Day 17 – What is your favorite thing about the weekend? Do you take a break from blogs or is this when you catch up?
My favorite thing about the weekend is most definitely our family time. It's so much fun to just play. I hate that we only have one day off together as a family unit. E seems to live for that day.
Obviously I catch up on blogs (if you read this) only on weekends at night or when E is napping. I'm out of the house for about 12 hours a day on work days and then with the scramble of bedtime and getting ready for work/daycare time, I get very little blogging in. I've learned to let that stuff go and go back to basics when I needed to. Trying to get as much done as I used to was starting to cause some break downish stuff, so I re-prioritized.
Showing posts with label summer camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer camp. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Summer Camp Day 15 - Still behind the game
I'm still catching up on summer camp posts after the day for which they are intended but what the heck!
Day 15 – What was your college experience like? Were you involved in any clubs, groups, etc? If you did not go to college what was your experience like after high school?
My college experience was stressful and wonderful and enlightening and comfortable. My family did not have much money, so it was on me to get loans and scholarships when applying for college. Luckily I did well academically and was involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities, so I scored a few financial prizes from my high school, some great aid from the state of Pennsylvania (they had one of the best systems then - not so much in this economy), and some aid/loans from Federal student aid. I landed on my final school of choice for so many reasons but one of the biggest incentives was an academic scholarship of close to $10,000 a year. (Woot!) The downside to that was that I had to manage a 3.5 GPA for my entire school career to keep the scholarship - hence the stress and anxiety part of my experience. Organic chemistry did not want me to keep my money. Organic chemistry is a bastard if you did not know. He will suck you dry.
But enough about that. I went to a small, private school that was large compared to my 64 person graduating class in high school. The campus was absolutely beautiful and surrounded by my sweet PA mountains and countryside. It was Catholic, so we had a gorgeous yet comfy little chapel on grounds and lots of priests and brothers walking around. It was also the most comfortable I've ever felt with the Catholic faith. It was ok to disagree at my school as long as you weren't breaking school rules. It was ok if you were another faith, and in fact, other faiths were welcome to join church services if desired. It was a liberal arts college and experience in every single sense of that phrase. I adored it.
I majored in Biology/Environmental Science and learned so much. Outdoor labs and fieldwork were my absolute favorite experience. There are so many aspects of my education I don't use now that I would love to go back to using.
Some high school classmates also attended the school, so I had built in friends. However, I usually hung out with other Bio students. We geeked out over all kinds of sciency stuff. We also did our share of attending the local bar and frat parties, but we were never hard core partiers... too geeky. ;-) I made a few lifelong friends and spent a long time mooning over Hub and the distance between us. I felt much more accepted and strong than I ever felt in high school. I felt the world was my oyster.
As I've noted in this blog before, years later I went on to take a few Master's level classes in my attempt to get a Conservation Biology graduate certificate. I didn't finish because I got pregnant with E. I'll finish if the mood strikes. Right now I'm having too much fun with this project. Anyway, I found grad school incredibly stimulating, brain prodding and different from undergrad. There was a lot more treating us as colleagues and a lot less lecturing at the students. There was also a lot more emphasis on understanding critical thinking and how to find our answers rather than memorization and emphasis on test scores. It was a fabulous way to learn. It was really hard, but it was also an amazing experience. I recommend that anyone who loves the school experience in any way should try at least one graduate level course in something that stimulates them.
ETA: Clubs!? Oops. OK, I was a chairperson for the Student Activities Organization, a member of the Biological Honor Society, President of an Environmental Awareness Association, a tutor, a school van driver for pick ups at the train stations, mall runs etc, and I had work study as a lab assistant. I also worked part time in retail for about 15-20 hours a week. Talk about stretched for time as I carried 17-20 credits every semester except the last! (where I only carried 14. Woot!)
Day 15 – What was your college experience like? Were you involved in any clubs, groups, etc? If you did not go to college what was your experience like after high school?
My college experience was stressful and wonderful and enlightening and comfortable. My family did not have much money, so it was on me to get loans and scholarships when applying for college. Luckily I did well academically and was involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities, so I scored a few financial prizes from my high school, some great aid from the state of Pennsylvania (they had one of the best systems then - not so much in this economy), and some aid/loans from Federal student aid. I landed on my final school of choice for so many reasons but one of the biggest incentives was an academic scholarship of close to $10,000 a year. (Woot!) The downside to that was that I had to manage a 3.5 GPA for my entire school career to keep the scholarship - hence the stress and anxiety part of my experience. Organic chemistry did not want me to keep my money. Organic chemistry is a bastard if you did not know. He will suck you dry.
