My Comps Experience

I can't believe that I am actually volunteering to look at a computer screen right now but part of getting through the ridiculousness that was my comprehensive exams was the ability to eventually write about it, so here we go. 

In my program (and a lot of graduate programs I think) upon completion of our courses we take what I believe they call "Qualifying Exams" which we all refer to as "comps" for comprehensive exams. In this experience you take a 72 hour exam in each of your major fields over weekends back to back. My major fields are Public Administration (emphasis on environmental policy) and American Politics.  At 10:00 a.m. on Friday you receive an email with several questions and you pick three from those questions on what you want to write up to twelve page essays (each) on. Within these essays you need to utilize the literature to support your arguments.  This sounds simple enough but three twelve page essays which cover three years of reading in 72 hours is quite a task, for me anyway. And by three years of reading I mean a bookshelf (like the whole book shelf) of books and countless articles.  I finally stopped printing the articles because I couldn't take how many trees they were consuming, and my binders were getting extremely heavy. 

So I developed a strategy for comps like a year in advance. Working from home is hard for me to stay focused. I decided I was going to take the money for January I would typically pay in rent and apply it to a hotel in Stillwater for each weekend so I could be alone and use OSU's resources (library, printing, good computers, nice working environment, etc). 

I packed my bags and three boxes full of books so I could tackle the first exam, Public Administration. I booked a hotel on Hotwire which was across town, but in Stillwater across town really isn't much of an issue. 

The Thursday before the exam I went to Stillwater so I could do a little more studying and tie up some loose ends with my dissertation. I am working on an awesome project but somehow many of the deadlines for it also coincide with my comps. Ugh.  It also gave me the opportunity to stay with Lo, who by the way was so helpful during my comps. She brought me coffee and food an continually asked me if I needed anything. What a great friend. I would have starved without her and Joe. 

So I find the perfect spot in the library. This is going to be my spot. This TV is bigger than our TV at home and it's the computer monitor. It was like research at the IMAX. There's my coffee drink for scale. 

Friday morning Joe and I got up early so I could get a good meal before the exam started. I barely slept at all the night before because I drank a coffee drink in the afternoon. I don't know what I was thinking. So I had a nice egg white omelet stuffed full of veggies and some yogurt--and a  lot of coffee. 

This was Joe's breakfast. Life isn't fair. 

OSU really is a cool school. They have grown immensely in regard to their sustainability efforts. There was recycling everywhere and information on their energy initiatives and there was even cool spots where I could refill my water bottle like this. What a place. 

So here I am about to get started. Waiting for the email. Here goes nothin. 

After reading the email and deciding the questions I wanted to answer and creating an awesome 8 page outline for how I wanted to approach the task I realized that there were several books that I needed. We had reviewed several theorists in my classes but I was never required to jump into the actual texts for many of them so I ventured off to find them. This worked out because I am a genius and decided to do my comps in a huge library. I went to check them out and it hit me. I'm not a student there any more. I had to fill out a form for a courtesy guest card. Ouch. That's like your parents asking you to knock when you come over. You're not really at home any more. 

I did learn that I am quite the pro at the Dewey Decimal System. If that book is on the shelf I am going to find it. Unfortunately sometimes it isn't on the shelf --I suspect due to some college employees that don't take particular pride in their work.  I actually had a friend in college one time that parked in a handicap spot during an ice storm and he got a huge ticket for it. The judge negotiated a community service opportunity where he had to re-shelve books at the OSU library to work off his fine. No wonder I couldn't find some of them! (Note: friend if you're reading this--I am sure you did a good job but you may be the exception to the misdemeanor rule). 

After I get back from my search I realize that the computer is logged out. I panicked a little and then I said a prayer thanking the Lord for the forethought to save my outline before going on my book finding adventure. So I simply logged back in and went to my documents and pulled it up. Where is it? Um... 

And then I see this. 

And then I feel this.

Several hours go by and I am on a roll collecting my sources and nailing down my plan of attack. And then I was told the library was closing down and I had to leave. What? It's only six pm?? Doesn't this place stay open until like 2 am? Well being the genius that I am... I hadn't considered the alternate hours the school would have the weekend that Christmas break ended. Great. 

That was also a very strange experience for me because I wasn't the sort of student that spent a lot of time in the library on a Friday night. I certainly wasn't the sort of student that was ever there so long that I was asked to leave...

So I relocated to my hotel. Matt even brought me my second screen. What a wonderful man. After a quick dinner in the hotel I kicked him out so I could keep working. 

Which wasn't fun. 

The next morning after far too little sleep I worked at Starbucks for a while. They spelled my name correctly so I considered that an omen of good things to come. Did you  know that if you have the Starbucks app they'll give you free refills while you're in the store? 

I went back to the library and Joe brought me a charger so I could use my iPad for my e-books. But sometimes e-books are just too much to ask for.

When I was really feeling the pressure I got some encouragement from my best boys. 

And then I got to the third day. The third day is when you know that even if you stay up all night you really are running out of time. You need to get this done... and it simultaneously needs to be amazing.  Not only are you trying to cover the range of resources but you're also trying to consider all of the advice you've been given by the graders (there are 3 for each exam). Talk about this person this person and this person. Make sure you note the flaws in their reasoning. Apply their theories to later literature. Make an argument and stick to it. Use the literature to reinforce your ideas. Cite everyone but don't just do a literature dump. AHHHH!!!!

