quotable quotes

Boy: "Did you have a hard day yesterday?"
Me: "Yes, actually. How can you tell? Do I look that bad?"
Boy: "Oh, it's just your hair. You have fly-aways everywhere!"
Me: "...Oh. Well that's not a result of my hard day. That's just because I didn't shower."

Things are going well. I'm still myself up here, and I can prove that with the above statement and because I am currently listening to Christmas music. There's a church in Louisville that has amazing albums and music, and I found a free sampler of their Christmas album on noisetrade.com.

Feel like learning?
Have you ever heard of Baby Can Read? Don't do it.

I've taught that at OSU - that not only is there no benefit to watching television, there may actually be negative effects. A recent position statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics confirms this belief from a compilation of studies. (See the link here.) There are no benefits to placing children younger than two in front of a television, even for background noise. It is not just that there are no effects - there are actually negative effects of television watching.
Yes, I can write this convincingly because I don't have to care for any children under two. I'm sure I will be plenty tempted to plop them down in front of the tv... so you can hold me accountable to that. Maybe, when I grow up, I can live on a farm in the 1800s and not have to worry about it?

On more serious notes, I am interested in your opinions. As a teacher at a Christian high school, to what extent do you think my focus should be content? To what extent should it be relationships? Spiritual development? I am not happy with the percentages that I currently feel like I am doing, but I don't know an ideal. What do you all think? Would it change if I were teaching a different age? Subject? Public school?

"Do you realize if it weren't for Edison, we'd be watching TV by candlelight?" - Al Boliska

Shortly - 

• Thankful for warm houses, heat, electricity and lights, the ability to communicate with friends who live far away... all these things that technology brings us. What good inventions we have before us that we take for granted!
• That my plans never work out and God's always seem to. It just doesn't seem fair, but then, years/ months/ weeks/ hours later, I start to understand that I had tunnel vision and wasn't able to see what God sees. It makes me wonder how God sees this world - I'd imagine I'm just seeing a thimble-ful of the ocean... Or perhaps it's like the difference between looking at a picture of the mountains compared to seeing mountains in person. Or looking at a picture of someone compared to seeing them. Although I did read a study that looking at a picture of a significant other produces the same neurological reactions that drugs does. Ke$ha was right - love is a drug. 
• Gift of joy and optimism. I guess this is not something that everybody has. I am in no way saying that I am always happy or always positive (because I know you could all prove me wrong) but I think that generally, I see the positives in the world around me, and I trained myself a little bit but mostly it came naturally. For example, I don't worry about the slushy-ugliness of snow - instead I think of snowflakes that sit on my nose and eyelashes, and sliding down giant parking-lot piles of snow. I think this joy in life is a huge blessing, and I am so glad that most of the time, it is easy for me to access this part of me.

Unsanitized Christianity sermon series: The Design of Men and Women

This is not a requirement, but for those of you who are interested, I would love for you to listen to the sermon from July 25 on "The Design of Men and Women" from http://veritascolumbus.com/sermons. I have been praying about and studying roles of men and women from the Scriptures and other theologians. Many denominations do not allow women to hold pastoral roles in the church - often, women can lead women or sort of "work the sidelines" but not be ordained as a pastor. The CRC (Christian Reformed Church, Calvin College's denomination) does allow women to be ordained.

Upon graduation and finding Veritas Church in Columbus, I was dismayed to find out that they do not. I struggled with this for a while (and am still struggling, of course) but that's what made me begin my little research on this. I looked up the CRCs opinions and debate when they allowed women to be ordained as a pastor in 2000. See here for a quick summary, or the link at the very top of the page is what I read - the two positions, for and against, before they took the vote. I read the CRC's position - and was dismayed again! To summarize their point of view, the Scripture passages about women being submissive to men in church were declared contextual rules for the church (mainly of Corinth and for those times.) Women weren't educated and did not have any legal say during those times, so of course you don't want someone leading a church if the church members might not respect them! However, the CRC claimed that Scripture passages about women being submissive to men in marriage were not just contextual rules but are still valid today, for all cultures. That's because of the picture the relationship then paints: it mirrors that of Christ and the Church. The CRC argued that marriage as a metaphor is very much relevant and necessary.

I didn't like that. I was just seeing it as women are totally equal, because they're not less than men. I do believe that women and men have different tendencies or natural roles - like, women tend to be more nurturing than men, and men can (usually) beat women in athletics naturally. But those things are hard to compare; they don't mean that one sex is better than the other.

