2 1/2 weeks til freedom

....from this semester at least.

I have to say, I will be GLAD it is over, really more glad than I can ever remember being. Between my community theory class where I regularly spar with the teacher over her beliefs and choice of guest speakers, my intense nonprofit law class, and my excellent-opportunity-but-overwhelming-workload internship (not to mention my inability to find a job and time to do it in), I need a break. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I was hoping to make it to Thanksgiving without losing it. Well, I was close...SO close...but it didn't happen. I managed to burst into tears in the middle of a large (and important) meeting at my internship, when they told me I had to go back to the office by myself for most of the day, while everyone else went out to lunch and then home early.

The next 2 weeks will be just as crazy as the last few...2 conferences, 2 finals, a final presentation and paper, an RFA to write, a family reunion, not to mention wedding dress shopping and going to see the Nutcracker..

Needless to say, I'll be glad for a break. But it keeps hitting me, at random moments, that this is the last year I'll really be doing these things, coming back to school after a holiday, buying textbooks, even living in NC...it's a little over 6 months before Brian and I get married, but things are already going fast. We'll likely be moving to Florida, DC, or Chicago (depending on where he gets into grad school), so next year, if we even make it back for Thanksgiving, will more than likely involve a plane flight and (hopefully!!!) going back to some sort of job on Monday. It's strange to think that, as many years as I've been trucking back and forth from New Bern and the Triangle (this makes 6), it will soon all be over. I'm not sure yet whether I'm happy, or utterly, utterly miserable about that yet. Stay tuned.

Marathon

I realized I haven't posted in a while...but my excuse is that I have been running a marathon.

If you know me at all, you'll know that this is not an actual marathon (I never run, both because I have bad knees and because I find running boring), but a work-related one.

All my assignments have ended up in the end of the semester, including what will probably be a 30+ page paper (it's currently 20 and I'm still working), a terrifying law exam, and lots of marketing & fundraising reading and papers. Not to mention all the work I have for my internship--a 3-day long Council meeting, 2 conferences, one workshop, my mid-year evaluation, and writing an RFA, which is really a big deal and is thus terrifying.

Not to mention wedding stuff...we finally got our engagement pictures made (but haven't seen them yet), and I have a host of things to do before the New Year, including finalizing the guest list, sending out save-the-dates, reserving a block of hotel rooms for people coming in out of town, finding a (preferably antique) car to take us from the church to the reception, and, of course, buying a wedding dress.

Whew.

I'm positive I'm going to fall flat on my face, but hopefully I'll manage to accomplish all this before that happens. It's looking unlikely at this point...just in the past 2 days, I fell asleep while reading and also while sitting up.

I am currently accepting assistance in the form of tasty food.

Peeves

Today, Brian is out of town so I am treating myself to several things I've been wanting to do: Go to the library (I haven't been in nearly 2 months and I am seriously running out of things to read), eat at a cheap Thai place I like (soup and an entree for $6!), and watch one (maybe 2) of my favorite girly movies.

But first, I just have to rant about 2 things.

1.) People assuming I am 15. I am not. I have crow's feet around my eyes, people. These are not the crow's feet of a 15 year old.

Also, it is not appropriate to approach me, someone you've never met, and ask me, a.) if i'm a student (why does this matter? People can be students at any age), b.) when I stress that I am a GRADUATE student, feel the need to comment on how young I look (example from this past weekend..."you look like a young'un!") b/c NO, you're not the first person to ever tell me that, and no, I don't appreciate it. People don't walk up to you and say you look old. But you do. and c.) expect me to smile and thank you. I'm not going to thank you. I may appreciate it when I'm 40, but not if it means you can't respect me professionally and as a person. Also, you're weird for feeling the burning need to ask if I am fifteen. What's it to you?

Also, lately I've had people asking if my nose is real. WHAT? Of course it is. But apparently it's what people are asking for when they get a nose job now. That is just strange. Yes , my nose is real (my dad and grandma have the exact same nose, so I can prove it), but if it wasn't, don't you think that would make me feel pretty self-conscious about my fake nose?

2.) Comprehensive sex-ed in schools.

Everybody at school takes it for granted that we all want this. But I don't. Not only do I think it's creepy/inappropriate to discuss sex with children, I think it's the wrong answer to teen pregnancy. Should there be less teen pregnancy? Well, probably...but abortion/using contraception is not the answer.

Instead of asking how we can help children have sex, we should be asking WHY ON EARTH 13-year-olds want to have sex in the first place. I'm not completely naive (I did go to a pretty poor public middle school, after all...I started having pregnant girls in my class in 6th grade), I know they have sex. But is it because they really want to, or because our society has created an environment where everything is sexualized, including children? Are they having sex because they feel like they have to to be normal?

I vividly remember a boyfriend I had when I was about 15 telling me we needed to have sex b/c normal couples did. Thank goodness I had enough common sense to tell him this was crazy, but I know not every girl does. Shouldn't we be telling kids that it's ok NOT to have sex, instead of stressing that they should, and use protection while doing it? Shouldn't we be telling them it's ok to still act like kids BECAUSE THEY ARE, instead of turning them into adults at 12 when they're emotionally unready for the consequences?

I am 24 years old, and I've never had sex. I'm positive I'm not the only person on this planet capable of that decision. Is it hard? Yes. Sometimes I do wish I could be like the gang on Sex and the City...but then I think about how emotionally screwed up Carrie Bradshaw is. I mean, really...she has to use clothes and shoes to feel good about herself. Is this the message we're sending our teenagers?

Comprehensive sex ed is not the answer. Letting kids know it's ok not to have to be sexual is. Some kids may still choose to...but there are others who are sitting in that class, feeling awkward b/c their boyfriend is pressuring them and they're being told it's ok for him to do that as long as he brings a condom. And they need to be supported in saying no. It is ok to say no at 13. It is ok to say no at 24. Sex is not the answer, and I don't want my kids, if I have any, to be told that it is. And I don't want to pay for a public school system that does it to other people's kids, my niece for example. As someone I know says, "That's not right". And it isn't.

Wedding planning updates

So, having just finished a 5-page paper on group dynamics and theory which I started approximately 4 1/2 hours ago (there was lots of office watching and dealing with cake tasting leftovers in between), I thought I would provide an update on our wedding plans. Anything to avoid school at this point, really.

We had florist appointments and cake tastings this week, and I'm feeling positive about our overall progress thus far.

A recap:

Wedding: June 5th
Ceremony: Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh
Reception: Sister's Garden
Photographer: Aperature Aficionado (Holly & Andrew Wagner)
Reception band: The Boilermakers (swing)
Flowers: Kelly Odum (we picked dark pink, blue/green, and coral as the main flower colors)
Cake: Cinda's Creative Cakes

The cake process was really awesome...she had us look through her albums and mark any features we liked, and then did a sketch while we talked, so we came away what our wedding cake will most likely look like. Plus we had three 10-inch cakes to eat at the end. I'll post a scan of the design if I get a copy.

Next up: Finalizing our invitation list and buying invitations. It does seem like it's getting more real as things move along!

Business as usual

I know I haven't written in a while...but that's mainly because I haven't had anything to say. I continue to not be motivated to do school-related things (especially when they pertain to Community Theory, aka, the class I want to end RIGHT NOW.)

I haven't made any more wedding progress (although I do have florist and cake appointments this week).

I will comment on all the TV shows that are now back from their summer break:

• Top Chef--much more predictable than last season. But still good.
• House--I actually liked the premiere, and may keep watching even though I didn't plan to watch at all this season.
• Bones--So far excellent as usual. And excellently gross.
• Glee--No words can describe how much I love this show. I just hope they don't lost their momentum and end up like Ugly Betty, more drama than comedy.
• Grey's Anatomy--I'm not sure how I feel about the whole Mercy West merger. And the fact that Meredith, Izzie, and Derek will be gone for parts of the season.
• The Office. I just got addicted to this thanks to Brian (and my very Michael Scott-like boss at my internship), but so far I like it. Plus a girl I went to England with is supposed to be in an episode soon.

