What do people do with free time? I recently have had an after school schedule change and it means that I get two days every week where I don't have set plans. So I've made some phone calls, reread some books, cleaned my patio, did my laundry, cleaned out my email inbox, checked facebook so many times. I've wrapped birthday presents, written letters, watched my favorite guy lose on Jeopardy! (so sad, because I had the highest respect for him and he lost to an easy question on final Jeopardy! He was the Ken Jennings of my generation.) I've gotten the mail, gone to the dentist, cooked dinner, and talked to my mom.
Now I'm sitting at home in the quiet and I wonder what I should do for an hour before Heroes is on...write a blog, I suppose. And what better way to spend one's free time than to blog about what to do during one's free time
What to do during free time:
1) Blog.
2) Read Twilight, again.
3) Check your email obsessively.
4) Read that chapter in Twilight where Edward sparkles.
5) Clean something that you didn't know existed let alone needed to be cleaned like the space underneath your screen door on the patio.
6) Read Midnight Sun online. That's Twilight from Edward's perspective.
7) Do yoga while listening to swing music.
8) Bake.
9) Read something non-Twilight related.
10) Alphabetize something.
11) Do your hair in a funky style that you would never wear in public.
If you have any ideas for things I can do with my free time, let me know. It's a new thing for me and I'm totally excited to be able to just be at home. I think, now that I've completed number 1 and 2 on my list, I'll skip down to number 8. I'll let you know how my cookies turn out.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Anne of Green Gables
When I was twelve I had a life changing experience. I remember very well being at my Aunt Chris' house and she asked if I had seen the movie, "Anne of Green Gables". I said I had not and she laughed and said, "You are Anne." We went to her cool attic room/movie room and watched the whole thing as a family. I was in love and amazed. There was someone else in the world that truly understood me. I devoured the books and every other thing by LM Montgomery. I joined Anne clubs (we even had a picnic with three legged races and tea). I had Anne parties. I went to PEI and visited "Avonlea". I went to a play in LA (Romeo and Juliet) to see Meagan Follows (the actress who played Anne) and met her afterward.
Now to say I love Anne is an understatement. There was something so wonderful about reading this silly and flawed character that I could relate to so well. After a time I wanted to read the books again and when I did, I realized that the story touched me in a new way. That is, I grew up with Anne. Anne and I are still the same at each stage of our lives. I gain a new perspective of her life at my stage that I didn't have when I was twelve, and I see that although I have changed, I am still Anne.
When I grade, I often watch a grading movie. I will select a movie that I know so well I don't have to actually watch it so that I can grade while I watch. Tonight I selected "Anne of Avonlea" and I realize again how much I can relate to her. I don't teach English and Literature (much to my father's dismay), but I do tend to be flowery in my delivery and I have a great desire to be liked by everyone. I still write my own stories, direct plays, teach students, hope and dream to extremes, gain thrills from the beauty of nature, make dumb mistakes that end in my own embarrassment, get dramatic, emotionally respond to situations, and love my home.
I have such a deep, sentimental connection to this story that brings me back to my childhood and to who I truly wish to be. I sometimes think that I try too hard to be who I think I should be and then I see this movie and I see what I should be. I should be free and bold, make mistakes, dream, have courage, and speak my mind. It is a bolster to my soul to watch this movie and I'm looking forward to getting back to my grading now that I've taken my 15 minute break. If you haven't seen the movie or read the books, I highly recommend them and I would gladly loan you anything I have connected to them - except my second edition Blue Castle...that is mine alone.
Now to say I love Anne is an understatement. There was something so wonderful about reading this silly and flawed character that I could relate to so well. After a time I wanted to read the books again and when I did, I realized that the story touched me in a new way. That is, I grew up with Anne. Anne and I are still the same at each stage of our lives. I gain a new perspective of her life at my stage that I didn't have when I was twelve, and I see that although I have changed, I am still Anne.
