect everyone to submit to this testing, too. Really, though, the only purpose is to determine whether or not someone would want to abort her child. It's ridiculous.
I really hope more people start to speak out about this. That New York Times article I linked to is three years old, I think. I hope there are more things like that being done, groups trying to show the inherent dignity and worth of everyone - even those deemed imperfect and worthy of termination. In a country that seems to be so gung-ho about tolerance, I can't believe that 90% of people with Down syndrome are killed. How is that tolerant? The media are so pro-gay, and yet how often do you hear about the hate crimes being done to this huge minority group? (Not that they shouldn't talk about hate crimes done to gay people, but that is not the only issue in our society today.) And now I'm getting overly emotional and off-topic, so I think it's time to end this while I'm not-quite-ahead.
Just...pray. God wins in the end, but we have to fight too.
Sally Rhoads, a former surrogate who runs a website supporting those involved in “third party reproduction,” told the Post that parents should be “protected” in the event of a disagreement over whether to have the unborn baby killed by abortion or not. “The baby that’s being carried is their baby. It’s usually their genetic offspring,” she said. “Why should the intended parents be forced to raise a child they didn’t want? It’s not fair.”A child they didn't want? They wanted this child. Enough to pay another woman to nurture it for the first nine months of its life. But not enough, apparently, to be willing to make the sacrifices involved in raising a child with disabilities.
It makes me so, so sad. I mean, abortion in general is such a sad, horrific thing. But the fact that people with Down syndrome are, essentially, becoming an endangered group - and not because they're being "cured" - is tragic. I'll admit that my exposure to people with Down syndrome is very limited. To the point where I'm not sure I've even really ever met someone with it, and if so then not more than just in passing. But there's something about them that I find so...beautiful, I guess. Maybe that sounds pro-life cliche, but whatever.
Some people try to justify killing these children by saying "No one would want to live like that," or "It's more merciful for the children," or "I'm just saving my child from a lifetime of suffering," or some other variant of that theme. I would venture to guess, though, that many people with Down syndrome are so much happier than those of us who were allowed to be born because we're "normal." Again, I haven't known many people with Down syndrome, but those that I've seen seem to exude happiness. I'm sure there's suffering there, too, but show me someone who's "normal" who hasn't experienced suffering in his or her life. Show me someone who hasn't had periods of unhappiness, even depression. Being born "normal" doesn't mean a lifetime of rainbows and butterflies and puppy dogs and lollipops.
I'm not trying to discount the huge sacrifices that are involved in raising a child with Down syndrome. But what in life doesn't involve sacrifice of some kind? Sacrifices help us grow. Well, unless possibly a person is sacrificing things like family in favor of material goods. I doubt that aids in growing the way we ought to grow. Whenever I talk about things like this, though, I feel the need to add the "I can't personally say I have any idea what it's like" caveat. But I know that there's an ultimate Truth, and I know with 100% certainty that certain things go against that Truth. Abortion - and in particular abortion as eugenics, as this is - definitely goes against Truth. And it makes me so, so angry. Especially the fact that women who do go through the testing that screens for Down syndrome (among other abnormalities), and get positives, are pressured by their doctors to terminate their pregnancies. How is that ok? How can we as a country let that happen, let that be the norm? From what I hear, it pretty much is the norm now. And they expect everyone to submit to this testing, too. Really, though, the only purpose is to determine whether or not someone would want to abort her child. It's ridiculous.
I really hope more people start to speak out about this. That New York Times article I linked to is three years old, I think. I hope there are more things like that being done, groups trying to show the inherent dignity and worth of everyone - even those deemed imperfect and worthy of termination. In a country that seems to be so gung-ho about tolerance, I can't believe that 90% of people with Down syndrome are killed. How is that tolerant? The media are so pro-gay, and yet how often do you hear about the hate crimes being done to this huge minority group? (Not that they shouldn't talk about hate crimes done to gay people, but that is not the only issue in our society today.) And now I'm getting overly emotional and off-topic, so I think it's time to end this while I'm not-quite-ahead.
Just...pray. God wins in the end, but we have to fight too.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Seven Quick Takes Volume XVIII
1. My Swift bag came on Wednesday. Not sure if I mentioned that here or not. It's pretty awesome. We're still getting used to each other, but so far I'm a happy camper. It's amazing how much it fits in there. And it comes with this thing called a "stuff sack" or something like that, which has a clear bottom, a drawstring tie, and a clip to clip into the main bag itself. And inside it has another clip thing, except it's specifically for your yarn to thread through, because the stuff sacks are actually made to keep knitting projects in, within the bag itself, but separated from everything else in the big bag. So that's awesome, and I bought an extra one too since rare is the time that I only have one project going at one time. They're nice because I can keep them in the bag and they keep my knitting safe from falling off the needles, etc, and I can take them out of the bag and work from them on the couch or wherever. And they just keep it all contained. I like it.
2. I think I'm going to make these one day soon. Oh, maybe you can't see them if you don't sign into the website. If that's the case, sorry. They're fingerless gloves, but it's two different colors throughout. I haven't done a lot of projects where I change colors, and I've done even fewer where the colors change continuously (as opposed to doing x number of rows in color A, and y number of rows in color B. This is switching back and forth every other row, and even every other stitch in places). One of my goals is to get comfortable with doing a lot of colorwork within projects, like fair isle and things like that. Someday. You know, when I have time to kill and all. (Not that I don't find time to kill now, but it's usually at the expense of something I should probably be doing more.)