So I started reading more and praying a lot more about it after I found out I didn't like the CRC's position. A real possibility is that what is wrong is my view. So I have prayed - God, open my eyes to Your Word so that I can see what You have declared, and not just read what I want to read. If we all did that, then you could justify slavery, divine appointments for everything, and sending bears to devour children if they call you "Baldie."

Listen to the sermon and tell me what you think! A lot of it made sense to me - a lot of it rubbed me the wrong way - a lot of it was challenging not just to enact but to comprehend.

Nick's main points:

• we are all under the submission and authority of God (I Cor 11:3)
• Uncovered heads (v. 4-6) were a way to rebel to the cultural norms - this may be something like refusing to wear a wedding ring or not changing your last name in today's world, IF your reason for not doing those is to flaunt your independence. Those things are certainly not required but are the norm in the US today.
• We don't need marriage to make us a complete picture of God, but we need both sexes to in the world and Church to be the complete picture of Christ (I Cor 11:11)
• Submission does not mean "lesser than." Our mindset interprets submission as a bad thing, but Christ submits to God the Father and we should be striving to be like Christ.
• The relationship between husband and wife reflects the relationship between Christ and the Church. Just as Christ gave His life for the church, and the church submits to Christ, looking up to Him for our breath and life, so the husband should be giving up his life (metaphorically) for his wife, and the wife loving and holding fast in the faith that he will act toward her with more respect than toward himself.

Guess what? I'm back.


I think most everyone knows that I am going on a mission trip to Peru at the end of June, but I'm putting this brief little information up here!

In the spirit of loving God and loving others, I have prayed about and decided to join a mission team to Andahuaylas, Peru, for nine days this summer. 

You may be wondering what could have possibly inspired me to sign on to a mission trip in the Andes Mountains. Was it because the dates fit perfectly in between quarters and summer weddings? Because the word Peruvian rolls off the tongue so nicely? Maybe it was because the trip had an asterisk next to its name that signified a possibility of “intense physical demands”? (Let’s be honest, that was influential.) Or that the organization we’ll be working with has a care program for children and a program for mothers to create micro-businesses? (If you have heard me talk about Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof or other women’s issues, you already know that I strongly support micro-businesses for women.)

Those are great reasons, but the catalyst was the constant reminder that God has placed before me (and all of us) to take care of the widow, the orphan, and the exile. That call guides and inspires my research at OSU, and I believe that this trip will teach me more about loving God and loving others, particularly in this village.

This trip will work with ministries already in place (see www.friendsofperu.com) and our work will include evangelism, work in a family-owned children’s center that also fosters micro-businesses for the mothers, and transporting Bibles to nearby homes. The trip is through Heritage Christian Church in Westerville, Ohio, and it is the church’s first trip to this location. It’s scheduled for August 28 through September 6 of this summer.

My other summer plans include some trips to Michigan, some weddings, some running, some studying neuroscience (yeah, that's going really well) and developing an online course based on the child development course that I taught spring quarter. That will end up being my Masters project, so it will be great to get that out of the way and to get some credit for the work.

This quarter, I'm taking a course on Structural Equation Modeling (again, but the professor doesn't know that!) and adolescent literature (for teachers). 

I recommend: 

Witness  - Karen Hesse. A story of the KKK entering a small, Vermont town told from many characters. 

Jacob Have I Loved - katherine paterson - Interesting to read just after reading the (adult-ish) novel Prep. Both have these incredibly self-focused narrators in which the reader can easily tell the narrator has a skewed perception. It makes me think about how I am viewing the world. 

I'm sure I'll have more, but there are still 3 more weeks of that class!

After this week (I actually have a lot of work this week) I hope to have time to cook some yummy things with fresh fruit and veggies, as well as to read Sense and Sensibility. I've never read it before, so I thought I should. 

Marshmallow Test

Delayed gratification at pre-school age is associated with higher SAT scores, interpersonal skills, and a lot more good things. A mom in my class tried to give this test to her son, and he just said, "Well, fine. I'll just take this one now." So we don't think it works if it's someone you're not afraid of offending.



Notice the distraction technique for the boy who makes it the whole way through - he looks everywhere else for a while!

P.S. Sitting in Pittsburgh right now. Working on a paper. (See how well that's going?)

Cooking with Julie! a.k.a. who really follows recipes anyway?

This is what I made today. With a number of variations. I'm sharing my recipe and the original, entitling this post "Cooking With Julie" because I've recently had a number of people act very interested when I tell them I "cook." I have to clarify which definition I'm using. That's what the quotes mean.

a. Cook, v., as in "create a food dish that is enjoyable to eat."

b. Cook, v., as in "fumbles ingredients into something swallowable." 

