Last post of 2008

I just wanted to write a quick message- my final post of 2008. So crazy. It's always hard to believe that another year has passed. It has been a crazy amazing year. I was a teacher for a bit- oh, student teaching- and am so looking forward to doing it again; I completed my major and celebrated graduation and then was a crazy person and went back to school again. I went to Italy and Greece and had the most amazing two weeks of my life; I had Christmas with my mom for the first time in about five years, which was pretty fantastic and got to surprise her with a trip to Disneyland for her 50th birthday. In the world at large the economy took a swift dowturn, the U.S. maintained its presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, war erupted over the Gaza strip, Congress fronted a major bailout of private industries, Russia and Georgia went to war, Gas reached $4.00 a gallon, and the United States elected Barack Obama for president. It has been one crazy year.

Wishing everyone the best in 2009!

Quick venting session

I just had two of my grades posted for this last semester and I am a little bitter about one of them. The class was Introduction to Literary Forms, a requirement for all English majors and minors, and was essentially a repeat of AP English. I missed this class a lot, I know, but I hate Hate HATE when attendance plays such a crucial part in the grade. I know that attendance is important in many classes, but this class was absurd. Most of the poems and short stories that were discussed in class were poems and short stories that we worked on in AP English. I understood them when I was 17, I still understand them now. It was absurd to go into this ridiculous class everyday and have the same discussions on the material that I did in a high school class. I did well on the papers and I think on the final, and yet because of absences, my grade was lower than I felt deserved. The point of class is to teach an understanding of the material- if I understand the material, then I don't see why I am to be punished for missing class. I am in college now and paying for these classes; the responsibilty to attend them is my own. I don't need a babysitter to make sure that I am in class everyday and in a way I feel that this was all that the teacher was.

Grrr.

Guh.

I just want finals to be over. I really do. Damn you, Meghan, for going back to school! You were supposed to be done with this!

A Dedication

So, the other day I discovered some old CD's that brought back some hilarious memories. I won't divulge all the details (though several of you already know them) but it was great to remember all these funny experiences from my early teen years, and especially my experiences with one of my best friends. We had a shared crush on a certain boyband and for the year or so that it possessed us, we had a freaking blast. So, Sarah M. (soon to be Sarah C., how crazy?!) This one is for you. Thanks for the great times and memories. You're the best!

More Videos

Obama Rolls Out National Security Team

AND I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED!

(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama on Monday announced Sen. Hillary Clinton as his pick for secretary of state, calling her an "American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence."

"Hillary's appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances," Obama said at a news conference in Chicago, Illinois. "I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton is the right person to lead our State Department and to work with me in tackling this ambitious foreign policy agenda."

Obama also confirmed that he is keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his current post.
Rounding out his Monday announcements, Obama named retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones as his national security adviser, Eric Holder as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations. Watch the news conference »

"I am confident that this team is what we need to make a new beginning for American national security," Obama said. Watch Obama name Clinton as his pick for secretary of state »

Clinton said leaving the Senate would be difficult for her, but said she believes that the best way for her to continue to serve the country is by joining Obama's administration.

"Mr. President-elect, I am proud to join you on what will be a difficult and exciting adventure in this new century," she said at the news conference. Watch what Clinton says about her new role »
Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, who was not at the event Monday, issued a statement expressing his support for his wife.

"In her service to the people of New York and our nation, Hillary has demonstrated the knowledge, passion, resilience, and capacity to learn that our country needs at this critical time.
"She loves being a Senator from New York, but as she has in all the thirty-seven years I've known her, she answered the call to serve. I commend President-Elect Obama for asking her to be a part of a great national security team. America will be well-served," he said in a statement.
New York Gov. David Paterson thanked Clinton for her service and said he is consulting with people from all over the state in order to appoint the best possible candidate to replace her in the Senate.

"New York will lose a powerful voice in the Senate. But the nation will gain a powerful voice in the world. Senator Clinton's wisdom and record of leadership will make her a strong advocate for the cause of liberty, human rights, and the rule of law," he said in a written statement.
In assuming this new post, Clinton will have some control of her staffing, like picking the assistant secretaries, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Clinton, Obama's former rival for the Democratic nomination, also has been told by the Obama team that they will help her fundraise in the next 60 days to help clear her campaign debt, which is about $6.5 million, the sources said.

Asked Monday how he can be sure that his administration will function as a team of rivals and not a clash of rivals, Obama said he has assembled a group of "outstanding public servants" who share a core vision for the country.

"I am very confident that each of these individuals are not going to be leaving the outstanding work that they are currently doing if they weren't convinced that they could work as an effective team," Obama said.

Obama added that he is a strong believer in "strong personalities and strong opinions."
Obama also noted, however, that he would have the final word in setting national security policy. "The buck will stop with me," Obama said.

All of the selections are people who have been mentioned often during weeks of fevered speculation about the likely nominees.

The president-elect has made no secret of his interest in having divergent views within his Cabinet, and Gates has served in various national security roles under Republican presidents, including as CIA director during former President George H.W. Bush's administration.
To some, the choice demonstrates bipartisanship and conveys that Obama has the self-confidence in his leadership abilities to keep one of the more widely respected members of the Bush administration.

"We've got confidence, continuity, and I still think the mission to get out of [Iraq] as soon as possible will be accomplished. So I think it's a great choice," Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel told CNN's "Larry King Live" last week.

Others say keeping Gates could delay the change that Obama promised during his campaign, because it could lead to potential policy conflicts over missile defense funding and a speedy Iraq pullout.

"If we don't have good civilian personnel alongside our good military personnel, we're not going to reform. It can't happen. You need the right people to make it work," former Pentagon comptroller Dov Zakheim said.

As for Clinton, some observers have raised concerns about her husband and suggested that the former president's international business dealings, global foundation and penchant for going off script could present a significant obstacle for the incoming commander-in-chief.
"These are issues that I'm sure are being discussed, and they will have to be worked out, and it's legitimate to ask these questions," said James Carville, a former aide to the Clintons and CNN contributor.

Obama's transition team was given access to Bill Clinton's finances and post-presidential dealings, sources said. As part of the early vetting process, the team looked for any negative information that could jeopardize the prospect of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.
A particular issue of concern, observers said, was the donor list of Bill Clinton's global foundation, which might show connections to international figures who push policies that could conflict with those of the new Obama administration.

Since exiting the Oval Office eight years ago, Clinton has reportedly raised more than $500 million for the foundation, a significant portion of which financed the construction of his presidential library. The foundation has also doled out millions for AIDS relief in Africa and other charitable causes around the world.