Take a shower to wake yourself up and finish that last essay. Try not to make it look like it was the last essay. 

And now you're done. Now you can spend the next several weeks questioning every decision you made until you get the results. 

I went home and straight to bed knowing that I needed to keep studying for my second round. Pistol is a real sport when it comes to naps.

I put Matt in charge of dinner that night. 

Sometimes fortune cookies really get you. 

So for the next 3 days I studied, worked on my dissertation, and Skyped into a class that I am taking.  Then it was time to pack again. I wanted to go down to Stillwater early on Thursday to get settled. Instead of the box route, I decided to use a suitcase for my books for mobility. 

While I Skyped into class Matt went to the OSU/TCU basketball game. He had dinner with my brother Joe at Fuzzy's Tacos and then came home. I was already in bed trying to rest up because the completely exhausted approach the weekend before was truly terrible... especially since it started from the very beginning.  We talked for a bit and Matt complained that his stomach was hurting.  We both went to sleep and then around three in the morning I hear Matt. He is obviously very sick. I decided it was probably food poisoning which was disappointing because the Fuzzy's chicken salads had made up a large part of my diet during the last round of exams.  After a long night I took Matt to the Urgent Med in the morning. It was worse than food poisoning. It was Flu A. CONTAGIOUS FLU A.  The single most terrible thing that could happen to me would be to get the flu when I am taking my exams. I disinfected the house, got Matt a bunch of medicine and clear liquids and jello and got out of there. 

This time I stayed at The Atherton which is actually on campus. A nice short walk to the library. I called and asked if I was entitled to a discount due to being Alumni Association members or Posse members so I could take my test. Well some how the fact that I was taking a test entitled me to some crazy discount so it was even cheaper than the rate I had on Hotwire for the previous hotel. HECK YES! It even came with complementary breakfast at The Rancher's Club. 

So I'm ready to start again. Is that the same sweater you wore on day one last time? So it's my favorite sweater... back off. 

Gosh, OSU really is lovely even if you're stressed out to the max. Ottomans and mini desks on a couch? Don't mind if I do. 

Yeah... I obviously never spent time in this area in college. 

Joe picked me up for a nice dinner break at the end of the first day. 

And then I worked as late as I could stand it in the hotel. 

The next morning I got up and wanted to work in the library. It's just a good working atmosphere. I had so much stuff but since I would be there like ten hours I decided it would be worth it to walk over there and get set up. And then I passed a nice group getting  a tour on the beautiful day that it was. I was kind of embarrassed because it probably looked like I was struggling with all the stuff in my back pack and the multiple binders and computer I was carrying. I went to the south doors. They were locked. Maybe on Saturdays they don't have someone man that door due to low traffic. So I walk all the way around the library to the north doors. It's locked. WHAT? I look at the schedule. Due to MLK weekend and the school holiday Monday they were holding extremely short hours for the weekend. GAH.
I tried to take a picture in the window so you could see how much crud that was strapped to my body. So back to the hotel I went. They say what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. Well this didn't kill me but I was literally stronger by the time I got back to the hotel room because that stuff was seriously heavy. 

Sunday. Crunch day. The library was open from 11-6 so that was where I spent that time. I really do like writing but the pressure was awful. It's so nerve wracking to think you might miss an author that's really important or you may misinterpret and thus report on their theory which makes you wrong which could decide your fate on the exams. If you fail you have to wait 8 months to take it again and if you fail twice you get kicked out of the program which would mean that this was a horrible horrible waste of time. I mean sure, I have made great friends and enjoyed being advisor in the sorority at Tech and learned so much but weighing that against the time away from my family and the stress and the cost just doesn't equal out for me. I will be truly devastated if I don't pass. That may sound like a bad attitude but it would make me feel horrible and it would honestly be detrimental to my ego. I have worked hard and I need to yield some fruits from my labor. But I did my best so we will see how it goes. I appreciate your prayers and your positive thoughts.  I like to think that if you're reading this you care about me and want what is best for me.  

After staying up all night (for what I hope is the last time in my entire life due to academics) I submitted my exams at 9:38 a.m. I think I did a good job. I hope I did. I certainly worked hard and can't say what I would do differently. Now we wait. 

I came home and there was a package for me from my best friend Danielle. She sent me a card with some encouraging words about my exam. She sent an OSU bracelet and an adorable baby shirt that said Oklahoma State Cowboys on it and told me that I needed to get the baby fever. In my state of exhaustion I just laughed at the idea and put the shirt on Pistol and sent her a picture. 

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5Ks, Philanthropies, and Nearly Unbelievable Stories

 Remember a couple of years ago when I told you I wasn't a runner? Well, I still don't think I am. I'm sort of slow. I run about a 10:30 mile so sprinting is pretty much out of the question for me. Plus sprinting makes me hate life. I haven't run much in the last year although we have a GREAT park right by our house that happens to be a 5K all the way around. I've been dabbling in all kinds of fitness stuff like Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred, Yoga (which I LOVE with all my heart), bike riding, and there for a while Matt and I were really into frisbee golf. However, all of this dabbling has led to me putting on about 10 lbs over the last 2 years which I find unacceptable. Running is something that I can do pretty consistently and my only goal is to continually beat my own time so I have pretty realistic expectations of myself.

