Last year at this time, I had more than one person thinking
that I had lost my mind. As a big ice cream consumer, the days approaching St.
Patrick’s Day brought about special menu items at certain restaurants.
Recalling a certain menu item from my childhood, I talked my mate Laura into
going to McDonalds to get a shamrock shake. I was a bit worried when I didn’t
see any marketing post in the window. I asked the lady behind the register and
she looked at me like I was from another planet. We tried another McDonalds
with the same result. 
Continuing on my journey through the Newbery winners, I am
amazed at the diversity I encounter. Such different writing styles and subject
matter, I turn the first page of each book with no expectations but, at the same time, with great anticipation.
91.) 2012: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
78.) 1999: Holes by Louis Sachar
68.) 1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
60.) 1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
47.) 1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
42.) 1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
28.) 1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
24.) 1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
10.) 1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth |
| Duke vs. Florida State |
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The front half of K-ville.
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The holiday season brings about many great traditions. I love the feeling of participating in a traditional activity and finding it hard to remember how it all began. Those are the traditions that bring the warmest feelings because I feel surrounded by the truest sense of comfort.
This year I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in someone else’s well-established tradition. The Messerlys have been having people over to make gingerbread houses for a great number of years. This event has changed some over the years whether it being the amount of people or the type of edible (check the expiration date) material that is used. However, the basis of it is still the same: people gather and let their creative juices flow allowing imaginative structures to be made along with great memories.
Thank you Messerly family for letting me participate in this marvelous tradition!
My house: Front view (L) Rear view (R) complete with Christmas tree in the window :)
Back in the ol’ college days, every Christmas season we would head towards downtown Marion to see the Walk of Lights. Every year, all of the lights were the same and in the same place. However, each year it was great to get all bundled up, cram into a car with a group of friends, and go see the favorites.
One of the ol’ college friends lives about 40 minutes away from me now. We both love Christmas and all of the festivities, so we planned this trip weeks in advance. We didn’t haul it up to Indiana, but we did find some local lights that filled the reminiscent gap.
We arrived at sunset, perused the old fashion candy shop, and headed to the end of the line to catch the train. After our ride, we were glad we got there when we did. The line had almost double. As we drove off, the line of cars was even more outrageous! At first, I thought we might have been a little over excited by arriving to a light show with the sun still partially in the sky. However, as we drove past car after car after car, it was pleasantly confirmed that there is no shame in being early.
Although it was hard to get a good photo opportunity on a moving train, I tried to make the best of it. Here are some of the highlights:
Over the past two and a half weeks, my boss has been gone on a leave of absence. The task to keep the Outdoor Adventure program afloat has been placed on my shoulders. Included in this: overseeing the climbing wall, managing trips, administrative stuff, and teaching classes.
From the beginning of the semester I have been helping with the rock climbing class. Indoor climbing has been the focus as the climbing wall serves as the classroom. Climbing skills have been worked on as well as hard skills like knot tying.
Although I had discussed the class schedule with my boss prior to his departure, I had decided that it was time for the students to be tested. Thus, the Low-Budget Climbing Olympics were formed.
The idea was planted in my head long ago by one of the students in the class. Plus, I found these great “metal” paint swatches at Lowes that needed to be put to use. The night before the Games, I worked diligently to great a gold, silver, and bronze medal for the winners in each event. The kern of a rope was used to hang the medal on compete with a figure-eight on a bite and a double fisherman.
The looks on their faces made every hour spent on planning and creating well worth it. Especially after the medal ceremony when I produced a rope wreath for each to take home.
This whole process highlighted something that I had forgot about myself. I love to create with a purpose. To give of myself. To take something like a paint swatch and discarded rope pieces and give them meaning. And doing all of this with the heartfelt intention of sharing them with others.
Duke, and the Triangle Area, is the research capitol of the United States (unofficially). To earn a little money on the side, I have been participating in research studies of all different kinds, most involve reading or watching something and answering questions. The types have very little risk and take anywhere from 15minues to an hour of my time.
Sometimes I have been asked to consume certain foods and then perform an exercise or construct something. Most of the time I have little idea of what I am going to be asked to do or even what the research is for. I can remember one had the title of “Sorting Letters” when in actuality it had nothing to do with organizing papers.
More information is given concerning those with a higher risk factor. Knowing that Duke has many medical research facilities, I established some rules for myself before I jumped on the medical study train. Thus I was introduced to the world of MRIs.
The task was simple. While lying in the MRI machine, I had focus on a computer screen that was being reflected through a mirror. When I saw a green letter, I had to push a button with my middle finger. If I saw a red letter, red number, or green number, I had to push the button under by index finger. Pretty simple. After 8 rounds, I was pulled out of the machine and handed my payment. With the initial paperwork, pregnancy test, practice round, and actual scan the whole process took about an hour and forty minutes.
This particular research study gave me a little more than I bargained for– a unique view of myself and proof that I actually have a brain. :)
November 4, 2011
The time came again for me to learn something new. This time it was fly-fishing. The illustrious back-cast now called my name. I approached this task with an unknown advantage. Even though I grew up with a father that liked to fish, I had only cast a regular fishing pole many twice in my life. No previous muscle memory was there to try and retrain. Thus, I actually picked up the back-cast easily.
Catching a fish wasn’t as easy. Nor was keeping my attention to the task at hand. I enjoyed the back-casting motion so much that I struggled to leave the line in the water long enough for a fish to bite. Plus the constant drizzle saturated the amazing fall colors surrounding the lake, pulling me away with camera in hand.
By the end of the day the only thing that I managed to catch was myself (only once thankfully), a tree branch, and some great shots of nature and people interacting with it.
November 3, 2011
I have become accustom to the long falls that are favorite characteristic of living in the South. I was walking through campus and couldn’t help trying to capture the amazing angle of light that was giving a rich depth and beauty to campus.
