I've had a hell of a week this week. Actually it all started Saturday when the weather warmed up just enough for the snow and ice to begin melting. We have an ice damn on our roof, actually a couple, but the one that actually caused damage to both the outside and inside of the house is right above the room we use as an office. There is water damage to the room below as well. Nothing has been done to fix these problems but the inspector came to the house today to check it out and is sending out a written notice giving the owner and property manager 30 days to get the work done that needs to be done or she will be fined. So not a vast improvement in the situation at the house, but it's something, leading in the right direction hopefully. On the plus side, I am more pleasant to be around because I'm hopped up on allergy medication 24/7 which makes me loopy. That reminds me, I have to take some more before I go to bed tonight. I just have to keep telling myself, 4 more months, 4 more months, 4 more months, over and over and over again. Otherwise, I'll never make it through the next 4 months.
All about my education:
Aside from the house issues, progress is being made with my educational quagmire. I have a new advisor and though it means that I will have to revise my original topic of concentration for my thesis, I will still get to write about the history of the Palestinian region, including work I have done already on the Medieval Crusading period. Being that my thesis is going to cover a vast period of time, I'm hoping to focus on one country's influence in Palestine, England. So basically from 1095 - to the formation of the state of Israel in 1947 (1948). It will be a general overview of relations between the two regions, religiously, politically, socially, economically. I'm sure I'll have to narrow it down a lot because I only have 100 pages to work with, but this is the basic gist of what I will hopefully be working on starting this spring until I complete my thesis.
I gave up on trying to take the German language exam because it just wasn't working out for me. Instead I am going to take the language exam in French, which is going so much better. I will definitely need a dictionary on hand because I'm a little rusty with the vocabulary, but I remember all of the grammar and quite a bit more vocabulary than I thought I did.
In wedding news:
We have found a reception site. It will be at the Radisson on University in Minneapolis. I am quite excited about this. Jason and I are going to check it out next weekend when he is here. We also have our second pre-marital counseling session that weekend as well. We are going to find out the results of our prepare and enrich tests we had to take. This ought to be interesting.
On the job front:
I got paid today with my check reflecting my new hours and pay (I got a raise) and I am happy to report that I can actually, for the first time in my life, live somewhat comfortably for now. This is good news for my goal of paying off all my bad debt this year, which is very exciting for me. Maybe in the not so distant future I can be bad debt free! That would be pretty awesome.
I'm thinking I need to write down my goals someplace other than my blog. I can't remember all of them when I am trying to write my progress. Next time I blog I will do that, so then I can update you on how I am doing with my other goals I have made for myself this year. For now, I leave you with this...
Do yourself a favor and read the book "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie Wars." Trust me, you will not regret it.
P.S. Due to the fact that I am having a hell of a time getting myself motivated to write anything on my Simple Historian blog, I am going to leave it alone for a while. Someday I may start posting on it again, but for now, I'm going to leave it alone.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Conscious Effort...
I am making a conscious effort to blog more this year. It is calming for me. I like doing it, so I am going to try. I have set about working on some "goals" for this year and I'll probably keep updating you all on my progress throughout the year.
So far I have been doing well with my goal of paying down my bad debt. I still have a long way to go but progress is being made slowly. Wedding plans are coming along smoothly, still working on the details, like getting music to those who will be playing and singing at the wedding and other various details that go into wedding planning. Being that Jason and I are on a pretty tight budget so we are getting creative, which is fun.
This week is Convocation at Luther Seminary which is awesome because a whole bunch of friends are back in town for a few days. No sleep for me this week! It will be hard to be at work till 5:30 and then take the bus home or to the Seminary. Less time with my peeps. Although not all my peeps are here this week, which saddens me. You are here is spirit my friends.
I had a great meeting today with my advocator. He didn't make any empty promises which is a nice change of pace and he made it very clear that he will advocate for me in any way he can, within reason, which is also awesome. I'm very very cautiously optimistic, which is a vast improvement over even yesterday.
And I will leave you with that because I have to switch computers at work and probably shouldn't be writing this right now anyway. So stay tuned for future and further progress on my "goals" this year and various other ramblings from yours truly. :)
So far I have been doing well with my goal of paying down my bad debt. I still have a long way to go but progress is being made slowly. Wedding plans are coming along smoothly, still working on the details, like getting music to those who will be playing and singing at the wedding and other various details that go into wedding planning. Being that Jason and I are on a pretty tight budget so we are getting creative, which is fun.
This week is Convocation at Luther Seminary which is awesome because a whole bunch of friends are back in town for a few days. No sleep for me this week! It will be hard to be at work till 5:30 and then take the bus home or to the Seminary. Less time with my peeps. Although not all my peeps are here this week, which saddens me. You are here is spirit my friends.
