I have not written in over a week because there is nothing new to report. I am, and will remain, quite busy with school and work and voluntary commitments. I find that, although I am not in class three nights a week this semester, I am more mentally taxed than in past semesters and am in need of my weekends to recover. I am taking many more naps during the weekends than in past semesters.
The Capstone project is progressing well, after hitting a bit of a wall a few weeks back. It seems CPS and my group had two different visions for the deliverable (or, in CPS's case, 6 different visions), but the table of contents we recently sent for comments was returned with much praise and only a few minor suggestions. Yayy!!
I spent the day of love alone today, doing the only thing a single woman can: researching on the Internet while watching the Bourne trilogy. Nothing says "Love" more than boring tasks, thrilling chases, and more dead bodies than I know how to count. It is truly amazing to me those movies are only PG-13. Amazing and awesome.
I continue to be very happy with my new iPod, Nan. 1832 songs and some kick-butt games. Another significant purchase, in the form of running shoes, is in my very near future. My current pair are now a little over 3 years old and can no longer handle the amount of shock absorption that I need them to handle. My exercise class takes place majorly on a 40+ year old rubber track that now has the give of mountain rock. I walk away from each class feeling as if all of the little bones in my feet have been broken, and it takes me all of the remaining week to recover only to go back and go through it all again. I know that is not healthy for my feet or my body as a whole, and will be rectifying the situation soon.
A month from today Mom will be in the city, hanging with me and watching them dye the river green for St. Patrick's day. I am expecting lots of fun.
I have posted some ads for a summer sublet and am beginning the process of once again picking up my life. I do not know where I am going, but I am not searching for anything here. Come graduation I will hopefully move to a new job or move home to continue the job search rent-free. No offense to Mom, but I am praying for the former.
That's about all. For fun, and to continue the "What are you listening to these days" family exchange, I have stolen a quirky thing from Facebook and posted it below, with my answers.
Love to everyone!
~g
So here's how it works...
1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle (Mine is always on shuffle)
3. Press play
4. For the first question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button TWICE.
6. Write down the title of the song - no matter how weird or silly it may be)
1. Where Are You Christmas - Faith Hill - How The Grinch Stole Christmas Soundtrack
2. Wait - Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstacy Album
3. Mango Story - David Wilcox - East Ashville Hardware Album
4. The Cowboy Song - Sting - Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 Album
5. So Long Jimmy - James Blunt - Unknown Album
6. Sara Beth - Rascal Flatts - Feels Like Today Album
7. Let Go - Frou Frou - Garden State Original Soundtrack
8. Saints and Sailors - Dashboard Confessional - Unknown Album
9. #1 Crush - Garbage - Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack
10. Straw Dog - Something Corporate - Ready . . . Break Album
11. Love Is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar - Best Shots Album
12. Life Giver - Lawrence Laughing & Joanne Shenadoah - Emerging Power Album
13. Do You Know What It Takes - Robyn - Unknown Album
14. Somewhere Other Than The Night - Garth Brooks - The Chase Album
15. Track 7 - Enya - Unknown Album
16. John Doe No. 24 - Mary Chapin Carpenter - Stones in the Road Album (if you don't know this one you should! Amazing acoustic melody and story that captures the mind and wrenches the heart)
17. Late for Your Life - Mary Chapin Carpenter - Time*Sex*Love Album (one of Dad's favorites)
18. X-ray Eyes - Guster - Goldfly Album
19. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel - Unknown Album (unless the album is Bridge Over Troubled Water)
20. Hold On - Wilson Phillips - Unknown Album
Honorable Mentions:
Girls Like Me - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Life In a Northern Town - Dream Academy
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve Pipe
Right Now - Van Halen
Fields of Gold - Nadine Coyle (Dad, try to find this version! I think it is from a series called "Girls Aloud". It is amazing)
Mary's Eyes - Gaelic Storm
The Change - Garth Brooks
We Can Get There - Mary Griffin
Don't Let Go - Bryan Adams featuring Sarah McLachlan - Spirit Soundtrack (all of the songs for this animated movie were fantastic. Bryan Adams did nearly every song. I highly recommend checking out the soundtrack. The full movie title is "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron")
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies (Christmas is all seasons for me)
Let it never be said I can't appreciate all different types of music! My tastes truly are eclectic, although some genres I do prefer more than others. I tend to gravitate toward soft melodies, preferably acoustic, and lyrics that tell a story or say something meaningful. I do love the sound of a piano with an electric guitar though!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Broke Down
My iPod is pretty much beyond saving. Mini and I had a good run, but it's time for me to move on.
That being said, I have been watching sale ads for about a month now and doing some online comparisons. I decided to stay with the iPod simply because I think Apple does MP3 players the best. While I will never own an Apple computer I am devoted to the iPod.
The Staples near me had a good deal this week so I decided it was time to upgrade. For only $10 (after rebates) more than normal retail I got:
Yayy for no more death songs on my Mini!
Love!
~g
That being said, I have been watching sale ads for about a month now and doing some online comparisons. I decided to stay with the iPod simply because I think Apple does MP3 players the best. While I will never own an Apple computer I am devoted to the iPod.
The Staples near me had a good deal this week so I decided it was time to upgrade. For only $10 (after rebates) more than normal retail I got:
- An 8 gig iPod Nano in silver
- A protective sleeve
- 4 screen protectors
- An audio splitter
- A car charger
- A wall charger
- A radio tuner
Yayy for no more death songs on my Mini!
Love!
~g
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
One for you, Dad
For lunch today I had a sandwich that was oh-so-very bad for me and yet oh-so-yummy.
