The Callaghans

Emerging Artist! I like the sound of that!

2010-06-25T18:37:00.004-05:00

2 of my paintings will be displayed in a show for "Emerging Artists" in Chicago, IL at Morpho Gallery! I am excited about this anyway, but even more so because one of my paintings is featured on the postcard for the show! I only wish I could make it to the opening on July 2nd (complete with fireworks) but alas I spent too much $$$ shipping my art across the country. You can see my art and the other artists' work on the website here. It's a slide show and mine pops up eventually. :-)

Neil Young at Jones Hall

2010-06-05T16:58:00.004-05:00

Last night, I saw Neil Young at Jones Hall near downtown Houston with Glenn and my parents. For Glenn and I it was the 2nd time seeing him live because we saw him at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles when we lived there.

Neil Young is one of my favorite singer-songwriters, and a rock legend. Nobody sounds like him now, or probably ever will.

Bert Jansch opened the show and I was blown away. He is known for being one of the (least known) best guitar players ever- and I completely agree. I heard that his style greatly influenced JIMMY PAGE of Led Zeppelin and it makes perfect sense after hearing him perform. His music is a unique mix of blues, british folk, and classical guitar. Even though he was one person with one guitar if I was just listening I would think that there were about 4 guitar players performing up there! I decided that he should tour with Robert Plant and it would be the next best thing to having Jimmy Page.

Neil Young opened the show with "Hey Hey, My My" with acoustic guitar which was incredible. He continued to play an interesting mix of his classics as well as his new songs. My favorite of the night had to be "After the Goldrush" which he performed on an antique pipe organ. It was a unique version of one of my favorite songs. I can't help but prefer his classics to his new songs, but I must say I give him props for being so prolific and not remaining stagnant in performing only songs that he wrote 30 years ago. I enjoyed his acoustic performances in this show more than the electric because I could hear his voice and the guitar better. I'm not sure how much of this was because of the venue or where I was sitting, or just the sound mixing, but during (especially the first 2 or 3) electric songs that he played the feedback made it very hard to hear the vocals or guitar clearly and not in a good way. My dad thought that they must have turned up the guitar balance more than normal because he was doing a solo performance in a fairly large venue, but to me it echoed a bit. The only song that I can think of that I would have liked to hear that he didn't play was "Heart of Gold" but I really can't complain because I heard it 3 years ago when I saw him before.

On a side note, Neil Young fans can be OBNOXIOUS! When we saw him in LA, the people sitting right behind us yelled THE ENTIRE TIME, "PLAY DOWN BY THE RIVER PUHLEEEEEASE!" He did not play "Down by the River" at that show lol! The Houston show was refreshingly quiet with exception to a few people yelling out. One lady yelled "shut up"in response which actually kind of nipped it in the bud. I just can't imagine feeling the right to yell things at any performer on stage, much less at such a rock icon! I think some people just like getting attention.

Peeve

2010-06-01T21:44:00.006-05:00

I don't do this very often, but I have to discuss one of my biggest pet peeves: when people speak about what they do not know about. This bothers me in many facets of life, but the one I'm talking about in this blog is misconceptions about teaching.

I have encountered a lot of people expressing their opinions about teachers in general as well as specifically about the job of an art teacher.

Assumption #1: "I should be a teacher because they get 3 months off!"

First of all, it really is not quite 3 months. Next, teacher contracts are only for 187 days, therefore, WE ARE ONLY GETTING PAID for the time we are working. I think it is safe to say that those in the education field are among the highest educated, lowest paid population of people. Most teachers don't do it for the money, but because they find it rewarding in some way. Hey I'm all for having year round school if teachers get paid for their time! I have never complained about my salary because in Texas we are paid much better than in many states. Although, in my mind, shouldn't teachers be paid well? Without well-educated teachers to inspire children to be the best they can be, what would happen? I know that personally my summer will consist of writing lesson plans/planning for next year, attending numerous professional development classes (total right now is 6 7hr classes) Yes, some of these cost $$$ and no I don't get reimbursed or compensated. I am also in class for my master's degree which is obviously in a related subject to the subject that I teach. I won't even get into how much I buy for my classes out of my pocket either...

Assumption #2: "teachers get to go home at 3:30"

I don't know ANY teacher who has the same schedule as the students. Teachers arrive early and stay late. They bring grading and work home. They spend entire weekends at competitions and other events for the students. Teaching is not a job that you can leave at the office.

Assumption #3: teaching art is "fun" and "easy" because it is not a core subject.

Yes, teaching art does have fun moments! It should be fun! Let me clarify though, that in order for the students to have fun, it takes A LOT of planning and preparation from guess who... the TEACHER! This is not "easy." Rewarding is the term I would use more than "fun" or "easy". What other kind of teacher is expected to teach 6 different age groups/ have 6 different preps? (I'm sure there are some, but who knows?) I had 24 sections of kids this year! We have expectations from the state, district, school, art coordinator; shows to put up throughout the year, as well as competitions. Anyone who has been in a room with 48 Kindergarten kids using scissors in close quarters knows that the job of a fine arts teacher can be called a lot of things, but "easy" is not one of them! It is challenging in a DIFFERENT way than being an academic or homeroom teacher. Guess how many lbs I lost 1st semester strictly due to NEVER sitting down/stress/not having time to eat lunch some days...nearly 20lbs!

I would NEVER pretend to know what an engineer, astronaut, mom, financial trader, business owner, or math teacher goes through in the midst of their daily duties, so you know what- I would never assume that it is "easy." I call that "ignorant."

It's done now

2010-05-28T18:55:00.001-05:00

"Pack my bags, I'm going away
It's over. I'm going home.
Thank you people, but it's too much to stay.
It's done now. I'm going home. "- Badfinger

Happiness :-)

2010-05-19T22:43:00.003-05:00

It just hit me that right now I am the happiest that I've been in a long time! Summer is just around the corner and I have so much to look forward to!

I have a new job to plan for! I know that I am a nerd because reading the curriculum is making me get really excited. The types of lessons/projects come SO MUCH easier to me than the levels I have been teaching this year.I can't wait to start at my new school!

I am done with my certification and have passed all my exams. (and most importantly done paying for it!) I am nearly finished with my Master's degree, but painting will be my focus this summer. This summer my art is traveling to Prague (to show my technique) and I'm crossing my fingers that next summer I will be traveling there.

I am about to be in my wonderful friend, Katie's wedding this weekend and I am planning to visit her in Charleston when she moves there in a few months.

Right now, I feel like I have so many things to be thankful for. :-)

Summer Fashion Obsessions

2010-05-18T20:00:00.003-05:00

Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I have ALWAYS had a love of retro fashion. In middle school and early high school I had REALLY long hair when nobody else did and everyone always asked me if I was a hippie and told me I should cut my hair.

...fast-forward to 2010 and popular fashion has finally caught up to my style :-)

Bohemian and 60s-70s fashion is EVERYWHERE, but with more flattering, modern fits. I remember in high school WISHING that stuff like this was available for sale and it wasn't at the time! I actually have several thrift store pieces that I had altered that are almost identical to new fashion that is out right now!

Let me share with you a few of my current fashion obsessions, which ironically have not changed much since the time I was in 7th grade:

Flowing, patterned blouses or dresses:

Ankle boots:

Anything with fringe:

And as always really cute sandals: (lets face it, in Houston, sandals can be worn nearly year-round)

Cha cha cha changes

2010-05-10T19:25:00.002-05:00

Today I found out that I got a transfer that I applied for in my district! I am very excited to be working at a new middle school! The school actually opened this past year, but only with 1 art teacher- now I will be the 2nd art teacher for next year! The facility is incredible, complete with office, storage closet, kiln, and outdoor area for art! I am also really happy to not be the only art teacher at my school. No matter how nice everyone is, there is nothing quite like having another art person to share with. Another plus is that it is a much shorter, easier drive from my house than where I am working now! I've already signed up for lots of professional development classes for this summer and can't wait to be able to focus on teaching secondary next year! Yippeee!

Fun Weekend!

2010-05-08T22:49:00.006-05:00

First of all, we are in the home stretch of the school year and I couldn't be more excited! Only 3.5 weeks left!

Glenn and I kicked off the weekend by attending John Alexander's art opening at McClain Gallery with Mija and Jody. John Alexander is one of my favorite artists who started his career in Houston. It was a small show highlighting one large painting and the supporting sketches for the painting. He is good friends with Dan Akroyd who was there too! He touched me on the elbow and said "hi." haha! I am a huge fan of vintage SNL and Ghostbusters so it's kind of weird to see and meet him in person.

Saturday, we went to see Iron Man 2 and eat dinner with Amanda & Eric. Amanda and I had some funny balloon hats made at dinner and decided to document them!

Tomorrow we are going to visit my mom and dad in Lake Jackson in honor of Mother's day, which should be fun!

Time

2010-02-21T13:43:00.002-06:00

There's never enough time!

"You run, you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking

Racing around to come up behind you again"- Pink Floyd

These song lyrics describe exactly how I feel lately. Although I have a smaller load than I did first semester, I still am in the first year of a challenging job and concurrently in grad school.

With both work, school, and home I feel like I can never catch up all the way with everything that needs to be done. There is just not enough time in the day. I can't stay up at school all night or spend all night working on things that I've taken home because it is so important to re-charge for the daily activities that come along with being an elementary teacher. If I don't, it is hard to find the enthusiasm to make it through the day.

Then, if I do anything extra on the weekend, it just reduces the time I have to rest and catch up on work and painting. For example, this weekend I spent all day Saturday (6:45-10pm) in Sugar Land helping with an art contest. It was fun, but exhausting!

It's just amazing how fast the hours fly by on the weekends and nights when I'm home. I wish I could press pause! I guess that is what summer break is for...less that 3 months to go! Woo hoo!

New Year!

2010-01-04T20:43:00.002-06:00

I really don't like making new years resolutions, but I do have some goals that I would like to focus on.

1. Get organized! Since we moved into the house, I have a lot of organization to do. I don't just want to find a place for everything, but also get into the habit of putting things back where they go when I'm done. My classroom is also still a work in progress. Lots of random things to organize with very little storage.

2. Excercise! I've lost a lot of weight b/c of my gluten-free diet (low in carbs) and because of my hectic job, but I have not been working out. I think if I start working out I will see results pretty easily, since I do have a head start by losing weight.

3. Art! Especially this summer, I want to focus on being really productive with my art, entering shows, and hopefully writing and finishing my thesis.

4. Staying in Touch! I have not been very good at staying in touch with friends lately (besides facebook ) and I want to work harder to call and catch up with people that I haven't talked to in a while.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Gluten free beauty products?

2009-12-31T09:55:00.002-06:00

Based on my digestive issues, symptoms, I am 99.9 % sure that I am sensitive to gluten. I first discovered when I was on a zero carb diet that my digestive system was working the best it had in my entire life! I talked to a gastro Dr. about it and he agreed that it was likely based on my symptoms. My test for Celiac disease came back normal, but he said that it doesn't mean that I don't have gluten sensitivity, just that I don't have that particular variation of it.

So for the past 6 months or so I have been on a gluten free diet. It is really difficult, but I have tried my best. Amy's organic foods have really yummy gluten free enchiladas and other frozen meals, so that has been a staple for me at lunch. For dinner I substitute xantham gum for flour and eliminate any bread.

The strange thing is that since my digestion has gotten better, my skin has gotten worse! I have sometimes itchy rashes on my back, torso, chest, scalp, and face. Ever since I was a pre-teen, I had small, red bumps on my face that never seemed to go away despite medicine and visits to the dermatologist. The dermatologist always referred to it as mild acne. More recently, a dermatologist diagnosed me with rosacea.

I tried a new shampoo and conditioner recently (Aveeno) because I had heard great reviews of it. I used it a couple of times and my scalp and neck broke out in an intensely itchy rash. I took Benadryl and just assumed that my skin is sensitive.

I was researching makeup that is best for sensitive skin on the internet and I came to a FAQ section on a makeup brand's website that asked "are your products gluten free?" First I had no idea that gluten was even used in makeup, and second, I wondered how that would affect digestive symptoms if used topically. It didn't make sense to me. So I started researching gluten sensitivity and beauty products and found NUMEROUS people who had a sensitivity to gluten and broke out in skin rash when using beauty products that contained wheat, rye, barley, or anything derived from these things! I went and looked at the ingredients on the label of the Aveeno shampoo that broke me out so bad and it listed 2 different kinds of gluten as making up a large percentage of the formula! Most Dr.s apparently, will tell you that gluten can only be absorbed by the digestive tract, but there is no conclusive study that this is based on.

I change beauty products about as often as I change my clothes, so when I think back to times when my skin was at its best, I was using a makeup that WAS gluten free! I am going to buy new makeup, soap, shampoo, face wash, and lotion that is gluten free. THANK GOODNESS for Burt's Bees which ALL of it's products are gluten free and much more reasonably priced than any other brand that is. I am excited to see whether this helps!

Another random thing I learned was that Gluten can cause Migraines in people who are sensitive to it! Also, my reflux has gotten better since being on a gluten-free diet. This makes me think that most Dr.s do not do enough to look for the CAUSE of symptoms. Instead, they just treat them.

November is a busy month!

2009-11-01T21:36:00.003-06:00

In my Mouse Ears on Halloween looking at the Sunset off of our balcony!

This month has barely started, and I already know that it is going to fly by! There is SO MUCH going on this month for me!

