the annie blog

What revolution are You?
Made by altern_active

No kidding! I could’ve told you that. One of my key words is LSD!! ha-ha!

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1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:
shining in the sunlight. (It’s the end of a paragraph from Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes – I’m teaching it next semester)

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? My gigantic pencil. I have a fat striped pencil that’s about a foot and a half tall. It almost topples over my pencil holder.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
RAW – Wrestling – Mark had it on last night and I sat down beside him for a minute, but then I couldn’t stomach it anymore and had to leave.

4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is.
7:35am

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
7:33am

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
My fan blowing – it’s always freaking hot in my office.

7. When did you last step outside? what were you doing?
I walked from my car to my office this morning.

8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
Yahoo

9. What are you wearing? khakis and an off-white sweater

10. Did you dream last night?
Not that I recall

11. When did you last laugh? In the middle of the night. Mark got out of bed at midnight to sit at the computer and type something that just couldn’t wait till morning. I laughed at him.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
It’s my office – they’re concrete and painted a nasty white that’s aged through the years. I have bulletin boards and stuff. Someday I need to post a picture because my office truly looks like Toys R Us

13. Seen anything weird lately?
This morning. I had McDonald’s for breakfast and pulled up to the speaker and there was an employee standing there. At first I thought the speaking wasn’t working, but no – he was just standing there peeking in everyone’s cars????

14. Last movie you saw?
In the theater? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind At home? Lost in Translation

15. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
a car of some sort?

16. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.
I can put my fist in my mouth

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Magically make all people love each other.

18. Do you like to dance?
Yes

19. George Bush: is he a power-crazy nutcase or someone who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years?
You know me… He’s a nutcase!!!

20. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Tally

21. [Same question for a boy]
Logan

22. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Oh yes!

I got this compliments of Tori.

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Late night blogging.

I was busy all day – not crazy busy, just had stuff to do. I woke up fine this morning even though I suspected I would have a hard time with the three day weekend and all. But I was a good girl and hopped right out of bed. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I had my six month dental check up this afternoon – perfect report. Then tonight after dinner I went for an ice cream run – hot fudge sundae – can you say PMS?

The night just whizzed by. I talked to my mom on the phone, did a little bit of cleaning, and finished up a little homework and suddenly it’s 9:30. I guess that means time to grab my book and get some reading in before bed.

The weather has been so chilly lately. I like it that way though. Just a little nippy is fine by me.

Ok, obviously I’m boring today, so I won’t bore you any longer. Adios!

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It’s Easter and we didn’t do much of anything today. I finished some laundry, napped, finished homework, and we went out for a late breakfast. I had some leftovers for dinner tonight, and Mark will eat later because he’s watching a couple of his students perform in a church play tonight. What a good supportive teacher he is!

So, why am I not at said play? Well, many reasons. I’ve been to this church’s production once before, they are very forceful at this particular church (and I don’t appreciate that), and I’m currently struggling with the whole religion thing right now anyway. Mark is too, but he feels obligated to support his students – understandable. Grab some tea – because I have – this is gonna be a bumpy ride…

Let me see if I can explain what’s going on in my world/head/life right now. I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic grade school, went to mass frequently at school and all the time on weekends. We were very involved in our parish, the church was very familiar to me and very comfortable. Priests and nuns were at our house during holidays – dinners, weekend things, birthdays, you name it. When it was time to go to high school, I could choose the public high school or go to the Catholic one. I chose the public one because my best friend was going there. I wanted to be with her. In high school I still attended mass and was involved with youth group.

Then college came, I went to a state university, and lived in the dorms. That first weekend, I somehow hooked up with a bunch of Catholic kids and we started waking up – hangovers and all- and going to mass on Sunday mornings together. It actually became like a social event for us. My sophomore year I didn’t go to church unless I was home for the weekend. The group of us that used to go to church together had kind of separated. Some were in one dorm, some in sorority houses, some off campus – it just was inconvenient for us all to hook up. My junior year I started dating this guy that just so happened to be Catholic. So, we went to mass all the time together. We did that my junior and senior years. I took a year off after undergrad and worked. I was still dating that guy, but we stopped going to church for some reason that year.

I then moved out of state to attend graduate school. Wonder of wonders, my neighbors in my little apartment just so happened to be Catholic. So, we would go to the Newman Center on campus together, or we would go to the local Catholic church together.