When I grade, I often watch a grading movie. I will select a movie that I know so well I don't have to actually watch it so that I can grade while I watch. Tonight I selected "Anne of Avonlea" and I realize again how much I can relate to her. I don't teach English and Literature (much to my father's dismay), but I do tend to be flowery in my delivery and I have a great desire to be liked by everyone. I still write my own stories, direct plays, teach students, hope and dream to extremes, gain thrills from the beauty of nature, make dumb mistakes that end in my own embarrassment, get dramatic, emotionally respond to situations, and love my home.
I have such a deep, sentimental connection to this story that brings me back to my childhood and to who I truly wish to be. I sometimes think that I try too hard to be who I think I should be and then I see this movie and I see what I should be. I should be free and bold, make mistakes, dream, have courage, and speak my mind. It is a bolster to my soul to watch this movie and I'm looking forward to getting back to my grading now that I've taken my 15 minute break. If you haven't seen the movie or read the books, I highly recommend them and I would gladly loan you anything I have connected to them - except my second edition Blue Castle...that is mine alone.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
My presentation
This Sunday I'll be presenting some pictures and several stories from my trip to Uganda. It will be at my Church (Faith OPC) at about 12:30. It's a potluck, but don't worry about bringing anything. If you can come, I'd love to see you. I'll post pictures eventually. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Hills are Alive!
I love The Sound of Music! It is one of the best movies ever created. I love it so much I often quote it and not just the normal quotes that everyone knows, but the really obscure ones like, "Hello, where are you?" "In a world that is disappearing." "Is there any way to bring you back to the world I'm in?" or "It'll be my first party, Father!" I was able to see the Sing-Along sound of music twice: once in London and once at the Hollywood Bowl. Both were great experiences.
When the opportunity came to go with a big group from church this year, I was excited to plan it. Sadly, I waited too long to purchase the tickets. They were so very sold out that I couldn't buy two tickets together at any price, let alone 29 seats all together.
So what does a Dempsey do when the original plans for a fun evening are impossible? They make their own. My parents were gracious enough to host a party at their house and I created goody-bags and trivia.
We sat outside in their drive way and projected the movie on a big screen. Everyone got their brown paper packages tied up with string (thanks for the idea, Julie) containing props for some songs (Eidelweiss and curtain fabric among others). Some people wore costumes and we ate Germanic food. The kids in the group made signs for each of the seven notes in the Do-Re-Mi song (my two favorites were the arrow pointing to Madison as "me" and the antlers for do). We sang with each song, booed the Baroness, sighed at the romantic moments, and still got bored during climb every mountain.
It was such a fun night, possibly better than the Bowl - at least it was cheaper and the traffic was nicer. There is just something so great about that movie. It has everything: singing, romance, characters with strenght and dignity, singing, beautiful scenery, some songs, an interesting story line, and a great score. I love that I have friends and family who are as strange as I am and are willing to embrace dorkiness to its fullest. Well, the sun has gone to bed and so must I, so goodbye!
When the opportunity came to go with a big group from church this year, I was excited to plan it. Sadly, I waited too long to purchase the tickets. They were so very sold out that I couldn't buy two tickets together at any price, let alone 29 seats all together.
So what does a Dempsey do when the original plans for a fun evening are impossible? They make their own. My parents were gracious enough to host a party at their house and I created goody-bags and trivia.
We sat outside in their drive way and projected the movie on a big screen. Everyone got their brown paper packages tied up with string (thanks for the idea, Julie) containing props for some songs (Eidelweiss and curtain fabric among others). Some people wore costumes and we ate Germanic food. The kids in the group made signs for each of the seven notes in the Do-Re-Mi song (my two favorites were the arrow pointing to Madison as "me" and the antlers for do). We sang with each song, booed the Baroness, sighed at the romantic moments, and still got bored during climb every mountain.
