Volunteer, Advocate, Trekker.

Merry Christmas blog-followers, as I was telling Angela the other day -- this year has been so busy with things to do it's almost like I'm too busy living life to blog about it. A dilemma I'm certainly happy to suffer from! I just hope that I remember to enjoy the moment, if I am not documenting them quite as diligently. The family got together for Christmas at Grandma's yesterday, and the immediate family is all here at home today. David got mom and I gifts for the first time in more than 10 years -- and he got mom cash "to make up for all the years he forgot to get her gifts." Which I thought was bizaare, and I don't think mom quite knows how to react to it, but I'll make sure she spends it on gifty-things for herself. It just seems to go against tradition to get your parents cash for a gift ever. Even gift cards are pushing it, if there isn't some level of thought put into it. Like, "I got you this giftcard to [store] because I know th...

Flipping through channels on this fine snow-filled Saturday morning, I accidentally found "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" (1976) on ABC Family. I'm only catching what I think may be the ending, but wow is this bad. There's a priest snowman? Frosty got married!? When did that happen? (Clearly, in 1976.) But before I could judge too harshly, a Jack Frost character made his required douchbagginess apparent. Jack Frost from "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" (1976) Here I guess he was causing mischief and mayhem or something, until Mrs. Crystal theSnowman (?) was nice to him and he became the best man at their wedding?? Riight. His hair kinda looks like a combination of what I wanted mine to look like -- with that of an anime character from Yu-Gi-Oh! or Digimon or something. Then a few days ago I caught The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause , with the very annoying Martin Short playing Jack Frost - a mythical figure trying to steal control of the Chr...

Hello Internet, and good morning. Wow, I gotta say Christmas break kinda sprung up on me faster than I was expecting -- I don't quite have it down packed what I need to take care of yet. It's like there are these non-corporeal ideas floating around that eventually condensate into actual plans. All I do know is thank god Finals are over! Two huge papers (11 and 12 pages) both due yesterday. Well, more accurately, one due Tuesday one due Yesterday at 6. I ended up turning them both in Yesterday because neither professor knows how to work Springboard. :/ procrastination, it's a problem. But for realz: immediate future, buy my new Queen size mattress for my new queen size bed frame which looks awesome. (Right now I'm sleeping on my old mattress next to it... I didn't imagine buying a mattress would take this long for some weird reason.) Today, get in contact with student teaching supervisor about maybe sitting in on their class next week. Then I have a bajillion Cir...

(This post was primarily written on Friday 12/17) - Sitting on the couch keeping warm, watching the Ohio Supreme Court (in a case from June 9, 2010...) Toledo Bar Assn v. Ritson - while mom is out picking up David from his last final of Tri-C classes this semester, and stopping at Chipotle on the way home :) Ahh, the relaxation of winter break. Gonna take Sarah back to Akron today with her wrapped up leg which is healing from her surgery. (Sarah noted at Thanksgiving that with the set up Grandpa had, the TV looked like it was "suffocating between the bookshelves! Fighting to get out!") So, lately I've been slowly turning my Grandpa's condo into a house Mom, Dave and I would feel comfortable in. Grandpa's house is set up for a single, elderly man (pictured)-- decorated all at once in 1994 after Grandpa moved to Stow following his house-fire in Maple Heights. (For those who have not followed my life closely: after Grandpa's passing this summer Mom inheri...

The holidays are approaching, and I'm eager to feel the Christmas spirit! :D I had my one and only final today, and tomorrow I have to observe at the middle school for the last time (voluntarily, actually) while they make mummies. Then it's Christmas break all the way! Somethings on my Christmas list this year: a new suit, or even just new dress pants. X_X being in ASG and observing at schools puts a lot of strain on my dress clothes. Never would I have imagined hoping for clothes for Christmas. But not just any clothes, I gotta stay classy - and silky whenever possible. Some other things I'd like this Christmas? Well, there's these Antique Theodore Roosevelt book set at a local store that cost 95$, a Roomba for carpets, this Antique Victorian dictionary stand I've been looking for for years (these are things I really never ask anyone for.) A police speed-radar detector, the collectors edition of the new Black Eyed Peas CD, etc. Picture of the Day: So while ...

Woo, well after a fairly successful Thanksgiving (for this family) -- today Sarah & I drove out to Fremont, Ohio to see the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Museum, House & Library . I'm using the fact that going really is extra credit in my American Presidency class, but really I just love going to Presidential sites -- especially the ones in Ohio I haven't been to. n.n Fremont, btw - is in the Sandusky area of Ohio, so an hour and 40 minute drive West. (Approximately the width of South Korea!) The temperature was 25 degrees today X_X this fact will come into play later. So we go up to this big fancy entrance, and wouldn't you know this is just the for-show entrance -- you actually enter on the side. Ugh. So we go inside, buy our tickets (for admission to both museum, and the house tour is 13 dollars a person. No student discount -.-) Luckily though, cause we didn't want this to take all day, there was a house tour in 5 minutes. I didn't want to carry m...

