College Happenings

This is where it’s happening on campus

Worry

Filed under Everyday Life

Worry, worry, worry.

 When I was about 7 months pregnant I had a horrible dream.  In my dream something was wrong with Atticus.

I called my mom crying and she said it is ok and that it was just the beginning of years of worrying about my child.

Like always, she was right.

I read Discovery Health.com a lot.  So I can learn about baby development and stuff like that.

An article about SIDs was up the other day.  So, I read it and started worrying about it.  Then, yesterday a new study came out about SIDs, so that was another reminder for me to worry about it.

I know I have to put it out of my mind and not let my worry rule me, but that is easier said than done.

 

What the????

Filed under Everyday Life

I just saw a new political add.  I am not sure what they were going for.

 It says “Brokeback democrats” and then talks smack about John Tester the democratic candidate for the US Senate race.

I don’t know what I think about that.

I am so sick of election season and the nasty commercials.

I would be nice if election season was like it was in high school.  Easy promises like open campus and more vending machines.  Campaign posters that say “Free Sex…now that I’ve got your attention vote for Jim!”

I am sick of comercials that say “he is a liberal” and they say liberal like “sex offender.”  When did liberal become a dirty word?

Here is what the dictionary says:

1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
2. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.
3. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.
4. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.
5. favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.
6. of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.
7. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.
8. open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.
9. characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts: a liberal donor.
10. given freely or abundantly; generous: a liberal donation.
11. not strict or rigorous; free; not literal: a liberal interpretation of a rule.
12. of, pertaining to, or based on the liberal arts.
13. of, pertaining to, or befitting a freeman.

–noun

14. a person of liberal principles or views, esp. in politics or religion.
15. (often initial capital letter) a member of a liberal party in politics, esp. of the Liberal party in Great Britain.

Just so we’re clear, is open minded and tolerant a bad thing?

If you live in Montana, you better be voting on November 7th.  Hopefully you’ll vote for the man who is open minded and tolerant and in favor of protecting our civil liberties.

This is my brother Daryl & my other brother Daryl

Filed under Everyday Life

My cat Daryl has special needs. 

Seriously.

He is also trailer trash. 

Seriously.

I found him one night in front of my house and decided to take him home.  My cat Cat had recently died and I was in need of a new fury friend.

The next day I went around the neighborhood to see if he belonged to any one.  A lady that lived in a trailer near me said her cat had just had kittens and I could have as many as I wanted.  I took Daryl plus two more.  One eventually ran away and one named Mr. Kitty now lives a very plush life in Colorado.

Daryl quickly became my favorite.  He has a weird eye, the pupil is mis-shaped and doesn’t dilate.  He also had a ruptured belly button.  His first trip to the vet to be fixed and have his belly button fixed turned into many, many, many, many, more visits.

He is the most expensive free cat I have ever had.

Shortly after his first visit to the vet he got bit in the rear.  He had to have his butt shaved and get shots.  He has since spent a few nights at the vet for stomach ailments.

He once got stuck to the car and had to have a toe amputated.  He also cut his back on the BBQ grill.

Last week he broke a rib and managed to get stuck to a spider trap twice.  The spider trap thing was quite amusing.  The first time he got his right back leg stuck to the trap along with his left front leg.

The next day he must have sat on a trap because he got sticks and leaves and dirt stuck to his butt and the back of his legs.

That is my cat Daryl.  Expensive and amusing.

What ever happened to Tweety Bird?

Filed under Everyday Life

Saturday morning TV sucks.  There are crappy teenage shows and dumb shows about twin boys that live in a hotel.  The cartoons that are on are a far cry from what we had when I was growing up.

Why subject myself to crappy Saturday morning TV?  I have little choice.

My day is all about sitting and feeding Atticus.  So that means a lot of reading and tv viewing.  So unless I have rented a movie, have crappy tv choices.  I don’t have cable, so I get like four choices.

There is nothing like the Bugs Bunny show or Dark Wing Duck or Scooby Doo.

Today, I watched a guy on PBS build wood stuff and work on a lathe.  So, if I had time I could build a wooden work bench.  At least PBS is educational I guess.

Disconnected

Filed under Everyday Life

Disconnected

 

Yesterday my internet was out.  I felt like something was missing from my life.

I already feel disconnected from my old life.  My friends and co-workers seem like distant memories.  So not having access to my email or my space was like living in a cave.

