Sometimes I can't help but think that people will never be able to see past their differences enough to respect other people.
Why would someone in a public position think it was okay to do this?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
This guy can't be serious
So this guy in Spain decided to launch the most ridiculous lawsuit I've ever heard of.
Seriously, go to the link and read the article.
What person in their right mind would sue the family of someone they killed?? I thought that my students were bad with their attitude of entitlement. I guess there are worse people in the world...
Seriously, go to the link and read the article.
What person in their right mind would sue the family of someone they killed?? I thought that my students were bad with their attitude of entitlement. I guess there are worse people in the world...
Monday, January 28, 2008
PORTUGUESE!
ACK!
I just wrote the longest thing I've ever written in Portuguese...a 300-word proposal for my final paper. (Which will then become the longest thing I'll have written in Portuguese...9 pages)
I only made 10 mistakes in accents...who knows how many in grammar though. But it made me happy. And it's done! Which is good. :-)
I just wrote the longest thing I've ever written in Portuguese...a 300-word proposal for my final paper. (Which will then become the longest thing I'll have written in Portuguese...9 pages)
I only made 10 mistakes in accents...who knows how many in grammar though. But it made me happy. And it's done! Which is good. :-)
Friday, January 25, 2008
I love "baby blues"
This is really amusing. Unfortunate, but still amusing. The two after it are funny, too.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Ranting again (but this one will be short...
...because I have to finish reading for Portuguese before 10...and it's 9).
My little sister told me today that my brother broke up with his girlfriend. Well, his fiance. They're both really young so it doesn't surprise me all that much. (He's almost 20, she's 18).
What makes me mad is that my brother (who is a Marine stationed in Japan) broke up with this really nice girl here at home because he can't control himself. He's (for all appearances) hooked up with this Marine girl in Japan.
So, the fact that a good portion of men in this world treat women like they're disposable...enjoy them while you're interested and then throw them away sort of mentality...makes me angry. The fact that my little brother is one of them makes me furious. Livid. Ready to go on a rampage.
I'm with AL on the kicking out of stupid brothers. We're all trying to convince my brother's ex-fiance to keep the ring even though she wants to give it back. She doesn't want to burden my brother. I say burden away! He's the fool in this situation...She can at least pawn it. :-)
My little sister told me today that my brother broke up with his girlfriend. Well, his fiance. They're both really young so it doesn't surprise me all that much. (He's almost 20, she's 18).
What makes me mad is that my brother (who is a Marine stationed in Japan) broke up with this really nice girl here at home because he can't control himself. He's (for all appearances) hooked up with this Marine girl in Japan.
So, the fact that a good portion of men in this world treat women like they're disposable...enjoy them while you're interested and then throw them away sort of mentality...makes me angry. The fact that my little brother is one of them makes me furious. Livid. Ready to go on a rampage.
I'm with AL on the kicking out of stupid brothers. We're all trying to convince my brother's ex-fiance to keep the ring even though she wants to give it back. She doesn't want to burden my brother. I say burden away! He's the fool in this situation...She can at least pawn it. :-)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Small miracles
So we went to Iowa last weekend to visit my mom and stepdad. I love spending time with them. And we basically just relaxed and didn't worry about a schedule all weekend. It was great.
On the way home, about two hours into the 9 hour drive, we ran over a semi's mudflap. Granted, the flap shouldn't have been a big deal. But apparently they attach with this huge, rather sharp metal bar. So our back tire got shredded (it was melted flat to the road when we stopped).
As you can imagine, I was pretty much over the edge. We had to get home in time for me to teach this morning.
But then, a snowplow driver pulled up behind us. He diverted traffic into the other lane, helped Ben change the tire, and told us where to go to buy a new tire. So we turned around and drove to Williamsburg, IA. Once there, I was pretty sure we'd be stuck for, oh, you know, DAYS, or that they'd rip us off because we didn't have any other option. The nice tire store man sold us a pretty decent tire for $30, and put it on for free in less than half an hour. It was great.
So what could've been a total disaster only set us back an hour, and $30. Thank goodness for small (or even large-ish) miracles.
On the way home, about two hours into the 9 hour drive, we ran over a semi's mudflap. Granted, the flap shouldn't have been a big deal. But apparently they attach with this huge, rather sharp metal bar. So our back tire got shredded (it was melted flat to the road when we stopped).
