The First Adventure of the Summer

So, the beautiful thing about summer is that I'm home, I'm able to see my wonderful friends, and I get to enjoy the wonderful  scenery of my state's parks! 

Kayla might kill me for putting this picture up, but in my defense... I look WAY more unattractive.

So, we went to Jensen Lake at Lebanon. We started seeking out turtles... and to our dismay only began to find dead turtles. I know it's pretty crude to photograph dead things... but I honestly think turtles are one of the coolest inhabitants of our Earth, and it made me so sad to see so many dead. Also... they had awesome shells.. and were big. It was for science... of some sort. 

Always,
H.Eilene

Rest in peace turtles... and my Toms that are no longer wearable. 

Hiatus

 Did I already mention the pepper grinder incident? I don't think I did... So... You see that gap between the black and white on the pepper grinder (that's the plastic object being held) in the first picture... Okay, so look where the bandaid is on picture two... I got my hand.. stuck in the gap. I had to run it under freezing water until it was numb and shrunken enough to rip the thing off.
It cut off a lot of my skin.. and I could see the disgusting purple-blue vein because there wasn't anything covering it. GROSS.
This happened the day before my HUGE finals (Shakespeare and Methods of Literary Study)... Let's just say, my handwriting sucked.

This beautiful thing is a really really old awesome bike that I got for FREE. It's a Roadmaster. It is in mostly great condition. It works better than the "modern" free bike I got two summers ago.

I like free bikes. I have to take this one to Erik's Bike Shop to make sure it isn't like.. actually just broken beyond cheap (affordable) repair. I like it better than the newer (made within the last two decades) bike because it's old.. and it's got the nifty basket.

This was discovered the day after I got home from Duluth. I was on my way home from lunch with my mom, enjoying my only day off before starting back at the daycare. It wasn't really a day off though. I had a job interview!!! (More on that later!)

Miss Vi was sick that whole first week (Weds-Sat) of my coming home.. so she didn't go to school (daycare). On Friday, I got to have an awesome snack with her while Jen talked to the cable guy who came to fix our wireless internet.

I'd say the lack of internet was the predominant reason for my hiatus... except that would be lying. I've been busy.

I can't even say I've been busy unpacking.. because I didn't really do squat until tonight. These pictures... show you my dilemma. I have lots of stuff!!! Moving back from an apartment.. into a bedroom leaves me in a pickle. I have things you need in apartments but not bedrooms.. like, dishes, a toaster, a coffee pot.. well... actually, I forgot my toaster. Sarah was amazing and grabbed all my forgotten things and I will retrieve them from her at some unknown date.
My big issue was that there are tons of bins and things and nowhere to put things. So I came up with a solution.. but that was tonight.. so I'll get there.





Everyone who knows me knows two very simple facts about me.
1. I'm allergic to cats.
2. I love Devo (the resident kitty of the house).
I love how snuggly and soft she is, and how friendly and social she is. She's honestly the coolest cat I've ever met. Our biggest issue, however, is my body's refusal to let me show my love for her.
We worked out a deal.. she likes to sleep on my bed. In order to not die/lose all ability to breathe... I can't let her sleep where I'll breathe in her hair. So, I set a pillow close to the end of my bed  against the wall so that she has somewhere to lay where I won't completely suffocate. She and I have come to love this deal.





Okay. So, more updates:

1. Job Interview was Thursday for Starbucks (2nd Job)
2. Got the job!!!
3. I know work.. 7-5 (daycare) monday-friday, 6-10:30 (starbucks) a few nights a week, plus some weekend shifts
4. I register at the U of M TC tomorrow!!!
5. I didn't fail any classes... well.. okay, Shakespeare.. I'm not sure about yet.
6. Our internet works again at the house!!
7. I have unpacked 65% of my stuff!!!! (this all happened tonight..)
8. I can't sleep... so I finally got around to all of the things I have been avoiding.. (laundry, unpacking, blog post.. because there was a lot to say, organizing desk, dusting and going through books)

9. I might not post every day/ as often as I was able to over the school year.. but I promise some awesome updates including more of my creative non-fiction from this past semester!!!