3. Like this. I really want to do that. A lot.
4. This week, I finished the big project I had going. And tonight I finished one of the couple smaller ones I had, and am almost done a third smaller one. And apparently I have a scarf still on the needles that I started at least two years ago, and it's about the proper length for a scarf so I'll finish that up soon too. (I think one of my least favorite things is finishing projects. Which is kind of silly, when you think about it.) And then what? I do have a few things I've promised people and/or am planning for gifts. For some reason I'm not so motivated to do them yet, though. I go through weird phases in my knitting. Sometimes it's like the more projects I have, the more I want to do. The fewer I have going, the fewer I want to start. It's weird. There are also things I really want to do one of these days, but don't really have people to do them for, and I don't like knitting without a purpose. Maybe someday I'll try my hand at selling stuff, and then getting money for projects might motivate me more, but I don't know. Honestly, the idea of selling something I make seems a little weird. Half the reason I enjoy knitting (or, really, maybe more like 42%) is to know that it's for someone I know and/or love, and that they'll hopefully, theoretically enjoy it as well. But to make something just to sell it to someone I don't know seems...weird. But maybe I'll get over that, if I ever go that route. Or maybe I'll just make things to donate to charities. That seems less weird to me.
5. That big project I mentioned? I just pulled it out of the dryer. Oh man. SO soft and squishy. As most good knitting projects should be. Love. Love love love. It's amazing how much a wash and dry session can change a project. I mean, it was soft enough before. But now? Lovely. So lovely.
6. This morning, I woke up when my alarm went off, and then proceeded to sleep for another hour until I woke up when I was supposed to be leaving in order to make it to school for the 8:30 Mass. I still wanted to try, though, so I got ready as fast as I could, managed to leave about fifteen or twenty minutes later, and prayed that I could make it in time. Decided to stick with our typical routine of saying a Rosary on the way. And wouldn't you know it, traffic was surprisingly good, and I managed to make it to school just a few minutes late. AND there was one empty spot in the 2 hour Shrine parking, which was awesome.
7. Oh, I got the thrill of the week a couple days ago. I was on Netflix Instant, and was browsing their "recently added" just to see what they had on their, and lo and behold something came up that I've been wanting to be there for almost a year now: Monk. You can't imagine how excited I am about that. That show, it just makes me so happy. So so happy. As happy as a little girl. I love that show. Monk is one of my favorite characters ever created, I think. Man. So good.
2. I think I'm going to make these one day soon. Oh, maybe you can't see them if you don't sign into the website. If that's the case, sorry. They're fingerless gloves, but it's two different colors throughout. I haven't done a lot of projects where I change colors, and I've done even fewer where the colors change continuously (as opposed to doing x number of rows in color A, and y number of rows in color B. This is switching back and forth every other row, and even every other stitch in places). One of my goals is to get comfortable with doing a lot of colorwork within projects, like fair isle and things like that. Someday. You know, when I have time to kill and all. (Not that I don't find time to kill now, but it's usually at the expense of something I should probably be doing more.)
3. Like this. I really want to do that. A lot.
4. This week, I finished the big project I had going. And tonight I finished one of the couple smaller ones I had, and am almost done a third smaller one. And apparently I have a scarf still on the needles that I started at least two years ago, and it's about the proper length for a scarf so I'll finish that up soon too. (I think one of my least favorite things is finishing projects. Which is kind of silly, when you think about it.) And then what? I do have a few things I've promised people and/or am planning for gifts. For some reason I'm not so motivated to do them yet, though. I go through weird phases in my knitting. Sometimes it's like the more projects I have, the more I want to do. The fewer I have going, the fewer I want to start. It's weird. There are also things I really want to do one of these days, but don't really have people to do them for, and I don't like knitting without a purpose. Maybe someday I'll try my hand at selling stuff, and then getting money for projects might motivate me more, but I don't know. Honestly, the idea of selling something I make seems a little weird. Half the reason I enjoy knitting (or, really, maybe more like 42%) is to know that it's for someone I know and/or love, and that they'll hopefully, theoretically enjoy it as well. But to make something just to sell it to someone I don't know seems...weird. But maybe I'll get over that, if I ever go that route. Or maybe I'll just make things to donate to charities. That seems less weird to me.
5. That big project I mentioned? I just pulled it out of the dryer. Oh man. SO soft and squishy. As most good knitting projects should be. Love. Love love love. It's amazing how much a wash and dry session can change a project. I mean, it was soft enough before. But now? Lovely. So lovely.
6. This morning, I woke up when my alarm went off, and then proceeded to sleep for another hour until I woke up when I was supposed to be leaving in order to make it to school for the 8:30 Mass. I still wanted to try, though, so I got ready as fast as I could, managed to leave about fifteen or twenty minutes later, and prayed that I could make it in time. Decided to stick with our typical routine of saying a Rosary on the way. And wouldn't you know it, traffic was surprisingly good, and I managed to make it to school just a few minutes late. AND there was one empty spot in the 2 hour Shrine parking, which was awesome.
