San Diego Pics

I don't have much time to write about my San Diego trip yet, but I wanted to put up some of the pictures from my trip.
















The fabulous Kristen and JJ McIntyre















Me, Naj, and Anna Kudak




























Me, Mark (my PhD advisor) and Mary Frances

Her Name is Mud

So, as you might be able to guess, my thoughts have been consumed with baby girl names lately. In my quest to find interesting names that I may like, I stumbled upon a website called "Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing." I'm under the assumption that the "Baby's" stands for Baby is...

Anyway, there are postings from various baby-naming boards with little comments in response. Here is my favorite so far. The posting reads:

Brittany after the statue- Brittania

The response is:
'Cause nothing in, say, France is called Britanny. Nothing big like a province. Nothing else in England called Britannia, either. Nothing big like...England.

Their hatred of this particular woman is the only thing England and France have agreed on since 1066.

I laughed really hard after reading this. Check out the website. Good laughs.

http://www.notwithoutmyhandbag.com/babynames/index.html

I'm Heading to San Diego, San Diego Here I Come.

Tomorrow I board a flight for San Diego. This will be my first trip to California, to the West Coast in general. I am very much looking forward to it, and not only because it is supposed to be in the low 70s and upper 60s during the day! While it is true that I will be attending an academic conference (which, nerd that I am, can be exciting all on its own) but I will be reuniting with several of my best friends from graduate school for the first time since May of 2007. We are all now in different places -- if not geography that career-wise. Kristen and JJ are in Arkansas, Anna is in Kentucky, and Najla is still in North Dakota, but in a kick-ass new job. And, of course, there will be a whole bunch of other people from my grad school days there to catch up with as well.

I return from San Diego on Monday and return to school here for a day and a half before Mark and I head back to Fargo for Thanksgiving. It's going to be a busy and excellently fun weekend. When we get there Wednesday night we will be attending Kate's birthday party at Johnny Carino's. Thursday, of course, is Thanksgiving, a holiday I greatly enjoy even though I don't eat turkey anymore. The day after Thanksgiving, of course, is BLACK FRIDAY!!!! Only one of my favorite days of the year. This year Annie will be joining Mom and I again as we brave the cold, and dark, and crowds at 6 a.m. in search of great deals. I am especially looking forward to having Annie come with because the last time she attended Black Friday Shopping, she greeted my cheerful wake-up call at 5:30 a.m. with the words "I hate you." I can't wait to see what kind of vitriol this year will bring!! (Of course, Annie doesn't really hate me. She just hates mornings. I think it's hugely entertaining to watch her moan and grumble her way through the first 45 minutes of the day until she reverts back to her normally cheerful self).

We have a Black Friday routine. We get up between 5 and 5:30 and try to head out just before 6:00 a.m. We always go to Kohl's first, because they do have really great deals in the morning and it's worth the wait in line (which last year stretched half-way around the store). After that we usually go to Linen's N Things. This year, LNT is going out of business so I don't know if we will be going there or not. On one hand, there might be great deals. On the other hand, I don't know if it is even still open. Then it's off to Herberger's where we usually spend a big chunk of time. Around 9 a.m. we head to Barnes and Nobles for coffee and breakfast in the cafe followed by book shopping. This year I have to buy Mom coffee and breakfast because we had a wager going as to the sex of the baby. I lost (I was SO SURE she was a boy! Oh well. Mark and I are really excited about our baby girl). We are typically done shopping by early afternoon at which point we head back to Mom's house to take stock of our booty. It's great fun, although I can understand why there are some people out there that avoid shopping on Black Friday like the plague.

I am hoping to document both trips with pictures this year, so hopefully I will be able to relay through images some of the fun of my upcoming week and a half.

It's A Girl!

Mark and I had our 20 week ultrasound on Friday. I say Mark and I because he was there too, even though I'm the one that had to lay there for half an our while being prodded with the little ultrasound wand thingy. It was really exciting. We had already decided we wanted to know the sex of the baby. Little did we know that we would have to wait to find out while our awesome ultrasound technician took pictures of EVERY part of the baby. She measured the circumference of the baby's head and the baby's tummy. She took pictures of the heart - which was really cool because you could clearly see all four chambers of the heart beating. She took pictures of each of the legs and arms and pointed out where all the bones were developing. We got pictures of the head and spine from every angle. Finally, the second to last thing she looked at was sex.