Obviously this is far more TV than I should really be watching...but I'm going to watch it anyway. School isn't exactly so riveting that it tears me away.

I'm just holding out for Thanksgiving.

Settling in

2 weeks of school down...14 to go until Christmas break.

I've discovered so far this semester (like I didn't already know) that I'm just not into school anymore--the group projects, the papers, all the reading. I don't know if it's because I went straight from undergrad into grad school without a break and now have been in school for 17, going on 18, consecutive years, or the fact that most of my textbooks talk about "right wing repression" as the reason for all society's ills, or the fact that our DD system is so crappy out there right now that i feel like I need to DO something, instead of just sitting in a classroom and shadowing people as the intern. Don't get me wrong, I like my internship, and I've learned a LOT in the 6 days I've been there so far, but I'm tired. Tired of being a student, tired of having homework, tired of not getting paid for all the hours I put in, tired of being told that my political leanings caused everything that's wrong in the world.

I want to graduate, but I'm scared what will happen when I do. Brian's sending in the first of his grad school applications this week, and with that putting our living situation next year into limbo. Where will we be? Where will I find a job? How will we pay for things? Who knows.

In wedding news (i'm trying to stay positive about it despite all the fluctuating variables), I found a band for the reception thanks to some help from the Triangle Swing Dance Society. Next up: finding a florist. And graduating. Making it to graduation without exploding in "repressive right wing" anger is a big goal right now. We'll see how it goes.

Welcome back, Reality

Today is the last day of my only week (well, really 10 days) off all summer. And I spent most of it either a.) running around Cary doing errands I didn't have time to do while I was working full-time or b.) in New Bern trying to juggle seeing both of my parents and Brian an equal amount of time. In other words, I don't think it should count as far as time off goes.

Now I'm back to reality, as school starts back tomorrow, and I am really dreading it. Not only do I not have a job yet (the school of social work is posting jobs on Wednesday, but as I'm sure most of my classmates are just as desperate as I am, I'm trying not to get my hopes up), but my classes this semester don't exactly tickle my fancy.

I'm taking:

• Marketing and Fundraising
• Nonprofit Law
• Community Theory & Practice

Wahoo.

I'm also not looking forward to going back to the generally one-sided liberal climate of the school, and social work in general. I don't consider myself to be an incredibly conservative person, or a Republican at all, but compared to most opinions over there, I might as well be Ronald Reagan. Or Ann Coulter, my new hero (she's conservative AND sarcastic.) It's not that I don't like the people there--they are all very nice--but I am tired of being the only conservative voice (and the one constantly going, WAIT, what about people with disabilities?? People are starting to get annoyed with me, I think, but what ABOUT people with disabilities??). In conclusion, it could be a trying (and exhausting) semester.

In wedding news, we got a photographer. Next up, finding a band for the reception.

Wedding movies and expo

This weekend was the Southern Bridal Expo (which was madness...more on that in a bit), so Lara and I decided to have a wedding movie marathon to psych ourselves up for it.

Here is the list of what we watched:

• My Big Fat Greek Wedding
• Father of the Bride
• The Wedding Singer
• The Wedding Date
• Bride Wars
• Four Weddings and a Funeral
• Runaway Bride
• The Wedding Planner

Here is what I have determined about weddings based on these movies:

• If you are not engaged, you will be soon. If you are, you're probably engaged to the wrong person. But don't worry--you'll find the right person, no one will be upset, and you'll get married anyway.
• Canceling weddings at the VERY last minute is not hard. Also, no one bothers about all the money you just wasted.
• Weddings=awkward conversation and family members.
• No one bothers to make arrangements to live together after the wedding if they're not already. In fact, a good number of brides are living with their parents.
  
• Many wedding dresses are ugly, especially if they are from the 80s or early 90s.
  
• Grooms don't get much, if any, of a say.

What I learned from the bridal expo is this:

• Most people are WAY more serious about wedding planning than I am; they all had custom labels with their wedding dates printed up.
• Apparently you are supposed to lose weight to "look your best". It seems like not such a smart idea to lose weight after you buy your dress, but gyms think it is.
• Some bakeries can't make cake better than I can in my tiny apartment kitchen, and don't deserve to have me pay them for something I could do myself.
• Champagne and lemonade is good. Pink rose champagne is not.

In other words, it was 3 hours of having people throw themselves at me to get me to agree to use them. In most cases, I was not inclined (for example, registering at Macy's...who can afford to buy anything there??), wearing a sticker that said "June" on it like it was my name, and registering for a LOT of free stuff, none of which I will probably win. I was disturbed, really, by the gyms that were there advertising "bridal boot camps". Why would you want to look not like yourself on your wedding day? Thin does not equal "looking your best". Urgh.

I am trying to take it one step at a time as far as planning goes...currently I am looking for a photographer. Hopefully that will be soon.

Moved at last

Well, I'm in my new apartment at last, and mostly unpacked except for some odds and ends which are scattered about still. It does have its advantages over my old one, windows and a sink sprayer being the primary ones, plus a larger bedroom (not to mention the fact that it's $100 cheaper than my old one). I haven't figured out my way around Cary yet, which could be interesting/frustrating.

The week ahead, though, could be a grueling one--commuting to Chapel Hill every day for work, not to mention dealing with all the stuff the last week of camp involves (like having to clean out our room) and staff and kid burnout alike. Last week nearly every kid had a meltdown, even the ones that normally never do, and all the staff are starting to get on each other's nerves and be short with the kids, myself included.

If I get through this week, I get a week off before school starts, which is much needed; I'm already dreading school and having to do homework on top of working all the time. I still haven't found a part-time job for during the year, but I have a few ideas, so hopefully something will work out. If not, at least I'm living somewhere cheaper...

What a Week

I think this was one of the most stressful weeks I can remember.

A few highlights:

• One of my kid's basketballs got stolen out of the room we're using this summer
• Another one of my kids broke his foot coming off the bus and is now in a walking cast with a walker for 6-8 weeks.
• The evening cleaning people threw all our stuff out in the hallway Thursday night, leaving me to deal with it Friday morning.
• It started pouring rain halfway through our cookout on Friday.
• Whole Foods, where I've been working with my client, decided to "cease participation" in the summer program. Hence, I now loathe them, b/c they've treated us badly from the start and now they've "fired" us. Seriously, don't shop there. They are not nice to people with disabilities AND they're ridiculously overpriced.
• I move on Saturday, and have been scrambling to pack--and now I'm living in a 2/3 packed , depressing, echoing apartment for a week. Blah.

On the plus side, I DID find a place for the wedding reception, which at least takes away some of the stress. And thank goodness camp ends in 2 weeks--I may not make it at this rate.

Wedding Madness (and other assorted kinds)

So, now that Brian and I have moved the wedding to Raleigh, I'm scrambling to find a reception place before they all get booked. And I'm starting to realize what a truly huge job planning a wedding is.

This morning, we met with the wedding planner at the Sheraton--and it left me nervous (I basically shredded part of the folder she gave me, twisting it around while she talked), and when she said the price, I nearly burst into tears. I think at this point we've mostly decided on just having it at the Doggett Center, because it's someplace we're comfortable and it doesn't cost a ton to rent (at least, I'm assuming). But I still have to: find a caterer, a wedding cake baker, a dress, dresses/tuxes for the rest of the bridal party, flowers (for the church and the reception), figure out decorations (hopefully my stepmom will be helping me with this, but I still have to decide on a color scheme and generally what I want), invitations.....BLARGH!!! I've been pestering my family to put together a guest list for 2 months now and still haven't accomplished it, so God knows how I will get all this done.

Plus I'm moving in 2 weeks and haven't started packing, I'm starting my new internship at the end of August (not to mention 3 new classes), I have to decide whether I'm continuing with sign language on top of all this, and am worrying about being able to get a part time job.

In other words, I'm losing my mind. Help.