7. Oh, I got the thrill of the week a couple days ago. I was on Netflix Instant, and was browsing their "recently added" just to see what they had on their, and lo and behold something came up that I've been wanting to be there for almost a year now: Monk. You can't imagine how excited I am about that. That show, it just makes me so happy. So so happy. As happy as a little girl. I love that show. Monk is one of my favorite characters ever created, I think. Man. So good.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Autumnal Achings
You guys, it's wonderfully fall here today. I don't think it got past mid-50s, and it was kinda rainy this morning and then overcast the rest of the day. So nice. I broke out the hat and scarf. Tights, boots, longer skirt. Triple shirts (including a sweater!). Mmm. Soup for lunch AND dinner. Probably going to make myself some tea in a bit. Glorious.
But at the same time, fall makes me yearn for back home. This is the first time EVER I won't be in Colorado for at least a tiny bit of the autumnal season. Last year I was home for a weekend, this past weekend actually, for a friend's wedding. And Thanksgiving, of course. Every year I was at ND I came home for our October fall break, and again for Thanksgiving. This year? Nothing. I mean, fall in Colorado isn't really anything spectacular, but fall is just so...family for me. I don't know why. The coziness that comes from the newly chilly days and nights (before it gets old, as it sometimes can by the waning months of winter), all those family-oriented holidays (although, for me, most holidays are family-oriented), sitting in the family room with the fire going, going on walks in the afternoon around the greenway by my house when it's nice and chilly...Although that's more of a solitary venture. But still. I miss Colorado so much right now. :-( I really want to go for a walk in the cold. But not here. Back home. With Nutmeg. Around the park. And Palmer Park. Siiiiiigh. This is such torture. Torture, I tell you. I love fall. But I hate it here. Such a contradiction. (Ok, I don't really HATE it here, but I don't really like it either. Especially not when I can't get Colorado out of my mind. And I don't like the thought that maybe next fall I won't be in Colorado Springs, even if I'm back in Colorado. I guess that'll be better than nothing. I really hope I'm back in Colorado Springs, though.)
Turning that parenthetical thought into its own paragraph now...I know I need to trust God, and as long as I can aim for the Springs and hit somewhere nearby, in the general vicinity, I'll be mostly happy, but what I really want is to be back with my family, back in the Springs. I really want that. But every time I think that to myself, I think...what is there for me to do there? The diocese is pretty small. There aren't a whole lot of Catholic programs and organizations. It's a very evangelical city, not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but it limits my options a bit. I doubt a lot of evangelical organizations have a yen for someone with a Master's degree from a very Catholic background. I could be wrong. Can I tell you a secret? Ok, so first, I have to say I'm so torn. I know that the Catholic culture is so much better in Denver. Better churches (not that that's exactly difficult...), lots more Catholic opportunities, the awesome seminary up there, etc. But I want to live in the Springs. I love the Springs. I mean...I don't, really, in that there are a lot of things about it I'm not too crazy about. But I love it. It's my home. Sigh. I guess it's better that God's in charge of this instead of me. I'll do what I can, see where my chips fall, and see what sticks, I guess. Oh, but my secret. I might really want to work at the pregnancy center in the Springs where I volunteered (a whole one time) a few summers back. At that point I didn't have lots of extra time, or something, or was just about to leave for school again, I forget. But I couldn't do much. But I might see if they need someone next year when I graduate. That could be a possibility. Anyway. It's all maybes and ifs and hypotheticals right now. I hate that. But soon enough, something will be figured out. And maybe I can be completely impractical and get a job in Denver and still live in the Springs! Double win! haha. Minus, you know, transportation costs, and all that...
Well. Back to the point at hand. Autumn. Ok, well I guess I've actually exhausted that topic.
The other topic, which has nothing to do with autumn, rendering the title of this post ridiculous, is my failure as a graduate student. The longer I'm here, the more I realize how much I suck. We had a final today for our month-long intensive Theology of the Body class, and man. I felt so disappointed in myself when I walked out. So disappointed. As usual. I know I'm not the best when it comes to studying, but I tried to stay alert and focused and keep up with the readings for this class. I know I should have studied more, but still, I got in there, and it was like, all I could do was very general overviews of semi-related topics to the questions that were asked. I never know details. I never remember the nitty-gritty. I can't remember facts that I need to, who said what and when and why. I have never felt like I'm fully "in" this program, and even when I want to be, I can't manage it. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like the information just bounces off of me. I worry that I'm going to fail comps in an epic and spectacular fashion, and that I won't even get my degree after all this. And there's also a part of me that thinks...I really don't even deserve a degree after all of this. Why am I here? Am I even getting anything from it? Is there a point? I just don't know.
I just don't know, folks. I don't know anything.
Except I miss Colorado. I do know that much. That's my place, and it's where I belong. Someday, at least. (And let's pray it's sooner than later!)
Oh, and...fall is awesome.
