Out of the loop for the next few weeks
Anyway, I have to get in the zone and write, write, write, and edit, edit, edit. I promise I will try to visit all of my wonderful tBlog friends' blogs and keep up. Mimi- a note especially for you my dear- I promise to call you tomorrow!!
I love you all dearly. Thank you for every word of encouragement...you all mean the world to me. You are the kind of friends every historian needs. You provide me a few moments of time away from anything academic and that relief makes my day so much less stressful. For that, I will always be indebted to you!!
Give Up on Your Pride
This is Pride by Syntax. I heard it tonight on the FOX show Bones. I just love the words...and the song itself is beautiful. ITunes has it if you want to know.
and i believe in reinvention
do you believe that life is holding the clue
take away all the lonely moments
give me full communication with you
your smile, shine a little light, alright
don’t hide, shine a little light
give up on your pride
do you believe in reinvention
do you believe that life is holding the clue
any way to face the silence
any way to face the pain that kills you
your smile, shine a little light, alright
don’t hide, shine a little light
give up on your pride
My Hubby's Gone Away!!
So keep us both in your prayers. I have so much to do and now I guess I have all the time in the world to do it since he's not here. I miss you baby!! Be safe!
High School Hoops Hero
I hope that all of you have heard the story of autistic team manager Jason McElwain. If you have not heard of him, please go to CBS News at this site: High School Hoops Hero
This is an amazing story for everyone. Especially for people who are labeled "different" or "special education", this story shows us that anything is possible, no matter the obstacles...
Books, books, more books, and primary research
So John decided to take this picture of me to show how crazy I am with my research. I have been at my campus library researching since Wednesday. This afternoon I starting adding the 50 books I checked out since Wednesday to my bibliography. I got a stack entered and he snapped this picture of me glancing at the TV before I got up. 
So when he snapped that, I thought...I ought to take a picture of my living room floor where my research is located. Check this out. 
The hugely tall stack of books to the right and smaller stacks to the front of them are for my Citizens Council research symposium in April. The very small stack in the middle back row is for my historiography paper and the far left tall stack is for my Congress of Racial Equality senior thesis. The newspaper collection is for the citizens' council as well is all of the primary sources in the plastic file container. The stack of papers (primary sources) to the right of that container is for my thesis. There are a few other things on the couch that you can't see but ahhhh I'm swamped in research and the librarians are my best friends of late!!
Tornado Damage and Research
Other than that...I spent all day at the campus library. I checked out 47 books, went through 10 microfilm reels and got lots of articles for both my senior thesis and my research symposium. I have about 10 or so more microfilm reels to go through tomorrow. I have so many more books and reels ordered from other libraries. What a way to spend spring break. But I need to get it done and there's no better time to do it.
Central Illinois tornadoes
Fort Campbell Picture
So, people sometimes tell me that I don't look like a soldier. I don't, I know. So, here is a picture of me in uniform. This was one week prior to deployment. We were at Fort Campbell and my mom came to visit in case she couldn't see me off the next week. My mom is picture happy so here we have me in full military uniform.
Iraqi boy
So I do actually have a few funny stories from Iraq. I don't think I've ever posted about this one. The little boy in the picture below came up to my humvee when we stopped on the side of the desert for repairs. One of our 818's (fuel tanker) broke down. Anyway, we weren't supposed to let the little kids get close unless they had grenades under their clothes. So this little boy just wouldn't go away. I finally got him to go away but he came back. Here he is when he first came and saw me:
He came back to see me and he had traded for an American flag stamp from another soldier. 
He was wearing the flag on his forehead and he said: "American missus...American missus, me an American now. See me wear flag. Me hate Saddam Hussein. He very bad man. Bush good!"
So adorable...
Spring Break is looming
Tomorrow at 2 p.m. marks the beginning of my last spring break in college. My collegiate career has been an interesting one so lets recap:
2001-2002- I followed the life of a typical college freshman, joined a brand new sorority, rapelled off towers with ROTC, listened to sometimes boring lectures with the Honors program, and dated some pretty bad guys...lets forget that last part.
2003-2004- Iraq forced me to withdraw from my third semester in school and when I came home, Fort Campbell gave me the options of online classes while I was active duty. Summer 2004 I was finally home again and back in regular classes for the first time since the war.
2005-2006- Moved to ISU to marry Shark99, endured a challenging first semester, kept up with an intense four week summer program where I took both of my senior level history courses, and in the fall balanced Hurricane Katrina, a wedding ceremony, and typical stresses of college life.
So here I am, Spring 2006, halfway through the semester and I still have 50 more pages of research papers to write- 1- 20 page historiographical essay, 1- 20 page senior seminar thesis, and 1- 10-12 page paper to present at the April research symposium for undergraduates. And despite all this, I have to find time to study for my theory exams with the Royal Music School of London. This has been an interesting 5 years. And although it has taken me 5.5 years to graduate (5.5 by December 2006), I am deeply proud of how I have developed and matured. I continue to refine and define who I am and how that fits into my career as a pianist and a historian. Sometimes I just want to shake myself and make sure that I really am going to graduate in 9 months. I can't believe it. When Iraq happened, I knew I would graduate a year and a half later than I was supposed to. Now I'm nearly there and somehow it doesn't seem real yet. Perhaps that is because when I graduate I will still have to finish London and then finish PhD school...someday I will be done with school and when that happens, it will all be worth it!!