We have been POSITIVE since I got pregnant that we were having a boy. I don't know why, it was just a feeling... a very strong feeling. So, when the technician said, "I'm going to say girl," we were both really surprised. It was almost like finding out I was pregnant all over again. We had to start completely over with the name game because we hadn't been thinking about girl names at all this entire time.

My mom was thrilled and vindicated (she'd been saying girl since the beginning). After telling her about the sex over the phone (she was stranded in Savannah, Georgia at the airport) I had to relate all the other good news about the baby. She is the right size and appears to be put together normally. One of the ultrasound techs even exclaimed "Oh, what a pretty baby." Which left Mark and I wondering several things: How can you really tell if the baby is pretty from an ultrasound?; and, If you can tell if the baby is pretty or not, what do they say when the baby ISN'T pretty? Does that ever happen? But, of course, proud parents that we are, we choose to believe that, of course you can tell if the baby is pretty or not and that, in fact, our baby is prettier than the average baby.

In half an hour I'm off to judge/coach at a speech tournament. This weekend I'm flying San Diego for the National Communication Conference. The next two weeks promise to be busy, but the semester is almost over. If I can somehow manage to keep up with the grading, it should be a relatively short few weeks until Christmas break. Yay, Christmas Break.

No, no, no

I feel a little like I might be coming down with a cold or something. This is not good, not good at all. These next two months are going to be extremely busy and hectic and I don't have time to get sick. I especially don't have time to be pregnant and sick, which means that I can't take nearly as many helpful cold-symptom relieving medications as I normally would.

All in all, I have to say that I wish pregnancy in real life was more like Piper's pregnancy on Charmed. When Piper was pregnant with Wyatt she was practically indestructible. Of course, it was because she was a witch a carrying a magical baby that protected her from harm and germs -- but how nice would that be? Instead, when you are pregnant (according to the book I'm reading) you become MORE susceptible to illness, your balance becomes iffy, and you become prone to forgetting stuff. Also, if you don't get enough calcium the baby will suck it right out of your bones. Of course, I can't really begrudge my poor, as-yet-unseen baby for all of this. It's not really his/her fault. It's a cruel trick of biology... much like how I can't drink caffeine or eat spicy tuna sushi. And don't tell me to drink decaf. It's not the same.

Anyway, I think veggie-noodle soup may be in my future for tonight. I have to run to the library to pick up a few books. I just got caught up in the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris. I highly recommend it. The only problem is that now I have to wait for book nine. At the library books 4 and 5 of Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series are waiting for me. Also excellent and highly recommended. Maybe Mark will run to the store to get soup ingredients while I am at the library... Of course, Chuck and Heroes are on tonight, which is yet another reason to celebrate.

Keep your fingers crossed that I'm just in an afternoon slump and not actually heading for the infirmary!

And People Can't Stop Smiling

I know, I know. There are some people out there that are unhappy that Obama won. There are some people out there that are mad that Obama won. And, according to one of my students, there are some people out there threatening to kill Obama.

I was shocked and horrified when my student related this bit of information this morning. Apparently, people were writing these hateful messages on Facebook. First, I want to ask these horrid people if any of them even bothered to listen to McCain's concession speech. McCain's speech last night was not only well-delivered, but it was classy and showed that McCain had a level of sophistication rarely seen before last night. I thought the best part was when he stated that he would support Obama as his President, because he is, and we all are, citizen of this great country. Second, I want to point out to these horrible, bloodthirsty people that threatening to kill a Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate or the President or Vice President (even in jest) IS A CRIME. Seriously. The Secret Service will come for you.

I know this because when I was a senior in college I was the Opinion Page editor for the campus newspaper. One of my columnists joking wrote that he advocated the assassination of one of the Presidential candidates because he thought either of the VP candidates would be better suited for the job. The Secret Service came to his house. The Secret Service came to campus. I spent an hour talking with Bruce, the Secret Service man, about whether or not I thought this columnist was serious... was he anti-social... did he have friends... did he often state he thought candidates should be killed... Needless to say, now this columnists name is on a Secret Service list somewhere and will be for all time. So, the moral of this little story is that not only are this type of extreme negative and hateful comments unbecoming to an American citizen, but they are also (and rightly) illegal. Everyone has the right to disagree with their neighbor. But if we really want positive change in our country (something both McCain and Obama are striving for) then we have to work together and support our country.