Amid repeated criticism from Sen. Clinton's primary opponents, Bill Clinton would not reveal the extent of the foundation's donor list earlier this year. But The New York Times has reported the list includes some foreign governments, including members of the Saudi royal family, the king of Morocco, a fund connected to the United Arab Emirates, and the governments of Kuwait and Qatar.

The former president has also reportedly solicited funds from international business figures connected to human rights abuses that his wife has criticized, including the governments of Kazakhstan and China.

During the New York senator's White House bid, critics repeatedly said that foreign governments and business executives could try to exert influence through donations to the foundation, which prompted a pledge from the former president to publicly disclose all future donors.

CNN's Ed Henry, Ed Hornick, Kristi Keck and Jamie McIntyre contributed to this report.

Just Saw...

the movie Twilight tonight. The best part of the whole movie? The trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Seriously, I was freaking out; I had tears in my eyes I was so excited. Seeing it on the big screen made me want to pee my pants with excitement.

I don't know how I will actually survive seeing the movie if I am this excited for a preview.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2427781913/

Finally!

Well, I have finally finished the last of my Utah History assignments! YAY! I signed up for this independent study course about 16 months ago, and have clearly had no motivation to complete it. It was the last course that I needed to complete my history teaching major and it feels fantastic to be done with it. All that is left to do is take the final (probably in a few weeks) and then burn my textbooks for the class (immediately following the final.)

Catching Up

Since most of my last posts have been political I thought I would catch my readers (both of them) up on what is going on in my life.

Not much. That's what's going on in my life. Actually not really, it just seems that way sometimes. My hours at Red Butte have died down, which is always sad. I love that job so much; it is tedious at times, but I could not ask for a more beautiful workplace, better coworkers, or better bosses. To fill in my time (and to make money of course) I am going to start substitute teaching soon, which will be annoying, but also fun. Even though I will not have my own class or anything, I am excited to be back in schools.

Speaking of school, I can't wait for the semester to be over. I love that I am in school and I love working on my minor, but it is just getting to that time where the semester needs to be over and conveniently, the time when the semester actually ends. I am taking three classes this semester: I love one of them but rather dislike the other two. My Literary Forms class is like AP English without the awesomeness of Mrs. Coon, and my Shakespeare class just...well, it sucks. It is boring and I think that Shakespeare is overrated. Yep, you heard it here: overrated. (Which some may find a bit odd, seeing that I will continue to contend that J.K. Rowling is a genius.) My last class, my Literary History class, is pretty great for the most part. It is a history of modernism and I have enjoyed much of what we have read so far, which, to be honest surprised me. I was always a little leery about reading Charles Dickens and James Joyce, but I find both authors to be captivating; I can't even begin to say how much I enjoyed Great Expectations and the Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man. We recently started, As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner and though I am not very far, it seems promising. Another book that we read in the class was The Great Gatsby. I had read this before, as a junior in high school, and only remember that I found nothing memorable about it. This time, however, wow. It is beautiful. It speaks to my interest in both history and literature and the comment it makes about the destructive power of the "American Dream" is amazing. This is from the last page of the book:

"And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes-a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder. And as I sat there, brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out Daisy's light at the end of his dock. He had come such a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close he could hardly fail to grasp it. But what he did not know was that it was already behind him, somewhere in the vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning-

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Wow. Really, without going crazy pointing out everything in the passage that I love, all I can say is wow. Anyway...

I am looking forward to next semester, my last semester (hehe, for real this time; no last minute decisions to study something else. Atleast, I think not...) And well, I suppose that's it. School, work, trying to maintain some semblance of a social life... that's really it. Here are some pictures from the last month or so...enjoy!

A few of the girls at Chrissy's wedding shower.

At Chrissy's wedding:

One of the awesome things about working at Red Butte is working at their Halloween activity. Here are some of my awesome costumes.

A kitty! Actually, I was Puss in Boots, but you just can't see the awesome polka dot rainboots I wore.

A hippie: it was surprising how many people commented that this was a fitting costume for me. I used this costume twice ( I was too lazy to come up with another costume) and both nights my friend Yasmine worked with me and we made quite an interesting pair.

A vampire: I don't know if you can really see them, but my fangs were awesome!

Little Red Riding Hood (sorta)

A cowgirl (sorta. Ok, I admit it, some of my costumes were a bit half-assed. Meh. ): Yes, I know that I am a nerd.

This is the awesome pumpkin that I carved. Yeah, I know it. It's awesome.

Amber and I playing in the leaves in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Emerson's finger, Me, Jen, and Ryan at Jen's birthday party.

Jessica and I at the Tavernacle.

Interesting

OK, Maybe I am too cynical a person, but really, this is ridiculous. Using a "Mission Accomplished" sign just a month after the troops entered Iraq? No shit that was a bad call. I feel bad for the guy a bit, and I do respect the gravity of the decisions that he had to make, but it doesn't really change the fact that he f****d up. Again and again and again. I'm sure that many people will read this and pity the guy and say that I am being mean, but in the end, he is not the only president who has had to sit in the Oval Office and make tough calls. Some people are meant for it, I guess, because many presidents have made many wonderful, inspired, incredibly difficult decisions. Some people, however, are not meant for it. Looking back on the past eight years... enough said.

Bush Says He Regrets Use of Iraq `Mission Accomplished' Banner

Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush said he regrets the display of the ``Mission Accomplished'' sign as backdrop for a speech he gave about a month after the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
``To some, it said, well, `Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over,' when I didn't think that,'' he said in a CNN interview today. ``It conveyed the wrong message.''
The sign was hung on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, when Bush landed on the carrier wearing a flight suit to declare that major combat operations in Iraq were over. That speech has since served as a rallying point for critics of Bush's policies in Iraq.
Bush also cited other regrets in the CNN interview, which was conducted aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York after a Veterans Day ceremony.
``I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said,'' Bush said. He cited comments he made after the Sept. 11 attacks, when he said of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden: ``I want justice. There's an old poster out West that said, 'Wanted, dead or alive.'''
He also said he regretted telling Iraqi insurgents in 2003: ``There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on.''
`Be Careful'
In the interview yesterday, he said, ``My wife reminded me that, `hey, as president of the United States, be careful what you say.'''
Bush, 62, also described his Nov. 10 meeting at the White House with his successor, President-elect Barack Obama, and said he asked former President Bill Clinton for advice on handling the transition.
``It was interesting to watch him go upstairs,'' Bush said of Obama's visit. ``He wanted to see where his little girls were going to sleep. Clearly, this guy is going to bring a sense of family to the White House, and I hope Laura and I did the same thing. But I believe he will, and I know his girls are on his mind and he wants to make sure that first and foremost, he is a good dad.''
Bush said he would return to Texas when he hands over the presidency Jan. 20 and may write a book.
``I want people to know what it was like to make some of the decisions I had to make,'' he said. ``I've had one of those presidencies where I've had to make some tough calls, and I want people to know the truth about what it was like sitting in the Oval Office.''


http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20081112/pl_bloomberg/ahlrnlvfhsmc#full

I am so thankful for...

