Thanksgiving

At Theta Thanksgiving, we began dinner with going around mentioning a few things we are thankful for this particular year. My family did this when we were younger and all four of us would say the same old thing, "Family and Food," (not necessarily always in that order). Being a college student, I am thankful for those that make life just a little easier and a little more fun. I cannot say thank you enough to my mom for helping me with my finances and making it possible for me to focus on my education. Tyler, you came at just the right time. Last but not least, thank you to the Kings, for taking me in and feeding me during Holidays and offering a place for me to stay if I simply just need to get away.
One thing I have learned this year is that I have two families, the one I was given, and the one that I have chosen. I have made a few unpopular choices in my life that have unfortunately, pushed the family I was given away but in turn, I have gained a deep connection to a family that truly cares for me. I have chosen to surround myself with people that make me happy and respect me for what I will one day accomplish. I may not always say the right things and I certainly will not always make the right choices but at the end of the day, I am thankful for that hug from Mrs. King that tells me I am wanted here.

postsecret.com

I haven't posted on here in a while, I had two shows one right after another. I was Assistant Stage Manager and Choreographer for Burning Patience then just as I was getting back on track, I was Lighting Designer for the Newcommer's show for Freshmen and Transfer Students. I was given the reigns and told to go crazy.
Going into Burning Patience, I did not expect to do much past sweeping the stage and handelling the flow of backstage during the runs but two weeks into rehearsal the actors all realized they weren't too sure of the waltz. I have been dancing since I was 8 with my mom and every man who can lead. I taught the cast how to waltz and then choreographed a quick Latin Waltz number. It has been a good year.
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My secret? The best compliment I have ever recieved was from a total stranger/staff member here at the University after the Newcommer's show telling me that it was the best lighting design he has ever seen in Brian Hall. I wish YOU could compliment me like that.

Reasons I never worked "fast food."

2. Food is never supposed to be "fast," if your food is fast, its heart is probably still beating and you should put it back on the grill.

3. I walked into McDonalds the other day and could not help but notice no one was working who weighed under 250lbs. My bones are too little for all that.

4. I don't look good in hats.

5. I have microwaved enough living in the dorms for a lifetime.

6. I am a firm believer in not knowing where your food comes from isn't always a bad thing.

7. "I want A WHOPPER NO ONION!!!!"

8. I just can't imagine carrying out my childhood dream of being a McDonald's fry girl.

9. I am already too qualified with a High School degree.

10. I believe I am going to college to AVOID working in a fast food restaurant.

Oh, Pearl Jam!

After a long weekend of AICL and a night sleeping against a wheel well, I was in Physical Therapy this morning doing wall-sits as the staff at the gym was in the midst of making fun of me for not having been alive while most of their favorite songs were written and produced. Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter" came on the radio and we all stopped to ask the important question of "What the hell is he saying?!"



That all reminded me of the ever popular "Benny Lava," (see older post), but here are the actual lyrics.

Save the boobies!

While eating my strawberry popsicle with the two children I have been babysitting the last two days, I found myself in a hysterical conversation between myself and the four year old. It was at that moment in time I realized I was in a safe home. "When I grow up I'll be able to drive...and I like the pretty bird on your boobie Karen!" A sweet little unsuspecting girl and then...she's checking me out! "When I grow up, I'll be able to have babies, and make boobie milk, and no-- my brother wont be able to do those things cause he's a boy! It would be pretty funny if a boy had babies and made boobie milk wouldn't Karen!" Wow-- I suppose children these days are provided with more answers and taught at a young age where EXACTLY babies come from. I believe I was given a book and told to read it. Such sweet children.

He's Dead Jim...

