m.e.g.h.@.n.o.l.o.g.y.!

facebook

2008-05-21T22:07:00.002-05:00

So, I became a facebook addict during the semester; primarily because Dub was playing scrabble with me. But now I've graduated and ...

I always thought that by the time I was at this point in my life the perspective would be a wee little bit different and I'm not sure where I'm supposed to go now.

The religious part of me is still pretty mellow about being patient and etc., but the rest of me (which would the majority of me) is feeling out of sorts.

I was sitting at work today and I the exact thought was,
"Please don't let this be the rest of my life."

So, I was thinking ... what is it that I want ? And I made this list and then I thought - oh, it's because I don't care what I do as long as it's interesting and I enjoy it:

Children's museum coordinator/person .... a person who gives historical tours or something teaching people (I did that for the Fort Crook house and it ROCKED) ... but people who WANT to learn, not like high school or college ... be a fund raiser person for a foundation ... be the planner for events (like the children's section of Ren Faire) ... I want to work with people who have common goals and aren't snarky back biters ... I want to strengthen families ... i want to be in the sunshine ... or outside ... I want to do something, anything, that makes difference, for my community.

Being all deep in thought I went to get an ice cream cone to cheer myself up and the guy behind the counter was like, "Here you go, ma'am." ... are you kidding? thanks. Then I got home and realized I gave OPPD the wrong date (apparently) and they shut off my power for me (I *was* planning on moving in a month. I guess(***) when I called I said, "May 21" not "June 21" according to Judy at the OPPD number.)

SO - KUDOS to Abby and Dave for sharing the truck. :-)

--- I got my papers all in order to that the QAST in two weeks and the EIPA (gag gag gag) in August... depending on the how the QAST goes (waste of money, only good in NE) I may take the NIC to see where I'm at ..at THAT level and then look for jobs ..... but i've got to be so careful, because if i get stuck in a situation like I was in recently it won't work well....

SPEAKING OF! I started to think I was nuts with the Gally/CAPD thing until the pinning ceremony. I tend to keep myself in situations that I can control - the noise, the people, etc., and had forgotten the hell of restaurants that are fun! and exciting! We decide to go to Dundee Dell when the pinning ceremony is over and I am SO excited .... until we got there. And it was okay for all of five minutes and I don't know if a fan came on or a band started or what but it was like white noise for the rest of the night.

and then I read what i had posted about my blog in Nov and don't feel so ridiculous.

Darn it. and Gally doesn't look at processing disorders as .... how do you say? um, .... detrimental enough to warrant a visual language. Sure. you try being me. jerk faces.

I have sign language for THAT thought.

***********anyway. so, I got done typing that about, I don't know 9:10 and I went upstairs to unpack and I heard this song, "Some Things Never Change" and I thought -- AGH!! See? ((I cut and paste it below)) THAT'S what I mean. If I'm doing the same thing over and over and over I don't mind IF IF IF IT MATTERS.

But if it doesn't matter --- what's the point?

For example, That's why I hand write thank you notes and wrap silverware in napkins...because it *matters,* whereas matching my socks does NOT matter so I don't. and if i had to...I'd only wear flip flops.

anyway, here is the song.

She gets up every morning while everyone's in bed.
Starts the coffee, makes the breakfast, for all those sleepyheads, yeah.
some things never change.
He comes in all dressed for work
Saying baby, I love you
Gotta go, even though it's not what he wants to do
but he does it 'cause some things never change
(chorus)
In a world that keeps turning and moving so fast
when you can't hold onto nothing and nothing seems to last
it's good to know that love still remains
Ain't you glad that some things never change.

Three o'clock every afternoon waiting by the door
sees her babies running off the bus
She couldn't love 'em any more, yeah.
oh some things never change
Like when I'm lying next to you
well, I remember when your kisses made me crazy, so beautiful back then
and I still feel the same yeah, some things never change
(chorus)
Yeah, same as the sun keeps rising
yeah every day someone is finding love
in a world that keeps turning and moving so fast
when you can't hold onto nothing and nothing seems to last yeah it's good to know that love still remains

and check out this pic::: I am speechless.

(I deleted thepicture because i am chicken head. madly in love; chicken head.)

mom's new computer

2007-11-23T11:10:00.000-06:00

so i am using my mom's computer and testing it --

so i guess that the keyboard is acting up so I am testing it now -

and it's working okay and I'm guessing that

it's working okay now.

we'll see.

Central Auditory Processing Disorder

2007-06-22T17:08:00.000-05:00

My thoughts on my CAPD.

As I have been researching CAPD-people (I hesitate to say I'm a "capd-kid" but "capd-adult" sounds so... adult) and I have a lot of thoughts, so I'm typing them as they show up.

First, a funny story. I went to high school in Omaha and our colors were black and yellow. For Homecoming I painted my nails yellow and my mom was horrified and said it looked like I was jaundiced. (Remember that, it's important.)

Later in the week we went to her MDs office and the nurse commented on my sickly-looking nails to which I replied, "Yeah, my mom says it looks like I have gonorrhea." I'm not sure who was more embarrassed, my mom at the time or me when I found out the difference.

I don't date because I can't understand what guys are saying in places that are noisy (read: restaraunts). I'm not sure if it's because of their tone, their loudness but that's been really frustrating.

I think that if people had been paying more attention when I got into high school and went from a 4.0 my freshman year to 2.9 my senior year someone might have said ... "She's not on drugs so what, exactly, is going on here?!"

I love foreign languages but flunked Spanish and French in high school because I couldn't hear, or remember, pronunciation. Some friends of mine were learning Chinese and invited me to learn with them and I was So Excited! Right --

For weeks I struggled with lessons and finally one of the girls said, "Meghan, can't you hear the tone differences?" No. Even knowing they were there didn't help.

It irritates my dad that I prefer to have the closed caption on the tv;

it irritates me that I have to defend my preference.

Here 's some stuff I've learned and what I thought about it.

Unfortunately, most is geared to kids. I guess that once you're an adult you're solo....

Site One's List:

* Is your child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?

It's funny when something loud happens, I jump about three feet. Even if I know it's coming -- this is used against me in the Deaf community. (When you are new in the community Deaf people will come up and administer their own "hearing test" - by yelling, loudly, right behind you. My reactions are usually priceless. )

* Are noisy environments upsetting to your child?

This one not so much if I am walking around (like a fair) or controlling it (like a class). But when I have to be an active participant - like a date - it's frustrating.

* Does your child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?

ish

* Does your child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated ones?

ha ha ha

* Does your child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?

I think that it was funny that we forgot about my speech lessons in kindergarten. But that I hid in books helped overcome many of the reading and writing problems. I still mix up words in sentences, though and I did empathize with the I mix up parts of sentenes/words when I talk (I forget what that's called) ... like I'll say "The bock is at the dote" instead of "The boat is at the dock" and I know that I learned the term for that last semester but... whatever.

* Is abstract information difficult for your child to comprehend?

Not really. :-) Universe in a Nutshell, anyone?

* Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for your child?

There is a train leaving Maine at ...

* Is your child disorganized and forgetful?

ha ha ha

* Are conversations hard for your child to follow?

What happened?!

Site Two's List (the different ones)

* Have trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented orally

ESPECIALLY if it is boring.

* Have problems carrying out multistep directions

If it's a list of disconnected things: bread, milk, shoe laces. If it's a job (like changing the oil) then I am fine.

* Have poor listening skills

Depends on who is talking, what the subject is, how loud it is around me and if I "need" to hear what is being said: i.e. am I being given directions are is someone just yammering?

* Need more time to process information

I repeat things back to people and I know it drives them crazy -- or I'll have them repeat themselves multiple times.. but - otherwise I'll forget/not hear/not understand and, consequently, not complete things correctly.

* Have low academic performance

Clearly.

* Have behavior problems

***

* Have language difficulty (e.g., they confuse syllable sequences and have problems developing vocabulary and understanding language)

Sometimes, often, when I was young I felt that others were speaking a different language and I just couldn't quite understand. (French, actually)

THIS WAS THE BEST SITE!! (I thought)

* Talks or likes T. V. louder than normal.

Check.

* Interprets words too literally.

I didn't realize I did this until a friend pointed it out to me. My family tends to say things as a joke which I do get offended by because I'm not "hearing" the intent -- just the words.

* Difficulty sounding out words.

Especially foreign words. Words that I have "seen" and worked with I am not too bad with.

* "Ignores" people, especially if engrossed.

or the tv is too loud.

* Asks many extra informational questions.

I do this ALL the time. Luckily, I am very inquisitive by nature - and I DO want to know - but othertimes it's to get the idea of what someone wants without having to make them repeat themselves. again. and again.

* Speech developed late or unclearly.

yes

* Poor "communicator" (terse, telegraphic).

This - I don't think so ---- but I know that if I am startled or I just blurt out things they sound like I am mad when I am not.

* Memorizes poorly.

This is the WORST thing ever. Have you ever had a teacher tell you you were lazy/stupid because I couldn't memorize 50 SAT words a week?

* Hears better when watching the speaker.

....and she wants to be an interpreter.

* Problems with rapid speech.

andthenImovedtoNewYorkandeveryonetalkedasfastasIdidanditwasgreatbecausenoonewastellingmetoslowdownandIfeltrightathome.

My mission statement for class

2007-06-07T02:19:00.000-05:00

hahaha

10th & Farnam

2007-06-06T23:18:00.001-05:00

At about 8:30 this evening I was taking a walk through the Old Market and I saw an Elephant up ahead of me, on the bridge.

an elephant.

So I kept looking and I realized there was a Line of Elephants.

I ran up the bridge on 10th & Farnam and ... sure enough! The Circus is in town and I
saw 10 -- 1,2,3...10!! Elephants and horses and mini pony's walking to the Qwest Center.

I laughed.

Elephants downtown!

Summer time

2007-05-18T21:47:00.000-05:00

Whoo hoo - schools out!! Now I'm tired of it. Let's go. I want to get done with school. Let's GO!

So far this summer I have planted gardens ... beautiful. I have rearranged my room.
I have applied for a new job ... started (another ) new job ... what else? I've been pretty busy, but golly I AM ready to get going.

I miss my friends; I really really miss everyone.

I feel stuck AND

why the HECK is gas this expensive. I don't understand.

I have lots more to say but first..... does Cody have my camera? Is it in L-102? WHERE IS IT?

CFC

2007-05-10T15:29:00.000-05:00

Part of my heart is leaving in midJune. One of my professors, Flagg-Campbell, is taking off to Chicago. It's a fantabulous move for her... but it sucks for us.

In her class we earned beans... my bean team's name was "the Purple People Eaters." The jar we made freaking rocked. It had a mouth that zipped open and closed. hehe. She gave it back to me today.

Traditionally when we graduate she writes a poem that includes all our our names. My class graduates this year so she gave us our sticks with a bean glued to them and a word that was representative of us.

Mine was "epeolatry" and she said that we both fit that, and I started to cry.

Then she gave us a bottle of water to go with our "class song" - World on Fire, by Sarah McLachlan. (The link plays a video/song)

The words were amazing:

Hearts are worn in these dark ages
You're not alone in this story's pages
Night has fallen amongst the living and the dying
And I try to hold it in, yeah I try to hold it in

[Chorus]
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able

I watch the heavens and I find a calling
Something I can do to change this moment
Stay close to me while the sky is falling
Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone

[Chorus]

Hearts break, hearts mend
Love still hurts
Visions clash, planes crash
Still there's talk of
Saving souls, still the cold
Is closing in on us

We part the veil on our killer sun
Stray from the straight line on this short run
The more we take, the less we become
A fortune of one that means less for some

And then she interpreted "Mountains" by Lonestar for us. I am going to miss her so much.

