urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie terpsichorie terpsichorie 2007-06-30T10:07:58Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:9643 2007-06-30T10:07:58Z 2007-06-30T10:07:58Z Blank started it, and now I'm gonna finish it...;-)<br /><br /> 1. What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?<br /> a tie: The Butter Battle Book or The Lorax<br /> 2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?<br /> The home of the Swiss Family Robinson - I've always been a tree hugger <br /> 3. What's the longest you've gone without sleep?<br /> It was almost a week - now I got kinda in and outie towards the end, so I suppose you <br /> could say 3-4 days without losing consciousness<br /> 4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?<br /> My favorite Sinatra song is "A Wink and a Smile"...<br /> 5. Who's your favorite Muppet?<br /> Sesame Street: Slimy<br /> Muppet Show: Animal or Sam the Eagle<br /> 6. What's the habit you're proudest of breaking?<br /> Gum balls - that was a REALLY hard one to give up<br /> 7. What's your favorite Web site?<br /> Gmail... 'cause it lets me talk to people<br /> 8. What's your favorite school supply?<br /> BOOKS!!!<br /> 9. Who's your favorite TV attorney?<br /> My television has never been in any kind of legal trouble...<br /> 10. What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?<br /> Trip to see Mom and Dad in York<br /> 11. What's the best bargain you've ever found at a garage sale or thrift store?<br /> I bought an old wedding dress for fifteen dollars.<br /> 12. Where were you on September 11, 2001?<br /> Out in the fields at PSU doing a soil science lab... <br /> 13. What's your favorite tree?<br /> My family tree, it has the best possible fruits<br /> 14. What's the most interesting biography you've read?<br /> The life story of Mother Teresa - I really thought that I was going to be a nun for awhile <br /> 15. What do you order when you eat Chinese food?<br /> Sushi or (failing that) steamed veggies on sticky rice.<br /> 16. What's the best costume you've ever worn?<br /> I was a damned whore once at PSU with a sign on my back that said, "See! The Willard <br /> Preacher was right"<br /> 17. What's your least favorite word?<br /> chunk<br /> 18. If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?<br /> Texas - then no one would mess with me<br /> 19. Who's your favorite Care Bear?<br /> Funshine bear - HEART POWER!!!<br /> 20. Describe something that's happened to you for which you have no explanation.<br /> I was once attacked in a laundromat by a woman on crutches(i have no idea who she was) <br /> 21. If you could travel anywhere in Africa, where would it be?<br /> South Africa - I'd love to hike table mountain again! <br /> 22. What did you have for lunch yesterday?<br /> A baked potato with salt(it was awesome)<br /> 23. Where do you go for advice?<br /> Friends and family -they're the one's I trust<br /> 24. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?<br /> Dictionary - I AM the thesaurus<br /> 25. Have you ever been snorkeling? Scuba diving?<br /> Snorkeling yes, scuba diving no. <br /> 26. Have you ever been stung by a bee?<br /> About a million times when I was little. They were dad's responsibility and I was a <br /> daddy's girl, so I'd always get stung when he was taking down their nests.<br /> 27. What's the sickest you've ever been?<br /> One morning in Nagasaki.<br /> 28. What's your favorite form of exercise?<br /> DANCING!(or ice-skating or rolller-skating)<br /> 29. What's your favorite Cyndi Lauper song?<br /> I don't know any<br /> 30. What did you do for your 13th birthday?<br /> Nothing...<br /> 31. Are you afaid of heights?<br /> yes, but I kinda like them too(I know, I'm a weird kid)<br /> 32. Have you ever taken dance lessons?<br /> yeah - a little irish, VERY little hip-hop, and a very little swing.<br /> 33. What's your favorite newspaper?<br /> The New York Times(duh)<br /> 34. What's your favorite Broadway musical?<br /> Rent or Chicago(too many childhood memories)<br /> 35. What's the most memorable class you've ever taken?<br /> My Dante Class - I LOVE Dante<br /> 36. What's your favorite knock-knock joke?<br /> Interrupting cow(I go with the classics)<br /> 37. What's your favorite commercial?<br /> The old Energizer bunny commercials<br /> 38. If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be?<br /> Maya Angelou - I'd just ask her to read poetry to me...<br /> 39. Do you prefer baths or showers?<br /> baths, but they take too long<br /> 40. Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?<br /> nope- my chewing gum lasts forever<br /> 41. What's your favorite breakfast food?<br /> fruit!!(or shmuffins)<br /> 42. Who's your favorite game show host?<br /> MMMM...the lady from "The Weakest Link"<br /> 43. If you could have a super power, what would it be?<br /> Talking to animals(I know, but it's true)<br /> 44. Do you like guacamole?<br /> I LOVE it<br /> 45. Have you ever been in a food fight?<br /> Heck yeah!!!<br /> 46. Name five songs to which you know all the lyrics. (Better yet, sing them.)<br /> Snowman(Nields), The Boxer(Simon & Garfunkle), Where have you been?(Real Big Fish)<br /> You are My Sunshine, and the "Little Green Frog" Song<br /> 47. What's your favorite infomercial?<br /> Nope<br /> 48. What's the longest you've ever waited in line?<br /> A ride at Cedar point that ended up breaking down just as we got to the front of the line<br /> 49. What's on the cover of your address book or day planner?