Keep coming back!

Always,
H.Eilene

"Come follow me"

This weekend has been a blessing and a curse. Can I say that with a picture of a priest right there? I'm going to say it anyways. Goodbyes have never been my thing. I cry. A lot. Tonight was no exception to the rule. Father Mike tonight at mass started out by commenting about how for many students this is their last mass with Newman as a UMD student... Cry #1. His homily, boy... there were a good 3 parts where I started crying. One, was when he talked about how he isn't good at goodbyes... he gets all choked up, and he just wants to take off instead of greeting people after mass. Two, he said, "You don't have to change the world. That's not what God calls us to do. He calls us and says: "COME FOLLOW ME". You don't have to change the world, you just have to follow Jesus." Three, he told a story of a 14 year old boy name Jose Luis Sanchez during the Mexican Revolution who died as a witness to Christ. The boy refused to say "Long live the Mexican government" and instead said "Long live Christ the king" or "Viva Christo Rey."

Those three words are always engraved in my head when I'm reading scripture or praying. As I'm saying goodbye to the 2 years I spent here at UMD, and I'm saying goodbye to the friends I have made, I have to remember... God led me here, but he's also leading me to the cities. I need to continue to follow where he leads me and be grateful for these beautiful people he has blessed me with.

There is one girl in particular who I have only recently become close with. Hannah T. I am so thankful she has been put in my life, and saying goodbye to her is going to be extremely difficult.. even after such short time. I am so excited to come back and visit all of the wonderful people I have met and gotten to know over these two years.

Tomorrow begins finals. 8AM Natural Hazards. Let's do this.

Always,
H.Eilene

This is Not Devastating

I have been grappling with how to approach this since early this afternoon. I started to get really frustrated, angry, annoyed, crabby. 
Then, I went to mass at the Newman House for the first time in MONTHS. I used to talk about going to RCIA and mass and meal... and then I got busy with The Storytelling Project and had to revert back to only Sundays. 

You may think.. what's the big deal? Sundays are the only obligatory days... or maybe you're thinking.. where the heck ya goin with this??

I'm getting there. 

Going to mass tonight helped me decide how to answer this frustration that has been bogging me down tonight.

Today on Facebook I received a message:
I bet you're pretty pissed about the marriage bill passing. You and your fellow bigots got what you deserved today.

It really hurt me. I am openly Catholic. Yes. I am also openly loving. I am deeply invested in issues of human rights. My religion might tell me one thing, but politically I see both sides. The statistics will tell you that most Catholics are Republican. It's a weird thing... I think.. to label Catholics based on their political views... but if you're going to put the label, I'm a Liberal Catholic. Politically speaking, I favor the Democrats. 

That being said. No. I'm not pissed that the marriage bill passed. I am truly happy for everyone it benefits. I also truly feel bad for everyone it hurts, including my church.

Father Mike has done a phenomenal job explaining the reason our church believes the covenant of marriage is between a man and a woman. He has also done a phenomenal job of explaining what the passage of this bill will do to the Catholic Church. 

I am truly sad for the negative impact this bill will have on my church. I am truly sad for the hurtful things people have and will probably continue to say on both sides with regards to this bill. I am truly sad for all of the people who say God had nothing to do with this... or blame God for the hatred spread throughout our country related to this issue.  

Father Mike said it well tonight when he said, "this is not devastating." He's right. A large percentage of this state got what they wanted. They are all celebrating and proud. An almost equally large percentage of this state isn't happy with the bill. And things might get tough, but I choose to believe that there will be good that comes of this-- for everyone. 

Me, I'm happy for everyone who benefits for it. I think equality is a wonderful thing. I am also saddened by the backlash it has spurred. I am saddened by the change I know it will bring to my religion. But I am not devastated. I stand in the middle. My definition of marriage stands by my faith, but my commitment as a citizen to give everyone equal rights stands by the bill. 