The Texas Tech chapter of Alpha Delta Pi does a 5k (the OSU chapter also did a 5k for years and years and I don't know what happened). The TTU 5k is a "flashlight dash" where you wear glow sticks and run at night. I REALLY like this concept. It's a little difficult to prepare for because I'm nervous all day about what I should eat (too much? not enough? carbs? protein??). Overall, it's unique and I really enjoy it. I ran it last year.

Notice that it's still light outside? Maybe that wasn't the greatest planning.... but it was still fun. 

I've had this year's race marked on my calendar for months. Glaring at me. Shanna, you better start training or you're gonna look like a fool! 

This year, the sorority required each girl to obtain $60 worth of sponsorships. This meant that each girl had to recruit 3 runners, get a business to donate at least $60, or pay the fee themselves. Last year each girl had to get at least 1 and it was crazy to me that no one asked me to be their runner because many of the girls knew I planned to do the race....

Shelby is smart. The first time she saw me (which was last week) "Hey Shanna, wanna be my runner this year?"  Then I was committed. I wanted to back out because I didn't feel very prepared. Now I have Shelby counting on me... and I already gave her my $20. 

It dawned on me the other day that I have only ever done Adeepi 5ks. I really believe in the philanthropy (The Ronald McDonald House) and if I have to put in a few hours of work to help out those poor families then I'm going to do it. I could always just write a check, but there's something about making a physical commitment (paired with a monetary element) that makes me feel like I'm saying  "I'm all in." 

You might not see it that way, but I'll ask you again how you feel after you complete mile 3. 

The race this year had a good turnout. Even Raider Red came out. He doesn't know that I'm doing the "Go Pokes" sign. 

Oh, and here's an interesting story. Miyuki is in our program. She is a very nice girl. She lives on the other side of town and she came down to the basement before I was heading out to the race. She was really discouraged because she missed the bus and thought she was going to have to stay the night at the school because she couldn't get home. This perplexed me. Stay at the school? No way! I told her I had a race to run in a few minutes, but after I was done I would be happy to take her home. She said she had heard about the race and it sounded fun but she thought it was in the morning. You could see the little wheels turning in her head thinking "I would like to run in this race!" 

I told her that if she wanted to she was more than welcome. I also told her that it would be $25, which I thought was a little steep, especially because I know how much we make around here. I told her about some other really fun races coming up (like a color run) that she may be interested in when she has more time and she's more prepared. 

I went out to the starting area, said my hellos, took some pictures and got to the starting line. Mikyuki comes up and tells me good luck. You could tell she still kind of wanted to do the race. I told her that if she wanted to she totally could and she didn't have to pay. I mean, who is going to stop her from running around campus? I'm the advisor and I pretend that I have a lot of authority that I may not have, and I told her that it's totally fine. She seemed like she wanted to wait. The whistle blew so I took off. I was just in my own little head thinking "Wow, I feel great. I think I started my pace too fast so I might not be able to keep this up, but I feel great!" I was passing people. ME PASSING PEOPLE. Then there were groups of people who apparently decided to quit after the first 1/4 mile. Why on earth would you pay $20 to run a race, show up for it,  and then just quit? I wanted to satisfaction of beating those 30 people that I know dropped out. Wimps! 

So I'm running along and I hear this swishing sound coming up to me quickly. It's Miyuki just booking it. 

I think, "Way to go girl!" Then I was mostly just in my own head and feeling great the whole way. I never really got tired and now thinking back I don't know why I didn't just run faster, especially for the last kilometer. I was just running along and throwing up diamonds when I passed the Adeepis. I got to the finish line and realized that it wasn't a 5k. It was a 4.6K. Well, that's cheating. So I just kept running. People were like, "Wrong way!" "Where are you going!" and I yelled back "It's not a real 5k!"

Then Miyuki comes along with a medal around her neck. She's running with me because she wanted to complete a whole 5k too. I asked, "Did you win???" She said "Yes, I won for the women". Get. Out. Of. Town. 

The woman decides to run AFTER the whistle blows (I learned later, about 30 seconds after the whistle blew) and she WON FOR THE WOMEN!

So afterwards to celebrate our victory (her win and my completion) we take a picture. 

Notice anything? 

Look a little closer. 

SHE WAS WEARING JEANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JEANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And look at her. Not so much as a glisten of sweat on her face. 

GET. OUT. OF. TOWN. 

Miyuki is my new hero. 

If you have any interest at all in running a 5k, I really encourage you to take the first steps. There's lots of great smart phone aps out there to help you get going. When I first started, and what changed my life as a runner for ever was an event running around Boomer Lake in Stillwater (why on earth would they name a lake in Stillwater "Boomer"??).

I was traveling around the lake (a 5k around) and I would run run run and then walk then run run run then walk. I hated it. It hurt. 

Then I saw a couple of people in front of me running together. But they weren't running. They were jogging. Very slowly. I though, heck, I could keep up THAT pace for a long time. The next day I ran half a 5k straight. A few weeks later, I ran the ENTIRE 5k. That was when I realized I could be a runner. It's about knowing yourself and just being a better version of yourself each time. 

Find a cause you're passionate about and sign up for something that supports it. Pair a little guilt with the notion that if you don't actually do it, you're letting down more than just yourself (guilt works well on me). Or sign up for something fun like a color run or do-nut run (seems counter productive) OR they even have Zombie runs out there (google it!). 

Now I'm looking for the next 5k while I'm still in shape to do it...

