they get me with the stories

last night I was working away...frantically checking things off my to do list while watching the olympics because well, I. Love. The. Winter. Olympics. and was looking for the opportunity to take a shower. and thought to myself. 'nordic combined....I dont care about that. that sounds like a perfect shower opportunity' but then the had on the story, and I was stuck.

team USA had a chance for gold. these underfunded athletes who despite competing on skis dont benifit from any opportunities of the US ski team. these athletes who were so good that they inspired one of their team members to come out of retirement and compete at his 4th olympics and for the first time ever the usa had a chance to win a medal. ok fine. I'll watch.

open letter to the winter olympics

Dear winter olympics-

I have professed my love before. and I do not deny it today. I love to watch you for hours on end, but I am le tired. Perhaps in the future you might take me into account when laying out your schedule. Perhaps you could include a day when no events happen, so that I might go to bed before 11 just once during your 2 week stretch. I think that this would be much appreciated by many because its not just me who is feeling the effects, even your favorite athletes are feeling the effects.

please consider this in the future,

your loving and devoted watcher

p.s. yes I know that apollo claims that his yawns are a stratergery to allow more oxygen into in lungs right before a race, but you and I know he's been up watching other events as well

winter olympics + canada = best 14 days of my life.

I. LOVE. THE. WINTER. OLYMPICS.

summer 2008 we were glued to the tv watching the summer olympics. schedule printed cheering for our little americans take gold (or at the very least try their very best) I think there were some gymnastics, some running, and maybe some other stuff...we were obsessed. watched for hours on end, planned our outings around medal events. life was good.

and then there was the winter. snowboard cross, and half pipe, mens figure staking, LUGE, ski jumping, CURLING, the hilarity that is the biathlon (skiing and cross country skiing....really?), MOGELS.

and all my favorites were back...since winter olympians have a longer shelf life I believe...Bode miller, F.LOCH, shaun white, lindsey jacobellis, shani davis, evan lysacke, julia mancuso, lindsey vonn, seth wescott, apollo ono, johnny weir, and that crazy russian who won figure skating last year. and my new FAVORITE. PIPS!

ok so her real name may actually be hannah kearney. but check out those pips. I only wish I had goggles when I ride my bike so I can be pips. she is my pip-ing hero. google image hannah kearny...you'll see pips. pips on the slopes, pips at the medal ceremony the next day. she flipping loves her pip. an I flippin love her. (did I mention that ben and jerrys is making a new flavor in honor of her....what is it you ask...coffee ice cream with chocolate cookies. aka MY FAVORITE)

needless to say the TV has been on constantly from 7 till 11 (or later...thanks to vancouver's unfortunate plague ice and snow delays) forgoing my early bedtime resolution to watch one last event, these are the winter olympics after all.

AND they are in Canada.

(I can name all 13 of my providences...can you)

to grade pile

my to grade pile grew to gigantic proportions....hoping for a snow day...but not tomorrow...wednesday. I would MUCH rather teach than sit in an inservice :)

new year's resolutions (only a little bit late)

ok so yes it is more traditional to make new year's resolutions at the beginning of the new year, and then blog all about it then and there. it is now the end of the first month of the new year so its about time to blog all about it. (life has been a bit busy this month...thanks in part to those afore-mentioned resolutions)

Resolution #1 - Recycling

doing what little part I can do to save the world. we bought some recycling containers...no more would the excuse that my building doesnt have recycling containers hold up. I grew up in a house where we recycled EVERYTHING my parents canceled the trash after the kids went off to school since as my dad likes to say "mom washes all our trash and its piled up in the garage" waiting for to be taken to the recycling center.

then kansas city stopped accepting glass at the recycling center. so in grad school once a month I'd haul my parents glass bottles back to columbia and leave them at the curb. it looked like me at my roommates (who never actually had a single party) threw a rocking classy party with all the best beer on a regular basis.

then I came here...and threw everything away despite the fact that my city taxes pay for curbside recycling and I drive by the city recycling center everyday on my way to work. well now I have joined the ranks of garbage washers everywhere. saving the world, one juice bottle at a time.

Resolution #2 - Church-a-Lurch

again always as a church goer. sunday mornings with my mom and siblings, then off to notre dame and sunday night in my pj's in the stanford chapel, then off to dove drive and up early for church with linds. and then sunday morning church turned into sunday morning groceries while other people were at church.

this week marks week three of my sunday morning church pilgrimages. (it would have been four...but we took an ohio excursion MLK weekend) an hour on the el then off to church and brunch with claires bears then an hour on the el back home. a good four hours of break time from life. (and some good food)

Resolution #3 - Reading, Bedtime, and work-free weekends

I worked hard last year. many late nights and not much else. This year was better. and now even better. work-shmork. now 9 o'clock reading time and 10 o'clock lights out. (ok this one hasn't gone so well. but I have been asleep by 11 most nights, and 10 on many, and I currently have several books checked out from the evanston public library)

so there it is. three resolutions a little late. there could be more. like after school walking club, taking time to get in touch with long lost friends, and conquering the dirty dishes pile on a more regular basis...but 3 sounds better than 6 and no one wants to see pictures of my piles of dirty dishes (which amazingly dont actually exist)

100% story of my life

new year's smoo year's

I have now experienced 25 new year's eves in my time. and I've come to the conclusion that I could take it or leave it. I havent had anything horrible happen to destroy my new year's (unlike halloween when I got chased across south quad by a drunken shower) but I've also not done anything that would throw new year's up there on my list of favs.

I've even had good times in the past...sitting around friend's houses, shooting off fireworks by the lake in atlanta, watching the giant bowl of gumbo drop in new orleans....all fine and good but nothing that would inspire me to go from this

to this

and change my do nothing plans like some crazy people.

however, happy new year's enjoy 2010.