As you can imagine, I was pretty much over the edge. We had to get home in time for me to teach this morning.
But then, a snowplow driver pulled up behind us. He diverted traffic into the other lane, helped Ben change the tire, and told us where to go to buy a new tire. So we turned around and drove to Williamsburg, IA. Once there, I was pretty sure we'd be stuck for, oh, you know, DAYS, or that they'd rip us off because we didn't have any other option. The nice tire store man sold us a pretty decent tire for $30, and put it on for free in less than half an hour. It was great.
So what could've been a total disaster only set us back an hour, and $30. Thank goodness for small (or even large-ish) miracles.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Education...
...is basically my favorite thing. Ever.
This is so interesting. I love to read. And write. And study. And teach. Isn't it great that we can?!?!
This is so interesting. I love to read. And write. And study. And teach. Isn't it great that we can?!?!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
I get so mad
I couldn't come up with a better, more articulate title. I don't have words for this one.
But for people who think that feminism's rhetoric is dead because its purposes have been accomplished, and that woman have achieved a similar status to that of men, I have a question. Why do things like this happen? Or this?
But for people who think that feminism's rhetoric is dead because its purposes have been accomplished, and that woman have achieved a similar status to that of men, I have a question. Why do things like this happen? Or this?
It has begun again
A new semester. And all of the trappings.
Slightly better than a normal new semester adjustment, I went to Nashville to visit AL last weekend. Hooray for good friends who eat yummy cheesecake with me! And am going to Iowa to visit mom this weekend. Hooray for no school on Martin Luther King Day! :-)
I don't really know what to say...classes are good. My Portuguese lit class is definitely the favorite, followed closely by a colonial Spanish lit class. My comparative literature class leaves some to be desired, but is overall manageable. And I get to read the Arabian Nights for it. Can't beat that.
Ben has adjusted okay. When he came home from one security class, he said "it's like this class was made for me!" Which made me happy, because he doesn't usually find classes he enjoys that much. And BeeBoo likes her babysitters. :-) She gets to play with a little girl her age, which is good for her.
So life goes on. And basically not much changes.
Slightly better than a normal new semester adjustment, I went to Nashville to visit AL last weekend. Hooray for good friends who eat yummy cheesecake with me! And am going to Iowa to visit mom this weekend. Hooray for no school on Martin Luther King Day! :-)
I don't really know what to say...classes are good. My Portuguese lit class is definitely the favorite, followed closely by a colonial Spanish lit class. My comparative literature class leaves some to be desired, but is overall manageable. And I get to read the Arabian Nights for it. Can't beat that.
Ben has adjusted okay. When he came home from one security class, he said "it's like this class was made for me!" Which made me happy, because he doesn't usually find classes he enjoys that much. And BeeBoo likes her babysitters. :-) She gets to play with a little girl her age, which is good for her.
So life goes on. And basically not much changes.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
More random stuff
I've been home for three weeks now. I spent New Year's Eve around the kitchen table at my aunt T's house talking with my two cousins about life, boys, feminism, school, and being an adamantly determined woman when the need arises. They're both well on their way to being smart, independent girls, and it makes me really happy. Then on New Year's I helped with making the characteristic food...cucumber sandwiches and sweet stuff before dinner, then mashed potatoes, pork and sauerkraut for dinner (notice that the mashed potatoes come first. Why, you ask? Because they, despite the deliciousness of meat, are the most important. We make 10 pounds of them for family gatherings). There's something about cooking with T that makes me happy.
While I was doing these things, my two little cousins (who are 7 and 9) occupied the BeeBoo. It made me remember when T would come out to the valley house and Hannah and I used to run out to the car fighting over who got to take the babies in and play with them. (So inherent to female nature, we're just born nurturers....riiiiiight. Why don't people ever notice how little girls like to play with babies because that's what the grownups do?) I used to think it was so self-sacrificing for her to let me play with her babies. Now I see that she probably welcomed the respite as much as I do. And I love watching those girls with my little one. They teach her things, and are so sweet.
