Happy New Year!!

So ends 2007...it's been quite a year:

*finished my first year at Virginia Tech
*Went to India for three months
*Applied for PhD programs
*Started my thesis
*Traveled up and down the East Coast visiting friends
*New friends made, old ones kept
*Started the year in San Diego, and ending it in Dallas

There's been a lot more, but I can't really think of it right now :op

And I've never been one for making resolutions, but here are some things I would like to do in 2008:

1. Listen better- whether it is just to advice from friends or just keeping track of a conversation (I tend to let my mind wander)
2. Be more patient- try to make a better effort at understanding others and not letting the little things bother me.
3. Be Proactive on my Thesis- get 'er done.
4. Start looking for internships/jobs= because I have to do something during the summer.
5. Be better with my finances- start saving more.
6. And of course- not taking life too seriously (we all die anyways)

Insomnia

What is a good cure for that....because alcohol doesn't seem to be helping.

Benazir Bhutto 1953-2007

A brave women, who despite knowing what danger she was placing herself in, returned in the belief she would help build a better Pakistan.

Merry Christmas!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

*Mark 2: 1-20*

I also feel great hope whenever I read this passage. It reminds me that there is good in the world, hope, and love. It also, to me, is a reminder of what it means to be a Christian. In his life, Christ reached out to the downtrodden, appearing first to lowly shepherds, taking on fishermen as disciples, and healing lepers. He kept company with the more unsavory elements of society: tax collectors, harlots, and collaborators with the Romans. I suppose if Jesus were here today, that would be a gay man, a single mother, and a drug addict. Jesus was a radical- he shook up the way society thought about G-- and the individuals relationship with H--. And his basic message was love. A point that sadly, I feel, is lost on many Christians today.

And the point too, is to not just keep this spirit and message only around the holidays, but all year long. And Christ's message is not one that is limited to Christianity; it has resonance for all faiths and religions worldwide- do unto others as you would have them do unto you; Love thy neighbor and enemy as you would love yourself; No greater love hath man than to lay down his life for a friend- all were preached by Christ, and all, have been echoed in other religions, preceding and following Christianity.

So with much love, faith, and hope, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas :)

Baby Boomers Owe Us an Apology??

So I read this article recently. It was intersting, and I have to say that most of it, I found, to be a bit too conservative. However, there was one paragraph that stuck out, and it has pretty much been bothering me since:

"And, young women, we apologize especially to you. Many of us baby boomers bought into the feminist idea that getting married and making a family with a man were far less fulfilling than career success and that marriage itself is "sexist" and "patriarchal." So, to those of you women who have career success and didn't get married, we sincerely apologize. Turns out that most careers aren't as fulfilling as we promised."

Now most of you are probably thinking I take offense at this statement. Au contraire! Quite the opposite! I believe this sums up a fear I have, even more so now, as I attempt to take on getting into a PhD program.

Just some food for thought...chew on that for a bit.

If it weren't for A-'s...

...i'd have a freakin' 4.0.

oh well....finished out the semester out well enough- on to the next (and the dreaded dum dum dum Thesis/Major Paper!) AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Good to be Home

So after a two hour delay in Chicago, I made it to Austin...only to find that one of my bags didn't even make it on the plane (how one made it, and the other didn't ...is beyond me) So it was supposed to be delivered by 4 pm today, but that didn't happen- apparently they got the address wrong, and after two calls, they still did not have it right. So anywho...still waiting for the luggage. Wouldn't be my life if it weren't interesting.

Events that happened just within one hour of waking up:

*discussions of my dad's nursing home (bottom of the ocean, or a back alley)
*full out dart gun battle between my dad and brother
*the dog getting in on the action
*being woken up by said dart guns and dog.
*being shunned and then unshunned
*dad dances to Shakira

And that's without mom and sister in the mix. It will be some kind of break...

....and i still do have work to do :op Oh well...i'll enjoy it for now :)

Another posting

So I finally updated a post from October 31st...that just got posted today...and it says that it was posted on October 31st, so I just thought I would follow up with a post now....to make my blog "up to date."

I am ready to go home. Now. I want to see my dog, mom, and dad. But I have this bad feeling I'll go home and feel out of place. Sure, I have lots of people I know in Austin, but somehow, I don't feel like there is enough time to see all of them. I also want to go to DFW during the break, and hopefully be there for New Years :)

Right now, I'm starting to realize how difficult it is to go a day without talking to your best friend :( I always feel so sad that I really don't realize what I am missing until it's not there.

And on another note, as always, I'm writing in my blog, rather than working on schoolwork. My goal is to finish a paper for Dr. Toal, that way I can work on my damn survey project all day tomorrow. Hmm...what else.....oh and I finished PhD applications- I just need to call schools now and check up on my applications and make sure they are up to date. Woo!

Alright, back to work.

Lyrics for now: Brandi Carlile "Throw it All Away"

When you're near me I have no fear
When I'm untrue you see right through me
You know me as deep as the sea goes
Calm my head whenever the storm blows

When the stars, and the moon
And the sky, fall through

I'd throw them all away when I'm hollow
Deep as the sea goes, all I know is
I would throw it all away...away

In my restless hour I'm holding
The words you say that lay my soul to sleep
I dream of buildings that burn
The sky turns black I toss and turn

When the stars, and the moon
And the sky, fall through

I'd throw them all away when I'm hollow
Deep as the sea goes, all I know is
I would throw it all away...away

This love branches out like an oak tree
Reach for the sky and roots to the sea
So when you're shaken down and broken
Find some peace of mind in knowing

I'd throw them all away when I'm hollow
Deep as the sea goes, all I know is
I would throw it all away...away