Hahaha, so if you've ever shopped at an American Eagle Outfitters, you know they have music playing in the background. Well, as someone who worked there for a few months during the Christmas season, you quickly realize it's the same so-many songs over and over (as opposed to a radio station. Which, to be fair, also plays the same so-many songs over and over.) But I digress. Anyway, during my orientation they switched to the Holiday CD (what a good metaphorical change of gears...) and since then I really wanted to make a list of the songs. That list has found it's way to the internet, and I wanted to repost it here so as to come back to it and refer at some point. The songs I find particularly note worthy I may link to or something, we'll see. But maybe you'll recognize a name or find a title interesting, so: ========================= The Handsome Furs - "All We Want Baby, Is Everything" The Rolling Stones - "Beast of Burden" The Sounds - "Be...

Morning boys and girls, Christmas in my house was not as bad as I'd worried! Mom got the presents right for Sure this year! (By actually shopping for the stuff on our list, surprising but its a method that works...) I made off with the list that follows! 1. "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin . Book about Lincoln's cabinet that inspired Obama to select his cabinet. Number 1 New York Times best-seller! 2. "Rated R" CD by Rihanna . Woohoo! I've been hoping to buy a Rihanna CD, I don't have any yet. Listening to it now, looking for a song of the day. 3. "Star Trek" (new Movie) 2 disc special edition DVD . WOOHOO! Watched the special features already! Glad no one tried to get me the Star Trek movie without the special features, cause that puts me in an awkward position of "well, I want the special features, but I don't want to buy a second copy..." which is why if you're going to get me a DVD, try to be careful about Spec...

Okay, this one'll be brief. I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I'll blog again about what I got, and hopefully not complain about what mom got me and instead be thankful she got me anything. From what I know, she certainly put more thought into Christmas shopping this year than she has in the last few and I should be more thankful. I do love'r after all. Hope everyone has a safe, and merry Christmas with their loved ones! I still have to update the past couple blogs, and get other stuff in my life in order this break, oh boy, so much to do... A few quick stories: got to see the house in Garfield who's Christmas lights are tuned to music on a radio station, that was fun! Got to hang out with the Garfield gang at Mongolian BBQ from which Danielle stole me a cup, also fun! Today went to Grandma's for Christmas Eve - mom got her a snuggie, and despite my embarrassment Grandma and everyone thought it was an awesome super fantastic amazing gift. Quote of the ...

So, the other day I was in the mood to change the direction of my life in a few little ways. Most people took my facebook status "like Barack Obama said, it's time for a change!" to be a political reference to one thing or another, either Pres. Obama himself, or the mayoral race in Garfield Heights (Longo, mayor for 27+ years not running for reelection, his long time rival Wagner vs. Vic Colova. I personally voted for Colova after a ridiculous incident I'll talk about another time.) Anyway, it was actually a reference to how stressed I was last week and just wanted to change things up enough that life got more exciting. The hair is helping. Also, after a fun weekend at MAC -- I've stepped down from the Circle K district board. Ugh, I am not too pleased that I was one of the spearheads opposing step-downs at Board Trainer -- but after half a year, it seems like my position is just another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy. I talked to people, and reassured them it ...

Alright, it's not Halloween yet - nor is it Thanksgiving yet. But it's time to start my Christmas shopping list! I suck at figuring out what to buy people :( and people back-and-forth argue I'm easy to shop for or impossible to shop for. But for my own reference, here is first thing that has made it's way onto my Christmas list... 10. "The Battle for America 2008" - a Book about the 2008 election. I saw this in the store and thought, Darn! I wanted to write a book like that! Oh well. My new favorite part about this is the cover has all the important figures in this elections: Hillary, McCain, Obama, Biden, Bill Clinton, George Bush, Sarah Palin, Tina Fey, Jon Stewart... 29.99 at Barnes and Noble, 19.77 on Amazon . Still looking for my Borders coupons though, may buy it for myself. Quote of the Weekend: (At Make a Difference Day) Guy in Charge: "[radio static] Bus 11, don't forget the gascan, rake and lawnmower before you leave your site." (lon...

Woo! Break is almost here, with the exception of a Microeconomics final I'm severely dreading. So I thought I'd post the plans I'm considering for over break : 1.) Saturday, celebrate Chinese New Years with Grandpa and his Tai chi class. I try to go to this every year, grandpa's allowed to bring a guest and they all remember me from when I went and visited their class back when I was like 7! Though this time its during the day, and at a Thai restaurant, hrmm . 2.) Read Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope which mom bought me for 2005 Christmas. It looks nice on my book shelf, but like many of those books, I really do mean to get around to reading them. 3.) Party with the gang, which seems to include returning to Akron a sure-heck-of-a-lot. 4.) This weekend, Christmas-up the house! After the Saturday night uber -cleaning (u.u; why can't my family clean on their own...) I'll put up all the Christmas decorations, and maybe even get the tree - or maybe go Sund...