I'm not a bigot. I'm also not ashamed to tell you that those words from the "friend" upset me. They didn't make me mad. I didn't satisfy the sender with an angry-worded response. I stared at the screen for a minute, and I cried. I will never attack anyone's beliefs or religion intentionally. Nor do I plan on attacking a person's personal decisions. It hurts when others decide to do it to me. 

Weirdo

My fish is weird. He does handstands. A couple days ago I found him perfectly folded in half. I swear he's training for some fish gymnastics or something..

On an unrelated note: Today was gorgeous, 75 and muggy with the perfect breeze to make the humidity not suck. Perfect. I took a nap... right after taking this picture.. in the middle of the courtyard. Oops

ONE WEEK

Seven days is all that stands between me and my favorite person in the whole world. Friends, Family, Boyfriend, Kenzi, no offense, but I am most excited to go home to my beautiful oldest niece for the running hug and the accompanying little voice yelling "Auntie HANNAHHHH! You back from college?" and more than that, I'm so very excited to tell her, "Auntie Hannah doesn't have to go away to college anymore!"

These past two years have been awesome-- I've gotten to experience Duluth, grow up a bit, become more responsible for myself, and I've grown as a person being away from the dominant people in my life. But now, I get to go HOME. I get to surround myself with my loving little nieces and soon my baby nephew! When I'm stressed out and just need a hug, I'll have my big sister to tell me to buck up.

I am so excited to go back to work, to be with my family, and to enjoy this summer!

Always,
H.Eilene

2 of 3.

They may not be my most eloquent or even my most brilliant essays (though I think they're up there on the list) the two essays I needed to complete for Tuesday are finished!

I am impressed by the fact that they are finished by 2AM, because at 1:00 AM I finally stuck a conclusion on the rough draft that is due tomorrow and turned my focus on my less than satisfactory draft that needs to be polished and ready for grading by noon. Much to my surprise my brain cooperated and had an idea of what to write (which really... if you saw me a few weeks ago writing the draft for peer review you'd be high-fiving, fist-bumping, maybe even congratulatory hugging me right now).

Now, I'm going to bed. I'm going to wake up by 10 (hopefully) so I can take a look at the drafts (with fresh-not-sleep-deprived eyes) for final touches before printing for class.

Next Goal:
Finish Shakespeare Paper
Chapter 10 for Natural Hazards

Always,
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Call me Student.

There she blows!!! I'm setting sail on my research paper (again.. I docked for an hour to refuel). Now that I have my iced coffee, I can set sail on my journey to the end of this voyage!!

FUN FACT: Did you know that Starbucks was named for the first mate of the Pequod? It was almost named Pequod but that's not an appetizing name for a beverage.

I think I might have shared this already, but now you know.. again!
Always,
H.Eilene

Goal-Making

I make lists. Constantly.

Currently:
1 list on the whiteboard on my windowsill
1 list on the makeshift whiteboard on my side table
8 lists in my notebook
15 lists on various post its within my planner
the planner itself is full of lists
1 list on my computer (does this count as one too?)

The problem with having SO MANY lists is that half the time I'll get through one goal on the list... and realize that I should have started the other one.. and I leave it half finished to start the others... and so on and so forth.

My NEW Goal:

Finish each thing as it comes to me.

Like today:
I have 2 papers due for tomorrow.
I need to write them (well... one of them is partially written).

Tomorrow:
I have 1 paper due for Wednesday (I need to finish it)
I have 1 chapter due for Wednesday (I need to finish reading it)

Those are pretty simple.. I mean minus the struggle of actually writing the papers... but simple lists. 3 papers and a chapter, but broken down by the day: 2 papers (really more like 1.5) and 1 paper and 1 chapter. I shouldn't have 50 lists describing these things...