'Mountains'

Lucinda Jones workin' at the IHOP:
Ten years worth of bacon, eggs an' tears
She's waited on every creed an' color,
While waitin' on this day to get here
Graveyard shifts, two big tips,
Makin' every quarter count,
Was worth it all to see her son,
In that cap an' gown

There are times in life when you gotta crawl,
Lose your grip, trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no-one else:
That's when you find yourself
I've been around and I've noticed that
Walkin's easy when the road is flat
Them danged ol' hills'll get you every time
Yeah the good Lord gave us mountains,
So we could learn how to climb

Bobby, Bobby Dunn came back from the war
Lost his leg but they couldn't take his will
Hell bent to run in that local marathon
He trained through the endless pain an' pills
It hurt so bad that sometimes
He just had to cry
He didn't stop until he crossed
That finish line

There are times in life when you gotta crawl
Lose your grip trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no one else
That's when you find yourself
I've been around and I've noticed that
Walkin's easy when the road is flat
Them danged ol' hills'll get you every time
Yeah the good Lord gave us mountains
So we could learn how to climb

This world ain't fair
It can knock you on your butt
You can just lie there
Or you can get back up
You gotta get back up

There are times in life when you gotta crawl
Lose your grip, trip an' fall
When you can't lean on no one else
That's when you find yourself
I've been around and I've noticed that
Walkin's easy when the road is flat
Them danged ol' hills'll get you every time
Yeah, the good Lord gave us mountains
The good Lord gave us mountain
So we could learn how to climb
Yeah, oh

Forever and a Day

2007-04-30T21:23:00.000-05:00

So, I have definitely not blogged in forever ... but I have been SO BUSY.

and, really, I was thinking === why do I blog? it's not like surprising revelations happen ... Meghan's breaking news...at 11!

anyway -

Hopefully Home Depot will call me soon.

Hopefully the next year will go by quickly.

Hopefully I can get my hearing aids and they will really help.

Hopefully I can get myself out of this religious funk I find myself in.

whatever.

Day One

2007-04-12T18:09:00.000-05:00

Meghan, Julie, Jessica and Cindy

Eric -- He can't sign.

Jessica, Cindy, Sean, Meghan, Julie

Regan and the Grand Ol' Opry Horses.

A waterfall -- inside!

So, we are learning a TON of stuff and hanging out and having fun ...

Hey Mom - guess what!?? HELL YES - we had a semi-ice-cream-date-thing

check out the pics!

This place is phenomenal!

Arrived in Nashville!

2007-04-12T17:41:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh!

We left Omaha on Northwest an hour late --- Minneapolis held our plane for us (there were six of us) and we finally got into Nashville and barely was able to catch the shuttle .... $30!.... to Gaylord Opryland ... it is amazing here!

I ran into Arthur and his brother --- love them!

Here are some pics... I'll add more later ---- !!

devil child...spawn of satan

2007-03-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

So, I am working on my curious george ASL story when my mom sees me and thinks I make a sign that looks like "devil" ... well, English "devil" ... definitely NOT ASL devil.. anyway ... so she comes up next to me and is whispering "devil child" ... "spawn of satan"... "satan's spawn" ... but I am really focusing and can't really hear her ... but then I did hear her ... and this is what happened:

an audiogram

2007-03-29T19:40:00.000-05:00

What the hell does this mean?

So, I go in and take an audiogram -- my lines are all over the place! what the heck? It makes no sense. I don't get it.

I'd show it to you but I'm too lazy right now. maybe later.

Today...

2007-03-19T18:35:00.000-05:00

<3>
um... well, something. :-)

i liked the play of black and white...

Just wanted to share.

ASL, Italiano, English?

2007-03-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

So,
I stumbled into an Italian web page earlier today. Most web pages have little tags on them with flags, you know, British flag if you want english, french if you want... french... anyway, no flag. SO, I'm stumbling along with what little-to-no Italian that I have and I am doing OKAY -- not the greatest but I understood things like "muy como bien George Clooney" right? So, suddenly there is a FLURRY of non-meghanized-Italian. WHAT?

THEN it hit me!

This is ASL! This is when Welsch is telling us a story and I'm going.

right, right, got it, okay, right, that's funny, uh uh, uh uh, right,...what the HELL did he just say?

same thing.

HO@XeS

2007-03-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

Okay - you know how this works. ALL the links are stupid, random or funny links that SOMEHOW have to do with what the link actually says. For example:
"NOW" is linked to the www.time.gov ---- get it?

Okay - have fun!
(if you are at work, school, church I'd advise against the "heads" link.)
_______________________________________________

You know, i am sick to death of

CRACK HEADED HOAXES --

for those of you that don't know

...........((my many loyal fans that read my blog))

...........................( hi mom! and mel! )

I am on Myspace.com and I love it!
WHY?

Because it is a Ghetto ass form of
HIGH SCHOOL BULL SHIT

and it makes me laugh
because now I'm cool enough to be
slightly
Popular.

(Check out my 71 friends, heck yeah!)

anyway --

All the time

you get these stupid emails or posts
about

** Osama Bin Laden and Tony Blair sleeping together
** Sick kids and everyone who reads this will help donate .07 to their cure
** regarding the actual STUPID MySPACE post
** 9-11 more 9-11 and Lincoln consipiracies

or other crackheadedness***

AND
what i LOVE

is that if you took a second from your crazy life
and
GOOGLED THE PERTINENT INFORMATION

hey hey hey

You Would Find Out that they are

FAKE!!

For the love of God, man, stop
WASTING MY TIME!

*** But, to waste your time a moment longer ***
I googled "crackheadedness" under google "videos" to see what I got --
yeah:
Check this out

NOW - tell me whether or not I should be insanely enraged.

_______________
Okay, I need to finish my homework. I hope you had fun.

love,
meghan

My first time...

2007-03-01T23:04:00.000-06:00

So, I've been reading about blogs and vlogs and
all sorts of nifty things and I wanted to say

Now, granted, it's not very good :-)

I hope to get better.

Drop me a line -
tell me what you think.

how do doxies get around?

2007-03-01T21:29:00.000-06:00

my dogs!

it's flipping march first!

move over agent mulder....

2007-02-25T22:28:00.000-06:00

mmm mmm mmm

Well, I finished reading "Proven Guilty" by Jim Butcher.
It was recommended to me by my (my, he he he)
bookseller, Greg, and it sure is a Dresden File.

Hear of it?
He's a wizard.
He fights vampires and monsters and beasty ghoulies

yeah... it's a SciFi channel original. :-)

Anyway, I notice tonight that it's on SciFi so I tivo it (love my mom's house!)
and I sit down to be entertained....

holy freaking delicious
wizardry investigations

YUM I can't wait for this season!

Out Like a Lion ?!

2007-02-25T13:44:00.000-06:00

I love the snow and was so excited to hear that we were
going to get a TON of SNOW - then - I sure have to get a
toot pulled and so being high really put a damper on going
out and 4 wheeling. * Dang! *

I forgot that it sometime snows a final gift

from Mother Nature - enjoy my pics!

It's great - there was ice underneath. I can't wait
for the drive to school tomorrow!

an update

2007-02-10T12:28:00.000-06:00

so, realizing that I haven't written in ForEveR ; some random things have come up so I thought I should fo'sho bring you up to date.

A couple girls at school are ridiculous and I wanted to make a statement regarding why I behave the way I do ;-)

I believe:
PEOPLE HAVE BRAINS -- but they choose not to use them.
....................BECAUSE I believe this I hold people accountable (!) and when they geek-out, THEIR RESPONSIBLE ... hello? Does this make sense to anyone besides myself?

PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO THEIR OWN OPINIONS -- it's unfortunate, yes, some people are just ... stupid, BUT. AND, I don't care what political/sexual/religious/etc. persuasion you are BECAUSE a) if it doesn't hurt anyone, b) you can support your beliefs and c) it doesn't make anyone uncomfortable by impeding on Their Beliefs/etc.....FINE.....Don't care!

And there you go --- that's how I choose to live my life. And that's why
1) I hate these crazy young (older than me) girls who are terrible parents
2) I hate that they eat stupidly and then criticize me for having a coke in the AM for my ADD
3) I hate that they make fun of *my* standards when they smoke, sleep around and are stupid.

AGHHHHHHHHHHHH. Every flippin' day!....Come on!

It occurred to me...

2007-01-27T15:06:00.000-06:00

I am sure that you are all familiar with this ad:

Did you notice, like I did, the lady changed? Before the picture was of a girl who looked like the girl with the glasses from Scooby Doo and now it's Barbie with Farah Fawcett hair -- anyway -- who is this guy? And why is *he* being used as the epitome of "oh la la" ... when I was in high school I was stuck in a mad crazy crush with (oh, like there was just one) but, regardless, none of them ... nevermind, my point was just - why him? What about those of us who liked the guys with the military cut (or, skinheads as my dad called them) or the guys with the darker hair (hotties!) not the little blonde mama's boys. What!? In addition to that - he looks like a baseball player. hate them! If you wanted a guy in high school, well, there is a *reason* why football players are popular; they freaking rock AND some of them have a brain. (imagine.)

Anyway, mentioning Barbie (and hot guys) (and military cuts) ((whew, I am ALL over the place)) Mattel gave Ken a makeover. so he can get back with Barbie. BUT, a gay guy gave him the make over so now Ken looks especially gay.............. well, the one that will be selling in stores does... the collector one... NICE.

I laughed because they were showing all the different Kens and I sure do remember having the one with actual hair (not painted plastic, right) and this swirled magenta/lime green polyester shirt... yeah. that was MY Ken.

And for those of you that were wondering, his last name is Carson. (illegitimate son of Johnny?)

Questions for the Deaf community

2007-01-25T19:43:00.000-06:00

To: Members of the Deaf Community
From: A curious, nieve, slightly stupid future interpreter

So, I was reading tonight and I had some questions. Mostly their answers will include information beyond the scope of my knowledge, which is why I don't understand, but I feel compelled to ask.

How is language skill assessed when a Deaf child enters school (Residential or mainstreamed)? Who sets the standards for what is acceptable and what is not?
If a child is below standard, how is that addressed? Is ASL taught alongside English for Deaf children of hearing adults? (Clearly, not if they are mainstreamed. Why not?)

** One of the things the ITP program has taught me is "" Don't ask 'why' ask 'how,' "" and usually that sustains me but ... REALLY? **

South Dakota School for the Deaf seems to be very strong. Is this because SD has adopted a Deaf child's Bill of Rights? (And implemented it?) How are they doing at working with "just" Deaf children and Deaf children with handicaps?

** I am especially interested in Residential schools because NE had one that was closed. **

In regards to mainstreaming children AND CODAs public education. There is SO much that happens outside the classroom proper, how could an interpreter possibly ensure communication for all situations? For the Deaf child: from the school day proper, open house, programs, after school events where they may be present, how is there any consistency? And if the parents of that child are Deaf? Throw in parent teachers conferences, PTA meetings, school board meetings, Come ON! yeah, AN interpreter may be to all of those functions but is the level of communication truly what hearing parents would consider acceptable ? (Chances are good... no.) AND I was thinking -- Say, you've got a CODA (okay) and you run into their math teacher at the store. Are you really going to bust out a pen and paper to discuss his last algebra test? SURE as a parent you would -- but what about that math teacher? Are they really going to be as engaged? I would *hope* so, but ... yeah.

Can you recommend any of these books?

Seeing Voices
They Grow in Silence
The Deaf School Child
Raising and Educating a Deaf Child

They mentioned "critical mass" in this book, too, in regards to children attending school with other children that they could communicate with. I know that awhile back ISD used to allow siblings of the Deaf students to attend, also. WOW! How amazing is that? AND you have a whole generation of students who are part of this supportive, caring community. WHY would you not want that?

I understand that I have now been watching and interacting (just a little) bit the Community in my area but... why not send your kids to the same school? And if one of them is Deaf -- why not? I think, too, that it would encourage students to challenge each other to excell, rather then mainstreaming Deaf students to a place where they are if not intentionally then at least inadvertantly outcast.

I went to high school with J and he was the COOLEST kid I had never met. I was too chicken, and he was Deaf, what was I going to say/do/act/ communicate? So, I took notes instead and I have regreted not starting a friendship with him then ever since. Luckily, I'll get another chance. ( That was really random, I just wanted to throw it out there. )

when in Rome...

2007-01-09T17:14:00.000-06:00

Today we started our introduction to language class and I am excited because we are going to be studying the evolution of language, of sign language and the history of language in general.

To me, this is fascinating and I can't wait to start.

So, we're sitting in class ~ side note, I feel bad for some of these kids because they've never had a Flagg class before ! ~ and she is explaining

Onomatopoeic words.

Okay. So - sound words. And we are talking about how kids will refer to cows as "moo" because that's the sound they make. She then asked us what sound roosters make (Ha! I know you just went cock-a-doodle-do to yourself!) and said, "Well, in Russia people say .... instead of cock-a-doodle-do."

One of the freaking girls in my class said, "Animals sound diffrent in different countries?"