<br /> A pretty Purple-clad fairy<br /> 50. Have you ever taken a picture in one of those little booths?<br /> Yeah, they're all over in Japan, it's so much FUN!!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:9230 2007-06-05T16:20:33Z 2007-06-05T16:20:33Z Wow - So, the end of school is RUNNING towards me. I can't even fully comprehend how soon the end will come...I've packed nothing in my home though I'm moving everything I own in one month and seven days, I've not even packed up my CLASSROOM for goodness' sake!!. I've found no job, I've a place to live. I've made arrangements to keep in touch with my kids, I've not begun to understand how much grading there will be as of the 14th(insane). I feel really crazy, and sometimes I feel so alone. I just feel unmoored and all I want is a hug. haha - such a hippie. OK - I'm done. The weather is beautiful, my kids are doing ok - it'll all get done when it needs to. I have faith. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:9092 2007-05-31T15:39:23Z 2007-05-31T15:39:23Z My babies graduated today!!! I'm so proud of Atholton's class of 2007! Seriously, I end up so involved in my kids, it's so personal to me what becomes of them and how they succeed. Teaching is, in some respects, the very best job on earth(on the other hand, I'm still grading research papers(as I shall be until the day I die) so there are some serious drawbacks....)<br /> In other news...mmm...I'm still working, still procrastinating on the whole, getting ready for the move thing...still trying to figure out how I'm going to pay my rent in Seattle...sigh...<br /> I can't wait to see my home peeps!!!! YAY Cello's graduation, and Hell's big-girl job!!! Yay the Stix's new arrival!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:8751 2007-05-25T20:55:24Z 2007-05-25T20:55:24Z So - it's nearing the end of my school year. I'm currently contemplating a PILE of 60 some research papers the grading of which will dictate the course of the rest of this weekend for me. YAY!!<br /> My world in general is going very well. The school year will be ending on June 20. On June 26 - 3 I'll be chillin' at home with peeps. As soon as I get back I shove my entire life into a 6x7x9 pod and ship it to Seattle while I roadtrip the same route(I'm actually really looking forward to the roadtrippin' aspect of everything). After that this summer is going to be a mad process of trying to find a job in Seattle so I can pay rent on the beautiful apartment that I've agreed to pay rent for. AHHH!!(it's stressing me out just a little bit). MUST...FIND...WORK.(I'm seriously terrified that I won't be able to find a job, won't be able to teach or even be a secretary or waitress. I've two degrees!! You'd think that I wouldn't have to suffer from this kind of fear anymore! <br /> I am still very excited about Seattle though - an opportunity to explore somewhere new and re-invent myself(except I wish that I could just bring my peeps with me instead because I miss them SO much)...oh well...we'll see what my insane wanderlust does for me.... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:8513 2007-05-10T10:56:44Z 2007-05-10T10:56:44Z it may not always be so; and i say <br /> -ee cummings<br />it may not always be so;and i say<br />that if your lips,which i have loved,should touch<br />another's,and your dear strong fingers clutch<br />his heart,as mine in time not far away;<br />if on another's face your sweet hair lay<br />in such a silence as i know,or such<br />great writhing words as,uttering overmuch,<br />stand helplessly before the spirit at bay;<br /> <br />if this should be,i say if this should be-<br />you of my heart,send me a little word;<br />that i may go unto him,and take his hands,<br />saying,Accept all happiness from me.<br />Then shall i turn my face,and hear one bird<br />sing terribly afar in the lost lands. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:7948 2007-03-02T00:53:16Z 2007-03-02T00:53:16Z Lay your sleeping head, my love, <br />Human on my faithless arm; <br />Time and fevers burn away<br />Individual beauty from<br />Thoughtful children, and the grave<br />Proves the child ephemeral: <br />But in my arms till break of day<br />Let the living creature lie, <br />Mortal, guilty, but to me<br />The entirely beautiful.<br /><br />Soul and body have no bounds: <br />To lovers as they lie upon<br />Her tolerant enchanted slope<br />In their ordinary swoon, <br />Grave the vision Venus sends<br />Of supernatural sympathy, <br />Universal love and hope; <br />While an abstract insight wakes<br />Among the glaciers and the rocks<br />The hermit's carnal ecstasy.<br /><br /><br />Certainty, fidelity<br />On the stroke of midnight pass<br />Like vibrations of a bell<br />And fashionable madmen raise<br />Their pedantic boring cry: <br />Every farthing cost, <br />All the dreaded cards foretell, <br />Shall be paid, but from this night<br />Not a whisper, not a thought, <br />Not a kiss nor look be lost.<br /><br /><br />Beauty, midnight, vision dies: <br />Let the winds of dawn that blow<br />Softly round your dreaming head<br />Such a day of welcome show<br />Eye and knocking heart may bless, <br />Find our mortal world enough; <br />Noons of dryness find you fed<br />By the involuntary powers, <br />Nights of insult let you pass<br />Watched by every human love. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:7804 2007-02-09T17:24:21Z 2007-02-09T17:24:21Z Heya All,<br /> It's once again that most-fabulous time of year, Parent-teacher conferences. I always dread these- I don't know why, they are never as bad as I imagine that they will be,but I just love my kids so much that one harsh word from a parent just sears my soul. I'm waiting for my next appointment and listening to Simon and Garfunkle(nothing in the world helps me feel calm, serene, and at peace in the same way). <br /> I miss everyone. I am tentatively planning to come visit Rochester at the beginning of the summer. Prolly late June or early July. Does anyone have any objections? I just can't wait to see all of the new houses and happy people that live daily in my heart. <br /> Mom and dad successfully sold the house, and they bought one called "Sparrow house" - which I find to be an absoluelty lovely and poetic name...(who will love a little sparrow). Ironically, sparrow house is no smaller than our house in Rochester, it's just on a smaller lot(that's mom for you). <br /> "Cecelia, you're breaking my heart. You're shaking my confidence daily...Jubilation, she loves me again, I fall on the floor and I'm laughing..." It's no wonder why I love this group, is it? <br /> I'm in my February state-of-mind...my world is like a molasses coated morass...everything is moving too slow, it's sticky, kinda sweet, kinda gross, and I just wish that I could be somewhere sunny for a long time. I find that no matter what I'm doing, when February rolls around, I want to be doing something else, somewhere else(usually somewhere like a lizard's terrarium complete with heat-lamp).I am NOT fond of winter. It has lost the meager charm that it possessed going into fall and is now a house guest that has officially long overstayed his welcome...<br /> I am super-happy in general though - because soon it will be spring when I begin to once again see that every single thing in life is the best and most amazing thing that it could ever possibly be...;-) urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:7025 2007-01-17T14:54:51Z 2007-01-17T14:54:51Z Alright my most dearly beloveds, it's that once-in-a-blue-moon moment in which I post on my livejournal. I'm currently proctoring a mid-term for my honors class, and they are shockingly low-maintenance at times like this. I'm super excited about the positive juju of this year. Everyone is making strides towards the future, peeps are buying houses, and working towards bigger families, and it's all this beautiful wheel towards the future. I mean, I know that on the general wheel of fortune you must always enjoy your highs while recognizing that the lows will come again, but I'm really savoring this moment of my life right now. <br /> Today I feel like a cat stretched out in a patch of bright sunshine. I'm warm and content - relatively unafraid, and shockingly satisfied. Even at these moments, life has it's bittersweet as we are forced to recognize that all good things end and that anything we truly give our heart into can rip it away in its absence. So there is always the curl of fear. Still...<br /> Mom is still trying to sell the house, she's lonely without Da, and I know that he's lonely without her. I'm planning my move to Seattle(and more, I'm mourning the loss of my kids here). I know, it's part of growth, and I am more happy than sad because of all that I will gain; but they are my babies and I will truly miss them, miss seeing them in the last moments of their childhoods as they step into the larger world...<br /> I'm missing a few of my friends right now, and I think that I'll try to call them tonight, again with that bittersweet...;-) I love you peeps, I miss you, and I can't wait to see you again(whenever that may happen)... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:6891 2006-12-02T23:33:48Z 2006-12-02T23:33:48Z <center><br /><br /> <a href="http://www.seductiveshorts.com/#goods/quiz"><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.seductiveshorts.com/images/blogs/bubble.gif" border="0" /><br /><br /> </a><br /><br /></center> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:6566 2006-11-28T20:02:27Z 2006-11-28T20:02:27Z Ok, I'm guessing that it's about time that I post again, just to let my loved ones know that I'm still alive. I'm sitting in my classroom with a brilliant young lad who is imitating the writing style of John Steinbeck right now(in his free time) in order to improve his writing...(such great kids!!!). In other news, Thanksgiving in Seattle was really fun! I got to see a bunch of people that I've been missing and visit a friend who recently developed gout(poor guy). I was also able to see the dead sea scrolls(4 of which had never been on public display previous to this exhibition). I met Nick's Da, who was super-cool and whose Irish accent is apparently catching because, by the time I left, Nick had a considerable Irish lilt to his voice.It was really cute.<br /> Mom and Dad are still waiting for someone to make an offer on the house so that they can get out of Rochester and move to York together. I have to say that I'm really hoping it goes soon(though I don't want to lose my home) because poor mom's going buggy all-alone in Rochester with no one to nurture ...I'm a little bit tired, I really kinda want a long vacation, but that's what summer is for...I am going to have to go somewhere dramatically different or do something super-fun...;-)Man Seattle is cold...it's totally in the 60's here this week and I wish that I never had to deal with a temperature below 60(which of course would never happen, but a girl can dream, can't she?) I miss all of the Rochester peeps, and I will be up as soon as possible(though I may or may not be down over christmas)...ok, well, it's time for me to get going...I miss you all and adore you...post if you want to... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:6266 2006-11-09T19:39:57Z 2006-11-09T19:39:57Z My name:<br />The love of my life:<br />Where you and I met:<br />Take a stab at my middle name:<br />How long you've known me:<br />The last time that we saw each other:<br />Do I drink?:<br />Your first impression of upon meeting me/seeing me:<br />One of my favorite things to do:<br />Am I funny?<br />My favorite type of music:<br />Can I sing?<br />The best feature about me:<br />The worst feature about me:<br />Am I shy or outgoing?<br />Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?<br />Do I have any special talents? If so, what are they?<br />Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what)?<br />Have you ever hugged me?:<br />My favorite food:<br />Have you ever had a crush on me?<br />If there was one good nickname for me, it would be:<br />Your favorite memory of me:<br />If you and I were stranded on a desert island, I would bring:<br />Are we friends?<br />Do I believe in God?<br />Who is my best friend?<br />Will you repost this so I can fill this out for YOU? urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:6044 2006-10-21T13:12:42Z 2006-10-21T13:12:42Z Ok, I'm only posting because I want you all to have to see and aknowledge that I figured out how to put an image up!! Yeah, that's right, I am mighty in the knowledge technology usage....!!(yeah, it only took me...what...two years to figure out how...;-) <br />I LOVE YOU PEEPS urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:5762 2006-10-14T02:11:53Z 2006-10-14T02:13:03Z Today is cold. It is dark and I wonder where I belong. I miss my peeps; how is it that Rochester can seem so far away? That Albany is like another country? That Ithaca is inaccessible? That State College is a distant memory? Why did we, as Americans, create a society that almost forces us to separate ourselves from everyone else we bond to.<br /> I am missing Anna and Patrick's childhoods, and it makes me very sad sometimes. I can't be there to hug my friends when they have bad days. For some reason, fall and winter make me feel this way always. Perhaps it is because symbolically I feel as though the weather reflects the deaths of important relationships in my life. <br /> I miss you all, each and every one of you. You are very well loved, whether or not you know it on a day-to-day basis. I can't wait for Tofurkey day. I love you all very much.(it's one of those days, the sentimental crap days...if you notice, the last one of these was last year at about this time. I swear, it really is a seasonal affect.... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:5184 2006-10-07T21:37:13Z 2006-10-07T21:37:13Z Well, I judged speech and debate today. It was amazing! The kind of performances that my kids are capable of never fail to impress me. I managed to get horribly lost on my way and had to stop five times to ask for directions, I also accidentally ended up on several highways and had several swearing, freaking-out jags as I attempted to get to a high school that is only 12 miles from my home!! It took me about an hour-and a half!!! I swear, I truly could get lost in a paper bag... It is currently both cold and rainy in Maryland and I have spent the past two days wanting nothing more than to curl up into a tiny ball under a pile of blankets and not come out again until spring. I miss you all very much, and I wish that I could see my Bopo peeps. I miss my chosen family...why oh why is this country so big?! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:4913 2006-10-03T23:24:34Z 2006-10-03T23:24:34Z I've been crying for what seems like hours. I know that I am not usually hugely emotional, and most things in the news can't really move me; this shooting in Amish country though... I was watching this report, and they showed the picture of one of the victims. She looked like one of my kids.A lot like her. I just started thinking about my students, and the terrible things that the world might hold for them. The terrible people who might one day impact their lives... I can't imagine what I would do if anything ever happened to one of them.<br /> So, we've heightened security at the school,and I'm very glad, but I don't believe that there is anything that we can do to truly protect against the "maybe"s of the world. I only wish that I knew for certain that I could truly protect my kids if the situation ever arose, I would do anything to know that their safety was a certainty. It's a terrible thing to love a kid in some ways, there is just so much you cannot save them from...ok, enough negativity. My kids are awesome, the world is as beautiful a place as it is ugly, and I know that there are more amazingly wonderful people in this world(like all of my friends and family) than there are monsters...give me more sunshine peeps!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:4675 2006-09-22T02:25:55Z 2006-09-22T02:25:55Z I arrived at my school at 6:00 am this morning. I have just arrived home after a full day of teaching and meeting with all of my kids parents. It is 10:30 p.m. That is 16 1/2 hours...oh my GOD!! I'm so tired. Still, I totally LOVE my kids!! The parents scare me sometimes, but the kids are worth more to me than I can possibly say...In other news, I'm looking forward to Tofurkey day with a ravening desire to eat veggie food and be surrounded by the loving company of my peeps. I'm also looking forward to next weekend, it'll be a very welcome break to get out of town and I really enjoy Seattle. Ok, I don't really know what's going on anymore and I keep imagining that I am the sybil on a tripod, so I think it's officially bedtime. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:4371 2006-09-04T12:40:49Z 2006-09-04T12:40:49Z I spent this past Saturday with Johannah for her birthday(girl gets prettier with every passing year). I was given the opportunity to meet Rick, who was a lovely gentleman. My first week of school was very good, I LOVE my kids. All my favorites from last year hang out in my room before school, after school, and between periods. I have to admit, it is a great help to have so many wonderful kids around to help me set up my LCD projectors and hole-punch my papers. They are really just such fantastic kids and I LOVE my school.(Of course, it is this week that the diagnostic papers start, so I prolly shouldn't speak too soon...sigh...it's going to be a whole lot of work this year...but I think that it will be very rewarding all-in-all. <br /> I'm considering when the appropriate time to get my PhD would be. I mean, if I wait too long, I'll lose momentum and never get it. I'm kinda scared by the lack of structure in a PhD program though. I've always needed regimented lessons, dates etc in order to really do well. I don't know how compatible my extremely structured mindset is with a degree that, from what I understand, is based on you picking something and turning your in-depth study of it into a book-like paper that others will rip to tattered bleeding shreds...but how cool to be Dr. Oleson!!! I don't know, I'm going to start making some phone calls soon. It's either that, or I am taking my darned stained-glass window making class, or belly-dancing....or massage school on the weekends. Or yoga instructor certification...but I clearly need some kind of project.(not that I'm not busy enough, but I get antsy to be a-doing)... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:4322 2006-08-23T04:43:14Z 2006-08-23T04:43:14Z So...today was the first day back at school. It was very affirming. I've had a huge amount of anxiety in the consideration of the coming year, and I still do, but now I really have my passion back. I remembered this morning why it was that I was so passionate about teaching in the first place. All I can think about is how lost and alone I felt all through last year. Today, I felt far more comfortable and at home...I had people I knew, and I'm really excited to get my students back. It's going to be a very challenging year, but I swear that I won't make any of the same mistakes that I made last year. I imagine there will be a bevy of new ones, but that's all-right.<br /> A huge part of my happiness this year stems from the fact that I have my own room now!! WOW!! My very own classroom in which to teach the new minds of the upcoming generation. I just can't wait!!! I'm putting up real art-not just posters but reproductions of real works of art. I'm trying to figure out how to include this beautiful photograph that one of my friends in Seattle took. I know what I want to do with it, but I have to convince our technology coordinator to push for an LCD projector so that I can show all of my students the image...;-)<br /> Ok, I really miss you all. I hope that you will write me soon and let me know how you're all doing. Oh, one bit of sad news. My friend Attin has moved to greener pastures, so I will not have him to talk to this year. It makes me very sad because he really was my closest friend at school. I still have Carrie, Nena and Emily though, and they're really fantastic...so I think it'll be alright.<br /> Alright, enough of this nonsense, I must conserve my energy so that I can arrange my beautiful new room tomorrow( I think I'm going to pick up Izzo's old trick of changing desk arrangements frequently to keep the kiddies guessing...)LOVE YOU ALL!!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:3917 2006-08-01T19:01:43Z 2006-08-01T19:01:43Z So here I am in the beautiful state of Delaware. It's lovely here, and I enjoy the proximity to the ocean, but my good God it is HOT out today. I think that from now on I will be taking all of my extended walks after dark. Sarah's pictures from Falconridge are awesome!! I can't wait to turn a number of them into pictures hanging on my walls. My cousin Rachel and I are hanging out today. SHe is 7 now!! 7!! I remember when she was BORN!!! I'm reading an excellent book, "My sister's keeper"...and considering the political repercussions globally of Fidel Castro stepping down in favor of his brother Raul.I really feel like this is going to mean the end of Cuba as a communist nation, though only time will tell really I suppose. I'm preparing for a trip tomorrow that will involve sea Kayaking...(if I misspelled that, I apologize). I miss you all so much that it's truly somewhat insane!