It seems like my blogging rate is about once a month now. Not that hilarious stuff isn't happening to me, but my rate has slowed. So in this months blog let's reflect upon...
-Iryna came to visit! Yeah. 8 years after I last saw her in high school, she showed up on my doorstep and it didn't seem to matter that so much time had passed. That's the way that it is with good friends though, right? We talked and cooked and caught up on almost a decade and when she left I had a firm hope that it won't be 8 years next time.
-We're trying desperately to move and have combined forces with Syd and Hannah to hopefully find something soon. I'd love to live in the north end, but finding something big enough in our price range is proving to be rather tricky.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
-The travel bug is grumbling less because it finally got fed. As in, I applied to a few programs and have been accepted to some of them. The tricky part will be deciding which one is the best fit. Some may be safer than others, but have better programs overall, or some may have better travel opportunities but not have any Spanish focus. (These are organic farming/sustainable living internships btw.) So we'll see.
In conclusion, I will leave you with this video which is very helpful in stressful family situations with the grandmother:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/72441/saturday-night-live-target
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Words of Wisdom to Live By
We went "adventuring" today, which mostly consists of wandering around with the boys and exploring streams and climbing trees and rocks and looking for signs of spring. Loved it. Favorite quote:
[One of my little guys comes walking up, noticeably wet and much dirtier than a few moments prior. A little agitated as if concerned that this is something the world needs to know]
LG: New rule. NO spinning moves if you're on a rock with moss that is also really wet.
[One of my little guys comes walking up, noticeably wet and much dirtier than a few moments prior. A little agitated as if concerned that this is something the world needs to know]
LG: New rule. NO spinning moves if you're on a rock with moss that is also really wet.
Cherish
1, 2. Cherish, foster, harbor imply giving affection, care, or shelter to something. Cherish suggests regarding or treating something as an object of affection or as valuable: to cherish a friendship. Foster implies sustaining and nourishing something with care, especially in order to promote, increase, or strengthen it: to foster a hope; to foster enmity. 2. nurse, nourish, sustain.
So I took a 10-day vacation and went to Portland. It was good for the soul. I got to spend time with people I love to the bottom of my heart and back out the top again. And I think that it's very important to take these times where we remember that the world is very much bigger than the little plots we live our daily lives in. And outside our little plots are realms upon realms of possibilities, responsibilities, and people who taste colors.
I came home and realized that my brave little ficus had gone from 2 leaves to about 8 while I was out and I feel that I have done the same. Thanks to good chats, and laughing, and films, and trips to the beach in the pouring rain, and my BFF Crossroads, and bubble tea, and inappropriate conversation in public places, and books, and walks, and a million other tiny moments, I feel like I'm looking at the next stage of life with hope and a little excitement instead of jumping from a gloomy present into an equally gloomy future.
So I took a 10-day vacation and went to Portland. It was good for the soul. I got to spend time with people I love to the bottom of my heart and back out the top again. And I think that it's very important to take these times where we remember that the world is very much bigger than the little plots we live our daily lives in. And outside our little plots are realms upon realms of possibilities, responsibilities, and people who taste colors.
I came home and realized that my brave little ficus had gone from 2 leaves to about 8 while I was out and I feel that I have done the same. Thanks to good chats, and laughing, and films, and trips to the beach in the pouring rain, and my BFF Crossroads, and bubble tea, and inappropriate conversation in public places, and books, and walks, and a million other tiny moments, I feel like I'm looking at the next stage of life with hope and a little excitement instead of jumping from a gloomy present into an equally gloomy future.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Bugs
So I had this realization. After growing up in a religious setting where being a missionary was just about the tip-top of the pyramid, an idealization formed. And somewhere along the way I developed this idea that the ultimate best thing I could do with my life was to move to some desolate village, wear horribly unfashionable clothes (sorry missionaries), serve "the poor", and eat weird foods including, but not limited to, bugs.
Grab your machetes. Let's quickly slash through the gross cultural stereotyping, potential ethnocentric landmines, nationalism, etc. and get to today's qualm.
That paradigm never shifted. The religious component slowly trickled away but the fashion, the "poor" (I know I am being all kinds of politically incorrect here), and the bugs are still very vivid. So I was talking with someone about this the other day. And I expected him to bring up my tendency to assume that whatever is difficult, painful, and miserable must be the most noble option. Given two comparable options, I would assume that whatever option cost more for me would be the better of the two.
But he told me that I just needed to figure out what was out there, realistically. Take it from a vague idea to a concrete program. And then after that step, I should probably go do it. Because if I didn't, I'd spend the rest of my life regretting the loss and feeling like I missed out/wasted something/should have done something differently.