Movie Reviews: Take 2

I've now seen 3 more movies (bringing my summer total up to 6...and I'm sure it will shortly be 7, as I'm dying to see the new Harry Potter movie). As before, I'll review them in the order that I liked them, which this time happens also to be the order I saw them in.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
I actually thought this one was better than the first--it wasn't so much Ben Stiller-style awkward as just clever and funny. I especially liked it when the statues/paintings came to life--seeing giant sculpted balloon animals gallop about was just funny to me. I also really liked Amy Adams as Amelia Earheart; I thought she was more of a match for Larry than Carla Gugino's museum docent in the first one. Obviously, however, she goes back to being a wax figure at the end, but it was a fun, happy movie while it lasted.

Up
I went into this assuming it would be typical Pixar fare--happy, with good animation. WRONG.It was MUCH more serious this time, with heavy adult themes like infertility (which of course got me bawling), divorce (ditto), and death (I think you can probably detect a theme here). There were funny parts, of course, and the animation was great, but as I don't really like to mix tears and cartoons, it wasn't my favorite Pixar by far. Plus, the ending was only moderately happy. What gives?

Public Enemies
I went into this hoping it would be somewhat like The Untouchables. I have to say, they remain untouched. The plot was confusing and all over the place, the filming was odd (lots of face close-ups and quick swivels to other parts of the screen), I didn't get to see enough of the costumes and sets (the whole reason I go to see period films in the first place), and the characters were all very underdeveloped except for the three major ones, which really limited the storytelling capacity of the movie. In conclusion, I thought it was disappointing, but I was glad to see the return of LeeLee Sobieski at the end--even if it was as a clueless prostitute.


In non-movie news, I just realized I have a week off between work and school--hooray! I didn't think I did, so I'm very happy about this. I'm looking forward to some sleep...

Summer camp

Well, we're nearly 1/3 through with the summer camp I'm supervising...and while it's going fairly well, it's exhausting. Which is the reason I haven't posted as often as I should have...

Since I can't discuss specifics (due to HIPPA, mostly), i'll just say that supervising is WAY harder than I anticipated. I'm almost looking forward to going back to being an intern. Almost. But I have enjoyed hanging out with all the kids, reading to them (right now we're finishing up A Cricket in Times Square and are about to start Holes), and doing fun stuff like going to the pool every week and outings on Friday (next Friday is the IMAX).

A couple of major life changes (or at least potential ones) have also occurred in the past couple of weeks, namely:

• I decided to get my nonprofit certificate this year, so instead of taking a range of classes all of them will focus on some aspect of a nonprofit.
• Brian and I are (hopefully) moving the wedding both to Raleigh and to June 5. We're still working on figuring out a place for the reception.
  
• I'm contemplating going to law school. There happens to be one at Brian's top choice grad school, and the more I think about it, the more I think it would behoove me to know the law well, and also be able to defend people with disabilities on a higher level than I would be able to with just an MSW. Obviously I'm having to weigh this against being a student for 3 more years and all that entails...but I'm keeping my options open at this point.

Also, I can't believe i'm moving to Cary in 5 1/2 weeks! It's just insane. I'm sure I'll have plenty to talk about then...

An Update! At last!

I know it's been forever since I updated...but truthfully, as I had a large paper due today, I was avoiding any kind of writing that I could.

But now school is over until August (not long enough, if you ask me), and I'm working full-time, supervising summer camp for the Arc. I'm going to have my hands full, I can tell. For the next 9 weeks, I anticipate being utterly exhausted. And then school starts back as soon as it's over.

As far as my Triangle to-do list goes, I've only accomplished trying 3 new restaurants, all of them in Raleigh:

• The Flying Biscuit. This serves mostly breakfast, and you get a biscuit with every meal, even sandwiches. I thought it was reasonably priced for the amount of food you get, but there was a long wait and the service was a bit spotty. So, I might go back, but not for Sunday brunch.
• Waffle House. Ok, this counts, b/c I had never been to one--and it was surprisingly good! I had a chicken biscuit and thought it was quite good. Plus, everything was really cheap--but our waitress was on hour 13 of her shift, and I just felt sorry for her, so I left a big tip.
• Neomonde. This is a Greek/Lebanese place. I had falafel, baba ghanouj (however you spell that), and rice lentils, and thought they were all quite tasty. Plus they have a nice patio area where you can sit.

So overall, not much accomplished. But I have decided to get my nonprofit certificate, which can hopefully help me get a job post-graduation. More on that front later...

Jon and Kate Plus...Themselves

ok, I have to comment on Jon & Kate Plus 8, because all the stuff constantly going around about them is driving me crazy.

I have loved this show for a long time, because I thought they were such a nice family and were struggling, but did it together. Now...well, let's just say both Jon and Kate are acting like they're single again. Jon's going out to bars with random women, Kate spends most of her time traveling and wants a talk show, and they both spend so much time talking to the media about how their marriage isn't working that they aren't talking to each other.

HELLO, YOU HAVE EIGHT CHILDREN. TIME TO ACT LIKE AN ADULT. As someone who went through a divorce, I can attest to how much it affects you negatively, for years--and my parent's divorce WASN'T all over magazines at the grocery store. I feel really, really sorry for the Gosselin kids--the twins notice for sure what's going on, and everyone is an idiot for thinking they don't. They can read, for God's sake.

At this point Jon and Kate should be going to marriage counseling and trying to put their marriage back together for the sake of their kids. What happened to, "we'll always be together", which is what they told them when they renewed their vows?? I just want to shake them both. I loved this show, but I can live without it, as can the rest of America--don't sacrifice your marriage and your kid's emotional well-being for television. Please.

Life update

Well, it's official--I'm moving to Cary in August. Even though I'm still a little apprehensive, and dreading packing everything up again, it will be really nice to be closer to Brian.

In other life matters, I've checked off a few things on my Triangle to do list, such as:

• Going to the NC History museum (this was not as exciting as I would have liked--even the pirate exhibit was mostly just stuff to read. Overall, a bit disappointing, although there was a few things from the Queen Anne's Revenge at the end).
• Having tea at the Carolina Inn (this was nice, although a bit pricey--it made me miss England).
• Going to the Greek Festival in Chapel Hill (this was fun, especially the Greek dancing).

More updates to come...

*UPDATE* I realized I forgot to mention my trip to the Carnivore Preservation Trust in Pittsboro--this is REALLY awesome, and I recommend it if you can go. You can get really close to the tigers (they rub against the cage and purr) and the other various carnivorous animals they have there.

Moving...maybe

Ok, so I found an apartment to potentially move to. But now that I've done all the (really fast) legwork, I'm nervous. Thus, the pros and cons of moving.

Pros:

• I would be a LOT closer to things, such as a.) Brian, b.) work, c.) the grocery store, d.) the gym, e.) home
• I would get to see Brian more often
• I could actually go to church with him and not have to leave an hour before the service starts
• I could actually hang out with his friends when I got invited, instead of saying no b/c an hour and a half of driving didn't seem worth it
• Brian can check in on Maddy when I have to be gone

Cons:

• Moving itself. Again. And also having to pay to move.
  
• Leaving an apartment complex I like to go to one I potentially might not like (ditto neighbors).
  
• Having to learn a whole new community (and a much larger one).
• Still having to come to Chapel Hill 2 days a week for school
• Having to get a parking permit or ride the bus from the CAP lot

Is it worth it? I just don't know...

Movie reviews & life changes

So, I've seen a few movies recently, and thought I would review them. Also, some life updates afterwards.

Here are my reviews (written in order that I liked them, not the order that I saw them)

• Seventeen Again: I drug Brian to this with him protesting the whole way that it was a chick movie and he didn't want to see it--but we both came out loving it. Zac Efron, when he's not singing cheesy songs and attached at the hip to Vanessa Hudgens, has great comedic timing. I saw reviews that touted this as a male Freaky Friday, but it was acually a lot better--Zac/Matthew Perry (his adult self) are upset because they gave up a big basketball scholarship and college to marry his high school girlfriend when she got pregnant--and at the end of the movie, he realizes he made the right decision after all, because he loves his wife and thinks his kids are great. Plus, he gets a job as the high school basketball coach and loves that too. In addition to all these happy moral messages, Mike (Zac)'s nerdy best friend, Ned, is every nerd's dream--he made it big inventing nerdy stuff, and now has all types of nerd gear, including light sabers and a bed that looks like the speeder from A New Hope. Overall, REALLY funny, and worth seeing. Possibly more than once.