But enough about that. I went to a small, private school that was large compared to my 64 person graduating class in high school. The campus was absolutely beautiful and surrounded by my sweet PA mountains and countryside. It was Catholic, so we had a gorgeous yet comfy little chapel on grounds and lots of priests and brothers walking around. It was also the most comfortable I've ever felt with the Catholic faith. It was ok to disagree at my school as long as you weren't breaking school rules. It was ok if you were another faith, and in fact, other faiths were welcome to join church services if desired. It was a liberal arts college and experience in every single sense of that phrase. I adored it.
I majored in Biology/Environmental Science and learned so much. Outdoor labs and fieldwork were my absolute favorite experience. There are so many aspects of my education I don't use now that I would love to go back to using.
Some high school classmates also attended the school, so I had built in friends. However, I usually hung out with other Bio students. We geeked out over all kinds of sciency stuff. We also did our share of attending the local bar and frat parties, but we were never hard core partiers... too geeky. ;-) I made a few lifelong friends and spent a long time mooning over Hub and the distance between us. I felt much more accepted and strong than I ever felt in high school. I felt the world was my oyster.
As I've noted in this blog before, years later I went on to take a few Master's level classes in my attempt to get a Conservation Biology graduate certificate. I didn't finish because I got pregnant with E. I'll finish if the mood strikes. Right now I'm having too much fun with this project. Anyway, I found grad school incredibly stimulating, brain prodding and different from undergrad. There was a lot more treating us as colleagues and a lot less lecturing at the students. There was also a lot more emphasis on understanding critical thinking and how to find our answers rather than memorization and emphasis on test scores. It was a fabulous way to learn. It was really hard, but it was also an amazing experience. I recommend that anyone who loves the school experience in any way should try at least one graduate level course in something that stimulates them.
ETA: Clubs!? Oops. OK, I was a chairperson for the Student Activities Organization, a member of the Biological Honor Society, President of an Environmental Awareness Association, a tutor, a school van driver for pick ups at the train stations, mall runs etc, and I had work study as a lab assistant. I also worked part time in retail for about 15-20 hours a week. Talk about stretched for time as I carried 17-20 credits every semester except the last! (where I only carried 14. Woot!)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Summer Camp Day 11 - All in the Family
Day 11– How are you different from your parents? How are you the same? Do your parents and/or family know that you write on-line?
(Note: I was going to do the recipe day, but then just never got around to the work it would require. I'd be sorry except that instead of doing that, I spent a lot of time running around with the baby and getting kisses, so I'm not sorry. :)
I look most like my Mom except that I have my Dad's eye shape and complexion (damn it.) My Mom and I are both short, petite brunettes. We have the same smile, sharp bone structure and laugh. I even heard my Grandma's guffaw come out of my mouth the other night. I have hijacked a lot of my Mom's mannerisms and figures of speech as well. In behavior though, I often think of myself as a tempered version of my mother. I lived with her most of the time growing up and was more influenced by her worldview. If you knew her, you'd know she is full force. When she's angry, she's angry. When she's upset, you worry for her level of desolation. When she is indignant, the unfortunate offender will hear about it gall darn it! I picked up some of that, but have it tempered with my Dad's tendency to analyze a bit more first and to seek the path of non-violence in all things. The things that I picked up from my Mom in spades though are a sense of obligation to others, a despair at unfairness and inequality, an obnoxious need to question myself in all things and a desire to make the world right. I share with both of them an intense love of all life. They just express it and experience it in vastly different ways from one another. I'm very fortunate to have had such disparate lessons from both sides of my equally loving families.
My closest family knows I have an anonymous blog. One of them reads it (Hi H!). I wish she'd write a blog everyone else could read besides family because I know everyone would enjoy it. I suspect some others may have found it, but if they have, they haven't mentioned it. I'd like to keep it that way. I don't think my Mom's side would even try to (and some wouldn't even know how to) look for it. There are a few close friends from my non-online life who know of this blog specifically but two I think who really read it. (Hi K! Hi R!)