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:3693 2006-07-24T18:37:23Z 2006-07-24T18:37:23Z I would just like to assert, WEAK. I walked into Bopo from my house way in the boonies only to find that Alice and Stix had just left and Sarah, Cello, and Patrick were having Health care appointments... So, I'm off to walk back home so that I can get to the airport in time to get home.... I did, however, rescue a robin on the way here and take his injured bottom to the vet's, so perhaps that was the true reason that I had to take this walk....;-) urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:3417 2006-07-24T15:33:18Z 2006-07-24T15:33:18Z So it's been awhile. Here is my update. This summer has been awesome, I've been traveling a TON. I just got back from Falconridge which, once again, has been an amazing highlight of my life. Hellin my Dove is once again back in the country and we spent the weekend as tent-mates and mutual dates to Andy's wedding. Andy's wedding to Andy was as touching as one might expect(though the speeches were not always my favorite part of the overall warm-fuzziness of the experience). <br /> Let me see...oh yes, Falconridge. Well, baby Anna grows on apace and she is a darling bright-eyed little scrap of miracle. She has more doting aunts(both by blood and otherwise) than any child could rightly know what to do with. She is brilliant though and can almost say things. I think that her eyes are going to settle into a blue-green, although her mama is thinking that they will be a lovely brown like her papa has(she certainly has Stix's eye-lashes)... She has her mama's excellent photogenics though, that girl can take a picture like nothing I've seen since....well...Alice...;-)<br /> Sarah and Cello had Patrick along too, and he is AWESOME!! He can put his foot behind his head, and he loves piggy-back rides(a young man after my own heart), and I think maybe he's starting to warm up to me(though I will never be as deeply in his heart as Hellin)...boo.<br /> Amanda and Sue were SOOO much fun to travel with and Sue is about the funniest critter I can imagine. She doesn't like folk music, but her abiding love for her honey Panda saw her behaving as the empress of camping for the rest of us mewling puking infants...;-)<br /> I'm feeling so good round abouts now. i've just had so many rewarding visits and interactions with people I adore this summer. I've made new friends that I can text message randomly about cannibalism or Greek, and I've gotten to see old friends and their SMOKING new girl-interests.(You know who you are- DAMN!!!);-)<br /> There are many other things going on too, and I surely do LOVE the west coast, but I'm getting a little verbose and it might be to no particular purpose, so I think I'll sign off and see if I can walk into bopo( I think it's about ten miles...wouldn't that be an impressive hike in the mid-day sun?)..... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:3285 2005-10-31T01:43:55Z 2005-10-31T01:43:55Z Heya all,<br /> So here is my update. I'm having a Job moment(where things aren't that bad but one wallows in self-pity anyways...). Not really...It's the last week of the semester before I turn in my grades, so I am insanely busy trying to get some of my lazier sweetie-muffins to pass this semester(they're really good kids but somewhat reluctant to put their noses to the grindstone until it becomes painfully clear that passing will be an impossibility for them unless they turn in the three-thousand assignments that they are short...)... So, that is a tiny bit of stress...I'm also trying to arrange an entire week of sub-plans(which are, quite frankly, as much work as just teaching the week myself), so there is a drop more of stress in my proverbial bucket...finally, there is the big stressful four-thousand pound gorilla sitting in the center of my room...I'm going in for surgery on Friday. It seems that my ACL snapped some time ago, and my knee "going out" since, was my kneecap dislocating and the bones of my leg giving way. Ok, so the last time this happened, the cartilage that caps the top of my tibia got WRECKED and since then my knee does not unbend(it makes for some fun times with crutches). Ok, so it is clear that surgery is necessary and the doctor told me what's going on. It seems that they will be drilling holes in the bones of my knee, stringing an ACL taken from a cadaver donor through my knee, and cutting out the ripped cartilage. <br /> I'm very disturbed. I know that the person who donated their ACL(eternal gratitude to them), did so willingly, but I am freaked out by the idea of having a piece of someone else's body in my own. No longer will all of me be me. I wonder if some part of their soul or spirit will be carried along with their flesh. I mean, I imagine that if my heart, or eyes, or liver went to someone else after I died, some small part of me would go with it, so will that be the case with thier ACL? What if it was a man? Will some part of me now be male? Will I be possessed of some-admittedly self-sacrificing- human being's soul? I mean, I know this is all silly, superstitious talk, and it doesn't really matter one way or another because I'd do almost anything for the hope of being able to run and dance again, but still, it is a disturbing thought. When I die, if we are resurrected from the ground in our original bodies, will I have messed with some divine plan? Will I be missing that part of my body, or worse, will I have robbed some other soul who will then be doomed to a crippled state all for the sake of a good deed for me? alright, I know this is weirdness, my dad was so freaked out by it that he talked to an orthodox priest(my uncle) to send me the church's official line of theological thought on the donation of body parts and its relation to the soul...<br /> I miss everyone. Today I feel old and tired. I love my job and I can't imagine having any other and I love my kids and know that they are worth living my entire life for even if I never did anything else, but today I feel nostalgic. I miss everyone from home, all of my friends from PSU,and all of the amazing people I have known. I'm terrified that I'll die(I know, there is no chance and it's really not dangerous at all and the worst thing that could happen is that I am permenantly gimped, but I am always like this about being ill because it happens so rarely)without seeing all of the people I love or telling them what they mean to me. <br /> So, feel free not to read this next part because I'm just going to talk about the people that I am thinking about and missing right now.