How many times do people say nice things to us and we refuse to take the item? It sounds silly right?
I just read a post about the self deprecating comment here and boy was it eye opening.
Compliments are a rare and fun gift of life so why snub the bearer of the gift by not graciously accepting? I feel kind of criminal by the compliments I've had a hard time accepting and I've downplayed by saying something in contradiction to what the initial compliment was. But here's to a better attempt at being more gracious.
What do you think?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
7, Count Them, 7
7 Weeks until finals. 7 more weeks of kill me semesterdom and then finals, it just sounds so final.
Fall break was spectacular and has made the upcoming 7 weeks less overwhelming. We had a whole week off! Bless the U and their allotment of holidays. Other school around here gave people a mere day or if it was in Provo, they got nothing at all. Fal break is like Spring break so both semester require such breaks, to not give us a break like that would result in more emotional breakdowns and who wants that?
So here we are staring Fall in the face and enjoying every moment of spectacularly vibrant trees of course soon to follow is the leaf crunching time. I tell you what if there was one season I wouldn't mind seeing year round it'd be fall. The crisp air, the feeling of nature maturing and then near the end the harvest time, halloween, and lest we forget crunchy leaves.
Yesterday evening Ryan called me to look out the window and we saw a empty tree with zounds of leaves by our parked car. Of course we went outside and started crunching. And I'm glad we did because today I awoke to thunder and lightning. All the leaves were soggy and stuck to me as I walked to work. Thankfully I crunched an ample amount the night before to suffice all grumpiness I had with the Monday morning weather.
So ambitiously I'm crunching away at the end of the semester, leaving me with
7 more weeks of declensions and conjugations
7 more weeks of transribing
3 more weeks of a group math project....
7 more weeks of jazz and a concert.
To reiterate a very wise and ambitious builder:
Can we do(build) this?
YES
WE
CAN!
-Bob the Builder
Fall break was spectacular and has made the upcoming 7 weeks less overwhelming. We had a whole week off! Bless the U and their allotment of holidays. Other school around here gave people a mere day or if it was in Provo, they got nothing at all. Fal break is like Spring break so both semester require such breaks, to not give us a break like that would result in more emotional breakdowns and who wants that?
So here we are staring Fall in the face and enjoying every moment of spectacularly vibrant trees of course soon to follow is the leaf crunching time. I tell you what if there was one season I wouldn't mind seeing year round it'd be fall. The crisp air, the feeling of nature maturing and then near the end the harvest time, halloween, and lest we forget crunchy leaves.
Yesterday evening Ryan called me to look out the window and we saw a empty tree with zounds of leaves by our parked car. Of course we went outside and started crunching. And I'm glad we did because today I awoke to thunder and lightning. All the leaves were soggy and stuck to me as I walked to work. Thankfully I crunched an ample amount the night before to suffice all grumpiness I had with the Monday morning weather.
So ambitiously I'm crunching away at the end of the semester, leaving me with
7 more weeks of declensions and conjugations
7 more weeks of transribing
3 more weeks of a group math project....
7 more weeks of jazz and a concert.
To reiterate a very wise and ambitious builder:
Can we do(build) this?
YES
WE
CAN!
-Bob the Builder
Monday, October 12, 2009
H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N What Does that spell? Halloween!
Sometimes I feel like I'm always rooting for things that most people disdain. Call me the devil's advocate and for years I did deserve the title.
Its fun to dress up and look different than you always do, its cathartic. You know, that word that made Aristotle's justification of plays and literature vs Plato's complete disdain for them credible.
Cathartic, pertaining to catharsis which as defined is:
Main Entry: ca·thar·sis
Pronunciation: \kə-ˈthär-səs\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ca·thar·ses \-ˌsēz\
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to cleanse, purge, from katharos
Date: circa 1775
1 : purgation
2 a : purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art b : a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
3 : elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression
It seems that dressing up would allow complexes to be dealt with by allowing it consciousness.
So you don't criticize people for going to the movie's, a play, or opera so why criticize adults who celebrate Halloween? I've heard it labelled a child's holiday but I don't understand why its less culturally acceptable for adults to enjoy, after all they have a much more mundane routine oft times than children.
