Prayers for Chilean Earthquake Victims

Another earthquake has struck; this time it was an 8.8 magnitude quake in Chile, between Conception (a city of about 1 million) and Chillan (a town), that struck at about 3:30 in the morning. In addition to the quake, there are ensuing tsunamis that are said to strike (and have already begun striking) several coastal regions as far as the Philippines. Probably what makes this one hit close to home is that my husband's family is from Chile, and his cousins' family is from Chillan. After a few tense hours, all family has been accounted for (and is okay).

I was reading the news reports online, and what I read said that this was the second strongest quake to hit the country in the last 100 years. The 1960 earthquake that sent a string of tsunamis across the Pacific was a 9.5 magnitude quake. My father, when he was a priest, arrived to Chile right after those events. I remember him telling the story often. My mother-in-law lived that 1960 earthquake and she, too, tells some horrific tales.

Anyway, if you could spare prayers and thoughts to the Chilean people and for those who lie in the paths of possible tsunamis (I think we all still remember the devastating earthquake in Indonesia in 2004 and the ensuing and equally devastating tsunami that hit 11 Indian Ocean countries), please do.

The wonderful Flu

I have it. I haven't had the real flu since god-knows-when. I remember getting really bad colds. I remember strep throat. I don't remember feeling as if a truck had run over me. I don't remember feeling the pain from the top of my hair to my toe nails. Even my freaking colon hurt!

I drove myself to the doctor today and that was excrutiating. I don't know how I got there and back without crashing, but I did. I am so thankful for my family because they've been taking care of me. My mom came this morning, took my son to school, picked him up in the afternoon, and brought me chicken soup from La Carreta with toast. It was delicious! Then, my husband picked up the Tamiflu, and got me some oreo cookies and cuban bread. Perfect dessert when I'm sick! I haven't been on much, and this will be short, because I don't feel well and beacuse I don't have the head to write more. I've emailed you all via Blackboard, those of you whose classes are/were affected, so look at those for more info.

And, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you're sick, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO CLASS! I will work with you, I promise. I just don't want to get sick again. Even though my husband was sick, he didn't have the flu, and my son hasn't been sick either. SO I'm only praying I don't pass this on to them because then it's just a royal pain.

Stupid Paper!

I'm sitting here (at Starbucks, of course) and laughing so much... and thinking of you guys. I'm eavesdropping (not on purpose, I swear!) while I'm grading, and I hear a girl say, "Ugh, and I had to write this stupid paper!" I turned around and, laughing, said, "Why do papers have to be stupid?!" We then went on to have a productive conversation about her history professor (not from BC - I'm down South) and turnitin and papers. And I told her, "I bet this is what my students are doing, if they're at Starbucks or at a bar - "Darn those stupid papers!"

Believe me, I understand your frustrations. I remember being that student and saying, "UGH I have this paper to write!" I can't remember if I ever used the word "stupid" because *gasp* I actually liked to write. However, I know how annoying it is to work on a time crunch. Also, it's not that fun grading (and grading, and grading) - sometimes. I love reading what you all have to say, especially when you actually put in time and effort, but it's very time consuming.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that we teachers don't assign essays just because. We don't like to make you guys sweat (usually) and we're not out to get you (or torture you with grammar, sentence structure, and thesis statements). We want you all to be thinkers, to analyze and bring forth your own thoughts. We want you to be able to communicate effectively because, verbal or written, communication is key to success - personal, professional, or academic - in this life.

Thank Goodness for COld Meds

Last Monday, my husband woke up without a voice and a sore throat. As the week progressed, he developed cold symptoms, and I braced myself for getting sick. By the weekend, I had sighed relief thinking I wasn't going to get sick. After all, I would have already exhibited symptoms and so would my son, right? Well, yesterday I was very tired. I figured I had had an interrupted night's sleep (my son decided to wake up at 4:30 AM and didn't go back to sleep right away). But I was sore. My sciatica was acting up, my knees were hurting - I felt old and tired. LOL. I took some Tylenol cold PM last night and slept all night. I was sure a good night's rest was all I really needed.

This morning, I was surprised and frustrated to realize that I now had a sore throat. It wasn't too bad, just a slight scratch and minor soreness. Still, it wasn't a good sign. I took some Tylenol cold meds - they daytime ones. By the time I made it up to Pines, I felt better. I got my caramel macchiato, my foot long turkey and cheese sub (with water), and I was ready for the day. I got in, graded papers, prepared for classes, and life was good. Except, I still had a little scratch on my throat. Soon, that scratch would start aching again and by the end of the day, my throat was burning, my head was cloudy, and I was cold (even when it really wasn't that cold inside or out).

So what did I do? I took my next dose of Tylenol cold meds. I have to keep going; I have too much to do. So here I am, sitting at Starbucks, having (yet) another caramel macchiato, and grading and blogging. Then I'm off to pick up my son and continue my work at home. Fun times.

A day in my life...

Oh wait, that sounds too much like my blog title. But I'm really going to blog about a day in my life (aka today - well, actually, this weekend).

