A Life Update

Since I was slacking for such a long time in the posting department, I thought I would take a moment to update you on a couple of pretty great things that happened in my life in May. First, I had the opportunity to attend a conference in San Francisco at the beginning of May. It's a great conference (I went a couple years ago when it was in D.C.). Plus, hello!, San Francisco! Hotel and travel paid for by someone else, plus a per diem. Yes, please! It was great. I was able to take a bus tour on my first travel day and walk to some other places in the afternoons and evenings during the conference days. 

One of the coolest things I did (or have ever done for that matter) was walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's just SO huge!

 

I also got a close up view of the painted ladies. These houses are just so pretty. I loved all the architecture in the city.

 

We stayed at an amazing hotel, just a block from Pier 39. I saw the sea lions and a great view of Alcatraz. We tried to take boat tour to the island, but were not able to get there early enough.

 

On my last day, I got up early and ran along the San Francisco Bay. I can't tell you how great that was. If I could do that every day, I would be one happy lady!

 

San Francisco will definitely be a place I visit again. There is just so much to see, experience, and EAT! The food was amazing. I would go back just for that. Anyway, when I got back, I was in hustle mode to finish my capstone paper for my Master's degree closure. Luckily, I was in good shape and was able to turn it in on time. I received an A on the paper, which I am quite proud of. Then, on May 14, I participated in the commencement ceremony and received my diploma cover. I should receive the actual diploma sometime next month. I definitely recommend that students participate in the commencement ceremony for degrees above the bachelor's. It was such a great experience because this degree was all for me. I was able to sit there and reflect on how hard I worked on something that meant so much to me. Definitely worth it. I think the picture below reflects how happy I actually was. It was a wonderful day (despite the rain) and really helped to close that part of my life on a happy note.

 

 

What I've Been Up To

Writing! I'm three weeks away from the day I will turn in my Capstone paper and be finished with grad school. I have a solid outline and all of my research finished. I present my research tomorrow evening. Then, it's all about writing. Fortunately, writing is easy once you have a great outline.

This weekend we also got some pretty bad storms. It was interesting. We don't have a basement, so when there is a tornado we huddle in the hall closet. It got boring, so we only stayed in there for a few minutes. I can get to the hall closet in 5 seconds from anywhere in my house, so I took a chance. Besides, I like watching the storms. Everything came directly from the south, which is never a good sign. Here's what it looked like before it hit. This was at about 5:30pm, so it really is that dark from the storm.

We also got a ton of hail. Some of it was pretty large. I didn't get a good picture of all the hail,  but this is about halfway through the hail on our deck. Makes me so glad we have a garage.

Luckily, I do not think we had a confirmed tornado. Lots of rotation, though, which is why they issued tornado warnings. We got lucky this time. Unfortunately, some out east did not. Hopefully the rest of tornado seasons calms down for everyone.

Chicago!

This past weekend I had one of the most wonderful experiences. I was able to meet with 11 of my friends in Chicago. I know. What's the big deal. Girls' weekend in Chicago. The big deal was that I had never met any of these women in person. Yep, they are my "internet friends". I have been lucky enough to be part of a community women on a message board for nearly 4 years. We all met while planning our September 2008 weddings and have remained in contact on our message board, through email, and through Facebook. We have become close through sharing a common event and continued to remain by sharing our lives with each. There have been mini get togethers over the past couple of years, and some of the ladies live close enough that they can get together regularly (yes, I'm jealous of them!). But, for the most part, our friendships have existed through the computer. Isn't the internet wonderful?

Back to the weekend. Most of the ladies got to Chicago on Friday, hung out, and had dinner and drinks. I was able to take the train up early on Saturday morning (I watched the sun come up from the train) and join them for some sightseeing, dinner, and drinks. Of course, there was tons of chatting, laughing, and being silly thrown in there. Meeting these ladies was so exciting and really reaffirmed that we aren't just internet friends. We are real friends. I look forward to more get togethers in the future and hope that eventually I will be able to meet each and every member of the S08 clan.

 

The Group at Angels & Kings

The Bean

 

Chicago in The Bean

The Skydeck at the Sears Tower

Out on the Ledge - 1,353 feet above Chicago

Conquering my fear of heights on the Ledge!

The ABCs of One Human

My friends Paige posted this on her blog and I thought it looked fun, so I swiped it. Hopefully you will learn something new about me.

