Listings

I tend to make lists in order to keep my life in order. I keep lists of
*what I need to do each day,
*what I need to get done with school for the time being
*things at work to keep myself on track.

It gives me something to check off - something to check myself against, something to look at and say "OK, it's done".

So, Chris and I are in Birmingham for the night. He's doing a boyscout event, I've been holed up in a Hotel room doing homework (lesson plans and units, anyone?). Then I realize that I forgot my hairbrush.

This has been a long time coming - me forgetting something drastic.

Chris has made fun of me for years for my lists. I have always made lists, even when packing for one night, because it is my coping mechanism. So, since we were just leaving the for the night and then to spend the day in Birmingham to do some shopping and bumming around out of Huntsville, I just thought that maybe I would use a list this time.

So, since Chris isn't back from his boyscout function, I'm making him stop to find me a hairbrush for tomorrow.

That'll teach me!

Pranksters invade Starbucks with desktop computers

Read more here!

Link is now fixed!

Charles Barkley is my hero!

I've heard rumors that he's running for governor of Alabama and I say he's probably what we need right now.

We need a celebrity governor because they're so hip. I think it'd bring some street cred to the state. I also think we need a celeb gov, who doesn't have giant money interest in Alabama, to hopefully bring some great things here. I also think that his view on the republican party is a little bit refreshing.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/02/15/charles-barkley-on-the-situation-room-gop-full-of-fake-christians/

Don't talk back to Darth Vader! He'll getcha!

Star Wars according to a 3 year old.



It warms my heart and makes me want children.

"Birds" by Kate Nash

She was waiting at the station
He was getting off the train
He didnt have a ticket so he had to bum through the barriers again.
Well the ticket inspector saw him rushing through
He said girl you don't know how much I missed you but
We'd better run cos' I haven't got the funds to pay this
Fine
She said
Fine

So they ran out of the station and jumped onto a bus with two of yesterdays travel cards and two bottles of Bud,
And he said you look well nice.
Well she was wearing a skirt
And he thought she looked nice
And yeah, she didn't really care about anything else
Because she only wanted him to think that she looked nice,
And he did.

But he was looking at her, yeah all funny in the eye
She said come on boy tell me what your thinking now, don't be shy.
He said alright, I'll try.
All the stars up in the sky and the leaves in the trees,
All the broken bits that make you trip up and grassy bits in between.
All them are in the world that's how much I like you.

She said what?
He said let me try and explain again.

Birds can fly so high, and they can shit on your head,
Yeah they can almost fly into your eye and make you feel so scared.
But when you look at them, and you see that they're beautiful,
That's how i feel about you.
Right birds can fly so high and they can shit on your head,
Yeah they can almost fly into your eye and make you feel more scared.
But when you look at them, and you see that they're beautiful,
That's how i feel about you.
Yeah thats how i feel about you

She said, what?
He said you.
She said what are you talking about?
He said you.

Right birds can fly so high and they can shit on your head
Yeah they can almost fly into your eye and make you feel so scared.
But when you look at them, and you see that they're beautiful,
That's how i feel about you.
Right birds can fly so high and they can shit on your head,
Yeah they can almost fly into your eye and make you feel more scared.
But when you look at them, and you see that they're beautiful,
That's how i feel about you.
Right, that's how i feel about you.

She said thanks, I like you too.
He said cool.

Obama

I've liked Obama since the last election, while watching his speeches during the DNC. They were incredibly hopeful and moving. I liked the idea of Obama running for president, and I'm so happy that he's done that.

Up until this point, I wasn't SOLD on either democratic candidate. HIlary has an "air" about her, and Obama has a different approach than any other presidential candidate up to this point in my lifetime. But I wasn't SURE.

Well, whoever wrote this blog has fixed it for me. The author has gone through the library of congress website and has given a great run down on the accomplishments in the senate for Obama and for Clinton.

Obama has accomplished more and on a wider and more effective scope than Clinton has so far. It is impressive how much more Obama has gotten done as senator, and also the scope of his proposed legislation. Most of Clinton's has been "temporary" tax cuts and incentives to remedy a situation in the short term. Obama has proposed legislation to not temporarily fix the environment and energy crisis, but to remedy the situation. I'm impressed. He's also gotten more support for more of his proposed bills.