I was relating this story to my mom and she was like, "Yeah, in France cows say 'le moo'." hehehe

We are reading this book, "Language, Cognition and the Brain." It is an honest to God college level text book with words like "nontemporal," "anaphoric," and "visuospatial." She (and this is NOT a complaint - just a recitation of the day!) put us into reading groups so we can successfully comprehend the book.

WHAT the HELL?

I am excited, though, because one of the new guys is Intelligent! I am shocked. He asked today why some languages were more tonal while others were more phonetic and I thought - wow!! I laughed because I was impressed with the question and none of the other girls were like, "What?" but when I commented that heiroglyphics were more iconoclastic while the Roman alphabet was arbitrary they all went "huh?" ?? How did they understand his question and not mine?

Later Flagg was explaining Latin and how their words can go in any order because the language used prefixes to assign meaning and I was intrigued that even proper nouns received that attention and I commented on it like this: "Wow, so even pronouns - the Names! - were changed!" She agreed with me, a few people chuckled and "those girls" blinked at me a few times before understanding dawned. How did they get into this class?

Oh well, they are nice and they work hard.

Cool was explaining today "UPR" universal something respect --- and while I did agree with her about how we should treat others I concluded the day thinking no -- some are family and those that aren't, aren't and that's that. phooey.

OH, speaking of! That crackhead girl that dropped last semester because she didn't like BW (WHAT?!?!?!?!?) I saw her in intro to ASL and I thought... man, if you're not nice to Cool I'll kick your butt. he he he, one of my friends is in there... I can't wait to hear how she's doing.

I'm SO jealous because everyone else gets to be in Deaf Culture and I'm not. :- p -- It's not so much that I want to take the class again but I want to be involved in the discussions... they freaking rock.

I've got to go, I'm procrastinating my homework --

And I wanted to go back?

2007-01-08T21:36:00.000-06:00

What the freaking heck was I thinking?!

So - today had some good moments, Great moments and Really sucky moments!

I have two Flagg classes - and this woman is phenomenal but I can't even begin to tell you what her classes are like. Take the hardest class you have ever taken and multiply it by 10 to the fourth and MAYBE you're getting close.

Oy.

AND then I found out that I only have BW three times a week - what?! I'm crushed.

Two girls that I thought would positively drop the program were there and some that I really thought were doing okay aren't. SAD.

A new girl, Molly, came - she seems nice enough. She's in one of my groups.

PTK is nuts and I am exhausted and must be off ---

I'll write more tomorrow I just wanted to touch base.

HERD of DACHSHUNDS!

2007-01-06T20:11:00.000-06:00

Today was very exciting!

First of all my hankering to "build something" was satisfied - check this out,
my dad and I built part of a work bench!

BUT THEN the doorbell rang!

I looked outside and here were these two people with two dogs.

"What?!" I said to myself, then I remembered! From the dog rescue!
We were getting dogs today!

We got two dogs: Ben and Johann (aka YoYo).

So - NOW we have a herd of dachshunds at my parents home!

How fun is that?!

Week I: Go Tigers!

2007-01-05T16:13:00.000-06:00

My new years resolution this year was to do something "interesting" every week. I'll post them here so "Week #" blogs aren't like "real" blogs -- they are actual thoughts on specific things that I've done. hm.

About 6 months ago - no, maybe more - the Nebraska School for the Dea was mentioned in class and I wondered where it was. Plattmouth? Grand Island? Kearney? I assumed that if it were in Lincoln or Omaha I would have heard of it, somehow.

Yup! I was wrong. There IS no Nebraska School for the Deaf because ... well wait. Here, I stole this from NAD.org -- read it yourself:

The Nebraska Legislature, with minimal input from parents of deaf children and deaf professionals, has decided not to provide continued funding for NSD, favoring instead a plan put forth by the Nebraska Department of Education. This plan, effective Fall 1998, will establish four regional/statewide programs for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Those four programs will cover 1) Omaha metropolitan area, 2) Lincoln and Southeast Nebraska, 3) Northeast Nebraska and 4) Central-Western Nebraska.

The NAD has been working with the NeAD to oppose this plan. The NAD believes that deaf and hearing children should be afforded with a full continuum of educational choices to choose from. With the closure of NSD, parents will be denied a vital option in determining the most appropriate educational setting for their children.

Legislative Bill (LB) 1276 was introduced by Senator Kiel in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislative Session on January 22, 1998. LB 1276 proposed standards of education for deaf and hard of hearing children and stated that NSD could not be closed until other programs that would meet those standards be established and fully functioning. Unfortunately, this bill died in the Education Committee.

The Governor of Nebraska convened a special one week session in May 1998 to revise and pass a previously vetoed bill for special education funding. There was a line in this voluminous bill that would repeal the statute requiring the [existence of the] Nebraska School for the Deaf. Parents and the deaf community attempted to amend this bill to adopt standards of deaf education, as outlined in the failed LB 1276. Legislators, however, turned a deaf ear to the needs of deaf and hard of hearing children.

Because the Nebraska Legislature has chosen to ignore the pleas of parents of deaf and hard of hearing children, educators, the deaf community and children themselves, favoring instead to adopt a supposedly cheaper plan proposed by the Nebraska Department of Education, the following events have taken place:

The Nebraska School for the Deaf will close its doors on August 1998.
No standards of education for deaf and hard of hearing children have been adopted, leaving such in the hands of those who are not fully aware of the full ramifications of the current plan.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) deplores this situation and calls upon the Nebraska Legislature to put the future of quality education for deaf and hard of hearing children above the value of the current dime.

In the 1999 Nebraska state legislative session, there will be another attempt to introduce a bill establishing educational standards for deaf and hard of hearing children. The NAD will continue to work with the Nebraska Association of the Deaf and related individuals and groups within the state toward this goal.

Nice, huh?

So, I decided that I wanted to see the museum that the Alumni Association had established. The museum is within the property that once was NSD; now owned by Turning Point which includes the Omaha Street School.

I headed up there today. On the one hand it was amazing - there was pics and momentos -- but on the other I was so sad. This was a thriving, industrious, educational place to
members of the Deaf community to gather and socialize and ... now - what? They get mainstreamed with kids they can't communicate with, stuck in classes with interpreters that maybe aren't the greatest -- not a slam against 'terps, okay! just truths -- and why? I don't understand. SO, it made me sad.

THEN at the end there is a book for you to sign. Yeah, the last person that went was in - oh, October. How flippin' sad is that? I want to email the curator guy and say, "Hey! every three of four months you should have a new exhibit - " I'd freaking arrange it FOR HIM just to get people to be more involved. ugh.

anyway - I've been ... I'm not sure inspired is the right word. But not really enraged, either. hm. I'll think about it and get back to you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

COMING NEXT WEEK: SCHOOL STARTS -- oh, wait. That doesn't count.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Going to go see "The Good Shepard" with my dad and grandpa. And school starts. whooo hoo.

Dodge Street

2007-01-05T02:31:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine one time grimaced when mentioning Dodge Street. I laughed at him.

I love Dodge Street! If I could write odes, I would write on in honor of Dodge Street.

Omaha is cut in half, north/south and smack in the middle is Dodge (unless you count Bellevue - then Dodge is actually like 1/3 of the way down). Dodge Street is good therapy, cheaper than a psychologist and open twenty-four seven.

I used to live further west than I do now, and at one time I lived in Council Bluffs so I would start on the far east end of Dodge. So far east it was actually Douglas ... hm.

When I need to get out and think I buckle up and head east; starting on 72nd and Dodge. I love it, sometimes I go through Starbucks and get an apple cider to keep me going. I pass UNO, which has this fantastic new library I must go check out... perhaps take a nap in.

I pass Memorial Park. Tonight, this morning? about 1 am there were people in ball gown standing on the overpass crossing Dodge. I love Omaha. I honked.

My godmother's restaraunt is up on 50th as are apartments that I would Love to live in... and then Saddlecreek which is one the most random crankified streets in the city running northwest (or, southeast, I guess. Depends on where you're headed). I used to live of California so I'd have to get off Dodge and wrap around that bank or cut through the BK parking lot to get to my house. Bizarre.

I love 42nd street. I love that there is a sign that says, "Turn right to go left," I want to steal it and hang it up ... maybe in a hallway? The med center is freaking awesome; and they finally tore down that crack-whore motel.

The best parts of Dodge are the hills and curves; coming down from 42nd you not only have a sweet curve, but it's downhill, too! I'm excited that mutual of omaha is turning that area into a park. It will be a really nice addition to the area (not to mention that I'm looking at an apartment there abouts... whoo hoo).

Dodge gets funky as it gets downtown. My family used to go to Kountze Memorial and that's there are you head east, next to channel 7. It was about 2:30 when I passed it and I never realized they turned off their scrolling message board thing (what are they called?) at night. Hm. You'd think they'd keep the time and temp up at least.

I usually turn around about 20th - I love to drive up past the Children's Museum. They are re-doing the outside and it looks fantastic.

tonight I confess I hit I-80 to the WOE (West Omaha Expressway, haha) and came back around. I get slightly a little bit motion sick and coming east as the WOE drops is NOT always a pleasant experience. I will say, though, that when we had our first frost/ice/snow thing I really thought that people would die because... hello! You know they FLY on that stupid thing and what would happen if there was an accident up there? How would medical vehicles get up there?

BUT it was awesome to see the skyline of the city and drive down to meet Old Mill Road (ish)...I am so excited that there is a Cheesecake Factory here now - YUM! It's weird that I live so close to Westroads, my 'rents are 2 minutes from Crossroads but I would chose MotB over both.

I hated driving home on Dodge when I worked at Marriott because some random company has a sign that tells what the Dow averages were and forever they were just DOWN DOWN DOWN and who wants to see that?

This new tree that the Salvation Army put up at the Bank on 90th is .... big. and bright. and not a real tree. When I first saw it I thought that they would light up the percent of money that they had made to their goal but, no.

That's a great part of Dodge, right there - from 90th to 72nd. Lots of stuff happening - like the Village Inn that you can't really get to because of the Firestation and the new Blicks -- there is a Buffalo Wild Wings right there, too. I heard that you can learn to Salsa at Arthur's every Thursday night -- fun!

Then you're back to 72nd. (( Depending on how much I needed to think on it's entirely possible I'd head south, hit i-80 then cruise around the Circle -- i-80 to i-29 to 680 and around and around and I'm really glad there aren't cruising laws on the interstates. )) AND talk about a nasty, mean street - ugh. I loathe 72nd, AND they want to add a freaking wal-mart? WHAT?

The only crazy thing about Dodge Street is the malls - Village Pointe (e!), Westroads, and Crossroads - but even those aren't too bad provided you don't get stuck behind a bus!

HP

2007-01-04T01:04:00.000-06:00

January 3, 2007

Hewlett Packard:

I purchased an extemely overpriced Compaq nc6220 a year ago. (Okay! Maybe 18 months ago.) It was a wonderful piece of computer hardware once I realized, bought and installed Windows so it actually did what I wanted it to.

My laptop was a "want," I wanted it so I bought it. However, it was not a "need." A friend of mine needed a computer as our studies are insanely difficult and long, so I let her borrow my computer.

Foolish? Perhaps, but really How much damage could one do to a laptop that can not be fixed by wiping off the harddrive and starting over? There is nothing so sacred on my computer that I wouldn't be willing to let a friend borrow it for a few weeks.

BUT my built=in CD/DVDrom DISAPPEARED.
((Have you seen Jeff Dunham?
"The elephant disappeared! It just ******* disappeared!"))
(just like my CD player!)

Anyway, not only is my CD/DVD r No Where to be found, when I turn it on I get that "wrong disk" messages that people would get when they turned on computers but had left old floppys in. Something like... I don't remember and That Part really doesn't matter BECAUSE I can ctrl+alt+delete and then it goes away BUT it's a pain in the tuckus.

My Point? How the HECK do I get my CD/DVDr to act the way it's supposed to?? Really, this is the only thing I care about because I'm out of CDs and need to re-burn my bnl greatest hits.

Please advise. soon.

Yours most cordially,

meghan leigh

One More Thing

2007-01-01T13:19:00.000-06:00

Why I try to NOT shop at flippin' wal mart.

It's trite! It's banal! It's... New Years Resolutions!

2007-01-01T12:17:00.000-06:00

SO! I'm SUPER excited because I have three! Count 'em THREE! new years resolutions.

Are you ready?

OKAY.