• Star Trek. So, of course I went to see this with Brian, who is a huge Star Trek fan, but I'm fairly into sci fi stuff myself, given my love for Star Wars and the fact that I've been dating Brian for six years and my only other serious boyfriend before him was also a huge Star Trek fan. I was a tad wary, because the original Star Trek was so hokey (aliens were usually hot women in skimpy outfits who wanted to have sex with Kirk), but this movie was really great. Funny, lots of action, and also lots of Vulcans (my favorite). Zachary Quinto was a dead ringer for Leonard Nimoy, too. I wish there had been more Scotty, though. And less skimpy outfits for the starfleet women. But you can't get everything.

• Wolverine: I went to see this with my mom, who has a bit of an unhealthy obession with Hugh Jackman. She of course loved it, given the screentime that Hugh spends shirtless, but I thought it was a bit lacking in plot. Deadpool only lasts about 5 seconds? Wolverine and Sabretooth fight it out in an alley and no one notices? Mutants jump in and out but never stay long, some of them are recognizable like Scott, but others are new, like Gambit. And who knew Wolverine's claws were originally bone? And...that's about it. It wasn't as bad as X-Men 3 (WHY did Jean Grey go so nuts??), but not as good as the first 2 by a long shot. Sorry, Hugh.

Enough with movies...in terms of life updates, I'm feeling a bit more like myself (but still driving a rental car while I wait for mine to get fixed), I MIGHT be moving to Raleigh/Cary (this is really up in the air right now and really might not happen, so I'll update if anything really happens), I have another paper due this week for my summer class and...Brian's dad heard my dad isn't happy with his not having a job, and now Brian's dad wants to "confront him". I just hope there isn't a dad-on-dad smackdown in the middle of the hospital, given that both of the recently had surgery and aren't exactly young (my dad turns 60 in July!). As if our families weren't complicated enough....

Rough week

ok, so, I realize I haven't written in a while (I promise movie reviews/rants on season finales are coming), but I've had quite a week.

Last Tuesday, my client had a meltdown while I was driving, so it was not the best day at work; then, on Wednesday, I was so preoccupied with getting out of town to go on my much-needed weekend at the beach that I ran a stop sign and got hit by a truck--thus, my car is now in the shop getting its smashed driver-side door fixed. Then over the weekend at the beach, which I was hell-bent on getting to (and did), it was too windy to sit out much, and Brian had a nervous breakdown. Plus my summer school started today, and I had a paper and a ton of reading due. Sooo...I don't think I ever really got the vacation I needed. This week I'm back at work and school, and trying to hold it together while Brian is back in New Bern for a while. I'll post more when I feel more stable.

Pray for me in the meantime.

The Year of Undone Things

So, given that I will probably only be in NC for another year, I have decided to make this my year of doing all the things in the area I've always wanted to do but haven't yet, for whatever reason.

Here's my current list (I'm sure it will grow as I think of more stuff)

• Museums: Museums of Art and History (I've been to both but not in a long time). I would add the Museum of Natural Science. buttt...i've been there 5 times in the past year, 4 of them for work. I'm sure I'll end up there again, too. *sigh*
• High tea at the Carolina Inn (heck, GO IN the Carolina Inn)
  
• Explore Durham/Hillsborough
• Go to Maple View Farms
• Take a sign language class (at Durham Tech)
• Take a cooking class (either at Southern Season or the ArtsCenter)
• Eat at new restaurants
• Go dancing
• See something at the Carolina Theater

That's all I can think of right now...as I said, I'm sure I'll think of more (I also welcome suggestions). The more I think about this the more I realize I really, really don't want to leave....

Ups and Downs

This week has been quite an interesting one...it was up and down over and over.

For example:
Up: Finding out Monday that my last Discrimination & Oppression (otherwise known as "depression") was cancelled.
Down: Finding out Tuesday that my client had died.

Up: Doing well on my presentation on Tuesday.
Down: Going to my client's memorial service on Thursday and bursting into tears three times.

Up: Going to a dinner for work and tryin gout a new eggplant dip that was very tasty.
Down: Trying duck and not liking it AT ALL.

Up: Going to a farewell lunch for me and the other JFS intern.
Down: Ending my normal routine at JFS (more on that later).

Down: Finding out that the days i have free to work with Joe he has a job coach, so now I am short of hours.
Up: Volunteering to keep running my senior group at JFS to have something to do, and finding out that they are going to pay me more than I make at the Arc.

It was also a week full of a LOT of eating, from my dinner on Thursday for the Arc, my lunch on Friday for JFS, my friend's birthday party Saturday night, and the Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration I worked at today. This week I finish up the semester, and then I have 2 weeks before my summer class starts, during which I am going to the beach with Brian's family (hooray! a vacation! even if it is only a weekend...it's probably all i'm getting until my honeymoon, so I'd best enjoy it).

I can't believe I'm almost done with my first year of grad school--there were a LOT of points during it I didn't think I'd make it here. Here's hoping the next year is easier...

Movie update

So, I just finished reading the new Summer Movie Preview edition of Entertainment Weekly..and I have some movies to add to my list (did we REALLY think I was only going to see 5 movies all spring/summer? I thought not.)

Leaving the movies I listed earlier as those I will most definitely be going to see (probably more than once in the case of Harry Potter), here are the:

Movies I will most likely be going to see

• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. I loved the first Night at the Museum movie (except when I had to see it in IMAX, which just gave me a headache). It's the right mix of fun, funny, and family-appropriate.
  
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I didn't expect to like the first movie so much, but I really did. Plus, the summer is really good for some action movies.
• Julie & Julia. This book was fantastic (I recommend it), and the movie version features Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.
  
• The Time Traveler's Wife. Ditto on the book--it was a great story, even if the ending was bittersweet.

Movies I would like to see, but will probably wait until they are on DVD:

• Up. This is the new Pixar movie--I love Pixar, but i'm not attracted enough to the concept to pay to go see it, unless I happen to go with a client for work or something. Which is possible.
• Terminator: Salvation. I want to see this--but given that I haven't seen any of the other Terminator movies, it probably wouldn't make much sense.
• My Sister's Keeper. I'm actually not positive I want to see this--the book was so great I'm afraid the movie will ruin it. Plus I hate crying in movie theaters.
• (500) Days of Summer. Quirky rom-com. My kind of movie, but not worth $7. Sorry, boy who used to be on 3rd rock from the sun.

In addition to all this movie going, I will also go to the theater: I just bought tickets on sale to go see Jersey Boys (for once, those Ticketmaster e-mails I get came in handy), a musical about Frankie Valley and the 4 Seasons that I promise is not as lame as it sounds. My mom has been DYING to see it since she got the CD 2 years ago, so I thought I would be nice and take her.

Work update: I just managed to pick up another Tuesday shift (in addition to the one I already have, taking a client to her swim lesson), taking a client to cooking class. I'm also trying to pick up some after school shifts with Joe--we'll see what happens there. I just had to register to retake the CPR class to get my certification renewed, also. What an (expensive, long) pain.

Easter musings

This past week has been an interesting one--I went to a Passover Seder last Sunday (my next-to-last Jewish holiday at JFS!), and since Passover and Easter merged this year (there's some phenomenon that only happens 28 years, where the sun is in the exact position it was at creation, and Passover/Easter merge, or something--it's this year), and even though it was a community-wide seder and not a family seder, it was still nice. I'm now in love with haroset (a fruit/nut/wine mix that spreads like jam), and was very exited to see that Locopops was selling haroset popsicles, but they weren't as good as the real thing. It is just fascinating to see how Judaism and Christianity merge, and I think I have learned a lot about my faith just by working there. Especially culturally...I understand the Jew's kvetching in the desert more now after working with elderly Jews. Let me tell you, they complain A LOT. "Why have we been wandering for 40 years? Why has Moses been up on Mt. Sinai so long? I don't like the third commandment, etc. etc....."

