therapy for a chick who's a duck

My awesome girls!

2011-10-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have no children of my own, but I have two rather amazing nieces. Check them out. (My mom sent me this video so I can see them while I'm living here in Ukraine.)

Photo Card

2011-10-17T11:57:00.001-07:00

Joy Plus Peace Christmas

Turn your favorite family photos into Christmas cards.

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Troll searching

2011-08-30T23:46:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Screaming Sea Lion Video

2011-08-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

!

My mother is amazing. When we were getting ready to wrap up our time in Newport yesterday, she pulled out her iPod Touch and she started filming. Yep. These sea lions are barking up a storm and it's hilarious. I imagined that they were yelling at us.

"Hey, we're napping! Quit staring at us and taking pictures. Do I take pictures of you when you're napping?"

Anyway, I still totally invaded their privacy by taking pictures and laughing at them. Poor sea lions

Daycation 08.10.2011

2011-08-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

Daycation: A day of rest in which you can do anything and everything you want as long as it’s completely unrelated to your daily activities. (Note: eating and drinking is expected in a Daycation, preferably of the special kind, you know… splurge! -both in calories and expense!)

Today was my daycation with my dad. You see, I’m leaving to Ukraine in just five days so my pops and I wanted to have a quality day of hang out time before I left for eleven months. My mom was supposed to be headed out of town so we decided to spend the day she left on an adventure of my choice. Well, as I started to think of ideas, I decided that I really just wanted my dad to be happy so I tried to get him involved. First, I wrote a list on my nametag at work. When I got home, I made him a short list. When he asked for more details, I expanded the list and wrote ideas for exactly what we could do/listen to during our fun day.

What I didn’t realize the whole time I was coming up with ideas was that I was really just stressing my dad out. He wasn’t excited because he didn’t know which choice was the right one. They were all GREAT choices, all he needed to do was to pick one.

Last night (Tuesday night), we had settled on a new plan. We would go to Portland to OMSI… and if we decided we didn’t want to go there, we would head to the zoo… Well, this morning that whole plan changed. Somehow, we made a plan to go to breakfast in McMinnville and then to go to the coast. It was madness.

It took at least two and a half hours to eat breakfast in Mac. The place we went turned out to be a bit snobbish, the kind of café where you need to know the owner to get a table quickly. But the banana pancakes were good. It was twelve before we were headed to our car to go to the beach. When we were just walking around downtown, I had texted my mom to invite her to join us. She texted back “no” but then changed her mind thirty minutes later. I was already past Sheridan when Dashboard Confessional’s “Stolen” was stealing the dead air in the car. My mom was calling my cell phone to beg me to pick her up.

We did it. After all, the old lady tends to make outings a bit entertaining. So… an hour and a half AFTER that phone call, we were back on our way, on the road to Newport.

Ah… Daycation. I was glad that I had made a list of ideas, but I’m glad that we were flexible enough to not do most of the things on the list. There were just too many things to do. And it was daycation. We weren’t supposed to worry about anything. It was a day to relax. Wonderful…

I’m glad the daycation turned out well. Sure I ate too many calories and my quest walking adventure was vetoed, but I still had a good time. I took tons of pictures, got my Rogue ID card picture taken with Puddles the Duck, and got to hear sea lions bark at each other. Just another rad day on the Oregon Coast, yes?

God ain't no wizard

2011-07-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, I thought God was some kind of powerful sorcerer who could change my life like he did to the Israelites in Exodus with the locusts and the frogs and boils. I didn’t realize that God was the sit-back kind of guy, the grandfather who sits on his chair with his reading glasses and his book when his children play outside and eat their grandmother’s cookies while she fixes them dinner. Since I believed God was a wizard, I prayed to ask him for big things. The biggest and most constant prayer was that God would make me skinny. I was young and fat. I ate plenty of chocolate and loved my orange soda. I’m pretty sure I loved all food and would try to eat the same portions as the rest of my family because that was “normal” or something. I wasn’t aware that God couldn’t jump in and make me thin or that I was in fact in control of my own weight and body. Now at 28, I have figured it out. I joined Weight Watchers in October and have been eating the right foods and getting exercise to help me get down to a healthy weight. Last night, I got my 50-pound medal/token. I am thrilled. I feel better. I walk faster and I wear t-shirts that don’t hug my fat too much, mainly because there is less fat to hug. It’s exhilarating. I’m glad that I’ve started to figure things out. God is no wizard… got that. Eat healthy foods… getting that. And enjoy life… ah, I’ve been doing that for 28 and a half years.

witches and magic

2011-07-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a bit of a conservative household. We dressed up for Halloween, but my mom wouldn’t ever let us be witches. Even when we were little and we watched Hocus Pocus, my mom thought that it wasn’t a good idea to dress up as the Sanderson Sisters. I wanted to be Sarah Jessica Parker’s character because she was blond and she was pretty. It didn’t matter though, because I was a chubby kid and as I said, we were forbidden from dressing as witches. I kind of left it alone after that, but then Harry Potter happened. First there were the books, then the movies, and then there was the lecture I sat in on at Oxford. An Oxford professor talking about witches? Sure!

My first attempt at dressing up as a witch was Halloween 2007 in Ukraine. I was a teacher and I wanted to throw my students a classic Halloween party. We bobbed for apples, ate Ukrainian donut shaped treats off strings, and danced to some happenin’ music. I dressed up a witch, partly because as an adult I had every right to do what I wanted and partly because I had a black shirt and skirt and making a cape wasn’t going to be very hard to do. I looked great…and scary. See?

Okay, so in this picture I don't look TOO scary, but still. I look dirty, right?

So yesterday, I went to watch the final Harry Potter movie with my friend, Chris. She dressed up as Professor Trelawney and quite frankly, she had the BEST costume in the whole place. I didn’t plan ahead so in about 45 minutes, I threw together a purple Rita Skeeter outfit. I was only missing the true ringlets in my hair and a quill. It was great.

This morning (or early afternoon), I am recovering from the midnight movie by lounging in my PJs, writing on my mac as I watch The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. It’s a great one. And again, it has that magic stuff. I love it! There’s something about magic and witches that I like more than all the vampires and werewolves that are so popular these days.

To be honest, as far as Sci-Fi/Fantasy goes, witches would always be my choice. My cousin loves the dragon stuff. My sister loves vampires and werewolves. My brother loves werewolves. I love witches and magic. I just do.

TWO POUNDS!!!

2011-06-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I’m writing about it on any of my four blogs, but readers, I am a member of Weight Watchers. It’s true. I joined back in October and have been working hard to shed those pounds ever since. I’ve lost over 40 pounds, but here’s the thing, I seem to be a bit stuck. UGH!!!! What is going on? I’ve been going up and down, up and down, ever since the week of my birthday. My birthday was over two months ago. Yeah. I know. Two months of teeter-tottering is too much. It’s time to get down to business. I’m RECOMMITTING to Weight Watchers. It’s a fact. I’m going to go back to the Weight Watchers tracking sheets. And I am going to do it right. I think all we need sometimes is to start fresh, you know. Couples “start again” all the time. Each day is fresh with no mistakes (at least that’s what I learned from Anne of Green Gables). So tomorrow is day one of Rece Weight Watcher Part II. Please feel free to check-in and see how I’m doing or better yet, join me in this new adventure. Stay tuned for more. ☺

Some assembly required

2011-06-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Have you ever bought a piece of furniture that is fully intact? The box screams, “no assembly required.” You tear open the box, pull out the bookshelf, unfold it and TADA! You can put books on the shelf because it is ready. I love that feeling. I don’t need a screwdriver, hammer, or friend to help me. I pull it out of the box and feel as if I have accomplished some big feat. This feeling of accomplishment is a farce. I deserve no credit for the shelf. Someone else did all the grunt work.

The realization came to me yesterday as I put together small parts of dental chairs. I am working in a factory, you see. I got a summer job to help me pay the bills my “real” job at the school didn’t cover. It’s not my dream job by any means, but it’s going to help me and for that, I am grateful.

So yesterday, I put hundreds of small half rings onto a metal roller. And I made chair backs and put together motors. It was a long, tiring day and at the end of it, I thought, do they really make enough money to cover all the work we’re putting into these chairs. I mean, really, do they? One of my friends used to be a server at a restaurant. She once complained to me that people weren’t tipping her the full 20%. She still gets her regular OREGON minimum wage and yet she’s worried about not getting the HIGH tip? When did tipping go up to 20%? It used to be 15%. So if a crappy waitress/server gets 20% for her lame attempt at serving food, why doesn’t Mary Lou get 20% of the cost of the chair for all the grease she got on her hands, hair, and clothes? I mean, really…

FYI: the factory I’m working at is pretty awesome. They take care of their employees and even their temps (like me). This post has nothing to do with the company, but at the thought… why don’t we tip those hard workers who hurt their hands when fixing the sewing machine that makes our jeans or the craftsman who makes our kitchen table? And if we can’t afford that, can’t we at least give them a shout out?

