slow down life!

in the words of my father, HOLY COW.  life has all of a sudden started snowballing at warp speed and everything is happening really quickly.  which isn't necessarily a bad thing since typically, when given the time, i figure out how to get out of things i've committed to.  not always (eh...maybe?), but it's not completely atypical for me to panic after thinking about things for a while.  i just scare easily i guess.  

i think i'll blame that character flaw on being a scorpio, but in actuality i have no idea if that's ever even attributed to scorpios.  but whatever ... if you want to take the time to look it up and share, please do.  otherwise, i scare easily because i'm a scorpio.

goodbye notes from elementary school friends.
so precious.

anyways, within the past 10 days i've been offered two jobs that happened to be down the road from one another (only one of which i could accept, obviously), had my lessons observed for certification purposes, set up apartment searches in my new town (ahhh NEW TOWN), finished my thesis research, and officially finished my school library internship.

close up of one of the notes.
too cute.

in the next 10 days i'll have picked an apartment (or a cardboard box), taken (and passed?) my comprehensive exam, and submitted my first draft of my thesis.  or at least that's the plan.  

as an unashamed planner extraordinaire, this all seems so fast.  and maybe that's how big girl jobs happen.  maybe you don't find out 6 months ahead of time with plenty of idle time to relax.  or maybe you do and my snowball just started rolling early.

and obviously i was searching for jobs to get everything started quickly, but i guess i just didn't think i'd be able to find one so really it was just practice looking through sites.  but now that i've started crossing that bridge into adulthood, my life is going into autopilot in order to get everything done that i have to get done in the next month ... because you know, in order to keep the job i was offered i do have to graduate and get certified, and obviously that requires the successful completion of comp exams and thesis research (both of which completely underwhelm me).  

hunky, right?
photo credit:
http://wallpapersunlimited.blogspot.com/2009/11/
aladdin-wallpapers.html

and the packing up my apartment thing also needs to be thrown in the planning scheme ... which is a migraine waiting to happen.

but instead of freaking out, which i'd really really like to do, i'm going to go watch aladdin.  because the disney channel is playing it right now.  and aladdin is my cartoon crush, street rat or not.

why must the cutest things hurt so badly?

seriously though, WHY do the cutest things hurt so badly?  and no, i'm not thinking any deeper than surface level for this.  feel free to read into whatever you want, but i'm talking superficial things.

mainly ... shoes. like the shoes pictured below.

look closely.  you'll probs see blood near the toes.
also, the cute pink bear in the corner of the picture
does nothing to ease the foot pain.

the cutest shoes are like tiny torture chambers begging to suck the soul out of your toes by the end of the day.  but why?  why must the shoes be designed with less toe room than necessary to not end up with squished toes?   and why must the straps be made of something as uncomfortable as steel, cracking your heel with every step?  what happened to cute, stylish (emphasis on the last word) shoes?  i don't know if anything happened to them, because to be honest, i don't know that they have ever existed.

and yes, i do have a pair or two cute-ish shoes (if you stretch the definition of cute) that aren't terribly uncomfortable, but they aren't heels.  and no, i don't think you have to wear heels, but i like to.  after all, if i ever get pulled over and a cop asks me to step out of the car, they only way he'll believe the height on my driver's license is with some stellar platforms.  

sidenote: if i've complained about torture shoes before, i obviously don't learn from my mistakes.

there is so much i don't know about greek mythology.

today i taught my first lesson. that's right ... a megan original, planned-created-and-implemented.  i was working with a 5th grade teacher to enhance what she's doing in her classroom on mythology.  i had planned for us to do some brainstorming and talking about myths, some connecting myths to our current lives a little bit, and then a smidge of reading a greek myth together.  from there, in the weeks to come, we'll work on a fun extension project where we'll get to showcase a myth (or create our own) ... all good stuff.

anyways, i spent hours familiarizing myself with both mythology and the specifics of greek mythology in hopes not to appear completely incompetent in front of those 5th graders.  i knew i wouldn't be able to talk around them the way i might be able to talk around kindergarteners by convincing them i knew what i was doing.  so countless internet and book searches later, i was as prepared as i was going to be.

i was going to connect mythology to the 5th graders by showing them characters from harry potter that derived their names (and sometimes their personalities) from greek mythology, and then throw in a few real life examples influenced by greek myths.  you know, it's all about authentic learning, right?

so here i am, armed and ready with my hermione granger, sirius black, and minerva mcgonagall pictures.  i also had pictures of nike and pandora jewelry in my bag of tricks.  and blow-my-mind there was one kid each time that knew exactly why it connected with greek (or roman in the case of minerva) mythology.

which of course is awesome.  to know they are so excited about learning different things and they have the chance to be exposed to this is inspiring.  i sure as heck had never read any of these greek myths (although somewhere along the line in my k-12 education i did learn about hercules, probs thanks to mr. disney).