Also, my mom was up this weekend, so we went to visit my grandpa and great-aunt and talked about family. Here's what I learned:

• My cousin got a new SUV to fit his 2 (soon to be 3) kids
• my great-grandmother's name was Mary, but she went by Molly (she was called Ma Pickard by her kids)
• My mom's cousin is currently in jail for life for child molestation. !!!!! I didn't even know she HAD these 4 cousins, much less that one of them had been in jail for years.

I finish 2 classes this week, but I still have 3 large papers and a presentation ahead of me. And then a lot of work shifts to find before camp starts. Here's hoping this summer goes well--it'll be my last "free" summer before I have to get a real job. Alas.

Happy April, fools

It's April! I have very mixed feelings about this month. But first, some things that happened today...

Brian and I set a wedding date!! May 22, 2010! So we have the first step, reserving the church, done. The next step is reserving a place to have the reception and, probably, getting a wedding planner.

Also, today was apparently my parent's day to be needy...my dad had neck surgery this morning (and is doing well), and my mom dropped the bomb on me that her depression has been getting worse for the past few months and it's been really bad lately. So i'm back in my role trying to force her to see some kind of therapist. Oy.

Also, i'm having doubts about working at the NCCDD next year...they haven't gotten back to me yet, and now i'm wondering if I shouldn't just look someplace else. As in, someplace closer.

As far as April goes:

Good:

• I finish my first year of grad school! It can't come soon enough.
• Hopefully it will get warmer/sunnier soon (does it seem to anyone else that it was rainy/overcast ALL of last month?)
• My niece's first birthday this Friday!
  

Bad:

• I finish at JFS. I was debating for a while whether this was good or bad..but i've decided bad, as I've had a lot of good times there and I like (for the most part) the work i'm doing. I really will be sad to leave.
• I find out from the NCCDD whether they want me or not. Right now i'm not sure which answer I want.
• I have 4 huge papers due. None of which I've started working on. I probably should be doing that now...but I'm tired after all the stuff that went down today....

Overall, April will about even out between good and bad. I just hope I survive those 4 papers....

A relaxing weekend, finally

I'm grateful for this weekend, as I feel like I've finally been able to recharge a bit. I didn't have class on Friday, so I alternated working on a paper with reading, and then watched the last episode of Battlestar Galactica...it wasn't the killing spree Brian expected, but I have mixed feelings about the actual end. It seemed kind of rushed and not well thought-out, and had a lot of holes in it.

Saturday I cleaned my apartment, and then went with Brian to Olive Garden (he had a gift certificate left over from Christmas), and then to the new Durham Performing Arts Center to see Fiddler on the Roof, with Topol as Tevye (the guy that played him in the movie, and has since done so on stage more than 2,500 times!! He was really funny, and kind of like an Israeli Sean Connery). Even though we were in the next-to-last row (literally), I really enjoyed it, and want to go back next year to see Wicked.

Today I slept in (till 11! This is the latest I've slept in in at least a year, not counting that week in January that I was sick and slept nearly constantly), made cookies, and watched the new show Brian's got me hooked on, Jericho--which has been off the air for a few years but is new to me, anyway. Thankfully there were only 2 seasons, so I can't get TOO hooked on it, but it's about a nuclear holocaust, and as such is a bit freaky.

This week I have to go the Health Access Interdisplinary Case Conference, with a bunch of med/pharmacy/public health/nursing students, which sounds interesting but is from 6-9:30, after we have class till 5, so will probably just be painful. I'm also interviewing for my new internship on Thursday, which I'm nervous about, even though I'm sure it will go fine. I also think i'm getting sick, which is just obnoxious. I also have to start thinking about writing my 4 final papers (one per class), as I don't want them all to sneak up on me at once. Only 6 weeks left of class, thank goodness. I'm more than ready for it to be over. I also just found out my dad is having neck surgery next week, which I'm nervous about, plus my niece is really sick, and has blisters in her throat from running a high fever for days. Needless to say I have more on my mind than school....

Weeks left at JFS: 4.
Weeks left of school: 6

Vanishing spring break...it's magic

Spring break is winding to a close (alas!), and I am seriously dreading going back to school. I know we only have a few weeks left, but a LOT of assignments stand between me and the end of the semester. As the woman who was cleaning my teeth on Monday said, "There's always a light at the end of the tunnel...but sometimes you need night vision goggles to see it". As I've said before, I've basically stopped caring and aren't getting anything out of my classes.

This week has been...ok. I know it's my next-t0-last spring break ever (which is kind of sad in itself), but I've spent it going to doctor's appointments (dentist, allergy, eye) and going back and forth between my parent's houses, as usual. I HAVE done a bit of wedding planning though...we're working on setting a date (we have to meet with a priest first, so I'll be sure to post it when the date becomes official). That kind of made the fact that I'm getting married in a little over a year more real...up to now, since we've really done nothing to plan, it hasn't really been. But it does make me realize a.) how much planning I really have to do, and b.) how much I'm stressed out about where I'll end up after the wedding. And what I'll be doing there. I hate not being able to control things...

Weeks left at JFS: 5 (and not 5 full weeks,either. I'm so over on hours I can take some time off, so i'm leaving early some afternoons.)

Happy March

It is March at last, and I can't say I'm sad to see February go. There are a lot of good things about March, such as:

• Spring break! Even though I'm not going on a cruise this year like I did last year, it'll be nice to have a break from school/JFS
• Fiddler on the Roof! I have tickets to see it at the new Durham Performing Arts Center, and the guy playing Tevye ( the dad) is the same guy that played him in the movie.
• The beginning of spring (although I can't say I can see it yet, since it's supposed to SNOW tomorrow!!)
• Only 3 assignments due (instead of 6 like last month), and I'm almost done with one of them

But there are a few bad ones too, such as :

• I'm picking up a new shift at work (instead of getting another job), and I've heard the family is really hard to work with.
• I have a LOT to do at JFS this month, including two Friday night events.
  
• March is a really long month.
• BSG ends, finally, and it doesn't look like an ending I'll like.

Overall, I'm hoping March will be a better month than February, but it looks like it will be just as busy. I'm just glad the semester is halfway over; I've kind of stopped caring about school, as everything this semester is either a.) something I already know or b.)something I don't care to learn. I did find out that I got the internship I wanted for next year, at the NC Council for Developmental Disabilities. It sounds pretty good, even though it is in Raleigh and will be, as they say at JFS, a shlep (ie, a long haul).

Weeks til Spring Break: 1 (hooray!).
Also, weeks left at JFS: 6. (ahh! lots to do, little time to do it!)

Stream of Consciousness Oscars

Ok, so this week was finally a week in which nothing happened worth talking about, and the most eventful thing was that I spent wayyy too many hours working on my paper for integrated practice (thank God, I finally finished a draft a few hours ago), so I thought I would do a running commentary of the Oscars as I watch them, as I (unexplainably) watch them every year.

First thought--Oh my God, the stage is set up like American Idol. It's infiltrated everything. Plus Hugh Jackman is singing. Please tell me there aren't three judges, one grouchy, one gangster, and one drunk/high.

I'm pretty sure I'd rather see Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing/Wolverine.

Is that Anne Hathaway's real voice?
What is with the weird techno routine?
Please, Hugh, stop singing. Really. Just do a good action scene.

Tilda Swinton is one odd bird. Also, how did she win for Michael Clayton? That was the weirdest/dumbest/most boring movie ever. Or at least in the past few years. At least Anjelica Huston hasn't aged in years and is a very good actress. And I'm glad Whoopi is back, and referencing Sister Act. Holy crap, Goldie Hawn needs a larger dress.

Penelope=Best Supporting Actress. Darn it, I wanted Viola Davis to get it. Plus I think Penelope may pass out or have a collapsed lung.

Tina Fey + Steve Martin= two of the funniest people ever. Except when Steve Martin is trying to imitate Peter Sellers. HAHA jab at Scientology. Take that, scifi weirdos.