This week- on top of reading 2 NOVELS for one class discussion this week for my Thurs night class, I have a 7 page proposal/summative bibliography/midterm due. I also have a critique for my other class (painting) this Tuesday.

Next Week- I am excited for TAEA (art teacher) conference in Dallas! I already have a sub lined up for Friday, and I will be in Dallas for the weekend.

Nov 19- We have a conveyance walk with our builder, which basically is the step before closing.

Nov 20- I have my jury trial stemming from that ticket that I got in October of 2008!

Nov 23- Appliances go in our house!

Nov 24- We close on our house!

Our lights are on! And our fence posts are up! Now all we need is carpet, grass, landscaping, and door knobs lol!

Then- I am off for Thanksgiving Holiday! My holiday, however, will not only be filled with fun house /moving/painting rooms, etc, but with doing work on my grad school work. I have (at least) 2 more paintings to do this semester PLUS another to go with my creative paper=3 large paintings left to complete. My final paper is due Dec 3rd and my final (blue book) exam for that class is a couple of days later.

whew! I'm not sure how I will get everything done, but I am sure that November is going to fly by whether I like it or not! I can't wait til Christmas Break when I can actually rest!

Brick and stone finished, ready for sidewalk!

2009-10-16T14:03:00.001-05:00

Brick & Stone & Sheetrock OH MY!

2009-10-11T20:45:00.002-05:00

The builders are almost finished putting the stone on the front of our house, despite the rainy weather! The house is sheet-rocked on inside and has the first coat of paint on the walls even! The next step is stamped concrete, lights, cabinets & flooring, & plumbing to go in and fence to go up! It is looking more like a real house both on the inside and outside!

Top 10 Reasons I can't wait to move into our house!

2009-09-26T21:06:00.008-05:00

1. Art Studio!
Needless to say, I am more than a little bit excited for this feature! It was one of the main selling points for us. We couldn't find any other houses that had anything remotely like this. Today I went to Jerry's Artarama and bought some fixtures that they were getting rid of for really cheap! I got a huge brush display, a huge rack that will hold my acrylic paints, and also rack that will hold my watercolors! (all for under $30) I got a nice adjustable easel for my birthday. Now all I need is a flat storage system for paper and such, drafting table, bookshelf, and cabinets to store supplies. I'm thinking of going to Ikea to look for the shelves and cabinets. CAN'T WAIT!

2. Having a yard
The worst part of living on the 3rd floor for me is having to take Molly & Minnie down 3 flights of stairs to go outside. It will be nice to be able to open the door and let them out in a fenced area.

3. Being closer to work
It will be a much shorter drive for me, but longer for Glenn. It won't matter too much for him though b/c he gets to work by 6 am when there is no traffic.

4. More space (duh)
I will have a HUGE closet :-) as well as more space in pretty much every other room, since we live in a 1 bedroom apt right now. It will be especially nice to have more cabinet space for pots and pans and a big pantry. As I've mentioned before we do not have room for a kitchen table where we live now. In fact, we have never had a kitchen table since we've been married. I will be so happy to finally be able to eat somewhere besides our sofa!

5. Driveway and Garage
I hate not having a garage to park in. Especially when weather gets cool and the cars fog up in the morning.

6. U-Verse Cable, etc
In the community where we are moving, we have no choice but to get U-Verse cable. Sounds weird, until you look at the heavily discounted price and then there is no other word for it than amazing! We will be paying almost half of what we have been paying for internet & basic cable in our apt, but will get internet, better cable (with DVR I think), phone, and security system!

7. EnergyStar home!
Our electric bills have been ridiculous in our apartment. We are hot all the time trying to save $ but our electric bill is expensive nonetheless. I think our apt is terribly inefficient. I am happy that our new home will be more energy efficient.

8. LIGHT!
There is lots of natural light in our new place, which I love.

9. Being able to grill!
It is illegal to grill on the balcony of an apartment, therefore we have not been able to grill. I loved grilled meat and it is easy!

10. Decorating!
We have already gotten to start shaping the style of our house through our choices at the design center, but I also look forward to painting walls, picking curtains, and getting some new furniture (eventually)!

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but you get the idea! I'll leave you with some updated pics of our house.

House Update

2009-09-11T19:49:00.003-05:00

I drove by 'our house' after work one day this week. I snapped this pic with my phone! We now have a frame! Yay! Also, I finally get my first paycheck next week and I am excited about that as well!

Busy Week

2009-08-29T14:19:00.011-05:00

I survived the first week of classes!

I have met half of the 1000+ students that I will be teaching! Next week I meet the other half! I also went to Clear Lake for my first week of the fall semester of Grad School 2 nights this week. I am really tired already, and feeling a bit sicky.

Today, Glenn and I had a meeting with the house builder and our slab was being poured while we were there!

It was really neat to see- I have never witnessed a house being built before! They say that next week the frame of the house will go up! Our salesman, Jarrell said that we should be in the house by THANKSGIVING! Whoo hoo! Another interesting tidbit is that my next door neighbor is a teacher, and another teacher is going to live a couple of houses down the street! I'm sure we will have a lot to talk about! This is the beginning of my Art Studio! They are going to smooth out the concrete, since I'm going to leave the floor concrete and stain it! YAY!!!

On another note, we took the girls to a dog park and here are some cute pics. They get SO excited!

on the way there:
lots of sniffing going on!

A big week!

2009-08-21T18:25:00.004-05:00

Next week is a very exciting week! Monday is not only my 25th birthday, but the first day of school! I will meet half of the >1000 kiddos that I will teach! Yes, I will have 24 sections of students! I am nervous, but ready to get this show on the road! The anticipation is killing me! I am also ready to get my first paycheck (which won't happen for a few weeks) Here are some pics of my classroom (almost done being set up).

Also, in other news, our house should begin construction next week! Also, my new graduate school semester starts next week, so 2 nights I will be driving to Clear Lake :-P.

A House!!!

2009-07-29T15:23:00.004-05:00

Glenn and I are getting a house built! We have been going back and forth between saving up more money and getting a bigger house in a few years, or getting a "starter" home now. We had just about decided to wait, but then we stumbled upon this builder. We were actually looking for an open house for a pre-built home, but ended up coming in the office looking at floor plans. This community offers a sort of new concept called "courtyard homes" that have their own gated yards. This model fits our needs perfectly right now! This is a picture of the model (the same floor plan we will be building). The building to the right is a detached "casita" that is decorated as a game room. Mine will be an ART STUDIO! This is a view inside the casita. I can't believe I'll have such an incredible space all for my art!

This is the view from the front door to the casita/art studio. (the model has a pool, ours definitely won't )

Our home will look similar to this one, but not exact, as this one has has lots of upgrades. I can't wait until we get to visit the Design Studio and pick out cabinets, countertops, tile, paint colors, etc!

The house should be finished by mid November so we can close on it by November 30th. (in time for the 8000 dollar tax credit!)

Dopamax???

2009-07-25T12:50:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to get my migraine headaches under control this summer. I have too many to be able to rely solely on the medicine that you take when you are already getting one (to treat it) so I have to turn to preventative medicine as well.

My doctors put me on Topamax (an anti seizure medicine also used to treat migraines and sometimes bipolar disorder) and I have been gradually working up to the full dose over the past month and a half. The side effects have been AWFUL! It started with tingling limbs and mild memory loss. I would grasp for a simple word that I have always known. Then my vision became blurry, my motor skills and thinking became delayed. I have had trouble focusing on anything. I feel really tired all the time, and generally not myself. When I read the side effects (listed below) pretty much the only ones I haven't had are stomach upset or nausea. The only reason I lost my appetite was because I had no energy to cook! I thought it was funny that the drug was nicknamed "dopamax" by people who had taken it b/c I have never been on drugs but this is what I imagine being "cracked out" would feel like haha.

OH and it hasn't really helped the migraines... SO my Dr. has given me a schedule to work my dosage down to stop taking it (YAY!) and I am going to try a different medicine. I just hope it works out better for me. I never plan on taking another medicine that has a side effect listed as "confusion!"

Side effects

A GlaxoSmithKline-sponsored Phase IV study suggested that cognitive side effects may be more common with topiramate than with lamotrigine.^[23] In studies of healthy volunteers, therapeutic doses of topiramate for bipolar disorder produced greater cognitive deficits than lamotrigine, including short term memory loss and word-finding difficulty. This effect has led to the occasional use of the name "dopamax" by some dissatisfied customers.^{[citation needed]}

The side-effects reported by > 10% of subjects in at least 1 clinical study^[24] Listed by prevalence: (*indicates placebo rate [%] is the same or higher than side-effect rate)

headache (23.8%) *[25.9%]
paresthesia (numbness & tingling) (23.1%)
upper respiratory tract infection (17.5%)
diarrhea (16.8%)
nausea (15.4%)
somnolence (15.4%) *[16.1%]
anorexia (loss of appetite) (13.3%) *[5.6%]
insomnia (11.9%) *[11.2%]
memory problems (11.2%)
dizziness (10.5%) *[10.5]

The side-effects most frequently leading to discontinuation of therapy with topiramate were:

Psychomotor slowing (4.1%)
Memory problems (3.3%)
Fatigue (3.3%)
Confusion (3.2%)
Somnolence (3.2%)

Blood clots have occurred in people given topamax, but it has not been proved that these were caused by the drug. Drug withdrawal convulsions (fits) have been reported very rarely. Psychosis (often with paranoid delusions and prominent visual hallucinations) has also been reported.

Recent Happenings

2009-07-12T21:36:00.004-05:00

This past week I attended a 3 day professional development workshop in Houston called Capturing Kid's Hearts. I learned a lot, and one of the best things about it was that I met some of my future Owens co-workers! It makes me feel really good to that I will know a few people before the first day of classes. On Thursday, after meeting Amanda and Heather, we all went together to another teacher's birthday party at a local Mexican restaurant. It was awesome to be able to meet people in relaxed setting! Thanks to Amanda taking photos here is a pic of us and another new teacher, Lisa, and Debbie, who also works at Owens.

Friday was the Opening for the Galveston Art League Juried Show! It was a really nice reception with wine and cheese and lots of good company! My parents, my Aunt Anne, and Uncle Gary all came to support me which was awesome! I also got to meet a couple of my mom's RAT (Retired Art Teacher) friends who were great! All in all a good evening!

Saturday night, Glenn's good friend Kyle from Tulsa was in town with his wife, Amy! They are moving to Houston soon (yay!) and were looking for houses and apartments, so we got to go out to dinner and ice cream with them! I took a really cute picture of them at the ice cream parlor, but accidently erased it (still getting used to my new camera) so sorry no pics :-( but it was good to catch up with them.

Finally, today, I visited my Theta friend, Erin at her apartment. We had a low-key afternoon and hung-out by the pool, then ate lunch together. I tested out my waterproof digital camera with her, but alas, I accidently deleted those photos at the same time that I deleted the one of Amy & Kyle.

I've had a really fun and social week/weekend, but my summer school class starts tomorrow, so I'll be back to business...we'll it's printmaking, so it's fun arty business, but still school :-)

Recipe: Em's Easy Orange Chicken

2009-07-08T19:00:00.002-05:00

Here is a recipe I made up for orange chicken that turned out pretty well:

Ingredients:

boneless skinless chicken breasts

eggs

flour/flour alternative

green onions

jar of sugar-free orange marmalade

soy sauce

garlic (I use minced kind in jar)

broccoli

water chestnuts

mushrooms

any other stir-fry ingredients

rice/cauliflower

start rice cooker before cooking chicken (I cook rice for Glenn and steam Cauliflower as a rice alternative for myself, all using rice cooker)
cut chicken into bite-size pieces
coat in beaten egg and flour or flour alternative (for low carb diet)
pan fry in small amount of oil with garlic
add green onions
add mushrooms and other ingredients
Stir in orange marmalade and soy sauce to taste. If you like it saltier, add more soy sauce.

Enjoy!

Re-evaluated Wish List

2009-07-01T17:13:00.004-05:00

A while back I blogged about the things that I wished I could get in the near future.

Since then, we have decided to wait a while to get a house. Even though I got hired in May, I won't get my first paycheck until September, so we really can't save enough for a down payment. Well, we could come up with a small one, but would rather save a larger amount for a long list of reasons.

Instead, we are going to move into a larger 2 bedroom Apartment (not on the 3rd floor and possibly with a garage) when our lease is up in December. It actually will cost about the same as our current apartment! I have to have more space! (poor Glenn, my very expensive art supplies need a home and I need a work space!)

This decision has made many things possible for us that are really important:

Glenn is going to start graduate school! His Employer will pay for it in full (which is incredible) but we have to pay for it up front. When his passing grades come in, then they will reimburse us. If we got a house now, not only would it be an expense, but Glenn would have to be distracted by things like mowing the lawn when he needs to be studying for his classes/driving to class. Glenn having a master's degree will help us financially more than anything else- after only 2 years (about the same time he will also get his professional engineer's license!)
I got my new laptop! And digital camera is ordered... Like I said in my earlier post, I have needed a new laptop for a LONG TIME! I didn't just want a new laptop, I NEEDED it badly! I however, did not have to get a Mac. That is a luxury. I consider my laptop not only a study tool, work tool, but also an art supply, so I really appreciate having a Mac. I use it for photos, adjusting color, visualizing images for my paintings, etc. I am also told that artists interviewing with galleries often show their work on Mac laptops, so now I am prepared! Also, I am an expert at destroying PCs with viruses, so I thought it was time to try something different!
Art Supplies! Besides my laptop, camera, and tuition, ART SUPPLIES are my biggest must-have expense! The large panels that I paint on for my Grad school work cost 25-35 dollars each (depending on which art store I find them at). Ad up the cost: I am required to do a minimum of 24 paintings of this size to graduate when it's all said and done, so not including paint, paper, paintbrushes, or any other materials =$600-840!!! Now I can relax and just get what I need when I need it.
The possibility of a Vacation this year! Without a house payment, we will definitely go on a vacation!

