Oh, the possibilities of another spring...

There is something about spring that surprises me every year right around April when the weather turns: life gets really busy with stuff-tons of, well, just things to do and events. School is always busy then, but it is more than that. All of a sudden whole weekends are planned out. The calendar is packed to the gills. There seem to be more discussions about when we are going to do this and that, and how are we going to fit that in. Here are a few of my theories why:

a) Theory #1: Outside is suddenly a much more happy place to be. There are new sports starting, yard work, projects. This weekend we rebuilt our deck. It is by no means complete, but considering that husband destructed it all by himself starting Saturday morning- it is amazing that with a little help from some friends (especially slummy as gay, German carpenter in special get-up) that all the new planks are down.

I also spent some time running with LLC this weekend. We are doing a 5k next weekend and have been practicing. I have enjoyed this, although I am not sold yet on the race idea. I will let you know after I do it.

b) Theory #2: Summer in Minnesota has a pre-party, everyone is just so excited that the festivities start early. We went to a friend's birthday party on Friday night that included an outdoor hot tub, lawn games(ones, I had never seen before-intriguing) and a bbq. I almost couldn't believe it wasn't summer. It was a really fun party- especially because all our social circles came together or at least the world seemed very small. I had some level of connection to almost everyone there: I had worked with them in Nfld, they were a friend of a friend, we had played on frisbee teams together. I was really fun and it almost made me want to draw a map of all the ways our friends are becoming intricately connected. I also learned a lot about adventure racing-crazy, but interesting.

We also had a fire in our backyard Saturday night in our fire pit. Felt summer evening-esque.

c) Theory #3: The sun is strong enough to wake everyone up. Everyone starts moving faster and planning more things. People are done hibernating for the winter. Carb-loading is over for now. The solar panels start heating up. It is now really fun to go out to dinner and find a nice patio to sit on, it is fun to think of new places to go, new exciting things to do. There is more day light making it seem like there is so much more time.


d)Theory #4: Animal instincts. Dating couples are cute. Then come the weddings- a big weekend buster in the summer. Babies are also cute. Glad to be done with this one this year, but you can't deny the babies and the weddings bring lots of get togethers.

I really like this time of year- what ever it is, I like the energy and all the newness. It is always so fun to think of the possibilities. Happy spring!

Status: Pooped

...and a week and a half to go of this madness. After sitting at the computer all weekend, not sleeping much last night, having really checked out students today, and resigning from my job today, this is how I feel:
Luckily I have nice blog posts like this one, from friend MK to read (this post exemplifies why I like her so much) for study breaks. Husband also left for me a really good lunch to eat today, and it is sunny outside my window, so life is not all that bad. Just had to feel a little sorry for myself there for a minute. Now I am done.

Papers here I come!

Friday Dispatches

Hmmm.... the desire to blog has been so strong. It can't possibly have anything to do with the fact that I have about 60 pages of writing to do in the next two weeks, right?

Last night, I went out for a belated birthday celebration with frisbee gals. We went to Psycho Suzie's in NE for dinner and fabulous pizza. It was a really fun time. Lots of laughing and good stories.

Today is the funeral for my student's mom who committed suicide. I have been thinking about it so much lately. Sadness for my student, questions about why her mom did it. I know the family pretty well as I have had both kids now in class. I keep thinking about the fact that both parents were always so great to talk to and what a successful women the mom was. Her obit guest book has people from literally all across the country writing in about how shocked and devastated they are, and what a wonderful women she was. She was also a University of WI alum and we often talked about her continued involvement with the U.

Depression is a really scary thing- I can't imagine how she could have gotten to the point of feeling as though taking her own life was her only way out. Apparently it was a really short bout- she had just taken some time off from work to deal with it. On her first day home she took her life. And for her daughter and son- how do you pick up at 17 or 18 years of age and just keep going after your mom commits suicide? It has been weighing heavily on my mind since last Friday when I found out. Suicide is so completely devastating and is so hard to understand.

Today I am also doing a phone interview with a publishing company that has approached me about working with them on a few supplements for their American Government program. I am curious, as I know nothing more than I have written here about what they are thinking. It is nice to find jobs without looking, though.

On that note, career changes are coming up and it is making me both nervous and excited. I don't know what it will be like not to teach anymore. On one hand it is very sad for me. I have been sorting and filing- mostly with the knowledge that I don't know when, if ever, I will ever be using some of these materials again. Of course I have awesome students this semester who make it harder to envision not teaching anymore. On the other hand, it will be a good feeling for the first time in 9 years to not be going through the end of summer crush and fall rush of classroom and curriculum preparation. It might be fun to see what else is out there and if I have any other skills other than working with a classroom of kids everyday. So much to think about.