From a Ma & Pop Italian restaurant near my college (seriously, Ma and Pop take the orders and hand over the food) I had a meatball sandwich. Everything was homemade... fresh meatballs, zesty tomato sauce from scratch, on a 3" roll of focaccia bread that was baked this morning, and covered in melted mozarella.
I went in with a woman from the college that I know well and who is apparently well-known by Ma and Pop. Ma was so excited to see friends (i.e. me) of this woman that I got treated royally. While we waited for our sandwiches Pop shoved little containers of fresh (made this morning!) chicken pasta salad at us to try. I smiled and called him sir as I thanked him and that earned me my sandwich quicker that what it would have been since Pop stopped taking orders and went back to wrap and get my food himself. The pasta salad, by-the-way, was also fantastic.
There are some things I am going to miss about the city!
Love!
~g
From a Ma & Pop Italian restaurant near my college (seriously, Ma and Pop take the orders and hand over the food) I had a meatball sandwich. Everything was homemade... fresh meatballs, zesty tomato sauce from scratch, on a 3" roll of focaccia bread that was baked this morning, and covered in melted mozarella.
I went in with a woman from the college that I know well and who is apparently well-known by Ma and Pop. Ma was so excited to see friends (i.e. me) of this woman that I got treated royally. While we waited for our sandwiches Pop shoved little containers of fresh (made this morning!) chicken pasta salad at us to try. I smiled and called him sir as I thanked him and that earned me my sandwich quicker that what it would have been since Pop stopped taking orders and went back to wrap and get my food himself. The pasta salad, by-the-way, was also fantastic.
There are some things I am going to miss about the city!
Love!
~g
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Turning now to the employment forecast
Yesterday I received an email letting me know the status of the application I submitted to the International City/County Management Association's Local Government Management Fellowship Program (how's that for a title?) back in November. The news is good! After 2 months of vetting, the fellowship committee scored my application high enough that it now advances to the second stage of the process. I am excited by this for two reasons: 1) I was quite concerned my personal statement and case study answer were not up to par, and given they counted for 70% of my total score, I pretty much felt like I did not have a snowball's chance in Hawaii when I submitted my application; and 2) Given the inordinately small number of host governments and a larger-than-normal applicant pool this year, the cut-off score to make it through to the second round was raised. These two things together have combined to make me feel a bit proud that I made it through. It is fun to be able to say I am a semi-finalist in a national search.
Fellows are being placed nation-wide, so now my application is forwarded on to all of the host governments in the geographic locations where I indicated I would be willing to work. My name is not going to the Southeast, but is going to every other part of the country. The current list of governments who will receive my application includes:
I am trying not to place too much hope on the fellowship program, but feel that it would be a great transition for me. I am still looking for jobs elsewhere, including those in higher education. Part of me is ready to be done with the academic field for awhile, though, and it would be nice to have a chance to work in the field I have spent the last two years of my life training myself for.
Classes are going well. I am fast discovering this will be the busiest, most taxing, and most demanding semester of my academic career. Project Management is proving to be as intense as I heard, my exercise teacher is the spawn of Satan, and my Chicago Public Schools client for Capstone cannot seem to figure out and/or clearly articulate to my team and me the desired deliverable.
(Grammar check: In the above sentence I wrote "team and me" instead of "team and I". I believe "team and me" is correct since the sentence would not read properly if I removed the words "team and" and only left "I" had I used the "team and I" version. Was I right to use "team and me"?)
We cleaned the apartment today. It seems my job when we do an complete clean is always the floors - sweep and mop the hardwoods, vacuum the stairs, my bedroom, and the baths. I do not mind this, I just noticed the pattern. Ryan continues to clean only when I ask, but since I always make sure to ask when I myself am in the middle of a cleaning task, Ryan has always been quite accommodating.
It got fairly warm here today (if you call low 30s warm) and with the melting ice came problems. To get to my apartment, one enters through a gate set between our front building and the neighboring building and walks the 3-foot wide path back to the courtyard and my coach house. As the path opens into the courtyard there is an overhang of vines that are leafy and gorgeous during the summer and ice traps in the winter. The weight of the melting water brought down the vines today, but only to waist-height, effectively blocking the path completely. Falling ice also destroyed two of the lights positioned in the flower beds. I called our landlord and basically got, "What do you want me to do about it?" It has been pretty perilous around here with all of the ice and on top of it he gave us a BS story about why he can't weatherstrip our door, so I got a little sharp and I told him I want him to come out to his property and take care of it and its residents. We'll see if he shows up tomorrow.
Lauren and I have become pretty popular with the higher-ups in our college. This past week we had meetings with both the Dean of the college and the Alumni Association's Student Relations Committee. With the Dean we are providing student input on the college's strategic goals through FY 2011 and with the Alumni Association we are helping identify the professional development needs of the students and find ways the Alumni Association can help meet them. Right now we are looking at a resume/portfolio review, an interviewing skills workshop, mock interviews, and a networking session.
At work I am finishing a bid to serve as the host site to the 2009 Association of Campus Activities Administrators Leadership Exchange, creating presentations on Leadership 101 and Conflict Resolution, and researching service-based peer-to-peer collegiate mentoring programs.
All in all I am a busy girl. I can't believe January is already gone. I swear time is moving faster each day.
Love!
