first class

i flew back home to mn last saturday and got to fly first class. i don't know exactly how this all came about...but when i booked my flight, i must've had enough flier miles to get first class. unbelievable. i got to skip check in lines, security lines, used the first class bathroom... so great! well, the bathroom isn't really any different but hey it was first class! i enjoyed it while it lasted but know i won't be flying that way ever again. so back in mn for a long break. i'm excited to meet up with my friends back here that i haven't seen in a year.

baduizm

just ran across erykah badu's latest single "honey." absolutely fabulous. i downloaded the single and the album drops next february...produced by 9th wonder. i'm expecting a pretty sick album!

World AIDS day

In line with this year's theme, AVERT is running the Stop AIDS in Children campaign to call for urgent action in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT).

Currently only 9% of pregnant women living with HIV in the developing world are provided with drugs to prevent the virus being transmitted to their babies. As a result, nearly half a million children become infected with HIV every year. The Stop AIDS in Children campaign is calling on governments and international agencies to urgently improve PMTCT coverage worldwide.


http://www.avert.org/worldaid.htm

i am always amazed at how fast the semester goes by. around midterms i know it feels as if it will go on forever but inevitably finals come and another semester is done and the closer i am to being out of higher education. it's a weird thought, being done with school. when "student" is the thing you've identified with for 20+ years, the thought of being done is a little scary. crazy dynamic of approach/avoidance with the end of school, good thing i have year and a half left to sort that all out :)
life brings new unexpected things, which although take some getting used to sometimes, are what life is all about. i've been struck with the importance of enjoying where i am in life right now. sure there is crap that sucks sometimes, but above all else my attitude in the midst of everything is what determines how much i either love life or just survive it.

Schrute space

I Do Not Believe in Lycanthropes

Seeing as it’s the second to last week in October, it seems fitting to discuss the major event that will soon be upon us: the full moon. This cannot taken lightly, as it only happens once every 29 and a half days when the synodic month is reset. It is also not to be taken lightly because of the havoc it creates around the world. FACT: more crime occurs during full moons than all of the other partial moons combined [source: imagination]. Makes you think, doesn’t it?


The full moon is also the time when the mythical lycanthrope, or “werewolf,” emerges. I do not believe in lycanthropes. I put no credence in the theory that a human can change into anything other than a decomposing human. Some of my relatives, however, fully trust that lycanthropes exist. Some have even claimed that they have seen them with their own eyes. They are obviously liars. They would have been devoured and unable to report the sighting. They also say that lycanthropes are especially attracted to Schrute Farm. False. The claw marks that we find the morning after full moons are from real wolves that enjoy the bounty of our farm. They are not from werewolves, no matter what you may have heard. Please do not let these rumors keep you away from the farm – it is beautiful this time of year. If you are seriously concerned, merely stay away from Schrute Farm during the full moon period and return as soon as the lunar cycle has advanced.

~excerpt from Dwight's blog

its been a long time

i've had a really busy couple weeks with practicum, school, and work. i had my biological bases midterm from hell this morning and finished it about 30 minutes ago. i'm gonna celebrate tonight for sure.

thank you, bye

a case of mistaken identity has ended me with the job of giving the invocation/dedication prayer at the dedication ceremony of my university and program's newest building. now, i do feel very honored that they would let me do this but i'm a psych. major...i don't pray in public. or even more importantly, not in front of the administration and faculty of my university. i have a month to get ready and figure out what i'm going to say...i have all kinds of thoughts speeding through my mind. what should i say? what should i wear? how long should i pray? what if i mess up and end it with "thank you, bye" like i did last time i prayed in public? breathe, breathe. ahhh...
and so i've been searching the internet for sample prayers that sound eloquent yet personal and fit with a quaker university. wow, i guess this is why ncu required everyone graduate with the equivalent of a bible minor no matter what their major! thank you ncu

season 4

of the office in only 7 more days!!

nerd girl with a stain on her shirt

what is so great about the tide pen?? i've heard exploits from all my obsessive compulsive friends about how great it is. so i bought one and was sadly disappointed in its results thus far. however i thought maybe i wasn't doing it right. so today i of course spilled mustard on my white shirt at school.... very obvious and very yellow. now i only had an hour left before my research meeting and there's no way to hide this mess. i'm glad my Jonathan wasn't around to make fun of me :) after a lot of dabing these are the "before" and "after" shots...maybe not a miracle but a heck of a lot better. that was until i spilled pop in the car and had to go home to change. hahaha

wireless earphones are now on my wishlist so that i could watch episodes of the office while in class

swf in search of...

