Interview

Last monday I had a job interview with Northwest Regional Education Service District for the position of Early Childhood Education Specialist. There were five positions posted and fifteen applicants. I learned on Wednesday that three of the positions were currently being held by three of my classmates who are on emergency licensure. They had to apply and interview for the positions they have been doing for the past year... and now they have competition from twelve other people. Great!

I felt that my interview went well...after I checked the dictionary. During the interview, we were discussing teaming and collaboration, and I said the word "Shmuck." I had said that in previous teams where I was the "senior" member (whatever that means), I thought that it was extremely important for the rest of the team to feel comfortable enough in the team to be able to say "Hey Dawn, you're being a shmuck." The interviewers seemed to wake up when I said that. They had been so busy writing down what I said verbatum that when I said the word, I realized that they weren't really listening to me at all.

And then it occurred to me that "shmuck" is Yiddish for "penis." FUCK!

Growing up, I thought that shmuck meant stupid oaf. That's how we always used it. It was never a bad word. It was one of those words that you could call your sibling in front of your parent and get smacked, but no soap in the mouth. It was a safe word.

I went home and looked up the word in the dictionary, positive that I had ruined my chances of working for the ESD. To my surprise, the definition for shmuck is "stupid oaf." Written in parenthesis and italics at the end of the entry is from Yiddish - penis. So I figured, as long as they're not Jewish, I'm fine.

The next day, one of the interviewers told my cooperating teacher that I'm "a delightful young lady." I felt much better after that.

This week, my references are being contacted. That is good news. Nobody bothers to check references unless they're planning on hiring you. I just hope that my three classmates keep their positions.

ADZPCTKO

I spent the past weekend at Lake Morena, CA giving the current year's PCT thru-hikers an F-Troop sendoff. (I'm actually F-Troop-in-law, but they love me like family).

We spent nearly $800 on food for hikers. We cooked veggie burritos for dinner Friday night and French Toast for breakfast Saturday morning.

It was hot, and not just typical California Desert in late April hot. It was miserable. My lips were chapped and cracked by 8am Friday morning, and we rolled into the campground at midnight. Add standing in front of a hot propane stove, stirring beans or flipping toast AND drinking alcohol, and you have a recipe for disaster. Needless to say, I was feeling downright shitty Saturday afternoon. I couldn't drink water fast enough. It didn't help that the campground water tasted like rusty pipes, either.

I took a cold shower (because that's all they had to offer there) and a long nap, and felt a little bit better by the time the sun started to sink behind the horizon. I didn't drink Saturday night, and was called "mom" by some total drunks when I yelled at them for setting off Roman candles in the middle of the cabin parking lot in the dryest year yet.

Fuckers.

The good times outweighed the idiots, and I'm glad it was a success. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. I was amazed at how many '03ers are hiking again this year, and I'm glad I was there to wish Sharon (Double I, who is now being called "Cloudspotter," but I think that's a stupid name and am lobbying for "Nimbuskull") a good hike.

I get to mail her some of her resupply boxes. That's a BIG responsibility for me. I'm really bad at getting anything into the mail on time.

Here are some pictures from the KO.

Agent, Teatree, One & Ladybug with two of our four shopping carts at Costco

The "fixins table" at the Burrito Feed

Apple Pie and Roni from Israel sharing a special moment

Saturday night entertainment at the cabins
(I figured out how to use a low shutter speed on my camera!)

'03 & '05 hikers for Sunday morning breakfast

Very Sad Day

I have been meaning to post about spring break and student teaching, but things have been hectic around here (still). I will get to that soon. Possibly this weekend. In more pressing news, I heard a very sad thing on the radio today, and I had to share it... Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. I LOVE Kurt Vonnegut. When I lived in NY, I fantasized about stalking him and becoming his mistress.

Kurt Vonnegut 1922 - 2007

I was first introduced to Kurt in 8th grade, by my English teacher, Mr. Boozer (yep, that really was his name). He suggested I read Cat's Cradle. I didn't understand most of it, but I re-read it in college and loved it. From there, I moved on to Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions (my personal favorite) and Player Piano. When I lived in NY, I missed the chance to meet him at a book signing for Timequake because I had to work and I arrived too late to get into the room where he was speaking. Sigh. Now, I will never have that chance.

If you have never read Vonnegut, I suggest you start now. You are missing out!

End of the Term Wrap-Up

Tomorrow is the last day of winter term. I have been a piss-poor blogger because I haven't blogged since January. So, here is the wrap-up:

Winter Term

Winter term wasn't nearly as difficult as fall term. I didn't hole myself up in the office for hours, doing homework. In fact, I spent many nights snuggling on the couch with my honey, watching really bad network TV.

