Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!! I thought I would share the pretty cute Google Decorations in celebration of our Earth. 

The more exposure I have to cancers, illnesses, and ailments, I am reminded over and over again of how much we have polluted our beautiful planet.  Our industrialization, greed, and thoughtless actions have led to a sick planet and lots of sick people.  So what do we do now?

Well, we change.  "Be the change you wish to see in the world".  So, stop buying highly processed foods.  For example, pink slime, which is in most ground chuck, fast food meat, etc, is waste meat sterilized with AMMONIA.  Yeah, that's a known carcinogen.  So don't eat it.  Use your consumer power and put your money where your mouth is.

Grow your own food.  Help and support the initiatives of others to grow their own food.  Buy local, organic produce. 

A nutritionist once told me to only eat foods that are either organic or have less than 5 ingredients.  It's hard.  Try it. 

Consider your carbon footprint.  How do you get from a to b?  Who do you take with you? How can you be more environmentally friendly to protect the futures of your children and mine?

#225: The beauty that is spring time.  Blooming flowers, more sunshine, bright skies.

#226: The realization that I have so much to be grateful for.

#227: Being done with my first year of grad school.

#228: ALMOST done with my first semester of students.  Here's to hoping the grade whiners fizzle out. 

#229: Lots of relaxation time with family. 

#230: Two naps in one day.

#231: Getting closer to seeing the man I love.  Three weeks is simply too long.

#232: Clean laundry after six + plus weeks of not doing laundry.

#233: Puppy Cuddles

#234: Yoga

#235: Doing downward dog with Scarlet.  For reals.

#236: Great breakfasts with friends.  Saying goodbye isn't my fortay...but saying good luck is :)

#237: Music to match my mood.  Country music can put words to my feelings and emotions much better than I can.

#238: Baby smiles, baby giggles, baby cuddles, and simply baby time.

#239: Knowing that my words do not suffice in my expressions of love.

#240: Days off to sleep in, cuddle, relax, shop, and eat.

#241: Chocolate.  And LOTS of it.

#242: Bright Spring/Summer clothes!

#243: Bikini Season.  It's so dreaded for lots of (superficial) reasons.  But I am excited.  It means boating season. 

#244: Growth. 

#245: Love. Hugs.

Celebrate Earth Day however you want.  But think critically about how you treat your home.  And how you treat all of our futures. 

Students Teaching!

I complain about my students a lot.  Like all of the time, really.  But truth be told, I do really enjoy the thoughts, vigor, and passion that some of them have.  What causes me to complain so much is only the few that really do not own their education, and put the least amount of effort possible into this course.  The majority of my students, however, put lots of effort into their education, and into this course.

I have been grading final papers like a machine these past weeks, and I have found some absolutely awful papers and some phenomenal papers.  I have learned about sex trafficking, alcoholism, childbirth practices, drug use, postpartum depression, and lots more.  It has been insightful to see how these students are processing their environment, and the information they have been presented.

That being said..I can't wait to be DONE!!!
#223: I'm almost done grading papers.
#224: Monday mornings spent with Ellen.

Easter Ache

I was able to spend a full Easter Weekend with this cutey...

Part of our weekend was spent in Dublin just chillin like villains, part was spent concert-ing in the cold outside, and part was spent with his family in Lebanon. 

What did we do during all parts of the weekend?  Eat.  In mass quantities.  It was gross.  And delicious.  So now I am feeling sluggish, icky, sick, full, and gross.  So what did I do today?  I ate more candy.  By the way...I never really eat candy, so it kills my body.  But anyways, yes.  Food. Lots of it. 

I am back on my workout regimine though and I am realizing more and more each day that I am expected to be in a bikini in less than three weeks.  WTF friends.  Maybe I should work out again.

#211: GSI offer came in today!  Yay for funding my education!
#212: My semester of craziness (not even comparable to the craziness I'll feel next year btw) is almost over! Yay for having a year of grad school and a semester of teaching under my belt!
#213: Facebook is creepy...but kinda cool sometimes.
#214: Moments of true connection with children.  Before school today, Anthony and I had quite the hugs, kisses and "i love you more" session.  It was beautiful.
#215: Incredible moments when I want to pinch myself to really believe that my life is my life.  I am blessed.  And grateful.
#216: Hope for warm weather this summer.
#217: Love. 