I know these things are supposed to happen in threes but maybe the Myans were right and the world really is coming to an end soon...they were just off by a three years? What is going on?! Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, that guy from the Kung Fu movies, and now...BILLY MAYS?! I am at a loss for words which, we all know, very rarely happens. I believe this has to do with me going to Rochester, Minnesota. The last three times I have been, something has died no matter how short or long my visit is. The first Summer, I arrived in early June for Nisswasammen, a folk dance festival in northern Minnesota. The day after we reach the music festival, my aunt receives a phone call from the kitty hotel notifying her that her cat has mysteriously died in her sleep and without an autopsy, they couldn't decipher the actual cause of death. Inky died of an incredibly rare disease completely unexpectedly. Once Inky was dead and (God rest her soul), on the mantel in a tin can; Mary was left with Max, the reason I hate cats. When I was three, Max decided I was in his territory, hunted me, and took me down with a swipe of his paw. Max was part of a Fat Cat study being organized by Purdue University in Indiana. On top of being obese, he was an amputee with only three legs and had an enlarged left ventricle. In early June again, I came to visit, this time I was going to be there for three months. Typically, Max and I were kept separate but ever since the amputation, I could finally run faster. Mary was out of town being trained in Feldenkrais Therapy when Max's breathing began to sound funny. I had taken Anatomy and Physiology with Mr. Comenda my Junior year of High School between these two summers and had dissected two cats-- not to mention I just had enough sense to know Max's breathing was due to fluid in his lungs. I called Mary and she told me to just take him into the kitty doctor and make the decisions. I had the vet tap Max's chest three times and on the third time, we decided to put Max to sleep and end the terror. I went from hating this cat to having Max snuggle up against me as tears were streaming down my face during his last breaths. I killed both of my aunt's cats within two years. That same summer, my dog that we have had since I was three passed away from another "mysterious disease" after coming to Minnesota for the summer with me. At that point, I realized that I should take a year off. No one died that year. This year on the other hand...

Michael Jackson
Farrah Fawcett
Billy Mays
That man from the Kung Fu movies (he died during some kinky sex game...now what have we learned?!)
Caroline Victoria Jenson (my great-aunt)
Dawn's aunt

They are all dead Jim, just dead.

Richard Feynman plays the bongos!

"...and I am going out sleepy, too."

"I suppose I came into this world sleepy, and I'm going out sleepy, too."
-Caroline Victoria Jenson

My aunt passed away last Thursday in her sleep at the age of 92. She is six years older than her sister and my grandmother, Norma Jurisson. My mom, grandmother, and I drove down to Kansas City, Kansas this week for Vicky's funeral. I hadn't met my cousins on that side of the family so the trip actually made for an interesting family reunion. Vivky will be buried in Norge, Virginia on July 8th.
Our family handles death in a very interesting way I suppose. When my grandfather, Jaan Jurisson died, with a sandwich in his hand from a massive heart attack, we all gained a sense of humor to carry us through rough times. Tradition and our ability to be labeled "cheap" with absolutely no guilt whatsoever forces us to buy caskets "one up from welfare." When my grandfather died my uncle Karl, my mom and dad went to the funeral home where the man kept attempting to go through his sales pitch for the ridiculously over-priced pine boxes while Karl and mom kept walking past the caskets crossing their chests with their arms asking "how would this look?" My father, I can guarantee, was truly embarrassed. I can see his bald head turning cherry red right now. The morning of the funeral, my aunt Mary and my mom were in the bathroom getting ready when they heard a "BOOM!" My grandmother was in the kitchen finishing up a few things. Mary looked over at mom and quickly uttered, "You go check." Mom responded with, "You're the doctor, you go check." What was said next would be considered the punch-line of the joke, "But she's MY mom!" Anyway, Mary and mom went to see that THEIR mother had fallen in hopes that she wasn't dead too. Grandma was face-down on the tile floor. She attended the funeral with two black eyes and a squished nose. Grandma told people at the funeral that she and her husband got into a fight and she won.
My grandfather never believed in cut flowers for a funeral, what was he going to need cut flowers for when hes dead!? Therefor, his wife and children brought a single green plant with no flowers on it to the funeral and placed it next to his casket. I can only imagine the thoughts running through his friend's minds when they saw the lone plant his family had brought to the party.

On another note, I have been reading a book titled, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" about Richard P. Feynman, a physicist born in 1918. Feynman had an alternative way of looking at life, he won the Nobel Price in Physics and taught at Caltech until he passed away in 1988. The book is a series of short stories from his point of view about getting into trouble and experiencing life in "all its eccentric glory." Feynman "traded ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr, cracked the uncrackable safes protecting the most deeply held nuclear secrets and accompanied a ballet on his bongo drums."



Maybe through reading about such an open-minded, free, person such as Feynman, we can all learn about living life first and worrying about death later.