I think I am actually forgetting some things, but you get the idea!

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!

2009-06-28T19:11:00.003-05:00

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I entered this painting in my first juried show and won 1st place in my category! I had rushed to get this one framed for my college's graduate exhibit, then was a little bit irritated to find out that the UHCL gallery had decided (AFTER I had delivered the paintings) that they only had room for 2 works from each artist. I even had to make a special trip across Houston to go pick it up!

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I decided to enter it in the Galveston Art League's summer Juried exhibition instead. I would have been happy just to get my work accepted into the exhibition, as many paintings that enter do not even get displayed. I got a call today that I won my category though! When the phone rang I was completely prepared for them to tell me that my painting did not make it into the show, but was absolutely shocked to find out that I won! I could not be a happier camper right now!

Off to T-Town!

2009-06-12T21:54:00.003-05:00

I'm off to Tulsa this weekend to visit my college pals! We are going on a float trip on the Illinois river and just catching up on things in general! It should be an all around ridiculous time, as Oklahoma float trips normally are. Last time we met a guy who popped his glass eyeball out in mid-conversation and saw more mullets than we could count! This time I am prepared with a waterproof disposable camera.

On Wednesday my parents are meeting me in Tulsa and we are going to Fayetteville to visit my Grandma. It has been 2 years since I've seen her! Way too long!

It should be a good time!

Minnie's new outfits!

2009-06-09T19:46:00.005-05:00

Minnie has needed a new harness for a while, and I can't find the kind I used to get her anymore. I decided that I could make one pretty easily, so I looked for fabric when I was at Hobby Lobby today. I got this cute polka-dot jersey material for really cheap (and I only needed a tiny bit). I bought a bottle of liquid stitches and went to work! I still need to add velcro to the harness, but it is done besides that. I decided to make a dress with the extra material and here is Miss Minnie modeling her new look!(she still has a bandana on her neck so it looks kind of funny)

Diet: Day 9

2009-06-09T19:40:00.004-05:00

I've been missing for a few days. I was out of town for a couple of days, then I just didn't eat anything eventful.

Breakfast/lunch: Atkins shake

Snack: nuts

Dinner: Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

These were really good! I really didn't miss the bread crust as much as I thought I would! Very filling!

Dessert: Sugar-free fudge bar

Diet-Day 4

2009-06-04T18:43:00.001-05:00

Breakfast: Atkins shake

Lunch: uneventful salad

snack: sugar-free jello

Dinner: lean ground beef patty with salad, tomato, pickles, and avocado

Diet: Day 3

2009-06-03T18:31:00.002-05:00

This has been a HUNGRY day for me! I've eaten a lot more than I normally, do, but can't seem to get full! I even went back for seconds for my taco salad! I remember this stage when I've done the South Beach Diet in the past, and it goes away after a day or two. I'll just take this as a sign that it is working...

Breakfast: Atkins protein bar

snack: nuts

Lunch: Spring mix, fresh mozzarella, and tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

snack: sugar free jello

Dinner: Bean taco salad (lettuce, refried beans, shredded cheese, taco bell hot sauce (in a bottle-it's great!))

Diet: Day 2

2009-06-02T17:49:00.004-05:00

Day 2

Breakfast: Atkins shake

Lunch- I ate lunch with Glenn and his co-workers at Gringo's Mexican food restaurant. I ordered a fajita salad and avoided the chips...so hard, but I was proud of myself afterward.

Dinner- I am planning to make Pasta using Sp aghetti Squash!It is a large yellow squash that is about the size of a football! It is baking in the oven as we speak. We'll see how it goes! The recipe I'm using uses lean ground beef, part-skim ricotta cheese, and sugar-free pasta sauce.The squash, of course, replaces the noodles.

I also worked out today. I did an interval workout on the treadmill as the South Beach Diet book recommends. Hopefully I can keep it up without getting sick. In the past, when I am starting to get in a workout routine (about a month) I get sick and it throws off my routine.

Diet: Day 1

2009-06-01T17:21:00.002-05:00

I decided to blog each day for at least the first 2 weeks that I am on the South Beach Diet because I think it will help keep me motivated. The first 2 weeks are the hardest b/c NO CARBS are allowed, including fruit!

Today I had to grab lunch out unfortunately, but I opted for a grilled chicken cobb salad at Panera. It was kind of expensive for fast food, but I was determined to start my diet today!

I went to the grocery store and stocked up on approved foods for phase I, so now I should be good to go for a while. Tonight I am making a chicken and black bean wrap for Glenn and chicken and black bean salad for me. I am using rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, and black beans of course.

Yay for day 1!

Time for a diet...

2009-05-30T14:13:00.002-05:00

I decided to start the South Beach Diet again starting today. It is the only diet that has ever worked for me. It starts out with no carbs allowed for the first 2 weeks, which I actually think is beneficial to me for digestive reasons. This may sound weird, but the only time of my life that I have had a regular digestive system was when I was eating zero carbs. I suspect that I have a gluten sensitivity. It is hard to avoid my favorite things like potatoes and bread, but it is worth it. Wish me luck!

Wish List

2009-05-19T09:49:00.007-05:00

Ok, so it's not Christmas time or even really near my Birthday, but since I've been a student, there are things that I dream about being able to afford one day when we are both working.

1. A House (with an Art room)- of course this is the biggest one. We renewed our apartment lease for 6 months (from July) so we are hoping to save a bit of $$$ for a down payment on a house in that time. Unfortunately I won't start getting a paycheck until August, so it may not be possible to save enough money as soon as we would like. We would like to capitalize on the $8,000 tax rebate! My Artwork and supplies are eating our apartment, so I can't wait til I have my own room/studio!

2. A new Mac Laptop- I am using the same laptop that I've had since my freshman year of college. Yes, the laptop that stopped working about a month after my college classes started that year. It has had so many problems and had to be reformatted more times than I can remember. I really would like a Mac.

3. A New Digital Camera- I really like my mom's new Canon digital camera. It takes really good pictures and sells for a very reasonable price. Lately I've been using the camera on my phone or the still shots on my video camera (that aren't as high quality as a regular camera).

3. A Kitchen Table- We don't have room in our apt for a kitchen table, so we eat at our coffee table on the sofa. I can't wait til we have a real place to eat!

Job Offer!

2009-05-19T09:39:00.002-05:00

I got a verbal job offer from the principal of an elementary school in Cy-Fair ISD to be their Art teacher! HR is slow, so they still need to call me to set up a time to sign the actual written offer, but that should happen soon.

I am soo relieved to know where I'm going to be early. This way I can plan and see what supplies are in my room before the school year starts.

Yay!

Pet Peeve

2009-05-12T15:21:00.002-05:00

Today, Glenn and I were supposed to go up to Austin to visit his Grandpa in the hospital. We had just been on the road for about 20 minutes when Glenn got a call saying not to come. Apparently Grandpa didn't want any visitors. So Glenn went back to work, and I went to the grocery store since I wasn't subbing today.

I had just parked at Wal-Mart and was walking toward the entrance when a car with two men in it stopped and yelled, "MA'AM!!!" to get my attention. They then proceeded to ask "In God's glory, can you please spare some money for us?"

This really made me angry for several reasons.

1. They were two able-bodied men who could be working. If they spent the energy that they were using scouting out people in the parking lot and asking for money, they could be inquiring about employment!

2. They were driving a fairly nice looking pick-up truck, not brand-new, but not beat-up either.

3. They were using gas to circle around the Wal-Mart parking lot asking for money. If they REALLY needed money that bad, they would park the car and save gas by traveling on foot!

4. Anybody at Wal-Mart ( a discount retailer) on Tuesday in the middle of the day is either unemployed, a part-time worker, elderly or retired, disabled, or a stay at home parent, all of which probably don't have too much extra money to donate to you!

5. If you want to beg people for their hard-earned money, please don't bring God into it!

I told them, "I'm sorry I'm unemployed right now," which is true. I do work for $90/day as a substitute, but I don't get work every day. I'm also a student, so I'm paying much more money to tuition, books, my certification class, and art supplies than I am bringing in. It is a sacrifice for a goal that will pay off very soon. Yes, Glenn has a good engineering job, but we need every penny. If we do have extra money ever, we will start saving for a down-payment on a house, or pay off student loans! We have to be really careful with our money, and he has worked too hard to be throwing it away to some loser who could be working themselves! I just think that they have a lot of nerve!

The semester comes to an end and other stories

2009-05-06T23:10:00.003-05:00

My last 2 papers for this semester are due tomorrow night. I had every intention of finishing them today, and could have except that I learned that I have to come back to campus tomorrow anyway to drop off something to another teacher for my summer class. When I found that out, I just decided to take a break and finish up tomorrow. I needed a break anyway. But I'm sooo close to being done!

My critique went well despite the fact that my teacher doesn't like the frames that 3 of my works are in. Oh well... I like them so that's what matters to me.

I've been thinking about my options for what level to teach. I always thought I would go straight into teaching high school. The students are more advanced, know how to use scissors and walk to the restroom by themselves, etc. I am starting to wonder if there will be any high school openings for me to fill though!

I have recently gotten used to the idea of teaching Middle School. Sure they all hit growth spurts at different times which leads to a comical looking group of kids, (looking at a middle school class reminds me of hobbits vs Gandalf in Lord of the rings, or the star wars bar- a tiny kid sitting next to a giant haha) and they seem to be the age group that nobody wants to teach because they have the sass of the high schoolers with the immaturity of the elementary kids, but I think they are pretty amusing.

I never thought I would teach elementary, but I am warming up to the idea. My mom started out teaching elementary and loved it. In fact the only reason she started teaching high school was because BISD doesn't have elementary art. The kids get really excited about art and suck up anything you teach them like sponges. On the down side, I've heard they stick over 50 kids in a classroom at a time- which sounds a little bit overwhelming. Surely there would be aides in a class of that size to help though. I wouldn't have as much extra after hours work like matting for contests, etc. like for high school though which leaves more time to do my own artwork and grad school. I think it could be kind of fun. I'm truly a kid at heart anyway.

I've had to remind myself to keep an open mind and that it will all work out in the end. It could be a blessing in disguise if I end up teaching a level that I hadn't anticipated. The only reason I've been set on high school is that it is familiar to me, but I know that I can do a great job on any level.

Hopefully I will find out soon though :-P

In- Between

2009-05-04T18:35:00.004-05:00

One of the feelings that I dislike most in life is the feeling of being in-between. What I mean by this is that I don't feel like any of my work has paid off at this point. I have been working hard toward my immediate goal of being an art teacher and my long-term goal of being a professional artist, yet I still have no idea where I will be working next year.

Sometimes I feel like I've been pedaling 100 miles per hour with no destination in sight. Right now, I am at the point where I have applied to all of the school districts in feasible driving distance from where I live (some being as much as 45 minutes away), but most high schools have not started interviewing outside candidates yet, so I am waiting...

I can only take one grad school class this summer because it is the only one offered that I need, so I feel like it is time wasted that I could be working toward my degree. I should be able to take a full load while I'm not working, but no. There are 3 classes that I want/need to take for the fall, but there is no way I can take that big of a load while (hopefully) working full time and living more than an hour from my college. grrrrrr

I have done all I can do when it comes to trying to get hired! I've applied to schools, met and stayed in close contact with the arts coordinator at the district where I would prefer to work, subbed at this district, volunteered for VASE, and even presented a workshop at State VASE where all of the coordinators and art teachers from all over the state of Texas were together in one place.

I interviewed at a middle school more than a month ago and they are "still in the interview process" and was told that a decision would be made soon. Now, it is the end of the year and I understand how busy they are. I would never fault any principal for taking their time to make the right decision for their school. In fact that may be a good sign about the school that they take their art program seriously. However, I'm not sure my stomach can't take this suspense for too much longer!

I unofficially visited a high school that was supposed to have an opening with the understanding that I would be called in for an official interview once the internal hiring period ended. Come to find out the teacher who was supposed to be leaving is not leaving anymore. Great...

I have an upcoming interview for an elementary position, which is awesome, but when are the high schools going to start calling me!?! I hate that it is all totally out of my control at this point. Then- I wonder if I do get an offer from the middle or elementary school, what will I do? I really like the middle school a lot, and am open to the elementary school, but I haven't even had the opportunity to interview at a high school yet. I would have a really hard time turning down a job at that middle school, but it makes me wonder if I should be more patient and wait to see if a high school job opens up or if I should block it out of my mind and just be grateful if I get an offer from a great school like the middle school!

I will be SO HAPPY when I have been hired and will know where I am going to be next year!I really hope it happens sooner rather than later so I can actually enjoy my summer somewhat instead of "having no plans and too much time and "feeling too restless to unwind"- (Bright Eyes)

Fish Heads

2009-04-24T17:00:00.003-05:00

Here is the only of my new paintings that I have a decent picture of. I went fishing with my dad and watched him clean the fish. I must say I am so empathetic for creatures of all kinds that it made me really sad. ( I even feel sorry for the little bait minnows) I snapped a picture with my phone of the dismembered heads in the bucket and captured a really neat composition. My goal was to take a gruesome subject and make it look beautiful and even decorative. The painting is 24x35 inches, Acrylic on Panel.