That's why I didn't blog...

My friend Sharon told me that it's quite alright not to spend every available moment on the internet, so I don't feel guilty.

Today I present my work sample. I have no idea what is expected of me. I lost the paper that explains it. I hope that my presentation goes well. I'm not doing a powerpoint presentation like everyone else. For one, I don't have powerpoint on my computer. For another, everyone else is doing one.

I also have a presentation in my second class. Once again, I'm not doing a powerpoint presentation. In fact, if I had my druthers, powerpoint wouldn't exist. I really hate powerpoint presentations.

Tomorrow is my final in my research class. I haven't studied for it. I figure I'll do a little tonight. Half is open book, and I got 100% on the midterm, so I feel pretty good about it. After class, we're going to the Goose Hollow Inn for Vegetarian Ruben sandwiches and lots and lots of beer.

Today is the first day of Aries. Our cohort leader, Dr. Dave R. Allen, is an Aries. He's also vegan. I am picking up a vegan chocolate cake from Whole Foods (which says "Happy Un-Birthday Dave!"), and we're throwing him a birthday party during class today. We also had a pool to guess which day in Aries his birthday falls. We hope he tells us because the lucky winner gets $30. If he doesn't, I have no idea what to do with the money. I guess we'll have to spend it at Happy Hour tomorrow!

Practicum

I had a superfantastic practicum experience. I was in Milwaukee at Clackamas ESD. It was a pain in the ass to get there, but I was able to ride my bike from practicum to class, which made the distance from home something I could deal with. I was teamed up with a Physical Therapist and an ECSE specialist. This was an Early Intervention home visiting model, and I was able to observe and participate in diagnostic evaluations. My cooperating professionals were absolutely wonderful to work with, and I gained quite a bit of knowledge from them. I am sad that I have to leave, as I was just getting into the groove with things.

Student Teaching

I begin student teaching next term. I wanted NWRESD because it's closest to my home. I was told that they weren't taking any student teachers from the full-time program because many of their employees are in the part-time program and they will be placing them into student teaching positions, and they don't have any more highly qualified teachers available.

I was pissed, and then I asked if a certain person who works for the ESD had a student teacher placed with her. She's been in the business for over 20 years, and is highly qualified. Turns out, she didn't have one, so I requested her. Surprisingly enough, I got it!! I'm so happy that I pushed for it. If I hadn't, who knows where I would have been placed. I'm meeting with her on Friday to discuss everything. I can't wait!

Spring Break

One nice thing about being a student is that I get spring break! This year, the Galli family is planning a trip to Disney World. It's going to be weird being a tourist in my home state. Well, maybe not... But still, five days of Disney theme parks? I don't know if I can handle all that excitement!

Master's Project

I have been accepted into a Masters Project. I'll be working at the Kiwanis Oral Hull Camp for children with autism, and helping to design and improve trainings for staff. The first three weeks of July, I will be working at the camp. This fall we'll be putting our project and paper together, to present in December, and then I can graduate!! That's so exciting!!

Well, I think that's all the update I have. Hopefully I'll be more of a writer during my student teaching when I will supposedly have more time....

Six Weird Things About Me

My friend Waterfall had this meme on her blog, so I thought I would follow suit. I think that six is a low number, as there are many weird things about me. However, I will try to list the six weirdest things about me.

1. I count. I have been doing this since I was little. I count when I'm nervous, when I'm bored, when I'm exercising and when I can't fall asleep. It often happens unconsciously. I will sometimes catch myself counting and I'm already at 76 or 324. I don't count things like bunnies, sheep or the tiles in the bathroom. I simply count.

2. I don't mix my food. When I eat, I eat one thing at a time. I do not move onto the next thing until the first thing is completed. For example, if I have the following for dinner: fish, broccoli & pears, I will eat them in that order. I will not take a bite of broccoli or pears until the fish is gone. I hate it when the juice from one food item gets into another food item. This is especially difficult when eating at an Indian restaurant. Exceptions to the rule are as follows:

1. If corn kernels and potatoes are on the menu, these must be mixed.
2. If rice is on the menu, it can be mixed with anything (ie beans & rice, Indian foods like daal & rice, and Chinese foods). However, if there are two items to be mixed with the rice (eg daal & paneer), they will be mixed and eaten in turn.
3. bread can be eaten at any time, and dipped into saucy foods.
4. grilled cheese must be eaten with soup, preferably tomato soup, and can only be eaten after it is dipped in said soup and thoroughly drenched.