Finally, I have been asked to be a fellow with an undergraduate program that is called 'living lives of meaning'. It is a program where students live at a camp on the prairie in southern MN for a month during the summer. It is based around sustainable living, personal growth, and academic learning. Each week the camp hosts a few visiting fellows who lead discussion, facilitate activities, and just generally work with the undergrads and professors. I am going to head down for a week this summer to participate in the program. I am excited after hearing the rave reviews that exist on campus about "philosophy camp".

Papers here I come.

A Vagrant Pair of Undies...

The humongous piles of dirty laundry that appeared post spring break were daunting. Almost immediately I started in on the clothes, the dirty sheets from our house sitter, our dirty sheets from before we left.

And then amid the clean laundry a few days later, emerged one pair of clean, yet foreign undies.

Now where did these come from?

Small, Victoria's Secret, Magenta, stretchy.

I immediately assumed they were DrMI's... Her cat Jack has a propensity for balled up socks. He moves them from suitcase to living room, to bed, etc. I quickly saw him in my mind moving undies from DrMI bedroom to the guest room and INTO our suitcase.

In packing up the items to send back to DrMI from the trip
(a borrowed shirt, cd, and burned cd) I threw the undies in the package. On the phone she verified, that yes, the undies were hers, that Jack liked panties and we had a little giggle about it.

Well, yesterday, I get the following phone message: "Hi, I just got the package, and ummm... those panties are not mine. My Victoria's Secret's are light pink and cotton, these are magenta and stretchy. So I don't know whose they are, but they are not mine. giggle."

Oops, vagrant undies sent cross-country to non-owner. I hate when I do that.

So as I am listening to the rest of the message, I am scanning the possibilities for where we might have picked up the vagrant undies... I thought about the hotel room (gross!), but crossed it off my list. I thought about the dryer at the laundromat (where we had to dry my down sleeping bag after husband's trunk leaked rain water on it) but I know I had checked the dryer before using. Did any of our friends or relatives we stayed with wear small undies? Did husband... NO. I was perplexed.

I wish I had a picture of the undies to post, but alas they are currently in Detroit.

Today it finally came to me: I didn't see them in the dirty clothes, but did in the clean laundry. So now I think I have needlessly sent a pair of unsuspecting undies to another state, when I now realize that the probable owner is only a few miles away. Are they yours? If so, let's strategize on how to institute "Mission: Rescue Down Under."

My Trip Inventory

I am learning a lot of great stuff in grad school. And then there is the real learning.

One of the best: goals are not all they are cracked up to be.

There is no room for surprises, serendipitous outcomes, or chance experiences. And those are the things that life is made of, yes?

And is there all that much learning in setting goals and getting there? (Oh good, I can check that off my list).

It reminds me of a one track highway, no side trips, or areas of interest. Just keep driving.

Driving to what? Driving for a better job, for more money, for a bigger house, for a nicer car, for more ? Driving for retirement? And then what? Did you forget to have fun along the way?

It is in the end, it is the journey, not the destination that makes life.

Here's my packing list :

-You MUST be flexible.
-You must be willing to be imperfect.
-An adventurous spirit will be very helpful.
-Humor is ESSENTIAL, laughing at your self is required.
-You will need loads of honesty and authenticity along the way.
-An open mind is required.
-A willingness to be changed is an important quality.
-You must be willing to be a trailblazer.
-Don't expect paths to be laid out for you.
-A belief in yourself will help immensely.
-Be a collector of mental artifacts. Decorate your life with them.
-Relish challenge, and be able to compete against yourself, but NO ONE else.
-Be willing to be your own cheerleader in the roughest parts of the journey.
-Let go of shame from others- it is only their negative energy speaking.
-Accept the fact that you and your list will never stop growing.

An ass-kicking from a teacher... in the form of a poem

A good book of poems: "What Learning Leaves" by Taylor Mali a recent present from my father-in-law, a big cheerleader of mine, and fellow teacher.

This one is one of my favorites. I wish I could have said it this well.

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you're a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

Quiet Birthdays

So today wraps up Jff's birthday celebration half week. His birthday was Wednesday but since I couldn't skip class that night, we met for lunch and then when I got home that night we opened a few presents, but nothing too much out of the ordinary. So this weekend was really the birthday celebration.