Anyway, I had started this blog as a happy blog. I wanted to talk (like many people are talking) about how we have a new and bright future for our country. I want to celebrate Obama's victory, not just as the personal victory of a great candidate, but as a victory for American ideals. Last night millions of people saw their own futures when Obama stepped onto that stage in Grant Park. They saw themselves going to college. They saw themselves with good jobs, helping each other, making a difference. They saw and hoped and believed that they CAN achieve their dreams.

So, to conclude, I'd like to quote a little Stephen Colbert for you all (I hope that's OK, Stephen). First, a tip of the hat to Barack Obama. You fought a hard race, ran a great campaign, and were elected the 44th President of the United States. I can't wait to see what you will do with this victory. Second, a wag of the finger to all those horrible people spewing out hate after this amazing election. If you voted for McCain, I will still respect you and appreciate your views. However, if you can't follow McCain's lead and get on board in trying to make the next four years better than the last four, then you should be ashamed of yourself. You are letting down your candidate, your neighbor, and your country.

Election Day!

I feel compelled to write about election day, even though many people are being bombarded with sentiments regarding, as Sarah Palin put it in an interview on CNN this morning, "an historical election."

I am happy to report that I have already voted. Mark and I went to City Hall at 8 a.m. this morning so that we could both vote before Mark went in to work. It was a half hour wait, which I didn't think was too bad. I just wanted to get in there and vote first thing so that I didn't have to worry about fitting it in later. The wait issue is a funny one. We are looking at an election day that will get record numbers of people to the polls. At the same time, those record number of people mean long lines and possibly long waits for some. All in all, I'd rather take the wait and know that more people are invested in our country's future than ever before.

My office neighbor is a HUGE political junkie. He's the only person I know who will actually be sad to see this election cycle end. I just heard him in his office across the hall asking "Where are the election results? I don't care about this crap!" Personally, I'm not intending to start watching results until this evening. I figure there's really no point watching until after the east coast polls are closed.

Last night while watching TV I noticed that ALL the commercials were political ads. I mentioned this fact to my stylist this morning and he replied "I know. I can't wait to see a commercial for something like cereal." I agree. I am SO tired of political commercials. They are generally mean and you can't believe anything in them anyway. Oh, and speaking (or writing) of ridiculous things on TV (besides Sarah Palin) this morning on CNN they had a woman who decided her vote by FLIPPING A COIN!!! That's right. She stood in her hallway at home and declared "OK. Heads for Obama. Tails for McCain." Fortunately, it landed on heads, but that is beside the point. How could there still be undecided voters out there?!? (If you are an undecided voter, please respond. I would be interested in knowing the issues that are preventing you from deciding). All I can say is PLEASE don't let a coin toss decide something so important. And, if you do, keep that embarrassing bit of information private. There is no need to broadcast that stupidity on national television.

Well, that's it for my election day musings. Hopefully today will be a turning point for our country. Good luck to Barack Obama and I hope to see him in the White House soon!

Ubiquitous Ribbons

Reading Ali Rapp's post today has prompted me to comment about the prevalence of ribbons as a symbol in our culture. Nothing I write should be construed as pro-domestic violence. I just find the evolution of the ribbon as a tool for causes to be interesting from a communication perspective.

In Communication 280 we have been talking about semiology and the cultural use of signs. Our textbook (Griffin, 2009) uses the example of the yellow ribbon to illustrate the evolution of the yellow ribbon as a sign. You may remember the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the 'Ole Oak Tree." In the song, a man returning from prison asks his sweetheart to tie a yellow ribbon around an oak tree so that he will know if is past is forgiven and if he is welcomed home. During Desert Storm, the yellow ribbon symbol was co-opted to mean "Welcome Home Troops" with the forgiveness of stigma ejected as meaning to be replaced with American military superiority. Of course, today we are again bombarded with yellow ribbons, although the "Welcome Home Troops" message has been replaced with the "Support our Troops" message. I believe this change in the meaning of the sign has some source in the debate over whether or not our troops should be coming home from Iraq or not, tied closely to the "are we winning debate" and "when is the appropriate time to leave" argument.