Note: I would like to thank worker 12 for making my Levi’s jeans so fabulous and…

ain't no elves in this house

2011-06-12T09:24:00.001-07:00

The Elves and the Shoemaker. It’s a great tale. The shoemaker cuts out all the leather, gets his tools ready for the morning work, and goes to bed. When he wakes up, the shoes are waiting for him. His work has been done. He can go through the rest of the day without worry or stress. Unfortunately for me, the elves and the shoemaker is just a story. Elves don’t come into your house and turn your fabric pieces into a beautiful dress when you leave your sewing machine out on the table.

Let’s start at the beginning. Last Saturday, my mom and I went to town so I could get a haircut and we could get pedicures. I picked out green polish, knowing I was graduating in a little over a week and that my cap and gown were Oregon green. After the beautification process, we went to Jo-Ann Fabrics to get some white fabric to protect my dad’s pool cover. When we were there, I saw that Vogue patterns were only $2.99. I found a perfect sundress pattern and decided to get it for my collection of patterns for when I become a real seamstress. Well, my mom saw it and said, “Let’s make it for your graduation.” My eyes got kind of big. I mentally calculated how much money was in my checking account. Then I counted the days until I was set to walk in my cap and gown. “Are you sure we can do it?” I asked. “Sure,” she said. So I went to the fabric section and I picked out pretty green fabric.

When I got home, I washed the fabric. Then I ironed the fabric, which my mom said I didn’t do very well. It’s true. I never was very great at ironing.

A few days later, I started to cut out the pattern and fabric pieces. This is only the second time I’ve ever cut out patterns and fabric. The first was to make an apron that is about two sizes too large for me.

The cutting continued for a few days. We’d run out of fabric and had to purchase more. Before we knew it, it was Saturday night. We were set to leave to Eugene at eight Sunday morning. That didn’t happen. Instead, my mom was up until three in the morning trying to help finish the dress. It’s not done. Right now at 9:22 Sunday, the pieces are still hanging over my Grandma’s old kitchen chairs. I am very little help. If I knew how to sew with any basic level, the sewing machine would be running right now. Instead, I dwell on the fact that my life isn’t a fairy tale and elves don’t come into my house to do work. Hmm. Maybe now that I’m an overeducated classroom assistant, I should learn how to sew with efficiency.

graduation day

2011-06-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today I was scrambling around my house. All four of my siblings were moving around the house, making last minute preparations. I had a paper and pen in my hand and was working to finish my valedictorian’s speech before I had to drive to school. It was graduation day and I was basically moving around like a crazy person. My biggest concern was to spend as much time with my best friends as possible before we all moved on to great and exciting lives. I’m starting to believe that I was a bit delusional in high school. Sure I was book smart and school smart, but when it came to life smart, I was pretty much on a cloud where I ate chocolate and swam in a pool all day. Ten years has changed me. I now believe in the real world and I pay attention to how much chocolate I eat. The one thing that hasn’t changed is that last minute madness. What is the attraction of procrastination and how can I tell him to get lost? I’m still working on that.

fire-broiled pecans

2011-06-07T21:09:00.001-07:00

I almost died today. I was broiling some pecans to put in my pralines when I started to smell the pecans. I thought, oh crap, they’re probably a little burnt. I opened the oven door and AHHHH!!!! Flames! The flames were jumping off the pan. My life flashed before my eyes. I was pretty sure my parents’ house was about to go up in flames. It was awful.

Now here’s the rough part. I didn’t know what to do. Throw water? Call 911? Get the fire extinguisher? I ran to the garage, pulled out the fire extinguisher and took it back to the kitchen. The extinguisher is probably older than me and I had no idea what to do with it. I ran back to the garage and got the gigantic extinguisher my dad probably uses to put out field fires. The pin was already out. I figured it was dysfunctional. I called my mom, not 911. The fire was small, I thought. No need to call the cops. She didn’t understand what I was saying, probably because I was screaming into the phone. “Water? Do I use water?” I shouted. After three tries, I got my answer. Yes. I was supposed to use water. I got the bowl out of the cupboard causing a small finger wound. Then I put it out. I wasn’t dead. I had survived. My parents got home a while later. I got a mini lesson in broiling pecans, fire extinguishers, and how to keep my cool in an emergency.

A few hours later, I started making the pralines again. They kind of turned out. I blame the fire; it put me on edge.

The pleasures of being young

2011-05-28T11:11:00.001-07:00

Small Clothes. That’s the best part about being a little person. You have small clothes. Packing is simpler. You have a small body, thus your clothes are smaller so really, you can fit more in a bag. Other people take the big stuff. Older siblings. Parents. They’re the ones who pack the sandwiches and juice. You just have to take your bag of clothes. Your life is easy. Waiting. Sometimes it’s rough, especially when you are really looking forward to the trip. Other times, it allows you to finish small projects, write a few letters, and maybe even start reading that book you really love.

Dreams of pirates and the like

2011-05-09T06:27:00.001-07:00

Bad dreams. Bleh! Who needs them? As a kid, I could sense when the bad dreams were coming on. To stop the haunts, I would tell my favorite teddy bear, Pinky, my fears. That only lasted so long. I realized as I got older that I had to clear my head in order to fall asleep. So I would. I would think out and write down every thought I had before I could fall asleep. Only when my mind was clear would sleep find me.

Last night, I read before going to bed. I’d skimmed and read short lists in the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly. Johnny Depp is on the cover. There’s a whole spread about the Pirates movie coming out in a few weeks. I didn’t realize the Pirate would seep in before I fell asleep. But it did and I just woke up from quite an adventure. I wasn’t truly in danger. I mean, Blackbeard just chased me down some rickety stairs, but he really didn’t have a chance of catching me. I was a lot faster than him. The one thing I do find weird is that the tune from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland overshadowed the Dashboard Confessional song that woke me up. No need to hear about a stolen heart. Why not just sing, “Yo ho. Yo ho. A pirate’s life for me.”

Dog Kicks

2011-04-21T22:28:00.001-07:00

So I never had my own dog. I was allowed to have cats, but even the cats were required to stay outside and live in the barn. Dogs just weren’t our family’s thing. Actually, I’m pretty sure dogs were banned because my mom hates dogs. She just does. Because of this, I developed a distaste for man’s best friend as well. Instead of befriending the barking beasts, I always sided with the cat creatures. They were less loud.

Right now, I’m sitting next to the only dog I’ve ever liked. It’s the dog I housesit for and he’s adorable. He also has atrocious breath right now. It stinks. No joke. And… he keeps kicking me. What’s with the kicking, Quincy? Why can’t you just get comfortable and fall asleep already? Your nails keep jabbing into my side. Harumph. Silly dog!

2011-04-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today I received a birthday card from my insurance company in the mail. Now my life is complete. ☺

2011-03-11T17:40:00.001-08:00

How many cans of Diet Pepsi can I have in one day before I should be considered an addict? It’s been that kind of a day. It’s been at least four. Maybe five. There’s something wrong with this picture.

Day Two

2011-03-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

It’s day two of thinking happy thoughts and pushing off the negativity. Since yesterday was a struggle, I’ve decided to start today out a little differently. I’m going to start the day with happy thoughts. It may be a bit like Peter Pan, but hey, the kid was smart!

Happy Thought #1: I live in Oregon, the best state in the USA.

Happy Thought #2: It’s only one more week until payday.

Happy Thought #3: After eating ounces and ounces of Jell-o, my hair is finally long again.

Happy Thought #4: Chocolate exists.

Happy Thought #5: Purple is the color of royalty.

Happy Thought #6: The US Postal Service made all first class stamps FOREVER stamps for 2011.

Happy Thought #7: Today is Thursday.

Happy Thought #8: Tomorrow is Friday.

Happy Thought #9: I have really great friends.

Happy Thought #10: My family is awesome.

Happy Thought #11: The Oregon Ducks are a pretty awesome team.

Eleven seems like a good number. It was my first volleyball number back in the seventh grade. Today is bound to be a great day.

Forty Days of Good Thoughts: Starting Now

2011-03-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

Being a good person takes a lot of work. It means we have to stay positive, be friendly, and let people we love know how much we care about them. It also means there’s a lot of grinning, letting things go, and taking the higher road. Sometimes, I don’t feel like being a good person. I want to scream, yell, eat too much chocolate, and sleep all day. But that’s not me. I care way too much about doing my best and making a difference to settle into an apathetic lifestyle.

Today was probably one of the roughest days I’ve had in a while. I cried at least three times at work. And when I watched Glory Road this evening, I cried a little again. It was just one of those emotionally charged, completely draining days. And then I decided to finish this blog entry. That’s when I saw a word doc named ASD fascination. I checked the properties. It was from April 18 of 2010 and was about wanting to work more with children with autism. It was strange. Back then I had no idea I would be working at the school I do, working with kids with autism.

I started to think more positively. Perhaps what I do matters. Perhaps it’s good that I work where I do. Maybe I’m exactly where I need to be for the time being.

I’m sure today isn’t going to be my only rough day and I’m sure that in a few days, I’ll feel emotionally and physically drained once again, but at least I can end today on a positive note. My job matters, if for no other reason than that I care about doing my best and making a difference in the lives of the kids I work with.

