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