3. Laundry must be folded a certain way before it can be placed in the dresser. If it is not folded in the way that it is supposed to be folded, it is to sit in the laundry basket until such a time that it can be folded. If my husband tries to fold the laundry, I have to re-fold it because his way is wrong.

4. If the tines in the fork are uneven, I cannot use the fork.

5. I have been known to wear the same pair of socks for more than a week straight.

6. If my nose has anything in it, I cannot concentrate. If there is a dry booger in there, that's all I think about until I can set it free.

Snow Day - Part II

When Navigator got home on Tuesday, we decided to shovel the walk and build a snow man. I got the camera and took a bunch of pictures. After spending 7 hours on Tri-Met, getting to play in the snow with my honey was a great reward! I was so happy he came home early!!

Navigator Shoveling snow off our front walkway


Our backyard & snowy deck

The pool
We played a game where we tried to lob snowballs over the fence & into the pool from across the parking lot. Navigator fared much better than me. I couldn't get any of mine over the fence.

We rolled snowballs down the hill and around the parking lot

Then I pushed them up the hill next to our deck.

It took both of us some time to get the second one on top of the first. They were HEAVY!!

We carefully molded the body of the snowman so that it looked nice & clean.

Navigator placed the head on the snowman...

...and we cleaned it up.

I went inside & found the proper accouterments for our man

And here we are! He towers over us!!

It turned out to be a fun day after all!!

School was cancelled on Wednesday, so I decided to go for a xc ski trip on the Fanno Creek Trail by my house. I created a trailjournal, which you can find here. Portland State is open today, but I don't have class until 4pm, so I have plenty of time to play in the snow before the rain comes and washes it away!

Snow Day - Part I

It began snowing at 5:45 this morning. I was supposed to go to my practicum in Milwaukie. I called one of my cooperating professionals who told me that if the ESD isn't closed, then home visits go as scheduled.

My original plan was to ride my bike to the Tualatin Park & Ride, take the express downtown, then a bus to Milwaukie. Total time, 1 hour. Due to the snow, I left the bike home and left the house at 5:53, hoping to catch one of four busses to get myself to Milwaukie.

The #76 bus, to Tualatin Park & Ride, was due at 6:08. It arrived at 6:15. I got to Tualatin Park & Ride in time to catch the #96 bus at 6:35. I arrived downtown a little before 7:00. I stopped at a deli to get a bottle of water, and got to the bus stop for the #33 at 7:05.

I had forgotten to bring my camera with me, so I was at the mercy of my cell phone for pictures. Sorry for the crappy resolution. This is what downtown Portland looked like at 7:05am.

The #33 showed up at 7:13. We made it to Milwaukie without much trouble. I hopped on the #29 bus to find out that the bus driver was unsure that we would be going anywhere. She had a call in to Tri-Met for information. They replied that because of the snow issues, it would be at least two hours before they could get out to her and get chains on her tires. She decided to risk it. We headed up Lake Rd. at 7:40.

I arrived at the Clackamas ESD office at 8:10. This is what the road up to the office looked like:

I waited for Chris, the PT I was scheduled to join for home visits. He arrived a little after 8:30 and told me that he was going to cancel his home visits. He did just that, then drove me down to the Milwaukie Transit Center, so that I could pick up the #33 back to downtown Portland. I was on the bus at 9:00.

I made a few vital mistakes:

I called Teatree. This kept me from thinking straight. Because I was on the phone, I didn't realize that I left my gloves on the bus. Because I was on the phone, I didn't think "Hey, these buses don't have chains, I should hop on the MAX." Because I was on the phone, I got on the #12 bus to Tigard.

The #12 bus got me about 1/4 mile down the road before it hit a street lamp and a pole. It took 20 minutes to get that far. After demolishing the street lamp, and sliding to a stop against the pole, the bus driver said "You're all on your own!" and kicked us off the bus. I have a sneaking suspicion he drove us into the pole on purpose. This is our bus. The item the person on the left is stepping over is the street light. In the foreground, you can see the glass bulb that was once part of said street light:

Instead of heading north to the MAX line, I thought I could pick up another #12 farther south. That was totally stupid. I wasn't on the phone anymore, so I can't blame that for my poor decision. I can only blame my ambivolence to carbon blazing as the reason. I headed the way the bus was headed...