Oh, and if you want, check out my old blog entry here. It’s kinda cool how things turned out.

Lent

2011-03-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

Lent. It starts tomorrow. I didn’t really ever learn about Lent until college when the Nazarene chaplain talked about it at Wednesday’s Ash Wednesday chapel. I got the ashes on my forehead and decided to give up chocolate. It was rough though. I had to wait until after my birthday to eat the candy my mom had sent to me. This year, I’m not sure I’m participating in Lent. But since in the next half an hour I plan to start my Fat Tuesday celebration, I thought it might be good to think about what I could possibly give up. Here are my ideas.

#1: Sarcasm – Nope. There’s no way I could handle myself without sarcasm for 40 whole days.
#2: Chocolate – I’m already on a pretty serious diet. What would be the use of cutting off the random piece of chocolate I consume once every two weeks?
#3: Jelly beans – Nice idea, but I don’t even eat jelly beans unless it’s Easter.
#4: Sandwiches – Sure, the whole idea of Lent is to help you focus more on Holy things by cutting out other idols and obsessions, but I couldn’t give up sandwiches. Come on, I’m a good enough person. Let me have my sandwich! ☺
#5: TV – It’s hard enough to go a weekend without watching TV. Why on earth would I try this for Lent?
#6: Writing – Are you kidding me? You might as well ask me to hold my breath for 40 days. Are you really ready to plan a funeral?
#7: Soda – Ok. This is an idea. But I just tried to cut off soda for a week and only lasted 6 days. Sad.

That’s it. I give up. I’m not sure what I should do for Lent this year. Perhaps I could just try to think happy thoughts. I like that. Be happy for 40 days. It’ll be 40 days towards my goal for 2011. All I want is to be happy. Hmm. I like this.

Happy Mardi Gras, y’all!

st patties

2011-03-01T15:35:00.001-08:00

Love Luck Laughter St. Patrick's Day 5x7 folded card

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facebook junkie

2011-01-21T17:37:00.000-08:00

When did I ever become a facebook junkie? I’ve got to admit, I’ve been like this for a while. But WHEN did it happen? I get up and I check facebook and VKontakte (the Russian facebook). When I get home from work, I check facebook and VKontakte. I’ve started to give up on the VKontakte because my dear friends I visited in Ukraine haven’t been sending me much love in the past week and a half. I’ll stick to my loving facebook friends. Hmmm… Maybe I need to find that second job so I have more stuff going on. ☺

Fall Walk

2011-01-17T23:38:00.001-08:00

Classic White 5x7 folded card

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2011-01-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

So the I Love My Ducks guys totally crack me up. I just showed my mom the Return of the Quack video... and then this was underneath. Um, gross... and also HILAROUS!

the perfect guy

2011-01-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

So as shown in yesterday’s blog post, I like television characters. The truth is that I love television characters so much, I think they should/could be real people. The other day I came up with my version of the perfect guy. He would be as smart as Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory, as funny as Chandler Bing from Friends with the looks of James Franco from Freaks and Geeks.

My father told me such a guy does not exist. Hmph. Maybe I’ll have to figure something else out.

Favorite Television Characters

2011-01-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

1. Chandler Bing
2. Karen from Will & Grace
3. Just Jack from Will & Grace
4. Andrea from Samantha Who?
5. Seth Cohen from The O.C.
6. Jack Donaghey from 30 Rock
7. Tracy Morgan from 30 Rock
8. Larry Paul from Ally McBeal
9. Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory
10. Phoebe Buffay from Friends
11. Jess from Gilmore Girls
12. Finn from Glee
13. Rachel from Glee
14. Mercedes from Glee
15. Lucy from I Love Lucy

FRIENDS

2011-01-08T16:37:00.001-08:00

I have seen every episode of Friends. It’s true. The Vegas episode happened at the end of my sophomore year of high school. My parents didn’t like the show so I would watch it in my room on their black and white TV. The next year, we got a mini satellite dish and my parents ended up watching it with me. I watched it at 5:00 and at 5:30 and we’d watch the new episodes every Thursday at 8 PM. In college, I skipped the basketball games to watch Friends. This was, of course, way before Hulu existed and we could watch current episodes online. Sure I missed out on one of my university’s main events, but I stayed connected to my loyal friends.

There’s something about Chandler’s nonstop jokes and Phoebe’s clairvoyance that makes me feel at home. I’ve always wanted a group of friends like the ones in Friends. But I’ve always moved around too much or been too busy to constantly hang out with a large group of friends.

I’m watching Friends right now. It’s been the perfect Saturday: watching Friends, editing photos, chatting on Russian facebook, and baking. Ah. Good day at home.

Eleven reasons 2011 is going to be awesome:

2011-01-05T23:54:00.001-08:00

1. I’m going to eat gumbo in New Orleans over Spring Break.

2. I work with some really cool people so going to work is actually fun.

3. I’m a year smarter than I was in 2010.

4. I am actually going to the dentist for a regular check up this year.

5. It’s the year of the rabbit. Rabbits are also called bunnies. My last name is Bunn so obviously it’s my year.

6. With the wrinkles of yet another year, I won’t have to pull out my ID as much each time I order a beer.

7. I’m able to enjoy the beauty of Oregon.

8. I discovered How I Met Your Mother at the end of 2010 and now my new love affair can continue into the New Year.

9. The final Harry Potter movie is coming out.

10. I’m learning how to knit, embroider, and sew.

11. I’ve fully committed myself to the Democratic Party and am loving it.

Happy New Year! (four days late)

2011-01-04T20:25:00.001-08:00

2011

It has been ten years since I left high school. It’s been almost six since I graduated college. I’ve known my friends in Ukraine for five years. This is crazy. When I was younger, I always wanted the days to go faster so I could enjoy my weekends. I wanted to be able to hang out with my siblings without any distractions of school and homework. But of course, my sibs had friends and hobbies that kept them from my agenda.

In 2011, I know a little more than when I was little Rece. I know that we only get one life. We have to live our lives as if there is no tomorrow. We should be doing the things we want to do NOW and spending time with the people we care about. I finally made it back to Ukraine over Christmas break and I realized how much I love the people and the culture over there. But my life is here in America. And so… I will write more. I will call more often, and I will save money to visit my dear friends.

I didn’t want to make any real new years resolutions this year, mainly because every year I make resolutions, I only follow through with about one or two of them. So in 2011, I aim to be happy. That’s it. I want to be happy at work, in my personal life, with my family, with my money, etc. As long as I’m happy, I’m sure the other things will be as they should be, right? ☺

Happy New Year friends!

friends and shoes

2010-11-29T22:38:00.000-08:00

And here's a screen shot of my first "thought to ponder." Hmmm... why do we have such different tastes? My answer: don't ask. Just enjoy the friendship. :)

Chickens and roads

2010-11-29T22:35:00.000-08:00

Here's something I found on my "Things to Ponder" Page of this blog.

Things to Ponder
QUESTION: Why do chickens cross roads?

What are they? Stupid? I mean, seriously. My brother has a bunch of chickens at my parents' house. The chickens run wild and they escape from their roaming area. The other day, one of them crossed the road to the neighbors' property. What was it thinking? Why does it want to cross the icky pavement? Perhaps other people look at me and wonder, "why does Sharece keep going back to Dayton?" "Why doesn't she stay in one place for more than a year?" or "Why would she EVER move back in with her parents?" All I can say to this is it's what I do. It's "the thread" I follow. Not everyone can understand it or see it the same way, but it's the way I am. Maybe I should give the chickens a break. (August 29, 2010)

Dayton

2010-11-29T10:40:00.001-08:00

It’s the place I grew up.
I called it my hometown.
My parent’s address
My BFF lives there.
It’s where I work.
I love its history.
Joel Palmer, the Block House
Blue Moon at Mike’s Place
Orange slices, chilled glasses
Writing about it
Learning about it
Wanting to leave
Pirates, friends, homework
It’s part of my history.
I like it a bit.
Not sure if I’ll stay
Am here now
Que Sera, Sera

Sister

2010-11-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

She’s 30. I can’t believe it. My sister is 30. And I’m only a little over two years younger than her. That means I’ll be 28 in April. ACK!

My sister is fantastic. She’s been my friend for a long time. She’s been my sister for longer. We didn’t always get along. We had to share a room for 16 years of our lives. But it’s all ok, because we’re family and a good one at that.

And here’s an ODE to Shelli! Booyah!