I gave it some thought. And I think he's got a good point, as evidenced by my stint in Spain. I had always wanted to live in Europe and somewhere around the 6th grade I started jonesing to get out of the small town I lived in. Would I have wasted my life if I had never crossed the ocean? Not necessarily. Would I have been a failure? Not necessarily. Yet did I still feel relieved, accomplished, and proud of myself afterward? Absolutely. I no longer feel the need to live there again. I would enjoy it, in smaller doses, but I don't feel any pressure anymore. Do I sound like a whiny little privileged girl? Probably.
Thus begins the search. I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Digging wells, for some reason, is the idea my brain is choosing to romanticize at the moment. Something without frills, something difficult, something challenging. I'm learning that I have to keep the balance of challenge tuned in my life. Too little challenge and the anxiety rises. Too much challenge and the exhaustion rises. Just enough challenge is a thrill.
I'd like to add 2 caveats: One, LASP helped me to begin, at least a little, to get rid of the savior mentality. The mentality that says (with or without knowing it) that, "Oh hey, my culture/race/country/whatever is so great. Let me help this lesser/weaker/whatever group because I am so magnanimous and noble." Nope. All I know is I want to go somewhere, and do something that benefits someone else. In a foreign country where I might have to eat bugs. 2) I will probably have a supernatural ability to power through the insects on account of my lifetime membership in the Banana Slug Club. Membership photo shown below.
I welcome your feedback.
Grab your machetes. Let's quickly slash through the gross cultural stereotyping, potential ethnocentric landmines, nationalism, etc. and get to today's qualm.
That paradigm never shifted. The religious component slowly trickled away but the fashion, the "poor" (I know I am being all kinds of politically incorrect here), and the bugs are still very vivid. So I was talking with someone about this the other day. And I expected him to bring up my tendency to assume that whatever is difficult, painful, and miserable must be the most noble option. Given two comparable options, I would assume that whatever option cost more for me would be the better of the two.
But he told me that I just needed to figure out what was out there, realistically. Take it from a vague idea to a concrete program. And then after that step, I should probably go do it. Because if I didn't, I'd spend the rest of my life regretting the loss and feeling like I missed out/wasted something/should have done something differently.
I gave it some thought. And I think he's got a good point, as evidenced by my stint in Spain. I had always wanted to live in Europe and somewhere around the 6th grade I started jonesing to get out of the small town I lived in. Would I have wasted my life if I had never crossed the ocean? Not necessarily. Would I have been a failure? Not necessarily. Yet did I still feel relieved, accomplished, and proud of myself afterward? Absolutely. I no longer feel the need to live there again. I would enjoy it, in smaller doses, but I don't feel any pressure anymore. Do I sound like a whiny little privileged girl? Probably.
Thus begins the search. I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Digging wells, for some reason, is the idea my brain is choosing to romanticize at the moment. Something without frills, something difficult, something challenging. I'm learning that I have to keep the balance of challenge tuned in my life. Too little challenge and the anxiety rises. Too much challenge and the exhaustion rises. Just enough challenge is a thrill.
I'd like to add 2 caveats: One, LASP helped me to begin, at least a little, to get rid of the savior mentality. The mentality that says (with or without knowing it) that, "Oh hey, my culture/race/country/whatever is so great. Let me help this lesser/weaker/whatever group because I am so magnanimous and noble." Nope. All I know is I want to go somewhere, and do something that benefits someone else. In a foreign country where I might have to eat bugs. 2) I will probably have a supernatural ability to power through the insects on account of my lifetime membership in the Banana Slug Club. Membership photo shown below.
I welcome your feedback.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Fame comes early to some
Maybe I'm just trying to find justification for something that has already happened, but I think that learning to laugh at really inappropriate things (while making sure consequences follow, of course), is a good skill to have in my trade. Thus I found the following interaction at work pretty hilarious. (Not for the easily offended.)
[Student has recently been moved outside to eat in the cold after being disrespectful inside]
Student: I don't see why you're such a f****** jerk.
Me: Mhm.
[More ranting which I ignored after which student stumbles across a kind of loop he proceeds to rap to me.}
Student: Ms. Kate, ye ye, you're a bi***, HEY, you're a who**, what, what, what, ye.
So, ladies and gentlemen, you can look for this hit single to be busting through the top 10 any day now!
I also found the following from a post about a year ago and I can only say BOOYAH!
"I got a job, totally unrelated to my major but related to pretty much all the jobs I've ever had, working with 10-15 year old boys. Discipline has definitely always been my weakness. Since I have a pretty strong personality, you would think that discipline comes naturally, but it actually makes me sick. Therefore, this job is gradually changing that. I don't know how long I'll last, but I'm giving it a good go while I'm there."
[Student has recently been moved outside to eat in the cold after being disrespectful inside]
Student: I don't see why you're such a f****** jerk.
Me: Mhm.
