Aunt Vanessa

Well, I never...

2011-10-11T12:13:00.002-05:00

...post on my blog anymore.
...read others blogs anymore.
...take the time to do anything creative.
...download pics to Flickr.
...cook.
...exercise.

BUT, I will do, beginning NOW:

All of the above.

I figured if I posted it, I'd have a better chance of actually doing some of it.

Love to all.

Too Many Events to Ever Catch Up

2011-06-22T17:07:00.002-05:00

I'd given up posting here, obviously, but I never could quite delete Aunt Vanessa all together. I don't read many blogs anymore, since I seem to waste my time with games on Facebook!

I just read my last post about how much I loved my job. That's hilarious. As I write, I'm looking at boxes everywhere in my apartment. I'm packing to move back to Arkansas and I cannot wait to get out of this town. The honeymoon was over quickly and I fell out of love with the town and the job. I do, however, have a really good job to go to in Arkansas, so I am exceptionally grateful for that. I'm also grateful that I have my wonderful Pete to rely on. He's looking forward to being closer to my family, too. They all love him, so we're going to have a big, mushy lovefest when we arrive in Arkansas.

Much more to tell later.

So, how goes it?

2010-04-26T19:42:00.007-05:00

I love my job! Never thought I would love a job, but it doesn't feel like a job. I now know what it is to be fulfilled. Hallelujah! Everything is falling into place and I haven't felt the need to be crabby or sarcastic or anything negative in over a month. Which is one reason I've not posted an entry. I do think I'll consider either giving up this blog or changing directions with it. Then maybe I can get back some of my readers! I haven't had time to read my favorite blogs in weeks, either.

I now have a Georgia driver's license. When I got it in the mail last week, Pete realized my birthday is wrong on it, so I'm going to go take care of that this week, but other than that, there have been no snafus regarding this move. The weather has been wonderful, so far, but I've been warned about a thousand times that it's hot as hell here for a very long time since we're practically in Florida, only I haven't experienced it yet. I'm thinking skirts and sandals from here on out with those little pantyloons to keep the friction down between my thighs and thus not such a bad heat rash. Yes, I'm writing about my fat thighs rubbing together because that's just how it is. Even if I weighed ninety pounds I'd have this wad of fat between my legs that rubs together. Have always had it, and short of liposuction, I always will.

Now, how about some beautiful photos of our state park? It's only five or six miles from where we live and we love it:

Guess what?

2010-03-13T12:19:00.000-06:00

I got the job. Moving Monday. Things are nuts here.

Georgia on My Mind

2010-02-10T15:59:00.004-06:00

I drove to southwest Georgia last week for a job interview at a public library. It was a long drive (1,800 miles) but I loved the experience. Now, I'm waiting for THE CALL. The library director who interviewed me called today with a few more questions, which means he didn't cross me off his list just yet. I am on pins and needles and cannot concentrate on anything while I'm waiting.

I promise to come back and post some new sewing, decorating, and crafting blogs next week. I keep finding so many and am really having fun reading them. They do get me inspired to create.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

2010-01-18T12:17:00.004-06:00

Well, it got even colder than my last post stated, but now we're getting a little warmer weather, with lots of fog. I love fog.

Dooley has made a miraculous recovery. We are all so relieved and also quite surprised that he is doing so well. I'm so happy for Reece, who has a birthday in a couple of weeks and now he can celebrate with his beloved dog!

I'm buying a sewing machine later today. I've been wanting one for a while and feel the need to be creative. Plus, I want to make some cloth napkins and grocery bags. Pete and I have been using cloth napkins, but we run out before laundry day, so I'm going to sew some more. We've also stopped using paper towels, and added another recycle bin to the trash bin collection so that we can be better about recycling the paper we do use. Whenever we shop, we always consider the packaging now and we are generating less trash. We are trying!

I am obsessed with decorating and crafting/creative blogs. I need to add some to my blog list so you can look at some of them if you're interested. I'll try to do that later.

I finished this book last week and recommend it. I'm going to buy a copy for my mom for her birthday. I loved it. THIS is what I'm reading now. Can hardly put it down, it's that interesting.

Need to go get dressed now and be at least somewhat productive on my holiday.

"Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart."

Martin Luther King Jr.
1929-1968

Sixteen degrees. No kidding.

2009-12-09T13:59:00.006-06:00

What a day to stay in and snuggle with a blanket and a cup of tea! Short of a tornado, it's as windy as I've ever seen it and it's spitting snow outside. I don't want to stick my nose out there only to have it frozen off. I'm thinking I should make a pot of chili and some brownies and just gaze at the Christmas tree for the rest of the afternoon.

Here are some pics I took when I went to Arkansas to visit in October. The first one is Reece and his beloved dog, Dooley. For the past five years, Dooley has been Reece's best buddy. Dooley is the sweetest, friendliest dog. Sadly, Dooley is very ill and we're not sure if he's going to make it much longer. He's not responding to treatment and my brother and sister-in-law were told that they might have to make a tough decision about Dooley within the next week. My heart breaks for Dooley and the family, and especially for Reece. He's being very mature, and trying to accept the possibility that he may lose his dog, but he's also extremely sad. I wish there was something I, or anyone, could do.

I love this one of Reece, Emily, and Dooley:

Emily was trying to show us Dooley's teeth and his "mean" look - but he is too sweet and is having quite an effect on Emily:

One more thing: the link below is for a website I enjoy. Take a look and enter their contest if you'd like.

Cold December Day!

2009-12-05T11:39:00.003-06:00

So. I really had good intentions to start posting more often. Really. But life keeps getting in the way.

I've been watching a lot of old movies lately, particularly Bette Davis movies. "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" and "The Letter" were the last two I watched. Just love the overly-dramatic acting in those old movies. Also watched "Mildred Pierce," one of the best Joan Crawford movies. Anyone else in love with Netflix Instant? It's so simple with an HDMI cable. In fact, Pete and I called and canceled our cable yesterday, because we never watch network television anymore. As long as I have the internet I'm good.

Almost finished with the Christmas shopping. We put up the tree earlier this week, and I wrapped all the gifts, so now we are thinking about doing some baking! Pete bought some cookie cutters and I've been looking up recipes.

Speaking of food, we had a fabulous Thanksgiving meal! I worked for a week on it, and Mom and Don came up to celebrate with us. We had a good time eating and shopping at flea markets. Don bought a very old dresser and took it back to Arkansas and refinished it. It looks wonderful from the photos he sent me. Pete and I refinished a table and a chair recently. Found a Danish Modern end table at the Salvation Army that I want to refinish now. I'm having fun doing that, and I'm looking to buy a sewing machine so I can learn how to sew and make some fun stuff. I don't know where this creative bug came from, since I hardly ever did anything creative or crafty in the past.

Still, still, still looking for a library job. I start a part-time job on campus next week, so I'll have a paycheck again and an excuse to get out of the house, but I'm still job hunting for a library position. I'm planning to apply for the Ph.D program for next fall, which will give me something to fall back on if I'm not hired someplace by then.

I'll be back sooner than later. Promise to try to post more frequently, but right now I need a nap.

I forgot how to post.

2009-10-25T19:57:00.002-05:00

Luckily, I use Mozilla and it remembers my password(s) for me, so I was able to log on to post this worthless entry.

I am sick of everything.

I am bored and not productive.

But,

tomorrow is my day to turn over a new leaf.

I figured if I posted that, I might actually do it.

I'll be back in a day or so, NO, not a month or two, really, to write about what's been going on and some of the crazy ideas I've been juggling in my mind about my future and stuff.

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

2009-08-27T18:10:00.004-05:00

I have a telephone interview tomorrow with a university library. Wish me luck.

This is how I'm going to feel tomorrow, but hopefully not how I'm going to act:

Seriously

2009-08-23T13:10:00.002-05:00

I know. I haven't posted anything in a month. Didn't want to bore you, but here goes:

Lately, all I do is look for jobs, send resumes, sell some books on eBay, go to flea markets, and play games on Facebook.

Just about finished with this book, then it's on to the next one, but I'm not sure which one yet.

Been watching this series and it's quite funny.

Spending lots of time with my new roommate. Remember the new boyfriend I wrote about? Yes, now he's my roommate, too, and we are having a blast hanging out together. I have decided to keep him and he is learning to pick up his dirty clothes so as not to annoy me.

So, things are okay, just wish I could find a job and I'm trying not to get discouraged. It is a bit disconcerting, however, when I spent all this time working on a master's degree for a promising job market and I continually receive rejection letters. But, I'll keep looking.

And, I'll be back in a week or two.

This one is worth the 4.52 minutes.

2009-07-22T17:24:00.002-05:00

While I'm waiting for the storm to pass:

2009-07-14T12:52:00.002-05:00

I found THIS.

Reece is taking a shower, and when he's dressed we're going to find every pet store in town and look at mice. Then we're going to the Army Surplus store. Again.

Midnight tonight: Harry Potter. Wish me luck.

The Boy

2009-07-13T08:50:00.002-05:00

I returned last night from a week's visit to Arkansas and I brought Reece with me! He's staying until Friday, which is the longest visit he's ever had with me, and he's excited to be here. He told me last night before we went to sleep that he couldn't wait to wake up tomorrow and "do stuff." So, that's what we'll be doing: STUFF.

He's so funny. We picked up sandwiches at a nearby sub shop last night and I'd ordered a veggie sub, and he ordered turkey, ham, and cheese. While we were eating, he asked, "you are eating a sub with no meat on it?" When I answered yes, he said, "that's just wrong."

Just in case you were wondering:

2009-07-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

It was on this day in 1937 that SPAM came onto the market. The canned meat product from Hormel Foods Corporation was given its name by a contest winner; the prize for his ingenuity was $100. On one occasion, a Hormel spokesperson said the name was short for "Shoulder of Pork and Ham"; on another, a company official said it was a conflation of the words "spice and ham." All sorts of parodic acronyms have circulated over the years, including "Something Posing As Meat." The original recipe, still sold as the "Classic" flavor, contains pork shoulder and ham meat, salt, water, sugar, and sodium nitrate. There's a gelatinous glaze on top, which forms like that after the broth cools down.

Spam sold in the Americas is mostly produced in Austin, Minnesota — "Spam Town USA" and home of the SPAM museum. Hawaii's residents consume more Spam per capita than the residents of any other state, and the canned meat has been nicknamed "The Hawaiian Steak." Spam is the main course in the Israeli Defense Force's combat meal kits, but the pork is replaced by beef so that it's kosher.

There's a Monty Python sketch that came out in 1970 where the actors go into a café and try to order breakfast, but almost everything on the menu contains Spam. One woman doesn't want Spam in her breakfast and gets into an argument with the waitress, who tells her that the menu consists of "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam, Spam, Spam, and Spam." It's from this Monty Python sketch that "spam" acquired the use so familiar today: unwanted or unsolicited e-mail. The first recorded use of the word in this way is in 1993. It's also become a verb in the English language, for the action of sending out spam.

And the word "spam" itself, untranslated, is now a noun in French, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. The verb "to spam" in German is "spammen"; in Czech the verb is "spamovat"; and in Italian it's "spammare." There's a new Monty Python's musical, SPAMALOT, currently playing in San Francisco.

No explanation needed if you're an AD fan.

2009-07-04T10:06:00.000-05:00

Buster: And I'm going to continue dating, Mom.

Michael: It sounds a little bit like 'dating Mom'.

Buster: It's starting to feel a little like it.

Happy Holiday

2009-07-03T15:43:00.003-05:00

Can't wait to see this girl next week! She's in Florida now, but will be home about the time I drive down to Arkansas. Planning to stay a week and visit, then I'm bringing Reece back to Columbia with me for a week. We have tickets for the first showing of the new Harry Potter movie on the 15th at midnight. I don't know which feature excites Reece more: the movie or the fact that he's getting to go to a midnight movie. This old auntie will have to drink a couple of espresso shots to stay awake that late.

Free entertainment? You just have to know where to look.