The little lady upstairs

I am sitting upstairs at my mother's school, Knoxville Montessori School, once again writing to you. I used to attend here when I was just a tike and it makes me giggle...yes, "giggle" realizing that now here I am, years later, assisting my mother with minions like myself (at one time). I hope I have grown up since then, I sure am taller, the metal slide I burned my butt on year after year is not quite as tall as it used to be and my feet drag when sitting in the swings or hanging on the high bar. I am convinced the yard equipment has all shrunk and I have kept the same 4ft 11.5in tall stature I had till I was in 9th grade. I still remember playing house in the old barn structure in the middle of the playground under the old oak tree we used to sit under while in trouble. That structure is long gone and that tree is a mere stump replaced with the building addition for the Elementary. Chalkboards for the wee ones attached to the side of the building have replaced the crumbling blacktop I was stung by my first bee on and earned my first scars near. I used to bury nuts for the squirrels to find and sing the Capitan America songs while running around as a chicken minus his head. My less than perfect but always beautiful art of my once conventional family hung in the office engulfing the walls and air conditioning unit. This place brings back many special memories that will always bond my mother and I including multiple time-outs and bottom beatings--maybe those aren't the best of memories but I am sure if you give me time I could think of a few better ones! I love you mom! Haha! At the end of the day, it is wonderful to be back in Knoxville, seeing past teachers, and most importantly, seeing my mother every day.

Get your lighters out, now lets rock.

...Alright...I am done...but these kids are AMAZING?!

Are you?

King.

Most influential? Really?

I was dismayed to discover while sipping on my fancy-over-priced lemonade at the campus Starbucks, now titled "the only place Karen can study Starbucks," that Time Magazine has crowned 2009's Most Influential Person as non-other than a man named "Moot." This 21 year old started a website like flikr.com or photobucket.com as an image based bulletin board called 4chan.org. The website may get around 13 million hits a day but is it just me or did we just vote in our very first BLACK PRESIDENT?! Oh oh! Maybe Oprah should be 2009's Most Influential person for helping young women in Africa to raise their voice against crime and poverty. Even a better idea-- what about hunting down the person or animal who's body mutated the regular flu making it the Swine Flu and make THEM The Most Influential Person of 2009?! As much as I am on the internet blogging, reading the news, chatting with friends on facebook.com, or taking long walks on the beach, I somehow was left out of the loop on this one. The most entertaining thing is the fact that this "Moot" character doesn't actually like to get his picture taken...just find the irony in that one.

Go Green!

see more pwn and owned pictures

Happy belated Earth Day everyone, did anyone plant a tree? If you haven't had a chance to plant a tree...just go hug one. Happy Spring!

"The pleasures of spring are available to everybody, and cost nothing." -George Orwell

failblog.net

I am sure most of you have seen this site but...damn.

see more pwn and owned pictures

Suck it-- rain!!!

I am in Columbus for the weekend, it has been a wonderful trip so far. The kids, Dawn, and I went to Hybanks park up off of 23/High Street for 2 hours to skip rocks in the river, play on the kid structure, meet new people, and walk a few 10th of a mile. The clouds kept rolling in and it wasn't until we started heading back toward the car that it began raining cats and dogs. I miss them already just knowing that I am leaving tomorrow to go back to Bowling Green for the last few weeks of school.
The Summer plan so far is to work in Knoxville wherever I can, odd jobs, babysitting, dogsitting, old-peoplesitting, housesitting, anythingsitting... I am looking forward to seeing mom more often and exploring more of Knoxville.
Anyway, we are watching Twilight tonight and just relaxing after a great day outside.
Suck it--rain!!!
Peace.

Oh what an idear!

True dumpster divers!

In theory...I suppose it isn't a bad idea...at least it is eco-friendly! I will stick to my granola bars and oatmeal for breakfast fresh out of the store each day.

Spring Cold in Chicago

Alright now...

Oh boy has it been a long time since I got on here and wrote anything worth reading but I guess I should let you all know what is going on with me any not to mention my mother.

Spring Break was awesome, I went to Chicago and came back with a Silver metal from Curling Nationals. I saw the Bean, rode the giant Ferris Wheel on Navy Peer, saw Watchman in one of the largest Imax theatre in the nation, and ate at the world famous "Bubba Gumps!" I made it back to Bowling Green for one day and had to turn right around and head to Cincinnati for the week. The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Conference was amazing and extremely intimidating. There were some amazing students whos drawings and ideas blew my mind.

This past Friday morning I picked up my new knee brace that, fyi, is incredibly hot, painful, and black-- preventing me from wearing any brown or navy blue. I will be wearing this brace every day for a month while attending therapy 2-3xs a week. I would appreciate everyone crossing your fingers for all of this to work so I can avoid surgery.