Research symposium
"Americans generally believe that all people are innately good. And if these people are told that the current system is immoral, they will change it for the better. The story of the Citizens' Council refutes that concept and demonstrates that all people are not essentially good and that not everyone is willing to accept and implement change."
For one the last sentence contains a double negative and I can't figure out how to fix it. Help?? Also, Dr. R, my mentor, and I think that we need to prove that most Americans feel that way. I don't think everyone is inherently good but a lot of people do think so. He suggested quoting Bush or other government officials but we could not find anything at all. Someone on the faculty panel at the symposium is going to ask me how I can document this belief?? Any ideas???
Update on my dad
For example, just a couple of nights ago mom got home from work around 8:15 p.m. I know that's late but she's the Director of Nursing and her Assistant D.O.N. is on personal leave because her own husband is dying. So mom works 12 hour days sometimes 7 days a week. What is she supposed to do? There are bills to pay! So anyway, she comes home, he's already in bed. She picks up a piece of gum from the dining room table where my little brother left it (he empties his pockets there everyday for some reason). Dad got up and walked in the room, glared at her and said: "Goddamn Lisa you look like a fucking teenager chewing that shit." I was taken aback when mom relayed this to me. I don't know why he said that and neither does she other than the fact that apparently he can say whatever he wants.
So mom is not doing well. Dad doesn't see anything wrong with the way she is acting and doesn't see how he should change. Amanda and I feel helpless and don't know what to do about it either. He's dying but that is no excuse to act this way...pray...please...
On to bigger and better things
So today I met with Dr. G again and we just talked and laughed...keep in mind that I did apologize to him about a month ago for my attitude last spring. He gave me suggestions for my two current research endeavors and finally he just stopped and said, "You know I just love to see this...to see you like this...to see your eyes light up when you talk about history, when I give you suggestions, when Dr. R is giving you advice. You've really grown so much since you first came here and you know what, you are on your way to bigger and better things." After the meeting was over, he walked me out, told me that he would love to watch me present at the research symposium in April, and then he smiled and closed by saying, "I can't wait to read what you write 5 years from now. You are going to be an amazing historian and I just hope that you one day fully realize how much potential you have not only in teaching high school students but also in being a historian."
Wow...I just felt so good...and I just felt encouraged and on top of the world!!
Live Laugh Love
Live Laugh Love...this is one of my favorite phrases and it is dear to my heart. I don't know where I heard it first but now I see it everywhere. My mom has a live-laugh-love thingy in her office. But seriously though- take this to heart:
Live like you've never lived before. Live like it is your last day- live so that you will have no regrets.
Laugh contagiously- laugh so much that others are brightened by you...laugh so that you are brightened even in the darkest and most difficult of times.
Love like you've never loved before. Love so much your heart aches and overflows with love. Love yourself so that you may love others even more...and never forget to tell that special someone how much you love them!!
Food for thought before I head off to my Civil Rights Movement class...
Another teacher's fair story
So I have another story from yesterday's teacher's fair. I actually have lots of them! I interviewed with&nbs p;an Chicago suburb school. The interviewer kept trying to tell me that their Latin program was amazing, their this was super, blah blah blah. He said nothing about the history/social sciences program and that's what I'll be teaching. But he then turned the focus to this conversation that ensued between us:
Interviewer: If you gave a student a 'B' on an assignment and the parents went over your head to the superintendent and demanded an A or else...the else implies you losing your job.
Me: I don't appreciate pressure from parents. I'm the teacher- not them. I encourage parent participation and communication but not coercion and blackmail. For example, if I give a two page essay assignment with a grading rubric that lists required criteria and a grading scale, students are well aware of the requirements if they want an 'A.' If they do 'B' work, they are going to get a 'B.' That's the way I will run my classroom. I am not going to yield to parents who threaten my job because they are a CEO of a local company.
Interviewer: Well you should know that our school is made up of very affluent students whose parents will demand all A's for their students because they believe that they won't get into college without a 4.0 GPA. These are CEOs, Senators, and other very important people who will demand a new teacher if you don't give their children an A.
The conversation pretty much ended there and he made it very clear that they would not want me in their district. Parents won't approve of a teacher who doesn't give all A's and thus they'll pull their donation money. I'm disappointed that districts give way to such parent pressure. Why don't we just stop grading papers if we should just give every student A's? There's no point to being a teacher if we just hand out A's because of who your momma or daddy is...yeah...I just don't agree with that at all!!
Interesting encounters
So yesterday I was at the all day teachers' fair. Even though I don't graduate until December 2006, I still wanted to interview for jobs in out of state areas to which we are interested in moving. No problem right? For most schools, it was no problem because they knew that there would be openings in the middle of the school year. I sat down at Deland, Florida's booth to speak with their human resources lady and when she looked at my resume, she asked me why I was talking to her if I didn't graduate in May? I calmly told her that I'd already been given interviews at two other out of state school districts looking to hire mid-school year. She said "well we're not so I don't know why you are still sitting here."
I'm thinking, lady, you might want to improve on your people skills!! What if I wanted to work there next fall (2007) instead of January? I sure don't now!! So I asked her if I could still get some information about her district, etc. She said, "well ok but it won't do you any good since we won't hire you in December/January." I finally told her, "Look! Just give me a packet and fine, I will not bother you any further." I wanted to wring her neck! Crazy lady! Thing is though, even if they offered me a job I wouldn't take it. They need to reconsider who they send to represent their district.