Taking care of Atticus is so time consuming that I rarely get to the phone for visits with my friends.  Email is short and sweet, as is my space, so I can feel like I have some inter- action with the outside world.

Thank goodness my connection is working today.

How on earth did we ever survive with out the internet?

The truth about cats and dogs

Filed under Everyday Life

Or, about men and women.

Everyone knows men and women are different, this is nothing new.  I have known it for a long time.  But in the past weeks I have learned a new difference.

Parenting.

I am not trying to be mean or whiny, I am simply being honest.

Men have no idea about motherhood.  Oh, they think they do, but they don’t. 

My perfect man goes to work in the early morning and comes home around 6:00 pm.  He hangs out, burps Atticus a few times and changes a few diapers untill about 9:30 and then he goes to the room to read and relax for a half an hour before he goes to sleep.  He has no clue why this makes me cry.

I think he thinks I am staying home napping all day and eating bon bons. 

When I tell him I just need to sleep a little, he says “well I have sleep apnea, I am tired to.”  Excuse me while I get out the tissues for you.

I want to trade him for a day.  I want to go to work and come home and hang out for a few hours and then go to sleep.  I want him to stay home and feel what it is like to have your life completely change.  I am want him to realize what it is like to not make money and not shower first thing and not be able to run to the grocery store at any time.  I want him to realize what it is like to put someone elses needs first every minute of the day.

He can stay home and see what motherhood is really about.  Because it is not just about taking care of Atticus, it is also about taking care of my perfect man. 

It is about timing.  Finding time actually.  Finding time to cook and clean and do laundry. Finding time to go to the friggin bathroom.

I think guys experience a little change when a new baby comes home, but it is nothing compared to the woman. 

Let me say again before ending this, that I am not unhappy about my role.  I love Atticus more than anything and would never really trade my perfect man a day.  Because I love being a mom. 

But, sometimes I would like my perfect man to trade a brain with someone who gets why I cry about my lack of sleep and his lack of a clue.

Life…changes

Filed under Everyday Life

On September 18th my life changed forever.  At 11:27 a.m. I gave birth to my first child.  A boy, a perfect boy.  My perfect man and I named him Atticus. 

He is the most amazing thing I have ever done.  I am completely overwhelmed by how much I love him.  My man told me I would love Atticus more than him and I couldn’t imagine that being possible.  But it is.  I love him more than anything. 

Besides being so happy about being a mother, I am also happy to no longer be pregnant.  That was hell.  I didn’t write about it on here, because I felt it was a private thing to be shared with only my family and friends.  Being pregnant also zapped my brain and made writing impossible.

It caused me to struggle in school, that sucked.  School has always been a place I excelled, and the last two semesters I definately did not excell. But hey, I did graduate and that is what counts. 

So, the name of this blog should change, cause college is no longer happening for me.  I am now on a completely new adventure.  Motherhood.  It makes me 1000 times happier than any A ever could.

On Being a Lifetime Student

Filed under Everyday Life

For better or for worse, I’ve now come to terms with the fact that I’ll always be a student. Weird, huh?

I mean, being a student isn’t very glamorous. You don’t draw a real paycheck. It’s not as easy to partition out time to relax and enjoy life (you always have things to study, papers to write hanging over your head).

But in the end, I love learning new things. I can’t resist it. I’m an informavore, if you will. I’m never satisfied with what I know, and what I’m doing. I’m a serial learner. I need new information. That’s one of the reasons I love the internet. But the internet isn’t structured well enough at this point, and it’s hard to find a mentor. That’s where college and graduate school come in.

I gave corporate life a shot for 2 years. Didn’t like it one bit (besides the paycheck). I was boxed in with nowhere to go, seduced by a phenomenal 401K plan and great benefits…but totally hopeles.

Now I’m in graduate school, and despite not having a paycheck, I know that I’m where I belong. And I would’t be surprised if you find me back in school 20 years from now too.

Miss Teen USA

Filed under Everyday Life

HOLY CRAP!

That is what I said last night after seeing Miss Montana win Miss Teen USA.

No one from Montana or Wyoming or the Dakotas wins contests like that. It must be the first time ever.

It must have been the night for irregulars. Miss North Dakota was in the top 10 as well as Miss Montana. Miss Texas was not even in the top 15. That is crazy, because that is like the pagent state.