Good to know...

2009-04-10T11:26:00.003-05:00

Read this Article

After subbing all day at this high school, I hurried off to my night class in Clear Lake. It wasn't until I was driving home around 10:30pm that my dad told me over the phone that the school was on the news for having a gun scare. I told him it must be a mistake because I was there and knew nothing of it. He said he saw on the news that the school had lots of construction going on and I said yes that sounds like the same school. I got home and googled it and sure enough it was the school that I subbed at ALL DAY!

In retrospect maybe I'm glad that I didn't know, since everything was ok. I probably would have been really terrified had I known. On the other hand there are procedures that teachers (and yes, even subs) have to follow in a "lockdown" situation to protect yourself and the students, that include locking your door and not opening it for anyone who knocks.

I didn't even have a key to my classroom so another teacher would have needed to lock the door. I was there with my door open most of the day and had no idea that there was any kind of threat. I guess it's possible the teachers got emails or something but none of them felt the need to inform me about this. If that's the case it makes me really mad.

It is obvious that this school needs to improve on their communication. How you ask? THEY NEED PHONES IN THE CLASSROOMS! Brazoswood hadn't been remodled in years when I went there, but one thing they did have was an advanced phone system that connected all the classrooms.

On an even scarier note, I really think I saw this person. He peeked in my classroom and was communicating with one of the students in my class from the door. This is an EXTREMELY common occurrance. I thought about telling him to move on, but something made me not do it. I just looked directly at him so he knew I saw him and then he moved on. I'm glad I didn't because who knows if that could have triggered him. (I'm not sure, but it looked a lot like him)

On a brighter note, the Last period AP English class was delightful. They did their work but got a little distracted from their assignment at the end of class because they were debating Pie V. Cheesecake! These kids came up with elaborate arguments and they were hilarious. I wish I had it on video tape! It brought me back to my school days.... :-)

Lately...

2009-03-09T21:24:00.003-05:00

I have been a bad, boring blogger lately! I'll tell you what I have been up to lately...

TODAY I did an all day observation of the art classes at a district near me that I would love to work for! I was a little nervous beforehand because I wanted to make a good impression but once I got there I really just enjoyed being around the students, with the art teachers, and in a creative learning environment! I sort of feel at home in the art classroom, which is a good thing! Although I know my first year of teaching will be hard, I feel much less nervous and intimidated about everything (both the hiring process as well as my ability to be a good teacher). I'm just ready to get hired somewhere so I can celebrate and stop worrying about the "what-if" I don't get a job scenario. After I got home from 7 hours of observing, Glenn and I ate at Olive Garden and even got dessert! I enjoyed it immensely! Now I'm half way through my observation hours for certification.

I've also been substituting now that the computer system that communicates with subs is working. That was a small battle that I don't feel like getting into. $90/ day is not bad for babysitting! ;-)

I'm working hard in my Grad school classes. This takes most of my time these days. I've started my series of portraits but sorry I don't have pictures yet. The only totally finished piece is in the People's Choice show at the Brazosport Art League for this month. It is a show where visitors to the gallery vote and the artists with the top 3 most popular work win monetary prizes. I don't expect to win, but if it happened I could use the money...to buy more art supplies! (they are SO expensive)

My online teaching certification class is getting on my nerves. Whose idea was it to do a group project in an online class? No matter how competent the group partners are it is a difficult situation. I'll be glad when this class is behind me!

Also I have to write my mid-term paper for one of my grad classes this week...not looking forward to that.

Last but not least- it is Glenn and my 2nd Wedding Anniversary tomorrow! I decided not to take any sub jobs and don't have class. Glenn is taking the day off so we can spend the day together! I'm not sure what we are going to do, but whatever it is it will be fun!

Synesthesia...I thought I was just a visual learner

2009-02-09T14:55:00.002-06:00

I found this really interesting article on CNN.com today. I thought I was just a visual learner, but apparently I have a neurological condition called Synesthesia. I have always enjoyed listening to music because it produces visual images in my mind. (in fact I JUST wrote this in my 25 random things about me on facebook last week !) When I read, although I think I read at a high level, it takes me a long time because I have to visualize everything that is happening in my mind, so I often stop and think about it and read it again to get an even better mental picture. They say it is a "rare" condition but I would be willing to argue that it is probably pretty common, just isn't something that people are aware of or tell anyone about.

By Elizabeth Landau

CNN

(CNN) -- When Julian Asher listens to an orchestra, he doesn't just hear music; he also sees it. The sounds of a violin make him see a rich burgundy color, shiny and fluid like a red wine, while a cello's music flows like honey in a golden yellow hue.

Julian Asher, genetics researcher and amateur photographer, can see colors in response to sounds.

Asher, a researcher in the department of genomic medicine at Imperial College London, has a rare condition called synesthesia, a neurological condition in which people experience a mixing of their senses. People with the condition may see colors and movement in numbers, words or sounds.

As many as 1 percent of people have the most recognizable form of synesthesia, studies say. Acclaimed Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov, who wrote "Lolita," famously had the disorder, as did physicist Richard Feynman and composer Franz Liszt.

"Since a subtle interaction exists between sound and shape, I see q as browner than k, while s is not the light blue of c, but a curious mixture of azure and mother-of-pearl," Nabokov wrote in his memoir "Speak, Memory."

Psychologists have known for more than a century that synesthesia runs in families -- Nabokov's mother and son Dimitri also displayed forms of it -- but the specific genes have not been found.

Now, Asher and colleagues in the United Kingdom have done what they say is the first genetic analysis of synesthesia. Their findings are published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Researchers collected DNA from 196 people from 43 families in which there were multiple members with synesthesia. They looked exclusively at auditory-visual synesthesia, the kind where sound triggers color, which is easier to diagnose than other possible forms. Visit CNNhealth.com, your connection for better living

They expected to find a single gene responsible for synesthesia, but they found that the condition was linked to regions on chromosomes 2, 5, 6, and 12 -- four distinct areas instead of one.

"It means that the genetics of synesthesia are much more complex than we thought," Asher said.

Brain scans have shown that people with synesthesia seem to have "cross-wiring" between brain regions, said Dr. V.S. Ramachandran, director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego.

"Nobody really had the evidence pinning it down to specific genes in specific chromosomes, and I'm delighted to hear somebody's done that," Ramachandran said.

"Cross-wiring" was shown in a study led by J.A. Nunn at Goldsmiths College, London, which found that the visual areas of the brain were activated in response to sound in people for whom sound triggers color.

Given that a normal infant's brain has excess connections between brain regions, one hypothesis is that synesthesia results when the genes that "prune" these connections away are mutated, Ramachandran said. In other words, people with synesthesia may have brain connections that would normally disappear at an early age.

Genes found in the areas of Asher's study have been connected to other mental disorders. For example, genes on chromosome 2 have also been linked to autism, Asher said.

The link between synesthesia and autism is controversial and speculative, but one of Asher's previous case studies suggests a connection. The man he examined had Asperger's syndrome -- a mild, high-functioning form of autism -- and also had an extraordinary memory capacity for numbers. In fact, he memorized 22,000 digits of the number pi.

The man's process of remembering these numbers is not simple rote recall. Instead, it is as though he were navigating a landscape, Asher said. "He says it's like walking along a path," Asher said.

The man's ability to focus intently on a dry subject is associated with Asperger's, but it's also synesthesia that helps him memorize numbers, Asher said. In fact, in this sense, synesthesia is a form of photographic memory.

One suggestion is that synesthesia and autism in a single person may make him or her a savant, someone with a singular and extreme intellectual ability.

Children with synesthesia will often show signs of it in school, because it slows down reading for some kids and makes lectures difficult to absorb for others. As awareness of learning differences grows in schools, more children are coming forward and explaining that they have trouble, leading to more diagnoses, Asher said. Interventions may include written notes or books on tape for those whose synesthesia interferes with, respectively, listening or reading.

To what extent do children with synesthesia grow up to become artists and poets? The connection is controversial, in spite of prominent examples such as Nabokov, Asher said it's a misconception that most synesthetes go into creative disciplines. His database of 900 people with the condition does not have a disproportionate number in artistic professions.

In Asher's own case, nonverbal noises such as a fire alarm or a piece of music will trigger visual sensations.

When he was a child, Asher would go to the symphony with his parents and assumed that the lights went down so that everyone could see the colors better. "I mean, why else would they do it?" he said.

"My parents asked something, and I said, 'Oh, they turned the lights off so you could see the colors,' and they had no idea what I was talking about, and that's when I realized that they didn't see what I saw," he said.

He never knew that his condition had a name until he happened to be researching the genetics of perfect pitch, which has been anecdotally linked with synesthesia.

"Even to this day, I'll run into people who study neuroscience for a living, and they've never heard of it," he said. There are organizations that promote awareness, but still a lot of people don't know about it, he said.

Spring Semester

2009-01-23T11:27:00.002-06:00

I have been to my first classes for the semester for the spring, so I thought I would share what I'll be working on this semester.

My Texts and Images II is a class that combines Art History and literature to form an understanding of the time period from different viewpoints. It is taught by 2 professors: one for texts and one for images. Last semester we mostly studied ancient art and texts, which isn't the most exciting to me, but this semester promises to be MUCH more inspiring. We are focusing on movements that began as "counter-culture."

The books we are reading are:

A Theologico- Political Treatise by Benedict Benedict de Spinoza (1670)(Ewles translation):
This is a philosophical examination of religion and society. Apparently even though he was religious himself, he wrote the book from an objective point of view and received great criticism for it.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1831) (yay)

Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky (1864):
an existentialist narrative.

Civilization and Its Discontent by Sigmund Freud (1930)

Mother Courage and her Children (1938):
A play set in the time of the 30 years war, but performed during WWII

The Web of Life by Fritjof Capra:
An introduction to Systems theory, which incorporates a number of disciplines which are grasped around common models of organization.

For the Images half of the class we will be studying movements starting with Renaissance art and ending with neo-expressionism. I am so excited to study these periods of art- some of my favorite!

In my Drawing-Painting-Printmaking class I will have to complete (at least) 4 22 X 30 inch or larger paintings and decide a direction to take for my final project/thesis! I have a ways to go with that because I will need at least 24 paintings to be a part of the final project, but everything I do from this point really should be done with that in mind.

All the while I am working on my teaching certification via my Region IV online class. I have never taken an online class so it is kind of odd. I will also be substitute teaching.

Hopefully I can keep up with everything!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-15T19:25:00.002-06:00

It looks like we may not get Christmas cards out this year so...

Merry Christmas from Glenn, Emily, Molly, & Minnie Callaghan!

New Art

2008-12-07T12:22:00.006-06:00

Enjoy!

oh and one more week until I get a break! yay for Christmas!

Thanksgiving and goals

2008-11-20T17:02:00.002-06:00

Thanks

I have been feeling like my life is one big example of Murphy's law at the moment; anything that can go wrong will. (still no brain tumor though Susan ;-) ) Sometimes things just seem to keep getting harder instead of easier for me and there is nothing I can do about it.

One thing I can do is think about the good things in my life though.

Family and Glenn-- I am thankful to have a great hubby and family. Even though all of us are busy busy busy it is always good to know that you have people who understand you completely and will support you no matter what.

Friends
I feel quite antisocial at the moment because all I do is drive to and from school every day (90 miles) but I know that my good friends are always there if I want to pick up the phone, shoot an email or facebook message, or even come visit.

My puppies
I love my adorable pups! They are so smart and have such cute personalities. I can't imagine not having them to cuddle (well Minnie anyway- Molly isn't a cuddler)

Art
I still love art even after being in school for it. The more art I create the less I want to do anything else like write papers. I wish I didn't have to!

Computers
let's be honest, I would be lost without the Internet and a computer! Writing papers is stressful, but it's sure a lot easier typing them on the computer rather than a type-writer! Or handwriting! *gasp*

Texas
I think my favorite things about living in Houston, Texas are the fact that it rarely gets cold enough to wear a heavy jacket. If it does it won't last long. Also, where else could you commute 45 miles every morning in a little over an hour? I mean it still sucks, but it is doable. The food is really good too :-)

Goals
I realize that it isn't New Years resolution time, (I never make one of those anyway) but I have some goals I would like to accomplish

To pass my Texes Art EC-12 test

Actually I already took it, but I haven't found out my scores yet. I really think I did fine, but until I know that I passed it I cannot be officially enrolled in a teaching certification program.

To get a teaching job in a good school district close to where I live

I desperately need to start working. With paying back scholarship from UCLA, paying for my student loans/school expenses, buy a new car (we are down to 1 car at the moment) , pay for ridiculous traffic citations, food, art supplies, etc, etc, etc. Not to mention living in a 1 bedroom apt is getting REALLY old! I just hope I can find an opening for an art teacher at a district that is close enough to where we live. I don't know how much longer I can handle driving so far every day. Glenn has a really good job and it is sad that in this day and age it isn't enough to keep our heads above water. He really couldn't be doing any better, so I need to step it up and start earning money.

Keep doing my own artwork even when I am teaching and be able to sell it

This is probably a goal that will be on my list for the rest of my life. Most art teachers I talk to have a hard time doing their own art b/c they spend so much time concentrating on their students.