{a} age; 25
{b} bed size; King
{c} chore you hate; Folding and putting away laundry
{d} dogs; None currently and most likely will never have one
{e} essential start to your day; Breakfast
{f} favorite color; Yellow
{g} gold or silver; Silver
{h} height; 5’4″
{i} instruments you play; None, but I would like to learn the piano someday
{j} job title; Assistant Director for Research and Policy Studies
{k} kids; None
{l} live; Central, IL
{m} mom’s name; Denise
{n} nicknames; X-O, X-O Jo, Jo Jo
{o} overnight hospital stays; Only when I was born
{p} pet peeve; Currently, people with bad gym manners (don't put up their weights, hog equipment, over the top loud, etc.)
{q} quote from a TV show; ‎I'm stealing one of Paige's - "Look at me I'm Chandler, could I be wearing anymore clothes?" - Joey - Friends 

{r} right- or left-handed; Right
{s} siblings; 1 older brother
{t} time you wake up; Around 6:45am on weekdays and 8:00am on weekends
{u} underwear; Bikinis or Hipsters
{v} vegetables you dislike; Brussel Sprouts
{w} what makes you run late; Not much, I'm Peggy Punctual
{x} x-rays you’ve had; Wrist (broken when I was 6), chest (pains in Jr. High), head (migraines when I was 8), finger (broken in Jr. High), arm (sprained in Jr. High), ankle (tore all the ligaments when I was 22), teeth (more than I can count over the years)
{y} yummy food you make; My specialties include lasagna, pork chops, strawberry salad, chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter cookies
{z} zoo – favorite animal; Hippos, obviously

2011 Goals Check In

Remember my goals for 2011? Yeah, well, some are going better than others. Here is how things are shaping up so far:

Read 50 Books for Leisure: I have read 10 books in 2011. You can see them here. This is definitely the goal I have made the most progress on.

Finish Graduate School: I'm getting there! 8 weeks of my last semester are finished. Next week is spring break and then we go back for 8 more weeks. I have planned some library time for this weekend to work on my research, so hopefully that starts taking off soon.

Take a Vacation: Not even close. We wanted to take a vacation after graduation in May, but we can't decide where and can't commit on a time frame. I'm thinking this might be held off until later this year.

Participate in a Charity Run: I need to start watching for these events, since the big season for it should be starting up again soon.

Volunteer: I submitted my information to volunteer for my local library's annual summer book sale. Either sorting books before the sale, or manning the tables during the sale. I'm excited and hope the organizers contact me!

Watch Less TV: Yeah, this hasn't happened yet. I really need to work on not having the TV on just to have it on.

Spend Less Time on the Computer (outside of work): Again, hasn't happened. I really do need to kick my spider solitaire habit, though.

You Are What You Eat

On Monday I finally watched Food, Inc. I say finally because I have known about it for a couple years and have been interested in watching it. The topic of the movie is definitely not something I am ignorant of. In fact, I think I know more about it than most. So the facts presented in the  movie were not surprising to me. It was being able to put a face to the problem. Seeing the farmers, the animals, and the families. That was how the movie impacted me.

I grew up in a cornfield. Literally. My childhood home was bordered on three sides by a cornfield. On one side was out road and on the other side of the road was another field (which rotated between corn and soybeans). I know farmers. I am from a farming family. To see how they are being manipulated by Monsanto made me angry. To see how these families are forced to defend their business and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees just to defend themselves made me incredibly sad. To know that upwards of 80% of the corn harvested in the United States is genetically modified (and as studies suggest, not all that safe for humans) made me sick.

To see how the big companies force poultry, beef, and pork farmers to treat their animals. To see what they put in to them. It made me sad. I'm not an animal lover by nature. But to make them suffer all because of our more for less mentality is wrong. What's funny is, we aren't really getting more for less. Sure, we're getting more in a quantitative sense, but we're getting much less in a qualitative sense and when it comes to food, quality IS more important than quantity.

These are just a couple of the thoughts I have had as a result of the movie. Fortunately, we have already been moving in the direction of better and more sustainable food. We shop locally when possible and frequent the Farmer's Markets during the 6 months of the year that they are open. I read labels and try to stay away from most things with unnatural ingredients most of the time. We buy milk from a local company that only uses raw milk from cows not given hormones. This year I am planting a garden and we are discussing splitting a grass fed cow with my husband's brother's family. I am considering planting a peach tree this month, which should bear fruit in just a year or two. I'm hopeful that this movement will catch on and more people will begin to think more about the quality of their food. I'm also hopeful that policymakers will begin to be more aware of the importance of this issue and structure policy to incentivize sustainable farming instead of how things are structured now. I supposed only time will tell, but it you want to learn more I would suggest checking out Food, Inc. and many other the other documentaries and books on this subject.