But at the same time, fall makes me yearn for back home. This is the first time EVER I won't be in Colorado for at least a tiny bit of the autumnal season. Last year I was home for a weekend, this past weekend actually, for a friend's wedding. And Thanksgiving, of course. Every year I was at ND I came home for our October fall break, and again for Thanksgiving. This year? Nothing. I mean, fall in Colorado isn't really anything spectacular, but fall is just so...family for me. I don't know why. The coziness that comes from the newly chilly days and nights (before it gets old, as it sometimes can by the waning months of winter), all those family-oriented holidays (although, for me, most holidays are family-oriented), sitting in the family room with the fire going, going on walks in the afternoon around the greenway by my house when it's nice and chilly...Although that's more of a solitary venture. But still. I miss Colorado so much right now. :-( I really want to go for a walk in the cold. But not here. Back home. With Nutmeg. Around the park. And Palmer Park. Siiiiiigh. This is such torture. Torture, I tell you. I love fall. But I hate it here. Such a contradiction. (Ok, I don't really HATE it here, but I don't really like it either. Especially not when I can't get Colorado out of my mind. And I don't like the thought that maybe next fall I won't be in Colorado Springs, even if I'm back in Colorado. I guess that'll be better than nothing. I really hope I'm back in Colorado Springs, though.)
Turning that parenthetical thought into its own paragraph now...I know I need to trust God, and as long as I can aim for the Springs and hit somewhere nearby, in the general vicinity, I'll be mostly happy, but what I really want is to be back with my family, back in the Springs. I really want that. But every time I think that to myself, I think...what is there for me to do there? The diocese is pretty small. There aren't a whole lot of Catholic programs and organizations. It's a very evangelical city, not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but it limits my options a bit. I doubt a lot of evangelical organizations have a yen for someone with a Master's degree from a very Catholic background. I could be wrong. Can I tell you a secret? Ok, so first, I have to say I'm so torn. I know that the Catholic culture is so much better in Denver. Better churches (not that that's exactly difficult...), lots more Catholic opportunities, the awesome seminary up there, etc. But I want to live in the Springs. I love the Springs. I mean...I don't, really, in that there are a lot of things about it I'm not too crazy about. But I love it. It's my home. Sigh. I guess it's better that God's in charge of this instead of me. I'll do what I can, see where my chips fall, and see what sticks, I guess. Oh, but my secret. I might really want to work at the pregnancy center in the Springs where I volunteered (a whole one time) a few summers back. At that point I didn't have lots of extra time, or something, or was just about to leave for school again, I forget. But I couldn't do much. But I might see if they need someone next year when I graduate. That could be a possibility. Anyway. It's all maybes and ifs and hypotheticals right now. I hate that. But soon enough, something will be figured out. And maybe I can be completely impractical and get a job in Denver and still live in the Springs! Double win! haha. Minus, you know, transportation costs, and all that...
Well. Back to the point at hand. Autumn. Ok, well I guess I've actually exhausted that topic.
The other topic, which has nothing to do with autumn, rendering the title of this post ridiculous, is my failure as a graduate student. The longer I'm here, the more I realize how much I suck. We had a final today for our month-long intensive Theology of the Body class, and man. I felt so disappointed in myself when I walked out. So disappointed. As usual. I know I'm not the best when it comes to studying, but I tried to stay alert and focused and keep up with the readings for this class. I know I should have studied more, but still, I got in there, and it was like, all I could do was very general overviews of semi-related topics to the questions that were asked. I never know details. I never remember the nitty-gritty. I can't remember facts that I need to, who said what and when and why. I have never felt like I'm fully "in" this program, and even when I want to be, I can't manage it. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like the information just bounces off of me. I worry that I'm going to fail comps in an epic and spectacular fashion, and that I won't even get my degree after all this. And there's also a part of me that thinks...I really don't even deserve a degree after all of this. Why am I here? Am I even getting anything from it? Is there a point? I just don't know.
I just don't know, folks. I don't know anything.
Except I miss Colorado. I do know that much. That's my place, and it's where I belong. Someday, at least. (And let's pray it's sooner than later!)
Oh, and...fall is awesome.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Seven Quick Takes Volume XVII
1. It's October. October. There are three months left in the year. Three. Long. Months. Haven't quite figured out how I feel about it all yet. (But I am glad for fall finally starting to be here. Autumn. Such nice sound.)
2. I'm currently watching The Unsinkable Molly Brown, thanks to my dear and beautiful sister. It's SOOOOO inaccurate to the actual story, but oh, I love it. And, hello, set (and filmed!) in Colorado! Mmm. Man I miss Colorado. I'm always surprised when I come across people who don't know who Molly Brown is, but then, I guess she's more of a Colorado historical person than a country-wide one. Even if she was on the Titanic (hence the name). I mean, I wouldn't expect anyone outside of Colorado Springs to know who William Palmer was. But then, William Palmer wasn't depicted in a major motion picture that broke all sorts of records, either.
3. Next summer, I'm going to take a trip to Leadville. Actually, I wish I could just take a month or so and go to all those places in Colorado I've never gone but really want to. Leadville, Telluride, Ouray, Gunnison (including Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park), Aspen, maybe some return trips to Mesa Verde, always RMNP, etc. St. Malo's. And 14ers all over! Gosh. That would be like the best thing EVER.
4. I had been thinking about taking a trip to the Mall tomorrow - maybe Lincoln, or the National Gallery of Art. But then, no, this is DC, and it seems like every weekend there's some rally or another going on. And tomorrow, oh, tomorrow's a doozy. It's called One Nation Working Together, or something. Supported by such lovely groups as Planned Parenthood, Queers for Economic Justice, and the Communist Party of the USA. Sheesh. I want to be nowhere near that. I want to go down there when there aren't crowds. And specifically, when there aren't crowds of uber liberals. Oh well.
