i have crabs...papa fidem scit...i'm still laughing... Wednesday, December 27, 2006My supervisor gave me a dreidel and gelt (spelling??) in a "Kwanzaa Yenu Iwe Na Heri" ("Happy Kwanzaa") card. I haven't played dreidel since my childhood days of thinking that everyone but me was Jewish. Oh, the joys of growing up in Saint "Jewish" Park.Remember the game Obo-shin-otten-taten? (Who knows how to spell that??!?) It's the one where you slap hands around a circle, at the end you have to move your hand out of the way when the group gets to the number ten. We used to count in Hebrew at the end. I didn't even know I was speaking a different language. I made Jenny play dreidel with me. We didn't have enough gelt. Also, dreidel is really only fun if you play with more people. If anyone is up for a game, give your dear Gentile friend a call! Happy Hanukkah-as the 50 foot menorah says that is erected each year near my house. Happy Kwanzaa. Merry Christmas. Warm Winter Solstice Wishes. (1) comments .: posted by Kristen 11:32 AMWednesday, December 06, 2006It's finals week. So, obviously I'm procrastinating :) Such is the life of a grad student with far too many papers to write. I'm trying not to be too stressed out, that's my goal anyway. In order to mitigate stress symptoms I have explained to everyone that this week will be hell for me, so please be kind. So far there has been limited rash decisions and no lashings of innocent passerby. I think that is some serious progress over past undergrad years. I'd give myself a pat on the back, but they are stuck in this typing-on-the-keyboard position. See you all in a week. (1) comments.: posted by Kristen 6:30 PMSaturday, November 11, 2006Sometimes you just deserve to turn off your cell phone, keep the tv off, and spend an entire, uninterrupted day with a person that just makes you so happy. I have so much school work to do, but it didn't bother me at all because for over 24 hours (wow!) there were no worries in the world. Other than to be happy. And it worked beautifully. I feel refreshed.Now like will return to its craziness, but lovely memories have been made. (0) comments .: posted by Kristen 3:00 PMFriday, November 03, 2006In a few days (twelve to be precise) I will be saying, "Adios" to my early twenties and "Hello Mid-twenties!"Hmm...I can't decide how I feel about that. If you are wondering what to get me, think practical. This whole living-off-student-loans thing is making me even more in need of the necessities. Thank all the gods and goddesses that I have this girl in my life that treats me so well. Otherwise, food would be in short supply. Happy November! The best month ever. (0) comments .: posted by Kristen 8:32 AMFriday, October 20, 2006Today I was at a training. I wrote one note that I learned (but it's a good one!):Sometimes you can't use words, you have to use movement. This would have been helpful last night as I was arguing in circles. Why is it that you only recognize sound advice after you needed it?? (0) comments .: posted by Kristen 4:57 PMThursday, September 28, 2006Isn't it about time for a 90's theme party? We thought so anyway. Come, enjoy! This Saturday, anytime after 7pm. Call if you need directions. (1) comments .: posted by Kristen 3:58 PMMonday, September 11, 2006There were a couple of Ugandans that were staying with my parents this past week. One of the Ugandans, Patrick, told his story to a group at my parents' church on Sunday. Before I get into Patrick's story, let me explain this church (some of you know it as "The Big Ooogly Church"). The church building itself is distressing for me to walk into. It is enormous. The church, as in the people who attend tend to have so much money...the pockets of these congregants are bulging. Some of them use their money wisely (yes, I know this is bias, but) like my parents. My family has always lived moderately and given plenty. What is the use of massive amounts of money sitting in the bank, when you can send our sponsored child, my sister, Joanita to university? But some of the congregants just want to hold on to as much money as possible (picture the Donald Duck cartoon, where Donald, Huey, Duey and Louie are rolling in the money vault). I have a hard time getting past this overwhelming gluttony, so I feel like the spiritual energy of the church is tainted so as to make these hoarders feel better about their lifestyle. Needless to say, I rarely enter the church anymore.But I love when Church-sponsored Africans stay at our house and decided it was worth going to The Big Ooogly Church to hear them speak. So, Patrick, who is about my age, told his story: Patrick's dad had 10 wives and 56 children. He was a businessman and doing very well, until he contracted HIV, like so many in the Rakai region of Uganda. (The percentage of HIV cases in Uganda is about 6%, but in Rakai it's about 26%.) This was in the early 1990's. The dad then decided to give all of