I may be going to Sydney! I always planned to go sometime, but right now the travel prices are really cheap and so I may be going in Feb of 2009. I am beyond excited about it, but a few things have to be worked out first before I decide if I am actually going to go or not. It'd be about $3,000 for 22 days, which is a lot but not really if you consider that it includes round-trip flight + hotel. Plus I think I'd have to budget in about $2k for food/fun? So $5,000ish total. That's a huge chunk of change and I'm not quite sure if I'm confortable spending it, even though I really want to go. Responsibilities, or fun? Sigh.
I also have to make sure that I'll be able to go for a month without interfearing with my school schedule. As far as I know I can go, I don't think that my practicum is something binding that I wouldn't be able to skip out on for a few weeks and just make up later. I think I'm going to call and find out sometime.
Also I need to see when exactly I can expect to get my money that I need. Everything kind of depends on this, obviously. No money= no trip.
I also need a passport. And a visa. I think there's some sort of electronic visa now, which is cheaper. Cheap= good, since I think my passport is going to cost about $200 since I'll most likely need it expedited.
I also need to lose weight! Holy moly do I need to lose if I'm going in Feb. Don't expect me to eat anything or sit down until then, ok? I'm just kidding of course, I'd never have the willpower to not eat (I LIKE eating) and lord knows I sit down a lot. That may change soon though because my family just bought a Wii + Wii Fit (it should arrive tomorrow!) so hopefully I'll be moving my arse more.
Do I get a job now and take a leave of absence in Feb, or wait til I come back to get a job? Either way I'm going to need a job so I can get some more money together.
Somehow this turned into more of a to-do list for me than a post, but it's all the thoughts that are going through my head right now so that's what you get! :)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
site update
Friday, December 12, 2008
.:.:.:.:. (just blather)
My parents are driving me crazy. Just thought I'd let the world know.
I apparently need more than Twitter's 140 characters to get my point across. Although I like the idea. Maybe I just need more practice?
My nails are green. No, I do not have a fungus. I painted them green, 'mint' green to be exact, and looking at the one with a giant chip of nailpolish already gone reminds me of how I used to paint my nails when I was younger and then immediately (accidentally) end up chipping them anyway. That never stopped me though, I'd just haul out the polish again. And then I'd get in trouble for "stinking up the place" with my cheap polish fumes :)
My room now is, quite possibly, more messy than when I was little. It stays insanely messy until I can't stand it anymore, and then I do an intense cleaning job- it's like one of those Taz the tazmanian devil spins... except everything winds up clean instead of broken into a billion pieces.
I was so happy today because I got a Christmas card from my friend in Alaska's family :) Roscoe is in the military now, and I miss talking to her as much as I used to.
My personal life may be pretty awful right now (see: parents) but I'm trying to stay positive and focus on the good. Like the fudge pops I have in the freezer... yum.
I apparently need more than Twitter's 140 characters to get my point across. Although I like the idea. Maybe I just need more practice?
My nails are green. No, I do not have a fungus. I painted them green, 'mint' green to be exact, and looking at the one with a giant chip of nailpolish already gone reminds me of how I used to paint my nails when I was younger and then immediately (accidentally) end up chipping them anyway. That never stopped me though, I'd just haul out the polish again. And then I'd get in trouble for "stinking up the place" with my cheap polish fumes :)
My room now is, quite possibly, more messy than when I was little. It stays insanely messy until I can't stand it anymore, and then I do an intense cleaning job- it's like one of those Taz the tazmanian devil spins... except everything winds up clean instead of broken into a billion pieces.
I was so happy today because I got a Christmas card from my friend in Alaska's family :) Roscoe is in the military now, and I miss talking to her as much as I used to.
My personal life may be pretty awful right now (see: parents) but I'm trying to stay positive and focus on the good. Like the fudge pops I have in the freezer... yum.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Because I bet I'll be asked this question
One of my education teachers showed this video in class, and I thought it was amazing. I even came home and shared it with my family. So, now I'm sharing it with my online family :)
Taylor Mali- What Teachers Make (transcript available on his website.
Taylor Mali- What Teachers Make (transcript available on his website.
StopDrop&Blog HP entry
This is entry requirement #4 for StopDropandBlog.com's HP Magic Giveaway! Go here to enter yourself!
