november

wow... it's been a REALLY long time since I have written an entry here... it's been a VERY LONG month!

After Obama won the campaign I began writing my oral presentation for my Romantic Lit class. There were a few things I touched on in the poems I was comparing both entitled "To a Skylark" - one by Wordsworth, one by Shelley. I shared a little background on the skylark, including a clip of what the bird sounds like (thanks to the ipod and ilive!) and then I tried to look at the poems through the lens which the author of the poems views poets and poetry. For WW, he views the poet’s art as an “acknowledgement of the beauty of the universe.” WW sees the poet AS a divine spirit, part of the divine or voice of divine. For Shelley poetry is a fire which is sparked by a diviner nature. The poet will never be equal to a voice of the divine. He laments that he cannot pour fourth as naturally as a skylark which is part of the divine.

That's it in a nutshell...if you want more info just let me know. i doubt you do.

So that went well and then that weekend it was off to NYC. I took the bus down which was super easy and relatively inexpensive. Ilyse took me to Chat-n-Chew for lunch which was delicious. We watched Penn State's only loss of the season (booo!) and had some dinner and time out. It was an interesting time. I highly recommend the shortline bus out of bingo for trips to the city. I doubt if I will be returning any time soon, though. I am a country girl. Even in the "big city" of Binghamton I still feel like this is 100 times more country than the concrete jungle of NYC.

I took a Medication Administration Training course and passed on November 13th. Now I can give children medication. Isn't that EXCITING!! It certainly is for my center.

I've also been to two Binghamton University Men's Basketball games. My inlaws get season tickets and have been on a cruise so we were able to take another couple with us to the Friday 14th game. It was a blast. I love being at collegiate level games. I love the fans. I love the feeling and the school spirit. I am a Penn State girl and with that comes this familiar feeling when everyone is cheering. It feels like "home."

Last Saturday (the 15th) I was able to hang out with my favorite little girl, Miss G along with her padre, John, and Shane and Nick. It was BY FAR a "best day." Her mama had her first full day away from the house, going on a delicious wine tour on the finger lakes! We watched noggin, my new favorite show is Jack's Big Music Show. Not only because they played EXCELLENT music but because Miss G was too friggen cute dancing to it. We really just spent the day watching the baby play and Bear Grylls survive in nature. It was so relaxing and really exactly what I needed. To actually relax for a day. I was sick earlier that week due to a weakened immune system caused by exhaustion. oy!

The BAEYC has also been working on a conference for the past few months. We brought national speaker Larry Griffin in for the day this past Saturday. I am hospitality chairwoman so it was up to me to feed the masses. I was able to get my friends at Starbucks Front Street to donate coffee for the morning. I had Gance's do the catering for lunch, sammie boxes. I was ready to have a heart attack by this past Thrusday night! I was thinking of everything that could go wrong and how I would fix it. (awful concept) Would there be enough? I wondered. Would it get there on time? 1 MILLION thanks to Gance's who did an INCREDIBLE job they did. Holy crap. Highly highly reccommended!!

Larry Griffin was amazing. He spoke about "Challenging Behaviors" in children. His message was basically, get to know your children. There are things that you can't change in their lives but they are with you for X hours a day and during that time you have to give your all to them. He spoke about the brain and the differences within according to gender. He spoke about teaching the children that we are all here to help eachother. It was beautiful. I, of course, cried. It was a great reminder that I LOVE WHAT I DO. I love love love love love all of the children in my classroom and I am so glad that they are part of my world.

You see, in addition to freaking out about the sandwich boxes on Thursday night I was also freaking out about the fact that I will have a Master's Degree by the end of August. oy. Then what? Well, I don't need to decide that now. I have ALWAYS trusted in the universe, the hp, to guide me. It hasn't lead me astray thus far.

So what's next??

-FIVE DAYS OFF!!!!! For the first time in YEARS i'm not working Thanksgiving. Sweeeeet! I'm having dinner here with my adorable inlaws and my lovely friends the KOZs. But first... I have to make serious strides on my 20 page paper (due: 12/11). I also will be sharing beautiful times with much of my family of friends this week and I can't wait! Hopefully it won't be a MONTH before I update this thing again!

enjoy...

true. hope.

After eight years of disenfranchisement and disenchantment the tide changed last night. For eight years of my life (the defining years of 20-29) I have lived with GWB as the president of my country. I finally feel that a president who will listen to my hopes and dreams and fears is running our country. I can't wait to see what the next four years will bring.

PS Did you hear about the GWU students who went to the White House last night??

VOTE!!!

I took the following from a moveon.org email I received yesterday. During of the first presidential election I ever voted in I wandered the streets of State College, PA, asking people if they had voted that day and giving them pretty much the same speech as you see below. I also ran into Republican Headquarters when we thought GWB had lost and yelled "George Bush Sucks!" Yeah...that kind of backfired...

I'm also wondering if anyone knows whether or not it is legal for an "election official" to tell you that if your name was any longer it would need it's own zipcode while you are in the voting booth. This is the second time I've gotten comments about my last name at the place where I vote. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to say something this time...

Anyway...from Adam Ruben of moveon.org...


People died so you'd have the right to vote. Self-government—voting to choose our own leaders—is the original American dream. We are heir to a centuries-long struggle for freedom: the American Revolution, and the battles to extend the franchise to those without property, to women, to people of color, and to young people. This year, many will still be denied their right to vote. For those of us who have that right, it's precious. If we waste it, we dishonor those who fought for it and those who fight still.

Live your values. Love your country. Vote.

P.S. It ain't right but it happened! A guy dressed like the traditional depiction Jesus Christ handed this to my girlfriends outside a restaurant on Saturday night. (that's my hand, isn't it beautiful, haha)

MIA on Halloween.

