Ahoy hoy??

Alright, it's been awhile, I apologize. I've been lazy and otherwise caught up in real life. thanks.

Christmas was GREAT. I got to go home and see my parents, my brother was home from NYC, and I got to see my cats!! Yay!! I also got to see friends from college and friends from high school...and I realized that you guys are seriously the coolest. I know I always say it, but really...I had no idea. Thank you for being so bitchin'!!

Now I'm back in Wisconsin, back to work, and back in the stress of things. Such is life. Now I miss my family and I miss my friends, but somehow, some way, it's good to be here (although I want my car). Oh-so-frightening.

I really need to go to sleep, but I just wanted to write a little. I don't know how many people actually read this, but I am still alive!!

Currently listening to: Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree (I am SO punk...)
Currently Reading: Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande...damn interesting!!

Hope everyone's HOLIDAYS were faaabulous!

Ambulances and Africa

Okay, mark it down...today was the day the world (aka...the clinic) pooped on Emily and did not wipe. It actually wasn't so bad, just very stressful. I got to call the ambulance (which turned out to be the WRONG thing; what we really needed was a med team..OH, well DUH...of course...neer!!) cuz one of our patients was hypotensive and in SVT (read: her heart wasn't doin so well at all and she was about to drop and hit the floor), so that was exciting. That was just in the morning. In the afternoon, our ER doctor didn't show up to staff with the resident there and my boss had to leave for an emergency, so it was me...the resident...and the patients...oh dear LORD almighty. How we get through these things without killing someone, I don't know.

Tonight, a recruitment rep from Global Missions (part of the ELCA) at the head church office in Chicago came to Milwaukee to talk to us about opportunities to go abroad and do missions work. It was really interesting to hear about what she did (she was in Egypt) and we got free dinner at Beans 'N' Barley, which is a pretty kick-ass restaurant. Hurray! I've narrowed my choices down to Kenya, Egypt, or India. ;) Maybe....

Anyway, that's all the excitement. Top 'o the evenin' to ye.

Me...posing as a reindeer. Tricky, I know.
by emily

Slightly odd, yes, but wicked cool. Luckily I wasn't wearing very flammable clothing ;)
by emily

"Hope" is the thing with Feathers--(254)

"Hope" is the thing with feathers--
That perches in the soul--
And sings the tune without the words--
And never stops--at all--

And sweetest--in the Gale--is heard--
And sore must be the storm--
That could abash the little Bird--
That kept so many warm--

I've heard it in the chillest land--
And on the strangest Sea--
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb--of Me.

--Emily Dickinson

I first read this poem in high school and I couldn't get past the image of a pudgy, little fluffed-up bird, hummering (yes, hummering...those sounds you get when you blow bubbles in water in the bathtub) away, even through winds and rain. Sing on, little birdy, sing on.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The craptacular weather that I'm so used to back in North Dakota has now infiltrated my sphere of Wisconsin....gaaah! I love the snow, I really do. People I work with keep blaming me for bringing bad weather with me. Fine, go ahead. Bwaaahahahhaaaa....

I went to visit Brooke in Chicago last weekend and it was fantastical. Chicago and Milwaukee aren't so far apart, but they're so completely different. Mucho wacko. The biggest difference I saw (besides more people) was the fact that everyone in Chicago uses the bus system, because my life revolves around public transportation. Rich, poor, black, white...everybody is on the bus!! In Milwaukee, the bus is for poor people, for the majority. It's almost embarassing to say, but it's more relaxing riding the bus in Chicago knowing you're not going to be the only relatively well-dressed 'white girl' on the bus. Shame on me, but it's true! LVC has made me paranoid.

It was crazy snowy and windy while I was there, but still perty-like. I'm really jealous that you're so close to so much stuff, Brooke!!! Not that I have any money to spend on 'stuff', anyway, but still! And your apt is so cute!! We went to see Harry Potter (finally!)..Yay, Harry Pot-tah (British accent, people..work with me) and we also attended a holiday bash for Brooke's grad school. Open bar, my ass...one drink over a period of 3 hours does not fall within the definition of open bar. Oh, well...they had great hors doeurves...mmm...horse dooovers. I also got up early on Saturday to treat Brooke to one of my favorite city delicacies...Dunkin' Donuts! Mmm...scrumptious. Somehow, the strawberry frosted just weren't as I remembered them. We also listened to the Sioux-Gopher series on the radio and had a smashing good time. yaaay!! OH, yeah...Brooklyn, I left my cheese in your fridge! Go ahead and eat that Gouda. Oh, gosh...my snow globe, too!! Merry Christmas to you! And, of course, I brought my camera and didn't take any pictures. Well, freakin' a.

Finally...I'm going home for Christmas!! I'm so excited!!! Never did I think North Dakota would be so damn enticing. I get to see my cats and some friends..oh yeah, my parents and my brother, Ross, too. It'll actually be great to see Ross; I haven't seen him since August when I left for Seattle. I'm taking the train home this Sunday...4 days!.. (I'm leaving a day early so Brooke and I can ride home together!)and I was gonna get a ride back to Milwaukee the day after Christmas with my family, because they wanted to come visit my oldest brother, Ben. Turns out that's not going to happen anymore, so I'm kinda scrambling to find a way back to Milwaukee since I need to be back to work on the 27th. Joy of all joys. Anybody wanna drive me to Milwaukee? HUH??? Yeah, didn't think so. Something will work itself out. Always does. And I will take pictures at home, really.

This week is kinda busy, cuz I have to get everything ready for next week. Really, they're gonna fall apart without me there..haa haa...I'm gonna try my darndest to not worry about work while I'm home. I really just need to get out of here, have a real break from this for awhile (although I did get a hug from a patient today...hee hee).

I admit, Christmas songs can be pretty cheesy, but there really is no place like home for the holidays.

Work

I realized today, as I hung up one phone line (I was on hold for 2 minutes and counting with this pharmaceutical company) so that I could pick up another, that in some ways, I, aspiring life-saver (haa...I like the orange ones), am a glorified receptionist. YES!! My dreams have been realized!!!

Okay, I exaggerate. I do a lot more than answer phones, but really, sometimes, the phones and scheduling drive me nuts...too much ringing!! whew..now that I have that off of my chest...life can go on. In high-pitched lady-like voice: "Hello, Bread of Healing Clinic, this is Emily, how can I help you??" AAHHHHhhhh!!!!! Make it go away!

Work was long today. It went alright, but it was a full day and I was tired. I complain too much. This post sucks. I need to go to work tomorrow. And answer the phone.

Pretty Christmas decorations in the big city. OH Christmas Tree...(sing it with me....)
by emily

Periodic table in a 3-D helix form! Wooo!! Science nerds a-hoy!!
by emily

Cooper at the Space/Flight gift shop at the Museum of Science and Industry....fat man in a little cooaatt....
by emily

My old neighborhood! Hurray!!!
by emily

So, you see those buildings way, way, way in the distance?? Do ya?? Do ya see 'em?? That, my friends, is where we STARTED walking...haaaa!! oh man, we suck. Grant Park to Hyde Park..it's all in a day's work.
by emily

So we went on this really, REALLY ridonkulously long walk...and Cooper had to make a little pit stop. At..dun dun duuuunnnn..THE DROP ZONE. baahhhh!!!
by emily

Cooper and Eric in the strange ball-thingy. Yessss!
by emily

{insert angelic singing here}...it's Mecca, it's Mecca!! Okay, it's really Soldier Field. Know your Chicago landmarks. DA Bears!
by emily

SNOW!!

As is my custom, it's been awhile since I've written. Big surprise, I know, you're shocked. Deal with it. Thanksgiving was actually great, besides the whole not being at home part. I spent practically the whole day with my brother's wife's family in Oak Creek, WI, and it was mostly delightful, indeed. We played board games and card games (it's actually been awhile; who knew these things could be such a blast?)..have you ever played Sequence??? If you haven't, you must!!...and ate lots of good food. Eat like you'll never see the light of day again, kids!! And here come the stomach pains...