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The Seinfeld of Blogs

I can't tell you how many stories Matt tells me that have opened with "Did you ever watch Seinfeld?" Seinfeld ran from 1989-1998 and was one of the most popular sitcoms of my "time." Probably airing during the peak of my television watching days. Pretty much EVERYONE has seen Seinfeld. The fact that Matt has asked me these questions more than once as a prelude to whatever goofy story he is about to tell, makes it even worse. Yes Matt, for the 100th time, I have, indeed, seen Seinfeld. Yes, I know what episode you're talking about. I think the reason he does this is because he only has about 5 shows in his repertoire. One, as previously discussed in a blog, is "This Old House," apparently "Seinfeld", "Home Improvement", a couple of other shows that none of us have probably ever heard of. Probably on the hunting or HGTV channels. He has no idea what Bobby's World is. I don't think he ever even watched Power Rangers. Seriously, the kid's favorite show currently is called "Black Gold" and it's based out of Midland. Luckily, I find this to be an endearing quality about him. He can also build some really cool stuff. The house is coming along quite nicely (minus the shuffle board).

Anyway, I tell you all of this because I assume that you know what Seinfeld is. Well, I regard my blog, to really be the Seinfeld of blogs. The blog about nothing. There truly is no running theme. Each post you get whatever pops into my head as "blog-worthy". As of today, from February 24th, 2010 I have had 1406 blog hits. I have posted 83 times for an average of 17 reads per blog entry. My highest viewed blog was hit 58 times about my (Mis) adventures in Texas.

After learning all of this information (I only learned about 4 days ago that this information was even available) I ask myself, should there be a purpose? I am opening myself to let people into my thoughts and opinions, should there be a take away point?
I aspire to one day have a blog like The Pioneer Woman. She's my blogging idol. Check her out here. She has all of these cool subsections so her blogs are more organized. One day my friends, one day. I don't plan to ever make any money off of my blog, publish books, or do anything other than just air my thoughts, but who knows? It's a crazy world out there! If I could ever produce something that was in the slightest bit conclusive, people might even buy in to this whole thing.
But in the mean time, is there a take away point? Something that will leave you with a thought? Something that will change something about you, my loyal readers? I guess that's up to you. But the answer is: probably not. But if you do find some revelation from my posts, you're gonna have a random time getting there. Because this is, indeed, the blog about nothing.

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The Night That Almost Wasn't

To my loyal blog readers, by now you should know that Danielle is my best friend. I have some awesome people in my life whom I adore with all of my heart, but Danielle, well she's more than just my best friend, she's my sister. I have the most fun with her, no matter the circumstance. She knows me better than anyone. We used to go to concerts together all the time. She's such a good sport, she would have no idea who was playing, and there she would be coming along ready for a good time. It had been too long since we've gone to a concert together, so when I heard that The Band Perry was coming to town, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to rekindle the good 'ol days. I kept singing her the lyrics to their most recent single and she said yea yea I know who they are, let's go!

One of Danielle's most endearing qualities is that she, like me, is a planner. She asked me a couple of days ago if we should go ahead and get tickets. I said nah... it's Cains. I highly highly doubt that they'll sell out. It's not that big of a show. I packed my bags, got all ready for the night (I also got to eat lunch with one of the most precious people in my life, miss Lauren... you probably know her as Lo). Perfect day right? Well Danielle calls me at 3:45 and after I sang with her ring tone (Glee version of Lean on Me) I answered. She tells me she has bad news. The concert is sold out. What??? I can't believe it! No way! It's Cains! There are no seats! Sure enough, I jump online. Sold out. What are we going to do!???

Well, you know me. I like to maximize an opportunity and I'm almost shameless about it. Earlier in the day I had sent a message to KVOO radio station saying "Hey my best friend and I want to go to The Band Perry tonight, we would really appreciate tickets if you've got 'em, we're both college students, bla bla bla". And then I forgot all about it. Well as I am talking to Danielle trying to figure out an alternative plan, I get a message back from KVOO. "I think we can help you out. Are you still interested?". I replied YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we exchanged back and forth. If I could make it to the station before 5, two tickets were waiting on me. I jumped in the car (I have a cool supervisor) and got our tickets!

You want to know what's better than going to a concert with your best friend? Going to a FREE concert with your best friend. I think we turned out even because we bought unanticipated celebratory cocktails.

AND we have a video that I think is too funny.

Did you notice at the end I say "Over and Out" and Danielle says "Where?"
We may have had more than 1 unanticipated celebratory cocktails.

I also have a video of them singing "When I Die Young," but I myself am singing so loud (and poorly, couldn't hear myself!) that I have chosen not to share. It's for your own good.

What a great night. I'm very tired at work, but it was worth EVERY moment. Have a great weekend!

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My Great Idea

At my job I have this thing called a Flexible Spending Account that my job pays for in place of insurance 'cause I'm still riding on the let-my-parents-pay-my-health-insurance-premium-until-May 21st- when- they-violently-give-me-the-boot-into-not-their-problem-land train. It's awesome. No more co-pays here! Which is great because I discovered at the doctor's office that I could just have them send the bill to my parents for my co-pays. Well after about $80 in co-pays sent to my parents, I still haven't heard the end of the yelling as to "Why didn't I just pay it then at $20 a pop?" Why? Cause I thought I could get away with it. That's why.