~g
Fellows are being placed nation-wide, so now my application is forwarded on to all of the host governments in the geographic locations where I indicated I would be willing to work. My name is not going to the Southeast, but is going to every other part of the country. The current list of governments who will receive my application includes:
- San Jose, California (hosting 4 fellows)
- Lexington, Massachusetts
- Dakota County, Minnesota
- Dubuque, Iowa/Lancaster, Wisconsin (shared)
- Chandler, Arizona
- Alameda, California
- Palo Alto, California
- Dublin, Ohio
I am trying not to place too much hope on the fellowship program, but feel that it would be a great transition for me. I am still looking for jobs elsewhere, including those in higher education. Part of me is ready to be done with the academic field for awhile, though, and it would be nice to have a chance to work in the field I have spent the last two years of my life training myself for.
Classes are going well. I am fast discovering this will be the busiest, most taxing, and most demanding semester of my academic career. Project Management is proving to be as intense as I heard, my exercise teacher is the spawn of Satan, and my Chicago Public Schools client for Capstone cannot seem to figure out and/or clearly articulate to my team and me the desired deliverable.
(Grammar check: In the above sentence I wrote "team and me" instead of "team and I". I believe "team and me" is correct since the sentence would not read properly if I removed the words "team and" and only left "I" had I used the "team and I" version. Was I right to use "team and me"?)
We cleaned the apartment today. It seems my job when we do an complete clean is always the floors - sweep and mop the hardwoods, vacuum the stairs, my bedroom, and the baths. I do not mind this, I just noticed the pattern. Ryan continues to clean only when I ask, but since I always make sure to ask when I myself am in the middle of a cleaning task, Ryan has always been quite accommodating.
It got fairly warm here today (if you call low 30s warm) and with the melting ice came problems. To get to my apartment, one enters through a gate set between our front building and the neighboring building and walks the 3-foot wide path back to the courtyard and my coach house. As the path opens into the courtyard there is an overhang of vines that are leafy and gorgeous during the summer and ice traps in the winter. The weight of the melting water brought down the vines today, but only to waist-height, effectively blocking the path completely. Falling ice also destroyed two of the lights positioned in the flower beds. I called our landlord and basically got, "What do you want me to do about it?" It has been pretty perilous around here with all of the ice and on top of it he gave us a BS story about why he can't weatherstrip our door, so I got a little sharp and I told him I want him to come out to his property and take care of it and its residents. We'll see if he shows up tomorrow.
Lauren and I have become pretty popular with the higher-ups in our college. This past week we had meetings with both the Dean of the college and the Alumni Association's Student Relations Committee. With the Dean we are providing student input on the college's strategic goals through FY 2011 and with the Alumni Association we are helping identify the professional development needs of the students and find ways the Alumni Association can help meet them. Right now we are looking at a resume/portfolio review, an interviewing skills workshop, mock interviews, and a networking session.
At work I am finishing a bid to serve as the host site to the 2009 Association of Campus Activities Administrators Leadership Exchange, creating presentations on Leadership 101 and Conflict Resolution, and researching service-based peer-to-peer collegiate mentoring programs.
All in all I am a busy girl. I can't believe January is already gone. I swear time is moving faster each day.
Love!
~g
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Need Help!
I have made several references to Cindi, Mindi, and Trixi in the course of this blog. Cindi, Mindi, and Trixi are the names Lauren and I apply to the stereotypical, naive, self-absorbed, never-do-a-thing-for-myself-but-instead-just-bat-my-eyelashes-at-the-nearest-male-and-make-him-jump-to-my-beck-and-call, annoying, cell-phone obsessed, the-rules-do-not-apply-to-me, I-am-the-most-important-creature-to-ever-walk-the-Earth college girls.
When these girls manifest in pairs, they are Cindi and Mindi. Cindi is typically the blonde and Mindi the brunette. They are usually dressed alike.
When these girls manifest in trios, they are Cindi, Mindi, and Trixi. Cindi is again the fashionista blonde, Mindi the brunettes-are-just-as-good-as-blondes-but-secretly-a-Cindi-wanna-be, and Trixi either the not-so-attractive-but-grateful-to-be-a-part-of-the-group friend OR the edgy, I-am-creating-my-own-look-but-can-still-hold-my-own-with-Cindi-and-Mindi girl.
Never have I seen more than 3 together at once, but apparently there is a pack mentality sweeping the campus, because more and more I am seeing groups of 4 running around.
My dilemma: What is the name of the 4th girl?! The best Lauren and I can come up with is Bitzy or Mitzy, but neither name seems to fit. The fourth girl is the aberration. She runs with the pack but can break out and be a normal girl. She is the one who is not afraid to go off the high-dive in swim class or separate from the pack for a short period of time. Who is she?!
This post has a lot of dashed sentences. I am sorry for that.
Love!
~g
When these girls manifest in pairs, they are Cindi and Mindi. Cindi is typically the blonde and Mindi the brunette. They are usually dressed alike.
When these girls manifest in trios, they are Cindi, Mindi, and Trixi. Cindi is again the fashionista blonde, Mindi the brunettes-are-just-as-good-as-blondes-but-secretly-a-Cindi-wanna-be, and Trixi either the not-so-attractive-but-grateful-to-be-a-part-of-the-group friend OR the edgy, I-am-creating-my-own-look-but-can-still-hold-my-own-with-Cindi-and-Mindi girl.
Never have I seen more than 3 together at once, but apparently there is a pack mentality sweeping the campus, because more and more I am seeing groups of 4 running around.
My dilemma: What is the name of the 4th girl?! The best Lauren and I can come up with is Bitzy or Mitzy, but neither name seems to fit. The fourth girl is the aberration. She runs with the pack but can break out and be a normal girl. She is the one who is not afraid to go off the high-dive in swim class or separate from the pack for a short period of time. Who is she?!
