Media Blitz

• I ate cookies dipped in pudding tonight while watching Friends, in order to deal with the stress of paying all my bills.
• I'm getting very accustomed to the way we speak to the kids at work (i.e. we tell them "I need you to [do something]" instead of "You need to...", "You have to...", etc.)...so accustomed, in fact, that it bothers me when people don't speak to me this way! Maybe it always has and now I have a concrete way of understanding it. Specifically, tonight, when I asked my bell choir director to direct us through the end of the piece, instead of playing the piano, because there are a lot of tempo changes, she said, "No, you need to hear this part - we'll do that [her directing] on Sunday morning." In my head, I was like, "I do NOT need to hear it - I need you to direct!" It took a lot for me not to yell that.
• My dad gave me some great advice for getting Chloe to stop clawing her way along the bottom of the couch - spray her with water! I did it and it totally freaked her out and she ran away. When she tried to do it again, I just held up the bottle and she ran away. I did feel a little badly but you can't say my cat isn't smart - it only took the one time and she got the concept!
• Also: 11 Reasons Cats Make The Best Alarm Clocks. Chloe does #2 when she's hungry in the morning. And I want a #11.
• I am horrified by the story of the 150+ people killed by a collapsed clothing factory building in Bangladesh today. I am equally angered by the fact that the funeral of the MIT police officer is receiving equal or more media coverage. This is one of several instances recently that have re-frustrated me with US media - others being the threats by North Korea (notice how much coverage that is getting now?) and the Boston bombing. Although these are grave occurrences, they are not unique in our world - just not in our country. I find it almost egotistical that we have dedicated so much publicity and so many violent words (i.e. "bombing" and "terrorism") to the Marathon incident. I feel like doing this seriously diminishes the impact that the earthquake in Iran, the continuing war in Syria and the daily terror in the Central African Republic has on the people in those places. Do our news sources think that the pain of those people is not the same as ours? Maybe not but it sure seems that way a lot of the time. Prayers and thoughts go out to anyone suffering tonight.

Visiting Hours

• Krystle came over for church on Sunday and I'm so glad - it was fabulous to spend time together and she needed a break from Detroit life. When I walked into the sanctuary, I was surprised to see so many people around - usually there aren't that many for the 11:15 service. It turned out to be Youth Sunday! It was great: seniors talked (it sounds like they have a great youth program going), we sang camp songs, the youth acted out the Bible stories, and we laughed a lot. The only part that was weird was the way they sang "Light The Fire" (totally wrong) - but I loved it! And it was fun to share it with Krystle on my left and Mandy on my right :)
• After church and general hanging out with our great friends, Krystle and I decided to head to the Eischeids' for the afternoon! Once we got there, we got out of cars and into theirs...it was time for soccer! Since it was 3-year-old soccer instructed by college girls who seemed to have never worked with children before, it was pretty painful to watch - I just wanted to jump in and help! However, the best part was the little kid who kept running around the field and then roaring at teammates, opponents and parents. It was hilarious! After that, Jen and Andrew said they were taking us out to a birthday dinner! We went to Max and Erma's and the food was really good! Plus we got a free dessert. Krystle ordered cookies and I got "funnel fries" and we shared...mmmmm :) It was fun sitting with the girls and talking with Jen and Andrew. And Katie and Ella kept being sneaky about dessert and saying adorable things that made us laugh. Back at the house, we played a couple of rounds of hide-and-seek, which is actually feasible in their house. Then we helped get the girls ready for bed (took a while) and then hung out downstairs, chatting and watching TV. It was a fabulous Sunday spent with some of my favorite people :)
• I LOVE visiting the Eischeids, in case you couldn't tell. But one thing that overwhelms me a little every time I see them is the complete suburban lifestyle they are surrounded by. Soccer on Sundays; subdivisions with huge houses, just a half mile from subdivisions with BIGGER houses; minivans and/or crossovers everywhere; the lack of racial diversity; the sense of removal from any kind of city and any city issues (i.e. homelessness, poverty, etc.). This week was especially overwhelming with the soccer experience. We were watching 3-year-olds play soccer, on a turf field, surrounded by mostly white people, next to a parking lot full of crossovers and minivans, getting frustrated with the way the college kids were (or weren't) dealing with the kids. I was relieved to know that Krystle felt the same! (Sidenote: I also got the same feeling when I visited PP, in the Chicago suburbs.) Personally, I don't want to "surrender" to the completely suburban lifestyle. I try not to judge people who do. But it does, to me, seem like you are sheltering yourself and your children in this make-believe world of large houses and beautiful schools. Although I see the benefit of this (or, at least, the reasons for doing it) as an effort to protect your children from the craziness of this world, I feel like I would be less compassionate if I were more disconnected from current world events and issues. Maybe that will change if/when I have my own children.