Anyways, Happy Monday! I am wearing a bright orange dress to celebrate Duluth reaching 61 degrees. Thank goodness~ Spring has finally come... May 6th.

Always,
H.Eilene

Anti-Social

Go Brewers!! (Daddy's Girl) 

I have the problem of not doing things to further my social status. It's pretty sad. Instead of going out and being social with people, I do homework and watch movies alone on my couch. In fact, right now, I have cinnamon rolls in the oven and I worked on some abs. Have you ever done sit ups leaning backwards off a couch? Probably not my best move, but hey, I could feel them... SO I decided to reward myself with cinnamon rolls. They're the best. Rhodes. I'll drop a name here. I like them. They are the best.

So, I'm not proud to say that I ate FOUR cinnamon rolls. I mean, I'll just put it out there that they aren't very big. But, still. That's a little embarrassing.

Anyways,
This weekend's plan: Shakespeare Paper, Methods of Lit Study Paper, and American Lit Paper. Exciting right?

I'm sure I'll be back.
Always,
H.Eilene

Ghost

Around Finals Week is when I get the most criticism about my major. Science majors have labs, subjects like biology, chemistry, physics. Engineers have calculus, physics, engineering specific classes.. Teaching students have big projects and lesson plans to turn in.

For some reason, and honestly, I am not pointing to anyone specific, because it comes from all sides... people seem to think English majors have it super easy when finals roll around.

To be completely forward, my one geography course for this semester is probably my easiest class. I'm not saying it isn't challenging at all, because I promise that I'm not flying through it with perfect scores. But, it definitely isn't the hardest of my classes. When people are going on and on about how English is a slacker major the one modifier they add on, as if to make it sting less, "Oh, but you're a double major so it doesn't count."

Excuse me? I may not sit in labs for hours on end, I may not have to solve mathematical problems that take up full notebook pages, but I am not just sitting on my butt reading Junie B. Jones all day. I work my butt of reading literature that I don't always understand. When I'm done reading it, I have to read it again at least once. Following that, I generally have to write response papers. Oooooh big deal. A Response Paper. Yes. They are a big deal. They aren't just "this made me feel ____" or "I liked this. It was cool." or "This was boring." NO. They are talking about themes, and connecting pieces to other works we've read, adding in historical and compositional details we notices and talking about what the author was trying to do.

Hey, if that comes really easy to you, I applaud you. But I have NEVER been one to easily assess what an author was trying to do. I don't know! Half the time, I doubt the author REALLy was trying to say half the things we try to get out of their writing. I didn't choose English as a major because I thought it'd be a walk in the park, I chose it because reading and writing are my passion, and while I love both, I am not a pro.

This semester, I'm in 3 heavy reading courses: Methods of Literary Study where we tackled Moby-Dick, Shakespeare, we have read a play(sometimes 2) per week, and American Literature 2. Each of those classes plus my memoir course involved multiple large writing assignments.
My next week is as follows:
- The Tempest (and Response Paper)
- Critical Analysis of the character of Lady Macbeth
- Research Paper: How does adapting Moby-Dick for children change the major themes and context of the novel?
- Exam Natural Hazards
- Critical Analysis of Emily Dickinson Poem

Then May 13-15:
Portfolio due for Memoirs (revisions on all pieces still need to be done)
Final Exam Shakespeare
Cumulative Final for Methods of Lit Study
Final Exam American Lit 2
Final Exam Natural Hazards

Maybe it's just me, maybe you think I'm stupid... but my major isn't the easy way out. I honestly don't think any major in college is going to be "easier" than another. Each subject is difficult in it's own way, requires a different frame of thought, and a different attitude.

Please take your negative attitudes about my workload and my future somewhere else, because I promise you the next time I hear it, I'm done.

On a brighter note. Story Telling Reading is tomorrow (today) at 6pm in the library! And, the wait is finally over. I will get to hug my amazing boy in t-minus 13 hours.
Always,
H.Eilene