This led to uncomfortable momento #1: Apparently they have a tradition in their family where the youngest person at the table says grace before the meal. Lo and behold, that duty fell to yours truly. Technically, Stevie was the youngest, but I don't think he was exactly up to the task (unless you want to him recite all of the trains and their colors from Thomas the Train...brilliant kid, really). So...hello, awkwardness!! Of course, being a pastor's kid and having heard many a before-meal prayer, I knocked the socks off of all present, but geesh...could ya give me some advance warning next time? Really.

It was good to play with Stevie and to have a place to go for Thanksgiving, too. Plus, we found out that another Arthur will be gracing the world with its presence come next June!!! Yaaaay, baby!! This little nugget is due about 6 days before Stevie J's birthday, so let's hope they're far enough apart to ward off any birthday jealousy. I'm excited. Just between you and me, I do hope it's a girl! :)

Let's see, what else?? Well! I took the Amtrak (loooove the train! Greyhound buses can kiss my patootie!) to Chicago on the Friday after Thanksgiving to meet up with Cooper, Eric, and Sarah, who were 'vacationing' in the grand city for the holidays. I woke my sorry butt up at 4-freakin-30 to get on the city bus and go down to the Amtrak station to catch the 6:15 train. NOT a delightful experience. Geh. We had a great time, though. Well, other than, uh, walking about 8 miles. Seriously. I'm not exaggerating. We were a little, let's say, mixed up, about where a certain attraction was. HAAAAA...oh, LORD! Best time ever. It was really good to see familiar faces and to get to hang out for a little while. I took the train back that same night and didn't get into Milwaukee until around 10:00 cuz there was some stupid delay. Of all the people, it just had to be me, right? Of course. Sooo, I missed my bus and had to wait around outside for half an hour for the next one. Amtrak people are heartless bitches.

I also made a pumpkin pie last weekend, to curb the withdrawals I was going through. Although I burned the crust the first time. This caused much stress and panic. I think I called my mom about 4 times (sorry, Mom). And I finally decorated my room with Christmas lights. Very festive. I was going for the Griswald Family Christmas-style lighting, but figured under our 'simple' conditions, that wouldn't go over so well. Still, you may be able to pick out our house when flying over Milwaukee. AAhhh..great.

So I had an excitement-filled Turkey Day weekend. It was hard to go back to work on Monday, but I survived this week, just as I have all the rest. But, of course, our job is never done. Just keep trudgin' along. OH, man...I went with one of my roommates to Target yesterday for the first time in 2 1/2 months and it was grand!! I really don't think I can explain how excited I was to be at Target...without money to spend. heh...cruel and unusual joke, is what that is. So how did I handle it? That's right, folks...I spend money, anyway! Woot. It was fun. And not simple. Hmmm...fun = not simple. Coincidence? I think not...bah ha haaa...kidding. Simple can be fun. When Target is not involved. We also hit up a church bazaar (yeah, church!) at the Quaker place! How bazaar was it, you ask? HHHAAAA...eh. Well, it was dandy, anyway.

And finally to the point of my post...it snowed!! Yay! So beautiful, yet such a pain when on foot. And that's it about that. You thought there was more about the snow? Life's disappointing like that, huh?

DA Bears won today!! 8 in a row! Knock on wood, baby. Must go watch movie now...Polar Express. Gettin in the mood for the holidays. Or something.

Just hafta say, my friends are seriously wicked. I miss you guys!! Mucho love to all.

Turkey Day is almost here

well well well..it's that time of year again. the holidays are upon us. woot woot. bah humbug, i say! lol...well, not really, but some people get so excited you just wanna smack 'em upside the head with a 2X4. or maybe that's just me. anyway, I love the holidays as much as the next person, but when you get off of work where you've just had a woman saying the f-word repeatedly (in a church, mind you!) and listened to a man argue for 25 minutes about getting his medications, all the while holding up the rest of your patients, making them pissed off, you just wanna come home, crawl into some pj's and bash your head against the wall. You do not want to paste a fake smile on your face and play "nicey-nice" with someone's relatives thrice-removed. Just call me Scrooge.

Maybe I'm just mad because I'm not going home for Thanksgiving. Nothing beats an Arthur Thanksgiving (haaaa!!), but it might be better this way...my mom usually makes a trazillion pumpkin pies and that's all I do is sit around and eat them all weekend...oh, how great! Instead, I get to spend turkey day w/ my brother's in-laws, which is very nice of them indeed (to invite me and put up with my introverted-ness). It is awkward to hang around with someone else's family on a typically family-oriented day, but what the hey...live a little, huh? Stevie J-bomber will be there, too, so all is well.

On a lighter note, I baked a pumpkin yesterday night so now my house is the proud owner of about 4 lbs of pumpkin 'flesh', as the cookbook says (eeew...pumpkins do not have flesh...that's just grody). If you love the squashy-type foods, come on over, we'll have a hay day!!

This post is very mental. I think my brain is shorting out.

Our view for 20 minutes of the 3.5-hr ride home...
by emily

hey! it's a fence..and a tree.
by emily

the dot day house!! last day of retreat...muy pooped! L-R: laura, tory, me, amanda, jill. we all look slightly crazy, but that's alright. we're kind of a big deal.
by emily

LVC..all about reading and playing the gee-tar.
by emily

the trail we climbed up...it's a lot steeper than it looks. also inhabited by wild turkeys. no joke. gobble gobble, people, then run like heck...
by emily

oooh..pretty! wisconsin has trees! and hills!!
by emily

Tory and Jill...uh...I don't really know what they're doing. Yea, nature!
by emily

This is one of my housies, Jill, drivin to retreat (love that Milwaukee traffic in the background!)...I just won't tell her I'm putting this up on the web!!! LOVE the glasses.
by emily

Retreatin' it

So I thought I was really, really gonna hate going on our fall midwest retreat (all the volunteers from milwaukee, chicago, and minneapolis/st. paul--about 40 people--get together and, well, retreat and stuff) in the middle of nowhere, wisco, but I had a great time!! Sure, it sucked talking a lot and having to discuss, discuss, discuss the whole weekend, but I re-met (after meeting them at orientation in august) some pretty awesome people--I was an extroverted introvert!!--and got to relax a little bit, too. Played an awesome game of spoons (I have the carpet burn to prove it!), went hiking, got to relax in the sauna followed by running around in the frigid midnight air (it's really cool when the steam is rising off your body!--although this could account for my stuffy nose and sore throat), read a lot, and played some mean foosball.

It was just really good to be reminded that other people are doing this, too, and that they have the same struggles I do. It was also really neat to hear ideas about how to live simply or how to be a better community from some of the other houses. LVC is schweeeet. :D

Going back to work today after five days of retreating was pretty ugh. It actually really sucked and that's all I have to say about that. (thumbs down) I gotta get to bed, hope everyone's having a grand old time in their little corner of the world.

Highlight of my day: I got to listen to my beloved UND Sioux Crew Bball band tonight (and how I miss them!)...thanks Drewsef...you made my day! :D :D You're awesome.