(Note: I was going to do the recipe day, but then just never got around to the work it would require. I'd be sorry except that instead of doing that, I spent a lot of time running around with the baby and getting kisses, so I'm not sorry. :)
I look most like my Mom except that I have my Dad's eye shape and complexion (damn it.) My Mom and I are both short, petite brunettes. We have the same smile, sharp bone structure and laugh. I even heard my Grandma's guffaw come out of my mouth the other night. I have hijacked a lot of my Mom's mannerisms and figures of speech as well. In behavior though, I often think of myself as a tempered version of my mother. I lived with her most of the time growing up and was more influenced by her worldview. If you knew her, you'd know she is full force. When she's angry, she's angry. When she's upset, you worry for her level of desolation. When she is indignant, the unfortunate offender will hear about it gall darn it! I picked up some of that, but have it tempered with my Dad's tendency to analyze a bit more first and to seek the path of non-violence in all things. The things that I picked up from my Mom in spades though are a sense of obligation to others, a despair at unfairness and inequality, an obnoxious need to question myself in all things and a desire to make the world right. I share with both of them an intense love of all life. They just express it and experience it in vastly different ways from one another. I'm very fortunate to have had such disparate lessons from both sides of my equally loving families.
My closest family knows I have an anonymous blog. One of them reads it (Hi H!). I wish she'd write a blog everyone else could read besides family because I know everyone would enjoy it. I suspect some others may have found it, but if they have, they haven't mentioned it. I'd like to keep it that way. I don't think my Mom's side would even try to (and some wouldn't even know how to) look for it. There are a few close friends from my non-online life who know of this blog specifically but two I think who really read it. (Hi K! Hi R!)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Summer Camp Day 7 - Foods!
Day 7– What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Do you read food blogs or would you ever consider writing one?
For breakfast there's nothing I enjoy more than some sausage gravy and home fries. Since meat and potatoes were two of a very small selection of foods I could enjoy while pregnant, this was a favorite. (Who am I kidding? It's always a favorite!) Technically, I don't eat and don't even like sausage. But for some reason, put it in some white gravy, and I go nuts.
For lunch hmm... I think I'd have to say that lunch is highly variable for me, and I like it that way. I work outside a lot, so my favorite thing is very dependent on the kind of weather in which I find myself. In hot weather, I love something fruit based or delicious chicken salad with a good Italian dressing. In cold weather, I prefer something like potato soup. (sensing a pattern with the potatoes?)
For dinner a favorite go to meal is a veggie or chicken soy based Asian dish. I don't much care which one. They're all delicious, though two of my regular favorites include Szechuan chicken and Mu Shu vegetable. I also love a good veggie pad thai or Filipino sinigang. My favorite meal of my family's is ham pot pie (except I don't eat the ham.) And no, this isn't a meat pie. In case you didn't know, that's a different thing altogether. This is pot pie... ingredients... dough... in a pot... on the stove. Pot pie. Homemade thick noodles and potatoes (shocker!) in a flavorful broth. Mmmmmmm.
I occasionally read food blogs. I adore food and love learning new recipes and looking at the beautiful photos of beautiful deliciousness. The only one I read regularly is Pioneer Woman's cooking section. Every single recipe I have tried of hers has been heavenly. And no, I would never food blog. I do not have the patience in the slightest. Nor do I have the time.
Join Calliope's Summer Camp in the Blogosphere to play along!
For breakfast there's nothing I enjoy more than some sausage gravy and home fries. Since meat and potatoes were two of a very small selection of foods I could enjoy while pregnant, this was a favorite. (Who am I kidding? It's always a favorite!) Technically, I don't eat and don't even like sausage. But for some reason, put it in some white gravy, and I go nuts.
For lunch hmm... I think I'd have to say that lunch is highly variable for me, and I like it that way. I work outside a lot, so my favorite thing is very dependent on the kind of weather in which I find myself. In hot weather, I love something fruit based or delicious chicken salad with a good Italian dressing. In cold weather, I prefer something like potato soup. (sensing a pattern with the potatoes?)
For dinner a favorite go to meal is a veggie or chicken soy based Asian dish. I don't much care which one. They're all delicious, though two of my regular favorites include Szechuan chicken and Mu Shu vegetable. I also love a good veggie pad thai or Filipino sinigang. My favorite meal of my family's is ham pot pie (except I don't eat the ham.) And no, this isn't a meat pie. In case you didn't know, that's a different thing altogether. This is pot pie... ingredients... dough... in a pot... on the stove. Pot pie. Homemade thick noodles and potatoes (shocker!) in a flavorful broth. Mmmmmmm.