I crossed highway 26. This is what it looked like:

I wandered down some roads, passing numerous busses, each with their hazard lights flashing. One bus was crushing a Cadillac. I thougt to myself "I should have parked Grey Eagle downtown last night! Tri-Met could be buying me a new car right now!"

I continued up the road and looked behind me. I laughed at the stranded busses:

I called Tri-Met to see if the MAX was running. The number was busy. I called Navigator to have him check their website. He told me to call back in 10 minutes. I asked a bus driver standing on the side of the road if MAX was running. She said it was. I decided to head to MAX.

However, when I got to 5th, I saw a #44 bus. The #44 bus goes to Barbur Transit Center. That's halfway to my house. Once again, I made a poor decision. I walked down the street to find a bus stop.

While crossing a street, I slipped and fell. A woman helped me up. We got to talking and found out we were both headed to Tigard. Together, we hailed a cab. The cabbie asked where we were going. We replied "Tigard." He said "No FUCKING way," rolled up his window and left us. A #44 passed us. We tried to hail the bus. The bus driver ignored us. A second #44 came by immediately after the first. We hailed that one. It stopped. I hopped on the bus and reached into my pocket to grab my phone to call Navigator. It wasn't there. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!! My phone fell out of my pocket when I fell. I had to get off the bus.

I had to retrace my steps.

I had to carbon blaze.

I didn't even know if my phone would be there.

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!

As I approached the spot where I fell, I saw my phone poking out of the snow. Thank God! I grabbed it and saw that I had a new voice mail. It was Navigator. I called him back. He looked online for me and told me that MAX was running, as well as the #76. I decided to walk to MAX, take that to Beaverton, then pick up the #76. I headed back towards downtown.

In the meantime, I talked to my friend Jennifer and killed the battery on my phone. No more pictures.

I got to the PSU campus and picked up the streetcar, then took that to the MAX. It was 11:00 when I got on MAX - nearly lunch time! I was getting hungry & I had to pee.

I arrived at the Beaverton Transit Center at 11:25, wishing I had taken MAX the entire time. Why was I so stupid to try to take the bus, when the train is the only reliable thing in this town when it snows? Whatever, I had a bus to catch, and it looked like all the busses in the 'burbs were chained up. That was good news.

I waited....

........and waited........

.................and waited..................

......................and waited...............

The #76 showed up at 12:15. The bus driver was neither friendly nor apologetic. In fact, when she arrived, she said, rather abruptly "No one is to get on this bus until I get back!" and before you could say "I'm freezing my ass off!" she was off the bus, doors locked and trotting across the transit center like there wasn't any rush to get anywhere.

MOTHERFUCKER

Suddenly, I couldn't feel my feet. I could feel my core body temperature dropping. I was getting hypothermic. I just wanted to lie down and go to sleep.

OK, so I was being a little overly dramatic at that point, but I had been dealing with Tri-Met for six hours, AND it was past lunch time! Did I mention that I had to pee?

At 12:30, the bus driver returned. TWELVE FUCKING THIRTY! What was she doing for 15 minutes? No pee takes that long. She opened the door without an apology, then demanded to see everyone's fare. Fares are only valid for two hours. At this rate, your fare expired while you were on the bus. Thank goodness I have a pass.

My toes regained their feeling about five minutes before my stop. I sloshed through the snow in my crappy sneakers (because I seem to have lost my hiking shoes) and walked in my front door at 1:45. I immediately took off my shoes, socks & pants, turned on the heat and stuck my feet on the register. They screamed in pain. My toes were blue. I thought I was going to lose them. I wasn't being dramatic. They really were blue.

I cried.

Once I was relatively warm, I realized that my feet were slightly discolored by some old watercolor paint that had dropped on my crappy shoes one day when I was working. It stained my feet when my shoes got wet.

I called Navigator & made lunch. I recharged my phone. I began feeling normal again.

.....to be continued....

Exercise and the Grad Student

In a wild attempt to lose the 5 pounds I gained last term, and continue losing weight, I have decided to walk and/or ride my bike whenever possible. To help me with this, I have created a training log at Buckeye Outdoors. It's the same one my friend Nina uses to log her runs.

I did fairly well this week, and can only hope to do just as well next week. I have found that it's much easier to ride to school than to ride home from school. Unfortunately, the weather turned bitter cold on Wednesday, and I was afraid to ride my bike on icy streets, as Navigator cracked some ribs a couple years ago doing just that.

I'm also considering purchasing a heart rate monitor. My former roommate Bandanna has one, and she claims that it has turned her normally mundane bike commute into a super-fun workout.