Shelli May Bunn(-Petterson)
Sister.
Friend.
Lots of pink.
Cheesy music.
Madonna.
Musicals.
Glee.
Rainbows.
Flowers.
Books.
Vampires.
Movies.
Humor.
Kids.
More books.
Food.
Taco mountains ate lying down.
Pumpkin pie boycotts.
Sibling rivalries.
Pirate Power.
Hooch pageant.
Queen.
Loves the camera.
Mom.
Mother of two.
Spencer’s mom.
Pink pajamas for a girl.
Steen.
Lifeguard.
Run a mile.
Laugh with friends.
Writer.
English teacher.
Sheet hogger.
White Christmas.
Holiday Inn.
Strong Opinions.
Stubborn girls.
Bunns.
Dayton.
Oregon.
NNU 2005.
Words.
Precious words.
Sisters.
Friends.
Life.
Family.
Forever.

snow and holiday thoughts

2010-11-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

Snow! It’s snowing here in Nampa, Idaho. We’re watching Robin Hood, the one with Russell Crowe. Shanna’s working on her computer, doing teacher’s homework. Ma Bunn is holding baby Jayden. Pa Bunn is staring at the movie television set, engrossed in the film. Spencer lies engulfed in his Spiderman comforter, watching the action in Nottingham.

And here I am: sitting at my computer, typing a blog post. At least I’m in front of the computer. That means it’s more likely that I will work my on my final project revisions. (Sigh. I wish I were already done. ☹)

Eh. Life is good. I had a delightful pancake this morning, with a few chocolate chips melted inside it with some of that delicious peanut butter and maple syrup on top. It really feels like the holidays. We’re not doing much of anything. If the tree and decorations were up, it would definitely feel like Christmas.

I’m going to miss the Christmas holidays with my family this year. It’s by choice of course. I want to visit my Peace Corps family in Ukraine, but still. I’ll miss out on the good old BBJ traditions.

Eh. I’ll survive. I always do. And I’ll still get to celebrate New Years in Portland. YEA!

Holiday stress

2010-11-24T16:56:00.001-08:00

What is it about family and holidays? Why do we get so stressed out? Why do we have to cook so much food? Half of the stress comes from problems in the kitchen. There aren’t the right ingredients. She wants lemon zest in the apple pie. He doesn’t. It goes back and forth. And not until everybody sits down at the table together is the tension relaxed.

I’m not one for stress. I especially dislike stress at family get-togethers. I just wish it could be much easier.

Trucking through

2010-11-22T21:48:00.001-08:00

It’s been a long journey through grad school. Today, I defended my final project. Now, I have revisions. My professor gave me a week. I just want to have it done. Oh man. So close. I’ll get there!

Obsession

2010-10-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

I just started a new playlist on iTunes. I’m calling it “OBSESSION.” It’s for those songs I play over and over on repeat. Right now, it’s Bruno Mars’ song, “Somewhere in Brooklyn.” Two weeks ago it was, “The World Should Revolve Around Me.” In Ukraine it was, “These Words.” So I obsess about songs. Why not?

I had a crush on a guy who wrote a few letters to me when I was in Ukraine. We answered questions in our letters. One of the questions was, “what song would you listen to if you could only listen to one for the rest of your life?” He didn’t answer. He said it was a horrible question and he couldn’t imagine such a life. Well, it’s a good thing my crush ended before we ever took a roadtrip or even drove to the movies together. I’m just sayin…

I think after the twelfth time I play it, I’ll change the playlist. Good idea?

Thursday Night

2010-10-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

NBC. Friends. The Office. 30 Rock.
Lots of laughs.
Tons of fun.
Procrastinating homework.
Staying up late.
Not caring.
Tomorrow’s Friday.
Hate Trump.
Drinking soda.
Had popcorn.
Love the weekend.
Need to study.
Back to typing.
Reach the end.

RAIN

2010-10-25T20:49:00.001-07:00

It’s what I love about Oregon.
Wet leaves, covering the ground.
Water puddles perfect for jumping in.
Speckled glasses.
Drops catching on eyelashes, dripping mascara.
Angry clouds.
Semi-tipping wind.
Red. Yellow. Turning brown.
Need my raincoat.
Go inside.
Cuddle us.
Soak in the fire.
Just two more months until Christmas.

Dancing in Movies

2010-10-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

My sister, Shelli, was always into dance movies. Anytime a dance film came out when we were in high school, she’d want to watch it and she would. She was grounded for most of her senior year of high school. Thus, the two of us had many a movie night. Shelli and I would go to Safeway, pick up a four-cheese pizza and our favorite ice cream and walk over to Blockbuster to rent the old eighties dance movies she loved. It was our thing. And when our parents were out of town and we were left alone, instead of having parties, this was what we would do. I’m sure my nerdiness rubbed off on her. She’d always been the cool one (which explains the dance movies). But it was a good time. Now every time I watch a dance movie, I think of Shelli. Why wouldn’t I? It was our thing. Shelli lives a state away these days. We don’t get to spend a lot of time together and when we do, we’re usually surrounded by all of our family members. I’m sure some day, we’ll be ditched by the family and only Shelli and I will be lounging around on the couch together. But for some reason, I doubt we’ll pop in a dance movie.

A little faith in Obama

2010-10-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

I stopped believing in the tooth fairy in third grade. I learned about Santa Claus in fourth. I learned to do my own laundry in fifth grade and I realized prince charming wasn’t coming along at age twenty-five.

I also voted for Barack Obama. I loved what he stood for: bringing hope and change to America. Never once did I think he was God or that he had super powers. I thought he was a cool guy running for a really intense position, but he believed in the same sort of things I did. He had great ideas for change, the kind of ideas I couldn’t think up if I hung out with Harvard graduates everyday.

I still like Obama. Sure, not all the promises have been fulfilled, but people who believe in the Bible have been waiting for thousands of years for their promises to be fulfilled. Many wait till death to reach heaven. That’s a lot of faith in something or someone you can’t see in person. But we can see Obama. We read about or hear about the wars, economic failings, and health care policies he’s dealing with daily. Why can’t we put a little bit of faith in our own guy? He’s one of us, after all. He’s an American. He puts himself in the public eye and gets bashed by bloggers and commentators every day. Personally, I know I could never do it. I take it personally when people look at me with a blank expression. I assume they hate me. I like Obama and you know, I think if we were all a little more positive (including myself), maybe we could get along a little better. Because right now, it really sucks to be a voting American.

collecting the crapper

2010-10-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Today my brother is holding a toilet roundup/ BBQ. It’s strange. The fact that he knew he could invite our family to such an event is telling. We’re country dwellers. There are a few toilets in the backyard. My father is saving them for his shop and the pool house.

I pulled one out of the woods today. It’s on the front lawn, waiting for my sister to pick it up and take it to the BBQ. Gotta love Saturdays. ☺

Stress

2010-09-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

In my health classes in high school, we learned about stress. We talked about lifestyles, heart attacks, heart disease, etc. One of the factors to an early death was having a lifestyle that is fueled by stressors.

My life has become a stress bucket. Everything I am working on stresses me out. Completing my master’s thesis is a huge stressor, trying to learn how to sew to make my Halloween costume while working on said thesis is stressful, and working in the special ed classroom is stressful.

I shouldn’t complain. I chose to do all the things I’m doing. I don’t want to give up on any of the three projects. I should just shut up, right? I’m probably not going to. I’m a talker. I like to talk about things to deal with them. It usually comes across that I’m just a big whiny baby but that’s okay. It’ll all get better soon. ☺

Crowded Coffee Shop

2010-09-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Right now, I’m in my favorite coffee shop in the world. No, it is not the coffee shop I used to work in. It’s the place I frequented in high school. Back during the days when my mom and dad used to pay for my gas, I came here with my friends. I’m not sure why exactly or what we were thinking, driving all the way to Newberg through the crazy Dundee traffic. But we did it anyway.

I’m supposed to be working on my thesis right now, but I’m a bit distracted. In front of me, a seventy-year-old man is eating a muffin. Ahead and to the left of me, three high school years are gossiping about their friends. And behind me to the right, there are a couple of girls talking about Jesus and all that good stuff.

So maybe my idea of coming to the coffee cottage to write was a bad idea. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the library. Right now, I’m going to try to focus. Wish me luck…

crackin' open a bottle

2010-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

I just opened up a bottle of Seufert Winery’s Woven White. I bought it when I was chillin’ with my father and sister at the Dayton Harvest Festival a few weeks ago. Although I wanted to open it the day I bought it, I held out. I wanted to wait for a special occasion. Well, tonight was just that sort of night. What, you may ask, was the special occasion? The fact that I KNOW I can finish my thesis/project in the next eight weeks. It’s gonna happen. All I need to do now is chill in a coffee shop and write.

So there you go.

And in case you’re wondering about the photo, it’s a wine glass. Okay, so it’s actually a plastic Tupperware container, but it’s Rece’s special wine holder. I like it cuz it’s fun. And it’s not as pretentious as the usual wine glass. ☺ Eh, my dad thinks I’m crazy when I drink from it, but when DOESN’T he think I’m crazy. (Please note that the wine "glass" isn't that big. It's really a kids' cup I used to use when I was a little girl. I just really know how to take a crazy picture.)

Hasta.

Beaver Country

2010-09-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

When I turned in my keys, filled my storage unit, and took a small sampling of my possessions with me to my parent’s house for the year, I didn’t put together all the pieces. I had forgotten that my parents were now in their sixties and went to bed at eight-thirty, nine on a special evening. I started to remember small details like “bedtime” within the first week. It took longer for others.