Besdies that its infinitely more creative than going and watching a movie or something that takes little to no effort. My Grandpa and Grandma always dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Hall O. Ween. Awesomely creative and fun right? I think so.
But I have to say, as a child I hated Halloween and it wasn't until I married Ryan that I began to enjoy the holiday again. So how can I be posting on a subject I used to hate? Well I'll tell you why I hated it, I hated the creepy gorey part with people dressing up like killers or psycho's. (one year my brother was a Cereal Killer he dashed a cereal box to smithereens!) But as a child I avidly played dress up and loved pretending, it was just that the line between Halloween and fun was skewed.
Halloween today is infinitely different from how it was when I was little. I remember my family were die hard trick or treaters, my dad went with us and if it rained or snow (it often did) he'd drive us around the neighborhood. My mom always had soup for us before hand and homemade hot chocolate when we got back. When my parents moved when I was 8 Halloween changed for me. I no longer knew the neighborhood, people didn't know me or my family yet and it was scary being in uncharted waters. The streets didn't have as many lights and a lot of people just stuck candy on the porch.
So I stopped liking Halloween because it was different. I stopped going trick or treating after I was 10 and I labelled the holdiay stupid. That was around the time that the Mall's started providing a safe trick or treating atmospher and trunk or treats started popping up. I definitely understand the precautions but I still think the holiday deserves to be considered a holiday and not just a silly thing for children. I kind of feel bad for my kids if trick or treating to them is merely trunk or treating.
So why not root for Halloween and its fun for ALL ages? I'm sure going to!
How do you feel about Halloween for adults? What do you want to dress up like for Halloween?
Its fun to dress up and look different than you always do, its cathartic. You know, that word that made Aristotle's justification of plays and literature vs Plato's complete disdain for them credible.
Cathartic, pertaining to catharsis which as defined is:
Main Entry: ca·thar·sis
Pronunciation: \kə-ˈthär-səs\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ca·thar·ses \-ˌsēz\
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to cleanse, purge, from katharos
Date: circa 1775
1 : purgation
2 a : purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art b : a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
3 : elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression
It seems that dressing up would allow complexes to be dealt with by allowing it consciousness.
So you don't criticize people for going to the movie's, a play, or opera so why criticize adults who celebrate Halloween? I've heard it labelled a child's holiday but I don't understand why its less culturally acceptable for adults to enjoy, after all they have a much more mundane routine oft times than children.
Besdies that its infinitely more creative than going and watching a movie or something that takes little to no effort. My Grandpa and Grandma always dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Hall O. Ween. Awesomely creative and fun right? I think so.
But I have to say, as a child I hated Halloween and it wasn't until I married Ryan that I began to enjoy the holiday again. So how can I be posting on a subject I used to hate? Well I'll tell you why I hated it, I hated the creepy gorey part with people dressing up like killers or psycho's. (one year my brother was a Cereal Killer he dashed a cereal box to smithereens!) But as a child I avidly played dress up and loved pretending, it was just that the line between Halloween and fun was skewed.
Halloween today is infinitely different from how it was when I was little. I remember my family were die hard trick or treaters, my dad went with us and if it rained or snow (it often did) he'd drive us around the neighborhood. My mom always had soup for us before hand and homemade hot chocolate when we got back. When my parents moved when I was 8 Halloween changed for me. I no longer knew the neighborhood, people didn't know me or my family yet and it was scary being in uncharted waters. The streets didn't have as many lights and a lot of people just stuck candy on the porch.
So I stopped liking Halloween because it was different. I stopped going trick or treating after I was 10 and I labelled the holdiay stupid. That was around the time that the Mall's started providing a safe trick or treating atmospher and trunk or treats started popping up. I definitely understand the precautions but I still think the holiday deserves to be considered a holiday and not just a silly thing for children. I kind of feel bad for my kids if trick or treating to them is merely trunk or treating.
So why not root for Halloween and its fun for ALL ages? I'm sure going to!
How do you feel about Halloween for adults? What do you want to dress up like for Halloween?
Monday Monday!
Test finished and I got a heeping awesome dose of Adrenaline that is still lingering.
I erased what I first wrote because I realized it was next to unintelligible so here is my 2nd attempt.
So here I am trying to remember how not to go to school from work and its rather hard because its such a habit.