My practicum is located in Milwaukie, which is quite a jaunt from here, but I found that if I take a 1-hour bus ride there, I can ride my bike from practicum to class, mostly on a bike trail. The distance is roughly 8.5 miles, which is an easy 45 minute ride. I'm meeting with the team I will be working with for my practicum this afternoon, so hopefully I will be able to work something out with them.

I have not yet decided if I'm going to sign up for yoga this term. Navigator thinks it will be good for me. I think it will be good for me, but I'm afraid I will miss as many classes this term as I did last term. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Hiker Quiz

A friend of mine had a "How Well Do You Know Me?" quiz on her blog. I took it and scored 50%. I then created my own quiz, which is all about my hiking life. Take it if you dare! Good luck!


Create your own friendquiz here

First Snowshoe Trip

On Friday, Navigator & I went snowshoeing with Sharon. We went to the Wind River area of Mt. Hood. It was my first snowshoe trip, and it was a blast. I was a little fearful at first, since we were simply walking wherever we wanted, and I had no idea where we were for most of the time.

We built a snowman before we headed home for dinner & beer at McMenamins. It was a great time! I can't wait to go back.

Navigator

I don't know why I try to take self portraits...I always look dorky.

Sharon builds the snowman's body!

Group pose with Pablo, the snowman

Snowy trees!

Christmas in a Yurt

For Chirstmas this year, Navigator & I decided to spend a few days on the Oregon coast at Cape Lookout State Park. We rented a yurt for three nights, explored the cape and visited the Tillamook Cheese factory. We brought our tree, decorations, and all the presents that had arrived prior to our trip. It was an awesome Christmas!

Our tree with presents!

Dinner time!

Navigator stuck in the brush on our hike

A stormy coast

The super-cool bike-helmet-strap ear warmers that I made for Navigator

And the front view...

(notice the totally awesome sweater he's wearing... That was his present last year)

Winter Break Musings

I have been such a poor blogger this term. I had planned to blog and blog and blog about how difficult it is to go to grad school, and all the shit I am required to do and blah, blah, blah.

I never had time.

I had a lot of shit to do.

The day before my last classes, I had to finish putting together my work sample and create my transparencies for my presentation of my individual program plan for my focus child. I had purchased a package of transparencies for a presentation during summer term. I was certain they were somewhere in the house. I tore the house apart looking for the tranparencies. When Navigator came home, I was in tears. Everything had come to a halt because of the transparencies. I couldn't function. I couldn't do anything else. I screamed at him, the poor fellow. On top of that, one of the guest cats was scratching at the door to the office and it was annoying the hell out of me. Navigator left, walked to the Office Depot & purchased me new transparencies, then had dinner at John Barleycorn's, the local McMenamin's tavern, and proceeded to get drunk. When he came home to deliver the transparencies, I was too involved in my work to notice his stagger. He was pleased with himself.

I was up until 1AM putting my work sample together. I was a mess the next day, and could barely keep my eyes open in class. I was certain that I wasn't going to get straight A's this term and that I would have to re-do some sections in my work sample. I was certain that Fall Term wasn't over when we hit the bar for happy hour.

Grades were posted last week. I have a 4.0. I have no idea how I pulled that off.

Winter break has been a whirlwind of activity. I've been subbing at Head Start in the afternoons and working with a little boy who has developmental delays in the morning. It's been two weeks and I have yet to have a vacation. The mother of the little boy offered me $20/hour to work next week. I hate to have to turn her down, but I have to turn her down. I need a break.

Thinking back on Fall Term, I think it was much more difficult than summer term. I was working full time during summer term, as well as carrying a full load, but it was much easier than fall term. I have been told that Fall term is the most difficult and winter term is better. I certainly hope so.

We're staying in Portland for Christmas this year. We have no plans to do anything. I'm pretty happy about this.

Well, it's off to work, I go!

Things I'm Thankful For

It's nearly Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd post what I'm thankful for. Here goes:

• Hiking the PCT (it's where I met my honey).
• Kingston giving Navigator that beer in Snoqualamie and convincing him to stay an extra night ('cause that's the night I hiked into town).
• The fact that our roof has been re-shingled.
• The new tires on Grey Eagle.
• The fact that Grey Eagle is still running (and hopefully will run until I get a job and we can buy a new car)
• My nieces and nephews (even though I don't see them that often).
• My siblings.
• My parents and grandmothers.
• My coworkers.
• My classmates.
• My husband (of course!). He's the most wonderful man in the world.
• Double I.
• Teatree.
• All my hiking buds.
• All of my non-hiking friends.
• My kittens (past, present & future).
• My Grandpa.
• Ann Ness.
• Being in grad school.
• Lucy, Scott, Chase & Charlotte.
• Have I mentioned my honey?
• Lara Bars.
• The foot warmers my husband made me three years ago.
• The fact that I haven't had a cavity in my life.
• The fact that I haven't had an incurable disease.
• The fact that I was born in a 1st world country.
• The fact that I don't have a disability.
• The fact that I CAN backpack long-distance trails and ride my bike to work.
• Iyengar Yoga.
• My babes at work.
• My focus child & focus family.
• The team at my practicum site.
• Central Heat & Air
• Moving to Portland.
• Being alive.

That's the short list. I have more, but I need to get back to my homework. This term has kicked my ass. I've heard that this is the hardest term. Let's hope so.

Status Anxiety

I have to keep a journal for my practicum. I send it to my university supervisor every week. I'm supposed to send it on Friday, but I end up sending it Saturday afternoon or Sunday. In any case, this week I wrote about how I feel in the classroom. In my practicum classroom, I feel rigid. I feel unnatural. I feel like I'm being graded and I need to do everything correct, so I act unsure of myself.

I also work. I have stayed with Head Start as a sub, and occasionally get called in to work. Friday was one of those days. On Friday, I worked in a classroom and felt natural. I didn't feel like I was being graded nor that I had to do everything correctly, so I felt sure of myself and I'm certain that showed. At Head Start, I'm one of two people in grad school. At Head Start, I'm one of a handful who have a Bachelor's. At Head Start, I have a high status.

My University Supervisor replied to my journal entry stating that I am recognizing aspects of status anxiety, which is a bit unnerving, but a healthy process of reflection. I am fully aware of the unnerving part, and I understand that recognizing this is healthy because I can do something about it. I can recognize when I'm being rigid at my practicum site and imagine myself at Head Start. "What would the Head Start me do?" could be my mantra. I could wear a bracelet that says "WWHSMD?" as a reminder. Then maybe, just maybe, I could be myself in my practicum.

I sent a copy of my journal entry to my cooperating professional. I wanted to get her view on things, and some pointers. Also, because my mid-term observation is on Tuesday, I want her to pay close attention to my rigidity, so that I can work on that for the rest of the term.

I do have one good thing to say about status anxiety. Whenver I have anxiety, I have dreams about airplanes crashing. In one of my most memorable dreams, airplanes were falling out of the sky at the airport. I knew it was unsafe to fly, yet when they called my flight to board, I couldn't keep myself from getting on the plane. It was like trying to walk up a down escalator. I was walking away, but I was moving closer and closer to the plane. When I have anxiety, I have dreams like this. However, with status anxiety, I haven't experienced such things. I've had dreams about buying houses, going to catholic high school, painting the guest bedroom and driving Grey Eagle. They were strange dreams, indeed, but not my usual anxiety dreams.

Practicum

I've been to my practicum twice now, and I have a focus child. Things are going well. I wrote up my site description. I think it sucks because I have been to the site only twice. I'm going to ask my professor today if I can have the option to edit and re-submit my site description in two weeks when I have more time at the site. I wanted to get it in on time since I have so many other deadlines looming in the distance, I didn't want this one to bog me down as well. All of my professors have said that they will push back assignments for me since I got my practicum assignment two weeks late, but I'd rather just go along with the current deadlines. I might re-negotiate later, but for now, I'm full steam ahead.

My first presentation was yesterday. It was a group presentation on Piaget. That was fun. I learned quite a bit about the Sensory Motor stage of cognitive development. I never realized just how much an infant learns, and that only the infant can teach itself these things. It's amazing. I never liked babies that much, but because of this project, I now find them fascinating. When Navigator talks me into having one, it won't be so difficult.

I'm so far behind on my readings that I feel like there is no point to attempt to catch up. What's funny is that over the summer I kept thinking that I would have more time to do things once fall term began. I feel like I have even less time now than I did over the summer when I was working 35 hrs/week AND carrying 12 credits. I have worked 12 hours in the past two weeks. Where is all my time going?

I had some homework to do today. I thought I would have to skip yoga in order to get it all done. I finished it about an hour ago. I still don't want to go to yoga. I'm afraid I'll have to do a hand stand. I have no upper body strength. The only way to get it is by going to yoga and doing such crazy things as hand stands. When I go to yoga and do hand stands, I ache, but I feel better about myself and my ability. I also am way more relaxed. Navigator ordered me to go to yoga today because it makes me a happier person. If I can't get myself there intrinsically, I'll go by order of the husband, and I'll thank him tonight.

