Nothing New

There's really not anything new in my life apart from what I wrote in my last post, but I felt like I should post again so I will try to come up with something to write about. If I was smart or really political I could write about the Republican National Convention starting next week at the Xcel Center. However, I really don't know that much about it so I'm going to pass up that opportunity. I do wish I was more politically inclined--it would definitely help when I went to vote if I was more informed. Not that I'm uninformed--I just think I could always be more informed. It's hard though, because I don't really watch tv so I don't pick up that stuff, and we don't really talk about it in my classes. Plus, everything I pick up from what people say is often peppered with opinions rather than facts, and leaves out important information that would give me a clearer picture. Not to mention life is hectic and it is hard to find free time to learn about everything, and even when I do have time I don't really know where to start. How do you become an informed voter with a tight schedule and little background in the field? Are there any websites or tv stations that are good for learning the important information that you need that are clear and concise and aren't scattered with all that filler and extra opinions and outside interpretation? That would be immensly helpful to someone like me. Isn't it ironic that the wife of a political science major has this trouble? Maybe I should just talk to my husband more.


Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will.

New Job

I have recently been hired as the volunteer coordinator of ESL and after school enrichment programs for Holy Rosary parish in Minneapolis. While it is not a job in theology, it is through a church and therefore much closer to my field of study than my current job at Allina, which I plan on keeping though working less hours during the school year. The volunteer coordinator position is only part time, which actually works well for me with my full-time courseload. I am very excited for this job but also scared, as it is much different than pretty much any other job I've had, except possibly the Telefund. I will actually be working with people instead of paper, so that alone is exciting for me. I think I have a lot to learn, but the people I will be working with seem enthusiastic that I am joining their staff, and their enthusiasm is contagious. However, I think I am going to be the only person on their staff who is not bilingual. That is not required for the position, and they have said that it might be better because it should help their students learn English faster, but I still am left wishing that I would have taken Spanish instead of German in high school, as it would be much more helpful for this position. All in all though, it should be a very good experience and I am excited to do some practical work in the world and help immigrants acclimate to American culture and language.

Mamma Mia!

Tonight a bunch of us went and saw Mamma Mia! It was fantastic. I honestly don't remember the last time I had such an enjoyable experience at the movies. It was cute, hilarious, and fun. The music was great (who doesn't love ABBA?) and really fun as well. The movie was comical and the actors did a wonderful job. Meryl Streep was amazing-it was a very different character from the last movie I saw her in (The Devil Wears Prada) and the difference was astonishing. I think it really shows her talent-she was very low key, almost cowboy-ish (or cowgirl-ish) in a way, very relaxed and unique. It's hard to explain. I just think that she did a really good job and she is very talented. As are the rest of the cast-I would definitely recommend this movie. If you want to sit, relax, laugh, and have a fun time, this is the movie for you. If you don't laugh a million times you are crazy and have no taste in movies. Sorry, but it's one of those movies that you can't help but loving and can probably watch a hundred times. I already want to see it again!

Typical, you wait 20 years for a father and then three show up at once.

Starving

Ok, I'm not really starving, and this post isn't about starving children or anything. I just forgot my lunch for work today, and I am working at 6 1/2 hour day, from 9 til 3:30, so right over lunch. Plus I had a small breakfast. Eric made me a nice ham sandwhich (with pickles and everything!) and left it in the fridge for me (he had to go to work an hour earlier than me today, normally we leave around the same time) and I go and forget it. Plus all I have is a pack of fruit snacks and a couple of pringles that were already in my bag. Very filling.

All Grown Up

And buying real adult furniture. Eric and I bought a dining room table this weekend. It's from IKEA, so nothing super high quality, but it's actually really nice, and very reasonable for a table and 4 chairs (picture below). Eric said if we would have bought the same one from a real furniture store it would have cost us close to double what we paid. So I am quite pleased with our adult table, despite the fact that we purchased it from a store we don't really like very much. It's nice to eat off of a real table again, rather than a breakfast bar or a card table. Don't get me wrong, I liked our breakfast bar. But the card table as a dining room table was a little sad, and since we moved into our new place that does not have a breakfast bar, our card table was our only other option. Which also meant that I could not use it for puzzles or scrapbooking, which eliminated puzzles (for scrapbooking I could have used the floor). Plus, we can barely fit 4 people around the card table, and now we can fit 6, although we only have 4 chairs. We don't really have a problem pulling out 2 folding chairs for extra guests, especially since they sortof match our table. Now we can have multiple people over, and are in fact having a 6-person dinner this Thursday with some friends from St. Thomas. Hopefully we'll be able to have family over soon as well.