A few weeks of driving reminded me of the “red-nature” of Yamhill County. Tons of people here sport Chris Dudley stickers on their cars. Hmm. I’m sure I can find some democrats to befriend here in Dayton. ☺

But the biggest shock (and probably the most disappointing) is the amount of Beaver fans in the area. In my own classroom, two of the adults support the Beavers. I’m lucky one of the other sides with me. GO DUCKS!

I think after another year in Yamhill County, I’m gonna head to a new place. Yeah. I definitely need to get out of this Beaver country.

Good Will and whatnot

2010-09-25T10:56:00.000-07:00

There was only one thing I wanted for my sixteen birthday: a ticket to the movies. Good Will Hunting was in theaters. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were starring in the movie they wrote together. I read all about it in Seventeen or whatever other teen girl magazine had the two of them on the cover. I thought they were hot. My friends knew this and supported my obsession. Lena bought me a Ben Affleck poster for my room, a poster that right now sits in my storage unit.

So I didn’t get to go to the movie on my birthday. It was already out of most theaters. But with my mother’s help, I searched every newspaper until I found where it was still playing. It was in Wilsonville and we went to see the film. My mom freaked out a bit. The curse words bothered her. I found it exhilarating. If I wasn’t allowed to say things like that, but I sure appreciated watching a film where they could say things I’d never dream of saying. Not only that, but they lived in a culture vastly different from my sheltered world in Dayton.

I’ve always appreciated that about movies. They give a chance to see and experience a world unlike our own. I’ve traveled a lot of places. I’ve lived in other countries and different sizes of cities. But I still appreciate movies. There’s no way I’ll ever be able to see all the places I want to see and also hang out with my friends and family as much as I like to. So I watch movies.

Good Will Hunting is on Encore right now. I missed the beginning, but it made me realize why this became one of my favorite movies when I was 16. Not only are their hot guys. I love the story. And I adore Matt Damon’s monologues. But best of all are the lessons they guys teach each other. As cheesy as that sounds, it’s perfect. Each day I end up learning something new. I have to face my own stubbornness and bias daily. I make new discoveries, learn new words, and read things I’ve never read before. And it keeps going. And so I believe that movies do bring good to us. They can, in fact, be educational.

The Slow Digression of My Vocabulary

2010-09-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

When Abby took a trip down to Eugene in February, she told me I talked too smart. I had mentioned a “dialogue” I had with a friend and she said, “Rece, you’ve been in academia too long.” It had only been half a year, but I sounded smart. I was happy. It made me feel better. My GRE scores had been abominable. (The fact that I had been accepted to the UO’s JSchool shows that they wanted me for my winning personality and great resume, not my test scores.)

Well, all the greatness that was becoming my vocabulary began to dwindle upon returning to Dayton. These days, I spend at least seven hours a day at my local grade school, working with kids who may have severe communication disabilities. It wouldn’t be far off to say our classroom specializes in autism and all that entails. So basically, all my verbose tendencies and ability to brighten a room with intelligent conversation mean nothing at school.

Here are a few of the new things I’ve learned to say in the past month.

“OK, teacher.” This is the proper response to say when a child tells you “no” and refuses to do what you ask. I learned this the hard way, after allowing a student to shout “no” several times to me. I’d been hesitant to force the child to go to the next station as was over-cautious and unsure of the amount of power I was really supposed to have in a special classroom such as mine. (Basically, I was walking on eggshells around the kids as it was my first experience in a Special Ed setting.)

“Hands down.” I used this my second day in the classroom when was brutally attacked by a student. OK. The truth is that the student was having a bit of “a moment” and that student’s hands were just a part of it, flying about and flapping at and hitting everything in front. These two words come in handy whenever I want to avoid the aggression of an “outburst” and not get new bruises.

“Safe hands.” This goes along with the previous pair of words. It’s what we call a teaching phrase. We want the kids to learn that flapping arms and hands that make contact with others might be unsafe. Safe hands are much gentler and don’t give Teacher Sharece any bruises.

“Evacuation.” This is a new one from today. It came up on our daily reporting sheets for the parents. One of our co-workers at the school translated the form to Spanish for us and she said used, “evacuacion” for “BM.” Yep, I’m talking about poop. From now on, whenever I smell a poopy diaper, I’m going to say, “Ladies, I think it’s time to evacuate” or something equally cheesy or lame.

I’m sure that eventually, Abby and I will get back to our book club and I will start having intellectual conversations again, but for now, I’m all set. I mean hey, it seems that every day brings me something new. How could I complain about that? I can always dialogue with people about my day.

Garlic

2010-09-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

I never remember consuming garlic in my early age. I just wasn’t into it. But I do remember learning about using garlic as a weapon against evil creatures. I think I was in third grade when I learned that garlic would ward off vampires and zombies and such. I’m not quite sure when I started eating garlic or cooking garlic, but I do know that I enjoy eating garlic now and that I find vampires and zombies somewhat interesting. If they were real, it might be fun to be friends with them, as long as they weren’t planning to drain the blood out of me or eat my brains.

For the last few days, I’ve been fighting a cold with an incredibly stuffy nose. But at about 6:00 each night, I’ve felt a ray of hope. My dad had fixed dinner with a plethora of garlic. My nostrils were cleared! Hooray!

I believe garlic has a place in this world. Sure, some people might use it to fend off scary beasts, and some of us might just like that it gives our food a little flavor.

Ellen and Gaga

2010-09-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Ellen. I think she has a way of making people feel good and enjoy life. Here's a good one.

September

2010-09-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

It’s the month of apples, school, fall colors, and rain. It’s the time to eat applesauce, apple pie, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and drink mini cartons of chocolate milk. Ah. Gotta love it.

My favorite thing about September used to be the new school clothes and school picture day. I don’t know WHY I liked picture day. I mean… most of my school pictures look pretty nasty. But I still looked forward to the day when I’d wear my hair in some tight pig-tails and don my most favorite T-shirt. Yep. I was that girl. One year, the shirt had teddy bears on it. The next, it was tie-dyed with jewels.

I’m back at school this year. But I don’t have any special plans for what I’m wearing for picture day. Better figure it out quickly.

How to Repair Damaged Hair | eHow.com

2010-08-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

How to Repair Damaged Hair | eHow.com

So Yeah. Here's an online How to article I discovered today. Pretty interesting, no?

gimme sum gumbo!

2010-08-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of gumbo. I discovered gumbo in Disneyland over Spring Break and now it is one of my most favorite foods. A little over a week ago, my friend Sarah and I had a farewell to Eugene sort of evening. For dinner, we went for some of that delicious Papa Soul Food Gumbo. I almost cried I was so happy.

Ah.....

Getting back to blogging

2010-08-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

How does one call oneself a blogger if she never blogs? I don’t know. Thus, I am blogging to show that in fact I do blog and write on occasion. This month (August) has been crazier than crazy. I was in Portland for a few Monday/Tuesdays early on while volunteering at the fabulous OPB. The commuting business turned me into a major stress case. So I decided to make mochas and lattes for the remainder of my August in Eugene instead. Then my thirty days at the apartment in Eugene were up and it was time to move back to Dayton. That’s where I am now. I live in my brothers’ old bedroom and am working at my old grade school. My new job started just two days after I moved here. But instead of chillin’ at that grade school in Dayton where I’m going to work, I headed to Albany for some training about teaching kids with autism. I am excited for it and scared for it at the same time. I’ve never worked with children with autism before. I suppose there’s a reason I’ve become fascinated with the most popular disability in the U.S. Who knows… I’m sure it’ll be an interesting experience to add to my life adventures.

Yesterday, I chatted briefly on Facebook with one of my favorite people in Eugene. He asked me how things in Dayton were. I didn’t have much to say. Much of my activities lately have revolved around organizing my room, cleaning the dishes, and watching Gilmore Girls. But I also get to hang out with Madelyn, my four-year-old niece. She likes to follow me around. Her baby sister is only about six months old. She doesn’t know her Tia Rece very well these days. Anyway, Madelyn was my buddy yesterday. She brought me a tiara to wear to my second cousin, Mia’s princess birthday party. It was… well… it was a princess party. It was sweet. I haven’t actually been to a princess party in a while, but it was good. I told my sister-in-law that if it’d been ten years ago, I would have been ALL decked out as a princess and majorly into the cheesy dancing or something.

Other than the occasional princess party and “trip to town,” I haven’t been up to a whole bunch. So folks, that’s it for now.

Book Geeks

2010-08-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

I work with a bunch of book geeks… or maybe we’re book nerds. I’m not sure. Whatever we are, we are AWESOME. Together, we do one of the most important jobs at the University of Oregon. We process and repair books. Yep. It’s THE most important. Without the books, how would we learn? This whole digital thing is just a fad. It’ll be gone in no time.

Anyway, tonight we had a library crew garden party. It was quite wonderful. We made mini books, looked at Marilyn’s (one of the boss’s) chickens, and ate a fabulous feast.

Here’s a taste…

Craft time was the best. Jonny didn't bring his supplies but most of the girls did. It was great. Seriously, our work at the library feels a little like this fun craft time.