5. I'm having issues with some of my classes this semester, for various reasons, but overall they're so much more enjoyable than last year's. I mean, even in my current...whatever state, I can't help but sit there and marvel at the beauty that is the teaching of the Catholic Church. I guess this deserves something expanded, but I'm just going to leave it at that. Being Catholic = awesome. Best thing my parents ever did for me.
6. So, ok, I love this movie (Molly Brown), but dude. The end? Sorta creepy. But maybe that's because I just have this thing about people hiding behind open doors. (Not that he was hiding behind the door, but...yeah.) Also, I don't know how many times I've seen this movie, but this is the first time I noticed that the brass bed at the end is from their house in the beginning. Duh, Susie.
7. I really can't wait for Christmas. So much. For so many reasons. Although, Christmas Day is sometimes more depressing than I'd like...but I really love the preparations for it. (I just wish most of the prep time weren't filled with end-of-semester stuff and finals. Oh well). I'm sad I won't be home for Thanksgiving because it's the beginning of Christmas preparations, and I love it so. But...such is life, I suppose. Being home at Christmas will be fan-freaking-tastic. Even if it's disappointing. Because Colorado trumps here pretty much every time.
2. I'm currently watching The Unsinkable Molly Brown, thanks to my dear and beautiful sister. It's SOOOOO inaccurate to the actual story, but oh, I love it. And, hello, set (and filmed!) in Colorado! Mmm. Man I miss Colorado. I'm always surprised when I come across people who don't know who Molly Brown is, but then, I guess she's more of a Colorado historical person than a country-wide one. Even if she was on the Titanic (hence the name). I mean, I wouldn't expect anyone outside of Colorado Springs to know who William Palmer was. But then, William Palmer wasn't depicted in a major motion picture that broke all sorts of records, either.
3. Next summer, I'm going to take a trip to Leadville. Actually, I wish I could just take a month or so and go to all those places in Colorado I've never gone but really want to. Leadville, Telluride, Ouray, Gunnison (including Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park), Aspen, maybe some return trips to Mesa Verde, always RMNP, etc. St. Malo's. And 14ers all over! Gosh. That would be like the best thing EVER.
4. I had been thinking about taking a trip to the Mall tomorrow - maybe Lincoln, or the National Gallery of Art. But then, no, this is DC, and it seems like every weekend there's some rally or another going on. And tomorrow, oh, tomorrow's a doozy. It's called One Nation Working Together, or something. Supported by such lovely groups as Planned Parenthood, Queers for Economic Justice, and the Communist Party of the USA. Sheesh. I want to be nowhere near that. I want to go down there when there aren't crowds. And specifically, when there aren't crowds of uber liberals. Oh well.
5. I'm having issues with some of my classes this semester, for various reasons, but overall they're so much more enjoyable than last year's. I mean, even in my current...whatever state, I can't help but sit there and marvel at the beauty that is the teaching of the Catholic Church. I guess this deserves something expanded, but I'm just going to leave it at that. Being Catholic = awesome. Best thing my parents ever did for me.
6. So, ok, I love this movie (Molly Brown), but dude. The end? Sorta creepy. But maybe that's because I just have this thing about people hiding behind open doors. (Not that he was hiding behind the door, but...yeah.) Also, I don't know how many times I've seen this movie, but this is the first time I noticed that the brass bed at the end is from their house in the beginning. Duh, Susie.
7. I really can't wait for Christmas. So much. For so many reasons. Although, Christmas Day is sometimes more depressing than I'd like...but I really love the preparations for it. (I just wish most of the prep time weren't filled with end-of-semester stuff and finals. Oh well). I'm sad I won't be home for Thanksgiving because it's the beginning of Christmas preparations, and I love it so. But...such is life, I suppose. Being home at Christmas will be fan-freaking-tastic. Even if it's disappointing. Because Colorado trumps here pretty much every time.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Loooosing my mind
Oh man, you guys. There's just always too much going through my brain that I want to share. Too much, and also, nothing.
It's weird.
But mostly, lots of stuff. And no one to share it with, because most of it is uninteresting to pretty much the whole of the world's population. But I just come across these awesome links, stories and articles and such, all the time, and I want to talk to everyone about them! So then I post some to Facebook, but then I feel like I'm just constantly putting up links, and that's weird. So then I'm thinking about setting up a Twitter account so I can have somewhere to put them without cluttering everyone's facebook page. But then I'd have to figure out a username, and I'm soooo not good at that if my go-to is already taken (seriously, why would someone else use Susalyn? That's MY nickname! Sheesh. And not only did someone take it, but that person hasn't even used it for anything! Not cool, man, not cool).
Maybe I should just use my blog for that purpose. A daily round-up of interesting links I found, if you will. The only problem with that is I don't really tend to give out my blog url to people (seriously, I was reluctant even to tell my roommate what it was last year. I think she eventually found it on her own, somehow, once). I'm not really sure why that is...I mean, obviously I know that if it's on the internet, it's find-able, and it's not like I typically tell deep, dark secrets here. Mostly whining about how much I miss Colorado and how much I dislike being single. But maybe I'm a tad embarrassed by the me-centrism of my blog, and that's why I don't want many people to know about it...? But then, maybe changing things up a bit and having a link post every day would help me fix that. Because, really, this is one hecka crappy blog. But it's mine, all mine. Anyway.