On to something a bit scary, my mommy spent a week in the hospital after a CAT scan showing a "spot" on her lung and heart. She was admitted into the Mayo Clinic for emergency surgery to remove the spots, luckily they could do everything through a small incision on her chest apposed to rolling her over and going through her side. The doctors removed the spots not knowing whether they were cancerous or caused by Histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is (as it was explained to me), pretty much everywhere, most people will have it sometime in their lives and if she had never gone into the hospital, she would have never gone through all this. On her way back from Minnesota, she drove through Cincinnati where we had lunch and got a chance to catch up, thanks ma' for scaring the shit out of me. Don't do it again.

I suppose that is all, I hope everyone is having a wonderful end of the semester!!!

Congratulations PJ and Molly!

Out on the beach, PJ FINALLY proposed to Molly just before Nationals! Hopefully the rock on your finger makes the rock in your hand go the way you want it Molly! Congratulations you two.

Dar Williams, "I will not be afraid of women"

The Way I see It #298

"Our prejudices arise from the fear of things we do not understand. If my generation has a single goal, it must be to promote education-- education that advances us not only technologically, but also intuitively and emotionally. In today's fast-paced world, advancing has no mean more than scientific discovery; it is our responsibility to force ourselves beyond our comfort zones and become knowledgeable about the people around us."

-Jessica Arden Ettinger
Starbucks customer and student at the University of Virginia

As I am preparing to leave this coming Friday for Columbus only to leave Sunday for Chicago, IL, I sit here in Starbucks reading Passing by Nella Larsen. I have recently lost my attention span and have realized that maybe that attention span has been lost longer than I thought. I am extremely indecisive when it comes to choosing a date movie, I get the same thing at my usual restaurants every time I go, I change my hair style and color faster than Ohio changes temperatures, and I have to always be doing three things at the same time. Maybe we all have a little attention deficit disorder in us?

I have been applying to Summer camps across the nation; I hope to be invited back to Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning one day but I understand the need for me to branch out. I will never be too old for Summer camp.

The opera just closed yesterday and can I say, "Thank GOD for that?" It was a long couple of weeks; I really enjoyed working with the crew, they were fantastic but it is nice to have my nights back to fill with a new show...onward to Into the Woods.

Curling class is going well except for the fact that I walk back to my dorm and next class in tears every day. My knee has not been getting worse but it is not getting any better, luckily I am getting an MRI on Wednesday and will schedule any necessary follow-up doctor visits while I am there.

I am also getting poked and prodded at another doctor but we will not get into all that...ladies...why can't we just all by new uteruses off ebay once a month? Doesn't that sound nice?

I guess...that was a fair 30 second catch-up on everything that has been going on. I would just like to give a shout-out to Wes who is traveling to Seoul, Korea from his home in Japan, happy travels!

I didn't even have to take my shirt off!

I figured for those of you who follow my blog, that title would catch your attention.

Yesterday was Mardi Gras in New Orleans and I got a string of beads. I had completely forgot about the big holiday, not working in a bar or living with Ian has thrown me completely off! It has been a rough week between rehearsal and midterms fast approaching but I am hanging in there for the next 11 days! I am spending my Spring Break in Chicago with my friend doing all of the touristy things we missed last time we went. For the most part...I am just excited about drinking good beer, Blue Man Group, and The Bean.

Obviously, the most exciting part of my trip to Chicago will be Curling Nationals!

I am thinking that my team should enter like these guys with the bagpipes playing softly in the background.

Nationals

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE!

Rachel Bruecker
Matt Cooper
Marshall Hart
Mitch Holtz
Molly Ocker
Laura Schneider
Karen Tait
Jillian Urig
Carl Walling
Steff Warnock
Jordan Wesler
PJ Wolf

Alternates:
Brian Gerker
Matt Melnek
Pat Shelton

March 13-15th, we will be in Chicago, IL for the College Nationals tournament.

On another note, I am staying busy with the opera, School for Fathers, and I just joined the props crew for Into the Woods. On top of that, I have curling practice! I've been kinda boring, sooner or later something will happen and I will have a better story to tell you.

The Landlord

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

My once upon a dream...

BAHAHA!

"David had a bad trip." -Lou C

GEEE-TAR.