Anyway, there's the summation. The lists of bills etc are included in this blog.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633

Russia is exhausting

I have been studying like mad for my midterm in Modern Russia tomorrow. I find the subject pretty interesting, but it's exhausting.

It's also no wonder why those poor russian serfs were so fed up with their lot in life that they decided to rebel against the ancient regime and, well, also kill the ancient regime.

Nicholas II and Alexandra never saw it coming. It just goes to show you when you oppress massive amounts of people long enough, they'll eventually go violent on you. The depressing state of affairs in Russia from 1850-1920 is exhausting.

Take to the Sky

this house is like russia
with eyes cold and grey
you got me moving in a circle
i dyed my hair red today
i just want a little passion
to hold me in the dark
i know i've got some magic
buried deep in my heart yeah
but my priest says
you ain't savin' no souls
my father says
you ain't makin' any money
my doctor says
you just took it to the limit
and here i stand
with this sword in my hand

you can say it one more time
what you don't like
let me hear it one more time then
have a seat while i
take to the sky

my heart is like the ocean
it gets in the way
so close to touching freedom
then i hear the guards call my name

but my priest says
you ain't savin' no souls
my father says
you ain't makin' any money
my doctor says
you just took it to the limit
and here i stand
with this sword in my hand

if you don't like me just a little, well
why do you hang around
if you don't like me just a little
why do you
take it, take it, take it
(there she goes again
wearing those purple panties
there she goes again
wearing her heart
there she goes again)

this house is like russia
you can say it one more time
you can say it one more time
you can say it one more time
what you don't like
let me hear it one more time
then have a seat while i
take to the sky

--Tori Amos

Last week on Oprah

Oprah featured some very wise ladies on her show last, each of whom had written a book on finding the purpose and meaning in your own life. She also featured some "real life" women who had taken some of those practices described in the books to heart and implemented them in their own lives.

One of those practices is a "vision board" - a board where women placed quotes, pictures, notes of whatever it was that made them happy in life, their goals, dreams, and wishes...

A few years ago I think I would have scoffed at such an idea, but for some reason it strikes a chord with me now. I think I'm going to make a vision board and put it in my office by my desk. I'm going to place some things on the board (a pretty board, not some ugly old walmart special bulletin board that's falling apart. My immediate goal is going to creating a nice and soothing space out of my desk instead of a pit of despair (or clutter). I'm going to find a neat picture in a magazine and put it on my vision board as my first vision.

My next vision, right after I place a picture of a work space is going to be a job at Randolph school. It has always been my dream to be either a teacher at a private school or a teacher in a school that really could use someone with drive and passion. I know that's two crazy ends of the spectrum, but that's what I want as a teacher.

I don't have a teaching certification yet, but the job description posted on the Randolph website only says bachelors degree with experience in teaching a plus. I'm hoping that with a bachelors, being currently enrolled in a teacher ed program, and all of the other credentials that I have will make me at least a decent candidate for the job. It's something I want so very badly.

So, cheesy vision board, here I come.

vita.mn

I have recently, thanks to my cousin, been very interested in mass-market blogs. She has turned me on to cnet's "The Social" by Caroline McCarthy. It's not exactly my subject matter, but I find it very interesting. I've also found the gawker, a celeb watch blog, Zen Habits, and boinkology.net. But, what I've been most interested in is www.vita.mn .

Vita.mn is a large blog based on the life and activities of living in the Minneapolis metro area. I wish that Huntsville had something so interesting. There are a lot of things going on in Huntsville - some interesting, and some not. But, for the most part, you have no excuse to be bored here. I chose not to go out because it's not my thing, but there would be plenty to do if I wanted to.

The only thing I've been able to find remotely close is Huntsville Event magazine, which we carry at Starbucks. Even though this magazine is run by a person I knew in high school, I'm just not impressed. It seems to cater to the "upper crust" (I guess why it's in Starbucks), with fancy dinners, expensive charity balls and advertisements for fancy clothing boutiques, spas, and Debutante events. Huntsville might have some affluent citizens, but this magazine certainly doesn't represent the general population, or the interests of the people that might actually feel fed by such a publication.