1) (damn, I already forgot).... oh, okay -

1) WEEKLY EXCITEMENT! AND! for those of you hanging out on myspace with me - they'll be put up as bulletins SO you can JOIN ME ~ provided my weekly excitment isn't like a day at the spa.

2) Be QUIET and THINK before you speak. AND I'm really excited about it BECAUSE together the letters say "QT" and so I am going to Doodle It on everything and hopefully it will help. What do you think?

3) OH, ho! No crazy, perfectionist goals this year. For example: I will lose 20 pounds. I will NOT. I will try to be healthy, I will find ways to walk more BUT I will not hold myself to an arbitrary number of pounds lost!

(100 pounds! I want to be anorexic!)

A friend of mine, so cute, sent me this:

Hey Miss

May your new years bring you all that you wish! But be careful WHAT you wish for ;)

I seriously hope this year brings you a place, a job, money, and a guy!

Because you have to have a daughter for my son to marry!!!!

I love ya!

So, I thought. HMMMM. how could I possibly incorporate these into my three ~ and ONLY three ~ resolutions? Understand now, my primary concern was maintaining the intent of goal three --- no mad-crazy goals! And I realized! AHA!

A place: well, I had a dream and now I have goal. I'll keep you posted .... there will probably be a moving/ pizza party in 18 months.

A job: WHOOO HOOO! ISD called me back and wants me as a sub-house parent and I could NOT be more excited. The hours are eclectic and random ~ just like me!

Money: Well, with the job I'll have money, right? And there is always Uncle Sam!

A guy: OH! PLAY NOW! Tell me - which number is your favorite? 47, 56, 45

oh! gotta run. ENJOY THE RANDOM LINKS!

love, meg

my fire went out

2006-12-28T13:29:00.000-06:00

before I begin... I just found a site - www.enjoynachos.com hehehe

anyway.

I've always wanted to teach. That's it.

But, I really like sign language, too.

Now, common sense would dictate you put the two together and teach Deaf kids, right?

well, apparently not.
I hate my life right now.
I love everything I am doing and where I am living and who I am friends with but.. it sucks.
I want my own place, to finally be done with school and to be teaching.

WELL - that last part can not happen unless I:
stay where I am
stay in school for another two years (to get my bachelors).

on the one hand -- -GREAT!- okay.
on the other hand --- OMG! Please! I will work at effin' walmart, okay? I want my OWN place with my OWN stuff that is MINE.

but, then again, I also want to be dating.... what?!?!

22 and Jones

2006-12-27T21:05:00.000-06:00

Today I was looking at apartments with a friend of mine and I was *so* incredibly jealous!

I love Pam, lots!, but I just --- I want my own little corner of the world, you know?

Anyway - this apartment was amazing, and perfect. And I want it. :-)

ohs wells.

"Why Meghans Should Not Stay Up Late"

2006-12-23T03:59:00.000-06:00

This is rant. I know that it's a rant and I know that it's whiny. whiney. I don't know how to spell whine-y. deal with it.

Friday: No school. Great. Have to go anyway for grad prep. whatever. (it was fine, it was great. i got to see this guy, okay, two guys that i have mad crazy crushes on. fiiiiiiiiiine.)

Saturday; No school BUT have to go for graduation. fine. it's fine. (are you still believing me?)

Sunday: I think I'm changing wards. I don't know how Ginn does it.

Monday: Oh! First day of break and how is Meg? Sick. SICK. And where is Meg? At school. With Nick. KUDOS to NICK WARE for being able to volunteer his time and efforts selflessly with and a smile. YOU ROCK. So, driving home and , oh, yeah, the Green Monster DIES at the end of the off ramp into lake manawa. The kid behind me started to honk so I got out, pointed to my flashers and (screamed) "What part of this don't you understand?" I think I scared him. hm. Okay. BUT BUT ISD Called and wanted an interview on Tuesday. ((Think this through... no car! ~~ Thanks for your wheels, mum! ~~))

Tuesday: STILL VERY SICK. NO MONSTER. BUT!!! The interview went okay. I hope. I don't know. damn. and I'm lonely. crackheadedness all the way around.

Wednesday: STILL SICK. decide I should take care of the monster. don't follow through. my dog (Charlie brown) is getting worse. Went to MCC for their Christmas Sign Language - thing. What the hell? I don't know and left early.

Thursday: Feeling Better!! Charlie Brown--feeling worse, crap. My parents will probably have to put him to sleep after the holidays. He's really having a hard time.
Took my car to the shop. Estimates between "151.49" and 700.00 to fix the monster.
(Donations can be sent via IWCC @ 2700 College Road, CB, IA 51503)

Friday: When I moved to NY my friend Damon sent me this in an email: "I still feel ill, but feel better after super-hack-snot-coughs" need I say more? Monster is ready - only 500 and some odd change. I think. (thanks dad!)
Charlie Brown has to be put to sleep, hello! Today. what the ... * sigh *
Haven't heard from ISD. okay, it has only been two days. okay.
I did get to go party with my Aunt Mo -- HAPPY HAPPY MO!! but... It's 4 on the flip side (Saturday) and I am not even close to being sleepy. *sigh*

I hate vacations. and I still have almost two weeks to go.

2006-12-07T20:00:00.000-06:00

Your Sun Sign:

Aries

Sun 25° Aries 27'

Element:
Fire

Key Planet:
Mars

Rams live life head first; after all, those horns on your head are not just for fighting. Your headstrong nature can make you a "battering ram" and woe is the person who stands in your way. You Rams are noted for your courage and leadership qualities, primarily because you are nearly always ready for action. The need for excitement pushes you into new territory -- and as long as you are ahead of others while demonstrating confidence, chances are that they will follow you. As self-ordained leader of the pack, you fight for what you believe to be important. But it's not that you are fearless. Your courage is more of a commitment to face your fears and overcome them.

Motto: "Ready, fire, aim!”
Greatest Strength: Your courage to overcome fear
Possible Weakness: Not finishing things you start

Your Moon Sign:

Virgo

Moon 13° Virgo 11'

The Virgin is highly discriminating, but not necessarily as prudish at some might believe. In ancient times, a Virgin was a woman who was not the property of man, and therefore had the legal right to just say "no." Now, in modern times, you Virgos are known for your ability to be highly discriminating. When you are ready, however, to say yes, the laser-like focus of your passion is anything but prudish. Generally, you have a great deal of common sense. But you tend to be tough on yourself, finding flaws that others might overlook. Learning to overlook the small stuff now and then can be good for you.

Motto: "I feel like I can do better."
Greatest Strength: Your ability to analyze your emotions
Possible Weakness: The tendency to be too self-critical

Your Rising Sign:

Taurus

Ascendant 12° Taurus 10'

You come across as calm, steady and down to earth. That's why people tend to trust you, which is exactly what you want. Avoiding conflict is a major part of your approach to the world, preferring to keep your feelings to yourself if that's what it takes to maintain the peace. You appear patient and easygoing, rarely coming across as demanding or difficult. That helps keep people from pushing and probing, trying to find out what you really want. But it can be useful to let down your guard at times and be less in control of yourself if you want to grow closer with others.

Motto: "Don't show them what you're after.”
Greatest Strength: Bringing a calm approach to tense situations
Possible Weakness: Resistance to revealing your true feelings

Your Chinese Sign:

The Rooster

The ROOSTER ... THE RESILIENT ROOSTER

Mantra: I am proud of who I am.

Efficient and intelligent, Roosters love to show off their talents. They want to be the center of attention but at the same time are very generous to their friends and loved ones. They appear outwardly very strong-willed and energetic but are actually full of fear and worries on the inside. Committed to themselves, Roosters are hypercritical of everything and everyone, especially if they are not getting enough respect from the other animals on the farm. They can be inflexible and compulsive, with beliefs and opinions that tend toward fanaticism.

hahaha ~ did anyone else notice how my sun sign and my rising sign tend to conflict?! just for laughs

baking soda

2006-11-24T11:01:00.000-06:00

so, with christmas cookies being made and stuff, I was thinking about baking soda.

THEN! I was watching E!s top 100 funny movies and there was a commercial for... baking soda! And it was talking about Baking soda being strong enough to clean the statue of liberty but good enough for homemade cookies... and people use it to brush their teeth???

what IS this stuff??

what would you do?

2006-11-20T18:40:00.000-06:00

So - here's my assignment from class:

"You are standing on an overpass, over a train track with another person.

Down the track, within sight but out of earshot is a group of little (Deaf) kindergartners playing on the track.

A train is rushing towards them.

If you push off the person standing next to you, you save those 20 kindergartners. If not, they die.

What do you do and WHY?"

ovay. I don't know.

I woke up this morning signing. You know that sleepy-fuzz time that you feel yourself slipping into before you actually fall asleep? Well, I was hanging out there this morning and I was ... I don't know... but I was signing and I knew I was signing but I couldn't stop because I couldn't ... talk.

THEN, I'm such an idiot. ugh

'ever played scrabble with a D guy? yeah, didn't think so. oy.

BUT! I found the purple egg!

Saide Freakin' Hawkins

2006-11-19T02:32:00.000-06:00

SO - tonight was shaping up to be the *worst* night ever. BUT - thank goodness! - it was one of the best I've had in a LONG time. Thank God for the Welsch boys, they've saved my life more than once.

TWO MONTHS ago Phi Theta Kappa decided that it would do it's annual Turkey Raffle this today (Sat., Nov. 18) (( yesterday - whatever)). TWO MONTHS ago. I had an OAD meeting I had to go to for a class, though, so I have been reiterating that I wasn't going to be there. TWO MONTHS. One person is the ONLY one who remembers and bothers to show up. I couldn't even get a hold of my VP. REALLY? Great teamwork here! AND I have NO idea how it went because no one bothered to call me afterwards. AGH!

THREE WEEKS AGO an announcement is made at church that this Saturday was going to be a Sadie Hawkins Turkey Trot - you have to have a date. GREAT. I do FINE if no one calls, I tend to be busy and not notice but it sure is wonderful for my self esteem to be turned down 5 or 6 times by people who really aren't even my first choice. Thanks.

Speaking of First Choices -- oh man! Still madly in love with *****. Nuts and of course I can't ask him, I just keep thinking: One semester, One month and one week -- hell yes. UNO here I come.

LAST WEEK, monday, actually a guy that I tutor for tells me he's failing a class and yadda yadda yadda and what can he do? So I seyz to him: you MUST go the OAD meeting and write a paper. MUST. If you need a ride CALL ME. SO - he calls. Damn, don't have the $ but already offered. Okay. Drive ALL the way over to school ~ where I set up the stuff for the aforementioned turkey raffle because NO ONE was there yet ~ and he calls me (while I am on campus) "Oh, I don't need a ride." AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

(I am NOT feeling well, anyway! Come on!)

So we get down to OAD - he followed me - and the place is packed. And what's the first thing I do? Oh, make Cody cry. Great.

(He was really not feeling all that great, either, so, it was bound to happen but - I felt terrible)

and now I am ready to leave. ( g o g r e e n m o n s t e r ! )
Need to be there - already paid to get in.....
but I am not staying.

whatever. yes I am..

WHY do I live in a "MUST, SHOULD" world? WHY????

Luckily! I stayed. Thank God. Thank God. I am always shocked when Heavenly Father looks down and says, "Hey, let's give Meg some love."

I finally got through the line and my seat had been taken. Nice - so, I go down to the basement. (Whoo hoo, never been there before) and .... Mecca! All the kids were down there and it was bedlam. and it was great. I got to talk to people, I hung out with people and I was .... it was wonderful.

So, slowly more and more kids start to come down (there were some-- nay, there were a couple of toys) and more and more adults started to head up stairs. At one point there were 4 ITP students, a graduate, her Deaf husband and BW=== and 30 kids. I looked over at BW and said, "um, can we play a game, or something. I've never witnessed an actual example of mayhem before!" and he was like, "try it" ---- and so I did. And I had a blast.

It was funny because prior to me starting the games (and Heather helped -- she rocks) I had said, "It's like Lord of the Flies," and he said, "All they need is the war paint." It's great fun to have fun conversations with people.

So, the Welsch trio left and we just kept right on playing. I think it made the Parents upstairs nervous because right after he left four or five came down -- "Just checking" and were AWED (okay, maybe not) by my organized atmosphere of fun. (what drivvel!) (( is that spelled right?) anyway -- we played and played and I looked at my watch and it was a quarter after midnight.

Two fingers to YOU, Sadie Hawkins! Tonight was the best!