But we are exposed to more than yellow ribbons. October is domestic violence awareness month and awareness is raised by a purple ribbon. Breast cancer awareness has a pink ribbon and HIV/AIDS awareness has a red one. The question I would like to pose is: does the saturation level of a sign or symbol in a culture ever lead to the reduced effectiveness of that symbol? For example, will people, upon seeing Ali's purple ribbon, stop to ask her what that ribbon stands for? Or will they simply chalk it up to another cause and keep walking?

If the purpose of the ribbon is to raise awareness about an issue, then is that symbol effective if it no longer elicits comments or questions from others? Is awareness really growing?

Of course, we could look at the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon as a symbol that grew into a campaign. In this instance, the placing of a pink ribbon on a product indicates that purchasing that product supports breast cancer research in some way. The pink ribbon has evolved into an effective advertising campaign and fund raising tool. What does it take for a ribbon to gain this type of prominence?

Anyway, I think it's an interesting question (or several interesting questions). Signs and symbols are all around us, often being taken for granted. Don't even get me started on the wristband...

Quarantine

Last week Mark received a two-person pass to a pre-screening of the movie Quarantine. I am a big scary movie fan - especially in the month of October - and so I was looking forward to going. When we got there we found out the pre-screening was being hosted by a local film company and a radio show. After a little shpiel by the hosts and marketing folk, the movie began.

Let me just say this: After the first twenty minutes of the movie, the quarantined characters in the movie weren't the only ones that were sick - so was I.

The movie is shot from the perspective of a camera man, which means that the frame doesn't sit still AT ALL during the whole movie. Think Blair Witch and Cloverfield. I saw Blair Witch on VHS and Cloverfield on DVD. Because of this, I had no idea what watching this kind of movie on the big screen would do to me. First, it made my eyes hurt. Second, it made my head hurt. Third, it made me want to puke. I actually got motion sick. It was horrible. After 40 minutes I turned to Mark and said that if we didn't leave, I was going to vomit. So we snuck out. I was bummed to go, because it had a nice creepy vibe going... A little Resident Evil-esque. And from other plot summaries I've read, it seems like it would have gotten even more interesting. Alas, I doubt I will ever be able to watch the movie. I will have to satisfy my October horror-movie craving with other, less nauseating far.

Pan

(Disclaimer: This blog contains several references to proper names of books and television shows. I have neither italicized nor put these titles in quotations. This is a stylistic choice (mom) and I figure that if there is anyplace I do not have to follow proper punctuation rules for titles it is in my own blog.)

A few months ago when we were up visiting my family in Fargo, my brother declared that we had to stop up at his house to meet Sam, the new member of his family. I, of course, immediately thought new kitten, forgetting briefly that Jared had previously mentioned his newest purchase - a 40 inch flat screen Samsung television... named Sam. The TV was almost as fun as a new kitten. As far as I'm concerned, there is really no point in playing Xbox or PS3 on anything BUT a high def TV. He showed us a little bit of BioShock and I've been wanting a high def TV ever since.

Mark and I went about equipping our new game-playing entertainments station backwards. First, I bought him a PS3 for his 30th birthday in June. Then, a few months later, we bought a nice TV stand that can hold up to a 50 inch flat screen. We had been planning to wait until Thanksgiving to buy the actual TV, but playing games on the old 27 inch tube TV just wasn't cutting it. So, we went out and bought our own new addition to the family from Best Buy last night - a 42 inch Panasonic plasma TV... Pan. We thought seriously about buying a 40 inch, but then decided that in order for us to have bragging rights over Jared, we had to get the bigger one. So THERE, Jared. Our TV is bigger than yours is.

While the TV purchase was certainly exciting, the other thrilling moment of last night was when I saw the trailer for Legend of the Seeker. There I was, standing in front of a wall of high def TVs, when I see a trailer featuring some guy with a sword. Being a fantasy buff, of course I immediately began paying close attention. THEN, the voice over mentioned the name Richard Cypher. I started jumping and clapping in Best Buy. No, I am not ashamed.

