Nasty Rude People

Today I was driving and a pedestrian actually SPIT on my car! How rude!

I was driving through a green light across a pretty major roadway. On the other side of the intersection, two "gentlmen" were jay walking. I kept my speed steady thinking they might try to hurry themselves across the street. They didn't, so I ended up needing to come almost to a full stop. As I did, the two of them looked at me, so I smiled and waved. I was just being friendly and maybe a little flirtatious, but apparently my intentions weren't clear because that is when one of the men looked me in the eye and SPIT on my car as I was driving past. I sort of slowed down and looked back with a shrug of my shoulder as if to say, "Seriously?" I almost wanted to turn around and ask him WTF he was thinking, but I thought that probably wasn't a very smart thing to do so instead I just kept driving. I was really quite shocked by that reaction. I mean is that normal? Have you ever had a pedestrian spit on your vehicle while driving??

Dry Skin Woes!

In the midst of this seasonal change, my skin is not doing well at all! My skin is just experiencing an intense, rapid loss of moisture. Between the cold dry winter air outside and the dry forced air heat inside, my environment is stealing all the water from my cells. I sometimes feel like I am literally turning to dust! I have been using some new Jergens natural soy body lotion that feels good going on, but doesn't truly nourish the skin and ends up making me feel dry again a short time later. It's been driving me bonkers!

So tonight I took a nice long shower (which I know is bad for my skin) and used some nice Mary Kay sugar scrub with matching body wash. The sugar scrub is really great for adding moisture and I love the way the sugar crystals feel. After that, I used some leftover Bath and Body works body lotion because I was out of the Mary Kay lotion that matched the sugar scrub/body wash. For my face, I used some moisturizer that is a little heavier than my usual, plus added some MK Oil Free Hydrating Gel.

All of this has really helped me feel much, much better! Hopefully will still feel hydrated by morning. I also ran across some Burt's Bees Hand Salve in my bathroom that I am going to transfer to my purse so that I have it on hand....ha ha....pun intended.

Simple Pleasures

It really is about appreciating the simple things in life. Over the summer, a major intersection near our home was transformed into a roundabout. I feel really lucky that nearly every time I leave the house I get to drive through a roundabout. It's so much more interesting (and fun) than a four-way stop sign. Roundabouts aren't all that common in the Twin Cities metro area, so it feels pretty special to live right up the street from one and have the opportunity to use it a couple times a day at least.

I'm not sure if this makes me crazy, stupid, or if it's a good thing that I can find pleasure in something so simple and somehow mundane.

Cleaning out the Closets

Our family has entirely too many clothes. We cleaned out our laundry room this week due to getting a new water softener installed. We realized that part of the reason we don't often put our clean laundry away is due to the fact that there isn't enough room in our closets and dressers for all the clothes. A good purging is long overdue indeed. To help motivate us, I scheduled a pickup from the VVA on Friday. I already have a large bag of clothing in our living room which I filled up prior to the great laundry room organization project. The bag mostly consists of clothes that our kids are getting rid of. I think it's time for me and hubby to go through our stuff and make some room for the clothes we actually wear and enjoy.

Performances are Overrated

So after a very short night's sleep, I have decided to continue with this blog as my sort of day-to-day life blog and perhaps start another one more focused on other ventures in the future if I find the need or desire. For now I will just blog here about random whatever-ness.

I taught two preschool classes this morning and they went very well. I think part of the reason is that the to-do list I made for myself last night didn't just say "teach 2 classes", but instead i wrote "have two GREAT classes!" I was able to do that by interjecting some new activities with the kids that we haven't done before. In the past 6 weeks of teaching these classes, I am finding that the pressure to create a "performance" with the kids is leeching my creativity and excitement for the classes. We could be doing such a wider variety of activities and keeping thing much more dynamic and participatory for the kids if there wasn't this sort of strong need to have them "perform." That is the biggest thing I've learned from this pilot program. I would way prefer to have activities and stories that we could work on/play with for a couple weeks and then move on to new activities and keep the kids growing. At the end of my second class, I was giving the kids a little talk about how we have one more class and then the parents will be coming for the "show." The little girl looked into my eyes and said with a confused look on her face, "Why?" And I thought to myself, that is a very good question!

Bit by the Blogging Bug.......Again

I am feeling the urge to blog again and I'm unsure if I should pick this blog up where I left off or if I should begin a brand new blog. It feels jarring to just begin again over a year after my last entry. Especially when I barely blogged at all during my last two years of school. On the other hand, it also feels strange to just delete an entire blog and begin a new one.

As a child, I always wanted to be one of those people that kept a diary. But alas, my perfectionism caused me problems when I would miss a day. I wanted the ideal daily diary that had a little lock and everything. Just like Marcia Brady. I do journal, but it's so much more free-form than a daily diary entry. I have random journals and I tend to want to compartmentalize them so that I end up having many different journals for different activities, interests, personal projects, etc. My ideal blog would encompass all parts of myself into a cohesive whole. The problem is that I am a private person and not really interested in having people read about every detail of my meandering inner psyche.

Well, considering it's almost 2am, I should probably go to bed and sleep on this question of blogging. Perhaps overnight the answer will come to me regarding what I should do.