A Saturday, in the park, I think it was -- October!

2006-10-09T18:06:00.000-05:00

There was another point to my story, but of course, blogger kicked me out before I was able to finish (last time).

So - this Thursday we have a Mad Crazy debate here on campus. Half of us are for the Cochlear Implant and half are against and I am on the Pro side. (We were assigned sides.) SO instead of working my tuckus off this Saturday, like I should have done, I sure did go with the twins on a wild adventure!

First, we went to the Children's Museum and now that I think about it I wish that we would have gone to the Zoo (seeing as how it's going to snow here!) but.. OH! and it was Sesame Streets opening day! And Elmo was there!

Remember - the twins are getting older and they weren't so impressed. Yeah, okay, Sar was afeared of Elmo, but I don't blame her - so was I! Definitely one mascot I would NOT want to be!!

And what is up with this re-occuring cookie monster controversy? Hello! He can stay cookie monster and teach kids about self control and self mastery, about sharing (cookies) and a whole slew of other things that have currently walked out of my mind. Leave him alone! (IF you want to look at someone who is damaging to a kid's psych check out Oscar the Grouch, come on!)

It was really cool , though, to see Sesame Street clips from around the world (Sesame Park in Canada, eh?) and to see how it's changed over time. They had the very first episode replaying and clips of all the characters they have ever had. I wouldn't have minded hanging out a little longer and reading all the material.

We face painted, of course, but the kids are getting a little too old to go (sad!) so we walked down to Ted & Wally's (heck yeah!).

After unanimously deciding that carmel ice cream tasted, as well as looked, nasty (think: baby poop) we all got chocolate concoctions and meandered up to Durham. They have some of the coolest things right now.

I think the kids think I'm crazy because the place makes me cry, anyway, but to see the Home Front: Front Lines display that they have from the Smithsonian is phenomenal - and they are having a Russian picture display which is fascinating - to see Russia and all the changes through non-American biased eyes.

I think they were more fascinated by the jewels and stones, though. All in all not a bad weekend but now I am stuck back at a desk researching Cochlear Implants. whooo hooo!

When It Rains It Pours!

2006-10-06T20:07:00.000-05:00

Heck, yes, I'm talking about Morton Salt!

We were playing a game in ASL I class similiar to Adverteasing when the girl spelled, "W-h-e-n i-t r-a-i-n-s..." and I laughed and spelled "M-o-r-t-o-n S-a-l-t." The girl looked at me, amazed; how did you know that?

Hello! How do you not know?

Then, we did a game, a matching game like "Abercrombie &..." (Fitch, for those of you who couldn't figure it out).

I started with "Yoko Ono," and the girl goes... "what?"
What really cracked me up though was when I signed "She was mentioned in a Barenaked Ladies song," because, who, besides me would reference something that obscure? I was probably the only person in the world who liked that song.

I was stupefied! Really?
But all over the place unless it was really, really pop-culture-ish - nothing. She was a total blank. I don't get it.

But, on the same vein - guess what?

Four days ago I was like - hm - I think I'd like to find a boyfriend. Okay, not really the whole thought - it was more of a blimp on my radar - "don't have a guy to hang out with." But suddenly I meet a guy at ISD's homecoming, G--- and then Have Dinner with E---, wow!

truly, when it rains it pours.

Just an update for those that need to know - hey hey hey the green monster has a new set of {that's right! SET of!} brand new tires! whooo hooo!

Amen, sister!

'nsurance

2006-09-27T22:59:00.000-05:00

Is there some particular REASON why insurance is so expensive? I paid for 6 months worth today and - really? Why is it so freaking expensive.

This isn't what I really wanted to talk about but I can't really remember what it was....

maybe later.

Gender & Power: Relationships

2006-09-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

I saw Garon Tate today!! I love that kid, he is so awesome.

So, you might be wondering why I am excited that I saw him. Well, Garon lives in Mississippi

The rings are not for Garon - they are for later in my story.
(Sorry for any scares this may have caused)

(M,
I,
crooked letter,
crooked letter,
I,
crooked letter,
crooked letter,
I,
humpback, humpback,
I!)

anyway.

We were watching a lecture by Dr. Pepper Schwartz (yea, Dr. Pepper, poor kid) anyway, suddenly! there he was in the background! yay!!

So, we had this phenomenal lecture, very interesting but I really question this idea that having a woman work outside the home is really "fair," and "best," in the dynamic of the family. In the relationship that is a matter that should have been discussed before the marriage.

Having said that - I realize completely! - there are some cases where the spouses need to be divorced but I STILL will hold with the fact that it is better for the family As A Whole to have a parent in the home.

What good is it to dump your kids off with some random person to teach them morals, values and things like getting along with each other? And, in the end, doesn't it cost Just As Much to pay a sitter/nanny/day care as it would have been to stay at home and live a little more economically?

Look at our kids these days! And we wonder why parents don't know their own kids. Or their spouses. No one is ever home.

THEN you look at the impact this has had on our neighborhoods. No one is home, no one is aware of what's going on --- why? So we can afford an extra car or another vacation or a house that is too big for us anyway?

WHAT are we doing?

Women's lib -- BULL!!

All "we" have done is lock ourselves into a cycle that takes us away from our families and our kids and is weaking our society as a whole.

When are we, as a whole, going to accept that Some Women work, and that is great! BUT those that choose not to are just as (IF NOT MORE) valuable to society's FUTURE than those that punch the clock?

If you have to work - okay, fine, great, go for it.
You want a career, okay, fine, great, go for it.

BUT - if you want to have a family and you want kids -- then by God you better be a good mom.

And Guys -- what? You think it's EASY taking care of kids, appointments, chores, etc. etc. every day? And perhaps your wife works, too! OR - she worked before staying home with the kids and the dog and the house. Ask her - she'll tell you it is JUST AS, EQUALLY, The Same As working 40+ hours a week.

Come on, get real. A "homemaker," as quaint as the phrase maybe, is truly that: a HOME MAKER -- they don't take care of themselves.

So, this discussion of "power" in relationships needs to be reevaluated to "Pride" and "Selfishness" in the family. THAT is what we are really talking about.

Actual College Classes

2006-09-25T20:03:00.000-05:00

Hello, all!

I'm writing from the land of Procrastination because now that I actually have *real* college classes I have no time.

Kudos to professor Hart who actually was preparing me for college classes, until you I never had one and after you I just thought I was getting lucky.

So, you may wonder why I am commenting on this - I love I-Dub (lots) but most of the classes there, unless you are in an intense program, leave much to be desired. Like... your tuition back. It's great for those that are needing a step between high school and, well, actually, it's great for those who should be in, but are too old for, high school.

My peers can't spell, write, perform basic arithmetic and etc. It drives me INSANE!!!

Anyway, I am lucky enough to now have classes where I am not getting "easy" A's - but am actually LEARNING things. That are interesting. And applicable.

So - to the ITP instructors who tolerate me with an admirable forbearance - here's to you.

YOU ROCK!

Would you jump off a bridge?

2006-09-16T18:19:00.000-05:00

It occurred to a me a few days ago that even if my friends won't join me I might not necessarily be wrong. I always feel bad for the "friends," in the statement, "If all your friends were jumping off a bridge..."

Well..., why were they jumping? Were they being chased be a bear? Was there a car out of control? Are they on fire?

Perhaps there is a logical reason for jumping.

Just a note --
I really wanted this post to be about slogans that would work for Viagra, too, but decided against it. Maybe later.

I am approached (or reprimanded!) all the time for doing things a certain way. Did it ever occur to anyone that I have a reason?

I am currently growing a Colorado Blue Spruce in my car. Yes, in my car. Now, three people have told me that it was the most ridiculous thing they have ever heard. Excuse me! I don't live in a house with a yard I can plant the tree in, I don't want to plant the tree in someone else's yard and I want it to be in a sunny place. Judging from the fadedness of my car seats, my car gets sun, and I get to keep my baby tree. Get over yourself.

I can't imagine living in a world where everything just follows the same old predictable patterns, I would cry. Right now I spend approximately 7 hours a day in the same classroom with the same people and really would like to kill 1,2,3,4 of them. Really! But, I can't so.

Sometimes I like to stir up trouble but more often than not trouble just kind of finds me. Case in point: One month ago I ordered a text book for a class. I paid for the book with my Pell grant (Thanks, Uncle Sam!) and put the receipt in a box to keep it safe so at the end of the semester I can get the receipt back out and get 1/2 my money back. I didn't have it with me - but keep in mind I go to IWCC where everyone knows everyone because there are maybe 100 students.

As the books were coming in the book store was calling us to let us know. Eventually everyone in my class had there book but me. It's a law book and our first test covers four chapters of facts. (Ick.) I go down and say, "Hey, is my book in yet?"
They take oh... ten minutes looking in the back and can't find it.
Then one of the girls says, "wasn't that ADA ... book?"

"Yes."

"Oh! It's on the shelf!"

(! Idiots! Why didn't you call me?!)

She meanders over and grabs it, hands it to me. I thank her and go to walk away.
"I need to see your receipt."

(! Are you kidding? I've been in here everyday for a month!)

"I'm sorry, I don't have it."

"Well, I need to see it, you can't just take your book."

(BIG BIG PISSED OFF SIGH)
"I bought it on my pell, can't you look it up?"
(( THERE is NOBODY in the store! They were NOT busy.))

"It's 5 dollars to look up a receipt."

I threw the book back on the counter and invited them to keep the book.
(((( I REALLY wanted to (scream) why don't you take this book and shove it up your... but I refrained))))

I went up to our Vice President of Finance and yelled and twenty minutes later I had my book, sans the receipt.

I invite people to join me in jumping off bridges when you run into the same bureaucratic, idiotic laziness that is epitomized by ... well, pretty much everything. Make a statement and start to hold people accountable.

(And, if you're the idiot, remember this: Always do right, it will gratify some and astonish the rest.)

scale the canyons of the city to the heavens

2006-09-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

That was how the "skyride" in the towers described the WTC; that they scaled the canyons of the city to the heavens.

and they did.

I took a test a few days ago and I commented to my teacher that while mnemonics works for somethings I wasn't sure that I was actually learning what she wanted us to.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________________________

September 11th was beautiful; beyond gorgeous. Long Island is, hands down, the most beautiful place I have ever been.

Jordan was 6 and in kindergarten; he didn't want to go to school that day. Just as well.

Amy was working; she worked for a law firm on the back side of the towers; the buildings shared a back wall.

Andrew came home; he saw the smoke from the LIE. He was freaking out.

The Poland Springs man was clueless - he was just out doing his rounds. Probably listening to a CD or something; not radionews, for sure.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________________________

I'm 25. More aware, more cynical, more scared and just a little bit betrayed. All those people-
Did you ever see the towers?
Do you have any idea how big they really were? It was like they weren't even real - they were so incredibly huge. Can you even begin to imagine? No, you can't. They were indescribable. Standing next to them was - it was like they weren't even there they were so big. Your mind could not grasp the enormity of them; and they fell.

down! Look at that. That's insane!

It would be like the Rockies being gone one day. Poof. What the ?? really?

Jordo's 11. I can not even imagine. I miss him every single day. I would love to see him and know that he is doing well.

Amy and Andrew moved to Florida; I think about them all the time. I hope that they are happy, that they found a place to be safe and have peace. I hope that Nana and Pop Pop still come over all the time for bagels 'n lox and harass them.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________________________

Okay, and so, here we are five years ... (YEARS! Can you believe it? It feels like it was *maybe* two years ago. Maybe.) ...after 9/11 and what have we learned?

Here is what I feel like:

I don't care to hear about lists of names being read off;
what have we done to prevent names from being added to lists of victims of terrorism?

I don't care to see flags being flown when they otherwise aren't;
what have we done to make this nation stronger?

I don't care to see some families receive help because their father, mother, parents died;
what are we doing for ALL our children to teach and guide them?

I don't care to only look back on yesterday and hope for a better future -
what are we actually doing today?

So - there you go people. Be a hero and make a difference. We must learn something from this.

May I See Your ID, Please?

2006-09-09T10:55:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine (and her husband!) are celebrating their 40th Anniversary today. They are the Most Phenomenal people I know.

Congratulations and Yay!

And as I was thinking about it... 40 years. I really would have said she was 40 years old. Obviously, not the case.

As I look at the people in my life - as I get older - they maybe not "get younger" but, they don't age.

My best friend is 37 - 38 - 39 (I'm not for positive) and I would tell you in a heart beat that she was 28.