You have another chance to win at Living In Theory! This entry is pulling double duty for both sites since I can't see the point of posting the same info twice :)
One of the laptops that I'd receive would go to a great guy in Australia. His computer (6 years old) broke 7 months ago and since he cannot afford to even buy a $300 refurbished computer (he lives with/takes care of his elderly ailing mother), he has since lost touch with many of his best friends- and he worries about them constantly. He's the kind of person that stays up all night if a friend needs a shoulder to (virtually) cry on- and I should know, because I've taken advantage of him that way plenty of times. The poor fella. He just truly cares about people, and, in return, so many people care about him. Having a computer will allow him peace of mind and enable him to get back in-touch with some of the people that mean the most to him.
I would give the touch-computer and printer to my mom. She is the owner of a (very) small business, and her business is really struggling right now. Having the up-to-date technology would really make a world of difference in how she operates & manages her inventory (books). Her computer is pretty out-dated; the tower's size alone is a hindrance but when you add in the bulky monitor plus her 'mom-clutter' it gets a little crazy to try to type up book descriptions. Also, it's very very slow. I scan it weekly for her for spy/adware and viruses, but it still struggles and hesitates to open up new pages/etc.
Besides the business reason, I really want to surprise her with the new computer because she's sacrificed a lot to raise (and home school) me and my younger siblings. This prize package alone is worth more than she made most years (including this one) to support our family of 5, and yet if one of her kids ever needed anything she'd move Heaven and Earth to get it for them. I'd really like a chance to see the look on her face when she opens up a brand-new computer (assuming she doesn't faint!).
I would give my sister the mini. She is in her first year of college. She commutes an hour away 2 days a week currently, and that amount is about to be raised to 5 days a week next semester. She has worked very hard, and has just been nominated Editor of her College's newspaper. In addition to taking 12 credits now (18 next semester) she works 4 days a week at Walmart as a People Greeter (she's the happiest people greeter they have). We're all very proud of her, and I know her life would be a lot easier if she could take the mini with her instead of having to schedule in time to run across campus to use the school's computer labs between classes.
I would use one of the laptops myself when I graduate from Grad school with my Secondary Ed and Special Ed teaching certificates. I plan to teach in a Pittsburgh public middle school- I love the age that middle schoolers are at and I feel like I would do the most good teaching in an urban environment (and I love Pittsburgh- the atmosphere, the people, the passion!).
You have another chance to win at Living In Theory! This entry is pulling double duty for both sites since I can't see the point of posting the same info twice :)
One of the laptops that I'd receive would go to a great guy in Australia. His computer (6 years old) broke 7 months ago and since he cannot afford to even buy a $300 refurbished computer (he lives with/takes care of his elderly ailing mother), he has since lost touch with many of his best friends- and he worries about them constantly. He's the kind of person that stays up all night if a friend needs a shoulder to (virtually) cry on- and I should know, because I've taken advantage of him that way plenty of times. The poor fella. He just truly cares about people, and, in return, so many people care about him. Having a computer will allow him peace of mind and enable him to get back in-touch with some of the people that mean the most to him.
I would give the touch-computer and printer to my mom. She is the owner of a (very) small business, and her business is really struggling right now. Having the up-to-date technology would really make a world of difference in how she operates & manages her inventory (books). Her computer is pretty out-dated; the tower's size alone is a hindrance but when you add in the bulky monitor plus her 'mom-clutter' it gets a little crazy to try to type up book descriptions. Also, it's very very slow. I scan it weekly for her for spy/adware and viruses, but it still struggles and hesitates to open up new pages/etc.
Besides the business reason, I really want to surprise her with the new computer because she's sacrificed a lot to raise (and home school) me and my younger siblings. This prize package alone is worth more than she made most years (including this one) to support our family of 5, and yet if one of her kids ever needed anything she'd move Heaven and Earth to get it for them. I'd really like a chance to see the look on her face when she opens up a brand-new computer (assuming she doesn't faint!).
I would give my sister the mini. She is in her first year of college. She commutes an hour away 2 days a week currently, and that amount is about to be raised to 5 days a week next semester. She has worked very hard, and has just been nominated Editor of her College's newspaper. In addition to taking 12 credits now (18 next semester) she works 4 days a week at Walmart as a People Greeter (she's the happiest people greeter they have). We're all very proud of her, and I know her life would be a lot easier if she could take the mini with her instead of having to schedule in time to run across campus to use the school's computer labs between classes.
I would use one of the laptops myself when I graduate from Grad school with my Secondary Ed and Special Ed teaching certificates. I plan to teach in a Pittsburgh public middle school- I love the age that middle schoolers are at and I feel like I would do the most good teaching in an urban environment (and I love Pittsburgh- the atmosphere, the people, the passion!).
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