My chub chub nugget pants!! He's such a cutie patoot!! I love my nephew! And random side-note: Happy Berfday to my brother, benny!!
by emily

And the toned-down costume for the nephew..."cat" is always a safe bet. I forgot my tail, though!!
by emily

Another one of the props I used for my "dead girl" Halloween costume. That's right..the men were flocking to my side ;)
by emily

This is Stevie J "Curious George" and my oldest brother, Ben, "The Man in the Yellow Hat" trick-or-treatin'....supa fly!!
by emily

Gosh, this is really creepy, but you can't really see the bruises that well. I'm so weird.
by emily

and the procrastination continues

Funny how you never can break yourself of some habits. Procrastination..it's my game and I'm freakin good at it, bitches (meant in the nicest way possible and to no one in particular, of course). Pulling all-nighters in high school was probably too common and I think I even did a few in college. I'm way too old for that stuff now ;), but I seem to pull the best work out of my rear when my head is throbbing and I'm so tired I can't really see straight. YeS!! That's how it should be done. So, back to my point...the procrastination does not cease once the schooling years are through, my friends. I am now a 'professional volunteer' and it still haunts me!! We have this retreat this weekend where we have to present our 'covenant': what we hope to get out of this year as a house/community and what our community promises to one another. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but we have to present it to the rest of the people at retreat (about 40 other LVC'ers) and it's gotta be creative. Soooo....here I am, at almost midnight (this is truly early by most standards, I realize) painting a huge circle on a cut up curtain we found upstairs...haaa!! This is great. I almost feel back in my element again, which is really, really scary.

Our theme has to deal with footprints, so I'm pretty excited about putting paint on my feet and stomping around on a piece of fabric. What a riot.

Then we have to make breakfast for everyone and provide food at other times and of course we put this off til the last minute, too. Grand! And I'm always the one trying to keep the other girls in this house on track..Lord, that's frightening. This from the girl who can entertain herself for hours by cutting out things from magazines and pasting them on paper. And the end is in sight....

There's a line in The Life of Pi that says, "Without a driver, this bus is lost". Well, I'm sorry to say it, but I think our driver is a bit tanked and really needs to pull over. They never said this year would be easy, and that is becoming more and more apparent with each passing day. Someday we'll get our crap together. Everybody loves a good challenge, right?

I just wanna thank everybody who continues to listen to me complain and carry on about all of my troubles..I couldn't stay [somewhat] sane without you guys and I love you ubermuch! And to Brooke....thank you for what you wrote. Our friendship, through all its ghast ugliness (yeah, we've been there!) and its ow!!ow!! hotness (hee hee..) is really something. Gosh, we're crazy lunatics! Gertie would be so proud. :D Love you, ma'am!

Oh, to be cultured..

I haven't written for awhile, but with good reason. Okay, not really. I just haven't had time. I've been really busy with work and trying to be simple and a community with my housies. It takes a lot of work to be simple, lemme tell ya. Kinda sucks that way.

Work is pretty good...I'm almost to the point where I can draw blood by myself..still learning. So watch out....cover your veins when you see me coming (I may need to practice on you...)!!!!

I went to a house party in Kenosha with one of my roommies last weekend (her boss had a party), and it was pretty fun. Lots of strange people, however...my fav costumes had to the the 6'6" drag queen and the homemade Transformer (woot!!) I went dressed as a dead girl...borrowed some props from the clinic where i work: a hospital gown, some bandages, and iv tubing....nifty place for halloween accessories ;) I had fake blood, bruises, the works...I'll have to post a pic on here. I'll get right on that. Perhaps. Then we came back to Milwaukee and went to this bar/bowling alley/arcade called the Landmark. It was a pretty rockin' place, although the showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show next door kinda took the cake. AND we had our first "big city" celebrity sighting: Amos Lee was bowling at the Landmark!! Now, for those of you who have no clue, Amos Lee is a singer and he's a pretty darn good bowler ;) One of the gals I was with is a huge fan and just had to go up and say hi; he was super nice about it and seemed genuinely appreciative of our "crazed fan" status..lol.

On Sunday, I got to go trick-or-treating with my nephew, Steven...he was Curious George and my brother, Ben, was the man in the yellow hat...sooo cute!! I had a really good time. Aunt Embly (as he calls me) got props for bringing along glow sticks...woot woot. I dressed up as a cat (figured the whole dead girl bit wouldn't go over so well with a two-year old) and was quite unsure how to dress up and NOT get candy..hmm...

I went to a Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra/Symphony Chorus concert this afternoon. My boss had an extra ticket and invited me along, so it was fun to 'go out on the town'! The concert was awesome...they performed The Song of the Nightingale, which had a narrator and was quite whimsical, and after the intermission they did Carmina Burana!!! Hurray! The opening note is just awesome and the whole movement just makes you wanna go out and kick some major rear.. whoop whoop!! I had a grand time! Downtown Milwaukee is pretty cool :)

Anyway, work is work and life is life. Just keepin' on. We have an LVC midwest retreat we have to go to this weekend, so there's a lot of prep for that. I'm just afraid it will be a lot of sitting around and talking about how we feel...ugh! How droll. I hate that.

I realize that I miss you all and life isn't the same without the craziness...soo..you RoCK!!!!! I'll write more later.

Maybe it's seasonal affective disorder

I am in a funk, and what a grand funk it is (railroad excluded...haa haaaaa...eh). I'm convinced it's because I've come to the realization that my job is hard and it'll continue to be hard...and it's such a long road. Health care is supposed to be this great enterprise, centered around caring for and helping people, but when you get down to the dirt, it can be a corrupt and complicated business...far more than I ever would have imagined.

I think I'm slowly starting to lose sight of those little things, the small joys in life that need to be held close. Without those, a person can go crazy. Perhaps a good nap will help.

The weather is getting drearier by the day. But I really do like winter, the cold, the snow. I went running with one of my housemates today and it was wonderful to breathe in the cool fall air, to feel it fill my lungs with its harshness. Have you ever held a breath of cold air, let it resonate in your chest? It's crisp and refreshing, which is how it felt to be running outside. Even though it was damp and drizzling, it was awesome. Until my shins started to complain in a way that hampered my running...aaah! Shin transplants...hmm...it's an idea.

We finally broke down and turned the heat on in our 'simple' house. :P What a joy not to have frozen toes!

My parents were in town this past week, watching Stevie J(my nephew), so I got in some good quality family time. It was very good to see them, but maybe being thrown back into that familiarity started tugging at my heartstrings...how I want to be surrounded by inviting faces and people who know me, rather than questioning looks on the street and general assumptions about who I am as a person.

Life is what you make of it, so I better get building. I'm having trouble right now, everything flying around me, ideas and dreams running circles in my head. I'm trying too hard to get to the 'destination', wherever that may be. Time to revert to the old crazy self and just let things go. Sounds like a plan, huh?

I cut my bangs myself tonight (sounded very simple), and I think it went alright. Nothing too askew, anyway. I just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and it's an excellent read! Very thought-provoking and meaningful. Read it!! I'm sure some lines from it will turn up on here sooner or later. I'm onto A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith next. I think once upon a time I heard something good about this book, so I figured what the heck; I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm infatuated with books and libraries. I can wander the aisles for hours, scanning the shelves for interesting subjects or titles, trying to choose which one I'll read next. Knowledge is power. Or I'm just a bookworm.

I've rambled long enough, time to go.

Pictures!!!

Either Tyler's gonna direct, or it's chicken dance time, people....yowza!

Me and Jamie..gosh darn, we look good!

Aahhh haaa haaa...Benny!!

Saxomaphoners! Woot woot!!

This is great...you're such a dork. too much, too much!!

Tut tut..looks like, uh...fall?

The weather here is just nuts! About a week ago it was 80 for a few days, and now it's decided to get colder. The temps have been averaging about 50, which really isn't all that cold, I realize (back home in ND there's snow already!), but it sure feels freezing! Being the simple-minded LVC'ers that we are, we refuse to turn on our heat til absolutely necessary. With wood floors and lots of windows, I think our house is a personal Artic wasteland right now...we're talking group jumping jacks to warm up, folks. That's right...just drive by and you'll see a bunch of crazy girls jumping around the living room, doing laps around the kitchen...how wonderful!! And being that I have to sit outside to get a wireless signal, my hands are not very happy with me at all. Something must be done about this. Guess we'll wait and see.