This post has a lot of dashed sentences. I am sorry for that.
Love!
~g
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Surprises
You know that post, back in November of 2008, when I mentioned I had tried sushi for the first time and, while it was not bad, that it was not something I would crave. Yeah, that turned out to not be true.
Angela and her friend were going out for sushi tonight and it sounded delightful to me, so I sent some money along and Angela was kind enough to bring my supper home with her. It was absolutely amazing.
Also amazing, when Angela came in with my meal, I went straight to the utensil drawer to get chopsticks. Having the dexterity of a 4-year-old, I shocked myself with my selection and my subsequent usage of said chopsticks with ease.
Additionally, having never been a fan of water-flavoring (most are too sweet) my desire to try the Crystal Light Pink Lemonade flavor was odd to me, but I went with it and was pleasantly surprised. Tart, exactly like pink lemonade, and not full of sugar.
Two weeks in a row now I have opted to not make excuses and instead join Angela and her friends when they have headed out for a night on the town. I have met new people, seen new places in Chicago, and had a lot of fun.
I studied today with only a bit of procrastination here and there and found the topics of both project management and program evaluation are interesting enough to not put me to sleep. I cannot say the same for the variety of other subjects I have studied in the last two years.
I have been taking my vitamins every day thanks to a handy pill organizer that makes it easy for me to remember my morning pills. My nails are growing faster and stronger than they ever have.
Apparently I and my life are full of surprises lately.
Love!
~g
Angela and her friend were going out for sushi tonight and it sounded delightful to me, so I sent some money along and Angela was kind enough to bring my supper home with her. It was absolutely amazing.
Also amazing, when Angela came in with my meal, I went straight to the utensil drawer to get chopsticks. Having the dexterity of a 4-year-old, I shocked myself with my selection and my subsequent usage of said chopsticks with ease.
Additionally, having never been a fan of water-flavoring (most are too sweet) my desire to try the Crystal Light Pink Lemonade flavor was odd to me, but I went with it and was pleasantly surprised. Tart, exactly like pink lemonade, and not full of sugar.
Two weeks in a row now I have opted to not make excuses and instead join Angela and her friends when they have headed out for a night on the town. I have met new people, seen new places in Chicago, and had a lot of fun.
I studied today with only a bit of procrastination here and there and found the topics of both project management and program evaluation are interesting enough to not put me to sleep. I cannot say the same for the variety of other subjects I have studied in the last two years.
I have been taking my vitamins every day thanks to a handy pill organizer that makes it easy for me to remember my morning pills. My nails are growing faster and stronger than they ever have.
Apparently I and my life are full of surprises lately.
Love!
~g
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
In a food court
Today I sat in a food court on a college campus, surrounded by hundreds of my academic peers, staring unwaveringly at a projector screen as we all followed with breathless anticipation the CNN coverage of the inauguration. To my right, my student worker. To my left, my supervisor. Both women of color. Both fighting back tears.
Aretha Franklin appears on the screen, her hat rivaling her splendid rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee". The power of her voice washes over the room, drowning out the few commentating on her fashion choice.
A pause. Shuffling in Washington D.C.
Vice President-Elect Biden stands and takes his oath. The tension in the room builds as everyone leans forward, expecting President-Elect Obama to stand next.
Instead, another music selection. An original composition with the best pianist, cellist, violinist, and clarinet players in the world. A beautiful, moving piece, appropriate to the occasion.
11:00 am CST. A "Fact" flashes across the bottom of the screen. Sworn in or not, Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the United States. The music soars at this very moment. Most in the room miss the factoid, but my student worker and I do not. She is confused, thinking he needs to take the oath to become President. I inform her our Constitution is designed to not allow for any break in power; to provide a clean transition of the office given schedules are notoriously abandoned.
The music ends. The Obama family rises. Once again, tension fills the food court. I break my eyes from the screen and look around me. On many faces I read awe and fear and know the feelings are reflected in my own expression. Can I truly be witnessing such a momentous occasion? Will he make it through this or did some nut make it through security?
A platform appears on stage and the proceedings slow. Like a true father, President Obama focuses on his daughters, instructing the youngest the platform is for her to stand on. She merrily leaps up and everyone is at last in place.
President Obama places one hand on the Lincoln Bible, raises his other hand in the air. A false start, then, "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear..." And then a pause. Who stumbled? Did he forget what he was supposed to say?
Laughter and cheers fill the room as the Chief Justice repeats the second line of the oath, correctly this time. Of course President Obama did not forget the oath. It is 35 words long and he is known for memorizing considerably longer pieces of writing. He knew what he had been asked to say was incorrect, and so he stopped.
Quickly recovering, Chief Justice Roberts continues, finishes administering the oath. Although it is not part of the official oath, President Obama concludes with "So help me God", just as so many before him did.
The room erupts into cheers and clapping. Shouts and tears. Service members stand near the entrances of the food court, handing out miniature American flags. Relief floods through us all as we realize that which we had only hoped could happen has just been solidified.
It quiets again as we all seek to hear every word of the speech. It is not the inspirational, JKF-esque speech we expected. We listen for the line that will become the quote generations from now recite. We do not hear it, or if we do, we do not recognize it as such. The speech is instead somber, itemizing the many issues we face and reminding us there is a lot of work to do. No longer can we be selfish. No longer can we be self-serving. No longer can we be divided.
For me, the main event is over. I have to get back to work; I have a life to lead and a degree to earn. I am of no use to anyone sitting, watching a screen, and so I move. When I do so, I notice my head is a bit higher, my back a bit straighter, my gaze a bit more direct. I am proud.