I'm normally b. This butternut squash - mushroom (kind of, see edits) - barley risotto might actually belong in the (a) category. And I altered a number of things (see my attention levels) and it was still tasty and delicious. 

Ingredients

• 3  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds) When I need to cut butternut squash, I usually put it in the oven for about 10 minutes because the skin softens a little bit. I just used a butternut squash. No measurements.
• 3  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
• 3/4  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
• 2  cups  thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 1/2 pound) Don't really like mushrooms... but I put some in anyway. Probably the equivalent of 1 oz. (But it worked out for me.)
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped red onion
• 1  cup  uncooked pearl barley Hmm, yeah, I don't know if I used pearl barley. I used a Quaker box that says "Medium barley."
• 2  garlic cloves, chopped
• 2/3  cup  white wine  Did you know wine goes bad after you open it? I thought it just kept getting better. This is a long way for me to say "I used water instead of wine." (Go ahead, insert religious miracle joke here.)
• 3 1/2  cups  organic vegetable broth Hey, actually did this one!
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 4  ounces  Taleggio cheese, diced So, the cheese connoisseur at Meijer didn't know what this was. And I didn't remember that it suggests Brie if you can't find Taleggio. So I shredded some smoked Gouda cheese. Good choice. 
• 2  tablespoons  fresh thyme leaves Need I even say whether I really included this or not?

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine squash, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to coat. Arrange squash mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes, stirring once.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until browned (or until they burn and stick to the bottom of the pan about 30 seconds later. Burn #1), stirring occasionally. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl; keep warm.

4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan. Add onion; saute 4 minutes or until tender (or until they, too, burn and stick to the bottom of the pan some time later. Burn #2 - but apparently, burnt onions are a good thing!), stirring occasionally. Add barley and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Add broth, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is nearly absorbed. Remove from heat (Burn #3 - a finger); add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in squash, mushrooms, and thyme. Serve immediately.

Go out and make someone's day today (or tomorrow, depending on when you read this.) Psychologists have found that meaningful conversations mean more than small talk - start a meaningful conversation! Somewhere, I read an article that says people respond better when physically touched - students in school who receive physical contact from the teacher (i.e., a tap on the arm) are more likely to answer questions in class. Plus, people are happier when they hold hands... but I can't find the real source right now. Sorry! But look on the bright side - I just summarized some reading for you!

I know life could be better... but I sure don't know how!

Today was a great day, and I didn't even document everything that was wonderful. Not pictured: hot fudge lava cake from Cap City Diner. God's amazing grace and His love that goes exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or imagine (or often feel.) Friends. 

What you do see is: 

Glorious snow! Columbus almost has the record depth recorded in a long time (which, sorry, is still nothing compared to Grand Rapids.) Above: spelling out hi Exclamation Mark in the parking lot, with my pink rain (er, snow) boot as the dot. The snow is up high enough and my real snow boots have lost their comfortable and waterproofed layer for me to giddily prance and Charleston through the snow in my slush-proof, drift-proof pink boots. Thank you, Target, for making these six years ago and selling them for cheap because they weren't cool yet.

Besides snow, my day started out with homemade blueberry pancakes with lemon zest from a simple mix, like this one. Behind it is rice and black beans, to which I added nacho cheese - delectable. The only thing made from a box is that oddly-colored vanilla pudding: tastes normal (mostly) but it's a very funny shade of yellow. That is just one example of why I don't use mixes: when you mess up something from scratch, it's okay, everybody does it. When you mess up something from a box, people look at you funny. But at least I have never forgotten to add the brownie mix to the oil and eggs! (Side note: Yes, I am fully aware that sometimes I have cravings like a pregnant woman. Rice and nacho cheese? Electric pudding? Lava cake?)

Amazing thing that happened today - free tickets to Ingrid and Mat next month. That's right, free. Ingrid Michaelson and Mat Kearney are two of my very favorite people - I even refer to them on a first-name basis - and I was stoked to be holding these tickets... free of charge. I knew I came to OSU for a reason.

Other great things that you'll be hearing more about later - books I'm reading and my pending trip to Calvin to see the conference meet. Broken-Down House has talked about how true faith requires trust, not understanding - I'm working on that... Divine Nobodies is on my list of books to read this weekend, and Alf the Sky  - oops, that's Half the Sky is a book by Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times contributor, on "turning oppression into opportunity worldwide." Want to hear about current forms of slavery and sexual abuse? Want to know what we can do? Ask me, or read that book. Or read a recent article of his (shorter than the book and very informative and moving.)

