I deleted my post about pet peeves b/c Andy thought I was talking about him! I wasn't and I realize that what gets on my nerves isn't very important anyway.
SO - today I'm trying to finish up "Babbit" by Sinclair Lewis and I'm pleased to report that it's an enjoyable book. In some parts it is very funny.
Here's a quote that I particularly like:
"Men who made five thousand, year before last, and then thousand last year, were urging on nerve-yelping bodies and parched brains so that they might make twenty thousand this year; and the men who had broken down immediately after making their twenty thousand dollars were hustling to catch trains, to hustle through the vacations which the hustling doctors had ordered" (138).
How poignant!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Ugh
I'm so tired!
Yesterday I realized that I've been reading the wrong book for this week's assignment.
Half of my family is coming to visit for three days and so I've got to go to Wal-mart to get food and I have to vacuum and sweep. As clean as our house always is, it seems like you always have to at least dust and every once in awhile vacuum and sweep. I hate dust.
I'm starting to feel ill again. It's weird how I feel guilty for leaving work when I feel sick, but that's why we're given sick time isn't it? No one wants a sicko around anyway. I think I may leave early so I can get some sleep.
These are the only times that I really remember to pray. I pray for energy and strength and persistence. I wish I could hibernate through the summer. Which is one good reason to become a school teacher - at least you'd get to rest during the breaks.
I don't really desire to be a teacher. But I'm not against it either. I can think of worse things. Andy on the other hand, has definite talents and goals. I feel like a jack of a few trades with no direction. But then, that's no completely true because what I really want and what I hope for is to be a mother. I know that people don't really care to hear me talk about it, so I don't as much as I'd like, but I dream of being a mom. Not right this second, but sometime in the future.
Right this second my goal is to get some work done so that I don't feel too guilty when I go home early to sleep.
Yesterday I realized that I've been reading the wrong book for this week's assignment.
Half of my family is coming to visit for three days and so I've got to go to Wal-mart to get food and I have to vacuum and sweep. As clean as our house always is, it seems like you always have to at least dust and every once in awhile vacuum and sweep. I hate dust.
I'm starting to feel ill again. It's weird how I feel guilty for leaving work when I feel sick, but that's why we're given sick time isn't it? No one wants a sicko around anyway. I think I may leave early so I can get some sleep.
These are the only times that I really remember to pray. I pray for energy and strength and persistence. I wish I could hibernate through the summer. Which is one good reason to become a school teacher - at least you'd get to rest during the breaks.
I don't really desire to be a teacher. But I'm not against it either. I can think of worse things. Andy on the other hand, has definite talents and goals. I feel like a jack of a few trades with no direction. But then, that's no completely true because what I really want and what I hope for is to be a mother. I know that people don't really care to hear me talk about it, so I don't as much as I'd like, but I dream of being a mom. Not right this second, but sometime in the future.
Right this second my goal is to get some work done so that I don't feel too guilty when I go home early to sleep.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Photo Album
http://the-georges-photo.blogspot.com/
Here's a link to another blog sphere that I created for our pics.
Here's a link to another blog sphere that I created for our pics.
Barred Owls
Here's a pic of my favorite bird. It's important b/c I'm married to a birder and I spend so much of my time listening to bird songs and playing "guess that bird."
You can google owl cam and see this very bird nesting and feeding her babies.
The eyes of the barred owl are especially haunting. They are pitch black and appear to look directly into your soul. I know that sounds goofy to you, but then you probably haven't been stared at by one. It's a little creepy.
duties of the day
I really enjoy work days that require physical labor. I've never put much thought into it before, but I'm in a better mood when we have a physical project to do. Unless it involves lots of dust - that's not so much fun b/c you feel so disgusting afterwards. I think I enjoy those days more because I get sick of sitting in my chair and b/c you can see your accomplishments as you work.
School is not like that. It feels like it goes on and on and you don't see the light at the end until you're right upon graduation. I think that's the real test for a degree -- sticking with the drudgery.