So I had this great idea. I still had well over $1000 on my FSA and if you don't use it, you lose it. I started searching my brain for ideas of how to spend said money. You can't spend it on anything cosmetic or else I'd have the whitest teeth, the brownest skin, and maybe some lipo. I came up with a great idea. GLASSES! I'll get SUN GLASSES! Throw a little prescription on there, just a tiny one because my vision is perfect and bada bing boda boom, I've got some designer shades FO FREE. Pure genius right? I could just hear MENSA calling...

So here's what happened:

I went into 'ol Zoellner. They have like 57 employees working at one time and about 1000 patients circling through. That should have been my first clue to read the fine print. They've got a business going here. Well on the form it says "For an additional $15 we can do a dilation test on your eyes and we recommend it at least once every 2 years" (I don't know why I used quotations, because that wasn't a direct quote. A paraphrase if you will). So I think, what the hey, I'm not paying for it, throw in a dilation. What are they gonna do? Just have a bright flash at my eye ball, like when you take a picture? Sure, let's do the dilation. So I got through the whole puff of air in your eye, check my peripherals, sit in a dark room. Now she's gonna put some drops in my eyes for dilating. First the numbing drops. What the heck are you using numbing drops for? It's just a bright light?!?!? Whatever, numb away. Now for the real dilation. You're putting more drops in my eyes? Is this going to hurt? No it's not going to hurt, but here's some sexy paper sun glasses for you to wear out of here 'cause the sun will hurt your eyes for a few hours after this.

In go the drops, and now my eyes are "dilated". Slowly, slowly, my vision is going!!!!!! I'm GOING BLIND!! I'm getting text messages!! What do they say?!?!?! Oh the cruelty. Why do people pay for this!????! NURSE! This is perfectly normal? I can drive home? How am I going to pick out sunglasses if I can only see a blurry blob of myself. I. am. so. sad.

So the doctor comes in. Are they really doctors? I didn't wanna ask... but I'm still not sure. He puts that goofy machine in front of me. 1 or 2? 2 or 1? Better or worse? over and over. He stops. Do you get headaches a lot? Eh... well sometimes at work. I'm in front of a computer all day and I read a lot. Well that explains it, you're extremely far sighted. I don't get it. It means that your eyes are having to strain to keep the computer and books and anything close to you in focus. All of that strain causes headaches. What? I don't need glasses. I'm perfect! My vision is perfect. He says, well you're still perfect, just in other ways.... Thanks. I say, can I still get sunglasses? He says sure you can, we're gonna throw a prescription on them. Good, that's all I came in for. Okay, now go pick out your frames. I couldn't pick out my frames because I couldn't FREAKIN SEE!!! So they give me contacts. It took me 1 hour. 1 entire hour to put those things in. THEN they told me I had to take one out to prove I could. Their running a torture chamber around there! Okay, finally got em in. I still can't see much. But they're in, they're staying in. Let's pick out some glasses.

And folks, the reveal:

Jimmy Choo. Perhaps the only thing I'll ever own that this designer makes. I look like a teacher. I'm still not used to them, I'll probably forget to use them most of the time.

Valentino. I asked, like the guy who makes Oprah's dresses? Yep. I'll take em. I really do like them, but they're AWFUL for driving. So I guess if I'm sittin outside reading a book these will be the glasses to wear. Moral of the story, I'm getting the prescription reduced. And I think the tinting is too light.

At the end of the day I intended to walk out with a pair of cool new sunglasses. I came out with 2 pairs of glasses and a set of contacts. I still haven't been brave enough to put the contacts in. Maybe next week. I'll have to prep myself for it.

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The Port-a-Potty

Technically Matt's the homeowner. I'll be a homeowner of said home in 6 months. Well 6 months 3 days. Don't judge me. Every wedding website imaginable sends me an email every day giving me a specific day to day count down. Matt's a really good homeowner. He idols Bob Vila. When we were all watching Sesame Street, Matt was watching "This Old House." (Although sometimes Matt is more like Tim Taylor from Home Improvement).

You know when you're a kid and working on the yard and improving the house was a chore? Now that Matt has his own house, it's a hobby. He loves it. Come to think of it, I don't think even when he's working on his parents house it's ever been a chore to him. Little Mr. Fix it. He has the tiniest little tool belt that his grandpa gave him as a kid. And a tool box with MATT on it.

Matt has single handedly put in an entire lawn at the new house. Like, he started with dirt. He built an entire flowerbed in the front and the back. He's done several walk throughs the house, making note of anything the contractor needs to fix within the first 6 months. He uses a tape measure for everything. So by now I should have convinced you that Matt takes pride in his home.

We are in a new neighborhood, so currently the two lots on each side of our house are being built on. Matt is talking to me on his way home and tells me that there's a Port-a-Potty on our side walk. I'm like, what? What do you mean? On our side walk? Do you mean more like on their property? He said no, like right in front of our house. I still don't believe him. That would be absurd right? I guess not.

Seriously? There it is, right in front of the house. So the next morning I call our builder and talk to a woman who must be 87 years old. I tell her that we have a small problem. I say that they've put a Port-a-Potty right in front of our house and that it's not very aesthetically pleasing. I even express that Matt has spent a lot of time working on Christmas decorations for the yard. She replies "Well that's not much of a decoration is it?" I said "Its like an enormous ornament."

The whole thing was easily dealt with, no blood was shed, and as of yesterday, no more Port-a-Potty.

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Being an RA

In honor of the birthday of one of my favorite residents, Brock, I thought I would write a little blog about a few adventures of being an RA at OSU.