I feel that's what I've been. HOLY CRAP. Life is churning, churning, churning. But today I got out of work early. And I decided no plans tonight. It's Halloween so naturally I will turn OUT my front porch light, get in the car with my beautiful husband to go eat some tasty dinner and then come home to crash on the couch. I am not doing a damn thing.

Yeah, I'm a bah-humbug Halloweener (halloweiner?). We don't get many trick or treaters and I don't think that being a parent allows you to get your own bag to go trick or treating with. And please, half of the people that came to our house last time I handed out candy had "sick kids" they were gathering candy for. please.

Plus I'm SUPER religious and this is a pagan holiday. Totally against my religion.

right.

would you like to see how cute we were at Sarah's Halloween party? (I'm not as cute as this butterfly)


Here's a better look at what I was going for... maybe float like a butterfly, sting like a bee muhammed ali?? Really I wanted to be a ladybug and spent the day learning CPR/AED/FIRST AID so had no desire to make my own wings. I went to Party City to get ladybug wings, they didn't have them so I just decided on these figuring I'd find a perfect shirt to go with them. While waiting for the Penn State-Ohio State game to come on I realized that I had it... my Tiki jersey. oh yeah.

What else is new on the M-C Lite homefront? I am up to my elbows in Wordsworth-Shelley-Keats books from my university library. My prof. was showing us some really AMAZING old, out of print books she owns about Keats last night. They were incredible. I love seeing pictures of the people and reading their letters. I give my oral presentation next week on the comparison of Shelley and WW's "To a Skylark." I took a half day in case I just lose myself this weekend.

Tomorrow I am going with Karl, LD and RD and of course, the love of my life, the Corkinator, to see Spero and Adriana. I can't wait.

friends

Marcie and I have been friends since the beginning of time. Time that started on Bus #147 that Chuggy drove back in the 80s. She was in town this past weekend with her beautiful little boy, Carter. Last night we had dinner at her sister, April's, house. Where I met HER daughter who is possibly the sweetest most well mannered child I have ever met in my life. I love this next generation of my loves.

take a hike!

This weekend I took two hikes. One with the love of my life, Nick on Sunday. The other today with my inspiring friend, Kristina. Nature is awe-some or awe-full in and of itself but pair it with a great companion and its that much better.


Of course, both days I had my camera but left it in the car. Here are two pictures from my phone taken on Sunday at Chenango Valley State Park.

Sports Update by KMC

you know me, ever the watchful eye on sports.

...or maybe you don't know that. i am an addict. i am also an addict for NPR. if I don't hear morning edition in the morning i feel a little lost throughout my day. i feel that NPR cuts the fat and gives me information that matters. and the news "articles" are about cool things like stratotankers (!) and groovy girls who are DJs of an Indian/American fusion music. You know things are heating up in sports when they are actually mentioned on NPR. I love it when they mention it though. I want to take the newscasters in my arms and give them hugs. They talk so matter-of-factly about things like The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay or Joe Torre making it to the NLCS when the New York Yankees barely made it out of their beloved stadium with a winning record!

Let's begin with that lovely tidbit:

I feel so happy that Joe Torre, my personal favorite for Skipper, can give the big middle finger to the Steinbrenners. I love that Don Mattingly is working with him in L.A. I am rooting for the Dodgers to win the World Series. How DARE those spoiled brats offer Joe a mere year/one million dollar offer! Good for you, Joe, for going to L.A. for pulling those guys together and going to the playoffs for the THIRTEENTH YEAR IN A ROW. Maybe the Yankees will realize that they need to sink their money into real, quality players they can raise rather than buying has-beens for more money than they are worth. I love you, Joe, no matter what coast you're on or who you're coaching!! (unless you decide to coach the red sox. then we are breaking up)

Now, onto my other favorite Joe from Brooklyn! JoePa!! You didn't know both Torre and Paterno were New Yorkers? Come on, now! ;)

Joe Paterno, thank you. Thank you first and foremost for the money you gave to the Pattee/Paterno library. Because of you I saved LOTS of money as an undergrad not having to buy the 75 books you need as an English major. Each time I opened the crisp new book while up in the stacks and it read "gift from Joe Paterno" I thanked my lucky stars for you.

And I continue to do so as you lead our brave Nittany Lions to a 7-0 record this year. Where the hell did this come from?? We are rated Number Three. THREEEEEEEEEEE in the country. (USC? The AP ranks them #6... I know my father-in-law and his son feel that USC could play in the NFL and would probably flatten our beloved Nittany Lions if they were ever to face eachother...and I know they are probably right...but I choose to ignore such things and tell people they could do it... positive thoughts bring positive outcomes, right?!) I can't wait to play the Ohio State Buckeyes on 10/25. I hope we hand them their ( l )s.

here it is: Paterno Library. One of my favorite places on the Penn State University Park Campus:

And now last, but certainly CERTAINLY not least, defending SuperBowl Champions (and we're still not sure how that happened) The New York Giants led by my future brother-in-law, Eli Manning. They play the Cleveland Browns tonight looking for their fifth victory this season. Despite Plaxico Burress being suspended last week, they still won. I love them. I love that since Jeremy Shockey hurt himself and didn't play this team has been kickin' ( l ) and takin' names. He was like a cancer that was removed to allow the New York Giants to flower into the beautiful team they have become.



Did I mention that I have the coolest husband in the world and he is taking me to see the Giants vs. the 49ers next weekend? He is so awesome. I can't wait to tailgate in East Rutherford, NJ. I will be wearing my new Strahan jersey from my sissy poo. yay!

strahan with manning and his future wife celebrate during the parade.