and to be honest, in my 55ish minutes with these 5th graders today, i learned more about mythology than i did the weeks i spent planning and researching.

it is amazing what i don't know about greek mythology.  but it is even more amazing to me what these kids do know.  i can't remember exactly what i was like in 5th grade (except i know i liked to pass notes and that i failed a daily edit quiz), but i sure don't think i was excited about greek mythology.

but i'm excited about what i will learn now and it's all thanks to those kids this morning.

face lift!

no, not a face lift for me (RUDE).  for the blog.  as you can most likely see.

which really just goes to show you that i will do anything to put off my thesis.  ANYTHING.  including updated my blog template.

but whatever.  it's starting to look like fall every now and then and i couldn't be more excited.  maybe the fall blog will help bring the lovely fall weather.  a girl can dream, right?

for now, enjoy whatever part of fall makes you happy whether that be the break from suffocating temperatures, the ridiculousness that is football, the festivals and hayrides, or the pumpkin spice scents.

and if none of that makes you happy, be happy that my birthday comes in the fall.  YES.

my favorite animal is venison.

let's start our reunion with my excuse for my lazy blogging ways as of late.  it's not that i don't have things i want to share because trust me, i'm learning a TON. but those things are all internship related since that's what i do all day (when i'm not writing my thesis) and i aim to share things that are less internship-y and more oh-megan-y.

i mean, if you really want to learn all about my internship and/or thesis, i'll gladly send you the log i keep or the drafts i'm writing.  no takers?  i didn't think so.

so moving on, yesterday while i was having a delightful mini catch-up session with two delightful ladies at the library, they were mentioning a few different animals and sometimes their food names as well.  (ex: baby cow, veal ... i think that was one).  anyways, i was more of a spectator to this conversation because i don't make a lot of interesting eating choices.  and that's for real ... it's an exciting day if i get plain (and i mean PLAIN ... like with minimal-to-zero spices/vegetables -- and i WILL pick the chunk-like-vegetables out because that's nasty) sauce on my spaghetti.

anyways, venison got mentioned as the conversation continued and i happened to mention something that showed that i really didn't have a clue what venison was.  i don't think i specifically said "do venison run around" or something like that, but whatever the comment was it was obvious that i was clueless regarding the fact that venison was the animal in food form ... and not the animal as it ran around in the field.  who knew?!

luckily this was not my first (nor my last) time saying ridiculous things in front of these two wonderful people, but as i venture out into the world i have to remember to filter my sometimes unintelligent thoughts.

if nothing else, now every time i tell someone my favorite animal i can say venison and laugh about my oopsie. it turns out venison is the meat of deer.  and while i'm no vegetarian, i'd just like to leave you with this picture to think about the next time you enjoy your venison:

photo credit: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Bambi

the week of natural disasters.

we on the east coast like to share and this week we're sharing our weather up and down the seaboard.  earlier in the week an earthquake was felt from parts of georgia all the way up to boston and this weekend hurricane irene is coming to visit, uninvited of course.

as a wannabe storm chaser, there is a lot to take in from the past week.  first, i survived an earthquake!  i definitely felt the ground rumbling and the doors and windows shaking at work and to be honest, i thought something was about to blow up in the tech room.  having not experienced any earthquakes in my adult life (except vicariously through elizabeth and jessica wakefield in sweet valley high's earthquake), i just wasn't really sure what was going.  before i found out that it really was an earthquake, i was already telling people that i was going to fudge the story and say it was one.  who knew i would be fudging the truth?!  that's the best way to lie.

now we wait for irene.  while hurricanes are terrible and this one seems to be set to do tremendous damage from north carolina all the way up the coast, they don't give me the feeling of panic that they may give other people.  maybe that's because i also go outside in lightning storms in hopes to get cool pictures, but maybe it's also because they're something i've known ever since one of my family's trees smashed the roof of our neighbor's house during hurricane hugo back in '89.  if you grow up dealing with these types of things, even if it's rare that they inflict catastrophic damage, it just doesn't seem to make the type of impact that maybe it should.  

it's bound to be the same way northerners look at southerners when we get an inch of snow ... or even worse than that, even the prediction of snow in the forecast.  our daily lives come to a crashing halt and we are virtually paralyzed with fear that there might be slush on the roads.  and yes, in our defense, we don't have the trucks and equipment and things that might make life a little more manageable, but i still think it's absurd to clear the bread shelves when they're forecasting flurries.

anyways, as my 25th birthday (part of me just died inside) is approaching this fall, i'm making a bucket list of 30 things i need to do before i get old at age 30.  and yes, you read that correctly.  i don't necessarily want to do these things.  i need to do them.  and also, 30 is when i get old.  end of story. 

i've also decided that since i'm beginning to rack up quite a list of natural disasters, i'm going to see what others i might feasibly be able to experience without too much risk to my well-being.