It was my fifth year in college and I had just turned 22. I decided to sign up to be an RA (Resident Assistant) because I didn't want to spend a ton of money on living expenses. I wanted to pay my tuition, enjoy my last year, and move on. I really didn't take the whole thing that seriously because I had already established myself in college, had tons of friends, a boyfriend, and a job. This was really a monetary venture for me. I was assigned to one of the suites and fortunately had a 2 bedroom apartment to myself. Little did I know that I was going to be living in the middle of a crazy sandwich.

The night of the first "floor meeting" I tried to be "firm" and set down the ground rules. I knew inevitably some of these kids were going to break the rules. My hope was that if I seemed very serious that they would at least break fewer of them, or at least be smart enough to be quiet when they did break the rules. All in all, my kids were pretty good kids. At this first meeting, I sat next to a kid who looked like a member of the band "Weezer". This was Brock. I guess he was impressed that I knew who Weezer was, because we were good pals from then on. He had parents that made him very prepared for college. They had every type of baking utensil you could imagine, so I frequently borrowed their stuff.

Brock would always ask "What would happen if......" trying to test the limits one what they would get away with. I always replied with something along the lines of "You don't want to know. I will show you no mercy. It will be bad and I will be furious". In reality, I didn't really care as long as I didn't have to call an ambulance and fill out paperwork. So Brock and his friend Brian ( who is also a very sweet boy, and the much calmer of the two) lived to the right of me. Well they decided to become friends with the boys to the left of me, with whom I also shared a wall. This is when my life as an RA became ridiculous.

They were always asking if they could have a camp out in my room. I always said no because I would only imagine this huge fort they would build. One time after they got their Christmas presents, they came over to show me. They had these "machine gun" nerf guns and they all ganged up on me and relentlessly shot me with nerf darts.

Another time Brock came over and sprayed me with Febreez like it was a cute game. That was something he never got back. Little punk.

Dylan had this ridiculous paper to write for History. It didn't seem that ridiculous to me because I don't mind writing papers. I went to the library and we hung out in the lounge and I helped him work on it for a few hours. He paid me $60. I bought some make up. I still really love that make up. One of the best deals I have ever made.

One day when it was really bad weather and we were sure there was going to be a tornado, we all hung out in Brock and Brian's room. They showed me the video from Brian's cruise where he sang "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and I still think of him in that crazy outfit every time I hear it.

One of the scariest days was when I got a call from my boss when I was in class and he asked me if I had seen Brock. I said not today. I immediately called all of his friends and they said his phone was off. Brock's parents had gotten a strange voice mail saying that Brock was hurt and they had called the school and were on their way to Stillwater. I called the hospital to make sure he hadn't hurt himself on his skateboard (yeah, he's one of those kids. Skinny jeans included). They didn't have him admitted. I found out his class schedule, left my class and then road my bike across campus to his class. It was some class about movies. So it was dark. I'm looking around this classroom like a fool during a movie, and there's Brock. On the front row (see, he's a good kid). I pulled him out of class. CALL YOUR MOM! Turns out it he was fine and it was some kids playing a prank. That day was crazy. His parents love me now. They give me credit for saving his life.. I think. I really just found him. All in a days work as an RA.

One thing I will never forget was after the first weekend that everyone went home at the beginning of the year, Brock and Brian came to my room and said they had a surprise. I was immediately nervous. They came to my door with one of those Betty Crocker microwave brownie desserts with a 23 candle for my birthday. They also gave me an etch-a-sketch. What thoughtful boys! That was the day they became my "kids". I also turned 22 that year.

The day that they checked out (also the day of my graduation) I was getting ready and they told me that they had a present for me. Once again, I was nervous. I came out into my kitchen to see a huge ice chest. I opened it and it was FULL of beer and liquor. They said I could even keep the ice chest. Thanks Guys. They couldn't end the year until they broke the rules. It worked out really well because I had beverages to offer my family when they got there for graduation.

After the year was over, I finally admitted that throughout the year I had broken just about ever rule that I had enforced through out the year. I don't think they were that surprised, but they did want to give me a hard time.

I miss my kids a lot. They're growing up so fast! I hope that they always write home and give me an update on their lives. They made my last year at OSU (in Stillwater) very special.

Happy Birthday Brock!

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People You Can Joke With

After a little bit of thought, I have come to realize that there are some people with whom you can joke and it's no big deal, no hard feelings, everyone has a good laugh. And then there are those who you cannot. Now I would give myself credit for having a pretty good sense of humor. Upon first meeting someone, I generally give them the benefit of the doubt in the humor department and assume that they can joke too. Now when reading these posts you have to remember that I write these from my own perspective, but I also realize that I am completely imperfect and I am certain that I can offend people just as often as they offend me. Just so that we're all on the same page. So anyway, I was thinking about the very different relationships that one can have with others simply based on humor.
Here's some examples:

Danielle and I are basically sisters. We can joke together all the time and no one gets hurt. Most recently I've been giving her a hard time about this crazy chair she puts the baby in, but she knows I am kidding and I realize the utility for this strange looking chair (it helps the baby sit up). She'll also be the first person to let me know if something I am wearing is strange or if I need to be nice, and she LOVES a good laugh at my expense. She and I have established this relationship and it's great, and it really helps our friendship. She is also my rock when I have a disagreement with someone else. She has the superb ability to always see my side and where I am coming from and tell me that I am right. What are friends for??!? As you can tell, I cherish Danielle. She's pretty much the perfect person for me in the friend department.