Last night

Since Tiff is out of town and the next few weekends are going to be insane, I was looking forward to just relaxing and watching Cinderella over and over last night. Tiff and I said heartfelt good byes and around 5:45pm and I was at work by 6pm. I was back in my dorm around 10pm with a Mike's Hard Lemonade, Cinderella, and a candle burning for ambiance. I know this totally sounds lame but I did my fair share of partying last year and I have begun to just enjoy quiet time. I went to bed around 2am with Sex and The City on the tube and RIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!!! RIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!!! My phone rang around 4am, it was Cameron, an old friend of mine from High School. Without going too far into why he didn't have his keys, he was locked out of his frat house and couldn't get a hold of anyone to get back in. He stumbled over to my dorm, by this time, it is 5am and we are both starving...the only place open at 5am...is the Circle K gas station 5 blocks away...He needed cigarettes and I needed a pop tart. Long story short...I have learned to not answer my phone at 4am...

Just plain exciting.

This past weekend was extremely exciting. Curling Regionals began on Friday at 5pm; we played another BGSU team and won. My teammates and I agreed that as long as we won a single game, we achieved our goal. Four out of the five games, my team played three on four. We finished the tournament with a record of 3-2. I would just like to send a quick thank you to all the volunteers especially Molly and PJ who put in a ridiculous amount of work to make this weekend work.
On another note, as I believe I have told you all before, I am double majoring in English and Theatre Tech focusing in Scenic Design. I plan on living where the job takes me and hopefully not in a box but ultimately it really doesn't matter. I picked up a class, THFM 046, which I have to take 4 times as a Theatre major. The entire class just consists of working 30 hours in the shop throughout the semester. I also got a job working a few hours a week in the College of Music and Arts scene shop...and in addition to all this, I was just told that I am the Assistant Stage Manager for the opera School For Fathers. Whew!
I am just keeping busy, for this Summer, the plan is to get a job somewhere in the continental United States as a camp counselor but who knows what the rest of this semester will bring.

Gone curling...

Hey everyone, just a reminder that if you are murdering time this weekend by reading this blog...or watching "Wagon Wheel," *cough*Chris*cough* ...instead...go to:

What the hell is Curling?
2009 Curling Regionals

On the second website, each match will be updated end by end (8 ends per game).

Good Curling!

Feminism isn't just for the lesbians and man haters anymore.

Tiff is in a Women's Studies class where she reads...a lot. There will always be those comments where as a woman, I have to say something and what better place to do it than on a blog for all to see. Every time I form a rebuttal, my views are not always coming out as word vomit from my mouth as "Karen's words," but as a woman, as a human being. I am not even talking about comments made earlier in the week but just in general. Both men and women need to be more conscientious about what they say and do in everyday life, we naturally become haters of the opposite sex and this-- is not very non-violent of us, (thank you mom for teaching me the difference, eventually I will put your teachings into action).
Before I begin to really dive into this incredibly deep subject, I will begin with my three good things of the day (and it is just 9am!).
1)I was up till 4am drinking coffee and talking to an awesome friend of mine
2)I woke up at 7 and took a really hot shower
3)When I got back to the room, coffee was already made and...oh BONUS...
4)Classes were canceled until 1pm today
Anyway, Katie Roiphe wrote a book in 1994, The Morning After: Fear, Sex, and Feminism that clearly states her views on rape victims. In an article brought to my attention by Tiff, "Roiphe denies the existence of a rape epidemic on campuses and in society. She believes that sex does and should involve power, pursuit, and struggle and that the term 'rape' is being misused to describe normal sexual relations." Roiphe later continues by explaining that participants in a march against rape on college campuses are just "whining" and that "proclaiming victimhood" is self defeating because it does not project strength. To me, there is nothing more empowering than being able to wake up each morning and say you are a stronger person because you are not the one sitting in the corner blaming yourself. Women waste too much time blaming themselves for something completely out of their control the problem is when women feel that if they say something their family/friends will be disgraced or even worse-- their family/friends will view them in a different light.
As a woman, I feel that even remotely considering women are the only ones using sex as a tool for mind games against the opposite sex is just ridiculous. I am at a complete loss of words.

"Nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said could not be done." -Sam Ewing

All Grown Up With A Very Firm Grip On Life...