Not to stress out so much

haha yeah right! It is in my nature to stress about things, but I wish I didn't. I have had a lot of things on my mind lately so that doesn't help. Before every big paper I am stressed , before every big test, etc. They are important, but I know I should just relax. I worry that if something happens to my car I won't be able to get to class or Glenn to work. I worry that on one of the days when he has to walk home some crazy driver will hit him or he will get mugged. I worry that if I have to see the officer at my court date who pulled me over I will start crying again. I worry that my dogs will eat something they shouldn't while I'm not home and get sick or die. I worry about if I don't find a job. blah blah blah you get the idea.

Tag you're it!

2008-10-15T19:46:00.003-05:00

Glenn and I are alive and well- just really busy. catching up with school after Ike has not been easy, but I'm getting there. All my teachers seem to think their class is the only one that is important haha. My Thursday night class got extended to last until 10:20pm...not cool since I have to drive an hour back home afterwards. blah! I am taking the test to get into the teaching certification program the first weekend of November (the same weekend as TAEA conference in San Antonio) so that's another thing to add to my load. I'm taking the test in San Antonio actually. A lot is riding on me passing it so wish me luck! Oh and the image above is one of many projects that have been taking up my time. (very tedious)

Susan tagged me and I haven't posted in a really long time so here it goes:

I think I have to answer in 1 word

Where is your cell phone? table

Your significant other? great

Your hair? blonde

Your mother? inspiring

Your father? smart

Your favorite thing? Glenn

Your dream last night? weird

Your favorite drink? diet coke

Your dream/goal?art in galleries( I don't know how to anwer that in 1 word)

The room you’re in? living room

Your hobby? art

Your fear?failure

Where do you want to be in 6 years? successful

What you’re not? finished with homework

Muffins? blueberry

One of your wish list items? MONEY

Where you grew up? Texas

The last thing you did? tv

What are you wearing? shirt

Favorite gadget? Computer

Your pets? Molly, Minnie

Your computer? old

Your mood? procrastinating

Missing someone? lots

Your car? cluttered

Something you’re not wearing? makeup

Favorite store? JCrew

Like someone? hubby

Your favorite color? pink

When is the last time you laughed? recently ( I laugh a lot at everything)

Last time you cried? not sure

I tag anyone who reads this.

Rant

2008-08-26T14:35:00.003-05:00

I am SO sick and tired of companies and organizations of all kinds trying to rip me off!

The most obvious of course would be my wedding photographers who I'm sure you all know about by now. I don't even want to talk about it.

In LA we got ripped off by the Armenian mobsters who moved our stuff out of our apt into a truck in Los Angeles. Now, we did not know when we hired them that they were mobsters. Their company's estimate was reasonable, then they ended up charging us over 3000 dollars. And that was only moving our stuff to another location in LA- not all the way to TX! Normally Glenn would have disputed things, but we really didn't want to be killed in our sleep. They were scary fellows and they knew where we lived for one more night!

So meanwhile we are still recovering financially from the move... and we find out we have to move again.

The most recent company to rip us off is my former apartment in Pearland. Now, we only lived there for 3 months before Glenn's job moved all the way to North Houston. There was no way he could drive that far every day, so we explored our options for getting out of the lease. We agreed (because we really had no other choice) to pay a large reletting fee (over 1000 dollars) and to pay the rent until they find a new tenant. Luckily they found someone immediately, so we were only out of 1000 and expected to get over 700 in deposits back. We moved out early at their request (b/c the new residents were moving in right after we moved out and they needed to clean the apt). I left the apt spotless to be sure.

A month later we get a bill. They replaced the carpet and are charging us for it. Luckily our deposits paid for nearly all of the over $800 cost of replacing the carpet, so they are charging us $60. Now, they told us the carpet wasn't new when we moved in, but was in great shape. We lived there for 3 months. The fact that they have the nerve to charge us 60 dollars after taking so much money from us already makes me really angry! If they had been decent they would have made an exception for us since it was a work transfer causing us to move, but NO they have to take ALL the money they can get from us!

Upon disputing the charge with the corporate office I have been informed that our carpet was new when we moved in. What!?! Something is fishy here! I can't wait until we own our own house!

On another note, why is college so expensive? I look at my bill for grad school and it makes me sick. The tuition for my classes is only $1728 for 4 classes this fall, but wait why is my bill nearly $4000!?! Maybe because they find it necessary to charge me an extra $1200 "graduate tuition" not to mention a long list of random add-on charges! They charge me a $174 student services fee, $160 computer fee, $60 library fee, $16 E services fee, the list goes on and on! A long list of things that I largely don't even know what they are or things that I don't even need to use. I'm an art major- I have to spend lots of money for the supplies I actually use. I don't need to pay for this crap! They charge me $3 ever semester for my ID card which I got when I enrolled and will use the same one my entire student career. Unless of course I lose it in which they would charge me a hefty fee to replace it.

I HATE the feeling of being ripped off. Unfortunately it seems that you can't trust anybody to be decent. No wonder the corporate world wasn't for me- I despise the way most companies do business.

Separated at Birth

2008-08-25T16:52:00.005-05:00

The Monopoly Man

AND

MinnieI'm just saying...

Scary...

2008-07-26T13:45:00.000-05:00

Check out this article on Perezhilton.com here!

OMG what happened to Madonna's face? I know...too much plastic surgery! This picture frightened me when I saw it and I just couldn't look away! I have never been a fan of Madonna just for the record but it looks like she has reached a new low.

Now, I think a little nip and tuck is all fine and dandy (if you have that kind of money) but how do people not realize when enough is enough!?! How can Michael Jackson look in the mirror and think that he will look better if he gets another nose job or new cheek implants?

Also it seems like EVERY major celebrity out there has had work done on their face if you stop and notice. Angelina Jolie for example: her lips are all real, but do you remember what her nose looked like when she first started out? See Here .
Or here

She had a perfect nose that any normal person would be lucky to have! A much different nose than she has now! See here,
or here
Her poor little nose keeps getting thinner and thinner!

The scariest part of all is that it's not just celebrities that look like this these days. I was at the Estee Lauder counter a while back and the lady working behind the counter had fake lips and cheek implants... I mean not just a few collagen injections but she was verging on the Cat woman: see here

I was thinking....she works at the Estee Lauder counter at Dillards! How can she afford this magnitude of surgery? She probably is in loads of debt b/c she thinks her "perfect" lips will be worth it, but how can someone not see that they look like a freak? I just don't understand...

One armed Em

2008-06-20T22:17:00.000-05:00

I feel like I only have one usable hand right now :-(

Ever since I played the POS Frumpet in marching band I have had tingly sensations and irritation in my hands and wrists. For example when I push a shopping cart across a parking lot my hands ache and tingle. Or if I am driving on a rough road my hands hurt from the vibrations on the steering wheel. Not fun, but it has never severely interfered with my life. I never saw a doctor about it but I have suspected that I have some kind of nerve damage or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Flash forward to June 2008. I woke up this morning with my wrist absolutely killing me!I am in a ceramics class and have been learning to throw on a potter's wheel. Now when you watch potters do this they make it look effortless, but in reality it takes a lot of strength to move the clay where you want it. This has apparently aggravated my wrist/hand condition because it is so painful that just the action of gripping a light object sends a sharp pain from my wrist down my arm.

I can't turn a doorknob, open the fridge, or pick up my 2 lb puppy without being in great pain. I'm really upset b/c I love my ceramics class and fear that this is going to stop my progress of learning the wheel in its tracks. Monday morning I plan on setting a dr.'s appointment with a hand specialist so I can get this thing diagnosed and treated. Such a bummer...

Happy

2008-06-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

I am almost finished with my first week of summer classes and I am SO happy! I am taking ceramics and photography this session, and drawing in the second summer session. Drawing and painting are kind of my fortes, so ceramics and photography were kind of out of my comfort zone. BOY am I glad I took them anyway!

In 3 days of my ceramic class I've finished a large abstract sculpture (that's ready to go in the kiln) and learned how to throw pots on the potter's wheel and trim them! It is SO much more productive than boring business classes that put me to sleep! This class is at 8am and I have to drive a ways to get there, but even though it's early, I am excited to wake up every morning because I look forward to class so much!

Somehow, I feel alive again. A hole in my life has been filled in. I feel that my purpose in life must involve art and in hindsight I can't believe that I didn't realize this sooner. In high school I had art in my life, but I was always distracted somehow by boys and other high school things. Now that I have Glenn and art in my life I am just about the happiest girl in the world!

I really think I have a high level of natural talent, but also I have worked hard my whole life to try to be a good artist. Everything is coming easily to me now; I feel like I'm at the point where every piece of art I have observed and done in my life is sitting in my brain and so when I am designing something, my mind somehow just knows what a good design/ composition looks like without thinking about it. It's hard to describe, but it's almost like the less I think about it, the easier it comes out in my artwork. For whatever reason that art comes easily to me, I KNOW I can do great things!

For the first time I can see a career that is enjoyable for myself and even exciting to me- being an art teacher! What other job allows you to be immersed in your subject of interest, affect young people's lives, get to attend art classes on the school district' dime, gets the summers off, and still starts out making around 45,000/yr? It's a pretty awesome gig! Teaching in college and simultaneously being able to sell my own artwork in galleries would be my ideal goal, but I will start with teaching high school.

I will post pictures of my new artwork when they are totally finished!

I'll see you on the Dark Side of the Moon

2008-05-07T14:28:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, Glenn, me, and my parents attended the Roger Waters concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion in the Woodlands. In the first act he played pretty much every one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs that aren't on Dark Side of the Moon and then in the second act he played the entire Dark Side of the Moon album. The pictures in this blog aren't mine but were taken by others at other stops on Roger Water's tour, so are pretty much what my pics would have looked like if I had taken them.

The Dark Side of the Moon is a masterpiece in my opinion. Hearing it live was just incredible. No other band has ever been able to affect my mood and emotions in the same way that Pink Floyd does every time I listen to them. So hearing it live combined with the pyrotechnics, lasers, and light effects was amazing. I had chills just hearing the first few notes.

So many idiots were at that concert though! It never ceases to amaze me how many people pay money for tickets, but all throughout the concert repeatedly get up from their seats to buy more $8 beer from the concessions stand. Even if they remember the show they have missed half of it just by waiting in line. I wouldn't have taken my eyes off of that show if it was pouring rain and someone was passing out hundred dollar bills outside the pavillion!

Many people think of Pink Floyd as a "drug band" because they are sort of Psychedelic. If you actually listen to their music, they are all about the torture they feel because of their friend/ former bandmate Syd Barret who fried his brain on drugs at an extremely early age. Syd Barrett's life to me is one of the most tragic stories of all time. He was creative and the driving force behind Pink Floyd in the beginning...then got to the point where he couldn't function or play music anymore, so they replaced him. They went on to make unbelievably passionate music inspired by Syd...better than before. And so they achieved what Syd had wanted without him, but because of him. Of course they tell this story so much better with their songs. I don't think one can really understand Pink Floyd without knowing the back -story though...and many don't think to look that deep.

...The time is gone, the blog is over; thought I'd something more to say ;-)

Minnie's (almost) 4 month stats

2008-04-26T23:50:00.000-05:00

My little baby Minnie had her final puppy check-up and set of vaccinations today. She is nearly 4 months old! My how time flies. She still only weighs 2.08lbs (up from 1.15lb 3wks earlier). Although I am happy that she finally surpassed the 2 lb mark, her lack of weight is such a source of stress for me. The vets think that she is just a small girl and that's just how she is made but I am supposed to watch her closely for signs of liver shunts. Not growing at a normal rate is a symptom of this, but she hasn't shown any other signs-hopefully she never will! Minnie is SO spunky and acts like she feels great so I have to keep reminding myself of that!

On a lighter note we attended her 2nd puppy obedience class today and she is doing very well. She is quite observative and a quick learner. So far she can sit and is walking on a leash just great! It is common for people to chuckle when they see her walking by on a leash because when I walk Minnie it looks very similar to walking a furry guinea pig in a harness!

PS Molly is still a perfect girl. She is so sweet and patient with the puppy 99% of the time.

Here is a video of them playing:

It's been a while...

2008-04-22T20:19:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted anything. It has been bugging me that the name of my blog is still "Calicallaghans" and since we no longer live in CA that doesn't seem very accurate anymore now does it? I suppose I should start a new one, but I am lazy.

Also my biggest readers before were my parents who now live a short distance away and know everything already, so it feels a bit pointless to post blogs. OH well.

I do have some big news! (and my parents don't know this just yet b/c it is very new, so there you go)

I just got officially accepted today (via letter in the mail) to University of Houston Clear Lake! I will be going there to earn my master of arts in humanities w/ an emphasis in Art. Basically that means that I get to take lots of applied art classes and a few required humanities classes.

After that I am thinking of teaching. Not totally sure yet though since I have a while to decide. The awesome part about that is that since I will have my master's I will get paid more AND if I want to teach in college eventually I can.

Meanwhile I will be substitute teaching for extra moolah. I am a bit nervous about wranging teenagers but I better get used to it!

Introducing Minnie Callaghan! And other ramblings

2008-03-20T17:59:00.001-05:00

Here she is- Minnie! She is a Maltese puppy and was born on January 1st 2008. She weighs about 1 lb (I'm trying to get her to gain weight!) but she is tiny. She was the runt of her litter but is a little daredevil. She has no fear about anything, which is scary sometimes considering she has an open fontanel (soft spot in her head) and could seriously injure herself easily!