Last night we went to the Martin Sexton Concert (awesome show) which was a birthday present for both of us. And today we met the rest of the fam for lunch, birthday presents, hanging out at our house, and key lime pie (Jff's favorite). We rounded out the weekend with a good volleyball match, a nice sunset walk, and some time to relax together. A quiet birthday celebration, but preferable to someone who doesn't even let people know it is his birthday.

It was fun. I like celebrating his birthday, because boy am I glad he was born!

Let's dish

Yesterday as Jff and I were doing our usual run at the gym (18-20 laps = 3-3.4 miles) and he was giving me the run down of the day (with some pretty interesting tidbits, I will admit). I was happily being entertained, so when he was all done talking he excitedly said:

"I have had so much dish today! 16 laps worth, and that's impressive because I haven't even gotten to the news yet!"

I loved it because it was just so him!

Road Trip, Part 3

The pictures! To view go to:http://picasaweb.google.com/kloumr/SpringBreakRoadTripDC?authkey=EJU38CQet7k

Road Trip, Part 2

As we drove along the Northern edge of New York, we got great glimpses of Lake Ontario. Although the weather was not great, we stopped briefly to check out Three Mile Lighthouse. Actually, if we are mysteriously thrown in jail in the next year at some point, it might be because the New York Parks System caught up with us, after we didn't pay to park while we looked at the Lake and the Lighthouse. Oops.

Friends K & S live in rural New York and are as Lutheran Pastors. It was fun to see them and get a chance to see the churches they worked in. I was struck with how different their life is than ours. They live in a town that is two blocks long, and a house that is more than 100 years old. Although they still aren't unpacked and expecting in a little over a month and a half- all is well. Sq was actually in rare form the entire time we were there- I probably spent most of my time giggling at his antics. Some of my favorites (that I can remember) were: "What the hell are the Catholics doing together on a Monday night?" and something about "not in his backyard, come play on my swing set" and many other comments that made me not understand how that man made it through seminary. It was a fun time. They will be great parents and are really dedicated to their churches.

On Tuesday we made the trek down to Washington D.C. on mainly U.S. highways. We stopped and explored the battlefields of Gettysburg on our way and enjoyed the picturesque drive through Virginia. The weather was warm and balmy as we set up our tent in Virginia. Then, even though, it was 9 pm we hoped on the Metro and went down for a nighttime jaunt in D.C.- we saw all the monuments lit up (the Lincoln Memorial was the best by far- that was the one thing I had wanted to see at night) explored, and then stopped for a beer. We didn't get back to the tent until about 1:30, but it was worth it.

On Wednesday it was peak cherry blossom day for the season- absolutely beautiful- so we did the walk around the tidal basin. We also visited all the war memorials and the monuments in the day light. My favorite was probably the FDR monument, but the Jefferson memorial was astonishing. We also visited all of jff's old haunts: the think tank he worked at, his old apartment building and metro stop. That night we went up to the U street neighborhood to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl, known for its black grassroots political history and survival since 1958 as the same as it has always been. That was a really fun stop.

Thursday was a little chilly and it was a good day to be indoors. We went to the American Indian Smithsonian Museum- which was really, really awesome. Something to go back to- we only got about half way through it. We also hit the Natural History Museum for the Orchid exhibit and to see the Hope diamond. Much to our dismay- our primary destination- the American History Museum was closed and will be until 2008. We also visited a Latin American Art Museum. Friday we went for a capital tour with our Senator's staffer which was really cool- we even got to take the shuttle from the office building to the capital. So fun! After that we visited the Supreme Court, and although they weren't arguing that day, got to see the courtroom. That day we also went up in the Old Post Office Tower and visited the American Art Museum- which was really cool. The contemporary art exhibits were so neat! (pictures to follow) They also had three Hopper's (a favorite American Artist of mine). The best might possibly have been the exhibit on Sandra Day O'Connor- in which she sat for 25 portrait of her. All the paintings are so different!

Anyways, we got to see and do a lot of neat things in D.C.- truly one of our most fun vacations together. I learned a lot, but we just had a great time hoping on and off the Metro, and more than anything spending uninterrupted time together. We left on Saturday morning, but not before making an investment into our trip karma by giving a family our still good for three days metro passes. It was good we had stayed at a hotel in Maryland the last two nights because on Saturday morning we woke up to snow on cherry blossoms. After a brief stop in Chicago to visit Jff's family, we returned home happy but tired. It was a great trip. We saw so many things, so many important people who we love, and laughed a lot. What more can you ask for, really?