I will miss talking in class though. I embarrass myself all the time in class because I don't keep my opinions to myself. I'll go to class and say to myself, "okay, no talking today," but I hardly ever get through a class without making some comment. I hope I'm not annoying to the students, but if I were I teacher I would prefer students who participate. I think I'll start a bookclub if I can make friends where we move who are also interested in reading.
That makes me think that I should thank my friends is Russvegas right now for being my friends b/c it's not easy to make new ones or to keep them. So THANK YOU for befriending me. And thank you, Myrriah, for moving to Boston. It won't be as hard to leave, now. And a huge THANK YOU to our friends in Texas who still visit us or call us.
Now I better go back to my duties of the day and post on this socialistic book I finally finished. I now have to finish "Hazard of New Fortunes" by William Dean Howells -- so if you have any thoughts on that novel please fire away. I'll talk about more well known books later on b/c my second summer term class will be reading current novels - some of those have been on Opera's book club or on the best seller list.
*emily
School is not like that. It feels like it goes on and on and you don't see the light at the end until you're right upon graduation. I think that's the real test for a degree -- sticking with the drudgery.
I will miss talking in class though. I embarrass myself all the time in class because I don't keep my opinions to myself. I'll go to class and say to myself, "okay, no talking today," but I hardly ever get through a class without making some comment. I hope I'm not annoying to the students, but if I were I teacher I would prefer students who participate. I think I'll start a bookclub if I can make friends where we move who are also interested in reading.
That makes me think that I should thank my friends is Russvegas right now for being my friends b/c it's not easy to make new ones or to keep them. So THANK YOU for befriending me. And thank you, Myrriah, for moving to Boston. It won't be as hard to leave, now. And a huge THANK YOU to our friends in Texas who still visit us or call us.
Now I better go back to my duties of the day and post on this socialistic book I finally finished. I now have to finish "Hazard of New Fortunes" by William Dean Howells -- so if you have any thoughts on that novel please fire away. I'll talk about more well known books later on b/c my second summer term class will be reading current novels - some of those have been on Opera's book club or on the best seller list.
*emily
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Daphne introduction
Here's Daphne's
(aka Daphniadog, daffers, wiggles ((we don't call her this our vet does and she does answer to it for some reason)), small one, smalls, and lbp)
first and best pic. She's 8 weeks here and is currently almost 2 years old. She's smart and funny and flatulent.
We love her. you'll read a lot about her.
Soon she's getting a brother who will be named Aldo after the great Aldo Leopold.
general update
Here's the general update for June 2006.
Andy is busy studying for the GRE and working full time for the forest service. I think they are going to try to do a burn today, but I haven't heard from him yet to confirm this. He's also busy researching graduate projects and applying to schools. So far he has sent applications to TX A&M and OU. I think he has sent "feeler" emails to schools in Tennessee and Kansas. He's interested in Georgia, but I don't think he's done anything to pursue it yet.
I am busy trying to get motivated to do my school work. This class is a bear and it is so difficult that I had to drop my fun class, Hist. of Fairytales. But I'm not too worried b.c I still have the book and I can read it on my own. I'm getting nervous about my master's exit exam that I'm taking in August b/c I haven't read all the books yet. I'm not being lazy, I read very fast - I just don't have the time yet. I'm still working at the ATU Museum and I'm still having a little trouble there but I'm grateful for the job. My coworker and friend, Faith, is going to take a little trip to Texas with me in July, I think. And, I'll be down in August to go to a christian conference with the women on my mom's side of the family.
Daphne is bigger and (surprise!) calmer (although not calm) and is enjoying her summer. She comes to work with me since I live so far (and b/c my boss is nice enough to let me bring her) and the gas prices are so high. Our pear tree has produced fruit and she loves to grab pears off the tree and toss them up in the air. I try to play catch with them, but they get pretty gross after awhile so Andy usually does that - at least the pears are still as hard as rocks. We've taken her canoeing twice this summer and she adores it!
We are trying to visit Tulsa ASAP and we're still planning on graduating and moving in December. This year it is Tulsa's turn for Thanksgiving and Dallas's turn for Christmas and we'll probably make our physical move right before or after Christmas so that Andy can get ready for classes in spring 2007.