It was such a fun night, possibly better than the Bowl - at least it was cheaper and the traffic was nicer. There is just something so great about that movie. It has everything: singing, romance, characters with strenght and dignity, singing, beautiful scenery, some songs, an interesting story line, and a great score. I love that I have friends and family who are as strange as I am and are willing to embrace dorkiness to its fullest. Well, the sun has gone to bed and so must I, so goodbye!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The results are in!
So I decided to go to my favorite clinic to get my malaria test done. This is just a precaution to see if the malaria is just lying dormant in my system or if it is really gone. I went to the Dr's almost two weeks ago and spoke with my doctor. She was so disappointed to hear that I got malaria. She almost seemed to take personal responsibility. I told her that everyone got it despite their malaria meds they were taking. She still wasn't happy.
She had to send me to a different lab that does phlebotomy (takes blood) and cool tests like malaria smears. She asked me to start on the quinine until we heard. Now I'm usually the first person to do everything the doctor tells me to do. I go to every appointment and take every pill that is prescribed. I like to be a good patient. Quinine makes people very sick. It is almost like the chemo of malaria. It does a good job killing the parasite, but it makes the patient feel worse than the sickness itself. I made a face and said, "Really?" "Please do, as much as you can," she replied. I am not one to disobey a doctor, but I can't teach while vomiting - trust me, I've tried.
The lab took a while for me to get to since my schedule and their walk-in schedule never seemed to align. But on Thursday the 4th, I got my blood taken. She said that the results would take 2-3 days and my doctor said she would call as soon as she heard anything. The great news was that they were testing my liver as well as my red blood cells just to see if any little bugs were hiding and camping out.
So I waited...and waited...and then panicked. I felt sure that I had malaria again. I was feeling the same symptoms of fatigue, listlessness, and small aches in weird places. I realized that I was beginning teaching again and Julie got a Wii. I was tired and ached, but there were rational explanations. So I waited some more. Finally I called and asked several people about my results. They finally called and said they had been mailed to me on Monday and I should just be patient.
So I waited and checked the mail like a fanatic. I even spent 5 minutes staring at the postman while he tried to do his job and ignore the crazy woman standing next to her open mailbox waiting for it to be full. I tried to start small talk, but I don't think he got into this job to talk to crazy people...wait maybe he is crazy too...anyway. Side note: I was totally drooling over the organizing this guy gets to do everyday. I almost asked if I could help sort the mailers, but he didn't need any more ammunition against me - poor choice of words.
So I called again, every day and left messages asking them to call me back and to leave any results on my answering machine. They wouldn't. I finally got someone from medical records to look up my lab results. She was holding them in her hand (and assured me that they had been mailed on Wednesday). I asked if she could just read them over the phone. She put me on hold. When she returned she said, "I'm only allowed to read you the last line of the last page. 'All test results are within normal limits.' Does that make you happy?" She asked very sweetly. I think she realized the idiocy of the legal hoops she had to jump through and was trying to be as helpful as possible. "Yes, thanks," I replied. That was sort of true.
Normal levels of malaria is no malaria - right? What about my liver? I still wasn't satisfied and I'm pretty sure that the mailman was avoiding me so I thought I'd call again. I left a message saying, "I'd like to speak with my doctor about my malaria results," so that it seemed like I wasn't calling about the same thing. My doctor was out of town, so her sub called and left a message saying to call him back. I did and left him a message saying, "I would like to know the exact results from my malaria smear and liver test. Please leave me a message if I am unable to answer the phone."
The next day I received a message saying the my malaria smear was negative and my liver test was clear! Finally!! I still haven't received the supposed paper that was mailed to me, but I'm sure that they didn't get me mixed up with the other malaria patient they have (because I'm sure they don't have one). So now I'm healthy and I will remain that way until flu season.