Life is good, no strike that, life is great and while I'm still working on projects this week, I do not have class or tests or quizzes or homework due. This alone makes everything rose colored. Ryan however, is in crazy project mode and while I'm free as a bird he's fairly chained to his laptop. Poor kid.
So I've determined something, I don't know how to not be in school. Its my lunch hour and I am sitting at my desk blogging, its like a quasi lunch a faux lunch if you will. The point is I don't know how to do this, and if I unlearn being in school how will that affect me next week?
But be proud of me I am taking Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off. I'm pretty excited about it, but again I don't really know how to take days off unless I'm sick or Ryan has them off too so this should be quite the adventure for me.
Whats your favorite thing to do on days off? (not including Holidays, or vacations)
I erased what I first wrote because I realized it was next to unintelligible so here is my 2nd attempt.
So here I am trying to remember how not to go to school from work and its rather hard because its such a habit.
Life is good, no strike that, life is great and while I'm still working on projects this week, I do not have class or tests or quizzes or homework due. This alone makes everything rose colored. Ryan however, is in crazy project mode and while I'm free as a bird he's fairly chained to his laptop. Poor kid.
So I've determined something, I don't know how to not be in school. Its my lunch hour and I am sitting at my desk blogging, its like a quasi lunch a faux lunch if you will. The point is I don't know how to do this, and if I unlearn being in school how will that affect me next week?
But be proud of me I am taking Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off. I'm pretty excited about it, but again I don't really know how to take days off unless I'm sick or Ryan has them off too so this should be quite the adventure for me.
Whats your favorite thing to do on days off? (not including Holidays, or vacations)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Sassy Boot Friday!
After sending my boots into the shoemaker for 2 weeks, where it rained and sleeted mind you, my fall bootwear is finally being returned to me in virtually new condition.
I have to add I love my boots! I found them both years ago at secondhand stores and I just fell in love with them. And you know what they say "If the shoe fits wear it!" And so I have despite trends and everything else, a good classy boot is always in goot taste.
So besides being only fashionable they've been the best boots I've ever encountered for all seasons.That means bring on the torrential rain, mud and sleet (no snow just yet please?) because with my boots none of these things will drastically impact me.
I'm stoked, this is the best Friday ever!
Flats will be safely placed at the back of the closet during stormy winter weather and heels just in fron of them. Heels and campus during winter are not pals, in fact campus will freeze your feet and get some sort of percipitation on you leaving you with little to no hope for being warm the rest of the day.
Yes some days I realize I sound like a much older woman, but somedays I walk to campus in snow on property that is not the campuses and thus it does not get shoveled. Thus boots equal safety sanity and warmth.
What do you keep as a staple for both form and function?
I have to add I love my boots! I found them both years ago at secondhand stores and I just fell in love with them. And you know what they say "If the shoe fits wear it!" And so I have despite trends and everything else, a good classy boot is always in goot taste.
So besides being only fashionable they've been the best boots I've ever encountered for all seasons.That means bring on the torrential rain, mud and sleet (no snow just yet please?) because with my boots none of these things will drastically impact me.
I'm stoked, this is the best Friday ever!
Flats will be safely placed at the back of the closet during stormy winter weather and heels just in fron of them. Heels and campus during winter are not pals, in fact campus will freeze your feet and get some sort of percipitation on you leaving you with little to no hope for being warm the rest of the day.
Yes some days I realize I sound like a much older woman, but somedays I walk to campus in snow on property that is not the campuses and thus it does not get shoveled. Thus boots equal safety sanity and warmth.
What do you keep as a staple for both form and function?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Math Update
Whilst reviewing discovered the Math test is Multiple Choice! Someone in heaven must want me to pass!
Also, tried alligator sausage, it was less than appetizing, however I swallowed it which is more than I can say for Ryan!
Also, tried alligator sausage, it was less than appetizing, however I swallowed it which is more than I can say for Ryan!
3rd Anniversary and The Ever Absent Camera
So after painstakingly saving pennies for our Anniversary we went to Rodizio Grill.
It was delightful and if there was a problem it would only be that I don't have a bigger stomach or I just don't know when to stop eating.
