End of the Semester/Mom promostion

Grades are starting to come in. It's going to be an ultimately disappointing semester after the Logic fiasco. However, I've realized that it was an illogical decision to attempt to do symbollese-filled geometry, something that I'll never be able to wrap my head around.
So, the first grade, B-. Cinema. Ugh. His notes for me were that I finished strong, which means I spent way too much of the first half of the semester not paying attention. The usual. Who can be expected to work when the sun is shining and the beach calls?
Ballet is not expected to be excellent, although who really knows at this point?
Women, Crime and Justice should be the most solid A I've ever gotten. I've learned that I really try in the classes that I like.
Social Justice, ugh. I have an A- going into the final, so at least a B there.

Oh well. Such is life.

We're preparing to head to St. Louis on Tuesday. I'm anxious. However, come and visit me at the DQ over the next few weeks because I will for sure be there. Recessions really don't look good on anyone. I swear, I thought I was done with that nonsense forever. Maybe they'll give me a raise. Oh man, no way.


So now that you now about my mediocre semester, here's the text of something our neighbor, Tara Whalen, wrote about Mom earlier this year:
[Maybe this will get me back in good graces... :) ]

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Lucky duck
I have one incredible neighbor. I was reminded of that again today.

My daughters usually crash her house most afternoons after 4:00 or whenever it is that we get home. Today, true to themselves, 4:00 roles around and off they go. One right after the other, spilling out the back door.

You see we don't have a portion of our fence that joins our yards to hers. It fell down maybe 1 1/2, maybe 2 years ago. We have looked into getting a new fence. We have had people come out and bid to build a new fence, but the truth of the matter is that we love not having that section up. Diana also claims that she loves not having that fence up. When the people came to bid, she would ask if we could keep one section down so my kids could still come to see her. She has an open back door policy with them. If she is home, they are welcome to come.

Tonight I get a call soon after the girls go on their way. How soon before dinner Mom? We are going to make some cookies. They have an hour before dinner, so they were given permission as long as they waited to eat them.

A little while later I head over to round them up and bring them home for dinner. There is Avery on Diana's lap with her own spatula scrapping cookies from the cookie sheet. Avery knows to scrape and then drop the cookie on the foil. Bailey is also helping with her own spatula. Big smiles on all three faces. Once again truly enjoying each other's company.

Our next door neighbor does have two kids of her own, but they are in college now and have moved away. Katie to Chicago, and Mike, not too far, but still in Greeley. She misses her babies, but talks with them often. They will be home again soon, but in the meantime... if they don't mind too much... my babies are happy to come and play.

Thank you Diana for everything you do for us!!

Fristmas (Fail Christmas)

I'm annoyed.
I really hate Christmas.
For some reason, it just makes me sadder every year.
Sure, I've been listening to Emily's Christmas music.
Sure, I love the Christmas lights strung up everywhere, and sure I love presents (who doesn't?), but I really hate everyone's attitude.
Christmas is terrible, really.

Everyone wastes money that they don't have buying people things they don't need. Why don't we spend the money on something wonderful instead? I mean, I love getting nice perfume or something, but the people who have piles and piles of gifts aren't learning anything about Jesus. We're feeding them straight capitalism.
We march past the homeless to put a quarter in the red buckets that the bell ringers are guarding. Why don't we serve a hot meal to someone who needs it? Why don't we give blankets to the poor?
What would Jesus do, Christians?
I received an email this morning, I'm sure some of you got it, about Christmas being just for the birth of Christ and about how this isn't a holiday. It was a forward, though, and no one I know wrote it, so pardon the attack that I'm about to launch:


Here's a little excerpt:

These are NOT Holiday Trees
They are not Hanukkah bushes
They are not Allah plants
They are Christmas trees.
Say it..
CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas , CHRISTmas

Yes CHRISTmas -not Holiday
We are not celebrating the birth of a Holiday!!!
We are
Celebrating the Birth of
Jesus Christ!!!


Wow, was the author of this email smoking crack? "We are not celebrating the birth of a holiday!!!" Holiday, strictly speaking, means holy day. (Look it up.) The day that your lord was born is not a holy day to you? Wow, what does Christmas mean? From the looks of that excerpt from the email, it means that the person who wrote that doesn't care about peace or love (good things, I would say) but instead cares only about making sure that everyone follows what they believe in.
You'll notice that each of the major religions, in their purest form, promote peace and justice in the world, hope and joy rather than hate and anger. But once those ideas fall into the hands of people, they are nothing, twisted until some message appears.
Christians, watch yourselves. You're all selfish and rude, and the attempt to force everyone on this planet to believe what you believe really hurts me.
Of course the Christmas trees aren't Allah bushes or Hannukah plants, that'd be stupid. Only Christians would come up with a way to make a plant something necessary for their worship and/or celebration.
Hannukah has its own traditions. The dreidel, the menorah, those things are what the Jewish people use to celebrate their own holiday.
And while Islam does not have a "Christmas equivalent," they have their own set of beliefs and practices as well.

The repetition and capitalization of the word "CHRISTmas" as well cracks me up. It reminds me of a scene in the 1985 comedy "Better Off Dead" in which a very American woman is being completely untolerant of the French foreign exchange student. She keeps repeating "CHRISTmas" over and over, progressively getting louder as the student has been pretending she doesn't speak English. We are just like that. Slamming people over the head with our pervasive, persistantly annoying culture.



So next time you say "Merry Christmas," just think for a second. Do you really want to force your beliefs down the throats of others? Do you really want to be "that guy?"
Say what you feel. I've been signing all of my emails: "May your holiday season be filled with joy and most especially peace." Yeah, it's lame, but at least I don't look close minded. We live in a country that is supposed to be based on the separation of church and state, yet at the same time, we are a completely Christian country. We don't think about it because most of us were raised Christian. We don't know any better.


Let's all practice a little tolerance this holiday or CHRISTmas season by not hating everyone who isn't us. (But where's the fun in that?)


Pardon my rant, I'm a little cranky this morning. I missed a final because my car started honking AGAIN at 6:30 this morning. It continued until I took it in at 8:15. I explained my situation to the guy who took care of the intake process this morning. He was very understanding and supportive and I was filled with hope.
At 8:30, as I was leaving, I got a call from Gino, the man who worked on my car last time and who will be doing it again today. He doesn't believe me. He tells me that last time, he left it here and it was silent. That's fine, Gino, I said, why don't you ask my neighbors? I'm sure they have a few choice words for you.
I do as well. For $350, I expected my car to be fixed. I didn't ask for it to only occasionally be fixed. And it will return to your stupid dealership as many times as it needs to until it is silent. All the time.
Ugh. I am exhausted. I'm in a terrible mood. I just want this week to be over.

I don't want to come home for break. I'll miss my friends. Hopefully, I'll be working to cover some of the cost of this stupid stupid stupid car. I need a miracle.