She had to send me to a different lab that does phlebotomy (takes blood) and cool tests like malaria smears. She asked me to start on the quinine until we heard. Now I'm usually the first person to do everything the doctor tells me to do. I go to every appointment and take every pill that is prescribed. I like to be a good patient. Quinine makes people very sick. It is almost like the chemo of malaria. It does a good job killing the parasite, but it makes the patient feel worse than the sickness itself. I made a face and said, "Really?" "Please do, as much as you can," she replied. I am not one to disobey a doctor, but I can't teach while vomiting - trust me, I've tried.
The lab took a while for me to get to since my schedule and their walk-in schedule never seemed to align. But on Thursday the 4th, I got my blood taken. She said that the results would take 2-3 days and my doctor said she would call as soon as she heard anything. The great news was that they were testing my liver as well as my red blood cells just to see if any little bugs were hiding and camping out.
So I waited...and waited...and then panicked. I felt sure that I had malaria again. I was feeling the same symptoms of fatigue, listlessness, and small aches in weird places. I realized that I was beginning teaching again and Julie got a Wii. I was tired and ached, but there were rational explanations. So I waited some more. Finally I called and asked several people about my results. They finally called and said they had been mailed to me on Monday and I should just be patient.
So I waited and checked the mail like a fanatic. I even spent 5 minutes staring at the postman while he tried to do his job and ignore the crazy woman standing next to her open mailbox waiting for it to be full. I tried to start small talk, but I don't think he got into this job to talk to crazy people...wait maybe he is crazy too...anyway. Side note: I was totally drooling over the organizing this guy gets to do everyday. I almost asked if I could help sort the mailers, but he didn't need any more ammunition against me - poor choice of words.
So I called again, every day and left messages asking them to call me back and to leave any results on my answering machine. They wouldn't. I finally got someone from medical records to look up my lab results. She was holding them in her hand (and assured me that they had been mailed on Wednesday). I asked if she could just read them over the phone. She put me on hold. When she returned she said, "I'm only allowed to read you the last line of the last page. 'All test results are within normal limits.' Does that make you happy?" She asked very sweetly. I think she realized the idiocy of the legal hoops she had to jump through and was trying to be as helpful as possible. "Yes, thanks," I replied. That was sort of true.
Normal levels of malaria is no malaria - right? What about my liver? I still wasn't satisfied and I'm pretty sure that the mailman was avoiding me so I thought I'd call again. I left a message saying, "I'd like to speak with my doctor about my malaria results," so that it seemed like I wasn't calling about the same thing. My doctor was out of town, so her sub called and left a message saying to call him back. I did and left him a message saying, "I would like to know the exact results from my malaria smear and liver test. Please leave me a message if I am unable to answer the phone."
The next day I received a message saying the my malaria smear was negative and my liver test was clear! Finally!! I still haven't received the supposed paper that was mailed to me, but I'm sure that they didn't get me mixed up with the other malaria patient they have (because I'm sure they don't have one). So now I'm healthy and I will remain that way until flu season.
How to comment!
I'm slow at many things. Apparently this is one of them. One of my friends recently wondered why she could comment on her sister's blog and not on mine without being a member of google. I had a sudden revelation that perhaps it was my fault in how I had left my settings (which is, of course, at the default setting). So I just edited my settings and now I can allow comments from anyone! So please feel free to leave me a comment. Thanks for reading and being patient. I only wish I had figured this out before Uganda - oh well.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Confessions...
I have two confessions to make on this blog and they both may be shocking to you. I don't know how you'll react, but I will brave it out so that the truth can be known: I loved the Twilight series and I love country music. I know, I can almost hear the gasps, "Twilight! Isn't that about a Vampire?" or "Country music! I thought you had better taste!" Well, no, I don't.
I had hesitations about reading Twilight, but a couple friends I know had read it and loved it. "It's not really about vampires..." they would say and man, were they right. I started the series on Tuesday of last week and finished all four books by Monday. That's pretty close to 2,400 pages of deliciousness. Yes, the main character is a vampire. Yes, the other main character wants to become a vampire because they are in love. Yes, it sounds horribly cheesy and wrong in so many ways. Yes, there's also a group of werewolves. Yes, it is teen fiction. And yes, I loved it.