2009-06-28T14:18:00.005-05:00

I've been looking at Craigslist a lot lately, mainly searching for a desk for my future office, but also to waste time that I should be spending cleaning closets or something. Anyway, under the "Rants" section in my local Craigslist, I've been reading a topic called "Weird Neighbors," which is hilarious. The best entry I've read so far is this one, and I promise I copied it exactly as it was posted, only I added some paragraph breaks for clarity. This person should be a writer:

Ours is Earl - not exactly a neighbor, but up the road a bit.

Earl lives in 2 trailers, parked up next to each other so that the back door of one is at the front door of the other. (?)

Earl got a head injury a few years ago because he fell down a staircase that wasn't there while working on a house under construction.

He caught himself on fire one time using gasoline in the wood stove.

He doesn't have running water.

Women actually live with him sometimes.

He had a yard sale that has been there so long, we now tell people to just drive on past the flea market.

He leaves his laundry on the line for weeks at a time. I suppose that's how he washes it.

You can see where all the junk is in the yard, he mows around it, including the old broken down mower.

Earl is our local meth head/alcoholic but we know when he's gotten clean because there is a giant piece of plywood painted with "Jesus Loves You" out in the yard sometimes. He generally gets clean after a jail stint. He's using again when it's gone.

Earl is the nicest person in the world. He'd give you the shirt off his back, if you should want it.

Update on the Unemployed Wannabe Librarian, or "Hire Me!"

2009-06-24T19:43:00.003-05:00

You would think that someone who just graduated and is looking for a job would post more often on her blog, wouldn't you?

Let's see, Emily visited, then Sherry and Sophie came, then they came back two weeks later. Then I cleaned house again in time for my mom to come up for a visit. Now Reece is wanting to come up and I'm trying to figure out a good time for that and somehow incorporate it with a visit to Arkansas sometime in July.

Still applying for jobs, and it's ridiculously time-consuming and I hate it.

It was 99 degrees here yesterday, according to my car's thermometer display. It felt like it was 110 with all the humidity. Today wasn't as bad, but geez! It's not even July yet? Do we really have to put up with this for two more months or longer?

I'm applying for a job in Anchorage. (See above paragraph for reason why.)

Books:

Read this one a couple of weeks ago. If you like biographies about Georgian society members, you'll love it. I tried to watch the Stanley Kubrick movie based on Thackery's story of this event, but only made it through two hours, which was half of the movie. I'm going to attempt the second half one day when I'm hyped up on caffeine.

This book was beautiful writing. I even wept a little. Didn't want it to end. One good thing about being a bum is all the reading I'm able to do now.

Here is what I'm reading now. I fell in love with it after about three pages.

This one is next. Again, loving all this spare reading time!

My mom brought me this book when she came to visit last weekend. I've been wanting it for such a long time and now I own it. Thrilled is the word.

Tired of inserting hyperlinks.

Movies I've watched recently:

"Revolutionary Road" - doesn't live up to the book, but still a good one. The best actors you'll see today. If you like Mad Men, you should see this.

"Gran Torino" - first half was funny, then it got poignant and then predictable, but I still liked it and would recommend it, but it is somewhat violent. Clint Eastwood: still a bad ass.

"Mrs. Henderson Presents" - love Judi Dench and this is her most feisty role ever. And, it's based on a true story, so if you watch it, be sure to watch the special features for the history of the event.

"I've Loved You So Long" - should have been titled "So Long, You're Boring." Kristen Scott Thomas can speak French. That's about all there is to this one.

"The Reader" - how many time have I written this: not as good as the book - ? I think it would have been difficult to follow if I had not read the book.

"Rescue Dawn" - Don loaned it to me because I have been obsessed with the Vietnam War and its movies and literature for years and hadn't seen this movie. One-word description: tense.

"The Secret Life of Bees" - again, not as good as the book, but a good cast and it was enjoyable. Except, in a movie starring Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys, you'd think they'd break out singing just once so we could hear their exceptional voices! And, Dakota Fanning's Southern accent was as bad as Olympia Dukakas's in Steel Magnolias. British actors can nail an American accent, and American actors can do the same to British accents, but why can't a Yankee ever get it right when trying to be a Southerner? It bugs me.

I finished all three seasons of "Arrested Development". Oh, lordy, they were funny. Buster was my favorite character, but they were all equally evil/creepy/endearing.

Season Four of "Weeds" is on its way to me from Netflix. Can't wait.

That looks like a lot of movie viewing and book reading, but hey, it's hot outside.

Okay, okay, I'm also playing a lot of Scrabble to break up the monotony.

That's all I've got.

Happy Birthday, David

2009-06-07T10:37:00.003-05:00

Dear Dave,

You're such a good brother and one of my very best friends. I have been blessed to have you in my life for all these years, which are too many to count. We're getting old, you know? I hope you know how much I appreciate you as a brother and as a person. I see how people light up when you walk into a room because they all know their friend has arrived. Yes, you're a friend to everyone and I don't know a soul who doesn't like you. Thanks, too, for marrying Dawn and having such amazing children. Looks like you inherited the best from our gene pool and passed it along to Emily and Reece. My teeth are now aching from all this sweetness.

Seriously, you didn't think I'd let your birthday slide without a little public humiliation, did you? (I love the way Bera is looking at you in this photo.)

Love Having Company

2009-06-06T09:10:00.003-05:00

Lots going on, and I am the busiest unemployed person I know. Where does the time go? All the little projects I've been planning to tackle this summer? Not even begun. I look for jobs and apply for jobs and look for more and then I take a break and read a book or watch a movie. But, mostly, I've been entertaining!

Mom and Don didn't get to come up for a visit, but Emily came on Memorial Day and stayed until Thursday. Dawn met me at the halfway point on Monday and then again on Thursday to pick her up, and that time she had Reece with her, so we had lunch and I got some good, sweet hugs from the boy, who is as tall as his mother now. I swear he's cuter than the last time I saw him, too.

Emily and I had such a good time hanging out, watching movies, shopping at the flea market and vintage stores. We scored a beautiful white linen dress for Emily at one of the shops. It still had the tag on it and it was an incredible bargain and Em looked gorgeous in it, so we had to buy it! We had dinner at the wonderful Mexican place Emily loves and Pete joined us. Emily wanted to inspect the new boyfriend and she approved my dating him. I love that girl. Didn't want her to leave.

The next day, Friday, Sherry and Sophie arrived and stayed until Sunday. We had a great time, too. Sophie is the sweetest 13-year-old, and I had fun spoiling her like I do Emily and Reece. Sherry and I stayed up until 4am and 3am both mornings talking, which left us dragging our butts during the day, but we had so much to talk about! They're coming back to spend next weekend with me on their way home from Omaha, so I'm looking forward to that.

Sandy and I went to a conference earlier this week at Osage Beach. It was a good conference, mostly, and the food was great and it was nice spending time with Sandy. We had a two-bedroom suite and we both wished we could have stayed an extra night but we had to get home. I tripped on some uneven gravel the first night and hurt my already broken toe, which made walking difficult, but I managed to get around okay. Toe's better, but I'm still not ready to resume my walking every morning.

Next up: visits from Reece, Don, and Mom, but not sure in what order. I just know that they all need to get a visit in before I leave this place.

I'll return tomorrow for a birthday post for a dear brother of mine.

So, later.

I Are a Graduate Now!

2009-05-17T10:11:00.004-05:00

I just looked back at my archived posts for a short story David wrote about going to the Christmas Parade with Reece in 2005, and I started reading some of my older posts, and some of them were funny. I am not funny anymore. And I rarely post even a boring entry! I guess that's what grad school does to a person - sucks the very life from her.

So, I now officially have TWO master's degrees. And no job. I'm looking, though, and have several prospects, so I'm not the least bit discouraged right now. Job-hunting takes a lot of time, too! I spend hours online writing letters and sending them and tweaking my resume and blah, blah, blah.

And, on top of all that, I have a broken toe. My right great toe, as a podiatrist would say. If it isn't broken, it's sprained at the very least, and it hurts to walk on it, so I'm limping around my apartment. How did it happen? I tripped going in the door of my new boyfriend's house and took a dive right into his living room. Oh, I haven't mentioned the boyfriend? He's a real one, and I like him, just don't like his front door. He has this great cat, however, that I'm dying to introduce to Abby. hee hee Anyway, the boyfriend is Pete and we met last month and are unbelievably compatible. It's still too early to know, but I think he might have some staying power. We will see. And, I'll keep you updated.

I'm having a girls' night Thursday night and we're going to have wine and something easy, like pizza. It's Keila, Whitney, and Brett, my "adopted nieces" who are coming over and I can't wait to see them and get caught up with them.

Mom's coming up Friday and spending a few days with me, too. We're planning a casino trip (of course) and some shopping and lots of coffee-drinking. Don is going to try to come with her, but he might not be able to make it.

My friend, Sherry, and her daughter, Sophie, are going to come up the next weekend and spend a night or two on their way to Omaha to visit family. They are going to bring Emily with them if we can work it out with her schedule. That will be so much fun. Emily can then spend a few additional days with me and we can have some much-missed alone time. She's really into photography, now, and we will have to find some interesting places to shoot while she's here.

So, I need to clean house! Better get with it.

Bye, Bea

2009-04-26T07:46:00.003-05:00

If I were (and will be soon enough) a Golden Girl, I'd want to be Dorothy. Even though Blanche had a lot more fun, Dorothy was the tall, smart-mouth, sarcastic one who was a stickler for proper English. That's pretty much me in a nutshell.

I hope Bea and Estelle are sharing a room now and giving some shit to the other angels.

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Man

2009-04-23T09:04:00.002-05:00

Born 23 April 1564, Died 23 April 1616

I would like to say I've read everything he's written, but I can't, since, alas, I haven't. But I will attempt it.

Still Celebrating

2009-04-17T10:26:00.003-05:00

What a relief to know, without a doubt, that I will graduate next month. My family will be happy to know that I'm not planning to walk in the ceremony, which means they won't have to make excuses not to come. Not that my mom would miss it. She'd be up here in a heartbeat if I asked her to. She and brother Don are coming up Memorial weekend for a few days. Don's not been to visit, ever, so I'm looking forward to that. Don and Mom and I are very compatible when we're together. We all seem to like the sames activities and we will have a great time.

Reece and Emily are both planning on visiting this summer. Of course, it'll be two separate trips. They want to visit individually so that they don't have to share back-rubbing time and attention from their aunt. Brother Dave and sis-in-law Dawn haven't been up for a visit. Not that they haven't been invited, and have an open invitation. My friend Sherry and her daughter Sophie, and hopefully Emily with them, are going to try to come up, too. I'm looking forward to all the company.

I'm job hunting! I will have a job by the end of the summer so help me God. It's a pain applying for jobs, but fortunately there are several openings, all over the country, in my field. Plus, I'm flexible about where I will go. The only location I'm not interested in is the South - too hot. However, I won't rule out anything. I know I have to take something to get some experience. I'm crossing my fingers for a position in Milwaukee at Marquette. Hope I didn't just jinx that by writing about it, but it's the job most suited to me and I really, really want it!

Okay, that's it for now. Got to get busy on some papers and knowing I won't have to do any more schoolwork in a matter of weeks makes me want to get it all done now. Hope everyone has good weather this weekend.

xoxo

What's that?

2009-04-09T15:59:00.003-05:00

Re: Comps

I passed! I said, I passed! All four sections! Just found out! Hooray for exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring Break Check-In

2009-03-25T10:30:00.003-05:00

I think I rushed into Spring a little too soon, forgetting that I'm in Missouri. We had some really nice, warm weather last week, and I was thinking about sandals, which lead me to the thoughts of pedicures, because a Southern Woman never shows her feet without having prettied them up, so I spent some time Monday giving myself a pedi/mani and felt all ready to don those sandals, and now it's like 40 degrees here! And there is SNOW predicted for Saturday. What the...?