What was I saying?
I don't know.
Oh. Links. Yeah. So there's that. And then I come across all these great knitting patterns all the time, too, and places where I can find great knitting patterns, and things about yarn, and knitting needles, etc etc. And I just want to DO IT ALL. I have so many things I want to knit. I just want to knit until my little fingers fall off. Oh man, do you know how sad I would be if my fingers fell off? (Or if, more likely, something happened that left my hands useless. Or amputated. Or whatever.) I would be so sad not to be able to knit anymore. And no chance of ever playing the violin again...I really wish I had kept up with that. Well, maybe I can get back into it once I'm done with school.
But yes. Knitting. I love it. Love it. Love love it. I can't even stand it. It's ridiculous, how much I love knitting. It's embarrassing, except I love it too much to be embarrassed. And hey, it's like a public service, right? Sure, I keep some of the things I knit (a few scarves, some hats, headbands that take like 5 minutes to do, that one blanket that was my first attempt at a blanket, and which I finally finished last semester sometime after having put it away for over a year), but mostly they're gifts and such. And someday, maybe, I can try my hand at selling a few things. I hope I can do that. I guess I should stop committing to making people things...but it's just so fun! Oh and there's so many things I want to try! Like, I found a pattern for this blanket that folds up and has an extra pocket/flap thing in which most of the blanket can be tucked, so it makes a pillow when it's all folded. My roommate had a quilt like that last year. I can totally knit one! And I actually found a pattern yesterday for a really cute knit skirt. Kinda weird, not sure how it'd actually look in reality (as opposed to the "official" pictures, which probably always look better than the real thing), but it'd be fun to try. Someday.
Oh, and then there's this one blog post I want to write, except I'm not sure how to fit it into this blog anymore. I used to write more about Catholic issues and such, but for the last year it's mostly been me whining. So a random post stuck in about homosexuality just seems like it'd be a little out of place...part of the reason I've been toying with the idea of starting a new blog, just to start fresh. I don't know, though.
Not that any of this really matters. The important thing is...it rained all day today. And it's awesome. Except it was still almost 80, which meant it was just kind of gross out, instead of nice and cool like we all want it to be (finally). It's still raining right now, and I love that sound. I had a really good day today, and I have no idea why. I've been in such a foul funk lately. And it's been frustrating, because I know I've been depressed but have no idea what to do about it. It's like it's...just beyond me. I try, and I give myself these internal pep talks all the time, trying to tell myself to be more cheerful, to respond more, to be better, but none of it works. Maybe it's me just being stubborn or something, I don't know. It just all feels like more than I can handle, but I have to handle it, and then I feel ridiculous because things could be SO MUCH WORSE because, really, what's my problem? I'm stuck in a place I don't like so I can be in a program I (mostly...) believe in? I'm far away from my family and friends, so I don't want to form new attachments? I'm single, so I act like this person I wouldn't even want to be acquainted with (let alone anything else)? Seriously. I have issues, and I just need to get over it. It's not that bad. And even if it is, it's only temporary. Yeah, it sucks. (Especially the single part because, "only 25" or not, I feel it. I feel the time ticking away. And then yesterday I read a news article about an 85-year-old woman who just got married. For the first time. EVER. I really hope I don't have to wait another 60 years. I know God's timing is perfect, but...really?) But there's no point in me being such a complete drag.
Anyway. Point is, my outlook has been better today. Why that is, I couldn't tell you. (Except I can tell you that my mood practically immediately began to improve when I made the decision to go to adoration at St. Rita's last night. They do a Holy Hour from 7-8 every Wednesday, and I was only there from 7:30-8, but I'm pretty sure Jesus must have just been sitting there waiting for me, with all this grace to give me so that I can get through at least today. Just a day at a time, that's all I need to do. And grace is, thankfully, abundant, if we ask for it. God provides. I mean, it'd be nice if he provided me something else too, but I guess he doesn't think I need that yet. And I guess I just have to agree. God's pretty smart. I? am not.)
And then I got $.20/gal off when I filled up my car today, because Giant (a supermarket chain that's out here, but not in Colorado...can't remember if it was in Indiana too. Might have been) has a program, for every 100 points you get it's 10 cents off at Shell. I'm not sure how they calculate points, but all of a sudden I checked the other day and I had like 250. Sweet! I think it was boosted because last weekend I did my more-or-less once-a-month major grocery shopping expedition. That's usually how I work - get a bunch of stuff once a month or so, and then a couple other times throughout the month go for the more fresh items that get used up and/or go bad. Either way, hey, I filled up my tank for $2.50/gal today!
And classes. I have a love/hate relationship with some of them, and the Institute itself, right now. I have been better, somehow, about keeping up with the reading in most of them, and it's amazing how much more I get out of class when I've at least perused the readings. (Hey, only took me a year of grad school, plus, what, 16 years of other schooling? to figure that out!) And we're now done with Theology of the Body, which frees up a lot more time. Especially once we take the final, which happens on Monday. I have a lot going on next week, school-wise, which has oddly made me more productive this week. That just doesn't happen in Susie-land. For example, I have to turn in a paper topic and preliminary bibliography next Thursday for my Patristics class. I'm not sure yet what I'm doing, but I've actually been researching topics and trying to figure that out. And it's not next Wednesday! Amazing! (Of course, I still don't really know what I'm doing...I want to write on the marriage passage in Tobit, but I haven't found much that the Church Fathers have written on that piece of Scripture, unfortunately...)