Bugger! Has that song already been sung?

January 31, 10 p.m., eastern standard time.

From here on in, I type without a script.

As per my new resolutions, I have been making many changes in my life. The biggest is that I've randomly started using the word "bugger" instead of "oh, shoot." I don't know what it is (or why, seeing as I haven't watched Bridget Jones in over a year) but it's making me smile every time I say it. I also held an "informational meeting" for the community living project through my church, and there are a lot of people who think it's valuable and I learned that I need to pray more but that God is definitely "doing something." Things look like people will support this idea and I'm hopeful that we will be learning more about God and the world around us next year!

For the meeting, I made a dessert. I know what you're thinking: two bowls? If someone were to ask me "If you were to write a cookbook, what would it be called?" It would be something like "My Rough Guide to Cooking Anything in One Mixing Bowl with One Measuring Utensil." But this meeting called for something special: something a little s'more, if you will. And I will.

yumsters.

I couldn't find any way to make these s'more cupcakes by Bakerella in one bowl. (And those of you who know me really well know that my cookbook would actually probably have s'mores in the title, or at least in the dedication section.) I made cupcake batter and added crushed graham crackers to one half and chocolate to the other. The cupcakes were layered - above is the graham mixture on the bottom, plus half of a marshmallow (a.k.a. cupcake implosion device).

and then the chocolate plus some more (get it?) crushed grahams on top for the finale...

And magically, these worked, except for the occasional implosion, which was fixed with a marshmallow. They were a hit.
Beyond the cooking and community living realm, I have been visiting a good friend who has been in the hospital on campus and I've been floored every time I've visited with how much God has revealed to me through her and her family. She's supposed to be discharged tomorrow, so may I charge all of you to pray for her and her family as that happens?
Oh, bugger, I guess I'm in classes too. (Gets me every time. Aren't you smiling?) I'm learning about learning in Educational Psychology - need an idea for a paper topic soon, maybe stereotype threat and mathematics, if that counts as a topic?; my Adolescent Psychology is shaping up well - currently reading about peer influences on risky decisions; Covariance Structure Modeling is grand, as always, and I get to play with matrices. I finally feel like Joel in class - I don't have to listen close enough to be incessantly taking notes, so I take fun notes. No poems yet, because sometimes he asks me questions. I do have a note that says "Matrices everywhere!" in the same voice you'd say, "Babies everywhere!" And then I'm preparing for a service spring break trip to - Columbus, Ohio! (Womp womp.) I am really excited for it and I just met some of the participants last week, and they're amazing. So yay!

Has anyone else noticed Justin Bieber's new song (Love Me) sounds an awful lot like The Cardigans? As in, so close that I don't understand how it's not the same song?
And, as I was typing in the scrollover text, I realized that I want to know if he really means one less lonely (which could mean one less-lonely) girl or if he means "one fewer." Grammar kids? 'Tell me what I want to hear.' And yes, I do like him. Bugger.

oh-so-good

What I learned today:

1. Endogenous variables can not have covariances in a path diagram. Redundant, implied in other parameters.

2. Setting the variance of an endogenous variable is a non-linear constraint because the variance is implied with other parameters.

3. God is oh-so-good. Like, really. He's great. (Surprise, right?) I had some amazing "teachable moments" that God kind of plopped in my lap, and I am frequently amazed at the things He does, and how quickly I forget what He does even seeing every grand thing. And folks, prayer is important. Please pray for my friend who is hospitalized, and for her family. She's been improving but there's a lot of room left for improvement.

4. Things that I think are big deals... usually aren't.


"Be still, and know that I am God;
       I will be exalted among the nations,
       I will be exalted in the earth.
 The LORD Almighty is with us;
       the God of Jacob is our fortress.
       Selah."
 - Psalm 46:10-11

Happy January!

"Whoa, I didn't know that's where Arizona was! So, like... Arizona is south of most of California."
"I would have said east... but that's your call."
 And yes, folks, she has her masters now.
My other side of the family has pictures on facebook. (Chris just joined the group i wish both sides of my families used facebook. Just kidding. But he might have.)

Guess what! Someone has been really helpful to me this semester and so I made a little diaper bag! Full of character! But also quite girly for their first girl. And it was difficult. I'm going back to making aprons after this.