Now with Matt.... our "humor" relationship is completely variable- almost always because of me (You see Matt, I am admitting it!). A lot of times, I really think Matt's a funny guy. His mannerisms are hilarious. However, sometimes he doesn't have a gauge for "it's not time to joke right now". To a degree, it's really not fair to him that he's only allowed to joke when I am in a good mood, because when I am in a bad mood.... oh my goodness... jokes are not funny. They're a very very bad bad idea. I guess that's something we'll have to work on together. But, if in the end, a humor gauge is the biggest thing we have to fight about, I suppose in the world of relationships, we're doing pretty good. I love you, Matt! (See I'm in a good mood- joke away!)

I have no idea how Laura and I are friends. That started off wrong. I mean, I really like her and we talk a lot and get along, but we are extremely different people. I talk all the time and she thinks before she says anything. Sometimes I don't know when to joke with her. Sometimes I don't realize that she's joking with me. I feel like that drum sound (bah dum dum ching) should come after her jokes, just so I am sure. She's so quiet sometimes, that I find myself over analyzing the things that she says. She probably finds humor in the fact that she gets into my head.

Now her friend Christiane (she's my friend now, too). I can't joke with her at all. No matter what I say, I inevitably end up putting my foot in my mouth. Within like the first 30 min of meeting her I said something along the lines of education majors not being that hard (there's more to why I said that... not just being a jerk!) and she was like "yeah... I am an early childhood education major." Well crap. Then I start talking about people who can't just spell their name normally and how it makes me crazy. Then she says "My name is Christiane, spelled with an e at the end" Geez! I'm really not that easily embarrassed, but I felt terrible. It's even worse because Christiane is just so darn nice and it would break my heart if I hurt her feelings. Luckily, she actually does have a pretty good sense of humor.

Now there's a person (it would be rude to mention their name) that THINKS we can joke, when actually, we cannot. Everything this person says just crawls up my skin. The worst part is, I don't think they realize that they aren't saying humorous things. They are just saying things that are either self righteous or completely rude. The confrontational side of me wants to just tell this person off. But the Christian side of me says I shouldn't. This is hard. You know, I realize that the Lord would not want me to tell this person what I think. For a moment, it would make me feel better to put this person in the position they have put me in for quite some time now. However, about 5 min later I would feel awful. Making someone else feel small does not make me feel big. Also, I might need this person's 2nd cousin to give me a job one day and because of my poor relationship that I developed I might get passed over. This could cause a major ripple effect that I have not anticipated. Being the bigger person is one of the most difficult things I struggle with in so many dimensions of my life, and I AM big enough to say that more often than not, I fail. However, every day is a new day, and I am going to do better.

I think the greatest thing you can do for another person is to make a conscious effort in your relationship with them. It's kind of easy to do things like buy something to make them feel better, but what is a greater gift than meditating on your relationship and doing everything you can to build them up emotionally?

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I Over Committed

I really don't travel tooo often. Maybe more than most, but not as much as I would like to. Well the concept of frequent flyer miles intrigues me so I have signed up with several different airlines. My first attempt at this venture was with Delta airlines when I was desperately trying to get on a plane in Albany on time (so why did I let the receptionist talk me into sign up for their rewards program? I'll never know).

Since then I have signed up with several other airlines, trying to rack up my miles and I think in about 15 years I'll have enough miles for a free flight.

A couple of months ago Delta sent me a letter letting me know that my miles were about to expire (I never really fly with Delta, yet another reason why it's strange that I took the time so sign up with them) and they said I could use the miles I had towards some magazine subscriptions. No charge, no big deal, just sign up.

No tricks? No hidden rules? Well.. my Glamour subscription is about to expire, so lets go for it. I signed up for Entertainment Weekly, Elle, and Glamour. Cool huh?

I have magazines coming out my ears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have time for all of these magazines that seem to come in the mail every day. Entertainment weekly? WEEKLY? Have I lost my mind? I barely have time to do my homework. By the time I get around to reading it, it's Entertainment Last Weekly. Now I'm getting all of these magazines and I feel committed to reading them. As a frugal person and an environmentalist, I can't stomach the waste of the resource by not reading it. AND now I need to recycle them.

So what should have been this really cool give away, turned out to be a chore.

See what I did up there with the Twilight plug?? Yep- it's coming out on Saturday (New Moon, that is). Can't wait! Maybe I'll write a little blog about my feelings about the whole Saga.

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The Tea Story

To understand "The Tea Story" you have to know 2 things.

1) There are exactly 2 restaurants at OSU-Tusla and you can't charge anything to your bursar and so that's a strange concept in itself (your bursar is like your own bank account at OSU-Stillwater and you can charge just about EVERYTHING to it. It's a great system... until you get your bill). One of the restaurants is a Java Daves and you can get crappy coffee and fried food or you can go to Subway. The Subway here is pretty good and they have decent tea.

2) I'm not much of a "rule" follower. It's not that I like to break the rules and seek being in trouble, I just have pretty good intuition about which rules you should and perhaps should not follow, or at least tweak a little to suit your needs. I've always been this way, mostly because I rarely know what the rules are in the first place because I never read directions and don't always listen very well. I also have a pretty good sense of humor so I am generally willing to accept the consequences if I do get caught breaking a rule that I decided was only consequential to my pride.