Today, for the second time in my life, I witnessed a momentous occasion. With eery similarity, I once again sat in an academic setting, staring at the television as history unfolded. This time, however, I was not watching buildings fall. I instead watched the affirmation of that which they attempted to destroy. "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." We already have.
It is not the end of a long road, nor is it the beginning of another. It is a milestone in a continuous, winding path; the emergence from the tunnel on the way to the summit. It is not really even about him. It is about us, as individuals and as a people, choosing to grow, expand our minds, and live the pluralism that we take for granted and yet are so hated for.
Today I am filled with joy and with hope.
~g
Aretha Franklin appears on the screen, her hat rivaling her splendid rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee". The power of her voice washes over the room, drowning out the few commentating on her fashion choice.
A pause. Shuffling in Washington D.C.
Vice President-Elect Biden stands and takes his oath. The tension in the room builds as everyone leans forward, expecting President-Elect Obama to stand next.
Instead, another music selection. An original composition with the best pianist, cellist, violinist, and clarinet players in the world. A beautiful, moving piece, appropriate to the occasion.
11:00 am CST. A "Fact" flashes across the bottom of the screen. Sworn in or not, Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the United States. The music soars at this very moment. Most in the room miss the factoid, but my student worker and I do not. She is confused, thinking he needs to take the oath to become President. I inform her our Constitution is designed to not allow for any break in power; to provide a clean transition of the office given schedules are notoriously abandoned.
The music ends. The Obama family rises. Once again, tension fills the food court. I break my eyes from the screen and look around me. On many faces I read awe and fear and know the feelings are reflected in my own expression. Can I truly be witnessing such a momentous occasion? Will he make it through this or did some nut make it through security?
A platform appears on stage and the proceedings slow. Like a true father, President Obama focuses on his daughters, instructing the youngest the platform is for her to stand on. She merrily leaps up and everyone is at last in place.
President Obama places one hand on the Lincoln Bible, raises his other hand in the air. A false start, then, "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear..." And then a pause. Who stumbled? Did he forget what he was supposed to say?
Laughter and cheers fill the room as the Chief Justice repeats the second line of the oath, correctly this time. Of course President Obama did not forget the oath. It is 35 words long and he is known for memorizing considerably longer pieces of writing. He knew what he had been asked to say was incorrect, and so he stopped.
Quickly recovering, Chief Justice Roberts continues, finishes administering the oath. Although it is not part of the official oath, President Obama concludes with "So help me God", just as so many before him did.
The room erupts into cheers and clapping. Shouts and tears. Service members stand near the entrances of the food court, handing out miniature American flags. Relief floods through us all as we realize that which we had only hoped could happen has just been solidified.
It quiets again as we all seek to hear every word of the speech. It is not the inspirational, JKF-esque speech we expected. We listen for the line that will become the quote generations from now recite. We do not hear it, or if we do, we do not recognize it as such. The speech is instead somber, itemizing the many issues we face and reminding us there is a lot of work to do. No longer can we be selfish. No longer can we be self-serving. No longer can we be divided.
For me, the main event is over. I have to get back to work; I have a life to lead and a degree to earn. I am of no use to anyone sitting, watching a screen, and so I move. When I do so, I notice my head is a bit higher, my back a bit straighter, my gaze a bit more direct. I am proud.
Today, for the second time in my life, I witnessed a momentous occasion. With eery similarity, I once again sat in an academic setting, staring at the television as history unfolded. This time, however, I was not watching buildings fall. I instead watched the affirmation of that which they attempted to destroy. "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." We already have.
It is not the end of a long road, nor is it the beginning of another. It is a milestone in a continuous, winding path; the emergence from the tunnel on the way to the summit. It is not really even about him. It is about us, as individuals and as a people, choosing to grow, expand our minds, and live the pluralism that we take for granted and yet are so hated for.
Today I am filled with joy and with hope.
~g
Monday, January 19, 2009
Crazy Random Happenstance
The subject is from "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog". It is hilarious. Check it out here.
I have had an eventful weekend. Ok, technically, an eventful Saturday. Bright and early Saturday morning I got up and got ready for the day and met a group of my fellow students at our college at 7 am. We headed to the United Center to take part in a day of service in honor or Martin Luther King Jr. Check in, get some free treats, listen to a speaker, board your bus. This was a city-wide event, with approximately 4000 volunteers working at 50 different sites.
My group, along with others, was bused out to the west side to a community center called Marcy Center. The center offers programing from infant to senior, serving a low-income population. The director of the center split us up into 4 groups, each working on different projects. Given they didn't know the skill set of the volunteers, the projects were very simple - basically, things the center just had not had time to take care of themselves.
I was in the group assigned to creating paintings for the classrooms. Eight in all, the outlines were projected onto the wall. We hung the canvases on the wall, traced out the design, then took them down and painted them all pretty. Lauren, myself, and two others worked on a painting of farm animals reading a book. It turned out excellent. I did the pig and the book, mixing the colors for both. We added quite a bit to our painting that was not on the original design, including the blue background, the bubbles, and the title on the book.
(BTW, the room coordinator was a girl about my age. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and did not know what the cow or the pig were. I had to tell her. Sadness.)
The finished product
Walt Disney watch out!
Lauren and I with lots of attitude in our new PASA shirts
We wrapped up around 3 pm and I got home around 3:30. I cooked a quick meal and crashed for a nap. Got up around 6:30 and got talked into going out with Angela, her sister Alicia, and their Navy buddy Noel. We went on a Chicago Blues tour. Basically, you start at one place, and throughout the night school buses arrive to take you to another joint. 9 in all throughout the city, although we only hit 6 (we missed a few buses at one place). These joints are the real, honest-to-goodness holes in the wall where blues got started. Each location had a blues band playing live. The night started at 8 pm and ended at 2 am - a long but fun night. Thank goodness I had a nap!