I occasionally read food blogs. I adore food and love learning new recipes and looking at the beautiful photos of beautiful deliciousness. The only one I read regularly is Pioneer Woman's cooking section. Every single recipe I have tried of hers has been heavenly. And no, I would never food blog. I do not have the patience in the slightest. Nor do I have the time.
Join Calliope's Summer Camp in the Blogosphere to play along!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Summer Camp - Hey it's Your Birthday!
Summer Camp Day 5 - What do you like to do on your birthday?
There's nothing I like more on my birthday than a good old adventure. As I've mentioned before, Hub and I enjoy our little adventures. They can be big or small, expensive or cheap. (Most of the time it leans toward the cheap side.) For example, for my 30th birthday I got a laparoscopy/hysteroscopy and a trip to Key West! How's that for excitement? OK, I kid, I kid. The lap was an unfortunate aside. The Key West trip was a sensory feast of a drive through Florida and all its keys that we still recall with warmth.
I also adore surprises. Even when Hub surprises me by having the house clean and warm food waiting when I get home for my birthday, I find it a delight. The best, though, are surprise adventures. Hub did this once for a state park visit for our anniversary. I admit it. He's a good boy. I'll keep him and his presents. What do you like? Visit Calliope to find out more about Summer Camp.
There's nothing I like more on my birthday than a good old adventure. As I've mentioned before, Hub and I enjoy our little adventures. They can be big or small, expensive or cheap. (Most of the time it leans toward the cheap side.) For example, for my 30th birthday I got a laparoscopy/hysteroscopy and a trip to Key West! How's that for excitement? OK, I kid, I kid. The lap was an unfortunate aside. The Key West trip was a sensory feast of a drive through Florida and all its keys that we still recall with warmth.
I also adore surprises. Even when Hub surprises me by having the house clean and warm food waiting when I get home for my birthday, I find it a delight. The best, though, are surprise adventures. Hub did this once for a state park visit for our anniversary. I admit it. He's a good boy. I'll keep him and his presents. What do you like? Visit Calliope to find out more about Summer Camp.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Summer Camp Day 3 - Guilty Pleasures
- CHOCOLATE
- cheese
- tiramisu
- the occasional celebrity gossip mag
- iPod free game apps
- sappy sappy love stories (yes, I cry)
- the internet
The rest I think I don't really feel guilty about! If I think of more, I'll add.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Summer Camp!
I'm trying to get into the swing of Calliope's brilliant summer camp idea! Why do I have to work all the time, making it hard to get in quality family and blog time huh? In any case, I'm jumping on board with a retroactive Day 2.
Day 2 -What were you like in high school? What extracurricular activities, if any, did you take part in during high school? Did you consider yourself a writer?
High school ran the gamut for me. Our high school was tiny, so 7-12th grades went to classes in the same building even though 7-9 was considered junior high, and 10-12 was senior high. Some of our events were held separately, but there was still a lot of awareness of all involved in such a small school. (My graduating class numbered 64).
I was always a little sensitive and a little shy. Secretly then and now, I often want nothing more than to be the center of adoring attention and to crack everyone up. The problem is, I don't want that unless I know I can completely trust my adoring crowd. This sets the stage for a lot of awkward.
I had a lot of dorky, bookish girl moments. However, I also had a fabulous group of close-knit friends with whom I saw eye to eye. We all were headed for college. We all hated selfish snobbery. We all just wanted everyone to get along for Pete's sake! We were lucky in that our little group granted us some protection from the nastiness of the snots and allowed us to be friendly with those they considered "untouchable." To be fair though, since it was such a small school, the nastiness was reined in some since everyone's family knew everyone else's. It was hard to be mean to someone when you knew their whole story and could really see the impact.
I loved and continue to love physical activity. I adored softball and enjoyed playing basketball, running etc, but Mom wouldn't allow sports... something about money, practice blah blah. So instead, I focused on the primarily intellectual and creative pursuits she encouraged, and I enjoyed. I was a band nerd (the flute). I was in chorus and most of our plays and musicals. That's where having such a small school came in handy because even though I was petrified for try-outs, my teachers knew me well and knew I could handle small solos. So yeah! I've sung in front of an audience by myself! I still wonder how I got the balls for that.
