A Humble Request

We are now within a month of my favorite day of the year - my birthday. For me, my birthday, November 20, is the only day of the year when I get to be special. Other people get anniversaries, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, Grandparents' Day, bosses' day, secretaries day, etc. Since there is no Teachers' Day or Singletons' Day, my birthday is the only shot I get to be special. This year, I am in desperate need of relaxation for my big day, so if you are one of the few, the proud, the gift-giving, my choice for a birthday gift is a gift certificate from the Lake Austin Spa's day spa. I really hope to be able to get a river rock massage and a river rock pedicure. With my work situation, I REALLY need a day to unwind. Thank you in advance for your overwhelming generosity. :)

I'm Gandalf, Who are you?

The Winds of Change

Well, once again I have decided that teaching is not the career for me. Last year was really bad, and this year is shaping up to be even worse. It's time for me to step out of what I know and try something new - something that is rewarding, and challenging, and decently-paid where no one yells in my ear or sneezes on me. So, knowing that looking for a job can take months, I am already putting out applications, mainly in conference planning and communications type jobs. I'm also planning on taking the foreign service exam this spring. So far, the avenues I'm most excited about pursuing are foreign service, Missions work, and communications at a university. I would like to stay in the Austin area, but for a good job I'll go anywhere. (Except, maybe, someplace like Saudi or Qatar.) I am open to any suggestions and/or job offers you feel like sending my way.

Biological and Adopted Kids

I read a story yesterday on CNN that announced that Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are expecting a baby. Since I am not a fan of either, I just skimmed the article. One sentence grabbed my attention and really angered me.

"The child would be Cruise's first biological child. He adopted two children with actress Nicole Kidman before their marriage ended in divorce in 2001."

I have seen this before, but it never ceases to anger me when the media treats adopted children as though they don't count as much as biological children. What does the fact that Cruise's kids are adopted have to do with anything? His kids are his kids. The article should have read something like "This will be Holmes' first child and Cruise's third." I am not adopted, but I plan on adopting my own daughter from China in a few years. Does CNN think that my daughter won't be just as loved or as legitimate as any children I might give birth to?

When you let a child into your heart, they're yours. Forever. My daughter will be my daughter from day one, and I'll be the only Mommy she ever knows. I intend to love the stuffin' out of her and no one, not even CNN, will be able to weaken our bond.

Happy Serenity Day

It's finally here!!! Serenity, based on Joss Whedon and Tim Minear's Firefly is finally in theaters. Even if you're not a big sci-fi buff, which I'm not, the film is well worth seeing. Clever, funny, smart, with a beautiful cast... It's totally gonna rock. When Firefly was on TV, Fox didn't promote it, didn't play the pilot that explained everything, and played the episodes out of order. It didn't have a chance. A huge box office this weekend would show them how wrong they were. Please go see Serenity this weekend. You'll be glad you did.

Hurricanes, Hysteria, Heat, and Hope

Living in Central Texas, our focus for the past few weeks has been hurricanes. Austin is housing thousands of survivors from Katrina and Rita. Again, please continue to give every month until these people are settled. As Rita crossed the Keys and went into the gulf, Austinites went a little nuts. Across two counties, there wasn't a single bottle of water to be had. People panicked and bought weeks worth of canned food, water, batteries, candles, matches, etc. We also ran out of gas. Literally every station I passed had signs out front that said their tanks were empty, or that they only had diesel left. It was crazy. Thankfully, the Austin area felt only a few strong breezes. Ironically, we could have really used the rain. We are in a heat wave that just won't end. Yesterday, when I had car duty at school, it was a balmy 107 degrees. Today it was about the same. I'd expect temps like this in August, but it's almost October! A cold front is supposed to come in on Thursday and drop the temps into the eighties. What a relief that will be!

My second-mom, Linda, and I went to a women's conference at Shoreline this weekend. The music and the speakers were awesome! If you get a chance to see Chris Caine or Lisa Bevere in person, I highly recommend it. I really got a lot out of the conference. It's always nice to have the change to stop for a few days to take a look at you life and decide what areas need a little work. As usual, the conference stirred up my restless spirit and made me start thinking about what I want to do next in my life. Peace Corps? Missions work? Mercy Ships? writing? Who knows...when I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Rumors of my death...

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I am indeed alive and well. The month surrounding the beginning of school is always insane! Plus I really haven't been doing that much outside of school. So, here is my last month in a nutshell.

1. Katrina - My deepest sympathies go out to all those whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. If I could take them all into my house and clothe and feed and hug them, I would. If you haven't already, please donate to an aid organization, not only this month, but every month until the Big Easy is back on its feet. The cleanup will be toxic and dangerous and rebuilding will take a while. We should be willing to support our fellow citizens for the long haul. As for the thousands of lost souls, may God bless them.

2. Punkin - My sweet baby is growing like a weed! He goes to get fixed on Saturday, and his Mama is a little nervous.
Isn't he precious?!? ( I know, I know, it's nauseating. Moving on...)

3. Movies - Amy's 2 second movie reviews - The Island 3 stars, pretty but forgettable; Dukes of Hazzard 4 stars, great 70's nostalgia, questionable casting choices; Red Eye 3 stars, loved Rachel McAdams, but a pretty flat script. On Netflix, Spartan was surprisingly good, A Very Long Engagement was pretty, but confusing, and the Manor House series was great.

4. TV - With the fall season upon us, my new absolutely-can't-miss favorites are Lost, Veronica Mars, Survivor:Guatemala, House, and Desperate Housewives. Newcomers Prison Break, Reunion, and Commander in Chief look promising. We'll see. For great TV dish, read Kristen's column each week. I love this girl!! If stalking was legal, I would be this girl's shadow in a heartbeat. :)

5. Serenity opens September 30! - If you haven't seen Firefly, see it. It's awesome. (You can rent in on 4 discs, or just buy it. It's worth it. It's also on SciFi on Friday evenings for the next few weeks.) If you can only see a few episodes, watch "Serenity", "Ariel", "Out of Gas", "Bushwhacked", and "Objects in Space" to get the gist of the series. Serenity, the film, picks up with the Firefly crew six months after the series ends. Please give the series (and the film) a chance. It is smart and clever and worth a look.