Important Reminders of Real Life

Nothing is a reminder of reality quite like returning from vacation without anytime to finish posting about your adventures- I will get to it, though. I had briefly forgotten, although I worked almost constantly in the car when I wasn't driving, what it was like to not have 8 things competing for the next hour of my time, every hour of the day. I just have to hang in for three more weeks...

Nothing is a reminder of how lucky I am than a new song I got on vacation, just a few quotes from the new Martin Sexton CD that I particularly like...I am excited for the concert this weekend, no matter what!

You and me here all alone
Sunday morning here at home
The sky is blue as the coffee's strong
It's true

But then I open my eyes
To this dream realized
In front of me
Oh and I haven't got a clue
What is the world is happening to me

I think I'm happy
Like the first day of summer vacation
Happy when I get some rest and relaxation
Happy like the choir on Sunday morning
Sweet and true.

And the last reminder when I think of what has been and what will be as the future creeps towards me...

Thank god for failure
And the things I couldn't do
So much of my life
It's all I ever knew
Thank you for failure
And the mighty music
For making the dreams that chose me

I listened to an interview where MS talked about this song, "Failure". He talked about how no one ever talks about their failures- like it is some sort of secret. Instead the failures should be celebrated because they always put you on a little better path. It is all about how you deal with your failures and those of the people around you.

I think I like this idea because I make lots of mistakes, but I also work really hard to not make the same mistake twice. I am learning how wonderful it is to have people around you that love you anyhow, no matter what. That love you for trying, not just for succeeding all the time. I am thankful that through them, I am learning how to do the same for others. An important reminder...

Road Trip, Part I

Spring Road Trip Part I- written yesterday!

This is the life…Cruising through Canada listening to “The Long Way Home” by the Dixie Chicks (thanks to DrMI), and typing a blog post to chronicle the first couple days of our spring road trip. I should really be reading journal articles for my 15 page paper that is due in a week, but… this is much more fun.

We have had a fabulous time so far! We left town on Friday, leaving only my ipod behind (bbthund. To the rescue!), and drove south to the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan, or Dixon, Illinois. We stayed at our family home for only the night. The next morning bright and early we visited Grandma at the nursing home. Although Grandma has few good days anymore, we seemed to hit the jackpot. She was ready for us when we arrived and although we couldn’t understand much of what she talked about- she was excited to ask Jff about the “twins” and other topics. I even got her to laugh when we told her about how Luke calls Jff “Crazy J” because of the way he shakes his head like a madman. Leaving was hard, tears for who she was, for the life she now leads, and the few happinesses she still has- knowing we are one of the few.

Before leaving Dixon we met my favorite aunt for breakfast. It is so fun to talk to her, she is wonderful, someone I aspire to be like. I wish her the best as her life continues to change as a widower. Soon after breakfast, we drove out of my favorite childhood town. It is always too long between visits. A rich history exists there for me. Heading east, we got to Chicago about an hour and a half later... only time to stop by and have lunch and a quick visit with Cousin Jean, Husband Daryl, and their son Luke. We had a blast! Two year old Luke was obsessed with putting a balloon under my sweatshirt and then unzipping, to free the balloon. We did this over and over again. He of course also asked Jff a thousand times to shake his head—which of course brought on the giggles. “Crazy Jff” and I left for Michigan when Luke went down for his nap.

We arrived in Michigan at dinner time, so excited to see DrMI and husband for the first time since our wedding last summer. It was fun to catch up in their cute little home over a delicious meal. We looked at pictures, told stories, and I was introduced to my new fav. Television show thanks to TiVo- “Man vs. Wild”. I also got a really fun birthday present. On Sunday we went into Ann Arbor and showed Jff around campus, did some window shopping, went and got ice cream (yum!). After a minor incursion to the Sprint store (long story), we continued on to see a really fun parade with great costumes and sat outside to eat great Italian food. On the way home, gabbing with just DrMI was the most fun- I miss that so much- the phone doesn’t always do it justice! Later on, Jff and I played each other in tennis on the Wii, went for a run, and I finished writing a paper. Last night we ate sushi, chips and guac, and played euchre- good competition-and funny stories of cards mating, honeymoon games, etc. Oh, and the best beer, Oberon, was in season in Michigan, so we got our share. Delicious! Our love to K and M- it was sad to leave. They are so fun, and so far away.

This morning on our way through Detroit, we drove by DrMI’s medical school and squeeked by the Comerica stadium before the traffic for the Tiger’s opening got bad. We drove through the tunnel and are now on our way through Ontario to see Jff’s college roommate and wife in their new town. Will update the blog with more inane details of our travels at a later date!