I'm not gonna lie. When the girls started talking about the types of chickens they have and what color eggs they lay and basically anything chicken, I realized I was way out of my league. I totally ignored everything chicken when I was a kid. I didn't like the meat, I hated feeding them and basically disliked all the farm work I had to do. Ironic that now I want that kind of life here in Eugene.

Please note: I don't know the name of the above chicken. But I believe it's the one they pet and talk to a lot. Will I ever get over my fear of being pecked to death by a hungry chicken? Not sure...

Packing city!

2010-08-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

Not only has it been ages since I've blogged... it's also been ages since I've taken a picture with my rad camera. This is a problem because I love my camera. It's one of the things I feel like I need in life. :)

But anyway, here's a picture for ya.

It represents my life right now... a huge pile of boxes, some empty, some falling into other boxes, and some half full. I wish my life could be more organized during this "transitional phase," but that seems to never be the case.

Eh, things will settle down and then I'll be able to blog about WHY I have a pile of boxes in my apartment and why I haven't used my camera recently.

Until then, enjoy this unphotoshopped image.

Trusting a toy

2010-07-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

This morning, I got to sit at a new desk. I was at my non-internship volunteer workplace. It was amazing to have my own cubicle. I didn’t have to sit in the studio everybody needed to use and I didn’t have to sit in the table in the middle of the room and read the newspaper twice.

But instead of jumping into the online news when I entered the cubicle, I did what every smart person would do. I picked up the Magic 8 ball. I asked it the ultimate question, the question every woman over 26 who’s moving back in with her parents must ask: Will I ever get married? I shook it up, closed my eyes for a second, willed a positive response, turned it upside down, and looked down.

DEFINITELY NOT.

What? This can’t be. I was shocked. How could this happen? I took a walk, got a drink of water, and went to the toilet to catch my breath. Then I realized. The Magic 8 Ball didn’t understand the question. It was made in China. It doesn’t know English.

I texted a few of my friends to get their responses. I got a few “hahas” and a “Rece, you’re so funny.” Abby said I shouldn’t put much stock into a piece of plastic with blue water in it.

I tried again. Negative. Third time’s a charm, I thought. I got the answer I wanted. Not a yes. Not, “sure.” But it was a positive one for sure. I took a deep breath. I texted my friend Lena to let her know the good news. Rece was not going to turn into an old hag with crazy cats.

I think I’ve learned my lesson. Magic 8 Balls are not toys. And if you want to ask them a question, you must finesse it out of them. And ask the question slowly. Enunciate. Then maybe you won’t have to try three times for the right answer.

My Little Butterscotch!

2010-07-18T16:39:00.001-07:00

I’ve adopted a bunny. It’s true. I came home to “the farm” AKA BBJ Ranch and encountered the cutest bunny I have seen in years. It used to run wild and free, but it ate my sister’s and her neighbors’ berries. My dad caught it and it’s been in a cage ☹ in my parents’ “woods” for the past few months.

It’s mine now. And sure, it’s going to live in the cage for right now and all, but I’m going to treat it like the princess or prince that it is.

That's Butterscotch. Isn't he/she cute? Don't worry. I'm going to figure out what "it" is.

Here’s what I know about my new baby right now.

1. It’s a rabbit.
2. Its name is Butterscotch. (I named it today.)
3. It’s sweet and cute.
4. It has light brown fur, like a butterscotch brownie.
5. It’s sweeter than the other one, the one I call, Lumpy.

So yeah, I’ve found a new pal, a new project. And we’re going to figure out how to build him or her a cute and sweet little home. ☺

Summer Catch-Up!

2010-07-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog. It’s actually been a bit since I’ve done things I truly loved to do. There haven’t been many early bird movie specials, puzzles in the kitchen or days of nothing but writing. Instead, I’ve been having a crazy summer.

The end of school started out with a bang. Me and my gals from DHS went on a road-trip to Spokane to catch up with one of our other girls. It was amazing. We hadn’t all hung out for quite a while. I’ve been fortunate enough and persistent enough to see all of them several times in the past nine years (plus one of them is the Ethel to my Lucy or the Lucy to my Ethel – I’m not sure which). While there, three of the five of us got tattoos. It was great. Now I have three, a good number.

After that, I headed back to Eugene to continue work as a barista and book repairperson at the University library. That’s what I did for the second half of June. I worked… a lot. Ask my friends. I wasn’t around for much playtime.

Now that it’s July, my volunteer hours at OPB have started. I’m pretty stoked. Let’s just say, I love volunteering somewhere and I’m uber-excited for new adventures at a radio station.

In TV news, I’ve discovered the show, Samantha Who? I love it! Christina Applegate is so funny. And Barry Watson is so cute. I totally forgot he was from 7th Heaven until I wikipediaed him. Also, he looks a lot like Timothy Olyphant, Mr. Funk from The Boss episode. It’s crazy. I feel as if the two of them could be brothers or something. And Andrea is a new character to add to my list of favorite television characters. ☺

So besides filling random parts of my days by watching television, I have spent some time with the fam. That’s always a thrill. ☺

I suppose that is all for now. More later.

All the best.
XOXO

Today is June 30th.

2010-06-30T20:07:00.001-07:00

It’s already the end of June. That means I have six more months until the New Year. I suppose that could mean it’s time to reevaluate what I’ve been up too. Have I been blogging enough? Obviously not. Have I been devoting time to volunteer for charities in my local area? Um, it would appear that is also in the red. I guess it’s time to get going.

Happy Half New Year, folks!

Lady Gaga and the Muffin Top

2010-06-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

This is by far one of my favorite YouTube videos to date. I just showed it to Ma Bunn and she did the five-minute laugh. Um, yeah. It's awesome!

SCHOOL'S OUT

2010-06-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

When I graduated from high school NINE years ago, our class had a theme song. It wasn’t all that original. I’m sure many high school graduating classes have celebrated their new beginnings with this song.

Well, school is officially out for yours truly. It’s been a rigorous year and in actuality, I have yet to complete my master’s thesis (or project, in my case), but all the same, classes are done. This is exciting, mainly because I have been so fed up with classes. It’s been a rough, stressful, even emotional year. But I’ve learned a bunch and now, it’s time for some celebrating!

My best friends from DHS and I are headed off to Spokane, WA to visit the fifth chica in our clique. It is sure to be a fabulous trip. We’re gonna hike, make soap, talk, and get tattoos. I’m sure we’ll do more than that, but those are the highlights. I’ve been looking forward to this trip ever since Sarah first suggested the idea on Facebook in the fall. And at long last, the trip is finally here. It’ll be grand.

The trip and the tattoo are rewards of sorts. I’ve made it through four quarters of grad school relatively unscarred. I did all my work, turned it in on time, and got above average grades (which for grad school means I’m just getting by). But I did it. I deserve this.

Poka for now.

Crap show of Sex and the City

2010-06-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

I never understood why in the first movie, they put Stanford and Anthony together. It made no sense. And to have their wedding open the second movie was just ridiculous.

Let me start at the beginning. I’m not a first-timer. I’ve watched Sex and the City since early 2003. It had been almost over by then, I believe, but two girls from my English Lit classes at NNU thought I needed an education in HBO television. They loaned me their VHS tapes and rather than preparing for finals, I spent time watching Sex and the City. It was alright, I still had good grades, but more importantly, I met the likes of Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, Miranda, and of course, crazy Samantha.

It was a good investment of my time. The show was all over the news, often referenced in People and forever on the lips of my English major friends.

Basically, I like the show. I REALLY like the show. And I’ll always be sad that Carrie ruined things with Aiden and also be glad that she ended up with Big, as Chris Noth is very attractive.

That said, Sex and the City 2 was a simply awful movie. It started out slow. I liked the wedding. It was cute and sweet and so over the top that I loved it, but it really had NOTHING to do with the rest of the movie. What was going on? Okay, so the two (very fun and sweet – at least Stanford was) gay guys were getting married. This is special. But then the movie moved on. We didn’t hear from either of the B-Rooms again. What? Why not?

And then Carrie starts getting mad at Big because of the TV. Really? The TV? So I know that people in relationships, girls especially, get mad about stupid things and mess things up by being ridiculous, but really? Getting up set about the TV? Come on, Carrie. Carrie had always been my favorite until she started complaining about the TV and trying to force Big to go out all the time.

And then the trip to Abu Dhabi. That was cool. That was the main story. Why were there so many mini stories before? For real: why? Aiden’s role was really minor, but the previews made it look much more prominent. And would I really want it to be prominent? Probably not. That might mean that Carrie would be cheating on Big or something. Not a good move! And then she kisses him. At least that’s all. For real.

I’m not trying to spoil the show or disagree with people who liked the movie, but really? It was awful. I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for my ticket. I would have been really upset about it.

All in all, I’d give this 2.75 stars out of five. It’s not quite to the three stars bit (meaning I like it) but I don’t dislike it either.