A couple of people I know have had really hard weeks the past week. Well, actually, several people I know have had really bad weeks in the past week, and I wish there was more I could do for each of them.

I must say that I'm surprised how maturly these crises have been handled by some. And while, when I was 18 years old, I thought that my life had drama, I know now that things could have been much harder to handle with a decent head on my shoulders.

I am proud of them for sticking to it in some cases, and in other cases, I'm proud of them getting the heck out of there.

Flu

So, this is the first time in my life that I've ever had the flu.

And I'm not at all interested in the flu. This has been the most icky few days I can remember. Taking a shower was a major undertaking today. Doing my homework was ehausting. Normal every day activities have been like running marathons. Everything aches, I'm congested, I'm coughing and sneezing, and just getting up off the couch seems like an enormous waste of effort.

I'm ready to be over this flu and to move on with my life.

To reiterate

I do not like Huckabee. I do not like him here nor there. i do not like him anywhere.

The more I read about him, the more I feel he is not what our country needs. Someone so close minded toward any belief system or lifestyle than his own cannot be open hearted enough to deal with the diversity in this country and globally.

Super Tuesday

I am watching Brian Williams cover the results of thie Super Tuesday Presidential Primary.

I am watching as Huckabee surprises everyone as he surpasses Romney in the republican primaries.

I am watching astounded.

My arguements might sound as if I'm against religion, and I'm not. Just bare with me.

Mike Huckabee has catch phrases like "preserving the sanctity of life". He believes that there should be no abortion because apparently the bible tells me so. He believes that because the bible, a religious text, says that the United States should uphold laws based on this religious text. I'm pretty sure that the constitution is decidedly for the separation of church and state.

He is campaigning on a platform to do away with the IRS because the constitution doesn't have a place explicitly for the IRS, that taxation should be a responsibility of the states - constitutionally speaking.

Wait a minute... I guess it's ok to tell women what they can do with their bodies since it's in the bible even though it's not in the constitution to combine the two.

Huckabee picks and chooses what he which parts of the constitution he likes and which parts he doesn't to fullfill whatever he feels like at the moment. I respect religious conviction, but I'm afraid that if we mix his religious conviction with our not religious government, we could find some horrible situations.

Here is my message -

As young people, we have more at stake in this election than the older people - our futures are a little longer than theirs. While at the polls today, I only saw old people. LIke, senior citizen people, and those people were all voting republican. I bet they all went out and voted because in their church bullitens their preachers were promoting men like Mike Huckabee for president because if we don't vote him in, our country is obviously going to hell. Scare tactics.

If you care at all - even just a little bit, it's so important to vote and have your voice be heard. There are staggering statistics on how many young people do not vote. It's disheartening.

The republican liberals can live with?

I always thought there was something ingenuine about John McCain. When discussion issues himself, he sugar coats them and makes the unsuspecting masses think he's a "bipartisan" link....
But there was always something weird and off about him in my opinion.

This article hits the nail on the head. Ugh.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/348434_mccainonline24.html?source=mypi

Since Chris has switched jobs back to his old position with his other group, I can see a huge improvement in his mood and his self esteem.

How much energy do we put into our work? I would say that most people place a good majority of their energy into their work. I guess that's proportionate with how much of our time we spend at work? I'm not sure. But, while Chris was working on a project that didn't really use his abilities, he felt that his time spent was pointless. He felt he didn't contribute to the "greater good" at work, and he was so frustrated.

Now that he feels like he's contributing something, his demeanor is different. He doesn't come home angry or frustrated because of the work that he's doing. He might come home angry and frustrated for some other reason, but not because of work!

I can also take this concept and apply it to myself, and how a toxic work environment can alter your entire outlook. While working with the kids at the daycare, I enjoyed working with the kids for sure, but the work environment was so negative because of the people I was surrounded by, and that morphed into the rest of my life and changed my entire outlook on everything. I can tell a change in myself since leaving the daycare. I can tell that having a positive work environment has made me a more positive person. Yeah, people as a whole suck, and serving them coffee and lattes can get really monotonous, but as a rule, the people are nice and genuine. My coworkers are all really great and while we may have negative moments, we have a good time together.

So, we're working for the "man", for a huge corporation, but it's also #6 on the Forbes 100 best places to work.