Jesus would use His turn signal.

A saw a bumper sticker on the back of a car that said "Jesus would use His turn signal." The irony - the person driving didn't use theirs. Shame on them.

Food Network here I come!!

Some times things work out for me in the baking arena, other times not so much. Last night, in the somewhat Christmas spirit, I made peanut butter fudge, German chocolate butterscotch chip cookies, and chocolate crinkle cookies with mint truffle kisses. The peanut butter fudge appears to have turned out ok. If I ever meet Alton Brown, I'll be sure to thank him for the easiest recipe in the world. The German chocolate butterscotch chip cookies turned out great! Sooo very yummy! The chocolate crinkle cookies still need some help. Ideally, when pulled out of the oven, the powdered sugar coated ball could be gently smooshed down to cookie shape with a hershey kiss in the middle. My cookies didn't smoosh, they crumbled. On the sheet I did finish last night at 11, I left half unsmooshed. I have cookie balls more or less. They are VERY yummy, even if they don't look as fabulous as they would with kisses on top. The dough is in the fridge, I'm still deciding if I want a batch of cookie balls or if I should attempt to do something else with it. Any suggestions?

Yaaawwwn!

At long last the semester is finally over. I finished grading my last tests this morning at 3 am. It was a little odd though because as I was crawling into bed, Brent was crawling out for an early workday. It was a little strange crossing paths like that. It would be really strange if that's how it happened everyday. Even though I was exhausted I still tossed and turned for about 30 minutes before finally crashing. Why does it always work that way? You're convinced you'll be asleep before your head hits the pillow but you're mind continues to race back and forth between things. Even though I slept in, I think the week as finally got up to me. Hopefully Brinkley Miles will cooperate so that we can sleep in tomorrow!!

The Holidays Are Coming

I haven't seen my favorite holiday commercial yet - the Coca Cola trucks winding down the road all lit up with Christmas lights. "The holidays are coming" is the song that plays during the commercial. I haven't seen the Santa slide down the hill on a Gillette razor either. Or the Folgers commercial where the guy comes home early Christmas morning and starts the coffee to wake everyone up and surprise them. Maybe I just need to watch more television. I haven't exactly been watching a lot of television lately so there's a good chance they are playing on one of the hundred channels that I get.

I have been watching the Food Network a lot the last couple of days. It's more listening to than watching but when they mention something yummy then I turn around and watch - multi-tasking is my life! Some of the winter recipes that have been shown look so amazing. I might try my hand at cappuccino cupcakes this weekend.

Speaking of food, I'm back to doing the food journal thing. Back when I first start running I did this and it worked. Basically, I just have to write down everything that I eat and the amount of calories per item. It was eye-opening a few years ago and it's eye-opening now. School has wreaked havoc on my willingness to take care of my body so it's time for drastic measures. I don't want to graduate in May feeling like a defeated slug.

As for beyond graduation, I'm slowing get a handle on things. With the crappy economy I'm not expecting the greatest archive job in the world to suddenly open up in Fort Fun, which is already saturated with people who have Master's degrees in History. I know people that graduated last May that are still search for a grown-up job. It's pathetic what some employers get away with paying in a college town. So, I've decided to diversify my career so to speak. I'm going to multi-task my way through life and ensure that I'm never bored or broke. Once I get the business cards designed and my website upgraded, I'll post them here.

I'm not finished with school, however. So the studying must continue. I have a final tomorrow and then some always entertaining grading!

How much more of this?

Late hours and strained eyes must mean the end of the semester is near. I'm procrastinating as usual. I have a comprehensive final on Thursday morning for my U.S. Reading Seminar. Even with the question provided ahead of time, there is still the overwhelming feeling that I'm unprepared. I've crammed for a week straight and am beginning to question my ability to put words together in correct grammatical form. All of my hard work will likely get me by but until it's all over, all I have is cereal to comfort me.

Stress eating = baaaaad thing!

Holiday Fun!