Ryan enjoyed it and even after we were done we sat around waiting for the next grilled pineapple. I joked with Ryan and said, if I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be grilled pineapple. Keep in mind this is not the same as making shishkebabs and grilling them, rather this is having an open fire with the food over the open flame.
Also, another note, I don't super love uncooked pineapple, odd right? I don't know why its just one of those things, but when its grilled its just amazing.
So because we planned this out months in advance I was bound and determined to take the camera. When I got home last night from work and my midterm I found the camera and I swear I put it in my purse after making sure that the battery was fully charged. However, once at the restaurant I put my hand in my purse to take the camera out and take a picture, lo and behold it wasn't there. After our date I looked for the camera and somehow it was on the table.
This is only one of several occassions when the camera is ever absent. So my inquiry, what is a good way to have the camera ready at hand for moments in life that bear documenting?
It was delightful and if there was a problem it would only be that I don't have a bigger stomach or I just don't know when to stop eating.
Ryan enjoyed it and even after we were done we sat around waiting for the next grilled pineapple. I joked with Ryan and said, if I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be grilled pineapple. Keep in mind this is not the same as making shishkebabs and grilling them, rather this is having an open fire with the food over the open flame.
Also, another note, I don't super love uncooked pineapple, odd right? I don't know why its just one of those things, but when its grilled its just amazing.
So because we planned this out months in advance I was bound and determined to take the camera. When I got home last night from work and my midterm I found the camera and I swear I put it in my purse after making sure that the battery was fully charged. However, once at the restaurant I put my hand in my purse to take the camera out and take a picture, lo and behold it wasn't there. After our date I looked for the camera and somehow it was on the table.
This is only one of several occassions when the camera is ever absent. So my inquiry, what is a good way to have the camera ready at hand for moments in life that bear documenting?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday's, Midterms and Functioning on Less Than Ample Sleep
So after a monumental evening of studying for Survey of Jazz I've discovered 3 things:
1-Knowing the movie "Swing Kids" and remembering detail about the musicians talked about has made the basics of this class a cake walk.
2-Going to sleep around 2 and feeling ill from being so tired is not a useful study habit.
3-6:00 is just too far away!
However, studying done my dreams were far from boring. We had a mesh of "Swing Kids" meets New Orleans. All the spinning (can music spin?) made me feel nauseous and while I do love Jazz and Swing for its many different styles and influences, listening to old recordings of songs is grating. I listened to over 21 tracks for my midterm tonight, and while I love the music, not being able to tell the difference between what should sound like a tenor sax and a kazoo is less than ideal.
Oh well, test in less than 8 hours and we can put last night behind us. However, it would be nice if the test was sooner than that, I'd like to have a nice relaxing evening tonight.
Also, going to sleep in a trance induced spinning state is what I imagine being hungover to be like. No Bueno.! Room spinning disorientation coupled with crazy pressure on head plus nausea, how is that worth the so called 'fun' night? It gives me anxiety just remembering. Ah well, it is worth feeling over prepared for my test.
I will conquer you!
However Math Midterm, we still have a bit of a conflict to resolve. If I could willingly choose to never deal with a topic, it would be Statistics. You think I'm joking huh? Well funny story, I prefer algebra with all its lengthy calculations as opposed to all the inferring done for stats.
I know I know, a certain Math teacher cursed me back in High School when I dropped AP Calc. He said I'd regret dropping math my senior year of highschool, and well that curse has be reaffirmed throughout my college career.
Its just relearning processes is less than ideal for me. I hate relearning how to do things. I hate feeling like this is something I've already learned and yet there are cobwebs and shadows making the knowledge just out of reach. I have a philosophy for school everything should be like riding a bicycle, you never forget. This semester has been full of items on the opposite side of the spectrum than the skill of riding a bike and that I disdain.
However, all is not lost and lots of great material is being tackled and learned. I just am not a math person anymore (if I ever was), but I am half way through NEVER needing stats ever again. YAY!
1-Knowing the movie "Swing Kids" and remembering detail about the musicians talked about has made the basics of this class a cake walk.
2-Going to sleep around 2 and feeling ill from being so tired is not a useful study habit.
3-6:00 is just too far away!