This is Spring Break, and I'm holed up in the house, supposedly studying for comps, which begin on Sunday and last the entirety of next week. I've already told my students that I'm canceling classes next week and they are quite delighted. So, I've been studying, some, but I've also been doing some cleaning and have watched some movies. I also had a paper I had to finish on Monday that I didn't get done last weekend. It was a bugger and ended up being 18 pages. Glad it's over.

So, what are comps? For me to graduate in May, I have to pass all four sections, which are papers I must write next week, with the exact subjects given to me on Sunday via Blackboard. We've been given "hints" as to what the questions will be, and were given some articles to read, so this week I have to study the articles and find more articles related to the subjects, and write an outline of ideas for the papers. Each paper only has to be six pages, with five sources, but there are FOUR of them. In one week. I'm not nervous about it, though. I know I can do it, I just have to focus!

I took a break yesterday and turned on the TV while eating lunch, and I saw this amazing demonstration on QVC for these microfiber cleaning cloths. They clean everything! With only water! No chemical cleaning products! So I ordered them. Apparently I'm a sucker, now. I give money to strangers in grocery store parking lots, and now I order cleaning "rags" from a television show. I'll let you know how they work.

Thank goodness I got Netflix to resume. I have "Milk" to watch, and I can hardly wait to watch it. Love Sean Penn. I watched "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" last night. I recently read a Lennon bio for Teen Lit class and it got me curious to watch the documentary. Meh. Not that good, and not that interesting, really.

Have "Rachel Getting Married" at the top of my queue. Anyone seen it?

Emily is in Chicago with her church group for Spring Break. She said they would get a break from all the praying to go shopping one day. That was a terrible way to put that, I know. Hope she's having a good time.

I have no idea what Reece is doing. I left a message for him to call me yesterday, but I haven't heard from him. I'm going to call him again in a minute. Mom tells me his latest obsession is the military and he's watching a bunch of war movies now. I love that boy.

Wow, I know this has been riveting. More later!

Are you wearing green today?

2009-03-17T12:39:00.002-05:00

How about this little darling to make you smile today? Meet Lucy, my friend Kelly's adorable little girl. (Shown here with Kelly's permission, of course!) Kelly also sent the following. Thanks, K!

Wishing you always...
Walls for the wind,
A roof for the rain
And tea beside the fire.
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire

Lesson learned: Be on guard!

2009-03-15T09:20:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I stopped at the grocery store after my shift at the library to pick up some popcorn because Abby gets rather agitated if she doesn't get her popcorn at least a couple nights each week. I got out of my car and was immediately approached by a young woman, probably in her early twenties. She said she was in a terrible situation: she was out of gas, and she lived in Boonville, which is twenty miles away, she was pregnant, sticking out her belly to make sure I realized that, and she'd already had a flat tire that day. She pointed to the spare tire on her van. Then she asked me if I could help her. I stood there staring at her with thoughts running through my head, like, "Well, times are bad and we should help those in need." And, "Oh, man, I don't really want to drive this woman to the gas station." Then, she asked if she could have a couple of dollars. I was relieved that she had a solution that easy for me! So, I opened my wallet and I had a twenty-, a one-, and a five-dollar bill in it, so I handed her the five. She looked very grateful when she took it and said thank you and ran back to the passenger seat of the van and hopped in, very un-pregnant-like. The split second I handed her the five dollars, I knew I'd been taken.

It was so obvious then! She had her damsel-in-distress spill very rehearsed and she talked so fast I didn't have time to put it all together, which is exactly what she was hoping for. Why didn't I say something, like, "Well, why don't we call the police and see if they can help you?" Or, "I'll go and get you some gas and bring it back,"????? That would have worked and she would have backed off. But no, I was a stupid, gullible, sucker - just what she was looking for.

I then walked into the store and watched her approach another woman, while the driver of her van, an older woman, puffed on a cigarette. I didn't see if the other victim gave her any money, because another woman in the store saw me watching through the glass doors and asked me if the young woman had approached me, too. The woman in the store said something like, "there's no way that girl is pregnant" and something else and I was furious at myself and really wanted to call the police, but by the time we'd finished our conversation, the van was gone. She probably didn't net more than twenty bucks in the time she was in the parking lot, but I'm sure she spent all day going to parking lots all over town.

This is Columbia, Missouri - people are friendly and helpful here! I haven't felt the need to be guarded, which is why these gypsies are here in the first place. When I'm in Memphis, or any other city, I'm always on guard and no one takes advantage of me. One day, Reece and I were in Memphis and we were leaving a restaurant and a really drugged-out-looking man started walking towards us. I told Reece to get in the car immediately, and then I told the bum to get away and I got in the car and drove off and we were fine. Reece was a little excited, and I'm glad he saw that he needed to be aware of such things, but nothing happened to us.

Thankfully, I learned a good lesson yesterday, and it only cost me five bucks. Sadly, I'm going to be suspicious of anyone who looks at me in a parking lot from now on, and I will avoid anyone who looks as if they might need my help.

Fun Visit

2009-03-13T16:23:00.002-05:00

Big Birthday Celebration!
Originally uploaded by Aunt Vanessa

This is just one of the many good things we ate while I was in Arkansas earlier this week. We celebrated for four days and there's not a spoon of frosting remaining anywhere west of the Mississippi River.

What snow?

2009-03-01T09:14:00.005-06:00

I'd planned to go to Arkansas yesterday to spend a few days with the family and celebrate Emily's birthday, but then there was a huge threat of snow from central Missouri to northeast Arkansas, which is exactly where I would have been driving, so I postponed the trip until next Friday. (We didn't get one flake of snow here.) I'll get to party with the family and celebrate Dawn's and Don's birthdays, though, on March 8 and 9 while I'm visiting, so it will be fun. Emily's going to have to wait another week, however, for her birthday presents. Here she is on the morning of her birthday, all beautiful and grown up:

Look at this boy! I can't believe how big he's gotten in just a couple of months. I can't wait to kiss those cheeks. This is the snow they received in Arkansas yesterday and take a look at the remains of their willow tree in the background:

Now, here's what that willow tree looked like after the big ice storm in February, when most of my hometown was without power for several days:

Isn't that something?

Where does the time go?

2009-02-26T08:53:00.004-06:00

You just had to grow up, didn't you? You're fifteen today and I can't believe it. I won't go on and on about how precious you were when you were a little squirt, learning to read and how you read every street sign when we were in the car, nor will I go on and on about how much I enjoyed all the Valentine's Day bears that my "Secret Valentine" used to place in my mailbox every year. (I still have them all.) Or how you used to spend every Friday night with me and you jumped on my bed those nights until you were worn out and then jumped some more!

Okay, enough already, I know. I won't embarrass your teenage soul anymore.

I love you and hope you are having a wonderful day. Can't wait to see you Saturday, Sweetie! (And you're still the most precious girl in the world.)

xoxo
Aunt Ness

For My Favorite Vandalay Industries Employee

2009-02-22T17:46:00.001-06:00

You know who you are.

This Pic Says it All

2009-02-14T08:30:00.003-06:00

It's V.D. Eve. Love to you all!

2009-02-13T09:47:00.004-06:00

Well. Friday morning and I've made a long list of things I need to do in the next few days, and "Post an entry on blog" was at the top of the list. Not really. I just sometimes feel a tugging at my consciousness or something, that makes me want to update.

How about some movie talk? I cut my Netflix plan to two-at-a-time and should probably cut it down even more, since I don't have much movie-watching time right now. Lately, however, I have watched a few, starting with "Slumdog Millionaire," which I actually viewed at the theatre. I thought it was a sadly disturbing, realistic film and I'm glad I got to see it, but I wouldn't vote it as a Best Picture winner. Over Christmas I watched the Brad Pitt film, long title "...Benjamin Button," and while it was a pretty good one, it certainly doesn't deserve the acclaim it's receiving, except for the special effects. Here's one I really liked! This is what a Cohen Brother's film should be, unlike their latest one, again with Brad Pitt, which was a bomb (Burn After Reading) - don't waste your time on it. So, what is my favorite movie I watched lately? It is, hands down, THIS JEWEL of a movie. Do see it; you'll thank me. Tonight, I'm going to try to watch this one after I get some work done.

As for TV, I don't watch much, but I'm absolutely hooked on "Lost" and I spend some time searching fan sites to read about it and try to figure out all the story lines. If you've never watched it, go to the ABC website and start at the beginning, but be warned: you'll be captivated from the first episode and you will let everything in your life go to hell until you've watched every last second of every episode! I think the writers of the show have an agenda, or at least some of them do, and I think it's to put as much of their literary knowledge into the show, thinly veiled, in order to get revenge on all their past lit professors who made them search for symbolism and write tedious papers about it! If that's not enough for you, also know that the show has all these really hot men who are sweaty and take off their shirts. Often.

I haven't read any adult fiction since the beginning of this semester. I am taking a Teen Lit class and have to read 2 or 3 novels/week, in addition to all my other work, so I have nothing to write about any books that would be of interest to adults. Emily and Reece and I have, however, had some good conversations about books lately and I love that I'm reading what interests them right now. I don't think I'd mind in the least working at a public library in the young adult section now. Kids today have such good choices of literature. Way better than the selections I had when I was a young turd.

Now, I have to run some errands and then come back and work for several hours before I can reward myself with a movie. I'll be back in a few days to complain about all the stress.

Herpeeth

2009-02-06T17:07:00.002-06:00

Well, I no longer have time to post anything. You wouldn't believe how much I have going on right now and I absolutely hate it. I don't like being busy. I like to lollygag around and organize closets and throw things in the trash and use my label maker and read and watch movies. I don't like having two meetings/day, working until 9:00 p.m., grading papers, writing papers, studying, etc.

So, here's another YouTube because it's all I got and I don't want to hear any complaints, k?

More Things I Learn from Facebook

2009-02-04T21:33:00.002-06:00

Candee posted this on her Facebook page and I think it's hilarious. I never watch talk shows, but this is from Ellen Degeneres' show. Apparently the woman she's talking with on the phone is now somewhat of a regular on Ellen's show. If you're not familiar with her, watch this:

He's Eleven Today

2009-01-30T07:54:00.000-06:00

STATS on Reece:

Age: 11

Height: Pretty darn tall

Weight: Just right

Cuteness level: WAY off the charts

Intelligence level: Even higher than cuteness

Interests: Wii, Reading, Dooley, Food (especially cheese dip and pizza,) animals, football, girls

Obsession: BASKETBALL!

Philanthropic interest: Humane Society - he volunteers at his local HS on Saturdays. Enough to melt any girl's heart, huh?

His Aunt Vanessa's favorite thing about him: Too many to list, but she loves talking to him on the phone; he's a great talker. He likes going to sporting goods stores, antique stores, book stores, and coffee shops. SEE? He's perfect!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, you incredible boy!

This is What Happens When You Start Finding Old Friends on Facebook

2009-01-26T12:27:00.004-06:00

That's me, the tallest one up front, holding my baton, thirteen years old and 5 feet 9 inches tall already. Notice how all the other majorettes have medals pinned to their uniform. Not me. I couldn't be bothered with winning anything; it would have taken time away from all my socializing. We did, however, have a really good majorette line and we practiced 5 hours a day in the summer before competition and won a state championship. I think that was the last time I felt competitive about anything.

Emily, this is the same school you're in right now! Never knew you had such a legacy, huh?

What a Day This Is!

2009-01-20T10:11:00.002-06:00

"A golden age of poetry and power
Of which this noonday's the beginning hour."--Robert Frost

She just took credit for my salad. That's not right.

2009-01-18T14:44:00.004-06:00

I finally got all the holiday photos downloaded to Flickr and some pics of my apartment and my new bedroom look. I'm probably going to be leaving Columbia after graduation (in May!!!!!) and wanted to take a few pics of the apartment before I moved away. I saved the Christmas pics to a separate set so you family members can view them without having to look at all the pics of my new quilt.

