It’s over?

12 May 2011, 7:16 pm by Giggles
Categories: Education, Work

Normally the end of the semester/school year is a time of sudden relaxation. Classes are over. Grades are in. And it’s time to relax until the start of the next session (which this time is the first week of June for me). And I am pausing to breathe this weekend.

But things are different this time.

This time I am doing research, and writing it up, which does not depend on semester schedules. I’m still stressed. I still have a thousand directions I’m going in and a thousand things I am doing. So the relaxing and breathing this is very abbreviated right now.

Right now I’m just looking forward to relaxing after graduation. And that’s still more than a year and a half away in the current plan.

So if I still seemed stressed, that’s why.

1 Shared thought

Derby Day!

7 May 2011, 2:17 pm by Giggles
Categories: Random

These are the things I know about horse races:

  • The horses run fast
  • Horses have to have unique names, which is why we have real weird names now.
  • A sloppy track means different horses will have different odds and the jockeys will go through a lot of goggles.
  • The Kentucky Derby is the first race in the triple crown. The other two are the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
  • Women at the Derby wear big hats and everyone drinks mint juleps.
  • The Kentucky Derby is also called the “Run for the Roses” because they put roses over the winning horse.
  • They sing “My Old Kentucky Home” at the beginning of the Derby.
  • The actual Derby takes about two minutes. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an all day affair.

With that limited knowledge, we still have the Derby on today and I’ll pull out one of my hats for the race. Brett has picked “Mucho Macho Man.” I’ve picked “Soldat.”

Go horsey go!

Brett wants it to be known that while he is not resisting the hat, it is not his idea.

3 Shared thoughts

And we’re waiting

5 May 2011, 9:59 am by Giggles
Categories: Education, Happy Things, Work

This week I am learning that “a watched e-mail never arrives.” Which you’d think would leave me time to blog. But since watching e-mails has been consuming my thoughts, I haven’t had much time to think of anything interesting.

I have two weeks left to get the data for the pilot study for my dissertation. And since I still need to meet with the teachers and set up when I’m doing that, it basically leaves me one week. I can’t set it up with the teachers until I get the okay from the university’s ethics board and the school district.

The ethics board emailed me on the evening of the 28th and told me to make my permission forms shorter. So I did and sent them first thing on the 2nd. They came back on the 3rd and said, “no, even shorter, like this, and then you are okay.” So I replied that afternoon and said, “okay, let’s go that short.” And now I’m just waiting for the official “okay” from them.

The district sent me their form on April 22nd  and told me since the principal at the school I’m working with was already on board that they could fast track my approval. I sent all my documents to them first thing on the 25th. And then I’ve heard nothing. I emailed again as a follow-up and heard nothing. I called to follow-up and heard nothing. So today I’m going to go sit in the district lobby and work on the final for my undergraduate class and wait until the receptionist gets so tired of me staring at her that she gets the person I need to give me the letter I need.

Which brings me to my other thing I’ve been doing. The semester ended yesterday with finals for the next week. I absolutely loved the child development class I taught (I worked with another class this semester too, but that’s not what this is about). They were a fabulous group of soon-to-be teachers. On Monday they had a lunch with all of their professors this semester. We started the lunch by doing a belly dance routine for the other professors. They ended the lunch by giving us all flowers and homemade cards. Love it. I love what I do. I finished grading all of their papers last night and now I need to write their 125 point test.

And then I wanted orange juice so Brett picked some up on his way back from getting a hair cut. It’s kosher for Passover, which we’re not sure what that means. But you can see how blissfully happy he is about it.

3 Shared thoughts

What’s in Canada?

30 April 2011, 9:20 am by Giggles
Categories: Random

Last week I mailed two packages. One went to Utah. The other went to Canada (and has arrived!). When I put the box up on the counter at the post office the mailman gestured towards it and asked me, “What’s in Canada?”

Um, there’s lots of things in Canada. There’s:

  • polar bears
  • hockey teams
  • mounties
  • moose
  • trout
  • snow
  • glaciers
  • Canadians
  • family
  • friends
  • SQUIRREL!

I told him I have some friends there (because I was sending the box to some friends). He then clarified that he needed to know what I was sending to Canada because I needed to fill out a customs form. He should’ve just asked that to begin with! Asking me what’s in Canada when he means what’s in the box right in front of him here in Arizona. You can see how a person could get confused.

Next time I send a box to Canada I want a real long list. So now it’s your turn to answer the question, “What’s in Canada?” Ready. Go!

3 Shared thoughts

Thoughts on the Royal Wedding

29 April 2011, 3:23 pm by Giggles
Categories: Random

My ancestral heritage is British (I wanted to put Anglo-Saxon on the census last year but Brett wouldn’t let me). So I figure that lets me care a little about this. Plus, British people are rather fun to watch. I didn’t watch it live, that whole sleep thing got in the way, but I’ve watched the replays (wearing my pretty-pretty-princess hat of course).

We didn’t pick out trees (not flowers, TREES!) to decorate with at our wedding. Whole military troops didn’t have to practice for our wedding. Nobody put our faces on flags. I think we got off easy, and I prefer it that way.

In class this morning I heard one of my students say basically, “her dress was beautiful but I think she could’ve done better.” I’m not really sure what that means. I think it was a lovely dress.

Our wedding was wonderful, but I’m so glad it wasn’t broadcast for the world so people couldn’t make those kind of comments about my dress. Having your wedding on TV reruns also seems real weird to me. And Brett says I’m his Princess (he’s called me that for years), and that’s more than enough for me.

I wonder just how far up the name Catherine will go on the list of popular names this year. It was number 177 in the US in 2009 (the latest year they have data for), and it’s been going down for a while. I’d expect a big jump.

Favorite crowd sign – “Checkmate Kate – you’ve taken the King.” The British commentators liked it too.

And that little girl on the balcony covering her ears was just adorable.

I wish them well.

3 Shared thoughts

Ooooohhh Mmmmyyy!

28 April 2011, 4:39 pm by Giggles
Categories: Happy Things

Just watched the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 trailer. I’ll wait while you watch it.

CHILLS! I love the pacing of the music. I love the pacing of the clips. I just absolutely love it. SO EXCITED!!

I will definitely be at the midnight showing. :owl:

3 Shared thoughts

Come, see

24 April 2011, 9:19 am by Giggles
Categories: Gospel

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Matthew 28:5-6

Have greater words of peace, hope, and joy ever been spoken? They were invited to see for themselves on that bright dawn that heaven had triumphed.

For several years I have woken before dawn on Easter to find a quiet spot to watch the sunrise. It is pretty much the only sunrise I see all year because I am very much not a morning person. It is amazing how light the world is before the sun even comes over the horizon. Waiting there silently in the cool morning listening to the birds. And then all of a sudden it is so bright when the sun crests the horizon.

I am very grateful for the light I have in my life, the light that shows the way and the light that brightens the dark. He is risen. He lives. Come, find the light He offers, and truly see.

Palm Sunday – Palms of Hosanna
Monday – House of Prayer
Tuesday – Ye took me in
Wednesday – To what purpose?
Thursday – Not as I will
Good Friday – Held his peace
Saturday – A clean linen
Easter Sunday – Come, see
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