and no, i'm not being insensitive to the terror these disasters cause or the pain and suffering felt by many.  i'm just saying that i've experienced a handful of types and maybe there are more to come for me.  take a deep breath.  it's going to be okay.  no need to get worked up.

here's what i've got so far from a list i found somewhere on the web.  yes, i might have left some types of disasters off.  but i either did it because it wasn't reasonable to think i could live through it or because i didn't want to bother with it.  also, i'm thinking that i might count it on my list in the future if i help people who go through the disaster even if i wasn't there for the actual thing.  my blog.  my rules.

the disasters:

blizzard

communicable diseases - check (no, i haven't had measles or the plague, but the list said the flu counts so i'm crossing it off the list).
cyclones (hurricanes) - check

earthquakes - check

floods and landslides - kind of check, but i don't think it really counts so i'm holding off on that one

heat waves - check (are you kidding me?  story of my life.)

storms (non-cyclone) - check

tornadoes - check

volcanic eruptions

wildfires

i'm thinking my move out west in the next year-ish will help me mark a few more of these off the list.  i mean, isn't hawaii always having volcanic action?  i'll have to stop by the main island as i thaw out from my winter full of blizzards.

until next time, be safe with the natural disasters, folks!

and you thought i was never coming back!

remember that funny joke when i said i was going to post more in july?  HA!  i got you!  i'm such a trickster sometimes.  but seriously, if you think about it, if i post less each individual post is more special.  right?  that might be a stretch, but as my battle cry goes: my blog. my rules.

and just for the record, i do have an excuse about not posting thus far in august.  granted, i usually have an excuse seeing as how my life is often consumed with getting out of things, but this one's legit if i do say so myself. so here it is, just so you don't think i've been avoiding you.  my dear sweet grandmother passed away unexpectedly july 31st (harry potter's birthday for those of you that live your life according to pop references like i do) and i stayed with my grandfather and mom to help take care of things afterwards.  needless to say it came as an unbelievable shock to all of us, but i'm at peace with the knowledge that my grandmother was kick-butt awesome.  i had some of my most favorite memories thanks to her (and my grandfather) and she will truly be missed.  but don't worry, pepye (i know you're reading this because obviously they have the internet in heaven and you bookmarked my blog up there) ... i'll try to stop talking on my cellphone when i'm driving (just like you always asked) and i'll finally write down the directions for making hard boiled eggs since i can't call you every time i need to figure that ish out.  and by the time i see you again, i'll have figured my life out and no one will have to worry about what crazy idea i'll come up with next.  cheers to that, right?

hopefully that didn't bum anyone out because this blog is obviously not about bumming.  it's about learning!  so here's a list of a few things i learned this summer.  some have been blogged about previously (but i know you skim the posts so it's not like you'd know that), but others are brand spanking new.  enjoy the list and get ready for some daily (weekly? monthly? eh, we'll see) blogs detailing my LAST SEMESTER of school!  and the job search process.  but let's not talk about that right now.

five things i learned this summer

1.  photography is no easy task, but every now and again you'll get something that doesn't make you shudder. this was grasped after a summer of classes and many evenings of being told my pictures were junk.  you win some, you lose some.
 
2.  sewing is a skill everyone should have.  my preschool bff is way good at it (hence why i learned from her), but i'm grasping it little by little.  and goodness it's fun to have a craft/quilt/purse/etc. when you're done!  although if i'm being honest, i've given away most everything i've made so far.  one day i'll keep something and it will be even more exciting.  

i've got your back, harry.

3.  i will never stop wanting to be a wizard.  harry potter may be finished, but until that acceptance letter comes from hogwarts, i'll never stop. ever.

4.  reunions are SO fun.  and no, i'm not talking about the high school kind, although i'm sure they're dandy (and by dandy, i mean awkward and potentially unnecessary thanks to facebook).  i'm talking about the 1991 kind!  again, a reference to my preschool bff, but she organized the best 1991 reunion complete with potato (her brother) and the perfect setting for the remake of our finest preschool photo.  AND there was a chocovine challenge which happened to be my first servery challenge and i didn't fail.  if you don't understand most of what i just wrote, that's good.  that means you aren't a creepy stalker.  but feel free to read more about it at my preschool bff's site.  my drink might have been strange tasting (but really that's because chocovine is gross), but it was oh-so-pretty with my monogrammed wineglass and ribbon.  never underestimate the power of presentation.

left: luckily my mom saves all her pictures. especially from 1991.
right: the 1991 crew can remake anything. photo props to steven.

who doesn't love the '80s?

5.  my parents are wonderful. and no, 'rents, i didn't put that in there because i need money (although feel free to put some in my account at any time).  nor did i do it because we're going to be roomies when i graduate and become unemployed.  i just put it because it's true.  and tom, stop getting a big head or i'll do my next blogpost on embarrassing things that you've said (preview: convos with preachers).

that's all folks!  until next time, mischief managed.