<br /> First and foremost, I am thinking of Alice and Stix. I'm terrible with calling, but I think of you two every single day. I wonder how you are, and if you're happy and if you need anything and I wonder if you remember all of the stuff we used to do or if you have any idea how much I would do for you if you ever asked. Alice, you are my mind. You are the bravest most balsy lady I've ever met, with an originality and fire that I have worshiped since the first day I saw you in high-school. Stix, you are the deepest parts of the still waters. There is something so ancient, and wise, and sensitive in you. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without you in it, and I would hate to imagine that such a thing could ever have been. Ana, you are all my hopes for the future. I don't know if your mom or dad will read this, but if they do, I hope they think a fervent love towards you, because you are the product of the dearest souls, and I couldn't be happier for anyone than I am for you. There is no trio on earth that I would sooner run into a burning building on the word of than you.<br /> Johannah, I miss you like hellfire. Your incredible lust for life is something that is entirely unique to you. No other girl is as out-and-out honest as you are. I've never heard you back-bite anyone. You have a social bravery that is as rare in girls as platinum is among metals. You are smart, sharp, and insightful. You don't take shit and you are so much stronger and more BEAUTIFUL than you will ever be able to recognize. Stupid Albany taking you away from me!;-)<br /> I am thinking of Sarah and Melchelle. I want you two to be so very happy. Sarah, I want you to have the child that you want and find all sorts of happiness and actually receive some of the tons of good karma that you have earned through the years with all of your selfless acts. Your urge to save and protect the weak and defenseless is like an immolating fire and it burns through you for anyone who has any eyes to see. Cello, you are so real. You have no pretensions, just an honest solid heart. You are witty, and beautiful, and smart and original. You are unabashedly yourself and SO funny. I can't tell you, you really are as witty as you have ever thought you are, and everyone immediately knows when they meet you, that you are just real. Sarah and Cello, the love you two share is so true. Through everything, I have only ever seen you both act to help one another. Ultimately, there is so much love and respect between you that I am given hope as to the basic goodness of human nature.You were with me through all of my stupid post-heartbreak madness. You never said anything about all of the dumb stuff I was doing and just kept letting me spend time with you even when I was so worn out that all I did was sleep in your house. I don't know if I can ever express how much that meant to me.<br /> I am thinking of Hellin who is in Colombia. I wonder if she is lonely, and if she is happy, and if Luis knows how lucky he is to have such a fantastic human being as a companion. I think he does, and that makes me happy too. I wonder if you will actually keep coming home. You are an angel, and my hero, and I am terrified that when I am eighty, I will pass away not having seen or heard from you in thirty years, and a part of my heart would just die if that happened.<br /> I am thinking of Blank. You are one of the most honest and forthright human beings the world has ever seen. You often fail to sugar-coat things even as much as is necessary to get on in society, but when the chips are down you have NEVER failed to come through. I am always impressed by your ability to make no excuses when you perform an action. You have the courage of your convictions and I can NEVER fault you when I understand your reasoning.<br /> I am thinking of Nick. You have been a true friend. A deep thinker and a great soul. You tried so hard to protect me when I didn't even know I needed it. You took care of me when I was no fun to be around and there was nothing left of me that was forgiving or kind. It was your example and influence that brought all of those noble influences back to me, and by that I mean to tell you that you posses a nobility that only occurrs in classical books where characters embodied a single virtue to an unrealistic degree. I miss seeing you, I hope the West Coast knows how lucky it is.<br /> Mare, you are my spirit, the part of my soul that is most like an uncaged bird. You are free. Not just a little, but completely. You don't take s***, you don't make up s***, you love with all your heart, you speak with all your mind. You were never one of those girls who simpered to be popular, you were never one of those adults who changed to conform to someone else's idea of maturity. You are as much yourself today as anyone can ever be. I know that I'm awful about calling, but it doesn't mean that part of my soul isn't yours and yours alone. You and Jen have found so much happiness together, and I think that it is exactly just as it should be. You deserve one another and all of the happinness that two such brave and uninhibited companions can bring one another.