I spent Sunday cleaning the apartment and getting it put back in order. Angela took her Christmas items down on Saturday and packed them up. On Sunday I helped haul everything out to the storage closest and I packed it all in. Thanks to Jody's help over Thanksgiving, there is still plenty of room in the storage closest. When I finished putting away the Christmas items I went back to Angela and said, "What else?!" She couldn't believe I still had room until she checked it out for herself. Yayy for organization!
Oh, I also did my taxes yesterday and am less impressed by our tax system. I earned more, I paid in more, and I get less back. A lot less than last year, actually. I know, I know, that's the way it should be. It just kind of stinks the first time it really rears its head.
Thank goodness today is a holiday; the extra day off after the Saturday I had is much appreciated. From today on out, all of my extra time is dedicated to my Capstone course and the insane amount of research it requires. You would think not having to do a thesis would mean not having to do so much darn research.
The cold snap has broken. Although temperatures are still below normal, they are also much more livable. I have been on my landlord to get over to the property and do something about the weatherstripping (or lack thereof) on our front door. I am now up to my 5th time of asking him to take care of this (in two years). In my last email (do everything in writing!) I told him I know I am well within my rights to a) buy the weather stripping and do it myself or b) hire someone to do it. In both cases, I could legally take the cost off my next rent check since more than 14 days have passed since I brought the issue to his attention and he has done nothing about it. That got him moving and hopefully the issue will be taken care of this week.
That is about it here! Cary, I want to know who was right on the "Guess Who's Who" game!
Love!
~g
I have had an eventful weekend. Ok, technically, an eventful Saturday. Bright and early Saturday morning I got up and got ready for the day and met a group of my fellow students at our college at 7 am. We headed to the United Center to take part in a day of service in honor or Martin Luther King Jr. Check in, get some free treats, listen to a speaker, board your bus. This was a city-wide event, with approximately 4000 volunteers working at 50 different sites.
My group, along with others, was bused out to the west side to a community center called Marcy Center. The center offers programing from infant to senior, serving a low-income population. The director of the center split us up into 4 groups, each working on different projects. Given they didn't know the skill set of the volunteers, the projects were very simple - basically, things the center just had not had time to take care of themselves.
I was in the group assigned to creating paintings for the classrooms. Eight in all, the outlines were projected onto the wall. We hung the canvases on the wall, traced out the design, then took them down and painted them all pretty. Lauren, myself, and two others worked on a painting of farm animals reading a book. It turned out excellent. I did the pig and the book, mixing the colors for both. We added quite a bit to our painting that was not on the original design, including the blue background, the bubbles, and the title on the book.
(BTW, the room coordinator was a girl about my age. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and did not know what the cow or the pig were. I had to tell her. Sadness.)
The finished product
Walt Disney watch out!
Lauren and I with lots of attitude in our new PASA shirts
We wrapped up around 3 pm and I got home around 3:30. I cooked a quick meal and crashed for a nap. Got up around 6:30 and got talked into going out with Angela, her sister Alicia, and their Navy buddy Noel. We went on a Chicago Blues tour. Basically, you start at one place, and throughout the night school buses arrive to take you to another joint. 9 in all throughout the city, although we only hit 6 (we missed a few buses at one place). These joints are the real, honest-to-goodness holes in the wall where blues got started. Each location had a blues band playing live. The night started at 8 pm and ended at 2 am - a long but fun night. Thank goodness I had a nap!
I spent Sunday cleaning the apartment and getting it put back in order. Angela took her Christmas items down on Saturday and packed them up. On Sunday I helped haul everything out to the storage closest and I packed it all in. Thanks to Jody's help over Thanksgiving, there is still plenty of room in the storage closest. When I finished putting away the Christmas items I went back to Angela and said, "What else?!" She couldn't believe I still had room until she checked it out for herself. Yayy for organization!
Oh, I also did my taxes yesterday and am less impressed by our tax system. I earned more, I paid in more, and I get less back. A lot less than last year, actually. I know, I know, that's the way it should be. It just kind of stinks the first time it really rears its head.
Thank goodness today is a holiday; the extra day off after the Saturday I had is much appreciated. From today on out, all of my extra time is dedicated to my Capstone course and the insane amount of research it requires. You would think not having to do a thesis would mean not having to do so much darn research.
The cold snap has broken. Although temperatures are still below normal, they are also much more livable. I have been on my landlord to get over to the property and do something about the weatherstripping (or lack thereof) on our front door. I am now up to my 5th time of asking him to take care of this (in two years). In my last email (do everything in writing!) I told him I know I am well within my rights to a) buy the weather stripping and do it myself or b) hire someone to do it. In both cases, I could legally take the cost off my next rent check since more than 14 days have passed since I brought the issue to his attention and he has done nothing about it. That got him moving and hopefully the issue will be taken care of this week.
That is about it here! Cary, I want to know who was right on the "Guess Who's Who" game!
Love!
~g
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
AND YOU”RE OVERDUE!!!
The subject is a one-line email, copied exactly, from my father in reference to my blog. I can take a hint.
How about we get the obvious out of the way - IT'S COLD!!!!