The Semester and Year is Over

Today I took my last exam for this academic year. Last fall I transferred from a community college after earning my A.A. to a private four year college on a full academic scholarship. In my heart is the tiny seed of desire to earn a PhD. The seed needs LOTS of TLC and consistent weeding, but it's still alive. Becoming a full time student this year has been both exhilarating and stressful. I feel a combination of relief and sadness this afternoon, but I found something on the internet that I wanted to save here. It's an article by a woman named Teresa A. Taylor on a website called AdultStudentCenter.com.

Here is the link to Ms. Taylor's article, but I've also pasted it below in case the page disappears from the internet someday.

Dream First

Hello to All!

I already have one featured story on this site, but it is a few years out of date, and I thought an update would be nice. My first thought for you today - Dream first, then follow that dream.

1997 – I could barely carry myself to the UA campus. Scared to death, unsure, insecure.
2001 – Graduated with my bachelor's degree. What pride. I walked across that stage and there at the end stood my reason for it all. My two boys were so proud to see their mom, even though they did not quite understand the magnitude of what I had accomplished.
2003 – Graduated AGAIN – this time with my master's degree. Now, mind you, I am thinking the whole time as I crossed that stage – How many years until I reach this point again?

Let me just tell you. It's March 2004, and I am about to finish the first year of my doctoral program. I can hardly believe I have gotten this far, especially from where I began. A nontraditional student, single mom, two small babies to support, and job, and full-time college courses? Oh my goodness. If someone would have said to me in 1997 that they didn't think I could do it, I probably never would have even tried. But I did it, and I had a bounty of supporters behind me. Although now, a few admit that they were skeptical...(smile), I still love them.

I firmly believe at this stage in my life that I can do anything I put my mind to. I know now that what it takes to succeed, truly succeed, in this life is education FIRST. You have to see a dream – really see it – hold it in your hand – feel it. Then move on that dream. Do whatever it takes to make that dream come true. Find a network of new friends, reach out to professors and teachers. Utilize ALL your campus and community resources. Do NOT ever be afraid to ask for help. Reach out for what you need.

My overall dream is coming true – I want to continue my pursuit of lifelong education, learning, and growing, and I WILL give back to students in the end.

Always believe that you can do it, and you will make it! NEVER be afraid to struggle for something that you truly desire. Pray often and remember that your family is in this with you.

©2004 Teresa A. Taylor.

I Bet You Thought I Was Done Blogging!

So I haven't blogged in ages, but I'm feeling the urge again. It's late and I just finished up formatting a bibliography for a paper which I still need to write. I have a lot of great sources, and now it's just a matter of getting all my ideas down on paper and flowing cohesively.

I also have a major design project due on Thursday, so tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

Time for me to go to bed, but I just wanted to make my official blogging comeback.

Daily Nature Walk

I've recommitted to my daily nature walk this week. It takes me about an hour total from my front door and back. It's great to watch the changes that happen both in the plants and animals. Yesterday was a particularly exceptional day for wildlife. We saw: a male and female cardinal, another male cardinal, a bunch of birds which I don't know the names of, some kind of worm/caterpillar type thing, a beetle, a turtle, a bunch of ducklings that we saw for the first time the day before, and a SNAKE! The snake was hanging wrapped around a tree branch low to the ground, and he appeared very shortly after I expressed my desire to see a snake since I've only ever seen one snake on that walk last summer.

Today we saw a baby bunny (twice), and a larger one. We saw a few mallards (we see them pretty much every day), only three of the ducklings were on the log where they've been the last two days. Also, because we had our binoculars along, we were able to see about 5 turtles in various stages of sunning themselves on and around the pond. And, as always, all different kinds of birds.

Last week we found a turtle whose shell was the size of a quarter. He was very tiny. We picked him up and looked him over, then gently set him free.

A Productive Day Indeed

I did something really cool today. I replaced the faucet in my kitchen all by myself! The handle on the old one broke off again. The first time it happened we just ordered a replacement part, but this time we couldn't really find one. Plus I'm thinking if it's broken off twice in 5 years, it might not be such a great faucet after all. In any case, I also removed our water filter from under the sink which caused quite a little stir. Even the plumbing guy at The Home Depot was perplexed as to how to fix my problem. However, he came up with something and took the time to explain exactly how to cut away a portion of my copper tubing and replace my shut-off with one that has an extra outlet for the ice maker. He also gave me a little pep talk, assuring me that I could handle the job. I had a bit of trouble with the tubing cutter, but once I got the hang of it, it was a cinch!

If only I could just take the time to figure out how to move pix from my phone and/or digital cam to the computer, I could post a picture of my new faucet. In lieu of that, here's a link to the style I put in: Delta Faucets. Isn't it pretty? And I LOVE the soap dispenser. There is nothing I hate worse than an ugly, sticky bottle of dish soap on the counter. I also didn't pay anywhere near the $205 price tag. HOORAY for me!

Another thing I did today that I've never done before is watched a Shrek movie. I watched Shrek 2 with my son, and LOVED it. How fun. I especially liked Joan Rivers. Too funny.

All right, now I'm off to take a shower. I already did some nice fizzy foot stuff during the movie, but the rest of my body is sweaty and gross from doing the plumbing.

Lounging on a Thursday

I didn't even make it through the first ten minutes of the new Mark Burnett reality series Pirate Master last night. Instead I switched over to the movie Crazy/Beautiful on the CW. A really great movie made in 2001 and starring Kirsten Dunst, but I probably shouldn't be watching movies with mentally unstable characters. Although the blood on my brand new white pajamas this morning helped explain the moodiness I've been experiencing the last few days. Let's hope Clorox is as good as it claims to be.