Even my mom. If you were to ask me how old she was I'd say, "Oh, 39."
I'm 25, so.. really? That's amazing! She's been 39 since for as long as I can remember.

This is an especially fun phenomenon to encounter while you're dating.

(Meghan and Joe at Croce's, having dinner.)

Joe: ... and that's the most important thing. But memory? I'm not sure.
Meg: Well, I remember sitting in front of the tv when the Berlin wall came down and willing
myself to remember because I thought I was too young and I would forget.
Joe: How old were you?
Meg: Eight.
Joe: (choking) what?
Meg: I was eight, why? (suspiciously)...How old were you?
Joe: Eighteen!

oh. I sure did think when he asked me out that he was only 23 or 24. oops.

But then I can't help but wonder where people place me on the age continuum; when I directly ask them I get anywhere from 19 (not happening, folks) to 30. Now, if you're just looking at me I can see where the confusion comes from, maybe - but that still seems a little extreme on both ends - a space of 11 years? Come on!

I went out with a friend of mine who just turned 21 a few weeks ago. We got up to the door and bouncer asked to see her ID and as I was reaching into my pocket to grab mine he says, and I quote, "Oh, it's okay ma'am, you're good." Excuse me?

I took one of those "How old are you quizzes," that asked irrelevant questions like, "It's Friday night..what do you do?" and because I didn't pick the
( ) play with my kids or
( ) go bar hopping
.... because I don't drink AND have no money for the cover, because I would dance!...
I ended up picking
( ) curl up at home with a good book.

My cyber age is 29.

I just wonder what happens when I actually am 29 - does my cyber-age go up to 32?

So? The question on the table is -- How old are you really?
I would have to go with 22.
(Even though someone asked me one time and I randomly said 17. I wish!)

.

Day from U-Hell

2006-09-06T23:15:00.000-05:00

So, about a month ago Phi Theta Kappa, my honor society, was taking half a giggle and laugh of books to Ames, IA for Pages of Promise. (Ok, 36,000 books.) They had been packed, stacked, saran wrapped and counted.

We rented a truck from U-Haul. The baddest truck they have.

We get it to the loading site.

The tire falls off the rim.

(okaaaaaaaaay. This should have been The Sign, but we weren't paying attention.)

The guy gets there about 2 hours later and, as the boys had already pushed the tire back on the rim, kicks the tire and says, "How far are you going with it?"

?!

Are you Freaking Kidding me?

"We are going to Ames and coming back tomorrow, so we need a good tire."
"Oh. Well, I have to go get one, I'll be back soon."

What?! Okay, ...(skipping part)... half an hour after lunch he comes back and puts a new tire on.

Okay! Great. Good to go.

NEXT DAY

Driving to Ames (different link) from Council Bluffs. (< check out that link!)

I am behind the truck because we all couldn't fit in the cab. Suddenly this plume of smoke and debris (okay, it wasn't like CHUNKS, but...?) come out of the trucks exhaust.

We pull over and check the oil.
Chunky!

Sigh. Call them back.
"We are adding oil."
"It doesn't need oil."
"We are going to Ames and it's spewing forth smoke. The oil is chunky."
"Well, okay. 10W-40."

I am in the gas station purchasing 10W-40 and a FedEx man in a similiar truck says,
"Aren't you with the U-Haul?"
"Yes."
"And that oil is for the U-Haul?"
"Yes."
"Isn't the U-Haul a diesel?"
"Yes."
"Um... I drive a diesel, too, and that isn't what you put in it."
"Well. Um. It's what they guy told me to put in it."
"Oh. Okay. Good luck."

*sigh* This should have been Sign II, but, again, too Headstrong to notice.

The next time we pull over (And HOW far away is Ames?? NOT far enough to need a Rest Stop unless you can't pass 35-45 mph!) the girls say, "It sounded like Mardi Gras beads going through the engine so we had to turn off the air."

It's 900 frickin' degrees! You're going to die!
( "Well, yes, " they reason, "but at least it won't be the truck exploding!" )

So we finally get up to Ames and met some of the Greatest Guys around and unloaded the truck.

ALL of us, realizing that the truck would NOT make it back to CB decide to drop it off at U-Haul in Ames and squish in the other car to head home.

We get to the U-Haul in Ames.

BRIAN! You are the BEST manager I have ever met that had to deal with a Crazy Complaint.
(Such as ours.)

They, concurring with our estimation of the problem, agree that the truck would not be safe to drive back to Council Bluffs.

"If I knew that one of my customers were going to be going out of town I would never let them take one of these trucks."

(A direct paraphrase.)

SOOOOOOOOOOO. We figure, okay. We'll pay for the mileage to Ames. Not for the rental or for the drop off because, really? Who rents out poor vehicles?

Today I find out that they charged MY checking account for the cost of the truck because the schools credit card would only allow them so much to charge.

Really? Because I had $400 in my checking account? I wish I would have known I would have bought some pants that fit me! Or groceries. Or paid my car payment!

I call them back. "Well, we can't help you. You need to talk to you local U-Haul in Lake Manawa. They are the ones that this situation has been given back to."

Does anyone have a dollar I can have?

oh... what to say?

2006-09-05T23:04:00.000-05:00

You know - I have like... five things
I really want to comment on.
I guess I'll just start and see where I go with it.

(!) A friend of mine calls last night while I'm putting a chair together. ((Yes, A chair.)) Anyway, she asks, "What are you doing?"
And I reply and then I say, "I need an allen wrench."
And she says, "What's an allen wrench?"

Are you kidding me?
You don't know what an allen wrench is?

(~) I'm hanging out with S-, and we're talking. It's all good. And the topic turned to, imagine!, the singles ward and then on to -- oh, that's right! Marriage. Okay. Then he says, "you know, why does this keep coming up?"

I am continually flabbergasted by him. He's great but..

(*) I'm looking at moving when I'm done with school. (Obviously.) (This was one of the thing S- and I were talking about.) And I really wonder about where I'm s'posed to be headed. Weirdness.

(!) Freaking THRILLED about my service learning project. I'm working with the Girl Scouts and I can't even imagine all the great things I'll get to do.

(#) Beyond excited for the Deaf events; not quite so scared to go up and just say, "Hey." I've been looking at this culture more and more and am just so incredibly WOW. It's awesome.

(+) Mildly irritated by I-dub. Is there some reason you hold our money hostage?

And why are we catering to crazy eighteen and nineteen year olds? Hold them accountable! I'm sick of waiting for people to catch up. I completely understand that I'm older (believe me!) but this behavior is coming from our "non-traditional" "adult" students, too!!!

What is this???

My advice for today comes from the amazing B. Welsch: "Think positive!"

Supporting Murder

2006-09-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

On cnn.com about a month ago there was an article, "Officials: Dad kills neighbor accused of molesting girl"

Now, I've thought about this.
Quite a bit.

(that's him, in the middle)

Good for him!

His daughter was two - too young to make up stories about inappropriate subjects. The man had already called the police to report indecent exposure. So - if this guy did molest this little girl and her dad killed him - Great. (There is a better recap at Conn Post on line.)

Now - Obviously, I am believing the little girl's story. Because I have no reason not to, I absolutely can not believe after working with children that young and having been molested myself around that age that a child makes that up.

That little girl will never be able to erase that from her mind. It's like a burn victim with a scar on their face; it's there. And even with surgery and make up and great self esteem ... it's still there.

The abuser probably would have gotten some insanely non-appropriate-to-the-crime punishment like 10 years in Prison so, no; I am really glad that her dad did that.

Props to him.

Mercury, Venus, Us, Them, J, SUN, Pluto!

2006-09-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

You remember, I *know* you do -You remember how you memorized the planets for a test? That was mine, "Mercury, Venus, Us, Them, J, SUN, Pluto!" Just had to keep Mercury and Venus straight and I was good to go!

And I just want to add - is Mercury really that much bigger than Pluto was - er, is, anyway? (um, well, yeah, it is but! relatively! come on!)

So, today I am talking about stupid decisions. Or, not stupid, but - okay Pluto, to me, seems irrelevant but I did want to say that this next one just falls under "stupid."

Washington (where else?) wants to add " A mix of bacteria-killing viruses " to our "cold cuts, hot dogs and sausages". Now - they say it is "to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year," but, you know - it's a VIRUS on our FOOD. Normal virus kill hundereds of people a year and the FDA hasn't started spraying people down in January!

I think that it is great that people are working to make our food safer.

Woah - hold on. "... make our food safer."
My greatgrandparents were farmers and I often eat mulberries right off the trees in local parks. There was nobody around the check my grandpa's cow's milk and no one walks behind me spraying random fruit I pick off trees. And we are all okay. (Well, my great grandparents are dead - but not because of the food they ate!)

And on top of all that - Intralytix (in tral i ticks?) (Entrails I ticks?) (what?) is a Manufacturer which makes me wonder how much we are paying for this new miracle of science. And I *really* worry when the FDA is telling me that not only is it safe - it's safe for pregnant women. I seem to recall something called... thalidomide. Anyone else?

Here - this sounds rather official:
The bacterium the viruses target can cause a serious infection called listeriosis, primarily in pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. In the United States, an estimated 2,500 people become seriously ill with listeriosis each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 500 die.

Luncheon meats are particularly vulnerable to Listeria because, once purchased, they typically aren't cooked or reheated, which can kill harmful bacteria like Listeria.

(( SO - can't you just say, "heat this sandwhich meat" and who still eats hotdogs cold? Nastiness.))

" The FDA had concerns that the virus preparation potentially could contain toxic residues associated with the bacteria. However, testing did not reveal the presence of such residues, which in small quantities likely wouldn't cause health problems anyway, the FDA said. "The FDA is applying one of the toughest food-safety standards which they have to find this is safe," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group. "They couldn't approve this product if they had questions about its safety."

---------Are you kidding me??? ----------------------

World Trade Center

2006-08-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

I didn't want to see it.
At all.

But, I went and saw Oliver Stone's World Trade Center and was - amazed. It was phenomenal; see it!

It got me thinking, though. And then my roomie came home tonight with an Op-Ed article that was questioning (imagine!) the government. Or, more directly, Herr - er, VP Cheney. So - this is going to be a slight ramble into a couple rather deep things.
Ready?

I read an article on war that says that the reason that America doesn't just go in countries and blow them off the face of the map is because we are too (paraphrasing!) "" sorry, or regretful of all the killings that we are responsible for "" - and this was compared to how White people will continue to feel bad that Black people used to be slaves. (what?!)

Mull that one over in your head and get back to me.
(Because, really, doesn't that just explain Vietnam and Korea? What was the DEAL there??)

Anyway - this Op-Ed article ( "Big Talk, Little Will" ~ Thomas L. Friedman) continued with this question (I Loved It), "... Fight the Iraq war with the Rumsfeld Doctrine, just enough troops to lose, and not the Powell Doctrine of overwhelming force to create the necessary foundation of any democracy building project, which is security?"

DUH!!!!

This reminded me of Mayor Rudy's words before the UN in October of 2001:
"Freedom from Fear is a basic human right. We need to need to reassert our right to live free from fear with greater confidence and determination than ever before.... With one clear voice, unanimously, we need to say that we will not give in to terrorism. Surrounded by our friends of every faith, we know that this is not a clash of civilizations; it is a conflict between murderers and humanity.

This is not a question of retaliation or revenge. It is a matter of justice leading to peace. The only acceptable result is the complete and total eradication of terrorism."

Abraham Lincoln taught us that, "Those that deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

have we totally eradicated terrorism?

um. Apparently not, no.

(let me reiterate: NO!)

All people seem to want to do is TALK. I am thinking right now of the "cease fire" between Israel and Lebanon. Let me AGAIN refer back Giuliani, "Remember PM Neville Chamerberlain, who - armed only with good intentions negotiated and emerged hopeful that the he had achieved peace in his time. Hitler's wave of terror was only encouraged by these attempts at appeasement. At the cost of millions of lives, we learnd that words - thought important - are not enough to guarantee peace. It is action alone that counts."