However, studying done my dreams were far from boring. We had a mesh of "Swing Kids" meets New Orleans. All the spinning (can music spin?) made me feel nauseous and while I do love Jazz and Swing for its many different styles and influences, listening to old recordings of songs is grating. I listened to over 21 tracks for my midterm tonight, and while I love the music, not being able to tell the difference between what should sound like a tenor sax and a kazoo is less than ideal.
Oh well, test in less than 8 hours and we can put last night behind us. However, it would be nice if the test was sooner than that, I'd like to have a nice relaxing evening tonight.
Also, going to sleep in a trance induced spinning state is what I imagine being hungover to be like. No Bueno.! Room spinning disorientation coupled with crazy pressure on head plus nausea, how is that worth the so called 'fun' night? It gives me anxiety just remembering. Ah well, it is worth feeling over prepared for my test.
I will conquer you!
However Math Midterm, we still have a bit of a conflict to resolve. If I could willingly choose to never deal with a topic, it would be Statistics. You think I'm joking huh? Well funny story, I prefer algebra with all its lengthy calculations as opposed to all the inferring done for stats.
I know I know, a certain Math teacher cursed me back in High School when I dropped AP Calc. He said I'd regret dropping math my senior year of highschool, and well that curse has be reaffirmed throughout my college career.
Its just relearning processes is less than ideal for me. I hate relearning how to do things. I hate feeling like this is something I've already learned and yet there are cobwebs and shadows making the knowledge just out of reach. I have a philosophy for school everything should be like riding a bicycle, you never forget. This semester has been full of items on the opposite side of the spectrum than the skill of riding a bike and that I disdain.
However, all is not lost and lots of great material is being tackled and learned. I just am not a math person anymore (if I ever was), but I am half way through NEVER needing stats ever again. YAY!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Nom de Plume
I've been thinking for ages about publishing names. and about when the time comes, how I want my name to show up.
Angie Meeks just doesn't sound formal, it sounds like the spunky eclectic person I am. However, it just doesn't have the certain joi de vivre that's marketable.
First of all it blatantly tells everyone way to much about my personal life and my ethnicity. Plus when I do publish, I'd rather have it be a little difficult to google my name and find out all about my life. Of course there is the pesky realization that MANY people, especially those I know be less than pleased with my writing style and topics.
So I've been batting around several ideas including:
A B Meeks
I know, I know its so JK Rowling, but CS Lewis did it and a lot of other really great writers before so really I'd be part of a genre of writers. The unambiguous initials group.
A. Bixby Meeks
Its intriguing because the A is unknown but still includes quirky middle and loved name. Its a mixture of the name above and below and well its pretty sweet. However, not sure if its original or if it is another genre I'm currently unaware of.
Bixby Meeks
This one fully utilizes my quirky and loved middle name. Not only that, its a double last name title. James Joyce anyone?
I think they are all great possibilities but when push comes to shove, I'm just not sure which name I prefer most.
Why am I so concerned about this now? Well thats a secret!
Anyway, readers I'd love some input on what you think as I'm attached to all 3. What are your opinions? And I'll make a deal, the person who's comment is my favorite will learn my news early.
Angie Meeks just doesn't sound formal, it sounds like the spunky eclectic person I am. However, it just doesn't have the certain joi de vivre that's marketable.
First of all it blatantly tells everyone way to much about my personal life and my ethnicity. Plus when I do publish, I'd rather have it be a little difficult to google my name and find out all about my life. Of course there is the pesky realization that MANY people, especially those I know be less than pleased with my writing style and topics.
So I've been batting around several ideas including:
A B Meeks
I know, I know its so JK Rowling, but CS Lewis did it and a lot of other really great writers before so really I'd be part of a genre of writers. The unambiguous initials group.
A. Bixby Meeks
Its intriguing because the A is unknown but still includes quirky middle and loved name. Its a mixture of the name above and below and well its pretty sweet. However, not sure if its original or if it is another genre I'm currently unaware of.
Bixby Meeks
This one fully utilizes my quirky and loved middle name. Not only that, its a double last name title. James Joyce anyone?
I think they are all great possibilities but when push comes to shove, I'm just not sure which name I prefer most.
Why am I so concerned about this now? Well thats a secret!
Anyway, readers I'd love some input on what you think as I'm attached to all 3. What are your opinions? And I'll make a deal, the person who's comment is my favorite will learn my news early.
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