End of School

2010-06-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

The school year is coming to an end. I like it. But really, I’m starting to get a little nervous. I still have two papers to finish. One is a rewrite that needs some serious work. The other is a summary of my final project. The final project is what I’m going to work on this summer and in the fall. Yep. It’s the big project that will earn me my master’s degree. It’s pretty exciting, working on my master’s. But then what? The real world?

This is how I view the real world:

Responsibility – I’ll be forced to find a real job that will support me and help me pay off my undergraduate and graduate loans.

Grownup – I will finally have to be a real grownup to face the responsibilities.

Budget – Creating and sticking to a budget will be crucial to pay the rent, buy shampoo, and pay the other bills.

I’m not sure that I’m ready for the real world. This is mainly because I don’t know where I’m headed. Why is this? Wouldn’t it have been a good idea to have an idea? But I’m a millennial. We millennials have no real direction!

The truth is that I still have a while before I’ve got to worry about the real world. I have to finish my papers, then move out of my apartment, then work on my project, then…

There is plenty to do. Why rush it?

The thing about the real world is that I suppose I am living in the real world now. It’s just my real world. It’s a very specific sort of world. It’s focused and unable to shift from place to place. I’m in Oregon. I’m in school. I’m at work. It’s my world.

But that world is changing very soon. THAT is what scares me.

Not so deep but surely interesting thoughts on this May evening

2010-05-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

I get why my Granddad is confused. Facebook and Twitter are all over the news. Sometimes they’re in articles about the new privacy policies or fads that are causing a ruckus. Most of the time they are mentioned at the end of stories. “You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook,” the reporter says. If I didn’t know what either of those were I’d probably Google it or check out Wikipedia. But what about Granddad? I’m sure he’s not the only old guy who watches the news. What about the other folks who don’t know what this new media is?

It’s been about a year since I started studying journalism here at the U of O. I’m still baffled by the changes in media. Sure, there are still jobs in journalism. But things are changing so fast and sometimes so slow that it’s hard to know exactly where to look.

On the other hand, it’s pretty rad that new media is taking over the world. I love that social media is becoming so strong. People are more aware of what things are happening in the world. They engage in the conversations. What could be wrong with that?

I’m not quite sure what the future of journalism is gonna look like. I’m not positive what my future will look like and even if I’m going to be working in journalism. We’ll see. There’s no sense in getting ahead of ourselves.

that dang language barrier

2010-05-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

Japanese. Korean. Chinese. Indonesian. German. They’re all foreign to me. I barely know a word of any of the languages. Perhaps I could understand one word in a typical conversation. This would be only because the word is a cognate. I just don’t know enough foreign languages.

Today, I took the bus from the U of O to downtown Eugene. During that short seven to ten minute trip, I sat next to two people from Asia. Unfortunately, because of my ignorance about Asian cultures, I couldn’t even tell you where they were from or what language they were speaking. It made me sad.

While I was sitting there, I was writing in my journal. I stopped when I heard a word I thought I understood. I honestly believe they may have been talking about how no one understood them when they spoke on the bus. I heard, “they learn English in grade school, English in middle school, and English in high school.” And then there was laughter. Okay, so I’m not sure they were saying this, but as I’ve said before, I’m a tid-bit narcissistic and suffer from a slight case of Truman Syndrome and thus believe everyone is always talking or thinking about me.

As I sat there in ignorance, I was transported back to Ukraine. My friends and I used to visit Kyiv every few months. When we got together on the Metro, we were always loud. I tried to shut us up; I hated to be an obnoxious American, but it didn’t matter. We were loud. We dressed funny. And we always stuck out on the Metro.

One of the reasons I learned Ukrainian so well was to abolish the isolation I felt for being a foreigner. I think it’s important to learn and see other cultures. Learning the language of the other culture is an essential part of this.

Here’s the summer goal: No matter where I am this summer, I’m going to work on my Spanish. It’s important. A good chunk of our population in the Pacific Northwest grew up with Spanish as its primary language. It’s about time I step up to the plate and communicate effectively with my friends and neighbors. ☺

HEROES

2010-05-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

“I already have a family.” And she jumps out of the window. Talk about great television. I’m hooked.

Heroes is just about the greatest show I could be watching.

Hiro Nakamura – by far the coolest hero ever.

Some kid from my grad school classes doesn’t like the show. He says it’s a knock-off of X-Men. Even if it were, it wouldn’t matter. I love it.

Sylar – Evil Man. What power allows him to move things and stop bullets mid-air?

Peter Petrelli – My hero.

“Turns out you’re the villain, Peter. I’m the Hero.” – Sylar

The bomb. AHH!!!

“Save the cheerleader; save the world.” Hmm. What is going on? I doubt Nathan really just died. And there is a big explosion in the air. So Nathan did turn out to be a good guy? What? So confused and yet the music is supposed to help me feel much better, happy and good, you know.

Good line: “Home is anywhere our family is together.” – Mr. Bennett

Is Ando going to be gone from Volume 3? I really liked him. He was funny and cute.

I finally finished watching Heroes Season 1. My sister loaned it to me when I visited her for New Years. It’s now the middle of May. Oops.

I always wanted to be Supergirl when I was little. She could fly. She had blonde hair and she saved people. I never thought superheroes could have all the super powers they have in Heroes. I mean, Claire can’t die. She just regenerates. How groovy is that?

Superpowers… What power would you have if you were a superhero?

cell phone terror

2010-05-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

There’s a reason I try not to have cell phone conversations in front of others. People listen in. I do it. My ear stretches out to catch the private words people are sharing in public. Why wouldn’t I listen in when the person is shouting so loud into the phone that even my grandfather with horrible hearing could catch every word?

The other day, I took a bus to campus. When I got on, a girl was talking to her friend about school stuff. When she got off, she was still talking to the same friend. We both walked across the street and took the same sidewalk up 13^th on campus. She was still talking to her friend. At first, I’d been listening. Then, I realized I was annoyed and started to tune her out. By the time I got to the path to the J-School, she still hadn’t stopped her conversation.

Seriously? Does she like to be noisy and obnoxious with her telephone conversations?

Yesterday, I got news that I was one of the people OPB was looking at for a summer internship. I was pretty stoked. I tried to e-mail my mom about it, but she didn’t read them right away. I ended up calling her when I was walking four blocks from my house. Sure, I was chatting loudly on my phone, but I made sure there weren’t any people walking behind me. Plus, the convo only lasted about two minutes.

Cell phones... Be careful where you use them.

job skills

2010-05-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school, I took a skills test. It asked about my interests, where I wanted to live, and how much money I wanted to make a year. I wasn’t sure how much money was normal, so I shot high. I was a smart girl, I thought. Why NOT make a bunch of money?

Well, that skills test hasn’t gotten me anywhere. I know the same things I did back then. I love to write and I love photography. But neither of those has made me any money yet.

Tonight, my cousin called me about a possible move to Portland. She’s going to need a new roommate and wants to know if I can move up north. I would love to, but I’m not quite sure what the heck is going on these days. I need a job. I need to finish school. And I need a vacation. That’s all I know.

I started to browse online for jobs in Portland. I had no luck so I moved on to Seattle, the place I really want to move to. I stumbled upon the job title, “funeral director.” That’s what the skills test told me. I was going to be a funeral director. There was no other way to use my smart skills and make that amount of money. Hmm… is this my calling?

homework stuff

2010-05-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Whenever I work on homework, I surround myself with distractions. I don’t know that it’s the smartest idea.

Look at today.
I got home at four. I decided to take a short break and watch something on Hulu. It was the latest episode of Glee. Then, I started to download songs from iTunes. It’s my latest addiction. iTunes can be dangerous to the poor girl’s budget. After iTunes, it was Friday Night Lights (FNL) on Netflix. I’m loving this new show. I have to read the book for a project. The show is great too. The goal is to connect with small town life and be motivated to search for the thing that holds Dayton (Oregon) together. I’m so enthralled with the show that I have a hard time thinking of anything but football. And sure football used to keep Dayton together, but I’m not sure that it still does today. After FNL, I decided to work on homework. I pulled up my word document and typed a little bit. Then, I checked my blog. A friend had left a comment. I went to her website… for half an hour. Then, I had to move on. More homework. First, a little music. Rating songs on iTunes. Working on my laptop in bed. Watching and listening to 30 Rock. Talking to a friend on the phone. Writing this blog post.

So yeah, I’m having a little trouble focusing on my homework.

Introvert vs. Extrovert

2010-05-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

I was reading something in Mental Floss, the best magazine in the world, and I stumbled across a bit about personality type. I decided to figure out what kind of person I am and I asked my brother his opinion. Am I an introvert or an extrovert? Without thinking for a second he said, “introvert.”

“Really,” I asked.

“Well, you were when you were younger,” he said.

Hmm… that got me thinking.

A little while later, I asked my sister. “Shanna, am I an introvert or an extrovert?”

“Extrovert,” she said. “But sometimes you can be a little introverted.”