WANTED: a dissertation topic with statistical significance. readily available data is a plus but not necessary with the right idea. creative, innovative ideas that lead to publication are given priority. sucky ideas need not apply.

Labor Day

i had a fantastically impromptu trip to the coast with my friend Jackie on monday. it's been a while since i've had one of my random trips. chelle and i used to do crazy expeditions like that all the time when we lived together...super america is the best. so labor day was spent at the beach! we went out to seaside and cruised around there for a while. it was full of tourists on weird rental bikes of all kinds. then we went up to longbeach to see the famous "jake".
i never heard of jake before meeting jackie. to be honest, the place scared me. it reminded me of this tourist shop back home that we used to pass all the time on our family vacations. except this place had all kinds of taxidermy animals with two heads and gigantic deer heads on the wall. freaky. back to jake, he's a half man-half alligator (i'm waiting to get my pictures uploaded, so here's one from the internet)... after seeing jake, we created a gigantic sandcastle on the beach, pictures are coming. UPDATE: here's a pic of the sandcastle...

first day off in over a week, so what does that mean?? my annual car wash. yup, i finally washed my car today. no more people mistaking my dark purple car for grey, yes that has happened before! first i had to spend about an hour trying to get my car antenna down. after a lot of oil, a phone call home, and the help of a little hammer i finally got it down....i don't think it's ever coming up again though :)
now i'm at a coffee shop close to my place using their internet. hopefully b and i will get our internet hooked up soon. in the mean time i come here or sit out on my steps to grab some "unsecured" networks. i'm sure my neighbors know what i'm up to by now. however, if they don't want people using their internet they should put a password on it...not my fault i'm resourceful!!

iphone shuffle

beware of the f*bomb half way through if you have any tiny ones around.

35W collapse

Thankfully, I have not received any bad news from family or friends affected by the collapse, but my thoughts and prayers are with the people who have been. I was at work and kept receiving call after call from my family so I knew something was up, especially when they weren't leaving messages. So I was finally able to talk with Jonathan, since getting a call into the Twin Cities was near impossible. Its crazy to see the pictures and videos and to have driven across the bridge innumerable times.

Dramatic Prairie Dog

what the....thanks to sarah for making me almost wet myself from laughing at all the remixes of this crazy prairie dog on you tube.



there are all types of variations, but one of my favorite is at their site here. AND...reminiscent of the snl night at the roxbury...SO FUNNY!!

ikea

there's a new ikea that just opened in portland today! i might go tomorrow, not sure if i want to battle crowds that much. but i'm so excited!! ikea + tax free oregon shopping= what could be better?!?

Britain Braces For Rubber Duck Invasion

Toy Ducks Fell Overboard Cargo Ship 15 Years Ago

July 18, 2007 2:41 p.m. EST

Derek Kreindler - AHN Writer
Cornwall, England (AHN) - The first of some 29,000 rubber ducks that have been circling the world's oceans for 15 years are expected to wash up on a beach in England sometime soon.

The toys fell overboard from a cargo ship bound for Seattle from China in 1992, according to the BBC.

Their journey has given scientists a valuable insight into surface currents as they have been far more widely reported than the floating devices used be scientists.

"The ducks went around the North Pacific in three years - all the way from the spill site to Alaska, over to Japan and back to North America," said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer based in Seattle.

"This was twice as fast as the water at the surface - so I began to call them hyper-ducks."

The rubber ducks are expected to wash up near Cornwall this summer, battered and bleached by their journey through the waters of the Arctic, as well as the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

The ducks have floated along the Alaskan coast, reaching the Bering Strait in 1995. It is thought they were trapped by slow moving ice for several years since it took them until 2000 to reach the Atlantic Ocean.

A year later, they were tracked in the area of the north Atlantic near the location of the wreck of the Titanic. Some broke away and headed for Europe, while others have surfaced in Hawaii, Indonesia, Australia and South America.

Two children's books have been written about the toys, which have become collectors' items, and can command up to $2000 on eBay.