Also of note is the observation that my toddler enjoys swordplay and a toy tool set as much as do her male cousins. Despite this observation on my part, one of my in-laws commented that "it's interesting to see how BeeBoo, the first girl in this bunch, follows all the trends...she's more empathetic, more verbal, less physical..." bleah bleah bleah. My first response was to say that it had less to do with her sex that with her disposition and our parenting. But that implies (which is not my intention) that we're somehow better parents because we've raised this amazingly verbal child. I think she is the way she is 1) because God made her that way, 2) because her mother, grandmother, Granny-Great, and double great grandmother all love words, 3) because she spends all of her time with adults! She thinks she's a graduate student, I'm pretty sure (see the "I'm gonna be mommy" post). I just thought it was interesting that while I noticed her swordfighting and playing with tools and credited it to her desire to play with the boys, the rest of the family focused on how she would say things like "Ben sad" and then hug her crying cousin
and credited it to the fact that she's female. Hmmmm
Lately I've been forcefully reminded of the difference between being verbally and actually supportive. I'm so glad that I have a spouse who actually supports my pursuits, rather than simply giving me permission to take them on.
Tomorrow I'm going to sew a quilt together. I'm being so domestic! I get to go to Gran's house and work on it. Always good for two reasons. 1) I learn sewing skills from someone who's really good at them, 2) I get to hang out with Gran! She's pretty much the most amazing woman that ever was. She was a single mom for most of her three girls' growing up years, and now manages to coordinate choir practices, high school reunions, cookie exchanges, lunches with friends, Sewing (with a capital S because it's a group that meets and chats while they do the activity, not just the activity itself), take food to people who need it, visit older people, be Eucharistic minister to a nursing home, attend more funerals than I would ever have time for, sew clothes for her granddaughters and their dolls, cook for her whole family and all their kids, remember everyone's favorite everything....the list goes on and on. She's amazing.
It snowed today. My sister that's a senior didn't have to go to school. There should definitely be snow days in college.
While I was doing these things, my two little cousins (who are 7 and 9) occupied the BeeBoo. It made me remember when T would come out to the valley house and Hannah and I used to run out to the car fighting over who got to take the babies in and play with them. (So inherent to female nature, we're just born nurturers....riiiiiight. Why don't people ever notice how little girls like to play with babies because that's what the grownups do?) I used to think it was so self-sacrificing for her to let me play with her babies. Now I see that she probably welcomed the respite as much as I do. And I love watching those girls with my little one. They teach her things, and are so sweet.
Also of note is the observation that my toddler enjoys swordplay and a toy tool set as much as do her male cousins. Despite this observation on my part, one of my in-laws commented that "it's interesting to see how BeeBoo, the first girl in this bunch, follows all the trends...she's more empathetic, more verbal, less physical..." bleah bleah bleah. My first response was to say that it had less to do with her sex that with her disposition and our parenting. But that implies (which is not my intention) that we're somehow better parents because we've raised this amazingly verbal child. I think she is the way she is 1) because God made her that way, 2) because her mother, grandmother, Granny-Great, and double great grandmother all love words, 3) because she spends all of her time with adults! She thinks she's a graduate student, I'm pretty sure (see the "I'm gonna be mommy" post). I just thought it was interesting that while I noticed her swordfighting and playing with tools and credited it to her desire to play with the boys, the rest of the family focused on how she would say things like "Ben sad" and then hug her crying cousin
and credited it to the fact that she's female. Hmmmm
Lately I've been forcefully reminded of the difference between being verbally and actually supportive. I'm so glad that I have a spouse who actually supports my pursuits, rather than simply giving me permission to take them on.
Tomorrow I'm going to sew a quilt together. I'm being so domestic! I get to go to Gran's house and work on it. Always good for two reasons. 1) I learn sewing skills from someone who's really good at them, 2) I get to hang out with Gran! She's pretty much the most amazing woman that ever was. She was a single mom for most of her three girls' growing up years, and now manages to coordinate choir practices, high school reunions, cookie exchanges, lunches with friends, Sewing (with a capital S because it's a group that meets and chats while they do the activity, not just the activity itself), take food to people who need it, visit older people, be Eucharistic minister to a nursing home, attend more funerals than I would ever have time for, sew clothes for her granddaughters and their dolls, cook for her whole family and all their kids, remember everyone's favorite everything....the list goes on and on. She's amazing.
It snowed today. My sister that's a senior didn't have to go to school. There should definitely be snow days in college.
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