The only other big news is my brother's upcoming wedding in November. I fell in love with a fabulous dress and bought it new at a quarter of the cost on eBay. I don't know which is bigger news. ;)
Andy is busy studying for the GRE and working full time for the forest service. I think they are going to try to do a burn today, but I haven't heard from him yet to confirm this. He's also busy researching graduate projects and applying to schools. So far he has sent applications to TX A&M and OU. I think he has sent "feeler" emails to schools in Tennessee and Kansas. He's interested in Georgia, but I don't think he's done anything to pursue it yet.
I am busy trying to get motivated to do my school work. This class is a bear and it is so difficult that I had to drop my fun class, Hist. of Fairytales. But I'm not too worried b.c I still have the book and I can read it on my own. I'm getting nervous about my master's exit exam that I'm taking in August b/c I haven't read all the books yet. I'm not being lazy, I read very fast - I just don't have the time yet. I'm still working at the ATU Museum and I'm still having a little trouble there but I'm grateful for the job. My coworker and friend, Faith, is going to take a little trip to Texas with me in July, I think. And, I'll be down in August to go to a christian conference with the women on my mom's side of the family.
Daphne is bigger and (surprise!) calmer (although not calm) and is enjoying her summer. She comes to work with me since I live so far (and b/c my boss is nice enough to let me bring her) and the gas prices are so high. Our pear tree has produced fruit and she loves to grab pears off the tree and toss them up in the air. I try to play catch with them, but they get pretty gross after awhile so Andy usually does that - at least the pears are still as hard as rocks. We've taken her canoeing twice this summer and she adores it!
We are trying to visit Tulsa ASAP and we're still planning on graduating and moving in December. This year it is Tulsa's turn for Thanksgiving and Dallas's turn for Christmas and we'll probably make our physical move right before or after Christmas so that Andy can get ready for classes in spring 2007.
The only other big news is my brother's upcoming wedding in November. I fell in love with a fabulous dress and bought it new at a quarter of the cost on eBay. I don't know which is bigger news. ;)
Random Top 5 Lists
Here's a post for top 5 lists only. Feel free to add your own!
We'll edit these as we go along or as our tastes change.
Top 5 foods:
E: Rosemary and Olive oil triscuits with sharp cheddar cheese, nectarine, cookies and cream Blue Bell ice cream, spicy stir fry, spicy Mexican food "with lots of cheese and onions and a guacamole salad" (Robert Earl Keen)
A: biscuits and gravy, honey, pizza from that place in the Richardson square mall, gummy bears, banana pudding
Top 5 past times:
E: reading, archery, canoeing, gardening, baking
A: birding, canoeing, hiking, playing the drums, herping
Top 5 authors:
E: Diana Wynne Jones, Ursula K. LeGuin, one I won't admit to people but the man is hilarious, C. S. Lewis, and a spot open for an author I haven't thought of yet...
A: I don't know.
Top 5 birds:
E: Barred Owl, Tufted Titmouse, American Goldfinch, Scissor tailed flycatcher, Rose breasted Grosbeak.
A: brown headed nuthatch, American Kestrel, Loggerhead Shrike, Cerulean Warbler, Wood Thrush
Top 5 plants:
E: Tulip Poplar, day lilies, wood violets, willow oaks, hydrangea
A: Moors delphinium, Pawpaw, Carolina Moonseed, Northern Red Oak, Alder
Top 5 smells:
E: tomato plants, sea, babies, cut grass, rosemary
A: cut grass, lake smell, Emily's cooking, outside before a rain, the forest
Top 5 games:
E: spades, hearts, tag,
A:
Top 5 fruits:
E: nectarine, pear, pink lady apples, blueberries, pineapple
A: oranges, grapes, cherries, pears, nectarines
Top 5 most enjoyed books:
E: "Till we have Faces,""Fire and Hemlock," the Earthsea series, the His Dark Materials trilogy, and maybe "Alias Grace"
A: "Into the Wild," "Dune," "Peterson's Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region," "A Generous Orthodoxy," Lord of the Rings trilogy
Top 5 misc:
E: fireworks, nail polish, old Tshirts, my pillow (my Mema gave it to me at least seven years ago and she said it was one of my great grandmother's pillows - it's still going on strong!), puppies
A: the Wood Thrush's song, banana pudding, turtles, tree bark, smelling different kinds of leaves in the forest
Top 5 movies:
E: Elf, Napoleon Dynamite, Emperor's New Groove, The Village, Shadowlands
A: Band of Brothers, Napoleon Dynamite,
Top 5 pets:
E: Daphne our boxer, "Otto" the one eyed Otto fish, Daisy the silky terrier I had as a kid, Vincent my huge white cat I had as a teenager, Wally the snapping turtle I had for a day.