Difficulty Blogging

I thought I would be able to Blog over my break from school. It didn't happen. I never got my journal up on Trailjournals, so nobody knows about my near-death experience. I still haven't downloaded the pictures from my camera. One of these days... (As I say this, I'm reminded of a poem by Nimblewill Nomad).

I went back east to visit my family. Attended my brother-in-law's surprise 40th birthday party, visited friends in New York City and drank too much, and purchased some artwork from the National Gallery of Art in DC. I also finally got to see the new WWII memorial and say hello to Honest Abe when I was out there. The pictures are still on my camera.

When I returned, Paul flew out to Tahoe & I moved our stuff into our new condo because school was starting that monday and I didn't want to have to move when I was in school. We are still living out of boxes and I have no idea where our Netflix movies are packed. I took pictures, but they're still on the camera.

I'm supposed to be transcribing Teatree's journal right now. I haven't found any time. I'm thinking about mailing it to Northerner and telling him that I just can't do it. I was doing a stellar job for a while, now I suck.

School has been going well. I finally started my practicum and things are due soon. I'm beginning to freak out, but I think I'll get over it soon. I've started to eat more chocolate.

I go to yoga every Wednesday. My instructor kicked me out of level 1, so now I'm in level 2. I'm glad I'm in level 2. It's difficult and some times I think how much I really hate it, but in the end, I love it. I can do a head balance (it looks like a head stand, but you're not really standing on your head, you're just balancing on it. All of the weight is on your shoulders and upper body on account of the fact that it's not safe to put all that weight on your head and neck). AND I am almost able to do a hand stand. It's amazingly difficult and my body screams the next day, but I feel good that I'm actually gaining upper body strength.

I rode my bike 21 miles yesterday. On my way home from class, the battery for my headlight died. I was pissed. That's not safe, especially when it gets very dark pretty early.

We are fostering cats right now. My friend Leticia has a friend who is taking care of her daughter's cats. Her apartment complex gave her an ultimatum and she needed a safe haven for the kitties until her daughter gets back from Germany next month. Since I was fortunate enough to have people take care of my kitties when I needed it, we decided to do the same. So, now we have two sweet kitties, a mom & her daughter, Zelda and Gordis. They're spanish speaking cats. Luckily I know a little spanish, so I can get them to come to me by saying "Ven aqui!" They are spoiled kitties. Their collars have rhinestone initials on them, they have a big fluffy bed, two scratching posts and a special thing that hooks on the window sill so they can sit and look out the window. Sweet babies! I'll take pictures and leave them on my camera for a couple weeks.

We're going to fix up the guest bedroom for the cats since they are our first houseguests. Right now it's full of boxes. :)

Goat Rocks Backpacking Ordeal

I returned Monday night one day early from my backpacking trip to the Goat Rocks with my friend Sharon. I'm still processing everything that happened. Saturday and Sunday were wonderful days. Monday was "The Ordeal," which is what we are calling it. I will be posting my journal to www.trailjournals.com/belcher06 later this week. The following Woody Guthrie song pretty much sums up our last day. These were lyrics Woody wrote, but never put to music. Ellis Paul put them to music and does quite a job with it. Enjoy...

God's Promise

I didn't promise you skies painted blue
Not all colored flowers all your days through
I didn't promise you sun with no rain
Joys without sorrows, peace without pain.

All that I promise is strength for this day,
Rest for my worker, and light on your way.
I give you truth when you need it, my help from above,
Undying friendship, my unfailing love.

I never did promise you crowns without trials,
Food with no hard sweat, your tears without smiles,
Hot sunny days without cold wintry snows,
No vict'ry without fightin', no laughs without woes.

All that I promise is strength for this day,
Rest for my worker, my light on your way,
I give you truth when you need it, my help from above,
Undying friendship, my unfailing love.

I sure didn't say I'd give you heaven on earth,
A life with no labor no struggles no deaths,
No earthquakes no dryspells, no fire flames no droughts,
No slaving no hungers, no blizzards no blights.

All that I promise is strength for this day,
Rest for my worker, my light on your way,
I give you truth when you need it, my help from above,
Undying friendship, my unfailing love.

I promise you power, this minute this hour,
The power you need when you fall down to bleed,
I give you my peace, and my strength to pull home
My love for all races all creeds and all kinds.