Luckily Molly is sweet to her.

On another note, I did a painting last night. It is acrylic on illustration board. The subject should look familiar :-)

I am trying to figure out how I can go back to college and get a art/ graphic design degree. I realize that I would be a lot happier doing something with my art ...so we'll see.

One Year Anniversary!

2008-03-11T16:19:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already been a year since we were married! It is kind of overwhelming to think of everything that we have done within this year!

we graduated from TU, moved to LA, Glenn started law school,I interviewed for jobs, I found a job, quit my job, found a MUCH better job, learned how to get around LA, Glenn quit law school, got 2 job offers in TX, accepted the one in Houston, we packed up all of our stuff, drove back from LA to Lake Jackson, we now are in the process of moving into our new apartment in Pearland...whew!

We are happy to be back in a familiar place and to have our little Molly back. We are also thrilled to have a washer and dryer and a garage! yay!

The Hotel California...Apparently you can check out and you can also leave

2008-03-02T16:07:00.000-06:00

My last day of work is this coming Tuesday (Mar. 4th), the movers come Wednesday, and we are on the road Thursday morning. It is kind of surreal, but at this point I just want everything to be done and over with. Especially the drive! I wish I could just wiggle my nose and skip the next few days and be in TX, but alas I can't.

With Glenn's moving bonus we are able to have movers come and box our stuff up and load it on the truck and the whole nine yards. This is a very odd feeling for me though b/c I just want to be doing something. I feel like I should be packing boxes and looking around at everything makes me anxious. I have been cleaning, sorting, taking the pictures off the wall, spackling nail holes, etc, but until our stuff is boxed and ready to go I think I will be a little unsettled!

We have an apartment reserved in Pearland and the best part is that we will have an attached garage AND...drumroll please...a WASHER & DRYER!!!!! I haven't had my own washer and dryer since I lived with my parents. Community laundry rooms and laundromats have gotten very old over the past few years.

Also I am ready for some good food. My favorite restaurants are in TX. I haven't found any seafood, barbeque or Mexican restaurants anywhere that can hold a candle to those in Texas. It is a good thing that my apartment has a workout room b/c I will most likely need it after stuffing my face.

Molly's brief reunion with Glenn

2008-02-27T18:47:00.000-06:00

When Glenn was in Houston interviewing with Centerpoint Energy, he stayed at my parents house of course. This was the first time he and Molly have seen each other since August! She couldn't believe her eyes when he walked in the door. Here are a few cute pics that my mom took.
Needless to say I was very jealous that he got to see her and I didn't, but we will be back with her for good soon.

Update!

2008-02-22T21:27:00.000-06:00

“They say California's the big burrito; Texas is a big taco right now."- Dan Rather

We are definitely moving to Houston! Glenn got an offer yesterday evening from Centerpoint Energy! AND we get a moving bonus so we can hire movers! whoo hoo!

The above Dan Rather quote sums up how I feel about now and is especially fitting considering my love for Mexican food!

It's Over...I'm goin home

2008-02-19T21:45:00.000-06:00

Glenn has made the decision that law school isn't for him and he would rather be an engineer. SO this means that we must be out of our campus owned apartment by March 6th (2 weeks) and we are moving back to Texas. It's still up in the air exactly where we will move to, but Glenn has 1 offer in Dallas and hopefully will have one in Houston in the next couple of days. We will know for sure by this Friday!

Things I will miss about Los Angeles:

my job

looking at the ocean all day at work

beautiful scenery in general

wonderful weather

great concerts

never-ending fun places to visit

Trader Joe's

always having healthy options at restaurants

amazing shopping

Palm trees everywhere

recognizing that tv shows are filmed where you take your lunch break every day

It never rains

dogs are alloud everywhere (except my apt)

Things I WILL NOT miss about LA:

HORRIBLY insane traffic

lack of parking nearly everywhere

expensive rent

not allowed to have Molly in our apts

expensive groceries

everything is more expensive...

lack of friends and family

no good Mexican food (up to my standards anyway)

no good barbeque

the ocean is too cold to swim in w/o a wetsuit

too many pedesetrians to avoid while driving

motorcycles drive between the lanes of traffic...scary

being so far away from family and friends

San Diego Wild Animal Park

2008-02-10T20:34:00.001-06:00

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is a center for the preservation and display of endangered species. It covers 1,800 acres (730 hectares) in the San Pasqual Valley north of San Diego. The Zoological Society of San Diego, which also administers the San Diego Zoo, opened the park in 1972 to increase public awareness about the need for animal conservation.

This place is indcredible! I can't believe that families don't travel across the country for vacations to see this in the same way they do DisneyWorld/Land! I have never seen such happy and visible animals who seem to have no idea they aren't in their natural habitat! I took so many pictures and video/slideshow but now I am too tired to edit the video tonight after all that walking. I will post a few of my best pictures.

We went on the special "Cheetah Run Safari where a small group of people got up close with a cheetah and watched him run! The Cheetah was so relaxed and purring that they let us take a picture with him!

We were able to feed Lorikeets with little cups of nectar. They loved it and I had one jump on my hand to drink it.

The other tour we went on was the "Journey into Africa" tour which brought drove us throughout a huge area that is made to be very close to the natural habitat in Africa. There was a litter of lion cubs and they were passed out from playing later in the day in an old land rover that was set up in their area.

If you ever get a chance to go to this park DO IT!

Slideshow/video to come...

A Productive Evening

2008-02-02T02:07:00.000-06:00

Tonight I finished this watercolor that I have sloooowly been working on. It is unlike me to start something and not finish it in a few days...because I am impatient. I just wasn't feeling motivatecd. I read my new watercolor book Making Color Sing before I started it, and although it inspired me to start something, I think I was so wrapped up in doing everything by the book that I wasn't having fun.

Today on my lunch break I ventured into Barnes and Noble and saw that they had the BIG Chuck Close book that I've been wanting for a while. It is huge and heavy and has every painting he ever did. I bought it...I just had to! I couldn't make myself put it down. Luckily I am a Barnes and Noble Member and saved 20 %!

Although his artwork is completely different from the piece I was working on...just reading about him inspired me. He faced so many challenges, figured out how to make things work for him and did what he was good at. I like to see how his work progressed. From monochromatic to color and then beyond.

After reading my new book for a while I couldn't wait to create something myself so I finished my watercolor in a matter of hours. I still referred to my Making Color Sing book, but I was much more relaxed for some reason and let loose a little. I think that is the best way to go about it for me. I went from almost giving up on it to actually kind of liking it. There you have it. I'll leave you with a neat Chuck Close quote that I found that reminded me of why going by the book doesn't always end up the best-

“If you ask yourself a personal enough question, your response is more likely to be personal, and that means that if you get yourself into trouble, no one else's answers are going to be applicable, and you'll be flying by the seat of your pants and you'll have to come up with something.”- Chuck Close

Love and Marriage...the survey

2008-02-01T11:04:00.001-06:00

Because I have nothing better to do at the moment...

1. What is your husband's name? Glenn
2. How long have you been together? Married for almost 11 months, together for 3 years and 3 months
3. How long did you date? From first official date until proposal - exactly 1 year
4. How old is he? 23
5. Who eats more? Glenn of course...but he never gains a pound!
6. Who said I love you first? Glenn
7. Who is taller? Glenn, but when we first met I was wearing really tall shoes and he thought he wouldn't have a chance b/c I was taller...then I took the shoes off.
8. Who sings better? neither of us are really singers...
9. Who is smarter? Glenn is brilliant but I like to think that we are smart in different ways
10. Whose temper is worse? Glenn's, but I RARELY ever get mad. Usually I get upset or sad before I get angry
11. Who does the laundry? Both of us, but Glenn has done it more lately
12. Who does the dishes? Glenn does them more but only b/c he has more time during the day than me. I did them more when I didn't have a full time job.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? we don't have sides
14. Who pays the bills? both of us, but I guess you could say that I do b/c I'm the one bringing in the moolah (haha)
15. Who mows the lawn? we don't have a lawn, but if we did he would mow it. I am way too clumsy to handle a moving blade
16. Who cooks dinner?I cook more, but sometimes I'm tired and he does
17. Who drives when you are together? he used to but recently he has had flat tire/lack of insurance issues b/c he always rides the bus so I have been driving everywhere. That is changing this week though!
18. Who is more stubborn? hmm, I think we both can be equally stubborn
19. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Depends on the situation.
20. Whose parents do you see the most?Mine.
21. Who proposed?Glenn...of course
22. Who is more sensitive? ME for sure
23. Who has more friends? probably Glenn, but we both have a lack of friends in California
24. Who has more siblings?Glenn
25. Who wears the pants in the family? we share pants ;-)
26. Where did you meet? At a DG party in Tulsa that neither one of us wanted to be at.
27. What was the first thing you said to your husband? I don't know but we had a great conversation about music.
28. Where was your first date? Dinner and a movie with my big sis Kersten and my gay boyfriend Reed. I knew after this date he would either think my friends and I were absolutely insane....or he would think that we were entertaining...luckily he wasn't scared away!
29. Where was your first kiss? the Kappa Sig house
30. Where did you get engaged? at our apartment in Tulsa
31. Where were you married? Sharp Chapel at TU
32. Where was the honeymoon? LA-funny that we ended up coming here to live...
33. If you could have changed anything about it what would it have been? Longer! and less traffic.

Whale Watching and Malibu

2008-01-19T23:10:00.000-06:00

Today Glenn and I went whale watching in Oxnard, California. Our boat left from Channel Islands Harbor and took us out about an hour from the Harbor. The coolest part of the whole thing was when we passed through a pack of dolphins. They were everywhere as far as the eye could see! They estimated that there were thousands of them! So amazing! We then continued further into the ocean to a spot where the female Grey whales were known to be migrating through. We found one and followed her for a while. We had a great time and I tried to capture it the best I could using my new camera! Check out the video!

After the tour was over, we headed to Malibu where we had made reservations to eat at "Paradise Cove" the only restaurant in Malibu that is on the beach. It is kind of like a non-chain Joes Crab Shack. In fact, it has been there for years and the owner's name is "Papa Joe" so we wondered if it might have been an inspiration fro Joe's Crab Shack.

We had our biggest celebrity sighting to date at Paradise Cove! We saw Ian Somerhalder and Maggie Grace who played step brother and sister on LOST and are dating in real life. I recognized him right away as an actor that I had seen A LOT, but could not place him. I didn't recognize her at all, but we googled who his girlfriend was when we got home and it turns out that she is a prety big actress also. They both have been on law and order, and other various movies and TV shows...pretty cool. They did not get star treatment though...in fact they left b/c they didn't want to wait an hour for a table. (they should have made reservations like us :-) ) Meanwhile, on Malibu Pier (which you could see from our table) they were filming Edward Norton, who was narrating some kind of documentary.

Reality star sighting!

2008-01-03T23:09:00.000-06:00

Most people probably have forgotten about Meredith Phillips from the Bachelor and then the Bachelorette in 2005. All the girls in the Theta house circa 2005 religiously watched the Bachelorette, so Meredith's face was burned into my mind. I would recognize her anywhere. ...And I did at Barnes and Noble at the third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. She was very tall and prettier in person. I think she might have noticed that I recognized her and suddenly looked uncomfortable. I would have never approached her though...she shouldn't flatter herself haha. Or maybe that's just how she always looks...

I wish I could see a real celebrity!

Christmas!

2007-12-30T22:13:00.001-06:00

Here are pictures of the ornaments we bought at Disneyland!

In the morning we just relaxed and opened our presents. I took all of these pictures (and the ones on Christmas Eve) with my big present which I opened a little early; my new digital video/still camera!
For some reason this is one of the only pics we took while opening presents...I guess we got distracted by all the good loot!

We headed to Santa Monica to take a walk near the beach, wach Sweeney Todd, and eat dinner.

This is where I work

It was a gorgeous day in Santa Monica

Christmas Eve

2007-12-30T21:56:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve at the Grove

The view from the parking structure!

On Christmas Eve, Glenn and I ventured to The Grove outdoor mall http://www.thegrovela.com/. We heard that it was a nice place to look at Christmas lights/ decorations and it definitely was!

We saw the movie, Juno at a theatre there (which had Chandaliers!) and when we came out of the movie just past 7 pm it was "snowing!" They had actual cold, icy snow falling from what seemed like the sky!

We will go back to the Grove for sure!

Disneyland

2007-12-30T21:30:00.000-06:00

Here are some Pictures of our trip to Disneyland on December 22nd. It was fun, but VERY crowded!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Trying on Some Pink Mouse Ears

Glenny Mouse

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Pirates of The Carribean

Frontierland

New Orleans Square

Christmas in LA

2007-12-16T20:21:00.001-06:00

It's almost Christmas! We are sad that we don't get to go home to see family and friends, but still excited about Christmas. It will be our first Christmas as a married couple and we have our own Christmas tree and stockings! We definitely need to start collecting some ornaments with a bit more character though...

On Friday, we attended my company, Greene Broillet and Wheeler's annual Christmas party. It was at a beautiful hotel and resort on the beach in Santa Monica called Shutters. It was fun and I was glad that Glenn had the opportunity to meet the attorneys and my co-workers. Also, I won a $200 Best Buy Giftcard in the raffle!