Missing in Action

I have been MIA because....

#174: A spring break seeing many faces!  I got to see Alex in Princeton, Merissa in NYC and Amanda in Boston.  It was a CRAZY long week but I am so glad I was able to see so many lovely friends in such a short amount of time :)
#175: A man in my life worthy of my time and my love.
#176: A graduate program that though draining, pushes and forces me to think critically about the world I live in.
#177: Quality time devoted to school work, and getting the most out of my two years in this incredibly insightful program.

#178: An opportunity to pursue my desired internship for next year...AND GETTING IT! (woot woot)
#179: Working with clients in the Livingston and Washtenaw counties.  It is challenging, hard, rewarding, and incredible.
#180: Endless opportunities to be humbled in this world.  Getting a reality check telling me I don't know everything, I am not perfect, and I am not superwoman is always hard and always needed. 
#181: Enjoying everyday life happenings is sometimes hard when I am so busy.  Prioritizing daily activities by musts, needs, and optionals has changed my world!

Here's to hoping your February ended on a positive note, and your March began on a good note!

Days Off

#147: Days off, at home, are few and far between.  I am grateful for a FULL Friday and Saturday of laying around, catching up on sleep, hittin the gym, and attempting to catch up on homework.
#148: Speaking of the gym...it had been awhile.  Grateful to go to a gym with LOTS of windows that overlook a beautiful lake..
#149: A non-frozen lake, may I add!! The weather in Michigan has been incredible.  Sunny, bright, and not freezing!!
#150: Though grading papers is sucking the life out of me, I am making progress!

Today I really realized how incredible my life truly is.  I was reminded of all of the privilege that I experience on a daily basis.  In sections last we, my students discussed whether or not they could be grateful for the privileges they have.  I think we can be grateful...but part of that gratitude has to translate in to working to help ALL people experience these privileges. 

So on a beautiful day like today, I spent time reflecting on how I dream of a day that your access to education, high paying jobs and health care no longer depends on your ethnicity, race, geographic location, or your gender.  I am working towards this dream by educating you all on the fact that these things DO impact access to resources and opportunities...

Check out the video series Unnatural Causes if you don't believe me...

This is but the trailer to six hours of research...

Planned Parenthood vs Susan G Komen

It all began just a few days ago when Susan G Komen spokewoman announced that as of April 1, 2012, Planned Parenthood would receive no funding from their organization.

Then the country cried out on behalf of the women that are served by Planned Parenthood.  And videos like this were created...

And women and men around the country used their voices to support such a powerful organization. 

And Then...articles like this came out today.  Komen came back and said that PP will still be eligibale for grants, even if they don't receive them.  Still shitty, really, but a better move.  The best part was that they admitted to falling in to the political warfare rather than supporting women. 

#141: Women should not be stigmatized for having sex.  It's a part of life.  I am honored to go to class every day with the people in the video above. 
#142: I like that we can laugh while we fight for the cause of women's health.  "Don't fuck with 'em, Don't fuck without 'em"
#143: A day off to enjoy being lazy and get caught up has been incredible. 
#144: While I am struggling to get through all of my grading...I recognize how grateful I am for playing a huge role in these students' academic careers. 
#145: Feeling honored, loved, cherished today.
#146: My snickerdoodle is one year old today!!!!!!  I love this puppy so much :)

Body Image

Have you ever thought about why women are so much more likely to develop an eating disorder than men are? What made this to be?

In Women's Health, I ask my students to consider where they learned about being a woman and where they learned about what "good" women look like. Most students report that they learn these things from the media, magazines, Victoria's secret and other fashion stores. If this is true, what do these places teach us?

To be sexy, to congratulate being dangerously thin, to be scantily clad and to present your body as a pleasure island for the men around you.

We congratulate people for losing weight without knowing how they're going about losing the weight. You don't have to be 70 lbs to be anorexic. Yet we never question the healthiness of our means because being thin is so important.

I have skipped meals, skipped weeks of eating and have stood in front of mirrors for hours marking every imperfection. My teenage years are a blur of disappointment. My body was never good enough for me, so seeing that it was good enough for men was my only boost of self confidence.

I tell you this because I am taking a political stand for the bodies of women and for the health of women. It is not about being liberal or conservative, but instead about wanting all women to love the way they look, an celebrate other women for how they look, too.