A: Daphne, Atlas our map turtle, Skippy, Popeye the Iguana
Top 5 ice cream flavors:
E: peppermint, vanilla bean, cookies and cream, chocolate malt, moolineum crunch
A: chocolate, cookies and cream, Neapolitan, mint choc chip, strawberry
Top 5 Songs:
E: Come Thou Fount of every Blessing, Judy Garland's "Bei mir bist du schoen,"
A: I'm bad Nationwide, Sweet River Roll
Top 5 drinks:
E: Irish cream latte, iced tea, real lemonade, rootbeer, tahitian treat or any other fruit soda besides strawberry (ick!)
A: Caffe Latte, Coke, milk, orange juice, Dr. Thunder!
Top 5 colors:
E: grey green, tawny brown, blue green, orange, rusty red
A: green, blue, brown.
Top 5 things to grab if our house was on fire (not including Daphne):
E: the Bible Andy gave me on our wedding day, my Swiss Army watch (also a gift from Andy), my Baby Taylor from my Dad, my wedding photo album, a necklace that Mema gave me that belonged to Nany
A: binoculars & Emily.
We'll edit these as we go along or as our tastes change.
Top 5 foods:
E: Rosemary and Olive oil triscuits with sharp cheddar cheese, nectarine, cookies and cream Blue Bell ice cream, spicy stir fry, spicy Mexican food "with lots of cheese and onions and a guacamole salad" (Robert Earl Keen)
A: biscuits and gravy, honey, pizza from that place in the Richardson square mall, gummy bears, banana pudding
Top 5 past times:
E: reading, archery, canoeing, gardening, baking
A: birding, canoeing, hiking, playing the drums, herping
Top 5 authors:
E: Diana Wynne Jones, Ursula K. LeGuin, one I won't admit to people but the man is hilarious, C. S. Lewis, and a spot open for an author I haven't thought of yet...
A: I don't know.
Top 5 birds:
E: Barred Owl, Tufted Titmouse, American Goldfinch, Scissor tailed flycatcher, Rose breasted Grosbeak.
A: brown headed nuthatch, American Kestrel, Loggerhead Shrike, Cerulean Warbler, Wood Thrush
Top 5 plants:
E: Tulip Poplar, day lilies, wood violets, willow oaks, hydrangea
A: Moors delphinium, Pawpaw, Carolina Moonseed, Northern Red Oak, Alder
Top 5 smells:
E: tomato plants, sea, babies, cut grass, rosemary
A: cut grass, lake smell, Emily's cooking, outside before a rain, the forest
Top 5 games:
E: spades, hearts, tag,
A:
Top 5 fruits:
E: nectarine, pear, pink lady apples, blueberries, pineapple
A: oranges, grapes, cherries, pears, nectarines
Top 5 most enjoyed books:
E: "Till we have Faces,""Fire and Hemlock," the Earthsea series, the His Dark Materials trilogy, and maybe "Alias Grace"
A: "Into the Wild," "Dune," "Peterson's Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region," "A Generous Orthodoxy," Lord of the Rings trilogy
Top 5 misc:
E: fireworks, nail polish, old Tshirts, my pillow (my Mema gave it to me at least seven years ago and she said it was one of my great grandmother's pillows - it's still going on strong!), puppies
A: the Wood Thrush's song, banana pudding, turtles, tree bark, smelling different kinds of leaves in the forest
Top 5 movies:
E: Elf, Napoleon Dynamite, Emperor's New Groove, The Village, Shadowlands
A: Band of Brothers, Napoleon Dynamite,
Top 5 pets:
E: Daphne our boxer, "Otto" the one eyed Otto fish, Daisy the silky terrier I had as a kid, Vincent my huge white cat I had as a teenager, Wally the snapping turtle I had for a day.