Turns out, there is going to be a television series starting on November 1st based on one of my favorite fantasy series' of all time, The Sword of Truth!!!!!! HOOOOORRRRAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!! I've only been waiting for a live action version of either Terry Goodkind's or Robert Jordan's masterpieces since I was in high school (Jared and I have spent many productive car trips casting the Wheel of Time, although we both agree it should be done in a television medium... it is far to complex for a movie). Backing up a step, when I started jumping and clapping, Mark (bless him) said "Robert Jordan?" I was so pleased that he knew enough about what we were looking at to make such a close and educated guess. I corrected him and then took out my phone to call Jared. I am always really excited when I get to tell Jared something that he doesn't already know regarding either Sword of Truth OR Wheel of Time. Later, Jared texted me and told me Legend of the Seeker was being produced by Sam Raimi. AWESOME! Could not be more excited.

Anyway, it's raining here today and I'm cranky about it. I love rain if I can enjoy it from home. However, having to walk in from the car was a cold and wet experience. My jeans still aren't dry. Adding to my discomfort is the fact that, for some unknown reason, cold air is being pumped into my office even though the temperature outside is 53 degrees. You just don't need air conditioning when it is 53 degrees outside AND October. Dumb. Plus, I'm really frickin' hungry right now.

The Source of Stress

I was watching GMA this morning while eating my Cascasian Farms organic granola, and I caught a segment on a book called The Source: Unleash your Natural Energy, Power up Your Health, and Feel 10 Years Younger by Woodson Merrell. First, I had to be intrigued by the length and seeming integrity of the title. Second, being that I am constantly plagued by ridiculous exhaustion, I thought that unleashing my natural energy would be a good idea. The segment had a variety of interesting advice, including that we should eat more cinnamon because it helps regulate our blood sugar and keeps us from having the spikes and dips in energy that sugar snacks can cause. I also learned that tumeric is an amazing natural anti-inflammatory. According to Merrell, it was almost as successful in tests as cortizone. But, according to the segment, stress is our number one energy zapper. He suggested two things that could be done on a daily basis to help relieve stress. First, he said that deep breathing a few times every hour is a good way to reduce stress. Second, he said that keeping track of the things that make you stressed or tired throughout the day is a way to find out what triggers stress. It occurred to me after hearing this that my blog might be a nice place to keep track of what my stress triggers are. So, here is what is making me stressed and tired today:

1) My 3:10 class. No, it isn't my students or the content of the class that is stressful and exhausting. It is, in fact, the hour of the day. I spend the entire day dreading teaching at 3 p.m. It is by far my worst time of day. See, I'm yawning right now just thinking about it.

2) NCA. I have not yet registered for the conference, nor have I purchased my plane tickets. This is hanging over my head in true guillotine fashion. Yet, every time I think about resolving this problem, something miraculously comes up.

3) Laundry. For whatever reason, I seem incapable of finishing laundry in one day. I get everything done except two loads and by the end it seems like too much effort to put away the clothes I have folded. So, there is still folded laundry sitting on the arms of my couch and loveseat in the living room. I really need to get that done.

Well, this first exercise in stress-journaling has illustrated that some measure of stress is a result of procrastinating. Does this mean that if I procrastinated less, I would have more energy? Hmm, interesting thought. In theory, I should be able to actively pursue checking things off my To Do list, hence being less of a procrastinator, resulting in reduced stress and increased energy. Notice I said "in theory." I've been fighting my procrastinate-y impulses since I started graduate school in 2001. I will attempt to be better at getting things done and will let you know how my stress is responding.

Can't Give Up on Politics

Good political news this morning on Good Morning America. Barack is now leading McCain in current polls by 9 points. The news gets even better when you start breaking polling data down to look specifically at the economy. According to GMA, Barack leads McCain by up to 14 points on issues dealing with the economy. People polled think that Barack will be better able to deal with the country's economic problems AND that Barack has a better idea of what the average American is going through in an economic sense. Of course, this makes perfect sense. Who is going to have a better idea of what the average American is going through: a man who spent time working with communities, or a man who doesn't even know how many houses he has?