Use your voice. The personal is political.

Feminism

I am loving teaching...seriously.  And what I am loving the most is seeing the wheels in the minds of so many start to turn; grasping the concepts of feminism and grasping how feminism has, and will continue to, impact their lives.

So few people truly understand what feminism is, and what it represents.  It has a reputation of standing for man-hating, femi-nazi's, and wanting women to rule the world...when in reality feminism represents a fight for equality, for all people based on gender, sex, sexual orientation, race, SES and more.  Feminism represents the voice of so many, and has been the movement that has made voting by females possible, reproductive choice possible, and has allowed women to enter the workforce. 

Some of my students are so tied to the social constructed gender norms for men and women, and watching their walls come down surrounding this is incredibly rewarding.  Men don't have to be the bread winners, and women are not made for nurturing and mothering alone.  We all have gifts, talents, and dreams...and who we are on paper should never stop us from achieving our dreams!

#124: I am proud to be a feminist, and grateful to live in a time and country where saying that does not put me in danger.
#125: Grateful for my role in opening the minds of so many. 
#126: Loving the fact that my students were emailing me about the Roe anniversary this weekend.  Proud moments.
#127: Excited for the day where shame behind feminism, abortion and women's rights disappears.
#128: Male feminists are sexy.  Grateful they exist.
#129: Freedom to be the woman I want to be is huge.  I am always worried about becoming too domesticated or too stereotypically womanly...but in reality I am free to be who I want to be...and if I love children, cooking, cleaning, laundry, working, and playing...well so be it :)
#130: Free Speech

Plans

I love making plans.  Know what making plans means? WRITING THINGS IN MY AGENDA!!

Though this is true, I feel I may be slightly addicted to planning every moment of my life.  I write down (in my head for sure, if not on paper/my phone) all of the steps of my life...waking up, getting my bag ready, being here at noon, there at one... it's obsessive...

To give you some insight...all of my weekends from the first weekend of January until the third weekend in March is planned.  Though there may a few hours here and there unclaimed, they are largely planned and written in my planner.  Which is both confining and exhilarating!

#114: Feeling positive about school, positive about life, and positive about work...all at the same time..
#115: Finally feeling like I am getting a hang of learning student name
#116: Job searching for 2013 isn't near as stressful as those looking for jobs in 2012.  Because 2012 is today.
#117: Dreams.  Dreaming of my future. My life. My present.
#118: My family.  I love coming home to them, and I love enjoying their quirks.


Off to make more plans...

Little or Plenty

I have realized of late that people talk of things in terms of their lives being full of things or void of things....
   
               I have NO money, but SO much to pay for...
                  I have SO much to be grateful for but SO few people to enjoy life with....
                       I have NO goals, but I have SO many desires....

What has shaped our culture in to thinking of things in terms or a lot and a little? 

It bugs me.  Lots.  Because though I could vent to you (guilty) of things I don't have enough of, isn't that complaining, or the absence of gratitude?

#109: Feeling blessed, thankful, and joyful.
#110: Seeing friends that I love and haven't seen often enough. 
#111: Safety.  Driving all day in rain, sleet, snow, ice and wind has made me grateful for my safe arrival home.
#112: The chance to disagree.  The freedom, rather, to disagree.
#113: Teaching.  It has brought countless challenges, numerous trials, and plenty of headaches...but I love the challenge, the discussions, and the insight some of my students have.
#114: Smiles.  Smiling myself and seeing smiles on the faces around me.

Please Please Please

As I sit here eating my bacon and talking to Amanda about our future Social Work education, I am struck with how much I would LOVE a GSI position. 

I have lead a discussion for 2 semesters now with undergraduate students not much younger than me.  And I love it!  I absolutely love being able to hear people's opinions and to talk about tough subjects in a safe environment, and I think I would be pretty good at lecturing and finding great guest speakers, as well!  I would LOVE it...not to mention the benefit it would have on my tuition :) :)

As for now, I will continue to work on the GSI application while praying that someone wants me to help them teach their students.  If you're the praying type, you could do so with me! 

Speaking of prayer...today has definitely been a day for prayer.  Worst day ever.  But is ending pretty well with my bacon beside me.  LOVE.