Aaaaanyway...
Life is weird. I hope God realizes what a terrible navigator I am. I hope he's written that into the plans of my life and made concessions for it. I mean, in real life, I'm not too bad at it. If I get lost, I'm usually pretty good at finding my way back to where I need to be. Sometimes takes longer than others, but I make it work. Maybe that'll be true in life, too. (I just hate always having this feeling of...what if? What if I had done something differently? Could I be married with a kid or two by now? Or would I still be here, because this is where I was supposed to be? What if I got here too early? Or too late? What if I missed out on something I was supposed to do, and can never get that back? There's really no way to answer these questions, and as Aslan says, "To know what would have happened, child? No. Nobody is ever told that. But anyone can find out what will happen." (Prince Caspian. Page 137 in my awesome set.) He also says basically the same thing, maybe in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Same two characters (Lucy and Aslan). "Child, did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?" (Page 136. Oh weird! haha. Practically the same page, same characters, two different books. What are the odds?)
(PS - can I just say, I'm in love with my Chronicles of Narnia set? We had a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was growing up, and it was the only one I ever read, and then my sophomore year of college or something I decided to look into buying a whole set - I tried to read a all-in-one-book version from the library sometime in high school, but it's hard for me to curl up with a huge book like that. Felt like I was reading an encyclopedia or something. So I looked on ebay, and lo and behold, someone was selling a whole set that matched the one book we had! I was excited beyond believe, and it was my first ebay purchase, and man. I love it. It was used, obviously, but so was the one we already had so they matched. I think they were printed in the 80s or something. I love them so. They're each really small, and such quick reads, and I just love them. Mmm. Yay.)
Seriously. Why am I still typing words? They're all pretty meaningless. And I have some Hannah Coulter to read. And some afghans to knit. And some sleep to...sleep.
Au revoir, mes amies.
It's weird.
But mostly, lots of stuff. And no one to share it with, because most of it is uninteresting to pretty much the whole of the world's population. But I just come across these awesome links, stories and articles and such, all the time, and I want to talk to everyone about them! So then I post some to Facebook, but then I feel like I'm just constantly putting up links, and that's weird. So then I'm thinking about setting up a Twitter account so I can have somewhere to put them without cluttering everyone's facebook page. But then I'd have to figure out a username, and I'm soooo not good at that if my go-to is already taken (seriously, why would someone else use Susalyn? That's MY nickname! Sheesh. And not only did someone take it, but that person hasn't even used it for anything! Not cool, man, not cool).
Maybe I should just use my blog for that purpose. A daily round-up of interesting links I found, if you will. The only problem with that is I don't really tend to give out my blog url to people (seriously, I was reluctant even to tell my roommate what it was last year. I think she eventually found it on her own, somehow, once). I'm not really sure why that is...I mean, obviously I know that if it's on the internet, it's find-able, and it's not like I typically tell deep, dark secrets here. Mostly whining about how much I miss Colorado and how much I dislike being single. But maybe I'm a tad embarrassed by the me-centrism of my blog, and that's why I don't want many people to know about it...? But then, maybe changing things up a bit and having a link post every day would help me fix that. Because, really, this is one hecka crappy blog. But it's mine, all mine. Anyway.
What was I saying?
I don't know.
Oh. Links. Yeah. So there's that. And then I come across all these great knitting patterns all the time, too, and places where I can find great knitting patterns, and things about yarn, and knitting needles, etc etc. And I just want to DO IT ALL. I have so many things I want to knit. I just want to knit until my little fingers fall off. Oh man, do you know how sad I would be if my fingers fell off? (Or if, more likely, something happened that left my hands useless. Or amputated. Or whatever.) I would be so sad not to be able to knit anymore. And no chance of ever playing the violin again...I really wish I had kept up with that. Well, maybe I can get back into it once I'm done with school.
But yes. Knitting. I love it. Love it. Love love it. I can't even stand it. It's ridiculous, how much I love knitting. It's embarrassing, except I love it too much to be embarrassed. And hey, it's like a public service, right? Sure, I keep some of the things I knit (a few scarves, some hats, headbands that take like 5 minutes to do, that one blanket that was my first attempt at a blanket, and which I finally finished last semester sometime after having put it away for over a year), but mostly they're gifts and such. And someday, maybe, I can try my hand at selling a few things. I hope I can do that. I guess I should stop committing to making people things...but it's just so fun! Oh and there's so many things I want to try! Like, I found a pattern for this blanket that folds up and has an extra pocket/flap thing in which most of the blanket can be tucked, so it makes a pillow when it's all folded. My roommate had a quilt like that last year. I can totally knit one! And I actually found a pattern yesterday for a really cute knit skirt. Kinda weird, not sure how it'd actually look in reality (as opposed to the "official" pictures, which probably always look better than the real thing), but it'd be fun to try. Someday.
Oh, and then there's this one blog post I want to write, except I'm not sure how to fit it into this blog anymore. I used to write more about Catholic issues and such, but for the last year it's mostly been me whining. So a random post stuck in about homosexuality just seems like it'd be a little out of place...part of the reason I've been toying with the idea of starting a new blog, just to start fresh. I don't know, though.