George W. Bush. (Betcha didn't see that one coming!)



In my state of complete euphoria following tonight's election results, I actually had a positive thought about good ol' Dubya. So many people are apathetic to politics; they don't know or care about their government and its actions. George W. Bush made it impossible for me to be apathetic. I am so grateful for my knowledge of and passion for politics and I don't know if I would have that same knowledge and passion if it weren't for President Bush. During the eight shameful years of his presidency I have gained the desire and ability to scrutinize my government, to research its positions and actions, and to question the decisions made by the leaders of my country. People may suggest that it is a negative thing that I developed this cynical approach to my government, but I am so thankful for it. I think that I am a better person every day that I think about the state of our country, the state of the world. I feel more educated, more enlightened, by my desire to search for truth, to analyze, to think, to know, to care about the world around me. Thank you, George Bush. Your dismal approach at running this country and the free world has, ironically, made me a better person.

There are no words

to describe how happy and relieved I feel right now. After eight years of waiting, we finally have the opportunity to move forward from the persistent problems of the Bush regime. As a history nerd and simply as an American, watching them call the election in favor of Obama was one of the highlights of my life. I'm not going to lie and pretend that I was an Obama supporter from the beginning, seeing as everyone who knows me knows that I was, am, and always will be a supporter of Hillary Clinton, but on this night, in this election, I truly believe that Americans made the right choice.

I have been disappointed before by the American people (Election '04) but tonight I believe that they really pulled through. I applaud their acknowledgement that America is not moving in the right direction under their current president, that there are issues that need to be handled immediately; I admire their willingness to look beyond all the negative GOP campaign rhetoric and look at the potential of Obama; and I commend them for putting their faith in Obama, knowing that right now what the country is risking is more than it can afford to lose.

I cannot, of course, guarantee that Obama and his cabinet will make all the right decisions, that every thing they do will work, but I so respect the American people for their willingness to give him a chance. He deserved it. And so do we.

Just a quick shoutout...

to all my amazing friends.

I know that this is random, but to all my friends who read this, I just wanted to let you know how much I love and appreciate you guys. I have been through some crazy times and I know that I would not be here now without you.

Tonight I had two friends tell me how grateful they were for my friendship, so I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell all my friends how truly grateful I am for their presence in my life. Really, you will never know how much it means to me.

Love you guys!

Love,
Meg

Nine days and counting.

Well, the time for change is slowly approaching here in the United States. Only nine days until the election; I truly can't believe it. I know that many of you who read my blog probably disagree, but it has been a damn long eight years under the Bush regime. I can't believe that it is almost over. Really, I thought the time would never come.

I remember all the controversy around his first election in 2000. I was only 15 years old and through high school debate I had just started to care about politics. I could not believe the decision in Bush V. Gore; it was absurd in that it essentially declared that not every vote mattered. In a country that enjoys forcing democracy on other nations, it seemed ridiculous that we would not fight tooth and nail to secure democracy in our own. But, I thought, it was only four years.

And then September 11th happened and life in the United States was altered dramatically. Bush's approval rating soared and suddenly we were on the verge of war; first in Afghanistan, then in Iraq. How had things gone downhill so quickly?

And they continued downhill when in 2004, George Bush was reelected. Not that it mattered, but I took the "Proud to be an American, Ashamed of my government" button off my backpack. I know that I will hear it for this comment, but at the time, I was not proud to be an American. George Bush was not an effective president then, and that would not change over the next four years. I felt that American's had been duped by the GOP machine into believing that the fate of America in the war on terrorism rested in the hands of George Bush.

Well, four years later and we find out that the fate of America was in the hands of George Bush, only he had different plans for it than what American's expected. That is to say, he had no plans; or atleast no plans that he was able to put into action. Four years later and we are still in Iraq, with the Iraqi government and military not much closer to being able to maintain their sovereignty than they were in 2004. Sure, the troop surge was "effective" in that it decreased violence in Iraq, but it did not help prepare Iraqi officials to take their country from the hands of the American government and military, as it was supposed to do. Four years later and we are still in Afghanistan; our education system is still not competing with those of other developed nations; our economy is struggling and through every missed car payment, through every foreclosed home and lost job, middle class Americans are feeling hopeless. It is hard to put faith in a government that continuously lets you down.

But the time has come here in 2008 in which Americans no longer have to feel hopeless. We have an opportunity for change and it is essential that we all take advantage of that opportunity. VOTE! I know that for some it seems pointless ( I know that feeling- I am a Utah democrat!) but you should vote just because you can. Just because you have the opportunity, the right, the ability to express your political opinions. I won't tell you who to vote for (but I hope you can feel the Obama/Biden vibes I'm sending your way ;) ) but I just want to encourage everyone to vote.

vote, Vote, VOTE! It makes your soul feel better, I promise.

Why I love

Amy Poehler.

Oh, SNL...

I love you!

Palin and Katie Couric:



VP Debate:



MAVERICK!

Veep Debate

Ok, well I of course have much that I could say after watching the Biden-Palin debate yesterday, but I will be brief.

I thought that Palin did exceptionally well considering her past blunders in interviews and speaking engagements; she seemed to have taken rather well to her debate training. Not to say that I think that she has anymore skills or knowledge than I thought- I felt she was a bit robotic, though at times I could see the downhome charm that people seem to respond to. She seemed to be simply regurgitating facts and opinions that were given to her and she was often unable to respond to the direct questions from the moderator or make counter-arguments to Biden's statements.

Biden did well, I think. There was nothing spectacular, save the clip below, but I thought that it was a pretty solid performance. He was direct, well-spoken, and clearly knowledgeable about his opinions and politics.

This clip from the debate, was heartbreaking, and definitely increased my respect for Biden. It was poignant and illustrated his understanding of what it's like to be the average American. Sarah Palin's non-response response, not surprisingly, increased my dislike of her.