I had a great meeting today with my advocator. He didn't make any empty promises which is a nice change of pace and he made it very clear that he will advocate for me in any way he can, within reason, which is also awesome. I'm very very cautiously optimistic, which is a vast improvement over even yesterday.
And I will leave you with that because I have to switch computers at work and probably shouldn't be writing this right now anyway. So stay tuned for future and further progress on my "goals" this year and various other ramblings from yours truly. :)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Happy New Year... A Look Back Over 2009...
I'm almost done reading my TIME magazine that looks back over the past year and for that matter the past decade. What I've come to realize is that the 2000's have been like any other decade, lots of bad shit and lots of good shit too. As for my own life, well, there has been a lot of bad shit and a lot of good shit, but I won't get into that now. Now it is time to reflect on the year past, 2009.
2009 started off with a bang. Ok, maybe not a bang, but it was awesome. For New Year's Eve I went out with Carrie Hennesey, Joe Su, and Karen Wallin to Moose Country and we danced the night away with a bunch of strangers, drank cheap champagne at midnight and had a great time. We then proceeded to go back to Carrie's apartment and watch Get Smart. I think I may have been the only one who ended up watching the whole thing. It was a great night.
I did not make any resolutions, but I did decide on a few things I wanted to accomplish or try out in 2009. The first was to work on paying down more of my bad debt that had accrued in 2008. The second was to move closer to the seminary, and the third was to go on a date with someone I actually liked.
As for my first thing on the list, I have been diligently paying down my credit cards, which will still take me a little longer to finish paying off and I have finished paying off my car, which means the money that was going towards my car loan every month can now go to paying credit cards...yeah...
In May, Karen Wallin, Jen Kuntz, and I moved into a piece of shit house in N.E. Minneapolis, which is about 10 to 15 minutes away from the seminary. It's closer than St. Louis Park, but for all the craptacularness this house affords, it might have been a wiser decision to stay where we were or to find something else. Live and learn right?!
And as for the third thing on the list, the one about dating someone I actually like...well you all know what happened with that. I fell in love, am engaged and am getting married September 4, 2010. Who would have thought?! Sure as hell not me, but God had other plans. Thank you God! and AMEN!!! And of course I can't forget: Thank you Jason! You rock my socks off hun!
Okay, aside from setting some, for lack of a better word, "goals" for myself in 2009, there were some rocking awesome times with awesome people that I will never forget. Breaking someone's bed in the dorms of Bockman Hall at Luther Seminary because too many people piled on for a photo op; baseball games, live band karaoke, rock band parties, game nights, trips to MIA and malts afterwards, camping at Lake Itasca State Park; traveling to Maryland and Williamsburg, VA to visit friends and family, visiting Jason in Valpo, Indiana, a wonderful few days in Madison, WI, etc....the great times go on and on.
2009 was also very bittersweet, having to say many good-byes to dear beloved friends, some who will be returning from internship this fall, some who have gone onto new and exciting adventures, many of whom I may never see again. This is a sad prospect; I have never been good at good-byes. But thank God for facebook so I can be updated occasionally on how they are doing and what they are up to in their lives. I love you and miss you all terribly.
Academically, 2009 has been interesting, frustrating and until the last few weeks of the year an utter disappointment. The spring semester was mostly a waste. I did have an independent study on the Islamic Perspective of the Crusades in the Holy Land, which was pretty awesome. Other than that, it was lame. This fall was a complete and utter fucking waste of time and I at one point decided to drop out because no one was willing to help me or gave a damn about helping me out of the crappy situation I found myself in after Dr. Charles got sick at the end of 2008. And so, after almost a full year of bullshit from the seminary, a light appeared at the end of the crap filled tunnel. That light would be the awesome Dr. Granquist. He actually listened to what I was saying and is willing to come up with an actual solution with me to my problem, and if not a solution, at least I have someone to talk to who is willing to listen to me that has some influence to change the situation. Again, Thanks God!
One thing I wish I did more of this past year would have been to spend some more time with my family. Ok, let me rephrase; my parents and my brother. Sadly, much of my family is spread out all over the country so we only see each other on special occasions; for example, my upcoming wedding to the most wonderfully amazing man in the world, Jason Pollington. This year I want to spend more time with them because after May 2011 who knows where we'll be.
So for this year I have given myself "goals" again, some which I will complete happily, others which will be left over from 2009, and others, which I will try to complete but may not and I won't beat myself up about.
Goals:
1) Finish paying off bad debt, or almost all bad debt
2) Plan wedding with Jason and Get married
3) Spend more time with family in the area
4) Be better about staying in touch with family and friends
5) Be more adventurous, don't say never
6) Find solutions to my academic predicament including passing German exam before Fall semester 2010
There are many more things that I will add to the list but these are ones that I will do happily (see number 2, 3, 4 and 6) and some I will try my best to do (see 1 and 5).