BUT…Miss Montana is not really a Montana native, she is a transplant from where else, Texas. I should have known. Mid west girls don’t know how to do pagents…why? We don’t have them here. In Texas they have a pagent for everything. Miss Pork Sausage, Miss Good Year Tire, Miss teen miss, etc. In Montana and Wyoming we have rodeo queens and that is about it…as far as I know. For that you have to know how to rodeo more than be pretty.

Here is what the Billings Gazette had to say about Miss Montana.

West High graduate Katie Blair was crowned Miss Teen USA Tuesday night in Palm Springs, Calif.

Blair, 18, is the daughter of John Blair of Billings and Cindy Silverstein of Houston. She is a 2006 graduate of West High, which she began attending as a sophomore after moving to Billings from Houston, said her aunt, Leslie Blair of Billings.

“I think it’s fabulous that she won, competed well and had the confidence to do this,” Leslie Blair said.

Blair had planned to attend Louisiana State University. For the next year, she will live in New York City and work for Donald Trump, who owns the pageant, while serving her term as Miss Teen USA.

The contestants competed in three categories - swimsuit, evening gown and interview, and the top five finalists were selected. Blair was crowned by Miss Teen USA 2005 Allie LaForce at the end of a two-hour telecast at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

In an interview on the Miss Teen USA Web site (www.missteenusa.com), Blair said she grew up in Houston and lists two years of track and basketball in high school there. Blair was prom queen in 2006 and voted “most likely to star in a sitcom” by her classmates at West High.

According to the interview, Blair said she plans to pursue degrees in advertising, marketing and fashion design.

Miss North Carolina Teen USA Melissa Lingafelt was named first runner-up, and Miss North Dakota Teen USA Katie Marie Cooper was second runner-up.

Rounding out the top 10 were Samantha Casey, Miss Virginia Teen USA, third runner-up; Brittany Sharp, Miss Georgia Teen USA, fourth runner-up; Shaelyn McNally, Rhode Island; Juliana White, New Jersey; Gentry Linn Miller, Kansas; Jamie O’Brien, Maryland; and Emerald Zellers, Arizona.

The pageant is organized by the Miss Universe Organization, a Donald Trump and NBC Universal partnership. The organization also produces the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants.

According to the organization’s Web site, Miss Teen USA spends her year building relationships with organizations committed to education and action, such as Best Buddies, Do Something, Sparrow Clubs, D.A.R.E. and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

A few more bumper stickers

Filed under Everyday Life

Here’s a little assortment of America’s attempt at humor under our current
situation for NEW BUMPER STICKER MATERIAL … Takes a minute…but some are Gems!

DEAR WORLD: WE TRIED OUR BEST
– HALF OF AMERICA

ANNOY A CONSERVATIVE;
THINK FOR YOURSELF!

DON’T CONFUSE DYING FOR OIL
WITH FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM

FACT: BUSH OIL
1999 - $19 BARREL
2006 - $70 BARREL

BLIND FAITH IN BAD LEADERSHIP IS NOT PATRIOTISM

RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM:
A THREAT ABROAD, A THREAT AT HOME

THE LAST TIME RELIGION CONTROLLED POLITICS,
PEOPLE GOT BURNED AT THE STAKE

IF YOU’RE NOT OUTRAGED,
YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

IF YOU SUPPORTED BUSH,
A YELLOW RIBBON WON’T MAKE UP FOR IT

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS;
IMPEACH BUSH

I’D RATHER HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO SCREWED
HIS INTERN THAN ONE WHO SCREWED HIS COUNTRY

NOBODY DIED WHEN CLINTON LIED

REMOVE BUSH’S FEEDING TUBE

FRODO HAS FAILED;
BUSH HAS THE RING

BUSH SPENT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY ON HIS WATCH

PRO AMERICA,
ANTI BUSH

FEEL SAFER NOW?

MY VALUES? FREE SPEECH. EQUALITY.
LIBERTY. EDUCATION. TOLERANCE.

IS IT 2008 YET?

DON’T BLAME ME. I VOTED
AGAINST BUSH … TWICE!

OF COURSE IT HURTS.
YOU’RE GETTING SCREWED BY AN ELEPHANT.

GEORGE W. BUSH:
MAKING TERRORISTS FASTER THAN HE CAN KILL THEM

KEEP YOUR THEOCRACY
OFF MY DEMOCRACY

ASPIRING AUSTRALIAN

STEM CELL RESEARCH
IS PRO LIFE

HATE, GREED, IGNORANCE: ARE
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

REBUILD IRAQ?
WHY NOT SPEND 87 BILLION ON AMERICA?