I was also in the National Honor Society, usually a class officer of some sort, in the Community Service Club and my last year I wrangled a spot in the ski club thanks to my Dad. It was awesome - finally a sport of some sort! That last year was my favorite, because I finally managed to figure out what clothes looked good on me, how to do my hair and how to not give a flying f*ck what other people thought. It was pretty damn awesome. As a result, I got hit on more often (though I didn't want them by that point), I earned more respect and I had a hell of a lot more fun.
And yes, I always always considered myself a writer. It was and is my passion. I was a reporter and the art person for our school newspaper for years. This was before the high prevalence of computers in the classroom, and I drew many of the little flourishes for the articles. I won a few writing contests here and there and even made it to District levels a few times. I submitted works for kid magazines and had a few published. It was my dream to be a professional writer. I scribbled in journals constantly and considered the job I would have to support my goal. I actually think I was a better writer then than I am now. I worked harder on it and was in classes constantly that helped me improve. I feel like I have more to add to the writing now... more maturity, but I often wish for classes to make me work at it and improve now.
Funnily enough, I intended to go into conservation work in college to support my writing on the side. What the HELL was I thinking? Shouldn't I have chosen a better paying profession to support my hobby? Ah. We're young and idealistic then huh? I got majorly sidetracked into a passion for my job, and even though I kept writing for company newsletters etc, I mostly dropped my dream. I often think now of picking it back up.
Day 2 -What were you like in high school? What extracurricular activities, if any, did you take part in during high school? Did you consider yourself a writer?
High school ran the gamut for me. Our high school was tiny, so 7-12th grades went to classes in the same building even though 7-9 was considered junior high, and 10-12 was senior high. Some of our events were held separately, but there was still a lot of awareness of all involved in such a small school. (My graduating class numbered 64).
I was always a little sensitive and a little shy. Secretly then and now, I often want nothing more than to be the center of adoring attention and to crack everyone up. The problem is, I don't want that unless I know I can completely trust my adoring crowd. This sets the stage for a lot of awkward.
I had a lot of dorky, bookish girl moments. However, I also had a fabulous group of close-knit friends with whom I saw eye to eye. We all were headed for college. We all hated selfish snobbery. We all just wanted everyone to get along for Pete's sake! We were lucky in that our little group granted us some protection from the nastiness of the snots and allowed us to be friendly with those they considered "untouchable." To be fair though, since it was such a small school, the nastiness was reined in some since everyone's family knew everyone else's. It was hard to be mean to someone when you knew their whole story and could really see the impact.
I loved and continue to love physical activity. I adored softball and enjoyed playing basketball, running etc, but Mom wouldn't allow sports... something about money, practice blah blah. So instead, I focused on the primarily intellectual and creative pursuits she encouraged, and I enjoyed. I was a band nerd (the flute). I was in chorus and most of our plays and musicals. That's where having such a small school came in handy because even though I was petrified for try-outs, my teachers knew me well and knew I could handle small solos. So yeah! I've sung in front of an audience by myself! I still wonder how I got the balls for that.
I was also in the National Honor Society, usually a class officer of some sort, in the Community Service Club and my last year I wrangled a spot in the ski club thanks to my Dad. It was awesome - finally a sport of some sort! That last year was my favorite, because I finally managed to figure out what clothes looked good on me, how to do my hair and how to not give a flying f*ck what other people thought. It was pretty damn awesome. As a result, I got hit on more often (though I didn't want them by that point), I earned more respect and I had a hell of a lot more fun.
And yes, I always always considered myself a writer. It was and is my passion. I was a reporter and the art person for our school newspaper for years. This was before the high prevalence of computers in the classroom, and I drew many of the little flourishes for the articles. I won a few writing contests here and there and even made it to District levels a few times. I submitted works for kid magazines and had a few published. It was my dream to be a professional writer. I scribbled in journals constantly and considered the job I would have to support my goal. I actually think I was a better writer then than I am now. I worked harder on it and was in classes constantly that helped me improve. I feel like I have more to add to the writing now... more maturity, but I often wish for classes to make me work at it and improve now.
Funnily enough, I intended to go into conservation work in college to support my writing on the side. What the HELL was I thinking? Shouldn't I have chosen a better paying profession to support my hobby? Ah. We're young and idealistic then huh? I got majorly sidetracked into a passion for my job, and even though I kept writing for company newsletters etc, I mostly dropped my dream. I often think now of picking it back up.
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