I was composing a winter etiquette rant in my head as I walked on campus today. It goes something like this:
1. UIC Facilities, you are apparently unaware of all your job entails... or really, of what it entails AT ALL! When there is snow on the ground and pedestrians are floundering and slipping on said snow, put the damn blade that is attached to the front of your truck/converted golf cart-looking machine DOWN and move said snow. Do not stop in the middle of the one clear walkway for your 15 minute break that lasts for 3 hours. That's just impolite.
2. Snow does not fall at convenient hours, such as 9-5, M-F. Facilities personnel, some mornings you may have to lose some sleep to get to work early to clear the campus before students and staff arrive. Following this line of thinking, you may have to stay late some evenings so those of us who stay on campus until 9 pm have a safe environment as we make our way home. Please do not selfishly tuck yourself back in in the morning or refuse to miss a second of your evening show. That's just impolite.
3. My peers, when Facilities has not cleared the sidewalk and the only path is the trench in the middle of the sidewalk that those who passed before us created, there is a way of dealing with meeting someone who is coming in the opposite direction as you. The best way to handle the situation is that each person keeps one foot in the trench and steps slightly to the side, placing their other foot in the snow. This allows each party to keep one foot secure and get only one foot covered in snow. Failure to follow this rule is just impolite.
4. Referencing above rule, there are situations in which following the rule is impolite. When meeting with elderly, pregnant, or otherwise impaired individuals, it is your responsibility as an able person to step out of the trench into the snow completely. Remaining in the trench is just impolite.
5. Given Facilities' penchant for failing at their jobs, there is a limited amount of clear walking space. This means, Cindi, Mindi, and Trixi, that you may not be able to walk three-abreast, chattering on your phones to one another. If I meet you and am walking in the opposite direction, I will not step off the cleared path, and I will drop my shoulder and run right into whichever of you (I can't tell you apart) happens to be in my way. I am bigger, stronger, and properly attired - when this collision occurs I will go merrily on my way without missing a beat while you struggle to maintain your balance on your 4-inch spiked heels. Your hogging of the sidewalk is just impolite.
I do not mind the snow (it obliterates the skyline and helps me forget I'm in a giant city surrounded by millions). I do not even mind the cold. I have a proper coat, scarf, gloves, hat, and boots. I dress in layers. I do all that those who have any intelligence do during a Midwest winter. Granted, this is one of the coldest years on record (I believe in the last 126 odd some years if I heard the news correctly last evening) as well as one of the snowiest (top 5!), but still, it is just snow and cold. Our ancestors survived an Ice Age; I think we can handle a cold front. I do recommend a good, solid pair of boots, though. I got mine a little over a year ago and consider them one of my best investments ever.
Getting off the subject of weather, my last semester of higher education has commenced. This semester I am taking a one-credit aerobic fitness class (we run and walk for 50 minutes straight, with an occasional or day in the pool or on the basketball court thrown in), as well as my Capstone class and a project management class. It is going to be a rough semester, only because Capstone and Project Management are quite intensive. Plus, the aerobic class just about killed me today! I needed the one credit to remain full time and keep my financial aid, and given the nature of my other classes, I did not want to pile another 4-credit graduate course on top of them. Really, all I need to do to pass the fitness class is show up and move, but I'm trying to take full advantage. I think I ran about one and one-half miles today and walked another 2. I stopped keeping count of how many times I went around the track, so I do not know for sure.
My team and I had our first meeting with our Chicago Public School clients for our Capstone course last week. I think we have a fairly manageable project, so long as we stay on top of the work. The short version: We are creating a manual for school-based project managers that will help them identify their needs and wants in reference to any evaluation that will occur for their program, and provide information and guidance on how to set up proper data collection and storage so everything is present and accessible when it is time for the evaluation to occur. The manual needs to be applicable to all program managers in the CPS district, and easy to read/ understand. Basically, we are creating "Data Collection and Program Evaluation for Dummies".
Work this semester is mostly research and planning for me. I only have one program, and the rest I am getting planned for the fall and the GA who comes after me. I will be spending a lot of time on the computer at work. Thank goodness I have glasses!
I continue to feel blessed with my good roommates. I have had my issues with Angela, but overall she is a sweet girl that really is just clueless. Ryan is easy to talk to and get along with, but we do not see him much and that's fine with me. The cats continue to warm to me (especially Mia) and more and more I get to feel the comforting presence of a cat on my feet during the night. Laundry is a bit of a hassle in this weather, since the machines are located across the courtyard in the basement of the front building, but I am not about to complain about free, on-site laundry.
Overall, things are good. Soon my job hunt will swing into full force, and before I know it this stage of my life will be over and the next will begin. I am terrified and excited for this change. I am still on the hunt for the perfect red shoes for my graduation ceremony. I thought I had found them, but when they arrived they were nothing like the photo and description had promised and I despise them. If anyone runs across red shoes that would go well with a white-with-black-accents knee-length halter dress, let me know! I need them no later than May 1, 2009.
This post is very long and it is time for me to get to some actual school work. Dad, I am sure I have satisfied your need for a new post! Go hassle Marsh and Sarah now. Justin, you have the right idea with posting every day!
Love to all!
~g
How about we get the obvious out of the way - IT'S COLD!!!!
I was composing a winter etiquette rant in my head as I walked on campus today. It goes something like this:
1. UIC Facilities, you are apparently unaware of all your job entails... or really, of what it entails AT ALL! When there is snow on the ground and pedestrians are floundering and slipping on said snow, put the damn blade that is attached to the front of your truck/converted golf cart-looking machine DOWN and move said snow. Do not stop in the middle of the one clear walkway for your 15 minute break that lasts for 3 hours. That's just impolite.