Glenn has his last final exam on Tuesday, December 18th and then he is done with his first semester! I just finished my first month of working at GBW and it went by really fast (that's a good sign :-) )

Next weekend we will be going to Disneyland! (The original this time---not California Adventure) We have been planning on going near Christmas since October because they have lots of special Christmas decorations and such.

Aimee Mann 2nd Annual Christmas Show

2007-12-01T12:54:00.000-06:00

The Aimee Mann concert was awesome! Glenn rode the bus to meet me at my work in Santa Monica at 5:30, so I showed him around the office and introduced him to a few people who were still there at 5:30 on a Friday. We ate dinner at a fast food Mexican restaraunt called La Salsa at the 3rd St. Promenade before we got on the road. We were afraid that the traffic would be terrible as it is always terrible on Fridays and it had also rained all day...which is not something that people in LA are used to! The highway was pretty packed, but it wasn't as bad as I thought.

Aimee is incredible! She came out on stage and we were so close that I could see that her eyes were really watery and wondered what was wrong. It turns out she was "sick as a dog and high on dayquil" but you would have never known when she opened her mouth to sing...it's almost disgusting that someone can be that talented actually...

Her first guest was JACKSON BROWNE!!!!!! I almost peed my pants I was so excited! He sang a couple of songs (not his own) and was incredible...I can't believe he was there and didn't sing more though!

Aimee sang a lot of the songs on her Christmas album, and then also sang some of her non-Christmas songs. She also brought out several other guests including comedian Paul F. Tompkins, who was hilarious, Grant-Lee Phillips, Amos Lee, comedian Morgan Murphy as the Hanukkah fairy who rapped about the story of Hanukkah. She also showed a short film in 3 installments throughout the show that involved her asking celebrities to be in her Christmas show and finally just getting Paul F. Tompkins to do it.

It was an incredible show and unbelievable to be so close. I took a lot of pictures!

I am Thankful for...Thanksgiving holiday! Oh and check out Glenn's new do!

2007-11-23T18:00:00.000-06:00

Glenn and I have thouroughly enjoyed our days off for Thanksgiving! I got off of work early (at 2:00) on Wednesday and had holidays Thursday and Friday, making a nice long weekend :-) On Thanksgiving I cooked and it definitely made me appreciate my mom and granny's cooking because although I spent a lot of time cooking, it just didn't turn out the same. It was a nice day just to take it easy.

Today, we rode the bus a few blocks to the Westside Pavillion mall because we were wary of trying to park on "Black Friday." I bought some badly needed work slacks and a new pair of jeans and Glenn had a hair appointment. His hair looks SO sophisticated! I love it!

Tomorrow we are going to take advantage of my prime parking spot in Santa Monica and walk around the promenade mall and pier.

First Day and Today's Work of Art

2007-11-17T00:43:00.000-06:00

I had my first day of work at GBW today. It went well! There is SO MUCH information for me to take in and so many people to remember, but I can already tell that it will be a great place to work. Everyone is so nice there.

I came home and did this graphite wash of my lovely friend and "sister" Kersten. I miss her!

Veteran's Day Outing to Venice Beach

2007-11-12T22:20:00.001-06:00

Today, Glenn's class was cancelled in honor of Veteran's Day! I'm still kind of playing a waiting game as far as the job search goes, so I was free to spend time with Glenn today! We were going to go to the Armand Hammer Museum, but then we realized that they are closed on Mondays, so we decided to go see Venice Beach.

Venice Beach is a bit south of Santa Monica down the coast. We can really get to either beach in a matter of 10-15 minutes from our apartment, so we are very lucky. We parked and walked down the pier. Then we walked all the way along the coast to Santa Monica. There are all sorts of street vendors, street performers, restaurants and junk shops...it is like nowhere I've ever been in my life.
There are definitely a lot of colorful characters that you meet along the way! We saw many cute dogs, a cat on a leash, a giant iguana on a leash, and many semi-scary larry characters who were trying to make money of of their "talents". This man on homemade rollerblades decided to join us as we were walking and serenade us with his portable electric guitar. I made the mistake of snapping a picture of him, so then I had to give him a tip! I say it was worth it...look at him!

He definitely had enough knee pads...something tells me he might need them.

Obviously, we didn't need to pay admission to see the Venice Freaks of Nature...we definitely got a great show for free!

It was a fun outing! On the way home we stopped off at the Taco Bell between the beach and our house. We have yet to find a normal Taco Bell near our apartment...look at the sign! It doesn't even have a drive-through!

We ended our day by going grocery shopping (exciting) and making nachos! All in all a good day!

I've been productive

2007-11-10T20:23:00.000-06:00

Here is the art that I have done this Weekend

The first one is a graphite wash of my pup Molly. I did it really quickly on Friday night and the picture I did it from was really hard to see (dark) so I think it turned out well considering...

This is a sort-of watercolor I did on Saturday from a picture I snapped of a cool looking palm tree in the courtyard of my apartment. I say "sort-of" watercolor because most of my art supplies are still at home in Texas and I only had a few colors of not very good quality student grade watercolor. This was also done really fast...I didn't even draw on the paper first because I didn't feel like it. I have been doing spur of the moment art lately...but that is good because it means that I am doing it and finishing pieces!

Art

2007-11-03T20:57:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to push myself to draw as much as I can and instead of watching TV or surfing the internet (or draw while watcing TV)...it is much more fulfilling to create a piece of artwork than to just watch mindless tv! I am trying to brush up on my hand-eye coordination. It used to be great and since I haven't drawn very much in a while I definitely need some practice. (which is good anyway since my paints are in the process of being mailed to me!) Tonight I snapped a picture of Glenn and did a drawing from the picture...Here it is! I finally got to go to the Dick Blick art supply store that is a few miles away from our apartment. I had tried to go twice and never actually made it in due to various reasons. I bought a couple of pads of paper, but I have my eye on a small drawing desk and stool. Maybe it will be a Christmas present ;-) I will keep posting my artwork on the blog, so watch for more to come!

Watch Out Emily is creative again!

2007-10-27T23:24:00.000-05:00

Here is my first sketch that I've done in a while. Nothing special , but I'm proud that I'm doing ANY ART at ALL!

On another note...

2007-10-21T00:11:00.000-05:00

We FINALLY got our sofa! It feels really great not to sit on the floor to watch TV! Here are a couple of pictures of our living area.

I'm going to Disneyland!

2007-10-20T23:35:00.000-05:00

Today, Glenn and I ventured to Disneyland today! We went to the Disney California Adventure park and didn't actually go to the classic Disneyland park though...unfortunately the park hopper tickets were a little too pricey for our liking and California Adventure had more rollercoasters and adult attractions. We had a blast! The whole park was decorated with cute Halloween decorations. Our favorite ride was the California Screamin roller coaster. It is the huge one that you can see in the background of the pictures above. The coolest part is that the loop goes around the Mickey Mouse head on the side. We rode it at least 4 times I think!

Another of my favorite attractions was the Disney Animation studio. When I was younger that is always what I wanted to do ...I wanted to be a Disney animator when I grew up! Now I'm grown up and walking into the animation attraction made me wish that I really had ended up doing that! They were playing parts of the classic movies on huge plasma screens and I just think the older Disney movies are so magical...they give me goosebumps! I also loved looking at the original character sketches on display. Very cool!

The Twighlight Zone Tower of Terror was a really great ride too! It was scary and I was screaming the whole time!

This life sized Darth Vader was made completely out of LEGOs! As you can see I bought a pair of Minnie Mouse ears! I couldn't resist...they were just so cute! You can't really tell in the picture, but they are made of black sequins.

It was a really fun day!

Blondes have more fun!

2007-10-13T18:26:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit blonder now, so I will be having more fun I suppose!
I finally got the guts to get my hair highlighted. It's something that I've wanted to do for a while, but I always chicken out before I even set the appointment. My hair is naturally blonde, but it bleaches out the longer it is on my head, so it always bugs me that the ends of my hair are very light, while the top is a darker blonde/ almost redish looking. I mean, my hair looked pretty good before, so my big fear has always been that if I get it highlighted it would look fake and I would hate it.

I should have done this long ago! It doesn't look drastically different, but it looks so natural and pretty! I'm very happy! I tried to get a picture that would show the color of it, but it I couldn't get one inside my appartment that showed the color, so the one I took in the sun is the best, even though I have a squinty sun face haha. Glenn and I are going to walk around Westwood tomorrow, so maybe we can get a more attractive picture then . ;-)

Santa Monica Pier

2007-10-07T17:59:00.000-05:00

Today, we went to the Santa Monica Pier and 3rd St. Promenade. We had been meaning to go for a few weekends, but finally made it! It's not too far from where we live.

We ate at the Marisol Mexican restaraunt at the end of the pier. We sat on the patio that overlooked the water. It was gorgeous! The water is such a beautiful aqua blue color! It was actually the best Mexican food we have had since living in LA also! Glenn ordered Tacos al carbon and I ordered chicken flautas, then we shared.

We then walked along the 3rd St. Promenade outdoor mall. It is really a unique place. Street performers line the street and they are often more talented than the average street bums haha! The weather is perfect here for an outdoor mall...it would never work in Houston or Tulsa...the weather is to unpredictable! A lot of people walked their dogs, and it made me miss Molly and wish she was there with us. We even saw an adorable little tri color cavalier puppy!

I went into Sephora because I have a $100 gift card there (from my credit card reward), but I couldn't decide what I wanted, so I gave up and made the choice to just order online. It is easier to find what you are looking for online...and I didn't want Glenn to have to wait as long as it would probably take me to decide what to buy!

I found my camera cord! Bright Eyes!

2007-10-07T17:50:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken at the Bright Eyes concert at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend. I promised I would post the pictures, so here they are! Enjoy!

6 month wedding anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-09-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Glenn and I had our 6 month anniversary! Time has flown by and it doesn't seem like anywhere near 6 months! We have accomplished a lot in the past 6 months... first Glenn decided to go to UCLA (no, we didn't have ANY idea) until a couple of months after the wedding, we graduated, moved to LA, moved into our apartment, made great strides in learning how to get around in LA, Glenn started law school, I have actually started kind of enyoying cooking ( I never thought I would say that! It helps to have a funcional kitchen!), we both turned 23, and I have made a lot of progress in figuring out the direction I want to go with my career, and (hopefully) will get hired soon (I've been working hard on it!). I have my 3rd interview with a company tomorrow so I hope it goes well! They make you interview so many times before hiring you! I have a feeling if I do well tomorrow I'll still have AT LEAST one more interview with them! I hate interviewing. It is so stressful and unnatural! oh well!

We still don't have our sofa yet :-( It should arrive in the next couple of weeks. And we don't have much money to go to all the fun places like Disneyland, shopping, and the San Diego zoo, etc, but we have had a great time doing inexpensive things like hiking and the beach. It's been great!

My friend Reed from Tulsa visited me this weekend and we had a blast. He lived here one summer so he pretty much showed me around! It felt good to see a good friend from home.

Weekend in Oxnard

2007-09-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Glenn and I headed North of LA to Oxnard to dog/apartment sit for Glenn's friend Brian and his girlfriend Sarah. It was really nice to get away from the traffic and hustle and bustle of LA for a couple of days . Brian and Sarah's apartment overlooks channel islands harbor and sailboat docks, so it was very picturesque.

On Saturday, we puttered around the channel island shops, and visited the Ventura County Maritime Museum, which was among the shops.The Museum featured nautical displays, models of historic sailing ships, and a world-class marine art collection. (my favorite part!) They had a special exhibit from a plein air painting competition displayed which was exciting to me because I had just done a similar contest in Galveston, TX earlier in the summer. I really enjoyed looking at the art and I decided I want to enter the competition next summer.

We also learned that you can go whale watching in that area and lately they have had an abnormal number of blue whale sightings! We will definitely go whale watching during the right season.

On Sunday we went to the beach and it was beautiful!

Too see more of our pictures, visit our webshots ablum:
http://community.webshots.com/album/560539666XyshNJ

Job Search

2007-08-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

I had my first interview of the day at 11 with Enterprise at their regional ofice for their management trainee program. It went really well! I anwsered every question well and was on top of my game! I have a second interview/ observation tomorrow morning at 8am, so I am hoping that goes well. Everyone I met there was really friendly and seemed to actually be enjoying their jobs.

My second interview was at 3:30 in Sherman Oaks for an outside sales position, and went pretty well except for the fact that I definitely cannot see myself working for this company...more specifically, working under the man who interviewed me! I understand that they will interview you "hard sell" style sometimes, but there is a difference betwen that and just being rude. This guy was just rude. I could have a second interview/ ride along but I don't want to. I just had a gut feeling that I would be miserable working there, so that's that.

So, long story short- I hope everything works out with the Enterprise job, if not, more interviews!

Yikes!

2007-08-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

I have TWO job interviews tomorrow! EEK!

Everything works out for the best...

2007-08-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

Although I had a minor meltdown yesterday morning when I realized the car wouldn't start, it all turned out just fine. Glenn's afternoon class was canceled, which meant that he got to come home at 11 and cheer me up. He did something dumb also yesterday, so it made me feel like I had company haha. We ran errands together and then relaxed together the rest of the day. It turned out to be a pretty nice day after all.

This morning, I met with the recruiter, Rachel. I'm really glad I did! She was really helpful, encouraging, and I actually enjoyed talking to her. She not only is already working to schedule interviews for me, but also is going to give me tips on what to talk about in my interviews in order to look the best I possibly can (and she knows the people who will be interviewing me, which is a bonus). Now I finally feel like I have a clear-cut path to finding the right job for me and getting hired. It's a little overwhelming starting from scratch!