Best Original Screenplay= Dustin Lance Black (Milk). This kid was like, 26 when he wrote this. He looks about 15. And he's crying. *Awkward* Also, this is not a place for political speeches.
Best Adapted Screenplay=Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionare. Hurray, I loved this movie so much.

Jennifer Aniston + Jack Black seems like an odd pairing.
Movie yearbook? Is that their hip new concept to get more people to watch the Oscars? That music is certainly annoying.

Best Animated film=WALL-E. Hooray. It would have been a shame if it hadn't won, really.
Best Animated short film=La Maison en Petits Cubes. This looks weird. Where do you even see these?

This set change, for production design, is quite interesting. I quite like it.

Best art direction=The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I think this is deserving, the art direction was really well done in this; it had a very distinctive look.
Best Costume design (my favorite award): The Duchess. Yay!!! I was so afraid it was giong to be Milk, since it's so political. But the Duchess's costumes were amazing.
Best makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This was deserving, but why were there only 3 nominees for this?

Also, I can see how they're trying to shorten things--each presenter is presenting 3 or 4 awards. Interesting. I wonder if people got ticked off since less people got asked to present. They do seem to have more montages, so maybe that's where they're making it up.

Romance movie montage: Finally, recognizing check flicks. It's about time they talked about more than serious movies.

Ok, I'm glad other people think Joaquin Phoenix is being ridiculous. Ben Stiller's imitation is wayyy too apt. Haha, Hasidic meth lab.

Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire. Hooray again! This movie deserves every award it gets.

Ahh what is with the really brief presentations and then breaking to commercial?
And why did the comedy montage include a whole bunch of serious clips?

Best Live action short film: Toyland (Germany). Again, how do you get to see these? Also, 14 years for 12 minutes???

Oh no, more singing. I get they're trying to honor musicals. But this is a seriously confusing montage. Hugh Jackman is not equal to Gene Kelly. Sorry, Hugh. At least Beyoncé is an actual performer. And Zac Efron. Mostly. Hmm, created by Baz Luhrmann. I should have suspected.

Best Supporting Actor: Once again presented by 5 past winners. What happen to the winner the year before doing it? Where's Javier Bardem?? Also, is it just me, or does Philip Seymour Hoffman get nominated in something every year?

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger. It would have been a serious tragedy if he hadn't won, and I'm pretty sure if anybody else did, they would feel eternally guilty. Everybody in the audience is crying or on the verge of it. Which of course has set me off. I'm amazed that none of his family started crying.

Best Documentary: Man On Wire. Never heard of it. How do you see THESE? What is up with all these movies winning things that the world at large has never seen? And why is one of the winners doing magic tricks on stage??

Best Documentary Short Subject: Smile Pinki. This looks to be about a girl getting cleft palate surgery in India, but I can't be sure.

Outstanding visual effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I get that this was tricky, to have so many Brad Pitts, but I think Dark Knight deserved it--you never questioned all the crazy high tech stuff that happened in there.

Outstanding sound editing: The Dark Knight. I kind of think WALL-E deserved this, since most of the movie was sound effects.

Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire. I don't really get what this means, so I don't really have a comment on it.

Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire, again. I think this is deserved; they incorporated so many different scenes, between Jamal's childhood in the slums, his job as a "chai boy", and while he was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. And it was all very seamless.

Jerry Lewis gets an award: Again, thank goodness we're finally honoring comedy.

Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire. Again, I'm glad; I loved this soundtrack almost as much as the movie, especially "Latika's song" and the song at the end, "Jai Ho", where all the main characters did a Bollywood dance.

Best Original Song: My 2nd favorite category, because they perform them all. I didn't know John Legend sang the WALL-E song! John Legend, get out of "Jai Ho" and stick to your own song. Ok, John Legend DIDN'T sing the WALL-E song, it was Peter Gabriel, but he refused to come for some reason. Winner: Slumdog Millionaire, "Jai Ho". As I said, I really liked this song, although I would have liked WALL-E to win just for a change. This is 5 in a row for Slumdog.

Best Foreign Film: Departures (Japan), about an unemployed classical musician who gets a job in a mortuary. Ok.... I liked the director's speech, though: "I'm very very happy". Well, i'm glad.

In Memoriam: Great choice of song to have Queen Latifah sing (finally..i haven't liked the montage songs so far).

Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire. Well, I didn't see that coming. Not. At least he actually jumped up and down, since I'm pretty sure everybody wants to.

Ahhhh there are so many commercials. It has now been 3 hours. End already. At least I know how long my laptop battery can last.

Best Actress: Whoa, Sophia Loren looks rough. Can we say, Botox and implants?
Winner: Kate Winslet. I was really hoping it would be Anne Hathaway, but I like Kate Winslet too, even though I haven't seen (and really don't want to see) the Reader.

Best Actor: Adrian Brody, WHAT is wrong with your hair??
winner: Sean Penn, Milk. I think expected that, really. He called the Academy "commie, homo loving sons of guns". You said it first, Sean, you said it first.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire. Yay!! This movie totally deserved it. A happy ending wins an Oscar at last.


A few closing remarks: I can't say Hugh Jackman "hosted". We saw him all of 3 times. Thankfully. I have to say I much prefer Ellen.
The new way they're doing actor and actress nominations (having past winners each present one nominee) is interesting. I'm not sure I like it.
Why the heck is this still so long??

And....
Weeks till Spring Break:2

On that note, good night.

Contemplations on the weekend

Thankfully, the days since Tuesday have been better. I got a new window on Wednesday (if this happens to you, I recommend Safelite to replace your glass). I've been trying to put this behind me, but sometimes I just get ticked off--whoever did this, for whatever reason, forced me to pay $200 for a new window (hopefully i'll get reimbursed by my insurance, but I couldn't exactly let my car sit windowless while I waited for them to work things out), which was several weeks of grocery money for me. Which just ticks me off; also, I won't get reimbursed for my GPS, which I had really started to depend on as a seriously directionally challenged person. Which means I won't get another one for a long time, if ever. BLAH STUPID THIEVES.

Moving on...

I had Friday off, from class and work (I was supposed to work, but I ended up not being needed), so I cooked dinner for Brian (stuffed shells and garlic bread, and homemade brownie sundaes), and then we watched Battlestar Galactica (ony 5 episodes left!!! They're FINALLY starting to explain some stuff. But I have no idea how the show is going to end). Saturday, Brian and I watched one of my favorite movies (which one of my lovely ex-roommates had the kindness to steal and now I have to rent when I want to watch it), Stranger than Fiction, which Brian happens to like too. I LOVE the part when Harold Crick (Will Ferrel) brings Anna Pascale (Maggie Gylenhaal) a box of little bags full of flour, and says, "I brought you flours". FLOURS, not flowers. Because she's a baker. Love it!!! As that movie is basically all about plotline and narrative voice, it's pretty much an ex-Engish major's dream. Sometimes I wish I had gone to grad school for English...

Then, we went to the Indian buffet at Tandoor, and then ice skating (they had free skate rental for couples...so it was a bit crowded for me. But we did run into my neighbor in New Bern and her boyfriend). I have to admit, when I saw a sherrif's car parked in the parking lot, I parked next to it. They would have to be REALLY stupid to break into my car then.

Today, I met up with Katie, who was the Best Buddies CBD after me, for lunch, and then we met up with Rachel, who was the CBD before me, to go to the talent show. It was great seeing everyone, but kind of weird not to be connected to a buddy. I was glad to see that my buddy, Cheryl, has a new buddy that seems to care about her as much as I do. But that was a little upsetting at the same time, to feel like you're replaceable.

As an aside, I'm also contemplating getting a 2nd (or I guess it would count as my 3rd?) job, at Barnes & Noble maybe. I'd rather not, but I feel like I need to be making more money and the Arc hasn't proved to be reliable when you're not attached to a client, as this past Friday proved. But i'm not sure yet.

Weeks till spring break: 3

What a Night

Tuesday seems to be my day to have adverse things happen in/to my car. Today was MUCH worse than last week, however.