It did turn out well. And I love the fabric. And there are pockets galore. That would be one great thing about having a kid - getting to carry gigundo bags with pockets everywhere. If someone makes fun of it, you just shrug your shoulders and pull out the baby! (Just kidding. But babies are an automatic exemption from the giant purse spectacle.)

"In being honest [about the state of the world], the Bible welcomes you to be honest as well. In its refusal to minimize, diminish, or deny the harsh realities of this broken-down house, the Bible calls us to face the facts as well. Things are not okay around us or inside us. The brokenness presses in on every side."
 - Broken-Down House, Paul Tripp

As for the New Year, I do have some questions. We talked about how there are no pure motives for resolutions... and while resolving to know "nothing but Christ and Christ crucified" would be an amazing resolution, in my mind, it lacks in ... practicality? application? I do not know how to resolve to do that, much less do it. What happened though, is that I haven't written any resolutions, and I don't think that was the point. So I need some resolutions to write down.

I'm doing fairly well on the less-meat resolution - next step (thank you, Food, Inc) is maybe committing to buying meat and produce from local grocers if possible? It is... if I can convince myself that it's worth the extra money. I think it is in theory - we'll see how important I act like it is.
Also in the food thing, I want to start sharing meals with more people, not eating by myself, watching Accidentally on Purpose online or reading cookbooks. Also, also with food - (should I have a resolution that does not deal with food?) I want to make some new things. Homemade tortellini or tortelloni? I got some new cookbooks for Christmas, and they have some fancier foods in them that I'll have to try. And more than just desserts.

Other resolutions are to keep running, swimming, to try something new - I don't know how well you know me, but I have trouble with change. I don't like new situations, new people, new phones (always like the previous one better, and still mourning the one I lost in a snowbank a few years back). Everything is scary. So I am resolving to try something, somewhere, NEW. Most likely, it will end up being a new sport or activity. I don't even have to like it. I'll try to be honest with myself about what's new. (Skipping all day? Singing instead of talking? Yeah, I won't let those count.)

Resolved to write more. Not here (go ahead, say "Phew"... Okay, done?) but creatively. All the stuff I'm too scared to put up here, I want to write.

Resolved to find a charity and donate to it regularly. I set aside a small portion of my stipend for charity, but this year, I feel like I'm haphazardly looking for something that I deem worthy (like a cricket farm!! Thanks, MercyCorps!) or just waiting for someone to approach me and say, "Do you have x amount to donate?" No one does, by the way. I found charitynavigator.org, which tells about foundations and how their donations are handled, but I'd love suggestions on what everyone else does too.

Lastly, this quarter is off and running. I took a spinning class this morning (not new... but my first class) and am learning bundles about adolescent psychology, educational psychology, and covariance structure modeling. Did you know more and more middle school and high school teachers are reading aloud to their students and saying it helps? Did you know that all polar bears are left-handed?

the greatest commandments.

I've been talking about community for a little bit now, but not actually voiced (typed?) my intentions. Read on.

Columbus has a lot of needs. Columbus has a lot of people. Columbus has a lot of resources. Columbus has a lot of churches. Sound like an oxy moron? One way to bring restoration and community revitalization is to create a sense of community beyond the church pews and free coffee. (Which I know how to make now, by the way. Made my first kraft of coffee in my life on Sunday!) The goal is to bring together a small "community" of people who are passionate about bringing restoration and revitalization to neighborhoods in Columbus.

The greatest commandments, according to Jesus, are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. This means the house will intentionally plan to hold each other accountable for loving God, for loving His world, for loving oneself, and for loving neighbors. We'll commit to spending time with neighbors, building relationships, using our talents where it helps, and creating new talents when ours wouldn't. (I'm sensing a pi-day party...) I would like to not have this be a piece of a particular church, but supported by the Church in the broad sense. And it will probably end up running under the umbrella of a church to allow for donations, grants, and funding allocations from the church. For example, I could apply for a grant to create a community garden, and get neighborhood kids in on the planting and picking. Someone else could give music lessons and we could have a Christmas carol sing-along. We could have a "supply closet" of coats, mittens, bicycles, things that others around us might be in need of.

What would you get behind? What  needs do you see in Columbus?
If you want to talk more with me about this, please do! We don't know exactly what it will look like, but we're in the midst of forming backbones and when the group solidifies, we'll be working on the details.