Abby and I have really enjoyed being joined at the hip for the last five weeks. When I go back to school/work next week my lap will probably freeze due to the lack of the 9-lb breathing, heating pad that's been perched on me every minute.

I don't have anyplace to go Tuesday, so I get to stay home and watch the inauguration. Don't think I've ever had the opportunity to watch the entire event live.

Finished This book and highly recommend it. Of course, the movie is in theatres now and I'd like to see it, too. Currently reading this one and am loving it. Finished Season Two of this series last week and cried my eyes out during the last episode. I think, visually, this is the best series I've ever watched. I also think it's pretty accurate historically.

Now I need to get moving and get something, at least one thing, accomplished today.

Happy New Year Already

2009-01-07T09:39:00.003-06:00

When last we met, I was lounging around enjoying all my free time. That was short-lived. I ran my legs off the remainder of my two weeks in Arkansas, trying to spend time with everyone and have fun and eat like a famine was predicted. I have some photos to download to Flickr and I'll try to do that this week, but right now I have reading to do and organizing and decorating and some Netflix movies to watch, so I'll see you later this week!

Update from Arkansas

2008-12-22T08:14:00.003-06:00

Gosh, this is fun. I'm lounging in my new sleep pants, which I bought yesterday. They have little black dogs embroidered on them and they are flannel and it's 20 degrees here, so they're a welcome layer of warmth. I guess I brought the cold weather with me, because it's never this cold in Arkansas! I'd planned to sleep really late today, but they're building a dormitory across the street from my brother's faculty house, which is where I'm staying, and I could hear all sorts of construction noise at 7:30, so I woke up and now I can't go back to sleep.

I only saw Emily and Reece for a few minutes yesterday, but Emily's playing in a basketball tournament today, so I'll get to kiss on Reece during the game, then I'm going to hang out with them for the remainder of the day, I think. Reece has grown about two feet in the last month and when I went in to see them yesterday, he was in the kitchen making pancakes. I tell ya, he's an exceptional 10-year-old boy.

Mom and I went shopping yesterday. It wasn't as crazy as I'd anticipated, but we avoided the mall, which I'm sure was the worst place to be. Oh, and we went to church yesterday! I hardly ever go, but there's an Anglican church here in my hometown, so we went. It makes me miss church, but I never go in Columbia. I think it's because I don't like going alone and I haven't felt like putting down roots there. Plus I'm lazy. That's primarily the reason.

Had a late dinner last night with my old friend, Sherry. We reconnected last year after a very long time of no communication and it's as if we picked up where we left off. She was the best friend I ever had and I have missed her for such a long time. So glad she's back in my life.

Here's something a friend sent me. It'll make you happy:

Here She Is With That Boy, Again

2008-12-19T16:00:00.002-06:00

Can you believe she's this grown up?

I'm leaving tomorrow for Arkansas for a couple of weeks. Can't wait to see that "little" girl and her darling brother. Even though both Emily and Reece get better and more fun with every year, I wish they were still babies and I could rock them and give them a bottle and they'd stay put and not be old enough to date. I bet their parents agree with me.

Serenity Now, Insanity Later

2008-12-16T18:56:00.004-06:00

Papers - DONE!

Grades - POSTED!

Time off - FIVE WEEKS!

What on earth am I going to do with all this time off?

There's snow on the ground, but the roads are pretty clear. I love living where it snows yet I can still get out and drive.

Sandy is coming over tonight to eat dinner and watch a movie with me. That's good incentive to actually clean house, which needs to be done in the worst way.

I'm halfway finished with the third book in the Twilight series. I have to read the series for Teen Lit class for next semester, but I probably would have read them anyway, just to see what all the fuss is about. Emily and I saw the Twilight movie twice over Thanksgiving. I wasn't thrilled with the second book, but the third one has some interesting Native American folklore in it, which I think is great for teens to read. Maybe it'll inspire some of them.

I started THIS BOOK a couple of days ago. It's been on my list for a very long time and I found it in the reshelving area at the MU library last week and grabbed it. I think it's being made into a movie now, so I wanted to read it before I see the movie. I have four or five books I want to read over the holiday, so I'll keep you posted on those. I was also thinking of doing my own Best Books I've Read in 2008.

The dusty furniture is calling out to me. Must go clean!

Into the Mystic

2008-12-13T10:12:00.003-06:00

Although I don't remember when I've ever been as ill as I have been this week, I'm feeling much better, thank you. Not that anyone, besides my mother, has bothered to call or e-mail to see how I was doing. That's okay. Santa will remember.

I'm now faced with this awful paper that I have to finish by Monday night and I'm nowhere near completion of the thing. So, so, SO sick of writing papers on topics that are of no interest to me whatsoever. I want to write fiction!

One of my favorite movies is "Once" and I took the DVD home over Thanksgiving so Emily could watch it and I think she liked it. My brother, Don, liked it, too, and I left it with him so his girlfriend could watch it. If you haven't seen it, well, DO! It's a wonderful movie that's full of beautiful music and such remarkable chemistry between the two lead actors. Anyway, here's something Don sent me this morning:

Why Now?

2008-12-09T11:38:00.003-06:00

Sunday afternoon, all aimed at getting my huge paper, due the 15th, started, I began feeling sick. And I mean SICK. Some stomach virus or food poisoning took over and I was violently ill from Sunday afternoon until yesterday around 5 p.m. For two days I've been trying to drink one bottle of soda and hoping to keep it down. Bleh. Now, I'm feeling like I've been run over by a truck. All I can do it lie here and I can't do a bit of work. I missed two shifts at work and canceled Monday's class and am only hoping that I feel like going to teach tomorrow since it's the last class for the semester. It figures that when I've got all this work to do, I'd get sick as a mutt. And, after I turn in my paper and my grades early next week, I'll have five weeks off, of which I will not be sick and will probably get bored! The timing is always wrong.

Just had to vent. Now, watch this and laugh and I'll be back in a few days, all chipper and ready to post some sarcasm:

The Homestretch - finally

2008-11-30T16:33:00.000-06:00

After spending a week in 60-degree temperatures, I drove back to Columbia yesterday and today I woke up to this! Glad I drove up yesterday and didn't have to worry about getting home in bad weather. It's supposed to continue to snow until tomorrow morning and then warm up a bit for the remainder of the week.

I didn't want to leave Arkansas after a week of play. It was quite exhausting, all the visiting and eating with friends and family, the shopping, and going to the movies. What a fun week! I did have to play referee between Muki, the 14-year-old cat, and Abby, the 11-year-old dog. Don said his house was like a retirement home for old pets. Muki was aggravated that his space was invaded by a dog and Abby was so jealous of Muki when I pet him, that by the end of the week they were fighting quite a lot. It was funny, really, since Muki has no claws (on any of his four paws) and Abby is a wimp. It really was like watching geriatric boxing.

Emily and I went to see THE MOVIE - twice. Three times for Emily, actually, twice for me. If you don't know about this movie and the phenomenon of the books, then you've been underwater for a while. I have to read the series for a teen lit. class I'm taking next semester and I can't wait now that I've seen the movie. I think the author nailed teenage romance and Emily is absolutely in love with the series and now the movie. I am just happy that so many young girls are reading now! Seems that most of their mothers have read this particular series, too, and I can't remember that ever happening, even with Harry Potter. Dawn read the series in less than two weeks.

Reece is just as sweet and cute as ever and I was able to see him plenty and have some quality time with him. We had a good time shopping for basketball cards and looking at sporting goods. He also reads and enjoys discussing books with me - he's the perfect kid!

Emily and I had a great time together as well and I was lucky enough to see her play two basketball games last week. I miss attending those games!

Mom's Thanksgiving meal was beyond delicious. Thanks for going to all that trouble, Mom! We all enjoyed it.

Two more weeks of teaching and two more papers to finish, which must be done by Dec. 15, then I'm off work/school for a month! Words can't describe how excited I'll be when I submit that final paper.

I'm Almost Beginning to Relax

2008-11-20T18:43:00.004-06:00

I've been home all day working on a final project for one of my classes. We have to come up with a program for a public library. Since I had no idea how to go about creating such a program, I brought home some books from the library on the subject and have been researching all day. I've finally decided that I'm going to "do" an adult reading program which will meet once a month for ten months. Each month will feature a book from a particular decade of the twentieth century, beginning with something written from 1900-1909, then the 1910s, 1920s, you get the idea. I got this great book from Barnes & Noble that's helping me choose books that really represent some aspect of each decade in American history. Oh, and the books are all written by American writers. I'll post the reading list after I've decided which books to use for certain. How does that sound for a reading program? It's sort of like a book club, but sponsored by my imaginary library.

Just two more days until I get to kiss these sweet boy cheeks:

I can hardly wait to see him and his big sister. You know, the one who dates boys.

Girls should not be allowed to date until they're twenty-five years old.

2008-11-16T16:34:00.003-06:00

This ain't right. She actually went to a dance with this boy, her boyfriend, in his car. With the boy driving the car. That means she went on a Car Date. Did your moms use that term to refer to your dates with boys who were old enough to drive? My friends and I thought it was the dumbest thing we'd ever heard. Of course we were WAY smarter than our moms, then.

(Isn't she cute, though?)

"I wanted to talk about how we had nothing to talk about."

2008-11-15T09:03:00.002-06:00

My internet service, the one I pay for, has been down for three days. I called the company three days ago and was told that a fiber optic cable had been cut and Missouri and Iowa folks were out of luck until it is repaired, and of course the guy on the phone had no idea how long that would be. So, I'm using my wireless and hoping it continues to work until my regular service is back on. What do you bet that when I get my internet bill I'll still be required to pay for those days I didn't have service? This happens often enough with them that I think I'll call and tell them I'm prorating my payment. Nice thought, but I probably won't do it. Probably for the same reason I don't ever return stuff. I hate returning merchandise and will only do it if it's something I need to replace. If it's something trivial that doesn't work, or I just don't like, then I'll throw it away rather than return it. My mom buys clothes without trying them on, takes them home, tries them on, and then has to return at least half of what she's bought. Not me. I'll suffer trying on everything in a dressing room before I'll take something home that I might possibly have to return.

I am working this afternoon and then I'm coming home and working on papers, assignments, etc., until I pass out from exhaustion. At least that's the plan. I have so much work to do before Thanksgiving break it's frightening.

While I've enjoyed reading most of the required reading for my classes this semester, I've experienced a Tudor withdrawal, but I found THIS BOOK at the library yesterday so I'm going to be okay for a while.

"Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate, it's peppermint, it's delicious. "

2008-11-11T09:13:00.004-06:00

Once again, I have a paper to write. It isn't due until next Tuesday, but I also have a project due next Monday in another class, so I have to get started on the paper today and finish it by Friday. That's the plan. Only I don't want to. Any of it. Do. I want to read and clean out closets and organize CDs and watch movies. Doesn't this whole thing smell of end-of-semester-burn-out?

Reece called me yesterday afternoon and talked for 45 minutes. I just love that boy. He was on eBay shopping for football and basketball posters and describing his finds to me, while I was melting away into a puddle of love mush. Anything he says is the cutest thing I've ever heard.

I called Emily last night after work and we talked for a while, too. I call her every Monday night around 9:30. That's the only time I know she's home and not busy, so we've made it our time to talk. She's doing great and is so wonderful and smart that I forget she's a 14-year-old youngun'.

Just got a phone call from Sandy. She interviewed at the MU Library yesterday and she's relieved that's over. Hope she gets the job. She told me I'd been writing a lot about her lately and I told her that she was just about the only person I talked to these days. Have I mentioned that I'm ready for this semester to be finished?

It's easier to come up with a post than it is to give it a title.

2008-11-08T08:03:00.005-06:00

I was all set to write a happy entry this morning until I looked at CNN.com and read about those poor kids in Haiti. How could a school building just collapse? Easy, when there are no building regulations. Of course, according to CNN, "Preval (Haiti's president) has since called for a review of building-construction guidelines." Isn't that how it always is in these situations? I remember a bridge collapsing a few years ago, I think it was in the northeast U.S. and drivers, in their cars, crashed into a river and many were killed. I'm sure the authorities knew the bridge was unsafe. And what about Katrina? It makes me ill thinking about the neglect and how unaware we are of most of it until it's too late.

