A Visual

I don't think we have posted any pictures of us since Christmas, so here's one we snapped this morning on our way to church. As you can see, we have plenty of snow. It's actually been really nice lately (meaning we reached 32 degrees, and the sun was out for part of the day). 

Freshmen Say the Darndest Things

The following are actual lines from an English 101 class I TA for. I have all the papers I'm taking these from right here with me, except one, but believe me, I remember exactly what it says. The prompt isn't always important, but I'm including it anyway for the ones that do. I'm also including my comments and, in rare cases, the comments I wish I could've written. I have made NO variations to what they've written in these quotes.

Prompt: What do you think the difference is between an educated person and an uneducated person?

"For all intensive purposes..."
I believe it's, "for all intents and purposes"

Prompt: What is your favorite book and why?

Sheila B. Favorite book: Bloody Jack, by L. A. Meyer
"You can always tell if a book was well written because it will be turned into a movie."
"Always" and "will" are absolutes. I advise you not to use these.

"I bet if every story had a character this loveable, there would be better books around so you wouldn't have to resort to classics for good reading."
I don't think people really "resort" to classics. I think they just like them. Also, there are some great contemporary novels. I bet you'd love them.

Cherie L. Favorite book: Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer
"The love in this love story feels so real, the feelings that the characters feel instantly grows onto the reader."
LOTS OF FEELING GOING ON HERE.

Jennifer G. Favorite book: Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
"This is a type of fairytale that isn't for 5 year olds, but it is a kind of fairytale that's only found in the super natural world."
How do these two clauses relate at all?

Jake R. Favorite book: Sahara, by Clive Cussler
"Then in the present day Dirk and Al are trapped between some terroriests and an evil corporate Executive are polluting the Nile, which is spreading towards the ocean."
What exactly is going on? And who exactly is involved?

Rebecca K. Favorite book: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Anne Brashare
"Turns out her father was preparing to be remarried to beautiful blonde woman and her two children."
(Aside from the grammatical corrections): He's going to marry her two kids?

Kayla B. Favorite book: The Chamber, by John Grisham
"...it makes since that this fear will be different for each individual..."

AND THE WINNER IS...
Jon W. Favorite book: Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyer
His closing sentence is: "A book that will leave you crying at the end to finding out that you are not actually Bella."
So, you didn't want to be like the main MALE character of the book? You want to be like Bella? (This one left me in utter perplexity, but I refrained from making any actual comments.)

Surprise!

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Conservatives, take a breath... it's really not the end of the world

I was not able to watch the inauguration this morning seeing as I was in class. However, I have been reading posts on it and an interesting article in our school newspaper. Get this: there's a kid here on campus that, after the outcome of Nov. 4th reached his ears, he logged onto Facebook and deleted friends who had status' supporting Barack Obama, and said in an interview with the paper that he "does not regret it." Please. If your friendships are based on things as constantly shifting as politics, your "friends" are probably relieved you deleted them!

It is important to remember that it is not the president who makes laws. The president really only has as much power as we give him. It is Congress we have to keep and eye on and appeal to. It is Congress that drafts, redrafts, and votes on our laws. Of course, we focus on the president because it's much easier (and usually more interesting) to adore/blame/generally obsess over one polititian than it is a whole flock of them.

Try also to remember that we have not, as a country, sold our soul to the devil, nor have we set ourselves up to become the Great Abomination. A country based on democracy is only as good as it's people. Although I did not vote for Obama, I think he will make as good a president as any other candidate, if not better. It's past the time of campaigning for our favorites. Now is the time to come together to support our country and try not to let the man leading it get killed.

Great Potential...Oh! There it goes!

Tuesdays and Thursdays I have decided are both my favorite and my least favorite days of the week this semester. I only have one class and it's at 8 a.m. to 9:30. That is awesome. I love that part of it. It leaves me an entire day to get homework done for my Wednesday and Friday classes, of which there are many. I also have plenty of time to get some work hours in without feeling overwhelmed like I would if I were trying to squeeze in a few hours at the end of a full day of classes. Best of all, it gives me plenty of time to catch up on sleep.

Now here's the problem: my mentor teacher, whom I TA for, hasn't gone far enough in the semester for me to have any papers to grade, grades to enter, or students to counsel with papers on. So, no work there right now. I'm also in charge of the scholastic book orders that the teachers teaching Young Adult and Children's lit. classes use, but right now they have their fliers and students are just entering online orders. Really no work there right now. The accreditation binders I'm in charge of aren't due until April, so naturally they've taken a back burner in the teachers' minds. Again, no work. And I've done some Russian, but I can only do that for so long before my mind kind of starts to shut down.

So, this week's anticipated glorious Tuesday and Thursday have both been extremely dull as I sit on campus, usually in Rigby Hall where I work, chatting it up with the secretaries doing absolutely nothing but entertaining them - which is fun 'cause they are hilarious - and eating my lunches over long, drawn out periods of time as I wait for Mike to be ready to go to the gym and then home.

Next time I think I'll just head home and call the walk my exercise. It is nearly a mile and at a brisk pace with my backpack on, I'm sure I'm putting in more physical work than most people do running a marathon.

Hey! Check out the very bottom of our blog!

Time for a Change

I have had the same hair cut for about 2 1/2 or 3 years - something like that. I like to change it up once in a while, but I just couldn't decide how to do it without going really short - an idea that didn't really thrill Mike; or getting bangs - an idea that didn't really thrill either of us. Mike had seen pictures from my "bangs" days, and lets be real: I just don't work bangs really well. But, I had seen some bangs that I loved in a movie we watched recently, and on other stars, and figured, hey, if they can do it, so can I.

Frankly I don't think the picture does the cut justice. I really like it (the cut that is), but I think the picture is a little weird - my expression probably; and the bangs are a little more separated here than they are usually. Anyway, here's the look!