My second year of grad school I started dating Mark. Let me catch you up on his religious life. He was from a Catholic family that never attended mass – he remembers going once in awhile. However, he did go to a Catholic college and began going to mass regularly – partly because that was the rule. He too took a year off after graduating from undergrad and didn’t go to church then. We were in the same grad program and he did not attend mass with me and my friends. When we started dating he would come to church with me once in awhile, but the rest of the time I went alone or with my neighbors.

When we graduated we moved back to my hometown – from there we got an apartment and began attending mass regularly. We were there for 2 years. We then moved to our current town and started going to mass at the local Catholic church. About a year and a half ago, things changed for us…

I called myself Catholic, I attended mass, and I practiced Catholic principles (for the most part) – here’s the kicker – I believed hardly anything the Catholic church taught. I hadn’t believed in their teachings for years, but I just thought you could kind of pick and choose what you wanted to believe and still be a Catholic. Friends that know us would seem shocked when they found out we were Catholic. They would ask if we believed in the teachings and we said No. Then I started to wonder – how come I’ve been going to mass for all these years and saying I was Catholic and didn’t believe hardly anything in the Catholic religion??? Was I Catholic???

Here’s the deal – We are totally liberal. Stop reading now if you’re gonna think differently of me – I am pro-choice, I am pro gay marriage, I want gun control, I believe in the separation of church and state, I have no problem with birth control – it needs to be more available actually, I have no problem with pre-marital sex, and I also believe in God. But, notice how lots of those things go against the church?? It just finally dawned on us that we really weren’t Catholics – Catholics in the sense of practicing what the church teaches.

So, we started our search for a church nearby that believed what we believed. Let me remind you that we live in a town of 12,000. Now, let me remind you that we also live in the Bible Belt. Guess what? There’s nothing within an hour and a half of us. So, we don’t go to church anymore. We pray before our meals, we pray before bed, we give thanks many times during the day, we read Bible passages before bed, and we truly believe in God. But we don’t believe what most of the churches in the nation teach. It’s times like this I wish we lived in a more populated area so we would have access to like-minded people and be able to worship in a place that believes what we believe.

Mark and I judge no one. We don’t believe in it. We think everyone should have the opportunity for love and happiness – however, I guess we’re in the minority around here. So – that’s why I’m not at the church play tonight. They are a pretty strict church, and I just don’t feel comfortable there.

So, this Easter we didn’t go to a church – we wanted to. We would love to worship with others in a like-minded environment, but that ain’t gonna happen here. So, we stay at home – we worship in our own way – but it’s still a little sad that we have no place to go….

I have kind of felt like blogging about this for a long time because it’s such a major part of our lives right now. We feel kind of lost. I figured Easter was a fine time to write about this. I hope no one is majorly offended or anything, but I think a lot of people can identify with these issues now days, at least I think they can…

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It is just a rainy, rainy cold day today. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same minus the rain. So, it won’t be a sunny Easter. That’s ok, because we don’t have any plans.

Last night was an adventure. We went to the high school production because Mark is recruiting a couple of the kids. This place is like 40 minutes away. Mark knew some kind of short cut through back roads to get there. So, we took it and wonder of wonders he actually got us there. Now, getting out of this LONG production we started to head back the same way. But, I, in my infinite wisdom, was reading the signs and determined that instead of turning where we did originally we should go straight because it would eventually take us to a highway and we wouldn’t have to be on dark country roads. So, he took it, but the moment he took it he said, “This is a huge mistake.” Which it was. We started driving and suddenly were heading north – we needed to go south. We lost all the signs meaning we were driving deeper and deeper into country territory. So, in the middle of this country road, I fessed up that I was obviously wrong. Mark spun the car around – and I mean spun – he was pissed! Heading back we couldn’t find the place where we were supposed to turn. We were now heading East – not good. Mark is slapping the steering and saying my name over and over. Finally he announces that no matter what he’s taking the next right. So, the very next right was this gravel road. He turned on it and we headed down to no-man’s land. There wasn’t a building in site – plus there were no fences – usually there are fences because people are keeping in livestock. We drove about 10 minutes before we finally saw a house! We eventually came up to an intersection – mind you, we weren’t talking this whole time because Mark is still pissed. The road we intersected was paved! Glory days! We turned on it and felt much better about being on a paved road in the middle of nowhere rather than on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. We drove and drove. We could see where we should be because the lights of the town were in the sky. But we just couldn’t get there – frustrating. After much driving we suddenly popped out on the highway?!?! I breathed a huge sigh of relief! I tried to talk, but Mark still wasn’t having any of it. See, we had reservations at the restaurant for 10:15 – it was 11 before we made it there. We know the people so we called and told them we were running mighty late. After Mark had sipped on his first beer for awhile he was finally able to talk. He looked at me and shook his head saying, “Next time we’re following my directions.” I agreed. I had totally messed up. Usually I’m pretty well on the money with directions. Luckily I didn’t drink with dinner because the rumor going around the restaurant was that there were sobriety check points all over. So, I drove home – the last thing we wanted was for this night to get even worse. Luckily we didn’t run in to anything.