Awesome Secret

I am sort of obsessed with this website, postsecret.blogspot.com, and I came across this secret this week and it cracked me up. If you have never seen this site, I recommend that you do so, immediately. It's amazing; Frank Warren (the creator) is a genius.

I hate...

being sick.  

I don't know if it's my allergies or what, but I have felt terrible the last few days.  Grrr.

nataliedee.com

Love it.

"There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and everyday confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense."

-Elizabeth Bennet (Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.)

Election 2008

Last year at this time, I was going crazy with election fever. Those of you who know me know that I am a huge Hillary fan and at that time her campaign was on a roll and I couldn't have been happier. At this time, however, I am less excited that I was before. After Obama received the nomination I sort of withdrew from my interest in the election. I just didn't think that he was as qualified as Hillary was (is) and I knew that I would not have an easy time supporting McCain, so I just stopped caring.

I care a little more now, after the selection of the VPs for both parties. Though I agree with Ed Rollins, and millions of others, that Obama should have picked Hillary to be his veep, (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/08/rollins.convention/) I feel ok about the selection of Biden; at the very least he adds experience to the previously lacking ticket. I definitely feel better about the Obama-Biden ticket than the McCain-Palin ticket.

Palin! PALIN! Really!?!? Not to say that I was likely to support the Republican party anyway, but now, there is not a chance in hell! PALIN!? I just can't beleive it! First of all, I just find the selection insulting; McCain was trying to reach out to the disenfranchised women in a post-Hill election- and he gives us Palin!? INSULTING! I don't just want a woman in office- I want a qualified woman and Sarah Palin is not that woman. Not only is McCain's choice insulting to women, thinking that we will support her simply because she has a vagina, but it is also absolutely absurd. She lacks any foreign policy experience (I hate to mention the whole "next to Russia" thing because the joke is just too easy, but come on! REALLY?!); she has a history of inconsistant policy-making decisions (look up her views on the Bridge to Nowhere), is seemingly unconcerned with the environment (supports drilling in ANWR, has fought putting various animals on the endangered species list, does not believe that global warming is caused by humans, etc...), supports ineffective abstinence-only education... She inquired into banning library books, and instead of supporting and expanding their town library and museum, she instead supported the building of a sports complex. GRRR!! She really infuriates me. I find it terrifying to think that she might be only a heartbeat away from being the president. Aside from her being a dynamic speaker, I really don't know what she adds to the Republican presidential ticket.

And so, I support Obama-Biden and hope that others do the same. Actually, vote for whoever you want, just please Please PLEASE do your research first! (oh, and don't vote for Sarah Palin!) :)

HILL-arious!

Ahhh, I love Saturday Night Live! This was their opening the other day and I think that it is awesome! Enjoy-



http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/

Meow Meow

Well, life is pretty standard right now. I am back in school. Crazy, eh? When I was coming home from Europe in June I decided that I would really like to be able to travel on a regular basis and that to do so I needed a better financial base. So I decided that I would teach in Utah for a year to save some more money and pay off some debt. Unfortunately, I made this decision too late and I was not able to find a teaching job. At first, I completely freaked out- i had no idea what to do with myself. Fortunately, a solution came to me rather quickly and I cancelled my graduation application and decided to go back to school to get a minor in English Literature. I am taking three classes this semester and after that I only need three more classes to complete the minor. I might take them all next semester or I might take one class next semester and finish the last two classes in a five-week study abroad program in London. It is a little crazy to back in school because I thought that I was all finished, but it is nice. I didn't know how to be a bum for a year and do nothing progressive with my life, but I definitely know how to be a student.

As you may have been able to garner from several of my previous posts and just from knowing me, I am kind of a book nerd so getting an English minor is perfect for me. I had actually wanted to do it from the very beginning of my college career, but between transferring schools and switching majors I just didn't have time for it. Haha, I definitely have time for it now. It is also nice because aside from just being a personal interest, an English minor might also help me get a job. Once I finish the minor I am going to take, and hopefully pass, the English Praxis and will then be able to teach English as well as history which would pretty much be awesome. So, I am going to finish the minor and graduate (for real this time) then hopefully teach in Utah for a year to save some money, and then, finally, I will hopefully be able to head back to the east coast.

So, I am back in school, still working my job of three years, starting a part-time nanny job and will begin substitute teaching in October. I am having a great time hanging out with my family and friends, looking forward to more travel (five weeks in London, plus side trips to Scotland, France, Ireland, and maybe Turkey). Though I was looking forward to moving out of Utah, life is good right now, and I am actually feeling okay about putting my moving plans on hold.

Hmmm...

So, I am just realizing that I can be a very dark person. I love the following three poems, all by E.A. Robinson; I think they are fantastic, but apparently that makes me very "disturbed."

Richard Cory

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich - yes, richer than a king -
And admirably schooled in every grace;
In fine we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

Miniver Cheevy

Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.

Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
The vision of a warrior bold
Would send him dancing.

Miniver sighed for what was not,
And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
And Priam's neighbors.

Miniver mourned the ripe renown
That made so many a name so fragrant;
He mourned Romance, now on the town,
And Art, a vagrant.

Miniver loved the Medici,
Albeit he had never seen one;
He would have sinned incessantly
Could he have been one.

Miniver cursed the commonplace
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing:
He missed the medieval grace
Of iron clothing.

Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
But sore annoyed was he without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it.

Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.

The Mill

The miller's wife had waited long,
The tea was cold, the fire was dead;
And there might yet be nothing wrong
In how he went and what he said:
"There are no millers any more,"
Was all that she heard him say;
And he had lingered at the door
So long it seemed like yesterday.

Sick with a fear that had no form
She knew that she was there at last;
And in the mill there was a warm
And mealy fragrance of the past.
What else there was would only seem
To say again what he had meant;
And what was hanging from a beam
Would not have heeded where she went.

And if she thought it followed her,
She may have reasoned in the dark
That one way of the few there were
Would hide her and would leave no mark:
Black water, smooth above the weir
Like starry velvet in the night,
Though ruffled once, would soon appear
The same as ever to the sight.

Gr.

This is going to sound ridiculous, ok, well, it is ridiculous, but I am soo freaking angry that they moved the release of the Harry Potter movie back eight months!! Well, maybe not angry so much as sad. Which is really ridiculous, because I don't even really love the movies. They are fine, and they still have the Harry Potter spirit, but they aren't nearly as good as the books. And yet still, I am upset. I was so looking forward to November Harry Potter Craftathon (haha, only Mel would understand) and now I have to wait for next July!