When I was younger I used to love Christmas time. Loved it! My brothers and I would spend hours decorating our bedrooms. We'd wake up in the wee hours of Christmas morning and sneak out to the living room to peruse our stockings and guess what was in each wrapped box. The novelty of it all kind of wore off once I had to start forking over the cash around Christmas time. Nothing sucks the fun out of the holidays like having no money. I've been creative in the gift buying arena so far and think that I'll sneak by without breaking the bank. Although, I'm still pretty certain that I would be perfectly content playing board games with my family all day rather than exchanging gifts.

I'm attempting to be a little less scrooge like this Christmas. I've been a bit more organized. The outdoor lights and tree were up within days after the Turkey was digested. I even beat my Christmas fanatic mom in decorating! I'm focusing on the inexpensive ways to create holiday cheer - like baking yummy winter treats and watching holiday movies. Of course, it helps to have a roommate around to share in the holiday fun!!

Let it snow, let it snow...

Let it snow! We have flakage! Beautiful white flakage at last! It took its sweet time getting here. I'm not a fan of the cold. I'm sure I've admitted that at some other time, but I do love snow! It makes the cold a little bit warmer having something pretty to look at. I love walking outside at night and having that orange-ish glow to everything. It's not dark because everything is reflecting the amber of the building and street lights. Perfect!

Yes, I realize that this euphoria of the first real snow will go away and I will eventually be swearing at the white flakes and damning winter like no other. But I'm ok with that.

Turkey Break at Last!

Turkey break is the Spring Break of fall semester. For the first time since going back to school I have no large project looming over my head this holiday break. I'm excited about that. Very excited! Why? Because I finally have time to start studying for my exit exams and getting my head in the right gear to get me through March and my exams. One more semester! I think I can, I think I can...

Veteran's Day

Sitting on top of my entertainment center there is folded U.S. flag in a wooden display case. Next to it sits a 5x7 black and white photograph of my grandpa proudly posing in his Army uniform. He looks so very young - too young considering that within months after the photograph was taken he was sent overseas to Korea. All of my life I've known my grandpa fought in the Korean War. Never did an opportunity to tell people of my grandpa's service to this country slip past me, even if I didn't fully understand what his service entailed. It was something he didn't talk about and something I never asked about.

Over the past few years I've learned more and more about the Korean War, more due to school and personal curiosity than talking to my grandpa. It truly is the Forgotten War, stuck between the gloriously remembered World War II and the disgracefully remembered Vietnam War. Our government called the Korean War a "police action," not a war. 35,000 deaths and 104,000 injuries later the WAR ended in a stalemate. While some would consider that a draw, the U.S. completed exactly what it said it would do - contain Communism; prevent it from spreading into South Korea. There was no finite ending and no ticker tape parade. The men returned home and were "forgotten."

I never talked about the war with my grandpa. If he didn't talk about it, there was a reason. In a life of 75 years, 3 years in the Army may have just been a blip on his radar. I know his service didn't consume his life. It was his duty, he did it, and he returned home to his family and moved on with life. As much as I'd like to think that my grandpa was not defined by the experiences of war, he DID experience war. He served this country at a time when the threat of Communist dominoes tumbling across countries and over oceans and consuming America was very real.

It wasn't until I was too late that I had a million questions for my grandpa. But his mind was too tired and his heart was too lonely for me to question him about things. The day that he died we opened a briefcase of his to find some unit patches, pins, service ribbons and his dog tags - a Sergeant, a tank mechanic, a young man identified by stainless steel in case of disaster. He may never have talked about it, but it meant something to him. For 55 years he was a veteran - I never thanked him for that.

Thank you, Grandpa. You will NEVER be forgotten.

F's for everyone!

The worst part about being a graduate teaching assistant is the grading. I enjoy going to the class, interacting with the students, and helping them when they ask for it. I don't enjoy grading. Mostly because there are 120 students in the class and reading mediocre attempts at answering a fairly easy question gets frustrating quickly. It's disappointing to see just how many students don't care at all. I no longer wonder why teachers always thought that I was such a wonderful student. If my fellow students produced work like that which I'm grading, I can understand why professors thought I was a genius.