Some people say there is a difference between women and girls and that, that difference is maturity, sex, and respect. This statement holds a lot of truth behind it however there is one very false accusation men make about being a women and that is it automatically makes you a "controlling man eating bitch." Everyone knows that famous phrase "it's not you it's me" well there are times in life were you just need to say, "you know what, it is you and i cant take it anymore!!!" Being a women doesn't make me a bitch, a whore, or an unsympathetic brain ninja that just swoops in pulls some strings and swoops out like nothing ever happened, it just makes my bullshit tolerance a little less and my standards a little higher. I cannot even begin to count the amount of times a women has been hurt by a man and no one gives a shit so why should the world all of a sudden stop turning when a guy's "meaningful" short term relationship comes to a screeching halt? Everyone knows life is a bitch, but they also know that complaining about it doesn't make it better. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are never happy no matter what they do. This is a personality trait that cannot be fixed if you don't want to fix it no matter what anyone does or says to try to help you... On a different note if my past experiences have taught me anything it's that working at a primary school dealing with 3-6 year old's is tiring and full of reverse psychology tactics yet its still so surprising to me that there is little difference between the average 5 year old and the average male college student. So to end this blog on a high note today i had the most amazing coffee, kicked ass at curling practice, and came home to an AWESOME roommate who I can share my frustration with!! Now tell me 3 good things about your day?

What do you see?

I will be doing this for the next couple of days as my prepare to Vice-Skip my team.

Not early enough but perfect timing none the less.

"80% of the final exam will be based on the one lecture you missed and the one book you didn't read. "

In between classes I would just like to take the time to say that I am so extremely "sqeek" happy for my best friends who have finally found one another. If it happened any sooner it would have been too late. I keep my chin up in the world of dating and such while walking between classes for the hopes of having what they have. Chris, "give her two red roses, each with a note. The first note says 'For the woman I love,' and the second, 'For my best friend.'" (Then you can mail me a red rose and it BETTER say the latter! :D I love you both and that is totally and completely enough. Congratulations.

Dear Mr. President

This is an interesting song.

Erin, I miss you

Erin and I spent a week on her family's private Island for Spring Break back in Upper Elementary and I will never forget singing this song while pushing her on the rope swing. That week ended with me discovering my parents were divorcing but even though my life was falling apart, Erin stuck by my side. I haven't seen her in a while and I thought I would just send her a shout out.

"I've got a daisy on my toe
It is not real, it does not grow
It's just a tattoo of a flower
So I look cute while taking a shower
It's on the 2nd toe of my left foot
It has no stem, it has no root
'cause it wouldn't look cute
I got a daisy on my toe
It is not real, it does not grow"

Why go to pre-school, just skip onto college!

I don't believe in snow angels.

After 6 days of being sick I have decided...no more snow angels.



Anyway, that is about all I am going to talk about snow angels or being sick, I figure if I put something about Curling in the title-- no one would read this post except for Carl. The Student Club played the City Club today from 9-2pm and the City Club pretty much taught us how to play the game. I had a rock land on the button (it was a take-out shot, so even better...) and then get guarded by my teammates rocks, it was my first scoring rock! They say you will always remember that. I got compliments from some of the best players in the City Club which is amazing considering I have only been playing for three months. I had a blast playing with some of the best Curlers in the Student Club, thanks for having me guys!
Curling Regionals are January 30th-February 1st!

Don't hate the sport, and please don't hate the addict.

It's not just a rock. It's forty-two pounds of polished granite, with a beveled underbelly and a handle a human being can hold. Okay, so in and of itself it looks like it has no practical purpose, but it's a repository of possibility. And, when it's handled just right, it exacts a kind of poetry - as close to poetry as I ever want to get. The way it moves.... Not once, in everything I've done, have I ever felt the same wonder and humanity as when I'm playing the game of curling. ~Paul Gross, John Krizanc, and Paul Quarrington, Men with Brooms

I have a sneaking suspicion I am addicted to the sport but my excuse for why I have been practicing in class two days, one extra night for a private lesson, and attending Sunday night practice every week is because regionals are fast approaching. Tomorrow the Student Club is playing the City Club and I am prepared to do one of two things: 1) have amazing line and make every shot I attempt or 2) fall on my ass and make a fool out of my team. We will see.

Please welcome...

Red High Heels

My ex-boss and now personal chef came up to BGSU this past Thursday to cook for Tiff and I. We had chicken stuffed with manicotti cheese rolled in bruchetta next to fancier-than-normal alfredo noodles. He brought a bottle of wine and we were all just planning on relaxing...
Until...
Chuck and Tiff started talking about my style (or lack there of). In one night I was told to never wear 1/2 of my wardrobe, that I should wear make-up more often, I need to do something with my hair each day, and after all that-- they threw away a pair of my shoes. I have never been one to really care what people think, I mean, once you're called trailer trash by your roommate (not Tiff, this episode was Christina), you tend to get a thick skin and let everything just roll right off of you. I know I really don't look like I try each morning but the fact of the matter is I would rather spend money on bills and food than nice clothes, before coming here, the bars I went to with Chris were jeans/t-shirt material and occasionally I would find something a bit nicer to wear. In one night, we decided I needed a complete makeover...Tiff jumped online and bought be a few shirts for going out and I realized that maybe...the red heels in the BOTTOM of the bucket-- needed to go.