So now that you know these things, here's the "Tea Story"

For my New Years Resolution, along with the normal stuff like be generous, be healthy yada yada, my headliner was to give up aspartame (well at least in the things that I was aware that had aspartame, I've been a little naive). So goodbye Diet Coke. If I'm going to have a pop, I'm going to have to drink a real one and suffer the calories, which I am generally not willing to do because when I'm on the tread mill and I've run a mile and a half and I am worn out I just don't think the Pepsi was worth it. This is one resolution that I can proudly say I have stuck to (even though Monica made me aware that my gum had aspartame in it, so I had to switch brands. Minor set back). I feel great and have zero desire to drink Diet Coke any more.

However, I need a little caffeine to get me through the day. Not to complain, but spending 14 hours a day at the school for work and THEN school wears on a person. By Wednesday a Starbucks run is a must.

Almost daily, I go down to the Subway and buy my tea for $1.51 and to justify that $1.51 (the actual cost of a glass of tea is probably about 3 cents, and I am being generous) and get through the day I usually go down once or twice and get a refill. On one of my trips, Monica went with me to get one of these said refills and she asks "Can you get a refill?" and I respond "Well, I don't know, but I do every day. I feel that if I were to eat my lunch in the actual restaurant and get a refill it would be allowed, so why can't I come down from my office? Besides, they're really nice here and no one has ever said anything. " At this point I have probably gotten about 25 refills and never had a problem. Well Monica is NOT a rule breaker. I mean NOT NOT NOT. It's just not her style. I think it's funny because I would totally be willing to suffer the consequences of the little rules that she refuses to break, but she's a mom and a teacher and a therapist, so maybe they have like a "Right and Wrong 101" class that they make people go through that meet those criteria. I, would probably skip that class because I completely forgot about it. But whatever, to each her own.

Last week I went and got a tea, then later got my refill and came back to my office. 15 minutes later, Monica comes in and says, "Well, I pulled a Shanna, and GUESS WHAT". I just look at her because I can only imagine what she's going to say because I am sure that by this point I have given her tons of bad advice on a variety of topics. She says "I went down to subway, had my lunch, left for LESS THAN AN HOUR, came back and got a refill and was talking on my phone and a lady behind the counter was yelling 'Ma'am! Ma'am!' and I ignored her because she couldn't be talking to me, then she continued 'Ma'am! Ma'am! You need to pay for that refill! I just looked around innocently, put my friend on hold, and told the woman, I was just here, I am just getting a refill! Then the woman continues 'Well, you can do it this time, but you need to pay for it next time. Once you leave this restaurant, you cannot get a refill!'" Monica said she was pretty embarrassed and there were several people in the restaurant.
I wanted to fall out of my chair. Mere minutes ago I had done the exact same thing and no one said a word. I really did feel bad. I was so confident that this was fine, that she, Monica the rule follower, even gave it a whirl and it bit her in the butt at her first try. I am smiling writing this because it's hilarious.

Moral of the story: Don't do as I do. Don't do as I say do. Do your own thing, because I am a bad influence.

I was reminded of this story because I've been avoiding Subway for a week because I can't justify $1.51 for one glass of tea, so I went down, bought a tea this morning and asked "Hey, can I come down here at lunch and get a refill?" and the guy behind the counter replied "Yeah."

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Maybe I Bore Babies...

I have had a little bit of a stressful day at work today. Maybe it wasn't that stressful, and just a little thing set me off into total sadness that is really the result of a stressful week, not the small event. Either way, when I get stressed at work I default to facebook or solitaire to take my mind off of it (I don't necessarily have to be stressed to do this). I was looking through some pictures and there are some sweet ones where my two favorite babies have fallen asleep on me. It's sooo sweet! I love it. Or is it sweet? Maybe they're just not entertained.

Baby Ian (Matt's Nephew 3 Mo)

Sweet Serenity (Danielle's baby Almost 4 months)

Maybe these children just get in my arms and pass out because I'm not stimulating enough. I don't baby talk. I think people look SILLY when they do it, and I can only imagine that it delays their language development skills. I'm no speech pathologist, but that just makes sense. I don't really make silly faces either. I mean, I smile and do cute things but babies are a tough crowd.

Either way, I guess I don't care because I love these children. I really don't see children in my near, or even distant future. I do love to live vicariously through their mothers and serve as a cool aunt. They are just so sweet and I find myself saying things like "Oh they grow up so fast!" Which is absurd and makes me feel old. Not old enough to feel like my biological clock is ticking though!

When the hurricane in Haiti happened, I watched this really touching story about this family that got to skype with their soon to be adopted children in Haiti and it made me cry. I immediately called Matt and asked if we could adopt one day. To my surprise he said yes. Then I was like can we adopt Michael Oher and be like the Touhy's? He STILL said yes! I feel like we're beginning to travel down a long road where he just tells me what I want to hear. Isn't it supposed to take guys YEARS to figure this out? Meh... he's an over achiever. Speaking of the Touhy's- I met them! The real ones! At the Cotton Bowl (OSU vs Ole Miss).

You don't believe me? Check it out!

Mrs. Touhy. They sat right behind us!

Mrs. Sue (The tutor) We took a Democrat picture. Not a Liberal, but a DEMOCRAT picture. Well, I can only speak for myself, she may be a liberal. That's beside the point. She was sooo nice!

So one day I might have adopted, enormous, black, bored babies... but they'll be mine! And because of that they'll be the best.

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