The other thing that sucks about it is that they moved the opening right after they released the trailer and new pictures. Just as I started to get more excited, they pull the rug out from under my feet. Those bastards.

I can't believe...

that I read Breaking Dawn. I finished it yesterday and I have to say that it was a pretty painful experience. I had read the other three (the first was fine, the other two...not so much) so I felt compelled to read the fourth and it was even more awful than I expected it to be. The plot was weak, characterization non-existent, and Meyers' writing skill is mediocre at best.

I guess now that it's over I can return to reading real books, that is, books that I don't think a child could have written.

Greece!

So, I have posted picture of my trip on facebook but I have only just gotten to the Greece pictures, so I thought that I would give me blog readers (both of them) a little preview.
Temple of Athena-Nike on the Acropolis.
Me at the Parthenon.
Parthenon.
Elesia, Hollie, Me, and Albert at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.



Me and Hollie at Epidaurus.
The flowers there were gorgeous.
Me and Mrs. Coon at Mycenae.
Colby, Me, Mrs. Coon, and Italo (our amazing tour guide) at the entrance to Mycenae.

Interesting "Best Books" List

I saw this on my friend Erica's blog and since I have a fascination with books and book lists I had to check it out. This British woman wrote this list of the 100 best books and I have to say that I find the list quite interesting. Completely wrong, but interesting. I think that it's odd that she listed "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" as a different book from the "Chronicles of Narnia," when it is actually one of "The Chronicles." She did the same thing with "Hamlet" and the "Complete works of Shakespeare," which in itself is an interesting selection in this list. Maybe it's because I haven't read the complete works, but I really can't imagine that his entire body of work deserves to be on the list. Come on: Titus Andronicus, Pericles... I think you would have many people contend that these do not belong. I just think that his work his much too contested (you either love it or hate it) to list it all here.

As much as I enjoyed "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" I would not go so far as to put it on this list. It was interesting and well-crafted but not enough to be "best books" material. Same goes for "The Lovely Bones." Also, and perhaps most importantly, "The DaVinci Code"?! Is she serious?! Don't get me wrong, I read it, enjoyed it, and was even so intrigued as to read the rest of Dan Brown's fiction collection, but there is no way I would ever put it on a list of the best 100 books. The plot was definitely intriguing but the characters weren't developed and the writing itself was just average. How does Dan Brown make this list and Toni Morrison not?

Despite my issues with the list I do think that some of the selections were well-chosen. "The Handmaid's Tale" is amazing, and I absolutely love "The Color Purple." "Pride and Prejudice" is my favorite book ever and I love "The Bell Jar." Evelyn Waugh is an incredible author and it's also great to see Kazuo Ishiguro on the list. And, of course, I was pleased to see Harry Potter make the list, though I am sure that many people might disagree with its place on this list (I do love those books for a reason, you know- it has an interesting plot, great character development; it's well-constructed and well-written.) Anyway here's how this goes:

1. Read through the list and mark the books you've read in bold.
2. Italicize any you started, but didn't finish.
3. Color the ones you loved in green.
4. Publish the list on your blog!

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
3. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
4. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
5. Life of PI - Yann Martel
6. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
7. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
8. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
9. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
10. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
11. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
12. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
13. His Dark Materials (trilogy) - Philip Pullman
14. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
15. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
16. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
17. Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
18. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
19. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
20. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
21. Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
22. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
23. Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
24. Animal Farm - George Orwell
25. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
26. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
27. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
28. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
29. Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
30. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
31. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
32. Complete Works of Shakespeare
33. Ulysses - James Joyce
34. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
35. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
36. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
37. The Bible
38. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
39. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
40. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
41. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
42. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
45. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
46. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
47. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
48. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
49. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
50. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
51. Little Women - Louisa M. Alcott
52. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
53. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
54. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
55. Middlemarch - George Eliot
56. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
57. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
58. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
59. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
60. Emma - Jane Austen
61. Persuasion - Jane Austen
62. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
63. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
64. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
65. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
66. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
67. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery
68. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
69. Atonement - Ian McEwan
70. Dune - Frank Herbert
71. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
72. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
73. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
74. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
75. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
76. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
77. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
78. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
79. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
80. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
81. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
82. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
83. Dracula - Bram Stoker
84. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
85. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
86. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
87. Germinal - Emile Zola
88. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
89. Possession - A.S. Byatt
90. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
91. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
92. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
93. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
94. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
95. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
96. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
97. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
98. Watership Down – Richard Adams
99. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
100. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

Tagged- ABC's

I was blog surfing while bored at worked and noticed that I got tagged by Erica. Since I have nothing better to do, I decided I would fill this out. Yes, my life is boring.

A- Attached or single: Single, most definitely.
B- Best Friend: Casandra and Jordan.
C-Cake or Pie: Pumpkin cake...mmm.
D-Day: Sunday, as long as I don't have to work.
E- Essential Item: Books. I always have to have one with me.
F- Favorite Color: Green.
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears. I like to bite their heads off :)
H-Home town: Born in Butte, MT but raised in Kearns, UT
I- Indulgences: Glamour magazine, Kelly Clarkson, cheesecake
J- January or July?: Well, they each have their ups and downs.
K-Kids: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! No.
L-Life is incomplete without: like Erica said, family and friends.
M- Marriage Date: I am more the "always a bridesmaid never a bride" type.
N- Number of Siblings: Two brothers, one sister, one brother-in-law.
O- Oranges or Apples: oranges.
P- Phobias or Fears: failure
Q- Quote: "Not all those who wander are lost."- J.R.R. Tolkien and "As though to breathe were life!"-Alfred Lord Tennyson
R- Reason To Smile: Despite my cynicism, I truly can't think of ONLY one reason to smile. There really are quite a few.
S- Season: Autumn.
T- Tag Three: See below
U- Unknown fact about me: For the most part I hate all seafood, but I randomly crave tuna fish.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Mmm...chicken.
W- Worst Habit: Worrying, popping my gum, and I can't believe I almost forgot this- but um, tardiness, hehe.
X-Rays or Ultrasounds: just had my teeth x-rayed a few weeks ago.
Y-Your favorite food: You can't ask this question to a fat kid. It's not fair.
Z: Zodiac Sign: Aries



So, Cas, Tecia, and Staci if you read this- you've been tagged.

Blergh.

I had an interview for a job today. Blah. I hate being an adult and looking for adult jobs. I can't wait to have my adult job, I just don't like looking for it.

So Excited!

Ok, since my life is pretty lame right now, I thought I would post two things that make me ridiculously, pathetically happy.