On a lighter, much lighter, note, my friend Sandy passed her comps. exams and is coming over later to gloat and do the victory dance. Actually, she and one of her boys are coming by and we're going to lunch, then she's going to read a presentation to me for practice before her job interview on Monday. If you're not in the academic library world, you probably don't know, and you would not believe, what you have to go through just to interview for a job. It's an all-day, or sometimes a two-day event which involves coffee with people, lunch with more people, a presentation on your part, an actual interview, tours of the library, dinner with more people...good lord I'm nervous just thinking about it. And Sandy's doing all that next week.

I have to work at the library this afternoon. Saturdays are good in the library; it's calm, quiet, very little drama, so I can usually get my papers graded and do some of my own school work.

Big kiss to Emily and Reece. I miss you so much.

Vandelay Industries

2008-11-06T18:19:00.002-06:00

You should go here and click to give on the Literacy Site when you have time. It's free, you just have to click. There are also several places on the website and links to other sites that have some great gift ideas.

I am so sick of school. I get this way after midterm sometimes, but this time I'm really bad. Every day I have to make bargains with myself to get my work done, like, "Okay, Vanessa, if you get two pages finished of assignment X, you can watch one episode of "Project Runway." (or any DVD)

Just finished this book upon the recommendation of several people in one of my classes. Possibly one of the worst books I've ever read. Don't bother with it. This one is on my nightstand now. Haven't read that many mysteries, but they're fun once in a while.

I'm watching Seinfeld reruns and Kramer just finished preparing a salad in his shower. He has a garbage disposal in the bathtub. I never get tired of that show and find at least once a day I relate some situation in my life to a particular episode.

Have to turn off the TV now and get back to work so I can watch more TV. (I are not much of a scholar.)

Whew.

2008-11-05T07:42:00.001-06:00

Nobody says it better than this guy.

My Reviews For Today

2008-11-04T12:17:00.004-06:00

Here's a book I just wrote a review about for one of my classes. What a story. One of my best friends throughout school was a darling girl named Sylvia, who was from almost an identical background as the author, but who was lucky and was adopted by parents who loved her. I kept thinking about her while reading the book. Recently finished this one, too. The author was married to Louise Erdrich, whom you may know from her excellent Native American writings. I loved the book and recommend it.

I watched this documentary last weekend and cried my eyes out. It was one of the best docs I've ever seen and I can't get it out of my mind. Honestly, we think WE Americans have problems. Please, please watch this DVD.

Mondays Aren't So Bad

2008-11-03T15:18:00.004-06:00

Congrats to Sandy for finishing with comps yesterday. Comprehensives are those nasty tests you have to take in order to graduate. My first time in grad school, I got with a really good study group and we studied for two years for comps. Yes, two years. We met at least monthly and we all passed all parts of the exam on the first attempt, so it was worth it. Anyway, Sandy, I know you're relieved they're over. Wish I'd taken them, but I get to have my fun next spring. It makes me a little bit ill just thinking about it.

I'm getting excited about Thanksgiving break and going home to see the family. I am thinking that I'd like to bake some pumpkin pies and I want to use fresh pumpkin. Doesn't that sound good? With freshly-whipped cream? I need to learn how to bake pumpkins before then, though. Any suggestions?

I'm Aunt Vanessa, and I approve this message.

2008-11-02T10:10:00.004-06:00

"It seemed that each time we would become proficient at a given task there would be a change made for no apparent reason. It sometimes appeared that changes were made simply because sufficient time had elapsed since the last change. And then our efforts would begin again from the beginning." -General Adalphos

I had no idea how much I was afraid of change until I left my family and everyone I knew a little over two years ago to pursue a new career. Everything I do now is a change from what I was doing a couple of years ago, except for Abby. Yes, people relocate all the time, I know. Only I never did until I was in my forties. And I was excited, but very afraid, and I'm not usually afraid of anything. Now that graduation is approaching, I have to begin my search for a job and I'm up for anything. Maybe Portland, OR. Or Seattle. Or a small coastal town in New Jersey.

Who knows?

All I know is that I have no fear and can't wait for the next chapter to begin.

Boo.

2008-10-31T09:46:00.003-05:00

Rather than some typical Halloween pic, I am giving you one of my favorites, entitled "Guy notes." Thanks, Sandy, for sending it to me.

Emily & Reece: wish I was there to scare the shit out of you. Miss those good times.

Have fun today and eat some candy.

Why I'm Still Tired From the Weekend

2008-10-28T09:14:00.002-05:00

My mom brought Reece up for the weekend and we had a great time, albeit a short visit. It's been nearly three months since I've seen anyone in my family and I think I'm correct in saying that Reece has grown more than any of them in that time. The boy is so tall and even cuter than he was when I saw him in August. Mom and I tried our best to keep up with him all weekend. A ten-year-old boy needs lots of time outside to run and play, you know.

Belated, But Happy Birthday, Sandy!

2008-10-18T08:40:00.001-05:00

I'd even written it on my calendar and everything, but still missed it. Hope you had a good day with your family and they did something special for you! Thanks for being my pal.

Still Working On That Damned Paper

2008-10-15T11:38:00.003-05:00

THIS is how I feel when I have internet trouble and have to call tech support. Thanks, Uncle Geno!

A Short Thursday Check-In

2008-10-09T09:39:00.003-05:00

I have very, very few complaints about how things are done at the University of Missouri. It's a great school, really, and they seem to have it together when it comes to administration and organization. So, I was surprised when I encountered a ridiculous situation yesterday. I noticed on my recent paycheck stub that I was still being charged for a parking spot in the garage near the building in which I worked before becoming a TA. I stopped in at the Parking office yesterday to straighten it out, IN PERSON, since I thought that would be the most effective way to get the situation handled, and when I talked to the young girl at the front desk, she went to the next cubicle and talked to someone else about the situation and then came back to me and told me that I had to e-mail this person whose name she'd written on a post-it. I had to request, by e-mail, that they stop the payroll deduction for the parking space. The person I needed to e-mail was the person in the next cubicle! I'm standing right there, in person. I thought that was a bit ridiculous that I had to go home and e-mail the person who was on the other side of the cubicle where I was just standing! Bureaucracy at work.

Today is my every-other-Thursday-off, so I am staying home and working on a paper that's due next Wednesday. If I get it finished today I will jump for joy. I also intend to watch a DVD. I have two waiting for me but not enough time for both, yet I couldn't stand not having Netflix because I fantasize about having enough free time to watch movies. Silly me.

I've been seriously considering going for my PhD in Archival Studies, but two days ago I decided that I've had enough schooling for a while. I still plan to work on a master's in Art History, but not a PhD. After I graduate next May, I need to get on with my life - that is, I need to start having a life besides school. It's been so long I'm not sure if I know how to actually have a normal life, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Until then, I keep counting the days until Thanksgiving break!

It's Banned Books Week

2008-09-28T09:48:00.004-05:00

“[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” — Judy Blume

The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000*

Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Forever by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Blubber by Judy Blume
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
Cujo by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Fade by Robert Cormier
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

*Source: www.ALA.org

More of the Same, Just Different Books

2008-09-25T10:28:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week I was thinking about how much I have to do this semester and how to fit it all in and still keep up with "Project Runway" and maybe even try to watch a Netflix movie (no, I couldn't give it up) and then I received an e-mail from my TA advisor telling me that beginning next week I'm going to have to teach an additional class. That's more time teaching and grading. I haven't taken a nap all week. How quickly we become spoiled by something.

I'm taking a Children's Literature class and some of us meet on Wednesday nights at a coffeehouse with our professor and do our discussion face-to-face rather than doing it online. My two other classes are mostly posting online, so this is a treat to actually have conversations about our readings. There are eight of us who meet and we talk about the readings, and more children's lit, and young adult books, and then we invariably stray to conversations about our dogs and kids and fruit smoothies, then wine, and eventually we end up talking about sex. Then, in the parking lot afterwards, we talk about how much we hate Sarah Palin. (Hi, Kelly!) It is so fun. I look forward to it every week.

I have no meetings today, so I'm going to the grocery store in a few minutes, then I'm coming home and studying the remainder of the day. Abby and I will go for a walk around 5:00 today and then I'll study more and make something for dinner and continue reading. This is my life.

I'm reading this book for one of my classes and I watched the movie last Sunday, thinking it would help me with the book, but no. I'm only 40 pages into the novel and it's nothing like the movie, but I do like it and will be glad to right a review on it for class. Here's a good one, too. It's supposed to be a kids' book, but I can't imagine a kid enjoying it, but I loved it. I'm going to buy it and give it to Bera for Christmas. I'm learning about some really good books for Reece, so he's getting some for Christmas as well.

That's it for now.

A Heterogeneous Mixture of Nothing Much

2008-09-14T09:31:00.004-05:00

The first thing I learned when I began the Library Science Master's program was that librarians do not believe in censorship. I never believed in it, either, but I didn't know important the idea was until I began my studies. My new favorite website shows just how passionate this topic is for librarians. Go take a look.

Last night, I watched the biopic about Coco Chanel and was quite disappointed in how glossed-over Chanel's life was made in the movie. Shirley MacLaine should have been the perfect actor to portray the older Chanel, but she wasn't convincing in the least. All I saw was Shirley MacLaine, not the role of Coco Chanel. Is there a more accurate movie out there about Chanel? I looked at biographies and found a few books, but haven't found a movie.

Abby had a dental cleaning this week and she was anesthetized for it. I'd been putting off having the procedure done because I didn't want her put to sleep, but she did fine, except she had to have a few teeth removed. I've been giving her canned dog food the last few days and she loves it. She won't want to go back to the dry stuff she's eaten all her life, now. It's been raining constantly for the last couple of days and last night I took Abby out and she refused to do anything but run for cover. Then, she came in and pooped and peed. I had to laugh.

See how boring things are in my little world? All I do is study, work, teach, study some more. Tons and tons of reading and writing papers, peppered with an occasional nap make up my days. I am loving not working full-time, however. Studying is a lot more interesting than working in an office all day. Grading papers is another thing entirely. It's amazing that so many college students do not know how to follow simple instructions. They're all getting a lecture about that this week. I can already see their eyes glazing over.

Happy Birthday, Bera!

2008-09-06T11:10:00.002-05:00

Doesn't she look great? She's proud to be 93 years young today. I just talked to her and she was already having a wonderful day. She had one of her sons and a couple of granddaughters fussing over her and she's expecting company all day long, so she's loving it. I miss her and told her I was crazy about her and she said, "I know you are." It should be obvious from whom I inherited my smart mouth.

Reece is at football tryouts this morning, and Dawn says he's got a stomach virus. He skipped dinner last night - that's a sure sign he's sick. Hope he's alright and gets to play on a team he likes. Dawn said there were over 200 boys trying out for teams, and they all will be placed on a team. Hopefully Reece will have time to call me in the next few days and fill me in on the details. I love to listen to him talk about football - he's like Rainman with the stats.

I guess Emily's okay, too. I've had one five-minute conversation with her in the last two weeks and I was lucky to get that! She's busier than a one-armed paper hanger and I have no idea how she manages such a full schedule at her age, but she loves it. We'll get to spend some time together over Thanksgiving break.

Speaking of break, I never seem to have one. I even canceled Netflix for a while. Can't stand it, however, and will probably resume it soon, even if it's only one movie at a time. The last movie I watched was THIS and I was entertained. Wouldn't want to see it again, but I did like it and would recommend it for the suspense and the lovely accents.

Just finished reading THIS BOOK for my Readers' Advisory class. Bleh. Not a fan of fantasy, except for Harry Potter, but I had to read it to get the gist of popular fantasy novels. Now, I'm moving on to the Romance genre and I am about to start THIS BOOK - can you say "Cheesy?" When you open the cover, there's another picture of a half-naked woman and a gorgeous hunk of a man and it makes me vomit just a tad whenever I look at it. Can't wait to start reading it!