In other news, I'm not feeling to keen on anything right now. I blame the weather. Crummy winter is approaching and I have no desire to be anywhere other than in my pajamas snuggled up in bed watching a movie. My classes this semester are not very interesting. My Fundamentals of Business Management class is the biggest waste of time. There was a 15 point curve on the last test because the professor can't write a decent, understandable question to save his life. After writing test questions for my history professor this semester I am well aware of how time consuming it is, but it's not rocket science. At least I can take comfort in knowing that I only have to take one more quiz and test from this engineer turned business professor.

I think that only thing that is really keeping me rolling at this point is the fact the end is near...and that Brent and I are headed of to Estes Park for a nice weekend getaway soon! A nice relaxing weekend will be wonderful!! Only one more week!

Fall time fun!

There's no better way to ring in fall time than to launch a pumpkin 300 yards. Brent and I went to the Harvest Farm in Wellington on Sunday. We got lost in the corn maze, watched some pig races, launched some pumpkins and corn, ate some kettle corn, and took a hayride. I've always loved fall time but in the last few years it has slipped by too fast to enjoy. It was nice to slow down and smell the hay. Maybe if I can enjoy fall some than I won't be so bitter about winter this year!

I'm still alive.

Where does the time go? Seriously? September already! How did that happen? I'm not complaining or anything, I'm just saying - it all went by so fast. School is once again in full swing and I'm just now adjusting to my school/work/sleep schedule. My schedule is lighter than usual right now and I've been able to work more hours during than week than usual. Yah for money!

School seems less daunting this year knowing that the end really is near. I've managed the chaos in the past so I know I can manage it for another 8.5 months. I have tons of things keeping me occupied and haven't had much time to watch tv or movies. Brent and I went to see Get Smart a few weeks ago. While things were very predictable - the super cheesy spy comedy made for a good laugh.

Brinkley dog is doing good. He's still a pup at heart and really likes harassing the cat. He really likes having Brent around too. Like he didn't get enough attention already, now he has his buddy around to play with. Brink's been within inches of catching squirrels so I figure it's just a matter of time before he finally snags one. They are starting to play chicken with him and skirt down the tree trunk just close enough that they are out of reach. I'm hoping to get out in the field sometime this fall and let him run around and see if he can't actually find a bird.

In other news, I think I've lost my marbles today. I had to turn around twice and return back home after forgetting things. It just feels like one of those space-cadet kind of days. Blah.

I always knew I'd live in a castle!

What Kind of Guy Will You Fall For?
	You will fall for the gentleman. Keep an eye out for your love at your next formal or field trip to the opera. Watch out for bad boys who walk on the inside of the curb and don't hold the door for you, and you'll end up with the guy who's suave, sophisticated, and classy through-and-through.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

The wipers on the bus go splash, splash, splash!

Baby's float! Well, with a little help they do. I started swimming lessons with my nephew last night. We're "Advanced Guppies!" His little budda belly helped him float a little better than some of the other toddlers. We got to sing some of those cheesy childhood songs that I had long forgotten about. The wheels on the bus still go round and round and the hokey pokey is still what it's all about! It was a pretty good time - a very fast thirty minutes. I've got "motorboat, motorboat" duty every Monday evening so that should be a good dose of weekly Auntie time!

A well needed rest.

A break at last! Taking a few days off to enjoy the mountains, my dog, and my man has rejuvenated me. I was ready for it and enjoyed every minute of it. I wish I could start from the beginning again but I know that I've got to get back to the grindstone. Camping with Brinkley for the first time was fun. It was nice to watch him just run around like a chicken with his head cutoff. I wish I knew what he was thinking but in my mind he was probably screamin' "FREEDOM!" He'd follow Brent off into the woods in search of firewood and come running back ahead of him as if to proudly holler, "He's got a big one, mom. He's coming!" While I took a lot of photos, there are many more photographic moments in my head. It was a nice little trip to remember. Some playground playing, swimming, and firework watching also made the week just inch slowly by. Words could probably never explain just how much the mini-vacation was needed. I'll have lots of nice memories to keep my mind occupied while I get back into the swing of things this week.