We got home around 1 and I went right to bed. This afternoon we need to get some stuff done around the house and I have homework to do. We also have to see ANOTHER high school play tonight, but this one is in town. Thank goodness, I don’t think I can get us lost this time.

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1. What do you do for a living? I am a college professor. I teach a variety of communications classes. Classes that have been on my schedule since I’ve taught here have been: Acting I, Improvisation I and II, Seminar in Shakespeare, Poetry and Drama, English Comp I and II, Comparative Humanities I and II, Theatre Appreciation, Intro to Mass Communications, Intro to Leadership, College Orientation, Public Speaking, and Western Civilization I and II. I only teach about 15 hours a semester, so I have a variety during my semesters.

2. What do you like most about your job? I like the freedom of teaching college kids. I really don’t have to stick to a schedule, it’s very free-form. Discussion tends to be great because the majority of these kids want to be in these classes since most of what I teach is for majors only. I like seeing new ideas come across their faces. I also love the schedule – who can argue with summers off?

3. What do you like least about your job? Probably nit-picky stuff, like my office location. Or the fact we get no snow days. Ugh, in-service is always a necessary evil.

4. When you have a bad day at work it’s usually because _____… A student has argued with me about a grade. That’s hard because I don’t give grades, they earn them. All I really do is add up the points and what they get is what they get. However, there are some kids that think that point values should mean nothing. Just having the pleasure of looking at their face in class should garner at least an A. Some kids are arrogant – they jammed in high school, but they’re struggling here. Sorry folks, it’s a different ballgame. I also can’t stand it when kids have their mommies and daddies call me. Grow up! This isn’t grade school. Luckily, according to the law, I do not have to say a word to the parents – if the kid’s over 18 there’s nothing they can do – even if the parents are paying the bills. Cool law huh? Parents don’t think so though.

5. What other career(s) are you interested in? I am an animal freak – I wouldn’t mind working as a vet, or a writer, or making crafts professionally. I could also work at a crafty place, or even a bookstore.

That’s my Friday Five folks.

Today is Friday and it seems like Saturday to me since we have no school. I slept in till 10. Mark is on his way back from Oklahoma City and we will have lunch when he gets back. I’m anxious to see how his trip went. I hope the weather holds up because we’re supposed to see a high school production tonight. We’re supposed to get thunderstorms – and this time of year, who knows what they could turn into. So, we’ll watch the TV for clues.

I stayed up last night and crafted some, then went to bed and read till my little eyes were closing. I have homework I need to do today, but I’m in the crafting mood. So, I’ll tell myself that I can only craft if I get my homework done. Sounds good to me.

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I think Mark made it to Oklahoma City ok. He called when he was about an hour outside of the city, but I haven’t heard from him since, and that was about 6 hours ago. I’m sure he’s busy. He better call tonight, or I’ll seriously start stressing.

Went to quilting class tonight and got tons done! I may even grab some fabric and plunk down in front of the TV. I don’t have that much to cut – ok, yes I do – but I figure I can do it and watch something at the same time. We recently got Digital Cable and I am in love with two stations. The Independent Film Station and the Sundance Station. I love indy movies, foreign movies, creative stuff like that just sweeps me in. So, I could possibly get tons done if there’s an awesome movie on.

Ok, gonna get going. I get to sleep in tomorrow!! No work. Three day weekend! Yippie!

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If I were a pimp I’d be:

Ghetto Fabulous Frank Silk

Get your pimp name here.