<br /> Alright, I'm sorry, there is more but I will spare you. I'm really sorry to do this to you, I just get this way sometimes. I don't know why I have been so lucky as to know you all, but if I don't tell you now I'll just end up getting ininhibited some night and calling you to tell you how precious you all are to me, and that will be twice as uncomfortable because you won't just be able to skim over the boring parts AND you'll have to reassure me that we'll see each other again and that jesus still loves me. I'm sorry, I promise that I won't make you sit through another one of these for awhile...;-) urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:2930 2005-10-08T03:20:37Z 2005-10-08T03:20:37Z My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings<br />Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:2678 2005-08-09T17:22:39Z 2005-08-09T17:22:39Z Heya all! I just returned from my final trip to Rochester before the beginning of the school year...it was incredible fun! I went to an amusement park and managed to get a ridiculous sunburn on my back where I couldn't reach(complete with finger prints of pale on burn)....*thanks Mare, it was tons of fun*....in addition, I was able to see the first pictures of Alice and Stix's beautiful baby girl,(in-utero, of course),Ana Rebecca...the bridal shower was fun and I won a door-prize, so that's always rewarding....Sarah showed me pictures of her week volunteering for Camp Good Days and Special Times and now I think that I really want to volunteer next summer for at least one week.Stix, Melchelle, Alice and I spent some time transporting the last of some odd posessions to the new pad (by the way, if anyone has a cam-corder I can borrow, let me know, I want to make a special pre-birth video for Ana Rebecca so that she can see where she was born and hear what her mama and papa and all of her doting aunts have to say about her...;-) <br /> My only sad note was saying good-by to Hell, she finally left for Columbia and I don't know if Luis will actually come back up here for grad school, so I guess that I'll just have to start saving for a trip down there this next summer...Let me see....I think that actually may be all of the news I have, I'm on the flightpath to school beginning and am seeking to in some weak way prepare myself to be the kind of role model I hope I can for my students. Wish me luck! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:terpsichorie:2373 2005-07-20T17:44:26Z 2005-07-20T17:46:51Z I'm very happy today! First off, I'm terribly excited that I shall be an aunt to Alice and Stix's little one, AND I just found out that two of my other friends are looking at adopting a completely adorable little boy soon. Guess what his name is....DANTE!!! I can't tell you how happy that makes me! In other news, I think that Colombia South America needs to merge with Columbia Maryland in the near future, so I have some chance of seeing Hellin and Luis(lousy friends who have to move all over heck).. <br /> Oh! My friend Sarah just passed her boards as a registered nurse(very exciting!) and she took my pulse and blood pressure yesterday(then taught me how to do it on either people or cats(They have something of a preponderance of cats with Shakespearian names: Romeo, Puck, and Hamlet!)) It turns out that my resting pulse is 45 beats per minute, and my blood pressure is low normal. She says my pulse rate and blood pressure are the same as Lance Armstrong's!!! Oh! <br /> I also found out that St. Jude's childrens hospital(for whom I used to do all sorts of benefits growing up) is actually located right around Baltimore!! I've decided that it is somehow fated to be so, and that there must be something that I am supposed to do that relates to the childrens hospital ...<br /> funny thing...catholic children are all supposed to be given saints names, and it was always a point of some consternation for me, that my saint was saint Judith. Why you ask? Well, St. Judith is not one of these lovey-dovey new testament saints, OH NO! She was canonized because, way back in the old testament, her people were enslaved and being treated very poorly by a tyrant named Holofernese. Well, Judith was surpassingly lovely, so one night she gets this guy drunk and convinces him that she wants to get to know him biblically(so to speak), then she chops off his head and carries the bloody thing to the edge of the valley where her people were encamped and held it up with a battle cry to incite her people to revolt(they did revolt successfully and she became one of the symbols of her people's liberation and indomitable fighting spirit). <br /> ok, so I could never really completely get behind the St. Judith figure, not because she wasn't a powerful lady, but because I'm not quite that....I dunno something-or-other myself. My other saint, though,is St. Jude. He is the patron saint of lost causes and so represents in my mind the much more supportive and warm fuzzy side of the world, so for a long time I have identified far more with that side of my name and personality and thus left St. Judith out in the proverbial cold.<br /> I've just recently re-evaluated my lack of support and appreciation for St. Judith though. I've decided that I'm very lucky to have each one of them because whenever I begin to worry about getting pushed around I just tap into the severed-head-toting Judith mode and it all comes out all-right....it's a nice sort of catholic ying-yang in the end...(though Judith was still one crazy lady... you don't mess with her, she'll cut you SO BAD)...I'm not sure why I just wrote all that, I was just thinking about it, Oh well, that's what you get for reading these wastes of time...;-)