"Let us live with passionate worldliness in the brilliant and fleeting time of our mortal life, and let our witness to peace grow out of the convictions of our faith, the audacity of our hope, and the generosity of our love. Let us never forget that the community of Christ exists as a structure with four sides open to the world."
 - Charles Marsh, The Beloved Community: How faith shapes social justice, from the Civil Rights movement to today , p.213

 I am currently making an Egyptian lentils dish (kusherie) and if you feel like learning - when lentils are browning on medium heat in a large pan, and you have to add three cups of boiling water - be prepared. Lentils act like Mexican jumping beans! That was a fun few seconds - lentils were flying out everywhere, a foot above the Dutch oven. And yes, I made a note in my cookbook. It says "CAUTIOUS: POPCORN IMITATION" by that step.

So much joy!

Currently, I'm sitting in a swimmer house in Grand Rapids under a blanket (not a Snuggie. How will I survive the weekend without Megan's?) I visited Catherine Ferguson Academy in Detroit yesterday - it was amazing. There was so much joy radiating from the educators, students, their kids, and the principal. The student who gave me a tour was very friendly, and interested in psychology - really talking and working with people. I thought it was great that she got to do everything she did. Hopefully, I will share more, but the point of this post is following... If you want more information on the fact that the students for biology had to CATCH their own chicken to dissect from the farm, you can watch this video. Formaldehyde is bad for pregnant women, so dissections had to be - fresh? live? There's a term for it.
www.grownindetroitmovie.com

Before I appear to be a rude guest (I already skipped out on the 6:15 am dryland session) - does anybody have interest in coming to the OSU/ Iowa game this weekend? I think I have tickets.

Unanswerable letters

thank you, Columbus. (marathon training group + a sister)

Dear Makers of Snuggie,

I believe I have found something that is better to do in a regular blanket than in a Snuggie. I was sitting at my computer, wearing my roommate's OSU Snuggie, pretty much looking as attractive as I get - as I'm sure my Michigan fan-friends agree - when the timer rang for the cookies. Unfortunately, cookie tray removal is something that is harder in a Snuggie than in a regular blanket. While I often appreciate the sleeves, they do not act as effective potholders. While I often get annoyed that I slouch enough for the Snuggie to slip forward off my shoulders, it is ever-so-much-more annoying when it slips forward into the oven's vicinity. Luckily for me and my lack of renter's insurance, I was able to handle the difficulty. But, Snuggie Makers, if I were to make a commercial for a regular blanket, I might use an anti-Snuggie moment of pulling cookies out of the oven. I might not be able to change the channel or answer the phone, but I would be able to lean into heated kitchen appliances.

Your fan,

Me.

Dear Unknown Song,

You were amazing last night at Veritas' service. I knew I would want to copy down the lyrics and listen to you on repeat, but I only remember one line ("you are strong, when I am weak") which is, apparently, in quite a large number of Christian songs. If I figure it out, or we sing it again - I will be sure to give you credit for slowing me down on such a glorious Sunday.

Your fan,

Me.

To My Personal Library,

Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge on factors influencing parenting teens and educational attainment and program evaluations of community groups desiring to help. If only there was a nationally representative sample of data, or more input on the directionality of the influence... But alas, poor Yorick, it seems like this will be a good topic to write a 10-12 page paper on these methodological issues.

I was intrigued, MPL, by Julia McSweeney (assuming she's related to McSweeney's literary site) and her article in This American Life on learning more about the Bible. She reads the controversy, which most people do skip right over, and makes some great points that are worth discussing. For example, Jesus speaks in parables all the time - not even His disciples understand - why didn't he just switch to speaking so that others would know what He meant?

Lastly, I am hoping you will continue to grow. I appreciate the time-filling you give me, the time you take away, the non-fiction and the fiction, but I'd love to learn of some good (amateur or not-as-amateur) creative writing blogs. I recently introduced you to Three Stories High, a poetry/ creative venture sight by an educator in Baltimore. Unfortunately, she is so much aligned with my interests that I am afraid to keep looking and find some duds. So, if you want to get to your other library friends (dear readers, this is a metaphor for you) and share any creative writing authors or sites that they enjoy, I would gladly thank them.

Thanks again,

Me.

Dear Grand Rapids,

I am coming to visit in a few weekends. Get excited.

Sincerely,

A Former Resident.

Get ready for the longest post ever - a.k.a. Blame it on the cin-ci-ci-ci-cin-cinnamon....

I am going to try to keep this short, but I kind of had the best. weekend. ever. and want to share it this way in case you don't really care and only want to glance at pictures.