his land and money to "witch doctors" who promised to cure him. Just FYI, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. He proceded to give HIV to all of his wives. More tragedy. Most of the children decided to try to find work in the city after their father sold everything. By the late 1990's there was one mom and 6 children left in the family. More tragedy. Patrick then lived in a two-room house with his 5 siblings and mom. The house was really just the remnants of an old 6-room house. It's in such disrepair the roof has caved in, there are holes in the walls. There is no money for any sort of light; a snake got in and bit one of his brothers. Patrick woke up next to his dead brother the next morning. More tragedy, but now there is some hope ?? Thanks to someone at The Big Ooogly Church having far too much money, Patrick now goes to university in Kampala (the capital). The church only pays for his tuition, though, and he can't afford room and board. How stereotypical rich folk to only partially solve a problem despite them having the means to do more. (0) comments .: posted by Kristen 4:41 PMMonday, August 07, 2006August is the slowest time at work, usually.This August, however, has rocked my world! I've given my resignation at work and, accordingly, have begun taking long lunches. By "long" I don't mean that I've "extended my thirty-minute allotted lunch time a bit"...no,no,no, I mean I take two or three hour-long lunches. I'm getting together with friends that I haven't seen in ages. I'm working out at the club. I've even come home and taken a nap. It's bittersweet though. I'm really beginning to like my job at the moment...and right before I leave. (0) comments .: posted by Kristen 9:53 PMSaturday, July 22, 2006I've always thought of autumn as the "Season of Change" but apparently summer is now the New Autumn.So many changes...some good. Some not so good. At the moment I feel all right about all of them. Fireworks at the Aquatennial show tonight will help for sure :) (0) comments .: posted by Kristen 3:03 PMMonday, May 01, 2006How do immigrants affect your life?I, for one, would be out of a job. 50% of my students were absent today. I've heard of principals and teachers discouraging this strike/boycott. Well, I encourage my students to make a difference, to make their mark in the history books (especially since they don't see anyone in our history books that resemble them)...so I ENCOURAGED all of my immigrant students to boycott. I hope the hundreds of thousands of protesters across this great nation felt an impact, because I would like to point out that unless you are 100% Native American, you too are an immigrant. (0) comments .: posted by Kristen 7:27 PMWednesday, March 01, 2006Signs of Spring!I took the trash out and didn't have to get completely bundled up to walk the 30 feet to the dumpster! Yeehaw! Spring is in her way. (2) comments .: posted by Kristen 8:33 PMThursday, February 09, 2006NEWS FLASH: I do not actually know everything. Sometimes, I admit it, I am an arrogant bitch and pretend that I in fact do know everything. Recently, I have been trying to do this (the "arrogant bitchy" thing) even less and LIVE IN WONDER! even more.Just to be clear, however, there are times that I do know something :) So, in light of all of this, why do people at my work ASSUME that I either know EVERYTHING or NOTHING?!!? What the hell? There's no grey area apparently. And don't assume that I will ask for the right information when I don't even know what the fuck I'm supposed to be asking about. Okay? Let's just not assume, shall we??? Damn you! (1) comments .: posted by Kristen 4:52 PMWednesday, January 18, 2006The other night I had a dream that I was in a passionate relationship with a blind 18-year old boy. He had crazy blonde hair and was a little scruffy.Why was it that my roommate didn't seem a bit surprised by this dream??? At least the phantom-relationship was legal. (2) comments .: posted by Kristen 9:41 PMTuesday, January 03, 2006Yesterday rocked my world.I love being a state employee, sometimes. Yesterday I loved it A LOT! Mostly because it was a state holiday, so I only got out of my fantastic burnt-orange colored robe to take a walk in the Wintery Wonderland. I drank tea and watched movies. I was somewhat productive with this whole applying-for-grad-school thing. I talked to Eva for an hour as she drove cross-country from Connecticut to Iowa. I talked to Jennabelle for about an hour, who proceded to eat the microphone on her computer! I talked to Katie, who has creative ideas for pounding math facts and writing processes into the heads of her fourth graders. And I was a sickling. So Anna brought me Nyquil and I passed out. I get the best sleep of my life with Nyquil. Life just makes me happy sometimes, despite blowing my nose every 5 minutes :) (1) comments .: posted by Kristen 11:55 AM |
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