We (and by "we" I mean America) don't go into other countries to take over and stay. We don't colonize, we don't subject other peoples to our government (randomly). HOWEVER, we will stand up to defend ourselves AND if that means that we are going to come into your country to clean house a little, we will. AND if that means that we are going to be re-organizing your government to HELP YOU ~ again, we WILL.
IF law is the strongest link between man and freedom; and you want the freedom, THEN you need the CORRECT principles behind the laws. Tony Blair has stated that, "all nations that are free value that freedom, will defend it absolutely but have no wish to trample on the freedom of others."
America, believe it or not is "... Fighting for the inalienable right of humankind--black or white; Christian or not; left, right or merely indifferent--to be free--free to raise a family in love and hope, free to earn a living and be rewarded by your own efforts, free not to bend your knee to any man in fear, free to be you, so long as being you does not impair the freedom of others."

Having said that, what the FUDGE are we doing in Iraq? What is THAT?? I get that Saddam was a, what? what can I say here? Psychotic despot?! He was terrible, and YES he was supportive of things Anti-American; but I don't understand how we ended up in Iraq without necessary plans, forces or... Anything, really. Who does that?

YES! We understood 5 years ago that this was going to be hard, long and drawn out. That it would take sacrifice and effort on our part - but really? I am not seeing any ~ ANY! ~ effects proving that the cause (there) was "right."

Now - some might argue that because the UN passed the Terrorist resolution and that we needed to:
"hold accountable any country that supports or condones terrorism,"
"ostracize any nation that supports terrorism," and
"isolate any nation that remains neutral in the fight against terrorism"

but that was the UN --- we were busy (I believe, anyway) in AFGHANISTAN -- oh, and we were watching China, North Korea, the Kurds etc. etc.

And now that I think about it -- Syria and Lebanon?! (hello!) And then Lebanon (under Syrian pressure, okay) harasses Israel. (which I believe I've talked about) -

Well, I still believe, " The best long term deterrent to terrorism ... Is the spread of our principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human life." Remember, "because destiny put us in this place in history, in this moment in time - the task is ours to do."

Steak and Kool-Aid

2006-08-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine received an article talking about Google Trends; it's focus on Salt Lake and how that great place leads the world on searches for things like geneology, Pride and Prejudice, jello recipes and 72 Hour Kits. Kidding about the jello recipes.

And that got me thinking - what does Omaha lead in? Steak and Kool-Aid!! Now, it had to be the Kool-Aid with the dash; St. Louis led the way for "Kool Aid," they also had a good showing (3rd) for NAMBLA. Agh!

And of course we were like kids with a new toy and were looking up everything we could think of (Paris Hilton? Melbourne, Australia or "YUM!" Louisville, KY)

Being a College Student - a Reiver - I was interested. How many people not only know what a Reiver IS; but have searched for it? London, Chi, NY respectively. No Iowa. Bizarre.

Googling "meghan" leads me to Cambridge, MA - and last name alone? Stuttgart, Germany. Changing your name? LA, Irvine and San Diego. (Really Californians?) Baby Names? India- then Salt Lake. (again) (random!) And, if not my name, how about someone else? Suri Cruise had Australia, Toronto and NY -

Then I was curious about traits. "Leadership" netted me Washington D.C., and "bravery," Irvine, CA. "Fear" landed in San Diego and "hope," Raleigh, NC. "Megalicious" didn't show up.

and just to leave you wondering -- the most people searching for "elephants" live in Portland, OR.

have fun, kids!

I'm armed!

2006-08-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

So, this story begins about.. oh, years ago. I was preparing to enter the Army and had decided that I wanted to bike around the city as a last "hurrah!"

As I came up on the last leg of my trip I was passing Benson High School, it was about 3 - 3:30. In the afternoon. On a spring day.

I was biking when I felt a peculiar, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I looked around; nothing. I felt it again, stronger. I looked back and saw a red, boxy car approaching. Hm, well, it is a street!

Suddenly, I heard someone say, "Stop!" And, so, I stopped. As I did so the passenger in this car shot at me. Luckily, I had stopped in time that one of the bullets only grazed my arm - and didn't do too much damage.

Perhaps you are wondering why I am sharing this story with you.

The Omaha City Council recently okay'd the carrying of concealed weapons. You have to have a permit, be trained and etc. Okay - whatever. But you would not BELIEVE the brouhaha this has caused!

They nay-sayers are Screaming about Dangerous Criminals having guns.
Right - did you catch that? Dangerous Criminals having guns. Imagine.

My concern isn't that responsible citizens of Omaha will be able to carry arms;
it's that they won't cause enough pain when they go to defend themselves.

When that guy shot me my very first thought was, "What the hell? He missed!" I had been shooting in JROTC for four years and was (and still am) fairly certain that I could hit a target the size of a human being that wasn't even moving. What a dork!

I support the citizens who choose to bear arms; go for it! Be careful! Teach your kids to be responsible - my father had guns in our home the whole time I was growing up and I sure did manage to not shoot (or be shot) at home. Amazing! Now, I probably won't carry a gun; but you never know.

You just never know.

Dear Beloved,

2006-08-07T23:14:00.000-05:00

So, I was talking today with a friend of mine who made the comment that they liked someone who lived out of state; and, woe! what to do?

And I thought about this - from school, home and as I was drifting off (I took a nap. yum!). Suddenly! Inspiration struck! Write a letter. Not an email, not a txtmssg - but an honest-to-goodness letter.

Why?

To begin with it's always nice to get something in the mail. Always. (Unless it's from a stalker.)

Then, you have the choice whether or not to admit that you received it. This can prevent ill-will and odd moments of discomfort.

"A letter? No, not recently. Sorry." as opposed to "An email? no, not recently." and you're left thinking, "Liar!!" When really, they were just trying to protect your feelings.

AND!
this is my favorite part
IF you keep a letter and write back, then they write you again, etc. and you DO start seeing each other -- suddenly you have Love Letters! Amazing how that works, no?

You might be thinking, "Are you on crack? You can't just write to someone randomly!" But I propose that you can, indeed, write to someone. Now, it can't be some unknown person you just pull up on myspace.com ( how would you mail a stranger a letter?!) BUT if it's someone you've known in the past, or are just friends with -- listen:

(* names have been changed!)

Ben* ~
I was looking through some of my mementos from New York last night when I found this fantastic little card that you sent me! I remembered that we had met in Penn Station as you were leaving for Germany; but wasn't able to connect with you after that.
How are you? How are things going? ...?

Write soon!
Meghan

(NOW! this is important! include an email that they may write back quickly but ALWAYS send snail mail, too. I use a wax sealer, also, it's fun to play with fire.)

See? That was simple! Say hello! Tell them what brought them to mind; I'd recommend NOT saying, "You were hot and I wanted to know if you were still single." Establish a foundation - memories, similar goals, etc. THEN inquire as to how they are, blah blah blah. Give them a reason to write back.

(I sincerely hope you noticed that this is Exactly Like having a Conversation on a Date. You just have to wait for a response, thus heightening the anticipation. Sweeeeeeeet.)

You can have very wonderful relationships with people out of town. You just have to work at it.

AND BY THE WAY! This works for people in various stages of any kind of relationship, too. If you have a co-worker, spouse, dog sitter who you REALLY appreciate or is just generally super fantastic writing an actual note saying, "Hey, you're great," or "thanks," or "I love you to eternity and back*" (* not for the co-worker) is So Freaking Phenomenal. Try it. It works. I promise.

(write to me and tell me how it goes.)

You've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard....

2006-08-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

"At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Ready?

i) I just quit my job today. I took three calls; was insulted to the point of crying on the third and walked out.

ii) Went on a meandering walk with someone a week ago and JUST NOW realized that they probably didn't enjoy it very much, except he was bored so.. and now I think, "Why am I wasting time on this person?" (* he's great, but not for me.)

iii) Realized about 4 hours ago that there is someone who I DO like to spend time with but won't be able to because the various roles I play. Figures.

iv) My heart is broken for Israel and Lebanon. I do NOT understand why people have to make thing bad for others; then the government gets involved to "fix" the problem and, OH! It gets worse.

(see: foxnews.com: "Fighting in Lebanon increases sharply as both Israel and Hezbollah seek to inflict maximum damage before U.N. cease-fire." Great guys, make it worse!)

v) Shout out to Glennboy & Glo; I was high on coke, low on sleep and seriously incoherent but they still let me comment on Floyd Landis - can someone PLEASE explain to me why he was doing drugs? He wasn't even placing - don't you think he'd would have REALIZED that it would seem just a might bit suspicious? ugh.

vi) As I hypertexted in "coke.com" I had to pick 1) my continent, 2) my country and finally my language. My question is: The US doesn't have an "official" language, and they only offered English and Spanish (ha ha, I almost typed "spanglish,") but French *is* an official language in Louisiana. But coke.com doesn't offer it. Why not?

vii) I've decided that being a realist is detrimental to your health; being a hopeless romantic, however, kills you faster. I suppose the best thing to be is a simple optimist - completely naive (if possible).

well, what do you think?

Chain of command; Guarantee of fair treatment

2006-08-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

I have been so blessed in my life to work for some really, truly phenomenal people.

From my very first jobs as a babysitter working for families that more that adequately paid me to my current job at Marriott. The general rule of thumb from the playground on up was, "treat others as you would like to be treated." It seems like a great idea, no?

Well, there comes a day when (rather abruptly, I might add) you realize that the world does NOT play by the same rules.

(( BY THE WAY, ANYONE can make COMMENTS on my bloggernacle now! ))

I feel bad for people who either 1) haven't realized this and are in a position to,* 2) are in the process of realizing it or 3) just finished reeling from the backlash of feeling it. To those who live in a sweet, kind gentle world I encourage to stay in the coma. It's safe there.

(* you know who you are!)

I realized this sitting across the desk from a woman I had for almost 3 months considered the spawn of Satan - but had diligently slaved under. It was liberating to see her, months later, suffering the backlash from poor treatment of her underlings.

Earlier I was talking to a friend who is on the brink of the same situation and I want to share with you what I shared with him:

"There is no finish line when you work for people who do not appreciate you. The harder you work the higher the bar is raised, thus making it impossible to reach; therefore you "aren't accomplishing the goals set," and quite possibly, "aren't a team player," and you get fired."

It's terrible; I've seen the most incredible people fired for rumors, for lies and for out and out scheming by underhanded scoundrels. It's insane.

There was a time when I gave into and believe in the "Chain of Command" theory. I worked for a rather fantastic place (and by fantastic I mean it was recently and involved, um, study). The Chain of command bit me in the rear, then had the nerve (audacity?) to come around and smile at me. Really? Other than ROTC, excuse me, JROTC; I have YET to see the Chain of Command kick in when it's supposed to.

Marriott has a PHENOMENAL plan called their "guarantee of fair treatment," which actually (and I've seen it!) work. It's amazing; part of the structure though is the idea that we are all in this to make it easier for everyone. No one "wins," or "loses," when in a situation. It was very well organized and planned out.

So - I'd like to send a profound and grateful thank you to those who work hard, show their appreciation to there peers and their underlings as well as work for the good of the team, not themselves alone.

My dad tells me I'm naive, I prefer hopeful. I was told earlier that I "see the cup as half empty," and I hope that I am more of a "realist with a shot of romance" than a "straight up pessimist (on the rocks)."

Three Strikes!

2006-08-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

So, I love baseball.

I especially love baseball analogies in reference to anything, "Man, he got to third base last night!" "swing batta, batta" and, of course, "Three strikes (of anything)."

So, as I was driving about yesterday I decided that I needed to find a way to weed out the over-populated highways and biways of Omaha and Council Bluffs.

Three strikes... hm.

Suddenly, inspiration struck! Well, literally, - it almost struck me!

Blue plates.

Blue hair.

Blue Tag hanging from the rearview mirror.

1, 2, 3 and you ARE out!

I drive a 15 passanger van for the school and it's HUGE, I am still at a loss as to how she missed it. (Rather, didn't see it and then missed hitting it!)

I'm not a patient person to begin with and like I told (my mom?) I live on my second strike, anyway, but people come on! If you didn't three strikes God wouldn't give them to you!

Omawhere?

2006-07-25T13:38:00.000-05:00

My city is freaking awesome. No doubt, there are times when I'm just kind of.. well, bored, honestly - but it's okay. (Really.) I was out Thursday night with a friend of mine and we wandered all over the Old Market area and I was really glad that I was home.

New York was great. (holy heaven was NY great - www.bayards.com) and SanDiego was phenomenal (no cool links for you, sorry) but home is... Home.

We hit the Bemis building that is still home to a collage my first art class worked on; I'm not sure the work was all that impressive but I was excited to have it displayed!!