Friday: Family wedding in Cleveland - lots of fun. Also, rented Billy Collins' Sailing Around the Room and The Best American Non-required Reading of 2006 which has some good short stories, Onion headlines, a military blog, and more. I may have officially dropped any desire I previously had to be a barista. On the plus side - nothing like a good laugh, right? We also developed a game where you say a mood (the more obscure, the better) and immediately take a picture. None were on my camera - perhaps Adventures in Waco or facebook will eventually pop up with pantomimed hunger, indignance, and bad-Christmas-present.

Sunday: If you want to see pictures of me running 26.2 miles (don't worry, it's not a 4:33.12-long video), go to marathonfoto.com. My bib number was 4525, and yes, we are doing the Single Ladies dance at the beginning pictures. By the end, Kristi and I are dancing to Miley (we knew two lines) or Taylor Swift (who is quite hard to sing when you're out of breath, turns out.)

Summary of the Columbus marathon - I loved it! I am sore, but not as much as I thought I'd be, and running with the gang was so much fun. I didn't walk at all - but I did not have the stomach to eat Buckeyes at mile 26. Sorry, Mr. Thomas. Great idea, sort of. And if you want a good laugh, ask my friends what it was like to watch me on the subway stairs. And if you too just ran a marathon, and you've heard that walking backwards feels better- it does, but I caution you: walking backwards UP the stairs is not as helpful. You might fall down, back to square zero. (It's worse than square one.)

I had this cake waiting for me, courtesy of my roommate, who cheered me on in a couple of places.

Then, I darted off to a last-minute trip to NYC. Do you all know how much I miss the city? Long story short - I got randomly invited (as an interested observer) to a "convening" / critical conversations meeting on pregnant and mothering teens. People whose research I have been reading for the past few years were in attendance, in addition to educators, NYC lawyers, and community organizers. It was really interesting, and I'm really glad I went. Hopefully, I'll be able to stay in touch with them and possibly have a vested inference in helping the orhan-widow-exile-case of the pregnant and mothering teens. If this interests you, I can tell you more later. Or in future blog posts, you may not have a choice.

The meeting was at Fordham's Lincoln Center campus, so afterward, I walked through Central Park. (I didn't even walk backward for any of this walk!) I stayed with some friends and had a lot of fun. We also briefly played the moods-camera game, but I am not attaching any of those photos. Most with me in them end up looking like the suggested mood was "laughing really hard!" and who wants to put up pictures that they're not in?

We went out to eat Monday night at Dok Suni, a Korean restaurant, and then to Max Brenner's, a chocolate bar. While we may not have had the best experience - entertaining, at least - I had a s'mores sundae that was so rich and tasty I didn't know what to do with myself. Below, you can see the marshmallows - and that's not a spoon-out-of-the-jar-marshmallow creme. It's the real stuff.

Today, I flew back to Columbus. One thinig that I learned on my trip is that my approachable-ness breaches even New Yorkers' codes of conduct. I like hearing random stories, and when randoms say hello to me as I'm searching for cocoa sprinkles in Starbucks.

Long story short - er, long story long - running = awesome. friends = awesome. new york = awesome. convening = awesome. cake + s'mores ice cream + naps = delectable.

Mashithhaa conversations

I have been involved in some amazing conversations in the past few weeks - OSU and the COTA bus system has provided me with some great conversation fodder. With big kids, little kids, kids who climb on rocks - many people. (Even kids who have had chicken pox - four times!)

First, the bus system. If you're not aware of "bus etiquette," it generally means - never sit next to somebody unless all possible rows are filled, and maybe offer a nice smile of pity to the person you are forcing to sit with you. I, however, have had a number of different experiences - I must look quite friendly!

One lady was going to be a caseworker because she thought she could really help people, which is awesome, and one younger guy was impressed by my attending grad school. I asked him what he wanted to do - and he stuttered for a minute before laughing and saying I asked him too quick. (He turned to his friends, who had taken up the last empty seats, to share his mirth.) I tried to remember a time when I didn't have at least three responses to the question "What do you want to do?" Granted, it's ranged from ice skater to actress to math teacher to my current answer of "research question mark" ... but I've always had one. I wish I could run into him again so that I could find out if he'd dreamed up a goal yet.

I've also had a conversation end with the rock and the guy telling me (censored version), "God's f-ing awesome!" These stories neglect to mention random guy who was stunned by me.

Other conversations have been with my cohort. I ate a real Korean dinner a few nights ago, even eating anchovies (because they couldn't remember the name in English, I didn't know what they were until they were up close, in my sesame leaf.) The whole meal (spicy hot soup, sesame leaf "wraps" with bulgogi and other toppings, and rice) was really good and four of the five Korean students in my program were there, so I got to learn about the culture. Nobody had eaten apple crisp, which is what I brought for dessert. Together, they decided it was mashithhaa (pronounced closer to mash-ta) - delicious - so I was happy.