I got to go home to Grand Forks last weekend for homecoming there...gooo Sioux!! The football team is still whomping on every opponent (knock on wood), so that's awesome. If they make it to Alabama again, I may just have to finaggle my way down there..
It was awesome to be home again!!! Nothing like being surrounded by good friends and all things familiar :D It felt great. The Greyhound bus ride (all 7 glorious hours!) was even tolerable, knowing that I was gonna see all my friends. :) The leaves are changing, too, so the scenery was gorgeous. I got to hang out with my bandinos again and play a saxomaphone (Thanks, Jamie!!!), go to the Rex (me and Coop ran a wicked 5-K...haaaa!!), and see my roomie Erin again! It was awwweeesome to see everybody...you guys are the coooolest!!!!!

At the same time, though, it really felt kind of weird. How is it that I was at home and back in my comfort zone, but I still felt out of place? Don't get me wrong; being home is this great feeling that you can feel from your head to your toes. But I'm connected to somewhere different now and I feel pulled here, cuz I know I have work to do (saving the world, that is.. :P). Could it be that I'm...gasp!!...growing up?? Eeekk! I dare say not! I wanted things to feel the same and be the same as they were before I moved to the good land, but I just couldn't do it. Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to cram months and months of hanging out into 2 1/2 little days...I think that stressed me out a little more than I thought it would. Oh, the contradictions that must be faced. Life is strange. Why, oh why?

Woe is me, yadda yadda...back to the craziness...the clinic is the clinic. I'm starting to get a little more familiar with everything, but it still hits me sometimes...this work we're doing. I made someone's day (go me!) by noticing on her chart that it was her birthday, so little things like that keep me pumped up, when the utter crappiness of our health care system rears its ugly head. I went to a new church today with my friend, Jeff, and I guess everyone is waiting til the last possible moment to turn on the heat, cuz the church was freezing, too! I just can't get away from it. There were a lot of babies in church and they were all super cute, so that put a smile on my face. :D yaaay, babies! We also went to a cool little coffee shop after church and their chai tea was excellent. Come visit...we'll go hang out :)

The leaves are falling and my fingers are freezing, so I'm headed back inside. Talk to you soon!

So, I'm starting to get busier, which means that I suck in keeping up with my blogging. I'll write more later, really...I just wanted to throw this at ya...the Dorothy Day - Dot Day or DD (double d!!!) - House (me, tory, amanda, jill, and laura...from the left) during orientation in Seattle. I don't particularly care for this picture, and we're all much cuter in person ;), but for now, this will do. Much love to everyone.

well, let's see....

I do believe I'm starting to get used to this place. I'm not so sure if that's good or bad. Good, for the fact that I can stop freaking out now (okay, okay, I'll at least cut my freakage down to about 3 times a week..I couldn't possibly go cold turkey), but bad for the fact that...um, is there a 'bad'? I do like the excitement of a new place, getting to explore and do new things, but there is something so great about feeling comfy and at home, being able to call someone up and know that they're a few blocks or miles away, instead of hundreds.

There's much to do in this bustling little city they call the good land ;) We went to a kite festival down by Lake Michigan this weekend, which, all in all, for being a kite festival, was pretty damn cool. I hafta say, rollerblading by the lake is wicked, whether or not a buttload of kites are flying in the air around you. We also got invited to a block party by a guy at church...very homey, family-type atmosphere, which was actually pretty great. And free food can never be beaten while on a tight budget. Saturday night, we went to a house party...and I was taken back to my childhood. For all of you Winnie the Pooh fans, you'll remember the scene where Owl is falling out of his house (when the tree is tipping over)...well, that's what I felt like at this party. These two guys (friends of one of my housemates) live on the 2nd floor of a house, which is harmless and all...until you walk from the kitchen to the living room...dear Lord, the floor is slanted!! At a much irregular angle! Lol...I was a little freaked out for awhile there, imagining myself just sliding right off the edge. Now I know what you're thinking, I may have consumed a little bit too much of the alcoholic beverages...but no, that wasn't it. Really. Totally nuts. I did meet some really cool people, including a guy who grew up ELCA, too, and it was nice to have a convo where we were both down with the lingo, yo. (Word.)

Yes, I am really tired, in case you were wondering. The brain starts to short out about now...gettin' too old for this stuff. Oh, one more thing!! I got to hang out with my nephew, Stevie J, this weekend, and he has his own set of little man golf clubs!! Haaaa...too cute!! Watch out, Tiger...Chub Chub has quite the back swing...

Hope everybody's doin great out there in this big crazy world. Mucho love.

Live simply, so that others might simply live

So, I've learned so far that it's incredible, absolutely incredible, what you can make by using the food you already have in your pantry/fridge, etc. As in....you don't always need to go to the grocery store!! Look in your kitchen and be creative...that's your newest challenge! Tonight was my turn to cook with one of my roomies, Laura, and we made lentil and barley stew...sounds iffy, but it was fantastical, lemme tell ya!

Work was great today. Well, it was really busy, but I guess that translates into greatness. I'm starting to do vitals and all that stuff, so blood pressures and blood sugars, here I come!! I'll get trained in phlebotomy soon, too, so I'm excited about gushing veins and arteries. Mmm...gushing. I was gonna bike to work today, but found out (about halfway down the block from our house) that my back tire neeeds a new pump...so crap on that idea for awhile.

I got a new Runner's World magazine in the mail today, so I'm excited about that. Plus, we splurged on chocolate soy milk, so I have some of that, at least for a little while. Note: If you ever want me to do something for you, bring me choc. soy milk and it'll be a done deal! Well, I'll do almost anything.

And finally, I think about my friends and fam all the time...just know that you're always here with me and that makes me happpeee :D

grrr-argh!

I just spent about an hour and a half writing a new entry (in between talking to people and doing laundry) and somehow I lost it...maaaan.....what are the chances? I'm tired now, so I'm not gonna write again til later. Such is life. Here's what's been going on: started work, it's really overwhelming, but I'll catch on eventually, I suppose. It's fun, but a lot of responsibility. Went to a Quaker meeting on Sunday...really interesting, but I'm not cut out to be a Quaker. Had some wonderful Chai tea w/soy milk (soo simple!! haa..) at an Alterra coffee shop for Amanda's bday--they do Fair Trade coffee, so hurrray to that!! I did some yoga today and since I don't have a good mat, I almost fell over a few times. ;) We went to the lake front, too, and I got to rollerblade!! Miles and miles of trails...aaahhh..good stuff. It's back to work tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have more adventures later. I have some good quotes and all that jazz, but those will have to wait.

I start work tomorrow!!

I really do apologize for the length of these entries; there's just so much to tell. On Monday, Tory, the last housemate, got home, so we hung out, checked out the library, where I was using the wireless, but now that I get it at our house, I'm stoked! I was making quite frequent trips to the library, but the walking was good. We had a cute lasagna dinner out in our backyard on Monday night, thanks to our Local Support Committee!! It was Tory's birthday on Tuesday, so we stayed up late and made her a cookie bar-cake..oh, we're so good. :P Yay for surprises!!!

Tuesday Aug. 30: We had our placement tours today and it was pretty cool to see where everybody else is going to work. Tory works at the Urban Ecology Center, teaching nature and such to little kids...it's an awesome facility, kinda reminded me of my Ecology lab days, wearing my big waders and marking fishes...aahh...

Amanda works at a church as a ministry assistant, Laura works for Project Return, which is an organization that helps people just out of the prison system, Jill works at The Healing Center, which gives counseling and support to victims of sexual assault (they also have dance classes, which we might get to go to, at a discounted rate, cuz we're poor!!), and me, I work at Bread of Healing Clinic. And I love my placement...well, so far. We had to wait awhile when we got there, cuz it was busy, but I met Rick, the RN who runs the place and with whom I did my interview...he initially just shook my hand, but then he gave me a hug!! And so did one of the doctors I met...haa! She's really cool; her husband's a pastor and she works at the UW Med School, so hopefully I'll have an "in"...lol. They seem like really nice people who are truly dedicated to their job, which is awesome! They told me I was really glad I was there; could I start right now? Geeesh...guess they're looking forward to my help (aka...emily will be working all the time..please hold all calls...kidding!). I definitely have a lot of opportunities, though. It's gonna be challenging, but it's exciting! It's in a church basement, but ya know..I've spent enough of my life in church basements, it should feel like home.