#1

Yeah, that's right. I can't wait. The movies aren't nearly as amazing as the books (they are not even close!) but I still have yet to let go of my Harry Potter love and so I am definitely excited for this movie. I about peed my pants when I saw that the trailer was up.

#2

Hehe, I just thought that I would stick with the theme, ya know? Set to hit the market on December 4th, the book includes the Tales, as translated by Hermione, illustrations, and "historical notes, personal reminiscences, and insights [about] wandlore" found in Dumbledore's personal papers after his death. Oh. My. Gah! Seriously, I am so excited! I know, I know; it is nerdy. But you know what else I know? I know that I don't care how nerdy it is. Harry Potter is amazing. J.K. Rowling is a genius. It's just how it is. And it makes me ridiculously, pathetically happy.

Getting Up Early...

I really don't know how I am going to do it when I start teaching (assuming of course that I ever get a teaching job...) Because really, I suck at getting up early. I had to be here at work at 7:00 this morning and now I feel as though my brain is moving in slow motion and consequently so are my hands, eyes, and speech. I hope that my future first period classes are ok with being taught by a zombie.




Life is pretty average still. I did just buy a new car, however, which was pretty exciting. Exciting, that is, until the alternator died on me the second day that I had it! So, after paying to get that fixed (oh so fun)the car is running great. My mechanic says that it is in really nice shape (which I would only would say because I think that the car is pretty, but he says it because he knows what the hell he is talking about.) The car and I are not really on speaking terms right now, and I have refused to give it a name or a gender, but I will get over my bitterness about the early betrayal soon enough and I will absolutely love the car.

Hahaha!

see more dog pictures

Best website ever! (That is, once you get past the grammar and spelling.)

Meh.

I haven't blogged in a while because, well, there hasn't been much to blog about. In the last few months I have graduated from college and went to Italy and Greece and now I have got pretty much nothing going on for me. Amazing how life can go from being so blog-worthy to blase in a few weeks, no? I am just working and looking for a job. Grrr. Tonight I went out to dinner with my friends Staci and Holly, which was fun. And I watched the best/worst movie ever with Jordan, my little brother. Well, I guess I should say younger brother, seeing as he is more than a head taller than me now. The movie was called "Grizzly Park" and we rented it at a Redbox for its potential awesome-terribleness. Oh, it far exceeded our expectations. The movie ended with the pretend dumb girl turned ultra-manipulator getting her fake boob swatted off by an even more fake grizzly bear- cut to a great close-up shot of the blood-tinted silicone sliding down a tree trunk. Yeah, it was awesome. Not quite Willard awesome, but still pretty good. If anyone is looking for a terrible movie to watch, I would definitely recommend it.

Back Home!

After two weeks in Europe, I am finally back home! It is bittersweet, of course. I was very excited to see my family and friends and Boomer, also to sleep in my own bed, but my trip to Italy and Greece was so incredible and so surreal that I was sad to see it come to an end.

I'll post pictures and some stories over the next few days. I am still a bit jet-lagged today; getting over a 9 hour time difference and an entire day of traveling home is a bit much.

TWO DAYS!!!

Wow, only 2 days until Italy! I can't believe it. I still have so much to do to prepare- yeah, I'm a major procrastinator! I am so excited!

For any of you who are interested, here is what my trip itinerary looks like:

Day 1 > June 11 > Start Tour

Day 2 > June 12 > Ciao Milan
Meet your Tour Director
Transfer to Venice
Dinner en route to Venice

Day 3 > June 13 > Venice Landmarks
Venice guided walking sightseeing tour with Whisper headsets
St. Mark’s Square
Basilica
Doges’ Palace visit
Glass-blowing demo

Day 4 > June 14 > Venice--Florence
Travel to Florence via Verona
Romeo and Juliet balcony
Pizza dinner

Day 5 > June 15 > Florence Landmarks
Florence guided walking sightseeing tour with Whisper headsets
Palazzo Vecchio
Chiesa di Santa Croce
Piazza della Signoria
Ponte Vecchio
Duomo visit
Leather workshop
Gates of Paradise
Giotto’s Bell Tower
Dante's house
Pisa guided excursion

Day 6 > June 16 > Florence--Rome
Travel to Rome via Assisi
St. Francis' Basilica visit
Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon
Piazza Navona

Day 7 > June 17 > Rome Landmarks
Rome guided walking sightseeing tour with Whisper headsets
Sistine Chapel visit
St. Peter’s Basilica visit
Colosseum visit
Piazza Venezia
Forum visit


Day 8 > June 18 > Rome--Sorrento
Travel to Sorrento via Capri and Pompeii
Cameo workshop
Pompeii guided visit
Blue Grotto visit (weather permitting)

Day 9 > June 19 > Sorrento--Patras
Sorrento free time
Travel to Brindisi
Overnight ferry from Brindisi to Patras

Day 10 > June 20 > Patras--Tolo
Travel to Tolo via Olympia
Olympia site guided visit


Day 11 > June 21 > Tolo--Athens
Travel to Athens via Epidaurus & Mycenae
Epidaurus site guided visit
Mycenae site guided visit
Corinth Canal
Greek evening

Day 12 > June 22 > Athens Landmarks
Athens guided sightseeing tour
Parthenon
Acropolis visit
Temple of Athena Nike
Omonia Square
Syntagma Square
Olympic site
Athens city walk
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Hadrian’s Arch

Day 13 > June 23 > Delphi Landmarks
Delphi guided excursion
Temple of Apollo

Day 14 > June 24 > End Tour

Five Days

I leave to Europe in five days. Hazah!!!

Back Home

I am just getting home from my trip to Idaho. Usually we head up there to spend time with my grandma, but this time we were there on more somber business. On the 23rd of this month my great uncle, Bob Eames, passed away. This past wednesday evening my sister, older brother, and I drove up to Menan and then on Thursday went with my dad, stepmom, grandma, and my uncle Matt to the funeral. I have known Bob and his wife Jean for as long as I can remember and they have helped my grandma so much since my grandpa died so it was very sad to have to say goodbye. It was also difficult because it brought back so many memories of my grandpa's funeral which was about 5 1/2 years ago. It was, however, great to spend time with my family. There haven't been that many of us together since my grandpa's funeral so it was great to be able to hang out and reminisce. We looked through old photos and told old stories and it was great to pretend that for just one weekend we were all as close as we used to be. I guess that's the thing about funerals- they really are the most complicated, confusing swirl of emotions.

I'll miss you, Bob!

Tagged!