Beachcombers can easily identify genuine rubber ducks, as they will have the words "The First Years" stamped on them.

storms

i miss the crazy summer storms of the midwest. the thunder, the lightning, the smell in the air. we don't really get those types of storms out here. that is definitely one thing i miss about home. however, tonight i'm sitting on my front steps watching a lightning storm. hurray. or as close to a lightning storm as we'll get. my neighbor just reminded me of the dangers of lightning...so considerate. she's such a fun neighbor.
the past week has been wonderful. i've been working, exercising, and spending some fantastic quality time with my roommate; he's such a great guy.

ac goodness

i went berry picking this morning since i had the day off from work. there are berry farms all over the place out here. next stop will have to be some of the wineries in the valley. going to need a full saturday for that though.
its been SO hot here the last couple of days that i've retreated to the library to try and work on my dissertation. however, since i rarely get internet anymore...i have been here 2 hours and have yet to start research. haha. found some good new music that ben and i were talking about, so not entirely unproductive ;)

fireworks, friends, and new people

i really and truly have very few regrets about things i've done or not done. i see who i am today as a sum of all those events and since i'm very happy with where i'm at in life...i do however have one or two things i have regreted :) one of such regrets was yesterday, the 4th of july. no, the 4th of july was not my regret. i won't go into the details here but needless to say i was pretty disappointed in myself. nothing life altering, for those of you starting to worry! but it makes me think about regrets. missed opportunities is probably a better articulation. a chance for something potentially good to happen and i had to screw it up. i suppose its one of those growth experiences that people have...? i'm kicking myself in the butt tonight though. we'll see what happens, its not over yet.

07.07.07

I can't wait until this day of hell is over with. It is the busiest weekend for weddings for the entire summer. I guess everyone thought it would be a clever way to remember their anniversary, or they thought it would be lucky. I don't know. I don't really care. I just want this weekend to be over so work isn't so chaotic.

Logan

My nephew Logan was born so I had to post a picture, very cute boy! He was almost 12 pounds, my sister in law is AMAZING.

weekend plans

i've got the weekend to myself since my roommate is gone. took him to the airport this afternoon and now am kind of bored. i think i'll do something creative with my room. not really sure what yet...maybe some paint. chelle and ryan inspired me with their painting adventures. or maybe something else. it seems like a good weekend to let out some creative juices.

Mer M.A.

i received my diploma in the mail today! now they can never take it back. now the question is what in the world to do with it?? any suggestions?

this 'n that

i'm off to work. i have a feeling its going to be slow...SO if you know where i work and want to come say hi...
AND I just found out my sis-in-law was induced this morning so i'll be an aunt again soon. praying that the delivery goes smoothly and that everyone is healthy.

chillin'

portland and me in the summer, ahhh. i'm finishing up for the year, the school year that is. it's the end of my second year of graduate school. i can't believe i'm starting the third year in just a couple months. i'd like to say i'm gonna have the summer off but the time has come where i can't ignore my dissertation anymore. so as much as i love the sun, the library will be calling my name. i'm also wrapping up my practicum site and reflecting over my experiences there. i've learned alot. also, i'm now a workin' girl once again. trying to support my extravagant lifestyle ;) the roommate and i are initiating the summer merriment in what will soon become the bdun-mer tradition i feel. sarah and i will be rockin' the suburbs this summer with some trips to the coast. had the first bbq of the summer on saturday with the 'hort. it's our second annual (with a third and fourth to follow) complete with everything a summer bbq should have and hillbillie golf. i have a feeling this summer will be different for me, i feel like i've grown in some small but very significant ways over the past 6 months. i'm excited to see what's in store for the rest of the year.

integration

its interesting how the aspect that most drew me to my program is also the aspect that causes me the most frustration. it also makes me move further and further away from incorporating it into my practice with my clients. still processsing why this causes so much internal tension in me.

american idol

how great was the maroon 5 performance last night?!? Adam is so hot

sbux

i found a new study place. you'd think that in the this part of the country decent coffee shops would be around every corner. and for the most part they are...if you're in the right part of town, or don't mind endless "drive thru" coffee. but when a student is looking for some free internet and a place to study late it becomes more challenging without driving across town. and can someone tell me why starbucks, the largest coffee corporation in the world, doesn't have free wifi?? you can't tell me they are struggling for revenue. and i'm not talking the crappy t-mobile hot spots where you pay $8 for an hour. anyway, i found a place, decent prices, free wifi, AND open 24 hours (a must have). thank God.