It's Wed today; we did a lot of cleaning. I cleaned the upstairs bathroom and got kinda high from cleaning chemicals ;) Good times. I start work tomorrow and I'm super nervous and excited!! Wish me luck! Still missing everybody...

And it just goes on...

As luck might have it, I found a wireless network I can access from our house here in Milwaukee (the church next door just got wireless!!!), so I don't have to walk to the library and I'm not on time constraints anymore..whoopie!! Again, simplicity? Eh.

I was talking about our LVC open mic night...One of the LVC staffers is a fabulously gay man (not that this matters, but I just love his personality, and that's part of it) and he's in charge of our Americorps stuff (some volunteers are eligible for an Americorps service award, which helps pay off a tiny bit of student loans...yeah yeah!!). The people eligible had to be "initiated" into the Americorps program and we had to recite this tacky pledge. I'd type it here, but it's really too painful to make you read! Anyway, he was really making fun of the whole process, so while the Americorps people were reciting this pledge, he asked the rest of the people to hum "Battle Hymn of the Republic"...ohmigosh. What a hoot!! I could barely talk I was laughing so hard. Maybe you had to be there? Probably.

Sat. Aug. 27th: Last day of orientation; took pictures and all that jazz. They had a commissioning service for us at Queen Anne Lutheran Church, where we had been eating some of our meals. It was a fantastic service, centered around the theme of rainbows; each house got a rainbow-colored candle from a service org. in Seattle. The music was "my style of Lutheran"..totally Christus Rex/WOV..lots of music from "Now the Feast" (sorry if you're not familiar with all my "religious babble"...lol) and we sang "Marching in the Light of God" as our closing hymn, complete with percussion!! Great song. :) The message was great, as well: Be hip. It's about being open and being who you are. Being a part of LVC shouldn't be something that gets me a "good for you" or "I can't believe you're giving up a year for this" response from people. This is an opportunity for me to learn and grow and should be considered a privilege. I get to meet and be a part of so many different communities..and I get to help people! yeah yeah :)

As Rev. Verlon Brown told us, "LVC is a lot like swimming naked." (Right??) We need to put ourselves out there, scared and, well, 'naked', but our lives will be so much more enriched because we face these fears and challenge ourselves.

"What does the Lord require of you, but to do justic, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" -Micah 6:8

After the service, there was a potluck and then it was off to start the year. Well, for most people. My flight didn't leave till 11:30 that night, so Tory, one of my housemates, and I did some exploring. We went to Pike's Place Fish Market and saw the fish-thrower guys. I really think I would make a good fish flinger! We also went to the Seattle Public Library..amazing and very modern!! I'm a book nerd! We also walked around the bottom of the Space Needle, but didn't go up because of time and money constraints. Oh well. After that, I had to catch some buses, got a little lost, had a nice chat with a man at a bus stop (the bus driver actually asked if I wanted to transfer at a "nicer stop"...haa..he doesn't know how tough I am!!), got run into by a drunk guy on one of my buses, and was back at the airport again. Fabulous. Let me tell you, it really sucks hauling luggage on a city bus, and I didn't even have that much!

My plane ended up sitting on the runway for about an hour, due to some seat malfunction or some crap like that. Blah blah blah. I had caught a cold earlier in the week, so at this point I was completely miserable, my nose was running everywhere (it did about 10 miles, I think), and my head felt like it was going to explode from all the sinus pressure. We finally got going, but my 50 min layover in Dallas was shot (yeah, I flew from Seattle to Dallas to Milwaukee..it was the cheapest flight I could find under our travel cap!!), so I had to book it through that airport. Although, I did get to take the Skylink train, which was pretty wicked narly. Then they switched the gate I was at, I couldn't find a board, and I started to panic. When I finally calmed down, I realized my new gate was right in front of me. Huh. Talk about stress. By this point, it was Sunday, 6:05 in the morning and I was crabby!! The plane ride to Milwaukee was hell..I seriously wanted to cry because my head hurt so badly. You know that awful pressure you get before your ears pop when you change elevations? Well, take that times 3 and walk around with it for 3 days. Everything was foggy and I couldn't hear, so I only got about 2 hours of sleep all night. Arrrgh. Enough complaining, though. A man named Miguel (he's on our Local Support Committee, made up of LVC alums, community and church members) picked me up at the airport, although he forgot to hold up the sign he made for me, so it took us awhile to find each other!!

He gave me a quick downtown tour, then took me to my new home!! It's a cute house, nothing fancy, but definitely liveable. One of my housemates, Amanda (it's me, Amanda, Tory, Jill, and Laura) was home, so we talked awhile, then I took a shower, and called my brother, Ben, so I could get the rest of my stuff. He was nice enough to pack it in his car and bring it over for me (thank you, Benny!!) and then he took me around to show me different grocery stores and such. I got to watch TV at his house for awhile (mmm..cable), but I had to go back so Amanda could use her car to pick up laura at the train station. We got that taken care of, then went back home to find Jill there...four of us!! We figured out room arrangements after much lengthy discussion...as I said before, I have purple walls!!...it's a cool room. My nephew, Steven (chub chub nugget pants) also made a guest appearance and he had to help me unpack and jump on my bed, of course. And that was the end of Day 1 in Milwaukee.

STILL catching up...

Few and far between...haahaa..yeah, right. If simplicity involves not checking your email and talking on msn, I'm sorry...this is the wrong program for me :P

Okay, catching up...sure thing. I believe I still have the 25th of august and beyond... The 25th (Thurs) we talked about social justice and I realized that there are some incredibly strong people in this LVC program; I'm overwhelmed with the spirit and determination here...rock on, LVC!!! This program isn't only about this year, either. It's about the future...Be the change you wish to see in the world.

We talked about racism, had an anti-racism workshop for about 6 hours...long, but very informative. It'll be a big deal, esp. in Milwaukee, which is supposed to be one of the most segregated cities in the U.S. (Even as I sit here typing on my laptop in the library in Milwaukee right now, I'm aware of my 'white privilege'..something I don't even have to try to do, it just is. and this pisses me off!!! Although I am the minority right now, and that's kinda cool.)
This discussion is always really hard, it's such a touchy and controversial subject. As one of our speakers said, "Racism is in the fiber and fabric of everything in our lives"...even if we're not aware of it. Big things to think about.

Friday, Aug. 26th: Every day at orientation opened with some sort of skit and today's skit was about simplicity. Two of our directors did a spoof of the SNL radio talk show "Delicious Dish"...wow...it was sooo hilarious!! The guest on the show was Professor Leslie S. Moore (or Les S. More...haa haaa!!!). It was great. She even did the "oooh..that's fun" line perfectly (if you're familiar with the skit at all). AND simplicity doesn't necessarily mean cheap living; it's all about creating a sustainable lifestyle.

We also did 'urban safety and applied nonviolence' today...self defense, baby!! haa haa....i did the hamster move for you, erin!!!! And yet another quote: "Any person who pays attention to what is going on in the universe is terrified most of the time. The important thing is to proceed nevertheless." -Katherine Hepburn Non-violent tactics are all about getting to know the people around you, forming alliances; just being nice and really forming relationships with people. Always know your surroundings, be aware of the people around you...look behind you, too! People can pull the "J manuveur" (when they walk past you and circle around to the back)..haa haa...sounds kinda dirty. Honestly, I was making fun of a lot of this stuff (shame on me!!). I know it's important, but the way in which our lady was teaching some of it was just hilarious and I know you would've been laughing, too!!! I really wanna kick someone in the face, though...sweeet. Although, let's hope there's never a need to use it!!! AND my favorite move...called the Twist and Shout: let's just say it involves the use of certain parts that only boys have....eeessh.....and that's enough of that.