Working at the library this afternoon. It'll be absolutely dead, I'm sure, since there's a MIZZOU football game at 6 and everyone will be tailgating. Except nerds like me.

What a Difference a Week Makes

2008-08-28T19:01:00.003-05:00

I was so stressed about everything earlier this week, but now that I've seen how my days are going to be, I'm fine! I have someplace to be every day, but often it's only for an hour or two, which leaves me plenty of time to study. I taught my first class yesterday and my students are adorable. Half of them are Freshmen and they all seemed interested in being in the class, especially when I told them that all they had to do was show up and do their assignments on time and they'd earn an A in the class. I think I'll take them some candy next week!

I'm loving working at the library, even when someone asks me a question I have no idea how to answer. It's a constant learning experience and when I actually do help a student find something they need, I'm thanked about a million times. One of my fellow TAs said that she's addicted to the adoration. I thought that was funny.

Just finished reading THIS BOOK
for one of my classes and I really enjoyed it. Add it to you list!

The electricity keeps cutting off while I'm writing this because this huge thunderstorm just hit. Better go put a diaper on Abby. Storms make her pee!

Here's something I didn't know, but I'm going to check my tires in the morning:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897

It's Already Piling Up

2008-08-23T07:36:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning at 5:30 completely saturated with anxiety, so I got out of bed and did my laundry. You know you're old when you meet the youngsters coming home from partying while you're carrying a basket of dirty underwear to the laundry room.

The last two weeks I've been in training for working the reference desk at the MU library and for teaching my classes. Oh my God I have never been so overwhelmed and I'm also taking three graduate classes, all reading/writing-intensive, and I have three meetings each week, and when am I going to find time to take a shower and change Abby's diaper?

I just finished THIS BOOK, which is the last for-pleasure-only book I'll be reading until Christmas break, and what a novel to go out on. It was the most torturous novel I think I've ever read, written in English, and I felt a little sick the entire time I was reading it. Fortunately, I'm taking a Readers' Advisory class and we get to choose our genre and I'm going to read "multi-cultural" literature, I think that's what it's called, and I'm hoping I'll find it interesting. I'm also taking a children's lit class, which is not my field of interest, but I thought it would be helpful to take in case I end up working in a public library. So, I'll keep you posted on my readings if they're worth discussing. For my History of Books and Printing class, we're reading THIS ONE
which is interesting and worth taking a look at if you're in love with books.

So, all I have to write about is school right now and I really need to get back to my assignments. Classes begin Monday and I already have a paper due next Friday but hopefully I can squeeze in a shower sometime this weekend!

Where to Begin...

2008-08-16T13:39:00.004-05:00

I can't begin to write all the details of the past few weeks, but I had a great time while I was in Arkansas for two weeks. We celebrated my birthday and I got some great time with Reece, both brothers, and my mom. Emily came home with me for a few days, too, and that was wonderful as well. Here are pics of Emily and Reece, but I have a lot more over on Flickr, including a good one of Grandmother Bera, so go take a look and I'll be back to post more thoroughly when my brain is less fried.

Here's Emily in Columbia:

This is such a good one of Reece and Don's cat, Muki:

Wrap-up, Ta-Ta, and See You Later

2008-07-26T07:18:00.003-05:00

I know! Three days in a row with the posts. What is up with that? It's been a crazy week. My last week at work and Abby was sick (she's fine, now) and I've been thinking about the next two weeks I am free from work and school and how excited I am to get to go visit the family. I don't think that last sentence was very well-written, but I'm too lazy to fix it.

I spent the past week trying to get everything finished at work and even a little ahead so that my coworkers don't have to pick up much of the slack. Keila, my dear friend and student worker I've adopted, is going to take my job when she returns in August from spending the summer with her family in Texas. Since I actually dearly love my successor, I've tried extra hard to tie up all the loose ends so she won't have a mess to deal with when she begins trying to figure out all the crazy stuff she's going to have to do because it's a university. She will have to work with about a hundred different departments and colleges all over the campus and it gets really confusing and it's so easy to make mistakes, but she's sharp as a tack, so hopefully she'll survive. I worked there for two years and just began to feel comfortable with some tasks related to my job when I turned in my notice that I was leaving.

My photographer friend, Nic, and his girlfriend took me out to dinner Thursday night at their favorite Mexican place. (Note to Emily: do not ever drink five Margaritas in one evening, no matter how delicious they are and how cute you think you are while consuming them. You will pay the next day.) I was so ill Friday, I didn't make it in to work until 11:00. It was brutal, but I knew I had a ton of work to finish on my last day, plus, my wonderful coworkers were giving me a party that afternoon complete with homemade chocolate ice cream, so I put on my eyeliner and dragged myself into work and I swear I will never drink that much again. I still feel like crap today. I'm too old for this. (I seem to say that frequently, yet never learn, do I?)

This visit to Arkansas will be my first since my mom and Auntie Linda bought a house together, and I can't wait to have both women all to myself for coffee every morning. We are going to have a blast. Auntie and I are going to Tunica, MS to visit the casinos one night while I'm home. I've missed the hot, bright lights and the noise and the free booze. I've also missed Emily and Reece just a tad bit. We're going to have some fun, too. And, I'm looking forward to spending time with Grandmother Bera. I told her to have some stories ready for me. She can tell some fascinating ones about The Good Old Days when she's in the mood!

Note to my friend, Sandy: I am so sorry I didn't call you last Sunday after you were nice enough to invite me to your house for dinner! I had a nasty migraine all weekend, probably from the stress of the last couple of weeks, and I didn't call you. I e-mailed you but didn't hear back from you, but I know you read this blog, so please forgive me! I'll call you when I get back to Columbia and maybe you can come for dinner with Emily, Auntie, Halen, and me while they're all here.

I should probably get to work now on my house. It's a disaster and I need to get it cleaned up before I leave. Plus, my friend, Dawn, had offered to keep Milton while I'm away, but then she and Tucker decided to go on a cruise instead, yes, the nerve of them! So, I'm going to have to take the fish to Arkansas for the next two weeks. Plus the dog who's in diapers now. Geez. It's going to be crazy. I promise to post some pics while I'm away!

Now, finally, look at this Youtube. It's so cute and I used to have a puppy that looked just like one of these. Bye!

I Got You, Babe!

2008-07-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

Bye, Estelle

2008-07-23T18:20:00.002-05:00

One of my all-time favorite characters is Sophia from The Golden Girls. I loved her brash, blunt mouth and how she could shock even Blanche sometimes. I, too, carry my purse to bed with me at night. Today I read that Betty White said, "Estelle may have left us, but Sophia will always live on." Here's to you, Sophia!

Jocular, Pithy, and Scintillating = Words Not Used to Describe This Post

2008-07-17T17:17:00.000-05:00

This is a photo Lisa sent from Zambia. Lisa's doing a great job of keeping everyone posted on her Peace Corps adventure.

Back to the ordinary:

I took the day off yesterday to attend a library conference in the morning and take Abby to the vet in the afternoon. I ran my legs off all day and it was so hot I was miserable. I dropped off Abby at 7:30, then went back home to get ready for the conference, which was over at noon, then ran errands, including having my car waxed, then decided to do a little shopping before I met with Abby's doctor. Turns out Abby's fine, so the frequent stress-induced indoor urination is "behavioral." Duh. I was pretty sure of that already, since she's able to hold it all day while I'm at work, but when events alter slightly from the ordinary, she pees all over the place. I prefer to call it emotional instead of behavioral, since I don't think she has a choice. There's nothing medical I can do for her, so she'll continue to wear a diaper whenever we vary her routine and hopefully I'll still be welcome in my mother's house.

I have been home all day with a migraine, but it's better now. It started at the mall yesterday. I should have known. A little more stress than usual, the heat, and the mall sent my brain over the edge. I did find a skirt, however, for $3, so it was worth it. Yes, three bucks, marked down from $55. How about that? I never have such luck. And, I haven't worn a skirt in several years. All this change!

Next week is my last week at work and then I'm going to Arkansas to visit the family and some friends. Can't wait to see the boy and girl. Reece and I already have plans to see the third Mummy movie and spend some time at Petco and definitely have ice cream at least once. He asked me if we could go to the water park while I'm home and I quickly demurred. I told him I'd like to be considered his indoor aunt.

I'll be celebrating my birthday while I'm home, which means CAKE! Emily is going to Florida for several days while I'm home, but she's coming back in time to return to Columbia with me for four or five days. And, Auntie Linda and her granddaughter, Halen, are coming up while Emily's here and we will continue the party for a few more days. I don't know when I've had so much FUN planned. Can't wait to get started.

Almost forgot - THIS BOOK is one of the best I've read all year. Highly recommend it, but know that you won't want to put it down once you start reading it.

A Visit From the Golden Girls

2008-07-07T18:47:00.001-05:00

This is the only photo I took all weekend, but I had a great time with my mom, Auntie Linda, and Roxy. Of course, Abby was stressed having all that company and that damned dog she thought she'd gotten rid of, and of course she started peeing all over the place, so I had to put diapers on her. Never thought I'd have a baby in diapers. Geez!

What are you doing on July 4th?

2008-07-03T08:43:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone has a good holiday! It's supposed to stop raining here today and the weekend is going to be mild and dry! That will make it perfect for going downtown and hanging out and stopping in all the great shops. My mom and Auntie Linda are coming up tonight and staying until Sunday. I worked on the apartment all week, cleaning, organizing, etc. That's one of the best aspects of having company for me - it inspires me to get the house in order!

My brother, Dave, took the family to Chicago this week for a family vacation. Emily texted me a few photos of the Chicago skyline and a view from the Sears Building. She's having a blast. They even got to go to a Cubs game and she texted me to watch the game and look for her. Of course I did it, but didn't see her. They're in Minneapolis now at the Mall of America. I told Dave he'd need to put diapers on Dawn and Emily before they got to the mall because they won't be able to contain themselves when they see all the shopping possibilities. I should have included Reece in that diaper joke, too, because he's as much a shopper as his mom and sister. I hope Dave is taking some B12 and drinking lots of coffee.

I'll be "Ca-chinging it" at the casino, I'm sure, while the fireworks are going on everywhere. Can't wait!

I Was Very Productive Saturday!

2008-06-29T13:56:00.001-05:00

After with table runner
Originally uploaded by Aunt Vanessa

Grandmother Bera had these chairs and table in her breakfast nook and I always loved the chairs. She gave them to me when I moved and I finally got around to recovering the chairs and painting the table legs. I just love them now. Look over on my Flickr and you'll see the "before" and then you are welcome to praise me for all my hard work.

Internet Woes

2008-06-24T09:37:00.003-05:00

Still having internet trouble, I know it's my modem box, but I haven't had a chance to take it to the cable place. The only time I can go is Saturday morning, and I wasn't here this last Sat. to take it. My buddy, Sandy, and I went to St. Louis on Saturday and had the best time. I love the St. Louis Art Museum! We spent a few hours there, and then explored some areas and ate at an Irish Pub and it was great. I'm looking for a place to live after I graduate and St. Louis is definitely on the list. More later, after I get my modem replaced.

Saturday is the Best

2008-06-14T11:25:00.005-05:00

Busy day already. I had the oil changed in my car, bought groceries, returned some books to the library, checked out two more (more about that later) and talked to my brother, Dave, on the phone. I need to return my cable modem and get one that works from the cable company, but I forgot about it until just now and they close at noon on Saturday, so I'll continue to pirate the internet from one of my neighbors until next week. I've been aggravated with the internet for several weeks and the tech support people told me I had a bad splitter, so I bought a new one, and I'm still having trouble with my connection. So, I have decided it's either the cable cord or the modem box. I also can't remember how to connect my router, but that's another mess I'll deal with later.