[More ranting which I ignored after which student stumbles across a kind of loop he proceeds to rap to me.}
Student: Ms. Kate, ye ye, you're a bi***, HEY, you're a who**, what, what, what, ye.
So, ladies and gentlemen, you can look for this hit single to be busting through the top 10 any day now!
I also found the following from a post about a year ago and I can only say BOOYAH!
"I got a job, totally unrelated to my major but related to pretty much all the jobs I've ever had, working with 10-15 year old boys. Discipline has definitely always been my weakness. Since I have a pretty strong personality, you would think that discipline comes naturally, but it actually makes me sick. Therefore, this job is gradually changing that. I don't know how long I'll last, but I'm giving it a good go while I'm there."
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Yeep.
Whoa man, kids. It's been a while since I just rambled on about nothing in particular (just kidding, that's what most of my blogs are). So here are some rambles.
1) I have taken up skiing. I really like it, especially because I'm picking it up quickly. Gone are the days of the pizza slice...mostly. And so far, I've survived some pretty terrific falls. Cartwheels down the mountain, really. Friday night's trip involved doing the splits and a lot of the f-word and then also a wild cartwheel that involved my friends asking if I was okay mid-tumble and me not realizing I wasn't done.
Friends: "Are you okay?!"
Me: "I'm okay!" *More tumbling* *pause* "Yeah I'm okay"
*extended hysterical laughter*
But overall I'm proud of this because I've wanted to do this for a long time and I finally just did it. By myself.
2) I have a boyfriend. His name is Peter and he's absolutely the most amazing thing ever. Bahahahahahah. Just kidding. I thought I would throw that in there for kicks and giggles and shock factor.
3) I talked to one of my friends from my Costa Rica program and re-triggered my wanderlust. For various reasons, I have deemed it wiser to stay here close to my family for the time being and into the summer. I've looked into various programs abroad, organic farming internships in the U.S., and none of them seem to suit my boat. And I reflect on all the tests I took and find-yourself classes I sat through and wonder why it's so difficult for me to find the next place I want to adventure to. Of course, there's no "right answer" but maybe I'm being too picky. I know I'd like to transition into a program. a) this is a greater opportunity for community/antidote for loneliness for people new to the area. b) I'd rather move with someone, but this gets a little risky as moving to a totally new place and knowing one person puts a big strain on the relationship. c) I'd like to find a low-strings attached type job where I can go and do it for a while, help people, and be in a new part of the world, but these jobs usually don't pay very much. So you go to a brand-new place without having the funds to explore it/pay off the car you will probably have to buy to get there in the first place.
Anne, Alli, and I talked about moving to Vermont and everything was looking good until I realized that sunny days per year is only 58. Even less than Portland. Yikes. These are the things that occupy my thoughts these days. That and how there is an overwhelming amount of good music out there that is not on my computer.
Word to your mother.
1) I have taken up skiing. I really like it, especially because I'm picking it up quickly. Gone are the days of the pizza slice...mostly. And so far, I've survived some pretty terrific falls. Cartwheels down the mountain, really. Friday night's trip involved doing the splits and a lot of the f-word and then also a wild cartwheel that involved my friends asking if I was okay mid-tumble and me not realizing I wasn't done.
Friends: "Are you okay?!"
Me: "I'm okay!" *More tumbling* *pause* "Yeah I'm okay"
*extended hysterical laughter*
But overall I'm proud of this because I've wanted to do this for a long time and I finally just did it. By myself.
2) I have a boyfriend. His name is Peter and he's absolutely the most amazing thing ever. Bahahahahahah. Just kidding. I thought I would throw that in there for kicks and giggles and shock factor.
3) I talked to one of my friends from my Costa Rica program and re-triggered my wanderlust. For various reasons, I have deemed it wiser to stay here close to my family for the time being and into the summer. I've looked into various programs abroad, organic farming internships in the U.S., and none of them seem to suit my boat. And I reflect on all the tests I took and find-yourself classes I sat through and wonder why it's so difficult for me to find the next place I want to adventure to. Of course, there's no "right answer" but maybe I'm being too picky. I know I'd like to transition into a program. a) this is a greater opportunity for community/antidote for loneliness for people new to the area. b) I'd rather move with someone, but this gets a little risky as moving to a totally new place and knowing one person puts a big strain on the relationship. c) I'd like to find a low-strings attached type job where I can go and do it for a while, help people, and be in a new part of the world, but these jobs usually don't pay very much. So you go to a brand-new place without having the funds to explore it/pay off the car you will probably have to buy to get there in the first place.
Anne, Alli, and I talked about moving to Vermont and everything was looking good until I realized that sunny days per year is only 58. Even less than Portland. Yikes. These are the things that occupy my thoughts these days. That and how there is an overwhelming amount of good music out there that is not on my computer.
Word to your mother.
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