Yesterday my mom decided to take my son to her sister's house to see my grandpa and the family, so my husband and I took a trip down to Walmart and the outlets down in Florida City. For us, it's not that far, maybe 20 min. My son is outgrowing his clothes rather quickly, especially his winter, long-sleeved clothes. We always love driving down there, at the border between the main land and the keys. It's almost as if driving into a different part of the state, or even country. The sun shines a little more, the air is a little crisper, and the pace a little slower. And if we venture and take Card Sound Road into Key Largo, which for us is another 15 minutes from the outlets, we're really leaving behind the city. If you've never ventured there, let me tell you - it's an 18-mile stretch of vegetation, mangroves, ocean, and road. You see people in corners fishing. You hear birds cacawing above. You see house boats docked alongside the route, half-hidden behind wild trees. You see signs for panther crossings, although I have yet to see a live panther. I always look, though. I wish we'd had time yesterday to make that stretch into Key Largo, but unfortunately, we had to get back home to my mom, my son, and dinner - my son hadn't napped and he morphs into a cataclysmic meltdown when he doesn't nap. My mom was stressed.

Last night I was (finally) able to download the pictures we took at our recent trip to Disney, and I realized I had some pics there from winter break that I hadn't downloaded. I got some great pictures of my son! :) And I really (really, really, really, really) want that lens with the kick-butt zoom.

Today it's been a quiet day. I've cooked, I've done laundry, and I've graded. :) Sounds like fun, huh? My husband and I cooked cinnamon bun pancakes with maple icing for breakfast. They were pretty good, although the icing ended up with freezer/fridge taste. I think it was the butter. And, the pancakes had a peculiar, bitter taste. I think it was the baking powder (I used an open box instead of a closed one). We need to perfect the ingredients before we attempt that one again, but overall the pancakes came out pretty tastey.

I've also been grading here and there, in between all my other tasks. I graded some last night, and then some more yesterday morning. Now, I'm grading again since my son is napping and my husband is putting away the remaining Christmas decorations we still had up. Yes, I understand it's February and we just passed Valentine's Day. We just hadn't gotten around to taking everything down. Now we have.

Extra Credit! Extra Credit!

Here are more extra credit opportunities! Attend either (or both) of these events and write a one-page report (per event) detailing the event and what you thought / got out of it. Submit it to me in class. Click images to view larger.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

I hope you all have a wonderful V-day! It's about more than boyfriends or girlfriends, husbands or wives. It's about love in every sense of the word. So if you love someone (family, friends, children, etc.), then celebrate that love!

My husband and I got together on Valentine's Day, and two years ago, my father passed away on the same. I celebrate all the love in my life from all sources. So tomorrow begins with a mass in memory of my dad, and then the day will continue being spent with those I love.

Super Bowl XLIV

Okay, so I'm not much of a football fan, but I actually caught some of the Super Bowl today. I don't know much about the teams, players, etc., but it makes me smile when the underdog wins. The images of the players, sweat-stained, teary-eyed, and holding their loved ones close to them in astounding awe, makes me shiver. Good for them; they deserve it. So, go Saints! Or wait - is it too late to say that? Should it be more a Congrats, Saints!

Under the Weather

I always wonder about that phrase: under the weather (as in - I'm sick, sniffly, not feeling well). It's a funny phrase, I think. Well, I'm definitely under that weather pattern. My head feels clouded - with what, I don't know, but it's clouded. My eyes ache and feel sunk in. I've sneezed a bit more often than what I'm comfortable. My throat stings some. And I'm irritable - very irritable. These are all the tell-tale signs of impending cold. Ironically, my son hasn't had a cold, although he does have a double ear infection (found on Thursday) for the third time in a month and a week.

I know I shouldn't complain. It's not the flu -and those of you that have had the flu are probably wishing to wring my neck through the computer screen because I have the audacity to complain abut a measly cold. Believe me, I count my blessings. I just have so much to do that this really slows me down.

I'm hoping a good night's rest will have me feeling all better in the morning - that and the double (or was it triple) doses of vitamin C, the zinc and echinacea has to help!

Assigned topic: ALL CLASSES

We're in week 4 of blogging, so by this Sun there should be 4 posts in your blog! There are several of you that only have the initial 1 or 2, so you might want to catch up soon.

To make it a little easier for this week (or next if you've already written for this week), I'm giving you an assigned topic.

Visit this site: Modern Love Column from the New York Times. These are personal essays published every Sunday in the NY Times. I want you to browse through them and read those that call your attention. Then, in a post (paragraph or more) tell me which ones you liked, which ones evoked strong responses in you, which ones affected you - and why. Did you have a favorite?

For your post, give me the title(s) (and because these are essays, the titles would be placed in quotation marks) and the author(s), then tell me about the essay(s).

Extra Credit! Extra Credit!

There are a few things coming up for which I will give extra credit. The first is the Environmental Poetry Slam. If you like to write poetry, and you like being in front of a crowd, here's a wonderful opportunity. The Environmental Poetry Slam will take place on Tuesday, Feb 9 at 11:00 AM at South Campus. Here's the flyer (you may click on the flyer to view larger):

The best part is that you have the chance to win a free 3-credit class! So start writing and get creative. The only thing to keep in mind is the poem has to be about the environment. If you write a poem and compete, I will give you extra credit.

Another opportunity is coming soon in the form of the First Annual South Campus Literary Sampling. This sampling will begin on Wednesday, Feb 10 and will conclude on Tuesday, Apr 13. Here's the flyer for these events (you may click on the flyer to view larger):

For extra credit, simply attend any one (or more) of these events and submit a written, one-page report about the event.

I'll let you know of more events as they come in!