In other good news: Sarah Palin's approval numbers fell from 58 to 52 percent. It is unfortunate that ANYONE out there thinks she is a qualified VP candidate, but falling numbers are a good sign. I'm going to optimistically say that she can't fool the majority of the American people for too long. All you have to do is watch her being interviewed to know she's in way over her head here.

George Stephanopolus (I have no idea if I spelled that right and do not care to check) said this morning that it is EXTREMELY rare for a candidate with the lead that Barack has in late September to loose an election. Let's hope he's right!!! GO BARACK!!!

Just When You Thought it Wasn't Safe to Like Alaska...

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/14/alaska-women-reject-palin-rally-is-huge/

Be still my beating heart. Thanks to all the anti-Palin rally goers. I think the "Bush in a Skirt" sign is my favorite.

Poptarts and Facebook

I was just in the process of writing a dumb blog about poptarts and Facebook. However, it was really bad, so I erased it and have elected to begin anew. (Although I cannot stress enough the fact that Smores Poptarts are awesome).

And now I'm out of time. I have to teach class in 14 minutes. Today we are discussing rhetoric. A favorite topic of mine. Sorry about this short and pointless blog. I will try to do better next time.

Empty Rhetoric

As a rhetorician with a PhD, I normally despise the phrase "empty rhetoric." However, because I have spent the last 10 years studying communication, I think I am highly qualified to spot "empty rhetoric" when it is being employed. Sadly, I have heard more empty rhetoric out of the Republican Party this convention season than I have ever heard before.

I did not want to blog about the ridiculous Sarah Palin again. Unfortunately, I just watched a segment of her television interview with Charles Gibson. She tried her damndest to avoid answering ANY of the questions that she was asked. At one point, Charles Gibson even commented that he wasn't sure what she was saying through a "tornado of words." But despite all that empty rhetoric, she did say a few important things. First, she said that if Israel decided to bomb a nuclear plant in Iran, that America should support Israel. Granted, she didn't say it that succictly... She didn't say anything clearly at all. Friendship with Israel, and with other countries, is certainly important. But the stubborn refusal to see or admit that this "friendship" which seems to have no limitations, might possibly be one of the reasons that America is disliked in the Middle East, is a distressing indication of Gov. Palin's lack of global intelligence. Second, she declared that there was nothing wrong with America going into a country like Pakistan in the hunt for suspected terrorists. Once again, she didn't really say this. Charles Gibson asked her the question three times and she blew smoke up his ass with each answer. And not even creative smoke. She just repeated herself. For a second I actually thought they were just replying her first answer. How can Palin state that we had to protect the sovereignty of Georgia and other countries while in the next breath claiming that the sovereignty of other countries is subservient to the will of the United States? I think that these two comments clearly illustrate that she would be one of the WORST possible people to be in charge of anything remotely related to national security.

The willingness to say that the will of America supercedes the will of any other country, combined with the unwillingness to engage in diplomacy shows that Palin is not only lacking in experience, but that she is also lacking in empathy.

Be Gone Zombie!!

Well, I just finished reading the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I was a zombie for the past three days because all I wanted to do, when I wasn't working (or even when I WAS working) was read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Is it a little lame that I got THAT engrossed in a series about vampires written for young adults? Yes. Probably. But I couldn't help myself. The good news is that I finished the book last night and do not have to be a zombie any longer!

Speaking of things that are pushing me towards catatonia... Wow am I sick of Sarah Palin. Seriously, this woman is major threat to our country. The fact that she has a chance of getting into the White House terrifies me on so many levels. Not only is she on a serious power trip (does she try to arbitrarily fire people in every gov't job she has?) but she doesn't believe in evolution, doesn't believe in abortion (even to save the mother's life), and (as I learned this morning) is pro-censorship in public libraries!!! This is absolutely horrifying. Also, if I hear one more person talking about how the Dems are attacking her gender, I WILL SCREAM. I was at the RNC to hear her speech on the Wednesday of the convention. I'll admit, she did DELIVER a good speech. However, if anyone was actually listening to the CONTENT of her message... I'm hoping they were as horrified as I was. I know that both John Stewart and Stephen Colbert have pointed this out already, but can anyone actually believe that she and the rest of the speakers on that night belittled community service?!?!? If those comments didn't clearly illustrate that the McCain/Palin ticket is really only looking out for the rich and the white, then I don't know what does.