So here's to a Happy and Productive New Year! In the words of Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get." I don't know what 2010 is going to be like; it's only just started. I am looking forward to it though and all that comes with the beginning of a new year. Fresh starts, a new perspective on life, marrying the love of my life, friends, family, good times, hard times, everything. Just Living Life and having new and crazy adventures.
So Stay Tuned...
2009 started off with a bang. Ok, maybe not a bang, but it was awesome. For New Year's Eve I went out with Carrie Hennesey, Joe Su, and Karen Wallin to Moose Country and we danced the night away with a bunch of strangers, drank cheap champagne at midnight and had a great time. We then proceeded to go back to Carrie's apartment and watch Get Smart. I think I may have been the only one who ended up watching the whole thing. It was a great night.
I did not make any resolutions, but I did decide on a few things I wanted to accomplish or try out in 2009. The first was to work on paying down more of my bad debt that had accrued in 2008. The second was to move closer to the seminary, and the third was to go on a date with someone I actually liked.
As for my first thing on the list, I have been diligently paying down my credit cards, which will still take me a little longer to finish paying off and I have finished paying off my car, which means the money that was going towards my car loan every month can now go to paying credit cards...yeah...
In May, Karen Wallin, Jen Kuntz, and I moved into a piece of shit house in N.E. Minneapolis, which is about 10 to 15 minutes away from the seminary. It's closer than St. Louis Park, but for all the craptacularness this house affords, it might have been a wiser decision to stay where we were or to find something else. Live and learn right?!
And as for the third thing on the list, the one about dating someone I actually like...well you all know what happened with that. I fell in love, am engaged and am getting married September 4, 2010. Who would have thought?! Sure as hell not me, but God had other plans. Thank you God! and AMEN!!! And of course I can't forget: Thank you Jason! You rock my socks off hun!
Okay, aside from setting some, for lack of a better word, "goals" for myself in 2009, there were some rocking awesome times with awesome people that I will never forget. Breaking someone's bed in the dorms of Bockman Hall at Luther Seminary because too many people piled on for a photo op; baseball games, live band karaoke, rock band parties, game nights, trips to MIA and malts afterwards, camping at Lake Itasca State Park; traveling to Maryland and Williamsburg, VA to visit friends and family, visiting Jason in Valpo, Indiana, a wonderful few days in Madison, WI, etc....the great times go on and on.
2009 was also very bittersweet, having to say many good-byes to dear beloved friends, some who will be returning from internship this fall, some who have gone onto new and exciting adventures, many of whom I may never see again. This is a sad prospect; I have never been good at good-byes. But thank God for facebook so I can be updated occasionally on how they are doing and what they are up to in their lives. I love you and miss you all terribly.
Academically, 2009 has been interesting, frustrating and until the last few weeks of the year an utter disappointment. The spring semester was mostly a waste. I did have an independent study on the Islamic Perspective of the Crusades in the Holy Land, which was pretty awesome. Other than that, it was lame. This fall was a complete and utter fucking waste of time and I at one point decided to drop out because no one was willing to help me or gave a damn about helping me out of the crappy situation I found myself in after Dr. Charles got sick at the end of 2008. And so, after almost a full year of bullshit from the seminary, a light appeared at the end of the crap filled tunnel. That light would be the awesome Dr. Granquist. He actually listened to what I was saying and is willing to come up with an actual solution with me to my problem, and if not a solution, at least I have someone to talk to who is willing to listen to me that has some influence to change the situation. Again, Thanks God!
One thing I wish I did more of this past year would have been to spend some more time with my family. Ok, let me rephrase; my parents and my brother. Sadly, much of my family is spread out all over the country so we only see each other on special occasions; for example, my upcoming wedding to the most wonderfully amazing man in the world, Jason Pollington. This year I want to spend more time with them because after May 2011 who knows where we'll be.
So for this year I have given myself "goals" again, some which I will complete happily, others which will be left over from 2009, and others, which I will try to complete but may not and I won't beat myself up about.
Goals:
1) Finish paying off bad debt, or almost all bad debt
2) Plan wedding with Jason and Get married
3) Spend more time with family in the area
4) Be better about staying in touch with family and friends
5) Be more adventurous, don't say never
6) Find solutions to my academic predicament including passing German exam before Fall semester 2010
There are many more things that I will add to the list but these are ones that I will do happily (see number 2, 3, 4 and 6) and some I will try my best to do (see 1 and 5).
So here's to a Happy and Productive New Year! In the words of Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get." I don't know what 2010 is going to be like; it's only just started. I am looking forward to it though and all that comes with the beginning of a new year. Fresh starts, a new perspective on life, marrying the love of my life, friends, family, good times, hard times, everything. Just Living Life and having new and crazy adventures.
So Stay Tuned...
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