the light at the end of the tunnel

busy week coming up....last week of classes. this is always a nice time of the semester but crazy busy trying to finish up everything. also getting the pit-stop M.A. at the end of finals. have had a lot of people ask if i'm really excited about getting my masters. i feel great that i've made it to this point in the program but my ultimate end isn't my master's degree. its kind of similar to get a little pit-stop along the way. get refreshed, reevaluate how i'm doing, and then continue on for the next three years. parents are coming into town soon too, so i'm hoping to get things done in order to spend some time showing them around town.
also got to spend some time with some cohort friends this weekend, which was very needed for me. when school gets busy it gets hard to even see the people you live with sometimes not even thinking about other friends who are equally busy. i love my cohort and friends i have there. i'm an incredibly blessed person to have the friends i do and be able to be apart of a very unique community of students who are much more than co-students. i don't know what i'd do without these guys out here.

maps.google

credit to faith/jen. i've always wanted to go back to Ireland, it's just that third direction that complicates things a little..."Swim across the Atlantic ocean". Only 3,000 miles, no biggie

enough already

it is late, i've just now decided to put the books down for the night and go to bed. it comes to that point when you have to say enough is enough and go to sleep. classes wrap up soon...and that means reports, presentations, evaluations, and finals. i think it's nature's way of making students pay for their summer break. this will effectively mean end of year 2 with 3 more to go. time is flying by.

printemps

i absolutely love spring. i love that daylight savings time makes the days longer. i love that it is still light out at 7:00pm. Today was the most beautiful day in a long time. The sun was shining, it was warm (relatively speaking) and i had all i could do to stay in class. days like today were meant for skipping class and driving to the beach. i'm pretty sure that was God's plan when he set up today. this summer will hopefully allow some time for outside adventures in between work and school.

a day at the capitol

Well, today was advocacy day at the Oregon state capitol. There were meetings with senators and representatives, some of who actually showed up for our appointments and some who ditched out for more important things. I suppose if I was a representative I might want to skip out from listening to my constituents talk about psychology. We advocated for Oregon HB2800 which would provide limited prescription privileges for psychologists who receive additional training. YES! An additional post-doctoral M.A. degree would be required. whew...Talk about spending more than half your life in school! I got to talk about some of my clients (identities disguised of course) and the challenges they face by not having ready access to needed medications. There are some tremendous benefits that would come about from the bill if it got passed. A fair amount of people disagree with prescription privileges for psychologists however most that I've talked with have lacked understanding of what the bill is about and the training that would be required.
As much as I like HB2800...the day was a huge waste of time. We met at 7:30 AM, We had two appointments that took a combined time of, maybe, 30 minutes. And we were in Salem ALL day. argh. Not a good use of time but got me out of other "typical" wednesday activities that are NOT fun.

it's a boy!

Yup, it's a boy! I'm so absolutely excited. I just found out a couple hours ago. My brother and sister-in-law are having their second child, which will be a boy!! I hope to get down and see the new nephew sometime this summer if time and money work out. I suppose I'm a well-rounded aunt now that I have a niece and a nephew on the way. While grad school and ife march by, the family is growing and makes it weird to be so far away. Speaking of weird...thinking of my brother as a father for a second time. Blows my mind! I've no doubt that they'll continue to be some of the best parents on the planet. Congrats guys!!

snow daze

i was stuck in my house for two days this week because of snow. when i moved here i didn't think i would ever see snow here except for in the mountains. it was crazy...i left for work and was one of the only cars on I-5. weird to think when it was 9am on a weekday morning. i decided to not go in to work and came home, glad i decided to do it since roads got much worse later. i had what turned out to be a lovely 5 day weekend since classes were canceled due to the 3" of snow. it was so odd to be stuck in my house for two days. but i couldn't have gotten more an 1,000 feet from my house even if i had wanted to. so my roommate and i spent an afternoon building a snowman using all the snow in the backyard. we named him Seve. he is about 5 feet tall and may have a drinking problem. Seve is still standing but is starting to lean quite significantly. i'm sure he'll be toppled by the time i get back into town on sunday. so we made the most of the snow daze and are now starting to gather our courage to leave the house again. i'm on my way up to seattle this weekend to see 'chelle and ry. it will be great to see them and cause some tomfoolery ;) *side note - sad news also to the few of you who know ficus...he is on one of his last legs, its hard seeing him go downhill.

i feel crappy

ugh, i'm sick & miserable. something bordering on food poisoning or the flu, i don't know.