Then we meandered past Ted&Wally's (the BEST ice cream joint in town). And I have to confess that I was *NOT* amused that MaggieMoo's moved in across the street. What's that about? If you want true, bites-you-back cinnamon ice cream T&W's is the place.

We went into Thomas Mangelsen's art gallery; then the little co-op down on 12th. We both liked Mangelsen's; the coop was "unique" (as artist co-ops are wont to be). I love the nook and cranny art places down there; even the tattoo artists have incredibly awesome displays.

We wandered in the the underground, stopping at the Toy Box (a store), of course. I think he's still befuddled over why there is a toy store in the old market, but I thought the store was great fun. (And apparently the only place in town where you can buy spray-paint side walk chalk for those of us into washable-vandalism!)

Then, duh!, we went sliding and I fed old sugar cookies that my grandpa gave me to the swans. And I don't care what you say those swans are freaking mean buggers.

I heard GlennBoy on the radio this morning talking about the Upstream and how they serve a lot of fish there... and his wife was like, "Duh, up STREAM" and I'll confess; I go for the burgers, pool and magic show so I hadn't realized that either... one of my MOST favorite places to hang out downtown. (Forget it! Check these out too: M's Pub, Vivace's)

I really love Omaha. And that was just the Old Market!

I must, must! recommend to you Mick's in Benson - they have fun music and great drinks (okay, I only drink the coke, but hey! Someone's gotta DD) and in the Heat of Summer we have the College World Series. Sunshine and baseball, who can beat that?

Sometimes I miss New York and sometimes I miss San Diego but I'm so glad to be home.

"you think you know somebody"

2006-07-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about this when an friend/acquaintance said it as they commented on breaking up with their significant other.

Then I thought - Really? How well do you really know someone? Think about Ann Rule being good friends with Ted Bundy - during his murdering years. Wow! Not that I am accusing anyone of being a sociopath - just saying. How would you know? I mean Hitler, Eichmann and bin Laden. Did their mothers look at them and go, 'Oh, my sweet little crazies!' ? Probably not.

What amazes me is that couples who marry quickly (as opposed to living together first) last longer. Why is that? Is it because they recognize going into the marriage that they don't know this person that well and that adjustments will have to be made? Conversely, do the couples who live together for years think, "Well, now I know this person. They won't change. There is nothing that I don't know about them now."

I think of people I have known for more than half of my life and there are definitely things that they don't know about me. There are things that I would rather they Didn't Know about me. (cobankruptcyugh)

No - you really don't know somebody. What's unfortunate is that we are so quick to say, "Oh, well, you are obviously not for me." It's almost like we look for reasons to dump someone or to say, "well, ... I don't want to 'settle.'" Settle? To that I say, "Take a look in the mirror, sweets, because we all have flaws and eccentricities that make us ... us."

(And, to clarify, I think guys get the worse end of the deal - they *never* know what a woman with PMS is really like until they marry one. Even then, during the "honeymoon stage" I think they are a bit shielded. suckers.)

I wish that in today's society we would take the time to get to know people. I am sure that I have had complete strangers come up and tell me I am "weird" or "loud" or whatever. And, really, do I have to tell them that I have a slight hearing loss (so I speak loudly) and that I have ADD (funny! I don't hear people calling Ty Pennington "weird") and so my mind jumps from topic to topic (as witnessed here?). No, I sure as heck don't - if something bothers you that bad - well, follow your mum's advice: "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all."

my conclusion to this is pretty simple: Friends are the colors in your world - the better you know someone the brighter and more vivid their color is - take time to get to know people. Know their stories and their hopes and their goals. Be their friends, that, at least, is something you (probably!) won't ever regret.

Besides, who knows? You'll probably shock the dirt out of someone else one day.

a tale of two bumper stickers

2006-07-21T08:55:00.000-05:00

I am driving on the I-80 yesterday when I see two VERY awesome bumper stickers. The first, simply,

"If You're Not Outraged
You're Not Paying Attention"

Beautiful. I can't think of a better way to look at life, politics, education, well - everything.
<>

The second, too, was incredibly apropos-

"I Like Your Christ,
But I don't like your Christians.
Your Christians are nothing like your Christ."

Now, the original quote was Gandhi (who knew?) and it was actually:

I like your Christ. I don't like your Christians. If your Christians lived the way Christ described in the Bible, all of India would be Christian."

Now, for those of you that haven't caught on, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). I'm "Christian," regardless of what others might say.
When I say that I am LDS I find there are four camps;
Those that are LDS, too,
those that aren't but don't care that I am,
those that aren't and are "worried about my immortal soul," and
those that are apoplectic. (They are the fun ones!)

(( For those of you who would still like to debate the point of my being Christian... I'm also American, which means YOU carry the burden of proof to show that I am not. Have fun.))

Now - some might call me "Mormon," which while I don't prefer it, it's fine with me. Mormon was an amazing, righteous Christian; more so than some that I run into today. He spoke of Christ, taught of Christ, worshipped and rejoiced in Christ. He served his fellow man and set an example that I am more than happy to follow.

It sort of reminds me of those people in the Middle East that burn the American flag --- burn away, darling, because it doesn't hurt me. I know who I am, where I came from and where I'm going and I know who is allowing me to progress. I know what is expected of me, what I need to do and the importance of loving and serving my fellow man.

This is not directed to any particular group of people but: Perchance if you spoke more of Christ and less of the 'wrongness' of the other religions around you, maybe if you served more and worried less about what others in the community thought of you - -- Maybe if you actually applied those teachings from the Bible that you are so quick to throw in our (collectively) faces -- perhaps you'd find a softer heart and a kinder spirit -- and wasn't that what Christ's teachings were also about?

(aside from the whole you need to be baptized and receive the second witness not to mention the whole priesthood authority issue....)

i sent my kids to a war zone

2006-07-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

The middle east has been involved in a family fued for well over 2000 years.

Why would you send your kids, take your kids, involve your kids with:

Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan or Israel.

Okay, I'll admit, I (still) desperately want to go to Israel. Not enough to risk having my person blown to next week, though.

Yesterday I was watching CNN (oh! The *only* other reason I'd go to the Middle East is if I got to help/assist/marry Anderson Cooper) and they were reading emails from "the public." One lady writes in that her daughter wrote, "Mommy, I don't want to die here.." and I thought- "YOU WENT INTO A WAR ZONE."

16 months of cease-fire does NOT a peaceful region make.

Now - just for the sake of my own mind - here's what I am understanding:

2005: Gaza Strip is emptied of all Israelis.
2005: (some) Gaza Strip residents starting digging tunnels into Israel. ? ? ?

Why? Oh, because we are going to harass Israel.
Now- if you are Israel and you feel that you were unjustly kicked out of your home; but you WENT for the better good - are you going to allow those that took your homes to start provoking you? (no.)
THEN! They kidnap a soldier. Not even a soldier who was spying or using aggresive measures against them - he was coming OFF DUTY.

Here is was the Prime Minister said:

"Israel did not seek these confrontations. On the contrary. We have done a lot to prevent them. We returned to the borders of the State of Israel, recognized by the entire international community.

There were those who misconstrued our desire for peace – for us and our neighbors – as a sign of frailty. Our enemies misinterpreted our willingness to exercise restraint as a sign of weakness.

The State of Israel has no territorial conflict, neither on our southern border nor on our northern one. We yearn for the day when peace will prevail between us, for the mutual benefit of our peoples from both sides of our common border.

And in Lebanon, we will insist on compliance with the terms stipulated long ago by the international community, as unequivocally expressed only yesterday in the resolution of the 8 leading countries of the world:
- The return of the hostages, Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser and Eldad Regev;
- A complete cease fire;
- Deployment of the Lebanese army in all of Southern Lebanon;
- Expulsion of Hizballah from the area, and fulfillment of United Nations Resolution 1559.

We will not suspend our actions. On both fronts we are exercising self-defense in the most basic and essential sense. In both cases, it is a matter whose importance and significance go far beyond the size of the military units involved.

We are at a national moment of truth. Will we consent to living under the threat of this Axis of Evil or will we mobilize our inner strength and show determination and equanimity?

Our answer is clear to every Israeli, and it echoes today throughout the entire region. There are moments in the life of a nation, when it is compelled to look directly into the face of reality and say: no more!

And I say to everyone: no more! Israel will not be held hostage – not by terror gangs or by a terrorist authority or by any sovereign state.

In the life of a nation there are moments of transcendence, of purification, when political and sectarian disputes which separate us are replaced by a sense of mutual responsibility. I highly value and appreciate the way the Opposition has been conducting itself in the Knesset these days.

The human competition and personal rivalries are dissolved and instead our feeling of mutual responsibility arises, our sense of partnership, and primarily, our eternal love for our people and our land. This is such a moment!

All of us – Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Circassians – now stand as one person, as one nation, subject together to the same hatred and malice, and fighting against it in consensus and partnership. When missiles are launched at our residents and cities, our answer will be war with all the strength, determination, valor, sacrifice and dedication which characterize this nation.

There is nothing we want more than peace and good neighborly relations – in the east, north and south. We seek peace, we pursue peace and we yearn for peace. At the same time, there is nothing we reject more than an attempt to harm us and make us give up our right to live here, in our land, in security and peace.

The strength of a nation is measured not only by its military capabilities.
The strength of a nation is measured by its welfare and morality, its strong and solid economy, its modern and developing market, its export of technologies and products for the most advanced world markets and its ground-breaking academic research.
In all these, each and every one of us has good reason to be proud. But above all, the strength of a nation is measured in times of trial, when the home front becomes the front, when the citizens of the country show admirable fortitude, patience and stamina and allow it to operate against its enemies.

NOW - this is the syrian ambassador:

"We do not provide Hezbollah with arms," Moustapha insisted in a conversation at Syria's embassy in Washington. He also denied charges that Syria had provided Hezbollah with financial support or that Syria enjoyed decisive influence with Hezbollah, calling it "an independent, autonomous organization." Rather, he says, Syria is a political supporter of such "national liberation" movements as Hezbollah. Israeli officials say that some of the rockets, including one that smashed into a train facility in Haifa and killed several Israelis, were made in Syria.

(So , you don't GIVE them arms but you support them. How is that different??!?!?!?)

Moustapha, who was appointed to the post by Syrian President Bashar Assad, laid blame for the crisis on Israel. "We're surprised by the brutality of the Israeli attack," he said. But he asserted that Israel has not importantly degraded Hezbollah's counterstrike capability. "Hezbollah's capacity to retaliate is still intact," Moustapha said. He said Syria supports an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of negotiations and that Damascus would be willing to participate in the talks actively, especially since the United States does not have any known contacts with Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas, which are both designated by Washington as terrorist groups.

Hamas/Hezbollah comment was beyond ridiculous and I have to go to work -

more later. meghan

Wednesday

2006-07-19T13:52:00.000-05:00

There are 900 million things that I would love to expound on so - to start with something light but be forwarned I'll be talking about Israel and Bush and on and on. Tag a long, leave a comment and

Apparently, myspace.com has become a "dating" site and ... honestly - no one actually reads and comments on people's posts - so here I am.

When, you might wonder, did myspace become a dating site? Well, in Omaha, yesterday morning a lady on the radio called in to say that 17 people a day/ nationally, make myspace.com sites. When asked what myspace was she replied, "A dating site."

Because myspace doesn't have enough flak coming at it as it is, we now have ignorant people paying only half-attention to the news. I'd rather she be completely clueless. Wasn't there a quote... "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing."

I would love for parents to start parenting. You should be watching what your kids are doing. Then I think of the woman who drove all the way over to campus to complain because her son signed up for an orientation online (ORIENTATION, not a class, not a vital thing) and he received a flier in the mail reminding him to sign up. It was a mass mailing. I (a current student!) received one and where are you from? Atlantic? 45 miles away? You drove here because your son got a postcard in the mail??

here are some scissors - cut those apron strings, lady!

So, aside from the crazy parents -- you know your kids are swearing when they aren't around you (or, their friends are) and you know that things like, oh... sex, drugs and local artists have come up. Check their myspace, their emails, their school notebooks. If it's really terrible (I'm going to kill... or it vaguely reminds you of Mein Kampf) I'd recommend removing the computer and a good psychologist. Are they (we) going to complain? Yes. Are we going to mope? Yes. But guess what? It's your job!!

Perhaps you remember that evening 18 years and 9 months ago??
This is the consequence, darling, deal with it.
But for those of us that are "of age" (Oh... 25 and counting) keep your opinions off my myspace.

talk to you later