Well, Casandra tagged anyone willing to fill this out and I am currently bored enough at work to muster the necessary willingness so here I go.

3 Joys

1. Reading. Yep, I am a huge book nerd. Books provide me with new thoughts, new ideas, and an oft-needed reprieve from all the craziness in my own head. They make me laugh and are one of the few things that can actually make me cry (George Bush being president and the death of a loved one are the other things.) Reading brings me true happiness.
2. Teaching. Watching a student finally "get it"... truly, there is nothing like it.
3. My friends and family. They amaze me. They are so insane but I love them in a way I couldn't explain.

3 Fears

1. Failure.
2. Losing a loved one.
3. Failure. (What can I say? I am a total type-A personality!)

3 Goals

1. To own my own bookstore.
2. To get a Master's degree.
3. To travel extensively. ( I realize I'll be trying to do that on a teacher's salary, but meh, I'll make it work.

3 Obsessions

1. New York City. I only lived there for a year, but during that year I fell deeply, madly in love. It is the most amazing place ever and it lights me up like nothing else. I miss my friends there, Ray's Pizza (the one at 6th and 11th, of course!) Union Square Park, taking the subway home at 4 in the morning, and falafels at Mamoun's.
2. Harry Potter. Yeah, that's right, I said it. I looooooove Harry Potter! I love talking about Hogwarts and Diagon Alley like they are places that actually exist, Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange like real live people who you love to hate (though truly, I just love Bellatrix!) and cheering for the Golden Trio like the outcome in their battle versus Voldemort actually matters.
3. I had a tough time thinking of this third one, but I guess it would be my celebrity girl-crushes. I generally don't much care for celebrities and though I love Johnny Depp, nothing catches my eye like a photo or story about Idina Menzel, Megan Mullally, or Helena-Bonham Carter.

3 Random Surprise Facts

1. I have bipolar disorder. Fun stuff, eh?
2. I want to write a book.
3. I don't like peas.

I now tag everyone who, like me, is bored enough to fill this out.

Finally!!!

Well, I finally did it. On Friday I graduated from the University of Utah. YAY! The ceremony was long and hot and boring, but it was still nice.

Read on for a detailed account of my graduation and subsequent celebrations.

I sat with some of my friends from the teaching cohort which was great; it made the ceremony significantly less excruciating. The experience was sort of surreal; even as I sat in the Huntsman Center in my cap and gown I could not believe that I was graduating! When I finally went down on the floor to get my diploma (cover), that's when it kind of hit me. I looked up and waved at my family- I tipped my hat to my little brother (hehe) and laughed at my mom, who was of course crying- and then I thought to myself "Huh, I'm graduating. YAY!" It was pretty great. My mom, sister, younger brother, dad, stepmom, and grandma all came to the ceremony, which was nice. The U has a tradition where you wear a red stole with your cap and gown and then give it to someone who has inspired you or helped you through your college career. I gave mine to my grandma, because she is amazing. She got her degree and teaching certificate through balancing school, a full-time job, five kids, a husband, and a farm- absolutely insane. She has been so excited and supportive of me becoming a teacher and it was very nice to be able to acknowledge her by giving her my stole. She seemed very touched. My friend Staci and her husband Garrett also came which was great. They also attended our post-graduation lunch with my crazy family, and it was a lot of fun. My second dad, Brian Fast, also attended. His daughter, Nicole, was my best friend all through elementary school and I have remained close with the family ever since so I thought it was very touching that he made the effort to come see me graduate.

After the ceremony was when the real fun began. We hung around and took pictures for a bit then my mom, grandma, brothers, sister, Staci, Garrett, and I went to lunch at Johnny Carino's. After that I took a short nap (I was sooo exhausted!) then I went with my friend Erica to a graduation party for our friend Maria. We ate dinner, had a few drinks, danced, and just hung-out. After that I met with my friend Coby and his friends Tree and Lisa Marie for drinks at Club Sound. Good times, good times.

Then on Saturday I went to lunch at Chili's with Casandra, Sarah, and Chrissy. After that, Casandra took me on a tour of the model home for their new townhouse. It is very nice and I am very excited for her and Trent to have their own home.
Later that night I met my friends Jen, Julia, her boyfriend Aaron, Hollie, Todd, Kirsten, Ryan, and Emerson for drinks at The Spot. It was soooo fun. Crazy, but amazingly fun.

Tonight my dad, stepmom and grandma are taking me and my little brother (he turned 18 on Friday!) out to dinner, and Thursday my cohort is having a BBQ to celebrate graduation. Yeah, it's a busy time, but hey, graduating college is definitely worth celebrating.

Meh

I am just sitting here, bored at work, and I thought I could occupy my time by updating my blog. Unfortunately, there is not much going on in my life right now. Well, there is actually a lot going on in my life, yet for some reason I feel that my life is stagnant.

-I am graduating on Friday, which is so exciting. It is a little weird to be done with school though. I have been a student for as long as I can remember, so it is strange now to just not be a student.
-I am still looking for a job. It is very nerve-wracking and I sometimes panic a little bit, but I am confident that will be able to find the right school for me. I am so looking forward to teaching. I am terrified, of course, but incredibly excited as well.
-I am going to Europe in about six weeks and I CAN"T WAIT! I am so excited. I have never been out of the country before and I just can't imagine a better first international experience than spending two weeks in Italy and Greece.
-My friend Amanda just had a beautiful baby boy. My friend Staci and I went and visited them yesterday which was great. I have been friends with Amanda since I was in 7th grade so it was neat to see her with her son. Great, but crazy. He really is a beautiful baby.

Yeah, that's life. Back to work, I guess.

Graduation!

I can't believe it- I am finally graduating from college! YAY! My graduation is at 11:15 at the Huntsman Center at the University of Utah. I am graduating from the College of Humanities with a B.A. in History Teaching and I could not be more excited. Just thought that I would let you all know!

I heart reading

One of my very favorite quotes comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Ulysses but I recently realized that I had not read the poem in its entirety in about five years. GASP! For all of you have have never read this- wow- you are missing out. I remember the first time that I read it, in my AP English class, the only thing that really stuck out to me was the line "As though to breathe were life." I just thought it was a beautiful, simple way to say a powerful thought. After reading it this time, having five years of college under my belt, I realize just how truly amazing the entire poem is. It is beautiful in its tragic reminiscence and longing for another adventure that the speaker is unlikely to ever take.

I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
As tho' to breathe were life. Life pil'd on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is sav'd
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

It discusses the need to continue, to move forward, yet when I read it, I feel that the speaker will never have the chance to actually do that and is perhaps speaking to those who may still have a chance.