We had an LVC open mic night tonight...some good acts and awards for tacky postcards (unfortunately my postcard of two decorated hay bale people in a ND farmyard did not qualify as tacky enough...huh..). I hafta go...tell ya about the Americorps spoof later....bye!!

..the good land

I'm in Milwakee now...still a little strange. Just got here yesterday morning and I've decided to go and get myself sick, so I'm not in the greatest of moods. Way too stressful, this whole situation. My room has purple walls and a dresser with a big mirror on top, so that's nice. I'm at the library right now, which means limited time, so this'll be quick. The library's only open til 8:30, which sucks, cuz most of you are online in the evening...bargle!!! OH, well. I'll have to make due with what's here. I miss everybody and wish I could visit soon! I'll try to keep updating, but it may be few and far between. Take it easy!

orientation...seattle, baby!

Tues. Aug. 23rd...unspecified time

I am so tired!! My flight left Milwaukee at 6:50 am, so I got up 3:30 and my parents drove me to the airport. Being awake and "alert" at that hour is NOT something I'm planning on getting used to. My parents left around 6:10 (I didn't even cry!! aren't you proud??..possibly too tired to do so) so I sat around in the terminal waiting to get on my puddle jumper (an EMB145, I believe, for all of my aviation-happy friends). It was an okay flight, nothing too exciting. The flight was 15 min early, so I sat around in the St. Louis airport and took a little nap. Well, mostly I stared out the window, wondering what I was still doing awake. The flight to Seattle took a lot longer than I thought (about 4 hrs, which is really nothing), and I had to sit by a grumpy old man the whole time. At least I got window seats on both flights. Flying through the clouds makes me happy. :D I finally got to Seattle and wandered around, got my luggage, got a bite to eat, and then decided to go figure out the public transpo. system. Riiiight. Luckily enough, there were a few other LVC'ers there, so we figured it out together. We had to transfer to a different bus in downtown Seattle, which took forever, so we were pretty rushed when we actually got to Seattle Pacific U, where orientation is at. I met a lot of people today; my housemates are all pretty cool; it'll take a lot of getting used to, but we'll make it.

Orientation was full today, lots of info and paperwork. We had an opening ceremony, which was cool. The speaker was a brilliant woman, but she went on for way too long and I thought I was gonna die right there in the church. Jet lag is not emily-friendly. But survive I did; onto the next day...

Aug. 24th (Wed.)

More info!! Hurray!! I'm gonna learn a lot this year, but so are you!!! So get ready for the plethora of things I have to tell you. Whoopie. We had an awesome workshop about simplicity today. The speaker actually puts these things to use in his own life, so it makes the content a lot more sincere.

"Be aware of all enterprises that require new clothes." -Thoreau (What??!??...i love new clothes!!....could be an interesting year.)

The world is one big pie and it all needs to go around...how big is your piece?

These workshop discussions might end up being more 'blurbish' ..just random thoughts.

The simplicity man lives in a co-op house, has gardens to grow his own produce, raises chickens and roosters, rides his bike everywhere...and he's normal ;)

He told us a story about his chicken-watching...he likes to just sit and watch his chickens (okay, not that normal), and one day a guy with two little girls walked up to him and started talking to him about his chickens. Thinking nothing of it, he just kept right on having a chicken-centered discussion with this guy. When he actually stepped back to look at the guy, it turned out to be Dave Matthews!!! What?!?? No way!! Maybe I should move to Seattle and hook me up with some chickens... I was even wearing my Dave summer tour shirt that day, so I do believe it was a sign. ooo000h chickens, where are yooouuu?? Actually, it is really gorgeous here..the mountains, the water, all of the plants and flowers. I could see myself living here someday, but I'll cross that bridge when it comes. All I know is that it's definitely an option!

AND, for your learning enjoyment: As opposed to driving, biking gets about 890 miles/gallon (converted to food calories)...hmmm...

Two of my housemates (Tory and Jill) and I went to an Indian restaurant in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle tonight, since we had a free night for dinner. It was really busy and loud, but it was a nice atmosphere and we had some great conversation. I had Lamb Methi Curry with basmati rice...delicious, but way too much food!

Present-time: Today's actually Sat., last day of orientation, so I have to get going or I'll miss closing worship, but I'll write about Thursday and Friday when I find some time. Who knows when that'll be, though! Two of my housemates and I are exploring Seattle today because our flights are all at ridiculous hours tonight (i don't fly out til 11:30). Once I get settled in Milwaukee, hopefully I can finally catch up. Bye for now!

Scrumpty

and STILL catching up (this story is from last saturday when I was still in the Dakota of the northern variety!):

My roomie Erin and I were driving home from a party at a friend's house on Friday night, going towards N. Washington, which is one of the busier streets in GF (for all of you who aren't familiar), when we saw a dog almost get schmucked by a car (pizza delivery people are insane!). Being the animal lovers we are, we pulled into a little parking lot to see if it had any tags on and when we called it over, she just hopped right into Erin's car and onto my lap! She was a pug and didn't have a collar or any ID tags on at all, so we decided to drive back to our friend's house to see if she needed any water (mistake #1). Turns out she was just fine, so we drove back the area we found her in to see if anyone was out looking for her. After not having any luck, we came up with the brilliant idea of dropping her off to see if she would just take off for home (mistake #2). We would let her get out, wait a little bit, and start to drive away to see if she would go in a certain direction. We did that about 3 times and maybe because this dog was crazy or because it was 1:30 am, it was the funniest thing in the world. She just kept following the car when we drove away (maybe because I kept looking back..mistake #3!), so we took her back to our apt. for the night. She was really friendly, kinda obsessive-compulsive about sleeping on the couch with me (mistake #4!...dog hair everywhere!!!!).

In the morning, I tried the drop-off routine one more time, but again without luck. I took her to the pet haven known as Petco (haa!) and got her food and such. The manager suggested calling the Po-po dept to see if anyone had called in a missing dog, and sure enough, this particular dog was "missing". I called the #'s I got and dropped her off. Turns out the guy had taken the dog out for a drive, decided to stop at Hugo's, and left the window open on his truck. And surprise of surprises, the dog jumped out. I have some opinions for this man, but those are better left unsaid. THe dog's name turned out to be China (big, manly wrestler lady, anyone??), but Erin and I named her Scrumpty. Beautiful, I know. We did get $10 and mucho dog hair out of the deal. Maybe dog hair sweaters will be the next big thing. Scrumpty will live on in our hearts...or something like that.

huh..

Okay, I'm on a short break from one of our sessions at orientation in Seattle, so I'll start typing and see where I get...

8.21.05

I didn't know when I'd have access to the Internet and this wonderful blog again, so I decided to write a frist-hand account of the 'Arthur family fun trip #25: A trip to America's Dairyland' (look for it in theaters next fall). So I'm officially gone from ND and I really don't know how to feel about this. Liberated? It's honestly really hard and I can't explain how much I miss everyone at times. Leaving all my friends and saying goodbye on Sat. and Sun. really got to me. So here I sit in the backseat of our Intrepid, taking part in our family extravaganza. The car is jam-packed with stuff I'm dropping off at my brother's place before I fly to Seattle Tues. morning. And apparently my whole family had to make the trip (consequently leaving less room for all of my stuff, which is why I'm riding the whole way with a laundry basket full of stuff on my lap), because everybody wants to see my nephew Steven (super-cute..runs in the family..haa haa). I voted leaving my dad at home because he started complaining this morning and we weren't even out of the driveway yet!! I love you, dad, but really..
A special thanks to Nickel Creek's newest CD, "Why Should the Fire Die?" for helping me retain some of my sanity during this trip. If you like funky bluegrass/fiddle/acoustic guitar, check it out. It's a pretty good CD..#'s 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 are turning out to be my favorites. We're in the western part of WI right now, and my dad seems to have stopped complaining, at least for a bit.