I was at the gym, again--I went in for a class for 45 minutes, and when I came out there was a woman and a mall security guy standing there, and she said, "hey, is this your car?". And I said, "umm..yes". And then I realized why they had asked.

My whole window on the driver's side was smashed out, and my GPS was gone. The GPS is not exactly essential, although I certainly enjoyed it, and I've felt so much more confident driving around with it (I had named it Charlotte--poor Charlotte). The window, however, will obviously have to be replaced post haste before I can go to work tomorrow. The mall security guy helped me clean up all the glass (there was a LOT of glass), and the police gave me a box to sit on so I didn't get stabbed with glass, (although I did cut up my hands). Apparently there was another break in a street over, which was probably by the same people. There was actually a girl going into another store in the shopping center who noticed something suspcicious looking (somebody pulled up perpendicular to my car), but didn't think anything of it until she got back out and saw what had happened.

The mall security guy told me that this has happened 18 times in 2 weeks at Southpoint, which I think shows that it is just a sign of the worsening economy. I like to be optimistic and think that this was someone desperate to get enough money to feed their family or get medicine for a sick child, and not using it for drugs or something. But I miss my Charlotte. And my car window.

Plus my stepmom told me that my dad's blood glucose and blood pressure are both out of control and the doctors haven't been able to get them back under control, and have added a new diabetes medication, to little effect. This, combined with the break in, and the fact that my ovaries have been extremely painful all week, just kind of sent me over the edge. I really need something extremely good to happen right now. Here's hoping.

Bad week, Good weekend

I think this is going to be a theme for quite some time. It's not that my week was bad (besides the event I mentioned in my last post), but I'm just so burnt out at school it's all I can do to drag myself there 2 or 3 days a week. I think I'm just being taught things I wasn't interested in learning, so i'm not invested in the readings or assignments, and thus am completely unmotivated to do anything related to school. This isn't exactly a good time to completely lack motivation, since I have more assignments due this month than any other month this semester. Blech.

But, I did have a nice weekend--it started out by my running into a bunch of Best Buddies while I was at work Friday night, which resulted in a lot of "Sarah! We miss you"s, which is always gratifying. Then Brian and I went to eat at Piazza Italia last night, in Brightleaf Square (Durham), which was very authentic (they even make their own pasta and gelato), delicious, and not too overpriced (it's about the same as an Olive Garden, and wayyyy better). Then we went swing dancing, at which Brian is surprisingly good. At the lesson beforehand, we had to switch partners constantly, which was icky for me because I got a lot of sweaty-palmed Dookies who were not so good at dancing. But once the actual dance started, Brian and I danced for a while, AND HE ACTUALLY ENJOYED IT!! He even agreed to go to another one! I'm shocked. He only stepped on my foot once. It was just what I needed to escape from the stressful freak-out state school was putting me in.

Weeks till Spring Break: 4

Freaky experience

OK, so I am so freaked out by this. I was on the highway, driving home from the gym (in the dark) wearing typical gym clothes, with my hair in a ponytail. And this car next to me was honking, and trying to get me to roll down my windshield. At first I just thought he wanted me to let him over ,but then we came to a stoplight and he kept doing it. At this point I thought, maybe he's going to tell me my headlight/taillight is out or something. So I roll the window down.

WRONG.

He goes: "Hey, you're cute. Are you single?"

I realize that doesn't sound sooo freaky. But he was probably early-mid 40s, and, let's be honest, in gym clothes I look about 16. GROSS. I said, "NO" and rolled the window up as fast as it would go. But he kept honking until we came to another light and he had to pull ahead.

I just feel...violated by guys that think it is ok to do this. It is not ok to try to proposition me at a stoplight. It is especially not ok when you probably think I am underage. BLECH BLECH BLECH.

Also, a random 919 number has been calling me almost every weeknight and not leaving a message, and I have no idea who it is. If it's you, please leave me a message!!

Hello, February

Well, I've made it to February..and I still haven't decided whether this is a good thing or not.

Reasons it's a good thing:

• Brian and I acutally get to spend Valentine's Day together (as opposed to most other years, when it was on a weekday and I couldn't make it to wherever he was).
• Lauren's 25th birthday party (swing dancing!)
• I get to go to the Alzheimer's Conference and see the brain bank at Duke. A brain bank! How cool is that? Even if it is at Duke...
• The conference is on a Thursday so I get to skip seeing clients that week. (It is bad that I think this is a good thing?)
• The Oscars are on.
• It's a short month.
  

Reason's it's not a good thing:

• I'm working every Friday night (3 for the Arc, one for JFS)
• I have at least one assignment due every week, if not two (2 presentations and 4 papers)
• I have to decide where I'm doing my internship next year and what classes I'll be taking.

So looking over this...it would be a good month if not for school/work. I don't mind the nights I'm working for the Arc, because I get paid and something hilarious always happens...but spending my Friday night at DUKE (for free) with grouchy Jewish elderly people who can never remember who I am does not sound like my idea of fun, to be honest. At least I've gotten the Shabbat blessings down.

I always felt a little sorry for February...most people spend their time wanting it to be over, so it can be March, and spring. Plus people who aren't dating hate Valentine's Day (plus some people who are dating. I don't hate it, but I think it is a little ridiculous. Plus I can't eat candy any more, so it takes a lot of effort to avoid all those huge displays in the grocery store). We'll see what the month brings, I suppose...

Weeks till Spring Break: 5.

Musings on movies & tv

Since I don't have much to report life-wise (other than a ruined snow day, thanks to UNC making me come to class, sending me home as soon as I got there, making me come back, and then closing), I thought I would talk about my various TV shows, and the movie I saw this weekend, Slumdog Millionaire.

First, TV. I watch wayyy too many shows, as I have discovered as I try to keep up with them all. At least BSG will be over for good soon.

Battlestar Galactica (henceforth referred to as BSG): There are only 8 episodes left, and they've been very tense/dramatic, since last season's finale when they finally reached Earth only to find that it had been nuked. So far this season there have been a lot of deaths/suicides, and also a lot of nutty unexplainable Cylon-related stuff. At least we finally found out who the final Cylon was. I just hope they don't throw Adama out of an airlock like it looks like they may do next week. Shame on you, Felix.

Top Chef: 7 chefs left (out of 17), and all I care about is that Stefan does not win. Right now I'm pulling for Jaime or Fabio.

Ugly Betty: I may actually stop watching this for a while...back when I started it was funny, and was my only comedy show. Now it's serious with people having heart attacks, affairs, and Betty wanting to get away from her family. Not fun anymore.

Bones: The first half of the season kind of sucked because of the Angela/ Hodgins breakup, but it's mostly redeemed itself. Now it's on at the same time as Ugly Betty, and I think I'll be choosing it to watch.

House: I've been a bit disappointed in House this season; 13 and Foreman are getting annoying. Plus I don't know where they're taking it. Also they've kind of run out of at least mildly plausible illnesses.

Jon & Kate Plus 8: I love this show, even if it does feature a lot of kids yelling. Plus Kate has polycystic ovaries like I do, so I find it hopeful to watch. Also, their kids are super polite, and aren't allowed to run amuck like a lot of kids these days.

Lost: I haven't watched any of this yet. I'm saving it until Top Chef is over, so I can reduce the amount of shows I'm trying to keep up with at least a little.

*Whew* I really need to eliminate some shows.
Now, on to Slumdog Millionaire...

When I initially heard the concept for this movie (set in India, a guy from the slums goes on India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire), I thought it sounded stupid. But after it won almost every Golden Globe it was up for, I thought I should see it. And it was AMAZING. The millionaire stuff was the cover for the plot--but he ends up getting arrested because they think he's cheating, and for each question he tells a bit of his history and how he knew the answer to it. And he gets the girl AND the million (dollars, I guess...it was something like 10 million rupees), and then they all do a Bollywood style dance in the train station. Ah, excellent.

It's back to reality tomorrow, alas.

Weeks till Spring Break: 6.

Frustration

Well, the first week back certainly wasn't what I could have wished it to be.