A: Daphne, Atlas our map turtle, Skippy, Popeye the Iguana
Top 5 ice cream flavors:
E: peppermint, vanilla bean, cookies and cream, chocolate malt, moolineum crunch
A: chocolate, cookies and cream, Neapolitan, mint choc chip, strawberry
Top 5 Songs:
E: Come Thou Fount of every Blessing, Judy Garland's "Bei mir bist du schoen,"
A: I'm bad Nationwide, Sweet River Roll
Top 5 drinks:
E: Irish cream latte, iced tea, real lemonade, rootbeer, tahitian treat or any other fruit soda besides strawberry (ick!)
A: Caffe Latte, Coke, milk, orange juice, Dr. Thunder!
Top 5 colors:
E: grey green, tawny brown, blue green, orange, rusty red
A: green, blue, brown.
Top 5 things to grab if our house was on fire (not including Daphne):
E: the Bible Andy gave me on our wedding day, my Swiss Army watch (also a gift from Andy), my Baby Taylor from my Dad, my wedding photo album, a necklace that Mema gave me that belonged to Nany
A: binoculars & Emily.
Socialism
So -- I'm in a class called Capitalism in Lit and I've been reading "Looking Backward" by Edward Bellamy. In spite of its consistent dryness, it is an interesting novel. Actually, I would hardly call it a novel I think he should have just written a long essay, but then he was famous in his day and I am not in mine.
Bellamy writes, "Individualism, which in your day (the guy who came forward in time from the 19th cent.) was the animating idea of society, not only was fatal to any vital sentiment of brotherhood and common interest among living men, but equally to any realization of the responsibility of the living for the generation to follow" (192).
This is my favorite quote from the book so far b/c it's one of the few that I come close to understanding. This book is strongly socialistic and I'm inclined to agree with Bellamy even though I've been taught in my entire education history that socialism is faulty and socialists are evil (case in point: people who call Hillary Clinton a socialist aren't doing it nicely).
In this novel the nation has ownership of all of the means of production. The people are all paid equal wages (the doctor and the musician and the housewife all get an equal amount yearly.) This dispels any prejudice over employment and frees the people to choose what they are the most skilled in rather than what they feel pressured to do. If I had lived in this fictional place, I wouldn't be going to school to be a teacher but I'd probably be a gardener or a cook instead and I would only read for pleasure.
Do you have any thoughts about this kind of society or about the quote I posted?
*emily
Bellamy writes, "Individualism, which in your day (the guy who came forward in time from the 19th cent.) was the animating idea of society, not only was fatal to any vital sentiment of brotherhood and common interest among living men, but equally to any realization of the responsibility of the living for the generation to follow" (192).
This is my favorite quote from the book so far b/c it's one of the few that I come close to understanding. This book is strongly socialistic and I'm inclined to agree with Bellamy even though I've been taught in my entire education history that socialism is faulty and socialists are evil (case in point: people who call Hillary Clinton a socialist aren't doing it nicely).
In this novel the nation has ownership of all of the means of production. The people are all paid equal wages (the doctor and the musician and the housewife all get an equal amount yearly.) This dispels any prejudice over employment and frees the people to choose what they are the most skilled in rather than what they feel pressured to do. If I had lived in this fictional place, I wouldn't be going to school to be a teacher but I'd probably be a gardener or a cook instead and I would only read for pleasure.
Do you have any thoughts about this kind of society or about the quote I posted?
*emily
First timer!
Thanks to Justin who inspired me to build a blog and gave me the resource to build one.
This blog belongs to Andy and Emily George of Russellville, AR.
We'll (hopefully) use this site to keep in touch with far away friends and family and we'll post updates and topics and random comments and pictures.
This blog belongs to Andy and Emily George of Russellville, AR.
We'll (hopefully) use this site to keep in touch with far away friends and family and we'll post updates and topics and random comments and pictures.
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