I've been sleeping most of the way, since I was up at 4:30 and only got about 3 hours of sleep. It's good thinking time (the driving bit), but thinking leads to moping, so sleep it is!!

For everybody starting up school again, good luck...have fun with all that homework...hee hee!! Just enjoy it, actually. Before you know it, you'll be in the backseat of a car headed for Wisconsin...

If you ever just miss my darling face or witty personality too much (riiiight), feel free to gimme a call or write a letter. It would be greatly appreciated (wink, wink!!!), especially when everything is so crazy and confusing right now. Just passed the DNR Service Center...hmmm..do not resuscitate?? Didn't know they had centers for that stuff. (So my mom just pointed out that it MAY possibly, just possibly, stand for dept. of natural resources, but eh..who knows?)

And finally, I must recommend trying a Spotted Cow, if you're into the beer and such...brewed in Wisconsin! To Will and Anthony...thanks for the brewski, guys. Keep on the lookout for a really heavy package..I'll see what I can do.

I fly to Seattle tomorrow morning to start my latest adventure, so I should get going...wish me luck!!

**Again, this happened awhile ago, I'll try to write more later!

Ode to packing

How to best express my feelings toward packing....let's see...maybe in a monologue...

Nah, packing can just kiss my rear end. Never in my life did I think I would have so much stuff, and on top of having it, being able to justify not throwing it out. Ugh...how this will all work out, I have no idea, but when it does I'll let ya know.

I'm gonna make this short, easy on the eyes (just for you, Drew!!!)...all I'm up to is packing and getting more nervous by the day about this whole thing. Gotta get done with the eye appointment and hair cut before I leave, run some last minute errands. I came home to VC today and my parents didn't even notice my nose piercing. Granted, it was kinda dark in the house and they were tired from their trip, so I'll let it slide. Had to point it out to my dad (who said, "Cool...I like it.") and let my mom discover it for herself, who finally pointed to my nose and said "When did you do that??!?"...lol...good news is, they both like it, so I'm not cut off financially...yet. :P

Band camp (marching band..UND Pride of the North...whoop whoop!!) starts tomorrow, and I know I'm such a freak, but it feels weird not getting ready for it this year. So naturally, I have to go harass everyone anyway. Back up to Grand Forks tomorrow to hang with all my friends who I haven't seen all summer...yaaay!!! But not before I get a little more packing/strategic planning finished. With gas prices the way they are, you would think I could plan my jaunts across the state a bit better.... ;)

Not much

Today...I did nothing (the picture is of the spiral staircase at our apt, where I spent most of my lazy day!!). Not really nothing, I just got a bunch of little stuff done, so it didn't seem like all that much. I did talk to a bunch of friends (you guys rock!!), so that was cool. But I'm trying to get to bed earlier than 1 am in prep for my new job!!, so this will be short and sweet. I know I was gonna write about my piercing adventure, but it can go on the back burners for a while.
I did read over my previous entries and for anyone actually reading these, I'm so sorry. I think I sound quite insane at times. I have a tendency to ramble and fly from one subject to another, so if my stories get hard to follow, many apologies. I'll have to work on my blogging techniques. :) But enough for now. Have a great night out there!

present-day emily

It's one in the morning, I should be in bed, but I had to stay up to watch Conan and I find my creativity is at its peak at ridiculous hours in the morning. Plus, I'm bound and determined to keep up with my blogging (reminds me of snogging...hee hee...for all of you Harry Potter fans).

Let's see, a lot has happened, as it usually does. Too much to remember to write down, but I'll try. I finally finished up work as a Petho (what I affectionately referred to myself as while working in the lovely industry of pet product retail) last Saturday (Aug. 6). I'll miss some of the people I work with and getting to be around the animals, but I really won't miss all of the crap that went with the job (as most jobs have their associated crap). So now, I'm trying to hang out with my friends, take road trips, and get my act together before I have to make the big move...I'm leaving good old Grand Forks on the 21st, which gives me 11 days, well, now 10. I know I shouldn't be counting down, but it sits there in the back of my head, taunting me.

I've moved most of my stuff to my parents' house in Valley City, now I just have to figure out what I'm taking with me, which is stupid ridiculous. How am I supposed to know what I'll need this year? I have no idea, so it's kinda like flying by the seat of my pants, which is fun and adventurous, but it also makes me nervous. Sure, you can always buy something if you need it, but I really can't. One of the tenets of LVC is simplicity...not spending a lot, being conscious of others and your surroundings, what you're using and how you're using it. Aka...emily will be poor. :) The program is also built around intentional community..spending time with the people you're living with, learning about other faith backgrounds and life experiences. I'll be living in a house with 5 other girls...I now know their names, where they went to college, and where they'll be working, but that's about it. I'm excited to meet them! I was also very excited to learn we'll have an in-house washer/dryer (some houses have these things, some don't), a tv (who knows if we'll have cable...again, simplicity!!), and 5 bedrooms, but only 1 1/2 bathrooms...between 5 girls. Right. Is this some sort of joke?? lol...I'm sure we'll manage.

I learned about the house in a letter from our local support committe, made up of old LVC alums and other people around our community who are there if we need any help. They also help furnish the house and have things like kitchen supplies already there for us, so we won't have to worry about it...thank you soooo much!! Everyone sounds really cool and there's even a lady originally from North Dakota, so we'll have to talk about 'home' every now and again. ;) If you have any questions about LVC, let me know, I'll explain!! The easiest thing to say is that it's kinda like AmeriCorps, if you're familiar with that. Anyway, I digress.

Since I got done with work, I'm trying to cram everything possible into a little itty bitty amount of time. So far, it's alright. Walking around Target today, I realized I need so much more stuff, and that's just dumb. No stuff...stuff is bad....but I need it!! I'm most worried about going to Seattle for our big orientation...we'll be there 5 days, and we're 'sposed to bring only enough that we can carry on a crowded city bus (they're making us galavant around Seattle on buses...dear Lord, help us all...look for my picture on the evening news, people).

Oh my, oh my...this is truly going to be my biggest adventure yet, and that's why I'm letting you all read about it...there's bound to be a lot of funny situations and hopefully I'll get some pictures up here, that way you can see my good-looking mug ;).

Speaking of funny situations...I went running tonight (I've turned into a running junkie; I feel like butt if I don't go running and I subscribe to Runner's World, so you'll hear a lot about my running) to get a few frustrations out. Of course it was dark, but you know, I figured I would be okay running down University Ave (So it was stupid of me, thanks...I even took it one level higher by having headphones on...I think I was begging to get mugged), which is kinda of well-lit. No, not really. But anyway, I'm running along, having myself a grand old time, just passed a couple possibly cute boys (again, it was dark, couldn't tell), not watching where I'm going, when..BAM!!...catch my left foot on a rise in the super uneven sidewalk (another danger in running in the dark...come on Grand Forks City dept...work with me here!!) and go sprawling on the ground. In the process, I scraped up my knees and part of my hands. Plus, to top it all off (besides the guys I just passed probably laughing their arses off at me), my music source got smooshed in the fall. Good thing it was rather cheap, but still..no tunes! Bargle. So, I kept running up University to Christus Rex, where I threw my sports radio in the trash, at which point I looked down to see blood running down my legs. Sweet...a battle wound!! As my MSN name said earlier, I fought the sidewalk and the sidewalk won. Oh well. I just turned myself around and ran back home. Another thing you'll learn about me: I tend to be accident-prone. Let's just say I've driven myself to the ER more than once...oops.