Mmmm, Irish ale and chicken liver patté!!

Don't knock it 'til you try it! This week's adventure in Lone Tree/Castle Rock was dinner at a local Irish Pub. The atmosphere is really great and the place has a unique little history about some Irishman cousins that bought the place and then returned to Ireland to purchase all the stuff to go in it - from ancient Catholic monasteries that were closing. The artwork was great and the wooden pulpits on the walls and the giant light fixtures made it really unique. Since I was there, I figured that I'd step out of the comfort zone and try something new and appropriate so I chose the Cottage Pie, which was like steamed/stewed meet and mash potatoes and cheese. It seems simple but it did have a very unique flavor and with the beef broth and vegetables, it was almost a soup or light stew consistency. It was very filling and delicious. Prior to the Cottage Pie, however, I also tried the Chicken Liver Patté appetizer. It was surprisingly good! Take the yummy toasted bread with a dot of goat cheese, a dab of liver stuff and top it with the apricot marinated onion and it makes for a very yummy treat! Sticking with the newness theme, I also tried the Smithwick's Irish Ale! Sooo good. It definitely gives the Total Disorder Porter a run for its title of my restaurant favorite.

Anywho, another day of interesting finds ahead of me tomorrow. Blog topics gallore in these neck of the woods.

Cheers!

Hot sub sandwiches, neo-nazis, and a cemetery stroll at dusk!

About a month ago I started my summer internship for the Women Marines Association in Lone Tree, Colorado. I've been marching along to the beat of my own drummer in creating donor forms, accession forms, databases, speadsheets, shelf layouts, box labels, etc.. Considering it's only been a month and I only work a few days a week, the project is starting to take shape and a real process is starting to develop. I find myself adding massive amounts of things to the "must read" list and thinking research topics that I would like to pursue in my own time (hmm, what is that again??). While I've been incredibly busy, the summer has still been very enjoyable. Catching up with old friends and making new ones have made all the tasks that come with 3 jobs a lot less daunting.

Last night, my supervisor Nancy Wilt and I went to a gas station in Larksburg, Colorado for dinner. Don't knock it until you try it! Best hot sub sandwich I've had since... well, ever maybe! We dined out on the mini front porch and watched the waves of Renaissance Fair die-hards stock up on middle-evil Marlboros, hotdogs, potato chips, and twinkies!! After eating, we took a short drive past the historic house owned by neo-Nazis and disguised as a Co-Masonic Lodge! No lie.

From there we went down a county road out into old horse ranch and homestead country that was so beautiful and green because of Plum Creek that runs through the area. Not too far along, we took another mini detour into the Bear Something cemetery! Through the narrow gated entrance and down a pebble road set the quaintest little church in a courtyard. With lined paths just wide enough to fit a car down (they were probably meant for a horse drawn coffin) and heavy tree coverage, the graves looked very peaceful. Supposedly there are some old Texas Rangers buried there but we didn't get out to peruse the stones in this cemetery. We did get out a few miles down the road the original Castle Rock cemetery though! People that had arrived in the early 1880s were pretty common. There were lots of Civil War Union soldiers and World War I veterans buried there. Also, there were two men that had died in combat in Vietnam. I took a picture of the cemetery's mini veteran's park. It was very beautiful to see at dusk. If you look closely you can see the mountain sunset reflected on the granite.