Whooo!! Ok. Gotta stop talking politics as my breathing is getting heavy and my heart rate is increasing.

Today is my best-friend-growing-up's birthday. Should be fun, although she is traumatized by the fact she is turning 29. I think I'll save the trauma for when I'm turn 40. 30s don't seem so bad.

Anyhoo, tonight I'll be moving on to read the Pillars of the Earth, which was recommended to me by a friend with excellent taste in books. Hopefully it will be very good, but will not take over my life. TTFN.

I Think I Can See My Breath

I am cold. My office is cold. I mean, it's really really cold. Yes, I understand that temperatures inside buildings can be difficult to regulate, especially when you are regulating an entire campus. But does it really have to be 59 degrees in my office? Every morning I have an internal monologue:

"What should I wear? What is clean? What's the weather going to be outside? Hmmmm, it's August, so... hot. But my office is cold. How much time will I actually be spending outside? If I wear these shorts will the jacket and fleece blanket I keep in my office keep me warm?"

That's right. I have a jacket, fleece blanket, and pair of warm socks in my office. When it's 96 degrees outside it feels good to step into my office for about 30 seconds. Then it is uncomfortable cold again. When I stand in front of my office door to unlock it in the morning, I can feel the cold air blowing out onto my exposed, sandal-clad feet. I hate it.

Some may be wondering "Is this it? The entire content of her blog today is a rant about her cold office?"

My answer to that is: Yes.

Just kidding. On a positive note, I get to go to the Vikings pre-season game on Friday against Seattle. SUPER EXCITED! I can't wait to tell my brother and father, who will not be anywhere NEAR the pre-season game on Friday. Suckers.

Fat China sleeping on the couch.

Dog Days

So, I just found out today that the dog days of summer refers to the time of year when the Dog Star is at it's brightest in the sky. Apparently, the "dog days" last until August 11 and the ancient Greeks blamed the Dog Star for the hot weather and the host of problems that came along with it.

Tomorrow is my last day of summer classes. I have my last class of public speaking at 1:00 and my last class of comm theory at 6:00. While both of these classes have been really fun, I'll be glad when they are over. Then, I have two and a half weeks off until I have to manage interns when the RNC comes to town. The RNC overlaps with the first week of school, which is going to be complicated. I'm actually not quite sure how that is going to work for me. I'm supposed to be doing site visits with interns that week while teaching classes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and attending opening convocation on Tuesday.

This Saturday I get to meet my Fairy God Bean Finnegan Michael McIntyre for the first time! I'm so excited for Kristen and JJ and Finn to visit.

Finally, I just want to add a "Yay!!" for the great summer TV shows that are on right now: Psych, Burn Notice, Monk, Eureka, and In Plain Sight. All excellent and worth a viewing.

The Torchlight

So, last week I was at Santorini with my friend Anna enjoying a glass of wine and some appetizers when she said that I should sign up to run the Torchlight 5K in July. Now, I'm not really a runner. I was in track my last year in high school and that was about it. I spent the next few days pondering if I even wanted to attempt it before I saw a pamphlet for the race at the gym. I asked Mark if he wanted to do it and he said yes. So, much like when I decided to join the track team, I have decided that I will run the Torchlight 5K, just to prove I can.

I promptly went to trust Google and searched for 5K training plans. I found one called The Couch-to-5K running plan. It seemed like a pretty good plan, although it is a 9-week plan and I only have 7-weeks until the run. So, I decided to start in week 3. I mean, I'm not a runner but I'm not necessarily a couch either.

I did my first run-walk training session today. I think I picked a good place to start. I was able to get through the entire program, but wouldn't have liked to go too much further. I ran-walked 2.8 miles in 40 minutes.

The trickiest part of this whole program is going to be the week I have to train in Phoenix. I have the feeling that I am not going to want to run very much when I'm on vacation. I will try my best to keep blogging about my progress. Of course, words of encouragement and tips are always appreciated!!