And finally, before I drag myself off to bed, I have some exciting news. Well, for me, anyway! I got my nose pierced yesterday!!!! :D and I LOVE IT!! I've wanted to have it done for about a year and a half now, but couldn't because of Petco company policy. So as soon as I was outta there (took me 4 days!!), I went to get it done. I'll write about my whole experience tomorrow, but it's really surprising to me how many people don't notice it. It's not a huge piercing or anything, but I don't think the people who know me really well would peg me (pun intended!!!) to be the one to get a piercing. My mom doesn't know about it yet. but I'm sure she won't freak out (well, I hope not!). Anyway, as the guy who pierced me said, "As soon as you get one, you can't stop", so stayed tuned for more....

an old post, but it's something!!

Well, this is an old, OLD post...i wrote this about a month ago, so it's totally out of whack with what's going on now, but I've had problems with logging in and remembering my password and such (haaa!....i'm a goober), but I'll do my best to keep up now. Seriously. I mean, come on.

OLD:
So here I am...hmmm...haven't written in a few days, but nothing really exciting has happened. I know, excuses, excuses. This week was alright...working a lot, trying to get things taken care of. Trying to get things in line for moving to Milwaukee...but I haven't explained that, so explain I must!!

Recap: I've been going to school at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks...gooo Sioux!!...for the last five years of my life, which isn't really that uncommon anymore. Heck, I even considered six, but I figured it was time to get a move on things. Don't get me wrong...I love the feel of college. True, life gets crazy hectic a lot...pulling all-nighters; dealing with stupid professors; doing the Twamley shuffle (LOVE dealing with the financial aid people-they're near and dear to my heart, really); balancing classes, jobs, friends; procrastinating everything possible; worrying about money...you know, fun stuff! People who say that 'high school is the best time of your life' are out of their minds, I must say. I've met so many great people, had the most amazing experiences, and been challenged more than I ever could have imagined, and all this in North Dakota! (Kidding...it's not so bad. even though this school is known for its aviation program...silly pilots!!)

I've been a part of Habitat for Humanity, a member of the Pride of the North Marching Band (I'm a band geek!! hurray!...alto sax, if you're curious), a deacon (peer ministry) at Christus Rex Lutheran Campus Center, went on trips to North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Florida, Russia...it was quite the ride! I wish I would have started this earlier so I could tell you about all of my adventures, but alas...the timing was not right ;)

Just to let all of my ND homies know...I love you guys!! (sniffle...tear) A whoop whoop for Odie and Drewsef and a bling-bling for Mikey!! ha HAAA!!

Anyway, I digress...what was I talking about? Oh, yeah...recapping. So...after suffering through five wonderful years and barely finishing my honors thesis on time (ooops!! I focused on art therapy, that's where it's at), I graduated from this institution of higher education. Graduation was quite interesting, I guess. Crowd into a big room with other graduates. Find your line, state your name, get your crap (must talk myself up...only magna cum laude?? musta been those semesters of organic chem...), shuffle around, find friends, take last-minute pictures. Stand in line for a short eternity (ONLY the correct line, no moving, or the snipers positioned in their various locations will take you down with enough tranquilizer for an elephant!!), make small talk with person in front of you. Finally, march into arena (okay, it was more like we were being herded..I think this is what cows must feel like), where everybody turns into a waving, picture-taking fool. Side-note: never did find my parents, as they were late and sitting in the back...but my bro had graduated from law school earlier that morning (my brother, the lawyer?!?), so all is forgiven. Sit through 4 hr ceremony with worst, all-time worst speaker EVER!!! No more aviation people...get off the plane kick!! Look around, pretending to pay attention, noticing more than 20 people text-messaging on their cell phones. Listen to the president re-use part of his speech from the law school graduation that morning (nice work, Chuck; way to reduce, reuse, and recycle). Finally get diploma, look like a moron shaking the president's hand (found this out later...man, I'm a tool. Never watch yourself on camera). Re-herd out of the arena, frantically try to find parents in mass exodus of people. Argue with parents and brother about taking pictures. Finally take pictures, which turn out wonderfully. Get the heck out. I don't really think a cap and gown are my thing...maybe my head's too big.

So that was graduation in a nutshell. I now proudly own a BA in Honors and a BS in Biology from the University of North Dakota (I'm a BABS!!); got my diplomas in the mail a couple weeks ago. Special.

Now what? Well, my big plan was to go to medical school here at UND right after I graduated. Lol....right. As I should very well know, life never goes as planned. Death and taxes, they say, and I'm starting to think they're right...whoever they are. The proverbial man, I suppose. After a few not-so-great organic chem classes and a change in my career aspirations, I really have no idea what I'm doing (welcome to the club, right?). I think I still want to be a doctor, but I've got a little work to do before then. I'm also really interested in anatomy, which was my fav class at UND...nothing like slapping on some gloves and exploring the human body!! Oh, a funny!! What's a good way to congratulate someone in your anatomy lab? Give them a formalde-five....get it???? ahhh ha ha haaa...aahhhh ah ha haa...eh. So maybe grad school in anatomy? I don't know. For next year, I've decided to really throw myself out there. I'm doing a volunteer program called Lutheran Volunteer Corps. I got introduced to it through my friend Dave from Minneapolis. Extensive applications and interviews, reference letters, decisions, decisions!

Alright, that's where the last entry ended, now I'll try to finish explaining LVC....First you have to get accepted into the program (apps, references, and phone interviews), then they send you a ginormous packet of all the placement agencies you could possibly work, and where they're located (think Chicago; Seattle; DC; Berkeley, CA; Baltimore...big inner cities). I had my choices narrowed down to Minneapolis, working as the volunteer coordinator with an after-school/summer children's program; Seattle, working as a special activities director at an adult day center; and Milwaukee, working with clinic coordination/nursing stuff. Then I had to do phone interviews with each of those places and then rank them by location and whether I'd want to work there or not. And THEN..I had to wait. In order to get accepted by a location, you have to pick a place and they have to pick you...geeesh. So on "match day", as it's called, I got a phone call saying I had gotten my first choice pick, which was.... Milwaukee!!! I figured with the health involvement (they're connected with the Medical college there and I'll get to do all sorts of neat stuff, like pharmacy and phlebotomy..woot woot!) and since my brother, Ben, and my little nephew, Steven (chub chub nugget pants!!) live there, too, it was the place to go. I'm excited, nervous, I don't know what else..my emotions are crazy! I'm gonna go start another entry, though...this one is getting way to long!!

My first post..how excruciatingly exciting!!

So, I've decided to become a blogger. I figured it's about time. This way people can see what I'm up to when I'm too busy to talk because I'm out saving the world one cat box at a time (understanding will come when you read the reference to my job below). I'll do my best to keep it up-to-date and thrilling for all of my fans to read. Without further interruptions, I introduce my world to you....

Oh, and I'm also writing so I can tell you this...I work at a pet supply store (and will through the summer until my big adventure begins, more on that later) and today, no kidding, a big furry rabbit walked up to the register, handed me a ten, and purchased a box of carrot cookies. Now, I know I haven't seen everything, but really...ridunkulous, people. He (it??) wouldn't even answer when I asked if it found everything alright (apparently rabbits don't have manners). I would love to have seen the look on my face (one of sheer surprise and confusion, I think), but there was a little embarrassment, too, maybe more so for the guy in the rabbit costume!! Whoever you are, rabbit man, you really need to get out more!!! On second thought, stay home!

It's late and I need to get to bed so I can drag my butt outta bed for work tomorrow AM, but I wanted to leave you with a thought that just popped into my head. If you treasure your sanity and like it that way, maybe you shouldn't read on. :P Blog is a really funny word. Just say it a few times. Glob, backwards...like a glob of words and thoughts, perhaps? Some words that rhyme with blog: frog, dog, log, hog, smog, jog, bog, fog, sog(gy)...haa haa. Maybe you're wishing I hadn't decided to start this after all. Oh, just enjoy the craziness. Thanks to Sarah for the inspiration. Hope you're having a blast in New York!!