Not that any of this really matters. The important thing is...it rained all day today. And it's awesome. Except it was still almost 80, which meant it was just kind of gross out, instead of nice and cool like we all want it to be (finally). It's still raining right now, and I love that sound. I had a really good day today, and I have no idea why. I've been in such a foul funk lately. And it's been frustrating, because I know I've been depressed but have no idea what to do about it. It's like it's...just beyond me. I try, and I give myself these internal pep talks all the time, trying to tell myself to be more cheerful, to respond more, to be better, but none of it works. Maybe it's me just being stubborn or something, I don't know. It just all feels like more than I can handle, but I have to handle it, and then I feel ridiculous because things could be SO MUCH WORSE because, really, what's my problem? I'm stuck in a place I don't like so I can be in a program I (mostly...) believe in? I'm far away from my family and friends, so I don't want to form new attachments? I'm single, so I act like this person I wouldn't even want to be acquainted with (let alone anything else)? Seriously. I have issues, and I just need to get over it. It's not that bad. And even if it is, it's only temporary. Yeah, it sucks. (Especially the single part because, "only 25" or not, I feel it. I feel the time ticking away. And then yesterday I read a news article about an 85-year-old woman who just got married. For the first time. EVER. I really hope I don't have to wait another 60 years. I know God's timing is perfect, but...really?) But there's no point in me being such a complete drag.
Anyway. Point is, my outlook has been better today. Why that is, I couldn't tell you. (Except I can tell you that my mood practically immediately began to improve when I made the decision to go to adoration at St. Rita's last night. They do a Holy Hour from 7-8 every Wednesday, and I was only there from 7:30-8, but I'm pretty sure Jesus must have just been sitting there waiting for me, with all this grace to give me so that I can get through at least today. Just a day at a time, that's all I need to do. And grace is, thankfully, abundant, if we ask for it. God provides. I mean, it'd be nice if he provided me something else too, but I guess he doesn't think I need that yet. And I guess I just have to agree. God's pretty smart. I? am not.)
And then I got $.20/gal off when I filled up my car today, because Giant (a supermarket chain that's out here, but not in Colorado...can't remember if it was in Indiana too. Might have been) has a program, for every 100 points you get it's 10 cents off at Shell. I'm not sure how they calculate points, but all of a sudden I checked the other day and I had like 250. Sweet! I think it was boosted because last weekend I did my more-or-less once-a-month major grocery shopping expedition. That's usually how I work - get a bunch of stuff once a month or so, and then a couple other times throughout the month go for the more fresh items that get used up and/or go bad. Either way, hey, I filled up my tank for $2.50/gal today!
And classes. I have a love/hate relationship with some of them, and the Institute itself, right now. I have been better, somehow, about keeping up with the reading in most of them, and it's amazing how much more I get out of class when I've at least perused the readings. (Hey, only took me a year of grad school, plus, what, 16 years of other schooling? to figure that out!) And we're now done with Theology of the Body, which frees up a lot more time. Especially once we take the final, which happens on Monday. I have a lot going on next week, school-wise, which has oddly made me more productive this week. That just doesn't happen in Susie-land. For example, I have to turn in a paper topic and preliminary bibliography next Thursday for my Patristics class. I'm not sure yet what I'm doing, but I've actually been researching topics and trying to figure that out. And it's not next Wednesday! Amazing! (Of course, I still don't really know what I'm doing...I want to write on the marriage passage in Tobit, but I haven't found much that the Church Fathers have written on that piece of Scripture, unfortunately...)
Aaaaanyway...
Life is weird. I hope God realizes what a terrible navigator I am. I hope he's written that into the plans of my life and made concessions for it. I mean, in real life, I'm not too bad at it. If I get lost, I'm usually pretty good at finding my way back to where I need to be. Sometimes takes longer than others, but I make it work. Maybe that'll be true in life, too. (I just hate always having this feeling of...what if? What if I had done something differently? Could I be married with a kid or two by now? Or would I still be here, because this is where I was supposed to be? What if I got here too early? Or too late? What if I missed out on something I was supposed to do, and can never get that back? There's really no way to answer these questions, and as Aslan says, "To know what would have happened, child? No. Nobody is ever told that. But anyone can find out what will happen." (Prince Caspian. Page 137 in my awesome set.) He also says basically the same thing, maybe in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Same two characters (Lucy and Aslan). "Child, did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?" (Page 136. Oh weird! haha. Practically the same page, same characters, two different books. What are the odds?)
(PS - can I just say, I'm in love with my Chronicles of Narnia set? We had a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was growing up, and it was the only one I ever read, and then my sophomore year of college or something I decided to look into buying a whole set - I tried to read a all-in-one-book version from the library sometime in high school, but it's hard for me to curl up with a huge book like that. Felt like I was reading an encyclopedia or something. So I looked on ebay, and lo and behold, someone was selling a whole set that matched the one book we had! I was excited beyond believe, and it was my first ebay purchase, and man. I love it. It was used, obviously, but so was the one we already had so they matched. I think they were printed in the 80s or something. I love them so. They're each really small, and such quick reads, and I just love them. Mmm. Yay.)
Seriously. Why am I still typing words? They're all pretty meaningless. And I have some Hannah Coulter to read. And some afghans to knit. And some sleep to...sleep.
Au revoir, mes amies.
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