A Second Chance (Apr 20)

• I was on Eastern's campus for a conference today - it was so fun to be back! A lot has changed (read: improved) but I still had tons of memories come flooding back. And it was fun to imagine all the people making memories there now :)
• I gave "500 Days of Summer" another chance. I really didn't like it the first time but I love Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt so much now that I thought I'd try again. I still don't really like it but it's fun to see them acting together and I do relate more to the plot line now. Ah well.
• Tonight was our "Wedding Celebration" at work. Since there are 5 girls getting married this year, it was kind of like a bachelorette party for ALL of them. (People didn't believe us when we said we had 5 brides in our group!) I was actually kind of dreading it thought - I like the people I work with, but I'm not super close to anyone. I thought it might be weird at dinner, and that I might leave soon after that. But when I walked in, everyone was so excited to see me (I think they were yelling obnoxiously to anyone who arrived in our party) and I didn't have a problem talking to people. We had some fabulous food and then moved on to Conor's. We found a section next to a bachelor party. Towards the end of our time there, I had an Irish car bomb with two of the guys in the party. I may not be able to drink beer, but man, I can gulp down an ICB like it's my job :) Plus Korinn, my co-teacher, bought me my drink - it was so sweet. And she, along with a few others, kept asking about my dating life. It was nice that they wanted to know. After Conor's, we went to Habana - so much dancing! It was sooo hot but we had so much fun. One of the 30-something girls was drinking a lot more than we all thought she would and it was fun :) When it was time to leave, we all hugged and I'm just so glad it turned out well. I loved being proved wrong - in this kind of situation ;)

Human After All

• My heart goes out to the people affected by the Boston bombing and the Texas explosion this week, as well as the unnamed fatalities in the Middle East, the Central African Republic and other places around the world. However, I am also deeply affected and saddened by the following stories/events:
• Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl
• Gun Control Legislation Failure
• Coral Reef Deterioration

Sometimes, it's hard to be human :/

• However, I did take a zumba and a jazz class with Nikki, see Jayme, talk with PP, find salad spinners for work at the Salvation Army, and eat Nutella and pretzels for a midnight snack. So, those are good things :)

Drive Her Home (April 13)

• Happy Birthday to my "little" brother, Ben! Although I may have to call him my "younger" brother from now on - because, as he reminds me every time I see him, he's definitely taller than me now :)
• Tonight, I experienced the healing power of driving and angry music. I was super frustrated so instead of driving right back to my mom's, I just kept going. I drove to the end of roads and turned around whenever I ran into a road I knew. This went on for about one hour/50 miles, with Lil' Jon, Flo Rida, T-Pain, LMFAO, Soulja Boy and others blasting out of my speakers. Between that and seeing the clarity of the stars around Mattawan, I felt a lot better. If I hadn't been alone, I would have sat in a field, looking at the stars. But just seeing them out of my window was awesome. I do love that area of Michigan :)

25 or 6 to 4 (Apr 12)

• So I've been 25 for exactly 2 weeks now. And I've figured out my plan for the next year - do whatever the hell I want because I'm not tied down to a husband, family or specific job. I know I'm not going to make any terrible decisions (I like that I can see a difference between my current self and my 21-year-old self...the latter could not be counted on for superb decision-making). I'm attractive, smart, independent and I have a job and wonderful friends - I'm ALLOWED to do whatever I want! Examples of me doing what makes me happy because I can and SHOULD:
• Playing handbells at church - yes, it's a little nerdy, but I love being challenged and practicing reading music again.
• Making new friends - yes, I'm going to make it a point to do this, especially if said new friends prove to be even half as awesome as Nikki and Jayme :)
• Listening to NPR - yes, I'm addicted to NPR. No, I do not need anyone to help me with this addiction.
• Getting to know and becoming more comfortable expressing my views on marriage equality, feminism, and politics.
• Visiting my friends all the time, as much as possible.
• Going out for salsa dancing on Thursdays - even when I work on Friday mornings.
• Getting an Insomnia Cookie on the way home from the library, simply because the store was finally open and DUH it's one block from my apartment.
• Getting a retail job because I can and I enjoy it.
• Still wanting to go to a glow paint club, even though the internet says I'm too old for that.
• Leaving work at work - yes, even though I have to make lesson plans, I am not obligated to bring them home with me :)
• Dating - I know, RIGHT??? But it's going okay right now.
• Buying fuchsia skinny jeans.

Missing Time

• On this day last year, I was having a crazy adventure through Korea to go the Jinhae Cherry blossom Festival. thinking about it makes me want to visit soooo badly. Like quit-my-job-so-I-have-the-freedom-to-travel badly. I miss my friends, the food, the culture, traveling throughout Korea. Everything. (I know that a lot of my posts while I was in Korea were about how much I missed home, so this must sound very hypocritical now - but I can't help it.) For today, I'll enjoy the company of MI sunshine and my kitty and my friends - but I want another adventure.

State of the Art (Apr 6)

• Tonight I got to see my Sara perform with Ancora Open at MCGC States. It was so cool to watch her! (And then to remember what she was like as a freshman :)) She was poised, graceful, in character (important for this particular routine) and made everything look easy. Since she has had 3 coaches since me, I know I can't take ALL of the credit - but I was so happy to know that she was happy and that I had helped teach her to love what she was doing. Plus, afterwards, she said that she was putting a little extra into her performance because she knew I was there - so cute :)
• Interplay Open's show was AMAZING! It was to "Do, Re, Mi" from Sound of Music but it was SO excellently planned and written. Near the end of the song, when each Von Trapp child is singing a different part, they had a different small group running around the floor, doing flag work with a silk that said the note that was being sung. SO COOL! I hope I can find a video online...

Bloom, Lily, Bloom

• Happy April!
• When I'm sitting on my couch, I can smell my Easter lilies. They are about 5 feet from my couch and it's like I'm right next to them :)
• I got invited to buy Mumford & Sons tickets! But for their Berkeley, CA show :/ Can't afford that trip :(
• Carlee helped me fight with Amazon until we got access to the Downton Abbey Season 2 Christmas Special...it was wonderful! So cute and in many unexpected ways. I almost don't want to keep watching because I know season 3 was surprising in a bad way...I don't want things to change!
• And, finally, when one of your former guard girls messages you the following, how can you not smile?

"Emily! Please come to the performance at UofM on Friday. Please, please, please. I want you to see how fantastic your teaching has made me."