I haven't told you guys about my wonderful Memorial Weekend with Reece. Oh, we had a blast. We shopped, bought lots of Mizzou gear, ate some really good food, shopped more, went to an air show, went to the movie, watched several DVDs, and played! It was fun being a ten-year-old for a weekend. Of course, it took me a week to recover, but it was absolutely worth every minute. Reece is still a sweet little boy and hasn't gotten to the age yet in which he refuses to have anything to do with his old aunt, so I'm taking advantage of every opportunity I can right now! Here are a couple of pics from the weekend:

This was at the air show. The show wasn't that great, but Reece came home with a ton of free stuff, so he loved it. And, he had two barbeque sandwiches which he said were great. He's so stinkin' cute.

We bought this outfit (he'd never call it an outfit, though) on Saturday morning and he wore it for three days straight. Not that I'm trying to recruit him for Mizzou or anything...

Back to my books. I just finished THIS ONE which is worth reading, and THIS ONE which was so bad I was angry that I wasted my time reading it. So don't bother unless you want to read about flawless characters and completely useless prose that didn't make any sense, especially about the Iraqi war. I can't say enough bad stuff about this book, but I'll never read anything else written by Gilchrist. True, I'd only read a couple of her novels, and didn't love either, but I was hoping she's redeem herself with this one, but she didn't.

I picked up THIS BOOK today. If you read the reviews you'll want to read it, too. Also, plan to start THIS after I finish the first one. Harold Bloom says McCarthy is one of the three greatest living American writers. Anyone have an opinion on that?

I have two weeks remaining in my practicum and when I walked in to Cataloging last Thursday, one of the dept. heads asked me when I was graduating. Hmm...Then, the head of cataloging told me everyone there wants me to come back. She said she's going to try to get a job opened up for me by next May. To say that that would be nice would be like saying I mildly enjoy chocolate.

I'll post new pics on Flickr sometime this weekend, so if you want to see more of the Cutest Boy in the World, be sure to take a look.

xoxo

WAIT! I forgot to mention Emily! She's as beautiful and smart as ever and we had a good talk yesterday on the phone. (I love you, Sweetie.)

Happy Birthday, Dave

2008-06-07T09:35:00.002-05:00

I had an even MORE embarrasing pic ready to post, but then you had to go and be all sweet and call me last night and put me on speaker while you opened gifts and the whole family was there and my heart completely melted. It did, however, freeze up enough by this morning to find and post this pic. What's a birthday without a little humiliation, right? Brother, you should have learned by now not to compromise your masculinity when I'm around to record it and use it against you.

Dave, you are such a great brother. Oh, hell, you are a great person, the best person I know. I could go on and on about you at length, but then you'd be too difficult to deal with, so I'm just going to tell you that I love you and wish you many, many happy years, and that I'd do anything for you, my dear brother.

Hope you and Reece are having a great time fishing today.

xoxo,
Your Big Sister

What's a Synonym for Stress?

2008-05-18T17:51:00.003-05:00

No, I didn't forget I have a blog, although most of you have stopped reading, and I really don't blame you. Who wants to check in to find the same post every day for weeks on end? It's just that I've been beyond exhausted. Stress wears me out, now. I used to be able to deal with it better, but now I just get all tired and cranky. I earned an "A" in both classes for the semester, so I can rejoice in that. I'm now doing my practicum in cataloging. I realized that I love cataloging and can't wait to graduate and go to work! There are jobs for catalogers everywhere in the world, including the UK, and I'm going to start exploring all the options.

Funny thing is happening with the family back home. Mom and Auntie Linda have been toying with the idea of living together. They're sisters, and great friends, and they have thought they'd be good housemates, so they decided to sell both houses, and the one who sold her house first would move in with the other one and see how it goes. So, Auntie sold her house last month and moved in with my mom. Things were going fine, and then Mom's house sold last week, and they have to be out by the end of this month! Now Auntie and Mom are about to be homeless. They are frantically searching for a suitable vacant abode as I write. Next time I go for a visit, I may be sleeping in a tent! I'll keep you updated on their drama.

Reece is coming up for a visit on Friday. I'm off Monday, so we'll have a long weekend. David is driving him halfway on Friday afternoon and I'm picking him up. David, Dawn, and Emily (she'd better, anyway) will drive halfway up to Columbia on Monday and we'll have lunch and they'll take Reece home with them. I can't wait to spend some time with the boy. He's requested some movies, and he's really excited about getting to spend the weekend in Missouri. He likes visiting here and I'm going to load him down with MU souvenirs while he's here. And kisses.

I've mentioned my favorite blog to you, I know. Well, this post defines me better than I could ever define myself.

I'll be back later this week, and will make it an interesting read, even if I have to make shit up.

A Mother of a Day

2008-05-09T15:45:00.003-05:00

Take three minutes and watch. Happy Mother's Day, y'all.

Procrastinating, Again

2008-05-03T08:29:00.002-05:00

That huge paper I had due Friday? The professor extended the due date to next Thursday! I am determined, however, to have it turned in by tomorrow night so that I can relax for the next couple of weeks.

My practicum in the MU Library's Cataloging Dept. begins the third week of May and goes until the end of June. I'll be working my job until 2:30 each day, then trotting over to the library to work (learn) until 5:00 each day. I will be pooped by the time it's all over, but I'll have it done! Then, I can relax and simply work full-time until July 25, when I quit, and take a couple of weeks off before coming back to Columbia to train for my assistantship, which starts when classes resume in late August. Sounds like I've got it all planned, huh? And it wasn't easy trying to get all these dates straight. I'm already looking forward to Christmas Break.

It's 8:30 on a Saturday morning and it sounds as if my upstairs neighbors are having a party. An aerobics party that involves throwing really heavy objects on the floor and then running outside. I want to go up there and tell them to shut up, but they don't speak English very well. Plus, I'd have to put on a bra and that's not going to happen today. I need the breathing room so I can write this paper. Which reminds me that I need to go make some more coffee and get to work.

I posted a few more pics on Flickr. There's one of Halen, too. Go look at how cute the babies are.

I Am Ready For This Semester To Be OVER

2008-04-29T20:36:00.006-05:00

I have a huge paper due Friday, so naturally I decided to post a blog entry. I think I'd rather paint my apartment, wax my car, and give Abby a bath instead of work on this paper.

How cute is this boy?

You don't get any sweeter than this one, either:

Couple more things:

I am disliking Barack Obama more and more every day. And I didn't like him much to begin with.

I also dislike overly-sensitive people who act like babies.

What about that sick f*ck in Austria? And no one knew about his secret life? For twenty-four years? I can't understand this.

I am stopping all things related to school right now and going to bed so that I can pick up this book where I left off at lunchtime. It's soooo good!

Always Great To Visit Home

2008-04-24T19:10:00.004-05:00

Emily made this for me after I shamed her into it. I really was joking when I said that since she hadn't returned any of my calls, e-mails, or texts in like, forEVER, I was expecting a cake when I got to Arkansas. It really was cute, Emily, and very tasty! You little creative turd.

I got the best pics of the niece and nephew, you know, the ones I've mentioned a time or two on this blog. I'll post more pics in a few days. After I recover from the minibreak and get my paper finished.

Whatever It Was, It Worked!

2008-04-18T19:19:00.003-05:00

Thanks for all the praying, finger crossing, throwing salt over your left shoulder, chanting, whatever. I got the assistantship! Yay! I start in August and I'll be teaching three classes and working in the MU library at the reference desk. This is the experience I need to get a job when I graduate and that is such a huge relief. Of course, I have to quit my job and I'm going to miss most of my coworkers, but I'm definitely taking a step in the right direction as far as my future is concerned.

Tomorrow, I'm getting my hair cut, then packing my car and heading to Arkansas until Wednesday. Emily's playing in a softball tournament tomorrow and Sunday, and I'll get to spend some time with Reece, too, and Mom, and Auntie Linda, and Bera. Cousin Luann's flying in from Austin and we, along with her adorable sisters Lisa and Janet, are going to Memphis on Tuesday to see Elvis Costello. We sort of love him. I'm going to celebrate all the good stuff that is happening before I have to come back to Missouri and bust my arse to get through my final papers of the semester.

So! That's all I've got now, but be sure and look to the right at my new pics on Flickr. Dawn sent them to me earlier this week. Of course they're of Emily and Reece! Who else?

Saturday Tidbits

2008-04-12T18:07:00.004-05:00

Busy week! Lots of school work; only a few more weeks remaining of this semester, which has flown. Still haven't heard if I've gotten the TA position I applied for. According to Sandy, our advisor said it would be a while, so I'm a little on edge about it. I want to know now so I can plan and worry about something else!

This morning I was on campus before 8:00 to take part in National History Day. The state competition was held at MU and I was a judge for the junior high division of performances. I had to watch nine group performances. Of 7th- and 8th-graders. It was great. This year's theme was "Conflict and Compromise in History," and those kids were quite creative. Eight of the performances were about women in history, and several were about how important women were to the Civil War and WWII. I wanted to jump up and down at times because I'm so proud of girls today! They realize that our sex has gotten the shaft for SO LONG and they're not going to let it happen to them. I wish Emily could have seen those kids. She would have loved it, especially since they were her age.

After all that, Dawn and her boyfriend, Tucker, picked me up and we went for a really late lunch. Before I start some kind of family scandal, let me clarify. It was my friend, Dawn, not my sis-in-law who's married to my brother. I wouldn't want to go to lunch with her if she had a boyfriend. So, family, don't get all riled up about that, okay? Anyway, we had a good time over lunch and several cups of coffee. Tucker is a high school English teacher, so naturally I love him. Even if he is a man. Get this: we were talking while looking out the window at the snow. What? Yes! It snowed today. In a way it's good, though, because that delays the fact the I am going to have to get a pedicure. See how I took a bad thing and turned it into a good one? Always upbeat, yessir.

Now, I'm going to put away the computer and read a little for one of my classes, then I'm going to watch a couple of movies. They're piling up and I'm not getting my money's worth from Netflix if I don't watch the movies and return them for more.

I'll be back before the end of next week. Promise.

I'm Too Old For This

2008-04-06T09:02:00.002-05:00

I hardly got off the sofa yesterday until about 7 p.m. Why? I hosted a little Wine & Cheese party Friday night, and what I thought would last only a couple of hours went into the wee hours of the next morning! Yes, I forgot that twenty-year-olds can stay up all night. Everyone over thirty left by 10 o'clock, 'cause they have sense. Except me, of course. But, it does mean the little shits had a good time if they stayed that long, and I had a great time. I just love the young 'uns. I sort of think of them as my new nieces, since I don't get to see Emily that often anymore. Also, I promised them I'd have another party before the semester is over, since Lauren is graduating and won't be around next year. I'm going to have to start storing up my sleep right now! Party pics over on Flickr>>>

My mom came to visit last weekend and we had a really good visit. It was her birthday and we celebrated all weekend, including a visit to the casino, where we both won. That rarely happens. I'm going to Arkansas in a couple of weeks, too, and I get to watch Emily play in a softball tournament. And get lots of sugar from Reece. I'm just waiting, because it's going to happen soon, for Reece to want nothing to do with my smooches all over his cheeks.

Homework is calling. Gotta get it done so I can watch this movie.

Been Busy!

2008-04-03T16:56:00.001-05:00

As if I had to actually take the quiz to learn this:

I Like To Think Of It As Tuesday Eve

2008-03-24T08:36:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T09:49:00.003-05:00

Can't believe it's already Easter. Didn't we just have Christmas? It's cold here, and won't be good for hunting eggs in the yard this year. I remember looking for eggs all over the house, then going outside after church on Easter Sunday and finding the beautiful eggs we'd dyed all over the place and it was a blast.

I bought a few new items last night to hang on my walls, thanks to my friend Dawn's help, she's got the artist's eye and she helped me find the perfect painting for the wall above my hot red sofa. I am the worst picture hanger there is. Everything's always off balance and I even use a leveler, but I just don't have the knack, but I'm going to try anyway. I'll post pics so you can all have a good laugh.