I just want to cry! Murphy's law...

2007-08-27T12:15:00.000-05:00

So I am supposed to have an appointment with a recruiter at 11 today. I woke up, got ready even a little early, went to my car to leave and it wouldn't start. I know why. I just inherited my mom's Honda civic and it has no alarm or chime that goes off when you leave the headlights on. I just want to cry!

I drove to the mall on Saturday...I must have left the lights on. I didn't go anywhere in my car yesterday or I would have figured it out in time.

Glenn's car is here, but I don't have a key to it and he is in class until 11. I'm so mad at myself for letting something so stupid happen. I called and rescheduled my appointment and the lady was very understanding, but no matter what, it has to hurt my credibility. I just feel so stupid. There are so many times when I've driven this car that this could have happened... but it never did until I had somewhere important to go. The only positive thing is that it wasn't an actual job interview.

I caught up to Glenn

2007-08-26T00:27:00.001-05:00

My 23rd Birthday was on August 24, yes, exactly one week after Glenn's! To celebrate, we went to Hamasaku, a trendy Japanese restaurant in LA known for being the favorite of celebs such as Harrison Ford, Stephen Spielburg, Christina Aguilera, and basically every A-list celeb on the planet! Supposedly it was the first place that Mary Kate Olsen ate after she got out of anorexia rehab haha! It is also fun, because they name the star's favorite rolls after them, so you can imagine being a star while you eat your sushi!

Unfortunately, we did not have any celeb sightings, but if there had been a famous person in there, they couldn't hide because it is such a small restaurant with no back rooms or anything. On the way to the restrooms there are oodles of very new signed movie posters!

Aside from the celeb popularity, (and Most Importantly!) the sushi was DELICIOUS and presented very well. I enjoyed every single bite! It is definitely a place we will go again when we have a special occasion to celebrate! They even sang me happy birthday and wrote my name on the dessert plate! Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera because we were rushing out the door to make our reservation, so I took the picture above right when we got back to our apartment.

Also, today I went shopping for the first time in a really long time at Center mall! We got a little bit lost finding it, and it was extremely crowded, but I got to shop at H&M so it was all worth it! If you aren't familiar with H&M, you are missing out! They have trendy designer-looking clothes for prices cheaper than gap or express. (and they hold up much better than forever 21) I'm so happy to be living in a city that has one! Glenn bought some jeans at Express and I also picked up my free birthday gift from the Aveda store; a neat little custom-mixed perfume spray!

October Road...in August

2007-08-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

I haven't had any celebrity sightings so far, but I had sorta sighting today. I was walking with Glenn and one of his law school friends across the UCLA campus to go work out at the gym. A man stopped us and asked us to stop walking for a second because they were filming. We asked what they were filming and they said "October Road. " I watched that show a couple of times simply because it came on after Dirt on FX, so I totally knew what they were talking about!

We saw the lead actor standing in the middle of a big crew, but that wasn't very exciting because he is not really very well known. After they let us walk through I remembered that the lead actress in this show is Laura Prepon from That 70s Show so we looked back to see if she was there. I saw the back of her head as she was sitting in a chair. So when I say "sorta sighting" I mean I only kind of saw her, but it's still pretty neat.

2007-08-18T20:16:00.001-05:00

Glenn is 23! He is an old man!

Glenn has had law school orientation this past Thursday and Friday(his birthday) so he got a little taste of what the next three years will be like. His classes officially start on Monday...the first year of law school will be busy, but I'm sure it will go by quickly. He had to be at orientation all day on his B-day, but when he got home I surprised him with a yummy chocolate cake. Then we had some Trader Joe's handmade enchiladas and guacamole for dinner. They were delicious!

Notice the lack of sofa in our living room...thank you Pottery Barn! Once we get our sofa, I will post pics of our apartment...it is pretty nice and we like it!

Today, we decided to go on a hike in honor of Glenn's birthday since we didn't get to celebrate very well on Friday. We went to Malibu Creek State Park, which is only half an hour away from where we live. It was also nice because Glenn's friend and fraternity brother, Brian, who lives in Santa Barbara was able to meet us there since it was about halfway in-between. Malibu Creek State Park used to be owned by 20th Century Fox so it was the site of hundreds of movies and TV shows such as Planet of the apes, Swiss Family Robinson, and M*A*S*H, which I thought was neat.

We hiked to a rock pool and went swimming.......it was fun and a good outing, but we worked up an appetite so...
...We stopped at Jack in the Box. It is a delicacy that we have not been able to enjoy since they do not have them in Oklahoma!

2007-08-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

Finally, what I've been waiting for my whole life...

(I got this article from TMZ)

R. Kelly -- Trapped by Really Bad Ideas

Posted Aug 17th 2007 1:22PM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: Wacky and Weird

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and (underage) girls....the wait is over!

The Independent Film Channel finally released the next ten chapters for R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" video series -- and, ever the shameless self-promotionalist, R. Kelly stepped out in front of the IFC Cinema in Greenwich Village to trumpet this development.

Amongst the moments of brilliance in the pervtacular R&B star's repetoire? Rhuming "Bridget," one of the characters names...with "midget! " This leads to an entire chapter surrounding a little person's extramarital exploits. Glad to see the project is plot-driven!

If you haven't seen chapters 1-12, you are missing out...I'm serious. I own the DVD simply because it can make me roll on the floor laughing every time I see it...it never gets old! It is unbelievable!

2007-08-14T23:28:00.000-05:00

Odds and Ends

Random- I stole this from Susan

Jobs I’ve Held:
1. TU Fitness Center
2. Planet Beach Tanning Salon---wow that was a mistake!
3. The Dog Dish doggy boutique
4. Sales/Marketing Intern at KTUL Channel 8 in Tulsa, an ABC affiliate
5. Production Coordinator-Lauer Media; they make commercials

Movies I Can Watch Over and Over (and have):
1. Big Fish
2. Superstar
3. 40 Year Old Virgin
4. Stevie Ray Vaughan Austin City Limits DVD
5. Any Led Zeppelin DVD
6.UHF- Weird Al movie
7. Napoleon Dynamite
8. Thank You for Smoking

My Guilty Pleasures:
1. Chocolate of any kind
2. E! Entertainment/ Celeb gossip programming
3. Mexican food
4. Maury

Places I Have Lived:
1. Lake Jackson, TX
2. Russellville, AR
3. Tulsa, OK
4. Los Angeles, CA!
5. n/a

Shows I Enjoy:
1. Flight of the Conchords
2. Nip/Tuck
3. Lost
4. Maury

What were likely the 1st things you thought when you saw your significant other for the first time?
1. He's very muscular-when he worked out every day :-)
2. Look at the way he is strutting and flipping his hair!
3. He looks full of himself!

When I met him (AKA talked to him) the first time:
1. He's TOTALLY not how I thought he would be (in a good way!)

Places I’ve Been on Vacation (other than the U.S.):
1. England
2. France
3. Cancun

Favorite Foods:
1. Mexican
2. Avocados in anything or by themselves
3. fried oysters
4. Chocolate or any dessert really
5. baked potatoes

Websites I Visit (almost) Daily:
1. Facebook
2. TMZ.com
3. Gmail
4. CNN
5. myspace

Nicknames I’ve been called:
1. Em
2. Emp
3.Embo
4. Ember
5. Emery
6. Superstar
7. Middleton
8. Probably more that I'm forgetting

Hollywood Bowl Concert: Sgt. Pepper's at 40...a Beatles Celebration!

2007-08-11T13:15:00.001-05:00

For our 5 month wedding anniversary, Glenn bought us tickets for the Sgt. Pepper's at 40 concert! It has been 40 years since the album was released, so this concert was paying a tribute to that. Cheap Trick were the band leaders, but one of our fave singers, Aimee Man was performing also, as well as Joan Osbourne, Ian Bell, Rob Laufer, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Also, the sound engineer who originally worked on the Sgt. Pepper's album was mixing the sound for the concert!

Parking is expensive/crappy at the Hollywood Bowl, so we parked at the Zoo and took a Shuttle to the Hollywood Bowl. I love zoos, so we had fun looking at the animals before we had to board the shuttle for the concert. I still want to go to the San Diego Zoo though!

While waiting for the shuttle, we realized we were the only people without picnic baskets and coolers. Apparently it is custom to eat a 3 course meal at the Hollywood Bowl before the concert starts! It is the first concert venue I've ever been to that allows you to bring in your own food and drinks, including alcohol...usually they want to make money off of selling their concessions at inflated prices! Also while waiting we met a really neat German lady who was originally from Hamburg but moved to LA in her 20s and never returned to Germany. She had actually seen the Beatles when they played in Hamburg, Germany before they were famous!

The Concert was AMAZING! The first half the artists all played Beatles songs (not from Sgt. Peppers). The highlight of the first half for me was when Cheap Trick played from Golden Slumbers to the end of the Abbey Road album (my fave) ! I had no idea that the singer from Cheap Trick had that good of a voice...you sure can't tell from their songs that I've heard! After Intermission, they began playing Sgt. Pepper's and played in all the way through. It was really awesome!

We are in California!

2007-08-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

After three days of driving, Glenn and I finally made it to Los Angeles! The next day we got the keys to our apartment and moved in. It is really nice and best of all has A LOT of storage space and a walk-in closet! That night an earthquake happened and we were so tired that we slept right through it!

The morning of the 9th I had my first job interview. I was exhausted, but I think it went ok. Right after my interview Glenn and I headed over to the Beverly Hills Pottery Barn (it's zip code is actually 90210!) to order our sofa. Well it turns out that they make sofas AFTER you order them so we will have to wait 4-6 weeks to get it. Not cool :-( looks like we will be making good use of our video game rocker that we got as a wedding present!

Tonight we are going to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl for our 5 month anniversary! It is the Sargent Pepper's at 40 Concert where Cheap Trick, Aimee Mann, and another artist perform the entire Sargent Pepper's album. It should be awesome!

We have an address in LA! FINALLY!

2007-07-23T14:26:00.000-05:00

After months of waiting for confirmation that we have an apartment, we finally got one! Our address is 3120 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066, Apt 307. We move in on August 8th!

We have a two bedroom apartment, so if anyone wants to visit, you can stay in our extra bedroom.

City of Enchantment

2007-07-01T01:36:00.000-05:00

I have been in Lake Jackson for a couple of weeks now. I miss Glenn terribly and I still have almost a month more until I see him! I'm not sure how I'll survive that long!

In a way it is nice, but weird to be home with my parents. I guess it is weird because I realize that it isn't really my home anymore...I'm kind of in-between homes! Well actually I suppose now my home is wherever Glenn is, but it is no longer Tulsa and not yet Los Angeles at the moment. It's nice b/c my parents are taking care of me and I don't have to worry about adult things like paying rent or grocery shopping...and it's nice to spend time with my parents as always.

UCLA is being slow about assigning us an apartment, so as of right now we are still waiting to hear where we will be living and when we can move in! I am getting impatient!!!!

Pics of me and the fam coming soon...

Double eyelashes!

2007-06-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

ok this is really random, but I just discovered the other day that Glenn has double rows of eyelashes on each eye! I've always noticed how thick and pretty his lashes are, but the light was shining on him just right and that's when I saw that he has 2 rows! The only other person I've ever heard of having this "mutation" is Elizabeth Taylor! I just hope our kids inherit them one day

Moved out...finally!

2007-05-27T00:55:00.000-05:00

OK, so we moved completely out of our rental house in the last 2 days...I'm just glad it's over with! Glenn, Molly, and myself are now residing in Room 13 of the Kappa Sig house!

It's not bad at all...we have direct tv and the room is pretty spacious. It is, however a little awkward when I shower or basically enter the bathroom for any reason haha. I mean, every time I open the door I just hope there is nobody in there b/c I have to pass the urinals on the way to the stall...and that could get really uncomfortable if you ask me ! the showers are completely enclosed with a curtain (not community showers or anything) but it is still a little weird to be in the shower and hear the door open, knowing that guys are coming and going and you are in the shower naked...

I really haven't had any legitimately embarassing run-ins yet, and hopefully I won't...

So I started a blog...

2007-05-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

I've never been a big fan of blogs or keeping a blog, however, since Glenn and I will be moving so far away to the west coast, I decided to start one to keep everyone updated on our fascinating life haha!If you didn't know, we finally graduated and Glenn will be starting law school at UCLA in the fall.

Right now, Glenn and I are in the process of moving out of our rental house. I hate moving...in a way it is good though because it forces you to go through all your junk and get rid of things that aren't necessary...but it's still no fun!

I'm leaving to go home for the summer the weekend of June 9th. In the time between when we move out (by the end of this week) and when I go home, I will be living in Glenn's fraternity house with him...which should be interesting to say the least haha! Although I'm really not happy about being apart from Glenn for the summer *tear* I have a feeling I will be ready to move out of the Kappa Sig house! It will also be really nice to spend time with my parents and to do artwork with my mom. She always gets me really motivated because she is constantly thinking about art and has so many neat project ideas!

Also while I'm home I will have a membership to the gym and wow, I really need it! I've gained about 10 lbs since I've been in college and it is time to get rid of that! I'm hoping that when I see Glenn for the first time at the end of the summer, he is like, "where did you go?" but I know that even if I gained weight, he will still think I'm beautiful :-) so that feels good!