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Mov'd earth and heaven, that which we are, we are:
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.


Guh. I just love it.


Along with this return to high school poetry assignments, I have also read a few novels. Five, in fact, since I finished with my student teaching on March 24th. Four of them were Harry Potter books, however, so I am not sure that they really count. Hehe, it was sort of an odd selection of the HP books though. I read the 5th, then the 2nd, then the 6th and the 7th. I love Harry Potter. I really do.

I also read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. It was very intriguing, to say the least. It took me quite a while to really get into it (I started it, read three HP books, then finally finished it up) but by the end I was almost in tears. It is the story of a man and his son and their struggle for survival in a world that has been completely decimated. Apparently I have been in a dark mood lately because I was really drawn to the beauty and the sheer hopelessness of the book. The drive of the father to continue to live for his son is captivating. McCarthy states, "He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God, God never spoke." It really is a brilliant work. Depressing, beautiful, brilliant.

I am currently reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt and I am quite enjoying it. I love the characters and how well Berendt develops the local color of Savannah. I am only about a hundred pages in, but I have had a hard time putting it down so far.

I also just started reading "Without You" which is a memoir written by Anthony Rapp that discusses his life during the formation of the musical Rent. I have loved Rent for a long time and it is great to read an insiders perspective on the love and loss that the musical depicts.

I should be ready to start another book within the next week or so, so let me know if you have any suggestions!

New blogs

So lately I have had the pleasure of coming across the blogs of a few old friends of mine and it has been fantastic. I love getting the chance to see where everyone's lives have taken them. It is so great to see them with their husbands and their kids...it's so great how life changes.

I Just Bought...

Sweeney Todd! Yay! Just in case I haven't said this enough- I LOVE THIS MOVIE!! It is such a beautiful, dark, and yet funny, tragedy. Now that I own it I can't wait to get some of my friends (most of whom don't normally watch rated R movies) to watch it with me. MWAH HA HA HA HA!!! (Yes, Casandra, that means you!)

Finished!

I am done with my student teaching! OMG! I thought it would never happen. My last day of teaching was Wednesday, then I went to a job fair on Thursday, and then I still had a bunch of grading to do and final things to do- but yesterday I submitted my grades and now I am completely done! I'll actually miss it a little bit. It was exhausting, and there were some things about it that drove me crazy, certain students I would have rather strangled than taught, but overall, it was a good experience and I will actually miss quite a few of my students. But then again, I have my whole life of teaching in front of me, so as for being done with student teaching... YAY!!!

YAY!

I meant to post this last week, not like anyone really cares, but I passed both of my PRAXIS tests! YAY!! I was really REALLY surprised. I thought that I had a chance of passing my PLT, but I was sure that I failed the history one. It is such a relief that I don't have to pay for, prepare for, and take either of them again! I still am teaching, I have to do a few observations, create my resume and portfolio, complete my action research project, and be nervous about applying for jobs, so having the weight off my chest about those tests is really nice.

I have three weeks left of student teaching. Wow. I can't believe that I have already been doing this for 6 weeks. It's insane. I am so excited to be done. Having my own classroom will be very different than taking over someone else's classroom and I look forward to that new experience. I think that so far student teaching has been a fairly positive (though at the same time tortuous, inauthentic and exhausting) process,but I am truly grateful that it's coming to an end.

Hell

I had a very hellish day of teaching my 10th graders. Not only was the class just awful, but it was even worse because I was being observed by one of my own teachers in the program. When we talked after class, I totally cried. I felt so miserable. And I was so embarrassed. I have had a couple of really fantastic days with my eleventh graders, but of course, had to be observed on a shitty day with the sophomores.

As awful as it was, it was actually very productive. We talked a lot about what was going well and what was not so great in each of my classes and I realized that my big issue with my sophomore classes is that I am just not comfortable teaching them. I don't feel as comfortable with the material and I don't feel comfortable with the 38 fifteen year-olds that I have to teach it to. I then had an epiphany and realized that the reason that I am uncomfortable is that I am trying to be someone that I am not. I am trying to hard to fill this very standard version of what "good teaching" looks like and it's way too formal and way not me. So, I have made some decisions about how to now approach the class and how I can do so in a productive way by being myself and not who other teachers think I should be. It really works for me with my Juniors and I am hoping it will be the same for my sophomores. Wish me luck!

PRAXIS HELL!

Today I took both the PRAXIS II for World and U.S. History and the PLT and let me tell ya, they were hellish. The History test asked the most obscure questions, gave indecipherable maps, and had graph interpretation questions where none of the possible answers could have been made conclusively from the graph. Two hours of hell. Granted, I wasn't as prepared as I could have been, but really, I don't even know how good extensive studying would have done me. We had a break in between the first test and the second and we took the time to eat lunch, bitch about the first test and then sort of study for the next one. The second one, the Principles of Learning and Teaching consisted of four case studies and then about 30 multiple choice questions. Yeah, you need more than two hours to complete all that. The short answer questions required thought, but they don't give time for it. I was scrambling to finish at the end, but I didn't quite make it.

Not only were the tests hateful (said in the Jack McFarland voice with accompanying angry fist shake) but I feel that they are also really inauthentic. For the history one, there is not a chance in hell that any veteran teacher knows all the stuff that was on the test, so to think that pre-service teacher would know it all is absolutely absurd. Furthermore- I don't think that content knowledge necessarily makes you a better teacher. Many teachers, especially novice teachers are only a day or week ahead of their students as far as learning all the specific information for any given unit. But they learn it eventually, they make good use of it, get the students interested in it, and thus teach it effectively. Alternatively, you have teachers who are wells of useless information and present it to the class who sees it as...useless information. Gauging a teacher's knowledge of their content at any given time is not necessarily telling of how effective or ineffective that teacher is. As for the PLT- we, as teacher candidates, are taught that often there is no hard and fast rule for dealing with content and management issues. We are taught that every class and every individual student will come with their own background and experience and baggage, and therefore different solutions will work for different classes and individuals. Yet, to prove that we are worthy to be teachers we are given sets of hypothetical situations, without enough background information about said situations and are asked to come up with viable solutions. Not to say that it isn't helpful to think about these things, but once again, your ability to give the "right" answers to these questions does not necessarily say much about how you would really handle them as a classroom teacher.

Though there is always the chance that I will have passed these tests today, I am pretty confident in saying that I will return to this subject in about 4 1/2 weeks to bitch about having to take them again after failing my first time around. I'm sure you'll look forward to hearing all about it.