In other news, every time that I go see a movie, I have dreams about vampires, apparently. And we didn't even see any previews for Twilight or Twilight-inspired movies. (The Informant! really confused me - but I laughed a lot.)

For those of you who are looking for ways to help, I have a friend who is doing Teach for America in Miami, Florida. She's teaching second graders at a high-poverty school, and she just recently put her classroom on "Adopt-a-Classroom." Find the information here for her classroom site. The site is neat because 100 percent of the donated money goes to her classroom; nothing is taken out for administration or upkeep. If you want to read her blog, it's miami2miami.blogspot.com and she tells fun stories and admits her struggles with moving from Miami of Ohio culture to Miami public-school culture.

To make you smile:

backpack + pink lunchbox - naptime + developing humans - some understanding = first day of grad school

Things I learned today:

• I like factor analysis. There are some matrices (w00t! math!) and the professor made a few jokes in class. I'm already reveling in the lecture notes where everything is organized into nice rows and columns and all inter-related... Oh, the life of made-up data!
• I can be doing a lot more with the world. Being at a school as diverse and large as Ohio State, and working with Somali immigrants in my practicum (Columbus has the second-largest population of Somali refugees in the U.S. to Minneapolis) will force me to step outside my comfort level. I am looking for ways to - and for strength to - rotate my focuses (foci? foxen?) in life so that I am going to the widow, the orphan, the exile - the disadvantaged, the unwanted - with long-term help and with the love of God. I've pretty much got that down pat.

Not!

• Where Somalia is.
  
• Where Korea is.
• (Over the course of the summer) - That eating less meat requires more than just eating fruits and veggies. And that taking care of my eyes means more than taking out contacts when they make my eyes cry. However, for those of you who actually took me up on eating less meat - which lots of famous people are doing, although not per my recommendation - make sure you get your omega-3s. Or else you get poor tear quality.
  

And you know things are bad when even your tear quality is poor. But on the plus side - tomorrow I can wear my contacts for SIX hours! Cornea = not inflamed.

• I didn't just learn this today, but to sum up the other courses you'll inevitably be reading about, I am also enrolled in Family Development, a seminar for all new HDFS students, and Research Processes and Analysis.
  
• Lastly, I learned a great joke.

A snail went to a car shop and wanted to buy a red sports car. But he had one request for the salesperson - "Can you please paint s's all over it?" The salesperson said, "Well, sure but why do you want that?"
The snail said, "So that people can say "Look at that S-car go!"

I'm interested to know what kinds of things you readers are interested in - what "breaks your heart." By reading my blog, you probably start to have an idea of what breaks mine - what breaks yours? Don't feel like it has to lead to any action, because mine rarely comes to fruition too. I'm just interested to know.
What makes your heart cringe?

What I've been doing - the visual version

1. Listening to Ingrid Michaelson (I really like her. You might want to listen to normal songs, because the one below is a fun version.)

2. Moving


As you can see, "decorating" is not included under "moving."

3. Cooking (failblog-worthy, for most of the endeavors.) But I did make some apple-dentures the other day. After realizing it's a tasty combination, I tried to get more creative and threw in raisins for missing front teeth. We didn't have any golden raisins, or I could've had some crowns. Or bling. And when I did it with green apples, it looked like Shrek's mouth.
4. Becoming a Buckeye! Went to the Navy game last Saturday. Almost got to have a blog post entitled "O-H-I- Uh oh..." Unfortunately, now I had to stick my horrid pun in the text of the post, since we did win. Classes start the 23rd.

4b. Also includes continuing research on dropout prevention. I'm seeing starkingly alarming rates on minority and low-income students and school engagement. My previous math education knowledge taught me about the international TIMMS study - where the US ranked pretty low in academic achievement for math (and science, but I really only have the math information.)

Truth: In math, the average scores of eighth grade students in twenty nations were statistically higher than those obtained by the U.S.

Truth: If we took the top 10 percent of students from all nations, five percent of U.S. students would be chosen in mathematics, significantly less than Singapore or Japan, two top-scoring countries.

New possible finding (that I only read about, not actually read yet): The Post-American World says that the top-achieving two-thirds of American students are very competitive internationally. It's the bottom third that the U.S. is failing to adequately educate.

Just thought it was interesting.