Here's a quick run-down of my classes:

Discrimination and Inequality. This class has a lot of papers/readings (typical), some of which should be interesting and others of which are just ridiculous. Example: In a reading detailing forms of oppression, it picked marriage as the example to use for exploitation. Marriage. Really. The teacher is ok, at least, and I don't think getting a P should be too taxing.

Integrated Practice. This class is half direct, half macro and looks to be *gasp* actually informative. Unlike last semester, we're learning things we can actually use...in practice. I'm kind of shocked they're teaching us this. Too bad the macro teacher is an anti-Catholic lesbian (nothing against lesbians...I just don't like this one. It'll probably end up being mutual if she keeps making snide comments about Catholics).

Human Development II: Adulthood. More of the same from last semester. Hopefully less reading off the powerpoint slides like we can't do that ourselves.

Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice. This is a class about research and program evaluation. As such, it is potentially useful but dead boring. And also wayyyy too much work.

Foundation Field Seminar II. More of the same again--ie, could be useful and fun but isn't because they give us stupid assignments.

So, overall, more of the same--overwork, unnecessary assignments, and throughout a sense of being a guniea pig as every one of my teachers this semester has said, "We don't really know what we're doing since it's the first time we've done it...". In 2 classes they're trying to incorporate an online component which ends up being way more work than just reading articles and stuff. I wish I hadn't picked the year they decided to completely redo the curriculum...

In addition to all the classroom stuff, my fellow students and I seem to be on increasingly different wavelengths, with my feeling like I'm marooned on an island of permissive liberalism. Our stances on abortion are certainly radically different; it's not a solution for teen pregnancy, no matter what they might think. So, being back is frustrating on many levels.

Including being back at JFS. Admittedly I like it there much more than I like being on campus, but I'm already about 30 hours over where I should be, am having to work a lot of Friday evening events (which, since I've started working group programs for the Arc on Fridays, means I have to cut my work hours), manage two groups and sit on a committee (which usually have meetings Monday night, which I usually use for doing reading), 4 clients, and working on a grant, I am already looking like the living dead. And I've only been back a week. My dilemma now is, do I quit early because I'm so ahead in hours (we're allowed to do that), or do I just keep going and end up 50ish hours over at the end of the semester?

I'm also trying to figure out what classes to take next year (made more confusing by the fact that nobody knows what they're doing because it's new, of course) and where to intern. We have to have it all figured out by the second week in February. Here's hoping I make it that far.

A Look Back

Apparently, the future meant to bring a wicked bad cold that kept me in bed for 3 days (literally. Today was the first day I'd been out of the house since Monday. ) And a reality check--when I finally got back today all my textbooks had been delivered and I had (alas!) homework, several meetings to schedule, laundry, dozens of e-mails, and work tomorrow--not to mention a pile of errands I had meant to do over the course of several days and am now doing...before work tomorrow. Urgh.

SO, to stave off impending reality just a bit longer, I'm going to recap some of my favorite books/movies of 2008 (movies that came out in 2008, the books are those that I just read this past year). Because I feel like it.

Movies
My top ten movies of 2008: (in no particular order)

• Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Great costumes, music, and a happy ending. My favorite kind of movie.
• Valkyrie. Tension, WWII, and Nazis getting what they deserve. I could do without Tom Cruise's freaky fake eye, though.
• The Tale of Desperaux. This movie was very well animated, and I thought the story held some important moral lessons for kids (heck, for adults too). Plus it had Emma Watson in it.
• The Dark Knight. Wayyy better than the original Batman movies. If Heath Ledger doesn't get an Oscar, it's a tragedy, just like his death.
  
• 27 Dresses. Chick flick? Obviously. But again, a happy ending and an entire movie about weddings, which, as you all know, was a bit of an obsession for me this past year.
• Sex and the City. This movie had some stupid moments (Carrie's ridiculous bird wedding hat being one of them) but the look on Steve's face when he and Miranda got back together was worth it.
• Wall-E. Adorable robots, great animation,and, you guessed it, a happy ending (beginning to see a theme here?).
  
• Baby Mama. Tina Fey + Amy Poehler=Hilarious. No matter what they're doing. Even Brian thought this one was funny.
• Australia. Good costumes and sets, a really interesting and captivating story, and, of course, a happy ending. Mostly.
• Young@Heart. Old people singing rock songs sounds dumb..but it was AMAZING.
  

As for the WORST movies of 2008, here are my tops:

• Penelope. She looked better with her pig snout..which kind of gets rid of the whole purpose of the story.
  
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...aliens?? really?
  
• Wanted. The only good part of that movie was when Morgan Freeman said, "Shoot me, motherf***er". There's just something wrong there.
• Hancock. This was just dumb all around. Shame on you, Will Smith.
• 21. Winner winner, chicken dinner. Alas, this film was not a winner.
• Fool's Gold. Generally I like romantic comedies. But Matthew McHoweveryouspellit got hit too many times with things that went "clang!" for this to be funny.
• Twilight. I've posted on this before so I won't repeat myself.

Clearly the Academy and I differ.

Books

What sticks out to me about books this year is my newfound addiction to the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig and the Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George. There are also a few standouts by non-series books:

• The Thirteenth Tale. I just finished this, and it was one of the best books I've read in a long time. It was...magical. I really, REALLY, recommend it.
• Julie & Julia. Cooking + chick lit=a book for me. Which is also getting made into a movie. BONUS!
• Brideshead Revisited. This was like a serious Jeeves & Wooster. I missed Tuppy and Stinker Pinker and all his weird pals...but not for long.
• The Blind Assassin. I love Margaret Atwood, and this was one of her best.
• The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm. Only I would pick up and read a book like this...but it was very good and I recommend it if you like social history.
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I had written this off as a mindless best seller...but it's not.
  
• Mister Pip. I read this for a class..but this story of the embattled natives of Papua, New Guinea, involved one of my favorite books (Great Expectations) in such a fantastic way I couldn't have ever imagined it...but it was just right.

Ahh. What a refreshing look back. Now to the present..but more on that later.

Sudden Changes

2008 certainly brought its share of changes--graduating, getting engaged, moving into an apartment on my own, starting grad school....but the 2nd day of 2009 brought one of the most sudden: On Friday, Brian's dad had some chest pain just as he was about to start a surgery, and was forced by the hospital administrators to have it checked out. Nobody thought it was going to be very serious, so we weren't worried--until they got the tests back to find that all his arteries were 90-95% blocked. So I basically threw Brian and Maddy in the car and drove to New Bern in the middle of the night (NOT fun), and they're doing his dad's surgery today. I'm actually just waiting for the call that he's gone into surgery, and then i'll go over and sit in the waiting room. (I think Dante was wrong--i'm pretty sure purgatory looks like a hospital waiting room where they never come out to tell you how it's going. My mom had neck surgery when I was in the 8th grade, and I just remembered sitting there as being so utterly miserable. Ironically, it was Brian's dad who did that surgery, and while my mom was in the hospital was the first time I met Brian, even if he doesn't remember it--he was in 9th grade then and went by BJ. teehee.)

So, in short, i'm back home for the week unexpectedly and back to my old habits of forcing Brian to sleep and eat. I'm sad that we're missing out on what we had planned--he was going to spend a few days at my apartment and had only been there about 2 hours when we had to leave--but glad that his dad didn't have any heart damage and was lucky enough to be in the hospital when it happened. Who knows what the future will bring...

Resolutions

Since it's New Year's, I thought it would be good measure to make some resolutions (here, where other people can read them and I can't "forget" about them)...

• Eat healthy. This means more fruits & vegetables, and less pasta. This could be a hard one.
• Eat less sugar. I'm doing pretty good on this one, really....i've pretty much cut out any kind of candy or sugary snack, and only eat one helping of dessert at parties or dinners and such, if I eat anything--at restaurants it's easy to refuse since I save money too. Plus I finally hid the Godiva's box I got for Christmas and am trying to ignore it. I miss dessert, but it made me so cranky and miserable it's just not worth it.
  
• Complain less.
  
• Compliment people more.
• Don't quit school. (this sounds stupid, but as much as I am NOT looking forward to going back, it's realistic).

For a review of 2008, check back soon...