2. Snow does not fall at convenient hours, such as 9-5, M-F. Facilities personnel, some mornings you may have to lose some sleep to get to work early to clear the campus before students and staff arrive. Following this line of thinking, you may have to stay late some evenings so those of us who stay on campus until 9 pm have a safe environment as we make our way home. Please do not selfishly tuck yourself back in in the morning or refuse to miss a second of your evening show. That's just impolite.
3. My peers, when Facilities has not cleared the sidewalk and the only path is the trench in the middle of the sidewalk that those who passed before us created, there is a way of dealing with meeting someone who is coming in the opposite direction as you. The best way to handle the situation is that each person keeps one foot in the trench and steps slightly to the side, placing their other foot in the snow. This allows each party to keep one foot secure and get only one foot covered in snow. Failure to follow this rule is just impolite.
4. Referencing above rule, there are situations in which following the rule is impolite. When meeting with elderly, pregnant, or otherwise impaired individuals, it is your responsibility as an able person to step out of the trench into the snow completely. Remaining in the trench is just impolite.
5. Given Facilities' penchant for failing at their jobs, there is a limited amount of clear walking space. This means, Cindi, Mindi, and Trixi, that you may not be able to walk three-abreast, chattering on your phones to one another. If I meet you and am walking in the opposite direction, I will not step off the cleared path, and I will drop my shoulder and run right into whichever of you (I can't tell you apart) happens to be in my way. I am bigger, stronger, and properly attired - when this collision occurs I will go merrily on my way without missing a beat while you struggle to maintain your balance on your 4-inch spiked heels. Your hogging of the sidewalk is just impolite.
I do not mind the snow (it obliterates the skyline and helps me forget I'm in a giant city surrounded by millions). I do not even mind the cold. I have a proper coat, scarf, gloves, hat, and boots. I dress in layers. I do all that those who have any intelligence do during a Midwest winter. Granted, this is one of the coldest years on record (I believe in the last 126 odd some years if I heard the news correctly last evening) as well as one of the snowiest (top 5!), but still, it is just snow and cold. Our ancestors survived an Ice Age; I think we can handle a cold front. I do recommend a good, solid pair of boots, though. I got mine a little over a year ago and consider them one of my best investments ever.
Getting off the subject of weather, my last semester of higher education has commenced. This semester I am taking a one-credit aerobic fitness class (we run and walk for 50 minutes straight, with an occasional or day in the pool or on the basketball court thrown in), as well as my Capstone class and a project management class. It is going to be a rough semester, only because Capstone and Project Management are quite intensive. Plus, the aerobic class just about killed me today! I needed the one credit to remain full time and keep my financial aid, and given the nature of my other classes, I did not want to pile another 4-credit graduate course on top of them. Really, all I need to do to pass the fitness class is show up and move, but I'm trying to take full advantage. I think I ran about one and one-half miles today and walked another 2. I stopped keeping count of how many times I went around the track, so I do not know for sure.
My team and I had our first meeting with our Chicago Public School clients for our Capstone course last week. I think we have a fairly manageable project, so long as we stay on top of the work. The short version: We are creating a manual for school-based project managers that will help them identify their needs and wants in reference to any evaluation that will occur for their program, and provide information and guidance on how to set up proper data collection and storage so everything is present and accessible when it is time for the evaluation to occur. The manual needs to be applicable to all program managers in the CPS district, and easy to read/ understand. Basically, we are creating "Data Collection and Program Evaluation for Dummies".
Work this semester is mostly research and planning for me. I only have one program, and the rest I am getting planned for the fall and the GA who comes after me. I will be spending a lot of time on the computer at work. Thank goodness I have glasses!
I continue to feel blessed with my good roommates. I have had my issues with Angela, but overall she is a sweet girl that really is just clueless. Ryan is easy to talk to and get along with, but we do not see him much and that's fine with me. The cats continue to warm to me (especially Mia) and more and more I get to feel the comforting presence of a cat on my feet during the night. Laundry is a bit of a hassle in this weather, since the machines are located across the courtyard in the basement of the front building, but I am not about to complain about free, on-site laundry.
Overall, things are good. Soon my job hunt will swing into full force, and before I know it this stage of my life will be over and the next will begin. I am terrified and excited for this change. I am still on the hunt for the perfect red shoes for my graduation ceremony. I thought I had found them, but when they arrived they were nothing like the photo and description had promised and I despise them. If anyone runs across red shoes that would go well with a white-with-black-accents knee-length halter dress, let me know! I need them no later than May 1, 2009.
This post is very long and it is time for me to get to some actual school work. Dad, I am sure I have satisfied your need for a new post! Go hassle Marsh and Sarah now. Justin, you have the right idea with posting every day!
Love to all!
~g
Monday, January 5, 2009
I suppose...
It is about time to blog for the first time in 2009.
I am now safely back in Chicago, after three weeks at home. My final semester of grad school begins a week from today. I started back at work this afternoon. Life is settling back into a pattern.
Really, I have nothing else to report. I am still getting settled in and my room/apartment/general affairs in order. And watching a lot of "How I Met Your Mother" episodes online. I found a great website that has links to every single episode. Yayy!
That's it. Boring, I know.
Love!
~g
I am now safely back in Chicago, after three weeks at home. My final semester of grad school begins a week from today. I started back at work this afternoon. Life is settling back into a pattern.
Really, I have nothing else to report. I am still getting settled in and my room/apartment/general affairs in order. And watching a lot of "How I Met Your Mother" episodes online. I found a great website that has links to every single episode. Yayy!
That's it. Boring, I know.
Love!
~g
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