I've had three weeks of weekly drawing class and I love it. I've been doing a little sketching on my own, too, and it's a great way to relax and let the mind rest a little. Our instructor is great and the class is small and I'm so glad I decided to spend Thursday nights learning something completely different from anything I've ever done.

I have made a pact with myself NOT to leave the house today, however, until I've finished with a paper that's due tomorrow night. I'm about one-fourth-finished with it, so it's going to take the rest of this morning and probably most of the afternoon to complete, but then I can go shopping and decorating! Tomorrow is laundry, cleaning house, working on another paper, and watching this movie.

If you want to read a novel that will make you want to stay up all night and forget everything else you have to do until you finish it, try this one! You will lose some sleep, but it'll be worth it. Let me know if you read it, too.

Just finished the last season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and I think it's the best season of all six, and I'm going to have to start collecting all seasons of it now. Funniest thing I've ever watched.

Can't procrastinate any longer. Must get on with the paper. Happy Easter.

xoxo
Ness

Happy St. Paddy's

2008-03-17T08:53:00.003-05:00

Thanks, Cousin Candee!

I Met Rainman In My Laundry Room

2008-03-15T08:45:00.002-05:00

In order to get my laundry done in one fell swoop, I always get up early on Saturday morning. If I'm in the laundry room at my apartment complex by 7 a.m., I can use all the washing machines I need and the dryers, and I never have to share any of them, nor do I have to talk to anyone living in the complex. And who wants to make chit chat at 7 a.m. on a Saturday? This morning, however, I walked into the lovely laundry room to transfer my clothes from the washers to the dryers and this old guy with huge eyes and a bright orange knit cap was standing in front of one of the dryers staring at it like it was a television. He jumped out of his skin when I entered the room, which has a combination lock, which is supposed to keep out the criminals, and I said hi to him and he said, with a booming voice, "it's going to rain all day and we're going to have a light snow, but don't worry, it'll only be a dusting on the ground and will melt by tomorrow, but get ready to swim Monday and Tuesday 'cause it's going to rain for 48 hours straight, but then it's going to warm up Wednesday." No, "Hi, how are you?" Just a weather report with absolutely no inflection in his voice and he never took his eyes off the dryer, so I'm not really sure if he was even talking to me. I put my clothes in the dryer and got out of there in record time. I hope he didn't try to smell my socks after I left.

THIS is my new favorite blog. Thanks, Cousin Luann.

I watched THIS MOVIE last night. Whew. What a movie it is. If I have time, I'm going to watch it again this weekend. Now I want to read the book, too. I also have THIS ONE and THIS ONE to watch, but I have a ton of homework to do, so I'm not sure if I'll get to them this weekend. It is, however, going to rain all weekend, according to my source, so I can stay in and work and maybe have time for some more movies.

I told Auntie Linda that I couldn't go to Ireland this year like we were planning to do. If I get the TA position this fall (I'll find out the first part of April if I do) I'll need to use that travel money to live on, so we're going to wait until next year for Ireland. She was fine with that. We're talking about taking a short holiday someplace, maybe Chicago for a few days, or Kansas City. We want to go to some art museums and see some theatre and eat some good food and not spend a fortune. Any suggestions are welcome.

Congratulations to Emily. Not only did she win her school's first place award for her science fair project, but she won the regional first place, too! Told you she was something else. She is also off to St. Louis today for a week. She's spending her spring break on a mission trip with her church. She's such a good girl. She's a rocker, too, which makes her so interesting. I sort of love her a little.

As for Reece, he's hanging in there and reading really long books and he's a pro at working me. We've had this deal going for the last several summers, in which I bribe him to read. I pay him to read, that is. Well, since he no longer has to be bribed, I suggested to him that I send him the bribe money at the beginning of summer this year so that he can buy some books. He told me that the fourth book in the series he's been reading is going on sale in a week or so, and he'd really appreciate it if I could send the money early, like NOW, so he could buy the book. I sent him the money. He's good, I tell you.

I need to call Grandmother Bera now. She had her battery replaced in her pacemaker earlier this week and I haven't talked to her since the procedure. I hear she's doing fine, and I told her to ask for a turbo-charged battery and she said she would, and she also promised she wouldn't say "shit" while she was sedated. I'm going to ask her about that one.

Birthday Times Two

2008-03-08T13:06:00.003-06:00

Today is sis-in-law's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dawn! Sorry I wasn't there for the party. Would have loved to have some of that cake! Thanks for sending me the pics, though. You are so good to send photos of everything that's going on. Hope the snow's melted off the roads and Dave takes you out tonight to celebrate. XOXO

Tomorrow is my baby brother's birthday, so Happy Birthday to Don! I don't think he ever reads this blog, so really I should be posting a picture of him with a bow on his head, but this is such a good one that Dawn sent me from their party, I'm going to be nice.

Look at this next one. This is Arkansas! In March! Reece looks like he's frozen, and Emily just looks beautiful, as usual. So glad we missed that snow in Missouri. I've had enough to last until next winter.

Anniversary and So Much More

2008-03-02T14:39:00.004-06:00

February 21 was my three-year blogiversary and I didn't realize that until yesterday. When I began this blog, I had no idea what I would write about, and mostly that still holds true. I knew I'd write about Emily and Reece, and thus the name of my blog. Other than that, I had very little ambition. Most of my readers are family and they practically never comment, but if I skip more than a week of posting a blog, I always hear from them, so, I know you're reading, family. I have a few fellow bloggers who read, and I love y'all dearly. Your blogs are so good and I love reading them and I feel as if we're friends. I'd love to meet all of you someday and have a cup of coffee and hear your voices! Some of my friends and coworkers read and therefore I have to watch what I write about work. So, thanks, guys, for reading me for the last three years. I'm sure you'd like to have that time back to put on your life, huh?

Nothing much going on here. It's 60 degrees and I've been inside all day working on a paper. Tomorrow we're expecting two to four inches of snow. Yes. The weather here is even more strange than that in Arkansas. Yesterday my friend, Dawn, and I spent a nice afternoon having lunch and being girls and going shopping. We looked at handbags, jewelry, stuff for our homes, and of course: shoes. Dawn, you are so much fun. We've both signed up to begin a drawing class this coming Thursday night for five weeks. Dawn's a graphic artist, and I can't even draw a crooked line, so I know who'll do all the laughing in class. I've always wanted to take drawing lessons, though, and I'm getting old, so now's the time.

I need you guys to keep your fingers crossed for me for the next month. Yes, you may uncross them to eat, but then cross them back again. I'm up for a teaching assistantship for the fall and I really, really, really want the job. My friend, Sandy, has been a TA for the last year and she loves it and has talked me into applying for a position. I'll know something by the first part of April and I'll let you know whether I get hired.

Haven't been reading as much as usual, but I'm finishing this one, and I'm also reading this one. Thought I'd read it before seeing the movie.

I started watching the series "Weeds" and I think it's very good. Those Showtime series, at least the ones I've seen, have all been great. Last night, after doing some homework, I watched "Across the Universe." If you've not seen it and you love the Beatles, you will like it, but you won't love it. I ended up fast forwarding through some of it just to get to the ending. It wasn't a total waste of time, however. I'm going to watch this movie tonight. My photographer friend, Nic, tells me I'll like it and he gave me the accompanying book, but I can't remember the title of the book and it's in my bedroom and I'm too lazy to get up and get it so I'm not posting a link to it. Wait, I think it's Speedology. Still not getting up.

Time for a late lunch and I really want a hamburger. I haven't eaten one, or any red meat, in so long I don't remember. Think I'll go to Wendy's and get a burger with cheese on it. Now my stomach is growling.

Happy Birthday, Awesome Emily!

2008-02-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

I know I say this all the time, but, I can't believe you're fourteen, Emily! How did that happen? You're the sweetest girl and I'm so very lucky to be your aunt. You bring joy to everyone with your hilarious sense of humor and that gorgeous smile. I know your dad would love it if you were ugly and wanted to stay home and watch CNN on Friday night, but clearly that's never going to happen. You've got the most active social life I've ever imagined. And talk about smart! You succeed at everything you do academically. Hello, Ivy League. You're not so bad at the sports thing, either, you all-star softball/basketball player! You, my dear, are the total package and amaze me every time I talk to you with your intelligence. And, you love to read on top of all that! Stop all this growing up, already.

xoxo,
Aunt Vanessa

Enough, already!

2008-02-24T08:35:00.001-06:00

2-24-08
Originally uploaded by Aunt Vanessa

Yesterday was great. It was almost 40 degrees; there was very little evidence of the ice storm we'd had earlier in the week. Well. So much for the good weather. I woke up to this.

I got my haircut yesterday. Went to a new hair stylist that my friend, Dawn, recommended and I was very pleased. She gave me a good cut and my hair looked shiny and healthy when she was finished. I bought some Aveda products, too. I'm a sucker for anything that says it'll make your hair look fuller and healthier. The best part of the haircut experience was the fact that my new hair stylist, yes I'm going to keep her, didn't talk my ear off. She chatted a little, but didn't tell me all about her cheating husband or her lazy friend or her awful mother-in-law. I loved it. Of course, I'm always going to miss Marka, my Arkansas hair stylist, but I had to find someone here to cut my hair and I think I've found the perfect person.

Reece has been sick with strep throat. Bless his heart. I talked to him Friday night and he sounded really sick, but a little better yesterday. Here's to you, Reece, you precious sweetheart. Hope you're much better today.

Go over to my Flickr pics to see my new furniture! Love the color. The ottoman is actually the same color as the sofa and chair, it just looks lighter in the photos because of the texture of the fabric. I'm so glad I "went for it" and got the red, and I have a couple of throws and throw pillow options so I can change it whenever I feel like it. I'm truly starting to feel like the diva is awakening in me! Next thing you know, I'll be wearing gold shoes in the daytime.

Iced In

2008-02-21T15:44:00.002-06:00

I just had the best nap. The entire state is covered in ice and it's been drizzling more freezing rain, so I haven't left my apartment all day. Have a lot of assignments to work on, though, so I didn't really need to be napping, but Abby was, and she needed me to snuggle with her. So, I just did it for her, being the martyr that I am.

Congratulation to Emily for winning her science fair. Told you she was brilliant. And science isn't really her thing, but she had a great project: What genre of music makes you walk the fastest? Turns out it's Hip Hop. I hope she sends me her paper; I'd like to read it. I probably should text her and ask for it. Did you know that teenagers no longer talk? They only text. They're a very quiet generation, actually. They text and they listen to their iPods. Parents don't even know they're around. I'm sure my parents are feeling cheated out of that. I was the loudest teenager in the world, with the talking on the phone and the listening to Led Zeppelin on my eight track. (I'll explain those last terms to you, Emily, sometime!)

Auntie Linda was supposed to be coming up to visit over the weekend, but she has gallstones. Bitch. She has an appointment to see a surgeon Monday and then she's going to have surgery. Wish I could be there to take care of her. I had the same problem in my mid-twenties and it was no fun at all. Here's hoping she's up and about in record time. If she's down for too long, the casinos will close.

I still haven't taken updated pics of my living room, with the gorgeous new furniture. Maybe I'll do that later. Now, I'm going to watch a movie and then catch the Clinton/Obama debate. Guess who I'm supporting?

xoxo

Bye-bye

2008-02-17T09:52:00.001-06:00

Lisa and Trevor
Originally uploaded by Aunt Vanessa

This is Lisa and her husband, Trevor. I met Lisa last year when she joined our office. She's an amazing writer and has the most unique outlook on life. I think she's one of the brightest people I've ever known, not to mention hilarious. Everyone loves her. She and Trevor have joined the Peace Corps and are leaving Tuesday for Zambia. They'll be there two years, and last night we said goodbye to them at a party. I'm posting a link to their blog so you can read about them. Lisa does the writing and you'll love it. More party pics over on Flickr>>>>>>

Happy...oh...whatever...just eat some chocolate and forget it...

2008-02-14T16:33:00.001-06:00