So now I have another way to relate to the girls in my classes. I also find myself having pointless debates with my roommate about whether we like vampires or werewolves better. I will never look at Volvo's the same way again. And I will be in line to watch the movie as soon as it comes out.
Now to country music. I was in my car listening to one of the two country music presets on my stereo and I was trying to analyze why I love country music. There is one particular genre of country music that I enjoy the most: the storytelling song.
The storytelling song usually has a chorus that has double meanings throughout the song. A classic example is "Don't Take the Girl" which starts with a boy who doesn't want his dad to invite the neighbor girl to fish, then leads to the second verse in which the same, now dating couple is being mugged and he begs for her life, and finally ends with her nearly dying in childbirth and him begging God for her life. Can you see the cleverness?
I was listening to one in which a teenage couple was driving home from prom and they got into a fight. He pulled over and she got out of the car. He grabbed her arm and she said, "I'll walk". Which led to the chorus of her telling him she'll just walk, but don't worry it will be all right. I jokingly said, "Watch she'll get hit by a car and lose the ability to use her legs!" No joke, that's what happened. I laughed so hard at the ultimate cheese of her going through physical therapy and singing the "walk" chorus. Then it led to her wedding day to the same guy and she gets up from her wheelchair and takes her dad's arm and says, "I'll walk".
Instantly I found myself holding back the tears that were pricking at my eyes. Now that is the power of a country song. It is every level of predicability and cheese, but sometimes that's exactly what you want.
I hope that your opinion of me is in no way altered by these confessions. Please don't think less of me, just realize that I can find joy in the stupid things of life.
I had hesitations about reading Twilight, but a couple friends I know had read it and loved it. "It's not really about vampires..." they would say and man, were they right. I started the series on Tuesday of last week and finished all four books by Monday. That's pretty close to 2,400 pages of deliciousness. Yes, the main character is a vampire. Yes, the other main character wants to become a vampire because they are in love. Yes, it sounds horribly cheesy and wrong in so many ways. Yes, there's also a group of werewolves. Yes, it is teen fiction. And yes, I loved it.
So now I have another way to relate to the girls in my classes. I also find myself having pointless debates with my roommate about whether we like vampires or werewolves better. I will never look at Volvo's the same way again. And I will be in line to watch the movie as soon as it comes out.
Now to country music. I was in my car listening to one of the two country music presets on my stereo and I was trying to analyze why I love country music. There is one particular genre of country music that I enjoy the most: the storytelling song.
The storytelling song usually has a chorus that has double meanings throughout the song. A classic example is "Don't Take the Girl" which starts with a boy who doesn't want his dad to invite the neighbor girl to fish, then leads to the second verse in which the same, now dating couple is being mugged and he begs for her life, and finally ends with her nearly dying in childbirth and him begging God for her life. Can you see the cleverness?
I was listening to one in which a teenage couple was driving home from prom and they got into a fight. He pulled over and she got out of the car. He grabbed her arm and she said, "I'll walk". Which led to the chorus of her telling him she'll just walk, but don't worry it will be all right. I jokingly said, "Watch she'll get hit by a car and lose the ability to use her legs!" No joke, that's what happened. I laughed so hard at the ultimate cheese of her going through physical therapy and singing the "walk" chorus. Then it led to her wedding day to the same guy and she gets up from her wheelchair and takes her dad's arm and says, "I'll walk".
Instantly I found myself holding back the tears that were pricking at my eyes. Now that is the power of a country song. It is every level of predicability and cheese, but sometimes that's exactly what you want.
I hope that your opinion of me is in no way altered by these confessions. Please don't think less of me, just realize that I can find joy in the stupid things of life.
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