My flavors my saviors my creeds of all kinds,
My love for my saviors, all colors all kinds,
My love for my races all creeders all kinds,
My saviors my flavors my dancers all kinds,
My dancers my prancers my singers all kinds,
My flavors my saviors my dancers all kinds.

New Words by Woody Guthrie
Music by Ellis Paul
Words © Copyright 2001 by Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc

Other Exciting Reads

On Friday, I plan on hiking the section of the PCT I skipped in 2003 due to a fire. I have to skip a section this year due to a fire. One of these days, I'm going to complete the entire freakin' trail...

I'm keeping a trailjournal. I've posted to it a few times in the past three days. This is my first advertisement of the trailjournal. However, I have had 350 hits already. People are weird. My trailjournal is not funny.

Because I no longer have school, I can finally introduce the blogs that are on my blogroll. Drumroll please...

My first blog is A Sort of Notebook by Nina Baxley. It's a fun little daily journal of my friend, who is a writer, pianist and aspiring half-marathon runner.

The second is The Adventures of Scott, AKA "Batteries Included." This is a personal blog of a fellow PCT thru-hiker living in Wisconsin. He has some amazing pictures of the PCT up there.

The Adventures of the Painted Ladies is an adventure blog that my friend Double I and I put together to log our fun and wacky adventures. We have a quite a few contributors to the blog.

My cousin Jason has two blogs. Dispatches from a lost student's mind details his thoughts and ramblings about his life in college. He'll be entering his Sophomore year at Stanford in the fall. He's brilliant and is thinking about becoming a neurosurgeon. His second blog, Hilarity, is a log of funny video clips he's found on the internet that he finds amusing. It's a blog typical of a college dude.

My friend from the AT, Bear Bag, is currently cycling across the US. He's blogging about it at Gary Buffington's Bike Ride Across America.

Letters from Lisa is a blog about issues in special education, and how to handle being a parent of a child with special needs.

What's the Point? is my brother's seemingly forgotten blog that is rather funny. I don't know if he will ever post to it again, but what's up there so far is mint.

I got A's in my last two classes and work will be over soon. I'm feeling good!

This Is Bad

I just read my Google Horoscope. It's bad when your Google Horoscope is correct. This must mean the world is about to end. Here's my Google Horoscope:

You are on a pendulum now, swinging back and forth between the responsibilities in your life and your desire to escape from them. Hopefully you aren't planning on a day of easy relaxation, for your life can now be fraught with complicated choices, especially about relationships. Your sense of identity is being challenged but if you just act with kindness, others will accept you.

I want to escape from Hell, Part 2. I have just a few more classes left, but still. It sucks. I'm ready for my backpacking trip.

Hey Asshole in the silver Mazda!!

Sometimes I wish I had a horn on my bike. Not one of those silly bells, but a horn that's as loud (or louder) than a car horn. Maybe one that says "HEY ASSHOLE" since that's usually what I scream at the people who make me feel like my life may end when I'm riding my bike.

For instance, I was on the scary bridge on Barbur Blvd. today. It is scary in that there is no bike lane and the sidewalk is raised and the width of my rear end. There is a big yellow sign that boldly cautions the cars travelling at 45+ mph that bikes are on the bridge since it is obvious that it is too dangerous to ride a bike on the elevated sidewalk. There are two lanes travelling the same direction on this bridge. It seems obvious to me that if there was a slow-moving vehicle in the right-hand lane, I would get into the left-hand lane to go around said slow-moving vehicle. For some reason, people who drive cars at 45+ mph on this bridge think that it's quite alright and safe to pass the slow-moving vehicle with six inches (or less) of space between them.

That is why I wish I had a big horn. Right now, I scream, but my voice is not as strong as most car horns. In fact, I doubt that it's a strong as a bicycle bell.

What would be even better would be a bicycle horn that had more than one "beep" that you could program yourself to say different things. It could be on your handlebars, close to your gear shifters so you wouldn't have to move too much to blow it. Imagine if with a flick of your thumb, you could have your horn say "Hey buddy, that's a parking lane, not a bike lane. I'm obeying the law! What about you?" or "Yeah, I have a horn too. However, your horn doesn't tell me that you're about to cut me off, so maybe you should just wait two seconds you stupid Tri-Met bus driver!" or "Yes, I may be stopped, but you don't have the right to pull into my lane to make a right hand turn in front of me. Back it up shithead!"

Maybe it's the stress of school rubbing off. Maybe it's because I generally suffer from road rage and since I don't drive much anymore, it's translating to my cycling. Either way, I wish I had a third arm so I could just give people the finger while I'm riding. That would make my commute so much better.