Happy Pancake Day!

Don't those just look delicious? I love pancakes. Especially during the spring and summer when I can use fresh berries and peaches to dress them up. YUM!

Today is National Pancake Day. Unfortunately, I will not have time to make pancakes today to celebrate. I hope to make some this weekend, though for a belated celebration.

Banned Books

This week I learned that Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is going to be edited to remove a derogatory racial term. Here is one article on the issue. Obviously, I am not a proponent of using this, or any related term. But, I can't help but be upset by this. To me, shielding people (children included) from these works in their original form is doing them more harm than good. I am firmly in the camp that believes that this, and other so-called banned books, can be a very useful teaching method if you just take the time to have a discussion about them. Maybe it's the book nerd in me, but this makes me sad.

In light of the discussions I have been reading about this issue, I have found a list by the American Library Association of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books from 2000-2009 and the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990-1999. The lists are below. I am compelled to read them all, just to see what is so controversial about them. I also would love to argue why they should not be banned, but that is the contrarian in me. I have bolded the books I have read. How many have you read? Do you think they should be banned? Why or why not?

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009
1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16. Forever, by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan
26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier
28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney
30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison
36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris
38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles
39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank
41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher
42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi
43. Blubber, by Judy Blume
44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly
46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard
48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
51. Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan
52. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
53. You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco
54. The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole
55. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green
56. When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester
57. Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause
58. Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
59. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
60. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson (I'm reading this one now, actually)
61. Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle
62. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
63. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney
64. Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park
65. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor
67. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
68. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
70. Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen
71. Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park
72. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
73. What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras
74. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
75. Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry
76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
77. Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert
78. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein
79. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss
80. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
81. Black Boy, by Richard Wright
82. Deal With It!, by Esther Drill
83. Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds
84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins
85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
86. Cut, by Patricia McCormick
87. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
88. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
89. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger
90. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
91. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
92. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
93. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
94. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
95. Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix
96. Grendel, by John Gardner
97. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende
98. I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte
99. Are You There, God?  It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
100. America: A Novel, by E.R. Frank

100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990-1999
1. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
7. Forever, by Judy Blume
8. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
9. Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
10. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
11. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
12. My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
14. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
16. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Sex, by Madonna
19. Earth’s Children (series), by Jean M. Auel
20. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
21. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
22. The Witches, by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
24. The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
25. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
26. The Goats, by Brock Cole
27. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
28. Anastasia Krupnik (series), by Lois Lowry
29. Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
30. Blubber, by Judy Blume
31. Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
32. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
33. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
34. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
35. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
36. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
37. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
38. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
39. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
40. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
41. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
42. Deenie, by Judy Blume
43. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
44. Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden
45. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
46. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
47. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
48. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
49. Cujo, by Stephen King
50. James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
52. Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
53. American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
54. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
55. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
56. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
58. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
59. The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
61. Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
62. Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
63. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
64. Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
65. Fade, by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What?, by Mem Fox
67. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
69. Native Son, by Richard Wright
70. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
71. Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
72. On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
73. The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
74. Jack, by A.M. Homes
75. Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
76. Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
77. Mommy Laid an Egg, by Babette Cole
78. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
79. Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
80. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
81. Carrie, by Stephen King
82. The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
84. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
85. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
86. Private Parts, by Howard Stern
87. Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
88. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
89. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
90. Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education, by Jenny Davis
94. Jumper, by Steven Gould
95. Christine, by Stephen King
96. The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene
97. That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
98. Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
99. The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
100. Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

2011 Goals

This time of year many people are thinking about resolutions for 2011. The idea behind the traditional idea of making new year's resolutions is good, but I never make them. Mostly because I do not like the word resolution. While the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of resolution - a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent ... - is not particularly bothersome, I still associate the word with all the resolutions made year in and year out that are forgotten after a few months. In other words, I associate new year's resolutions with failure which is not something I typically seek out. Instead of resolutions I like to set goals. I like goals because I focus more on the work that goes into achieving them than the actual end result. A much more positive idea, I think.For 2011, I have set a few goals for myself. Things I want to accomplish, experience, or work during the year. I plan to update the blog with my progress, so stick with me to see how I do.

One Human's 2011 Goals

Read 50 Books for Leisure

Finish Graduate School

Take a Vacation

Participate in a Charity Run

Volunteer

Watch Less TV

Spend Less Time on the Computer (outside of work)