flux

i just finished reading the book flux by peggy orenstein. it's about the role of women in the 21st century and how we traverse life in a 1/2 changed society. like, for example, young girls today are told that they can be anything they want to be, do anything they want to do. but in reality that's not really possible. our society isn't set up for women to be able to actually have it all. eventually something's gotta give, be it career, family or money. in any event, a fairly good book. i don't necessarily think that everyone falls into the categories of people that orenstein studies, but i definitely think she's got some good points. too bad that most of the people who read this book will be women b/c i think it's really men who should be reading stuff like this.

kids these days...

what a beautiful day in good ol' columbia, sc. perfect weather for the field days that both of my schools were having today. i even had a few free moments to run up to the field and watch the middle schoolers galavanting around, racing one another, eating crap food and bouncing on the moon walk thingy. i have to say it was really nice to see the kids actually playing for a chance. i think kids need more time and opportunity to play. i was just lamenting the other day about the lack of playgrounds and recess in middle schools. kids these days are forced to grow up so fast. no wonder they're having sex earlier and participating in risky behavior. they are expected to make adult decisions when their brains are not fully developed and they do not have the capacity to make such decisions. i think that if they just had more time to play, they'd hold on to their youth a little longer and we'd have a much happier, much safer and much better world.

okay, so that's simplifying it just a tad. but still, kids should be able to play, darn-it!

i love my husband. he's so sweet to me, except when he coughs directly into my ear. but, i digress. he brough me handpicked weeds today and put them in a little shot glass of water on the kitchen table. i should add that they were pretty weeds. you know, wild flowers. but it was sweet none-the-less.

redneck golf anyone?

redneck golf3
Originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

so here is brian pimped out for his st. patty's day party. they're playing something they called "redneck golf." i tried to find info on such a "sport" but found none. i think it was perhaps invented for backyard bbq's and drunken events. i have to say, it was fun to watch.

redneck golf2
Originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

redneck golf1
Originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

friends

friends
Originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

from left to right, greg and sara, tony and ingrid at the st. patty's day party.

whad'ya know?

okay, so my mom just called to tell me that the npr radio show whad'ya know? is coming to their house in june!! michael feldmen and his cast and crew are taking a road trip across the country from wisconsin, where the show is taped, to pennsylvania and new jersey to do some shows. they want to stop at houses along the way to have lunch and visit with folks. mom and jim live in cape may, nj, right down the street from the ocean. i guess that's enough of a draw for them to come bc mom got an email saying that they'd like to take her up on the offer to visit. needless to say, i'm taking my own road trip to be in nj for that! word!

elephants

elephants
Originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

have you ever looked at an elephant's foot? i mean, really looked? they're so neat! (sorry you can't see the elephant's feet up close in this picture. but it will make you look closer next time you go to the zoo, or see one in the wild, depending on where you are located.)

great company and great news

what a great weekend! erica and her boyfriend, fuzzy, were here so we had a chance to catch up with them and jot around the city, going to great restaurants and the riverbanks zoo. and, if that was not fun enough, we got some really positive results about chris's dad. the tests showed that whatever is in his lungs and liver is not cancer. they don't know what it is right now. but at least we know that it's not some rapidly growing, inoperable cancer. so thanks all for your prayers and well-wishes!

hug a social worker!

march is social work month. so be sure to hug a social worker.

some days i don't mind my job

i have worked late 2 nights in a row and am completely exhaused and run down. but i just had to blog about the great families in my program this semester. i am coordinating a program called FAST (families and schools together). i tried to make a link from this post, but for whatever reason it's not working. so for more info on FAST check out http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/fast/.

in any event, the families are so great! so many of the kids were referred to this program because they are considered a "problem child" for whatever reason: behavior, grades, attitude, etc. but i'll tell you, the families are really solid. all of these kids have wonderful, dedicated parents/guardians backing them up and working to make a positive difference in the life of these kids. the kids may struggle, but the parents will not let them fail. my job is so easy and so rewarding when all i have to do is get a great group of people together in a room, give them the freedom and ability to network with each other and to create a cooperative community where they can lean on each other and support one another as they do the hardest job in the world--being a parent.

books

so i just added a book to my list under my profile. "reservation blues" by sherman alexie. (thanks anthony for passing it along.) i don't know if i would categorize it as a "good story" exactly. i mean, i enjoyed it but it took some getting used to and it was definitely a strange story. overall, though, the ideas were good and it made excellent points about the plight of native americans.

speaking of books, another i should add eventhough i've not recently read it. "the sparrow" and its sequal "children of god" by mary doria russell. two of the most phenominal books i've ever read. but you have to promise to read the second if you read the first.

i'm now setting off to start reding "flux" by peggy orenstein. (recommended and passed on by michelle. thanks for lending the book and for a fun weekend!) i'm sure i'll give a full report of the book when i'm finished.

a good passage to start the day

hosea 6:1-6. one of the readings for today which i found compelling for some reason.

does life suck, or is it just a conspiracy for me not to complain?

well, i was going to blog about work and how everyone around me generally sucks.

but then we got a call from chris's father. for those who don't know, just a few months ago david (my father-in-law) completed a round of chemotherapy for rectal cancer. this was following major surgery and radiation. david's been great since the end of chemo. he went back to work and the doctor said he was pretty much "cured."

well, not so, as we found out today. he had his first check-up and they think they've found more. this time, all through his lungs and with more in his liver again. the doctors said they'll know more "after more tests" but they think it's safe to say that this may be inoperable.

is it bad to say that this news made me feel not so crappy about my own life? the general "suckiness" of everyone around me pales in comparison. they may suck, but i don't have cancer. and for that i feel blessed. and suddenly, i don't feel the urge to complain about my day anymore.

badminton

what's the deal with badminton? it always looks to me like an incredibly easy sport, but no matter how many times i watch a game as i ride on my stationary bike at the gym, the purpose and rules still allude me. i can never figure out who's winning and when a point is awarded. can the ball thingy (puck?, birdy?) hit the net? or does that forfiet your point? plus, judging by the grunts made by the sweaty players i'm beginning to think i'm missing something.

and who knew that badminton was spelled this way? i always thought it was spelled "badmitton." see i've learned more about the sport already!

Happy March

it's a happy march in the blogging world where i've been named-dropped on several blogs! check out my sister-in-law's boyfriend's blog at fuzzyco.com and my friend sean's blog at paeselblossom.blogspot.com, both of which mentioned my blog today. and see discipleassisi.blogspot.com to see my name in type from a few days past. all this, plus my name up on a marqee on the corner of trenholm and decker blvds in northeast columbia, sc. wow! i've made it. it's big time now!