Yet another semester...

"Hello, my name is Karen, I am a Sophomore double majoring in English and Theatre Tech."

I am taking 15 credit hours spread between 6 classes this semester and today was spent getting to know the professors and the other students. I had no problem finding any of my classes until I had to go to Eppler Center. Now, to understand my dilemma, you have to know that this building has North, South, and Center wings that look as if they are connected on the outside but once you step into the building, you feel like a rat in a maze chasing a hunk of cheese. I got to my Spanish class where my teacher only speaks...German...just kidding...Spanish (AHH!) just in time. As I was walking out of the building my iPod somehow got tangled in between my legs, around my neck, and stuck in my zipper. I was focusing on my iPod and texting-- forcing me to walk like a drunk driver and BAM! I walked into a glass door full force. All I could do was laugh until I realized a guy was holding the actual door and I had walked into the window next to it.
Him: While holding back uncontrollable laughter, "Are you OK?"
Me: "Ha! Ha! Yeah, you did not see that."
Him: "See what?"
Somehow that cheesy line made me feel a whole lot better, something about knowing he was at least nice to my face is great regardless if he went to his next class and said, "BAHAHA! I totally just saw this ugly chick walk into a window!"
UFFDA.

Finale

As excited as I am to see my friends in Columbus tonight, it is going to be hard leaving my mother back here in Knoxville. Ma and I haven't lived together this long since before the divorce and I was nervous as to see how we would work it out. Only a few tears were shed and all two of them were due to extreme sleep deprivation while we were talking about non-violent communication with other family members. It is difficult to put into words how much I truly miss having ma around, I know she will/is reading this and without getting too sappy I just wanted to say a few words.

Ma,
What a year! Whew. We made it to 2009 and as your 50th birthday FAST approaches, I find it totally and completely necessary to let you in on a few secrets...I stole your long black scarf about two years ago when I came to visit and you are never getting your CD player back. I apologize but that is a really nice scarf and the CD player picks up radio stations. After spending a few weeks here I have decided that you are not a Minnesotan any more; the "unreasonably cold" 50 degree weather here in Knoxville threw me off so much that I am still trying to figure out if I missed Christmahanukwanzicolstice or not. Though the red and green holiday pizza was awesome, I prefer you give up cooking all together, you are too much of an awesome person to waste away in the kitchen. Please stay away from all sharp, hot, or otherwise dangerous objects including the blunt ones. I know you would prefer not to but please get rid of the "hello, 80's" sweater you wore the other day or I will have to report you to What Not to Wear and they will make you start dressing for style not comfort. I am unsure how you do it day in and day out, sixteen 2-6 year olds is a lot to deal with and I cannot say it enough how proud I am to be your daughter. I now realize I was running away from my life and problems by looking into the Air Force, it was incredible that you drove to BGSU to save my ass two weekends in a row. I still want to fly, but strengthening the wings you once gave me is more important right now than what grade I get in biology or if I work this next semester. Thanks to you I can pour blue water from one cup to another, tell you the capital of Zimbabwe, separate my clothes for wash correctly (each color a separate load), and of course, wash dishes by hand. I will never understand why after having a hellion like me, you would choose to teach, but more power to you ma. We might have had our differences about how to look at life, but ma, you're stuck with me.





"Our final developmental task is to value ourselves without our gifts." -Dr. Mary Jurisson

Cat Purses...EW.

Do you think you are having panic attacks?