Tuesday was an odd day. There was some drama at work. I won’t go into it now, I need it to all blow over before I blog about it – just in case. I’m kind of in trouble, so I’m keeping a low profile and trying to be PC about everything right now. It’s nothing MAJOR – it’s caused by me though. I kept checking my work email and work voicemail last night at home to see if anyone was wanting to talk to me. Luckily I think it’s all over for now… Keep our fingers crossed.

Yesterday, Mark and I went grocery shopping – finally! I counted. It’s been a little over three weeks since we last went. There wasn’t much in the house. In fact, lunch the other day was a packet of oatmeal. Now, I have oatmeal for lunch many times, but I have it because I want it, not because it’s the only thing left. So, since the kitty was almost out of food we decided to shop. I won’t go into our purchases or how much we spent – don’t want to create drama.

Speaking of kitty – this morning, while I was getting dressed she was in my bathroom making some noise. I kind of ignored it – when I came around the corner she had unraveled the toilet paper from the roll and shredded it all over the place. I stared at it and decided to clean it up when I get home tonight. Mercy she’s a busy kitty at 6:30 in the morning. How does she do it? I can barely get my leg in my pants without falling down, and she’s having playtime. Must be nice.

Markie leaves tomorrow for Oklahoma City. A college is putting on one of his plays and he wants to be there. I’m not going because I have class and because we’re going to be gone next weekend overnight and I don’t want to leave the kitty alone that much. We talked to the director – we know her – she’s an alumni – and she said her actors are nervous about the playwright being in the audience. I laughed. I imagine they are stressed, I would be too. Performing the playwright’s work in front of him??? But at the same time, it’s just plain ole Markie. No biggie. But they don’t know that. We have off on Friday so I’ll go to class on Thursday then stay up late and read and sleep in on Friday morning. Hubby should be home around lunch time on Friday, then we can let our long weekend begin.

Actually we have some plans for our Easter weekend. Friday night we need to travel to a nearby high school to watch their play – it’s a recruiting necessity for Mark. Then Saturday night we watch another high school production – again, a recruiting thing. Watching some high school productions is like pulling teeth. Let’s hope these are better than that.

Ok, gonna keep my nose to the grindstone and behave today!

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Got this from Ilona.

If I were a month I would be: September
If I were a day of the week I would be: Sunday
If I were a time of day I would be: Afternoon
If I were a planet I would be: Mars
If I were a sea animal I would be: Sea Horse
If I were a direction I would be: North
If I were a piece of furniture I would be: an ottoman
If I were a sin I would be: Gluttony
If I were a historical figure I would be: William Shakespeare
If I were a liquid I would be: hot tea
If I were a tree I would be: a willow
If I were a flower/plant I would be: a hosta
If I were a kind of weather I would be: cloudy and chilly
If I were a musical instrument I would be: a piano
If I were an animal I would be: A cat
If I were a color I would be: blue
If I were a vegetable I would be: an avocado
If I were a sound I would be: purring
If I were an element I would be: Gold
If I were a car I would be: a Jeep
If I were a song I would be: “Your Song” by Ray Charles
If I were a movie I would be directed by: Roman Polanski
If I were a book I would be written by: Emily Dickinson
If I were a food I would be: spaghetti
If I were a place I would be: a small town in South Dakota
If I were a material I would be: flannel
If I were a taste I would be: Semi-sweet
If I were a scent I would be: coffee
If I were a word I would be: galoshes
If I were an object I would be: a book
If I were a body part I would be: Ears
If I were a facial expression I would be: expressionless
If I were a cartoon character I would be: Tweety bird
If I were a shape I would be: Round
If I were a number I would be: 3

That was fun!

Last night we had our comedy show – it went ok. We had some good moments and some not-so-good moments. That’s to be expected though. Our audience was small because of the championship game last night. Which, by the way, I lost. I had money on Georgia Tech – so now I have to pay up.

This afternoon we’re leaving a little early and heading for a late lunch and a little shopping. Tonight I have cleaning that I must do. Then I hope to relax a little bit and perhaps go to bed a little early. Wouldn’t that be lovely? Actually I’d love to start my book and read before bed. Bliss!

I just read on my cat-a-day calendar that 40% of pet owners carry pictures of their pets in their wallets. I do! Do you??

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