A hamster's life

Lately it feels like I've been a hamster spinning away on a wheel. I just kept going and going and am getting absolutely nowhere! As much as I try to look on the bright side of things, sometimes the sheer quantity of crap I have to do for other people just makes my head spin. I've had this bitch in the past, especially when it comes to people thinking that it's all just a piece of cake because it's just school. I got to thinking the other day about how much of my week is predetermined by school and work and it basically boils down to about 35 hours of work,12 hours sitting in class, 8 hours of free labor on my practicum, 2 office hours, and on average about 15 hours of reading and 4 hours of Atlas research. And lucky for me, grading starts next week so there goes another 6 or 7 hours a week. And sadly that's probably the lighter side of the reading load. I know I can't look at it like that because then it's just overwhelming and sucky. It definitely sucks at the end of the day knowing that there is a whole other day lined up and the next day off isn't even visible on a calendar. Yeah, I get it, my fault for signing up for all this crap but unfortunately I'm too far in now to justify a disgraceful exit.

File under "R" for Random

I'm still trying to figure out how I've managed to have it so easy this semester. I'm ahead by days on the course curriculum. It's kind of eerie. It's like someone hasn't told me something. There's got to be a catch somewhere, something I'm forgetting to do. The atlas missile research is slowly progressing. Secondary sources are in abundance; it's the original stuff that I'm having a hard time tracking down. My prospectus is due this next week, which is basically my attempt at selling my topic as something that is worthy of research because it has historical value. A nuclear bomb attached to a rocket in a community's backyard seems to have obvious historical value, but that's just my opinion.

My Records Management class has proved to be rather entertaining. I'm glad that I'm not the only one in the class that feels like a complete, unorganized slacker when it comes to personal records. Last week, we covered the basics of filing strategies. Very elementary concepts were covered, but all I could think was, "If this is all so simple, why the hell can't I maintain any form of organization with all my papers at home?" It really is laughable to think that my best strategy for maintaining my files are piles of stuff and then stuffed folders when I get sick of looking at the piles of stuff. Let's hope that when it comes time to searching for a job, they don't request evidence that I am organized in my personal life. Speaking of searching for a job, my resume is getting a little further along. Yes, I realize a turtle moves faster than I do.

3, 2, 1...we have liftoff!

Well, it's not exactly dealing with the Korean War but there may be some links if I dig deep enough. I have to turn in my research topic next week for my research seminar and I've decided to focus on Atlas missiles in Northern Colorado during the Cold War. Just from my initial search for sources, I've found they were actually raised, fueled, and on alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Localizing something as important as that event should make for an interesting read...hopefully. On a far more random note from early research, apparently you can buy old missile silos and covert them into your home! No joke, some people actually live in them! One silo even includes its own personal air strip! It's amazing what money can get you!

A sight less ordinary.

So I'm driving out to my parent's house and I'm on this two lane road surrounded by some cows and what not. And as I reach the bottom of this hill, what do I see? A sight very similar to the one on this movie poster...minus the creepy clouds. Oh, and the person was a woman not some creepy guy in a butcher suit. But there she was walking down the side of the road with a HUGE chainsaw in her hand. And while I felt sorry for her for lugging the thing down the road, I wasn't about to pull over and give her a lift. That's how people end up on the front page of newspapers. Anywho, I didn't return home that same way to see if any unsuspecting victim gave her a ride but I'm guessing probably not.

$425.00 = A whole lot of frickin' work

I think the picture is self explanatory.

Real life is WAY overrated.

At the beginning of last semester I posted a blog about how some people think that grad school is like living safely in a bubble secure from real life. While during the actual semester, that's totally not the case, I'm pretty sure that I can say winter break has been very much like living in some bubble. Sporadically working, sleeping until 10 or 11, traveling hundreds of miles, hanging out with friends and family, and having the man around to distract me was very surreal. I knew it would all end eventually and I'd have to wake up and drag my butt off to work at the crack of dawn with the rest of the world, but I can't help but think how nice just one more day would have been. All morning long I've had Diamond Rio's One More Day With You stuck in my head. I'd have to agree with the song, one more day really would just leave me wishing for one more. I've been spoiled rotten and can't help but feel blessed. If the first few days are any indication of how this year is going to go, 2008 should be fantastic! I'm really going to enjoy working on my resolution this year!