"I rarely have nightmares anymore"...famous last words right God?!
I have been working with my mom at her school all week but have been going upstairs and sleeping the majority of the day away; this means one of two thing, 1) I am not sleeping at all at night but instead playing online or watching television, or 2) I am sleeping at night but the sleep I am getting is worth nothing more than a penny paid against our debt built up during this war we have recently found ourselves in. Night before last I had a nightmare that was so scary that when when questioned, I did not want to talk about it but instead just turned the question around on the one asking. I guess now is probably a good time to talk about it considering I use this blog as a form of really really cheap therapy as well as an informative piece. I woke up drenched in sweat after (in my dream), dying my hair blond while in some sort of witness protection group, joining a drug counseling group and living in a "safe" house where keys weren't used but instead codes to every door including my bedroom and the bathroom. I remember standing in my house doing this and that and someone who eerily looked like Mr. Big from Sex and the City walked in. I guess somehow I knew he shouldn't have been there and I ran but before I could get the back door code in, my finger was blown off by a gun shot. I woke up shortly after all this happened and have absolutely no idea what could have set that kind of nightmare off. Today, I was exhausted in the classroom and did not really see any child in desperate need for attention so I went upstairs to read, I read a few chapters and fell asleep. This time, the nightmare flip flopped between two scenes. In one scene, I was at a basketball game desperately searching for a paper fan in the shape of a sun, I was much younger and without this fan I think I could not properly cheer for my team. Strange...ya think?! The other scene was at a water park in an innertube with two other people and we were on a water slide that seemed to be a skate park 1/2 pipe. The innertube would go up one side and then down and to the other side but would go to far and flip over, the water was soapy and the bubbles kept getting in my face to only suffocate me like at the foam party in BG. Every time we would flip over I would nearly drowned. Today I woke up with all my muscles sore as if I had been flexing for the previous two hours and I was still exhausted. I am sure there is an underlaying reason or meaning behind these nightmares but I am really just getting tired of them. I am happy, quite frankly, it's about damn time that I am happy...these past two years have sucked but the last two days have just been weird.

Montessori friend, not Monastery

It wasn't until I was in High School fighting ladies twice my size and paying $2.25 for 1/2 a lunch that I did not have to explain every day of my life that I did not go to a Monastery for school but indeed, a Montessori school. I have a week left of my vacation but already my mother is back at work with 12 pint sized children whos favorite thing to talk about is that girls have a vagina and boys come with a penis (to think with). I have been babysitting a few of the children in her class over the last few weeks for some cash to get me through next semester but I have somehow forgotten that dealing with one 5 year old is a whole lot easier than dealing with 12 5 year olds. It is interesting how frustrated they get when multiple people talk to them at once but they continue to believe that all adults have super powers and can listen to 2 or more high-pitched voices at once and completely understand every word. Even though I joke, I really do enjoy being in the classroom, we take for granted that we know how to pour water from one glass to another and that we can read without thinking about it anymore but to watch a two year old learn all the countries in Europe better than I is just astounding. I think it is remarkable how well children learn in this environment and adjust to the real world. It wasn't until High School that I sat at a desk and used a text book; it wasn't until High School that I wore shoes inside.

"We taught you that the Earth is round, and red and white make pink, and something else, that matters more, we taught you how to think," -Dr. Seuss, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day

Whore frost, lip rings, fairies, and ghosts

I was thinking about what to write in attempt to avoid all real work and I came up with a fair list:
1.Whore frost
2.Lip rings
3.Fairies
4.Ghosts
Now, I know what you are really wondering..."what the hell is whore frost...she made that up." I did no such thing. With my hands on my hips and my reading glasses perched on the edge of my nose, I explain, "whore frost is when ice grows up out of the ground like a flower...well, really there is no good way to describe, here is a picture."

This whore frost, sometimes mistaken for 'hoe frost,' just blankets the mountains in the Smoky Mountain National Park.

..........

I am sorely mistaken...though this is incredibly lamer than whore [hore] frost...this picture is apparently just a picture of "ground frost." [w]hore frost is indeed ice that looks like what is viewed in the picture above but jets off trees and other plant life...

This blog post just became incredibly boring, I apologize.

New Years 2009

I spent last night, New Years Eve, in my bed while reading Ellen Wolfe's Walking the Dream. It is a phenomenally well written novel about Wolfe's thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. It is my own plan to thru-hike the AT in three years after I graduate from BGSU and picking up tips and learning the tricks from "Wolf Woman" will help me every step of the way. 126 text messages were received and sent from my phone last night, 90% of which were just "Happy New Year, Be Safe." The other 10% were me telling Tim how to play Risk, the board game. I gave him one rule: "Take Zimbabwe first," and he couldn't even follow that one simple rule...we will see about him! Though my New Year's Eve was totally uneventful I enjoyed just relaxing by myself and avoiding all trouble with the police.

"In all fairness, I had Zimbabwe at the end...because the World was MINE at the end..." -Tim Baughman