What a strange thing this personality thing is. I suppose I’m a miffle. Yes, this is a Sharece word. It means the same thing as “enigma.” Yep. I’m a mystery. At times, especially when I’m in strange and unfamiliar places, I get quiet. I may not be “shy” but I am most definitely quiet. The wheels are turning at record speed but I’m not sure what exactly is going on.

I’m not sure what to really call myself. All I really know is that I’m Rece. I love to talk. I can also listen. And people watching can be a whole lot of fun.

Fairy tale rebeliever

2010-05-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

I don’t believe in fairy tales. Sure, I like to read the occasional story to my niece. And the Disney princess movies will always hold a special place in my heart, but for the most part, fairy tales cease to be real to me.

There is a story, however, that has recently filled an empty hole in my heart. The Princess and the Frog is by far the BEST Disney princess story of all time. Mulan doesn’t count as she isn’t a real princess, is she?

I used to love Sleeping Beauty best. Then I grew up and realized that Princess Aurora basically gets hurt and can only get made better when a prince comes to save her. Come on now, how realistic is that? Princes just don’t ride up on their white horses anymore, despite what Julia Roberts and Richard Gere pretend in Pretty Woman.

Okay, so I know I probably sound like a bitter old woman, but that’s not what I intend at all. This new frog movie has revitalized my faith in the whole love biz. Yep. Love stories may not always turn out the way we expect, kiss a frog and you find your prince, but they may turn out eventually, down by the Bayou. ☺

Journalist Bunn

2010-04-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

I got a rather fabulous card last night. It was addressed to "Journalist Bunn." It made me incredibly happy. I'm grateful to have people backing me up.

The card itself is pretty hilarious. Two dogs are looking at each other. One says, "I had my own blog for a while, but I decided to go back to just pointless, incessant, barking."

Love it!

Letter Writing

2010-04-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

A blue metal box holds my hopes and dreams. They stay there until a man wearing navy blue slacks, a light blue button up and a blue baseball cap comes to carry them away. My dreams are thrown into a plastic box and taken to the factory of correspondence where they are sorted by two letters and five numbers.

Within two to three days, my dreams will be sitting in another metal box. Sometimes, the box will be tall and skinny among a sea of similar boxes. And sometimes the box will be big and fat where it sits on the side of the road all alone.

When my friend opens the box and pulls out the envelope, everything is as it should be.

Ah, the Little Mermaid song

2010-04-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

I’m listening to Part of Your World on my computer. I recently downloaded most all of my CDs to my hard drive so as to rid myself of all extraneous items in my apartment. A bunch of CDs sitting in a box aren’t doing me any good, right?

Part of Your World is from the Disney Princess Collection CD. It has special memories for me. Many are from my childhood, when I’d hang out with my cousins and we’d sing our hearts out. I’m pretty sure we could have started a band if our parents would have put a little money in it. ☺

I think my favorite, most recent memory of this song happened in 2007. I was still living in Ukraine. I’d gone to Bar (a town in Vinnytska Oblast) to visit my friend, Sheryl. She looked through my iPod and found this song. She blasted it and sang to the whole thing. It was AMAZING. The best part was that she got down on the ground and acted like she was Ariel on the rock. She even pushed out her hands as if they were the waves shooting out from behind her. I laughed harder than I had in months.

I love memories like this. They really help make crummy days like today just a little more happy.

realization

2010-04-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

For the last year, I’ve been dedicated to studying journalism. After spending time in the Peace Corps, it seemed the thing to do. I want to write. Why not become a journalist?

This morning, I realized that besides writing, doing radio, and working for the Peace Corps, I have one other passion. I am fascinated by ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder. I took a class about the disorder at Willamette ESD when I worked at Dayton Grade School. It was amazing. We learned about ways to help kids with autism and Asperger’s. My friend Chris and I were in the class together. We both said that when we learned a little about the syndrome, we both thought we had a little bit of autism in ourselves. There are times when I am socially awkward. On occasion, I ask inappropriate questions without thinking. But luckily, I have been able to pick up on the awkwardness and avoid doing similar things again. People with autism can’t always do this.

I hate that I’m always changing my mind about what I want to do, but I would love to figure out ways to help people with ASD. Maybe I can do it by volunteering somewhere. Maybe it means I’ll have to change paths in some way.

At least for now I recognized this interest of mine. Next step: do something about it.

Bday ReCap

2010-04-16T01:07:00.000-07:00

Please note:

BIRTHDAY WAS FANTASTIC!

Went to Sam Bonds, by far the best bar/music venue in Eugene and listened to SambaDa, a GREAT band that I have now fallen in love with!

Have a Happy WEEKEND folks!

Perfect birthday, uh huh, RIGHT!

2010-04-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Breaking out the puzzle. That’s right. I purchased a puzzle for myself just in case my birthday plans didn’t work out. And that’s what I’m gonna have to do.

Happy birthday, Rece. I know… I’m ridiculous.

April 15th rocks

2010-04-15T07:55:00.001-07:00

This morning, I woke up at 6:18. My dad was on the phone, ready to wish me a happy birthday. He asked me when I was planning on getting up and eating my good breakfast. I said I didn’t know.

I woke up again at 7:24. I figured my mom was calling me. I was partially right. My Ukrainian host mother, Alya, was calling me from overseas. I got the same question I always get, when are you coming back? I hate this question. If I could, I would go back tomorrow. But things are in the way. School. Dentist bills. The usual. But let me tell you, this phone call woke me up. Nothing makes your day better than a call from old friends in another country.

This birthday is bound to be an interesting one. And if it isn’t, I always have a puzzle to work on at home. ☺

Birthday Goodness

2010-04-12T19:38:00.001-07:00

Today, I went shopping for my birthday present. Initially, I had planned to buy myself a record table. That idea was shot down when I decided to buy a new computer for school. Thus, my birthday present was put on hold for the THIRD year in a row.

I entered Fred Meyer not planning to buy myself a gift. I had intended to buy some cookie dough to make some cookies during my long homework session tonight. I ended up in the card and gift bag aisle and the rest is history.

The yellow gift bag has five items in it.
1. Princess and the Frog coloring book – During my senior year at DHS, I was a bench warmer on the volleyball team. Because of my bench time, I didn’t take much of the season seriously. I took coloring books to all games and my friends and I would color.
2. 750 piece puzzle – I like puzzles. Who doesn’t? As I’m turning 27, it’s about time I settle down into the seriousness of life and put together another puzzle.
3. Chocolate – I didn’t go with dove. Hershey’s now has PURPLE wrapping on their milk chocolate. Yum!
4. Purple pen pack – Um, I like to write and I love purple.
5. Adam – The Blockbuster is closing. I got a movie for $4 to watch on my birthday.

That’s it. Now I just have to wrap it and wait to open it on Thursday.

Ten Things

2010-04-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

When I got home from work tonight, I wanted to escape. It seems like I do this a lot. I get tired of all the homework and stress induced by my minimum-wage jobs so I try to escape from them when I get home. I watch TV, read my books or surf the web.

I tried to watch an episode of Lost. It was too intense. I didn’t want to add to my stress level. I needed to lessen the stress. So I went to Hulu where I discovered, Ten Things I Hate About You, the TV show based on that awesome movie I watched in high school. The show is about two sisters who are completely opposite yet they have to figure out how to deal with their new lives in California. It’s great.

And so... not to be negative or anything, but I’m gonna make a “Ten Things I Hate List.” It is negative, isn’t it? Well, we’ll just have to see what I come up with.

Ten Things I Hate About the Current Climate in Oregon:
1. The weather is so temperamental. It never stays the same.
2. The economy is bad. We have a pay freeze at the Duck Store so I don’t even get regular barista wages, just minimum wage, YUCK!
3. The sun is starting to shine a bunch; it shines way too brightly in my eyes and my glasses just add to the misery.
4. The news climate is down. All the good stuff is happening in DC or West Virginia.
5. Putting on one jacket in the morning may end up being the wrong choice for any other hour of the day.
6. Mud. The rain gets the dirt wet and we get mud.
7. Crazy things are flying away from the U of O. Example: Mike Bellotti’s bailout.
8. Tax people in this state are slow. Still waiting on my return.
9. It’s nice. Streets are more crowded. It’s not as easy to wander around when the streets are full.
10. No barbecue. I left it at my parent’s house.

Okay, so I was reaching a bit. I actually really love Oregon, rain and all. I had to think really hard to come up with 4 through 10.

Cooking on a Hot Plate

2010-04-09T00:11:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my brother and his partner bought me a hotplate. They thought it was horrible that I lived with only a microwave and a hand-me-down toaster oven. It was, but I made it work.

The hotplate was from Freddies. It has one burner. (I didn’t want the double burner one, not enough counter space.)

Tonight, the hotplate got a workout.

I wanted to make dinner for my friend. She has made me food so many times. It was about time I returned the favor. I also invited my other friend, her roommate. Dinner was set for eight o’clock.

I got to cooking the meat at about 7:30. The pan was small, good enough to cook two eggs in. I had to cook the meat in shifts. After that, it was time for the pasta. I boiled the pasta in a soup pot. It’s a small soup pot. The family size can of Campbells would overfill it. The pasta got cooked in shifts as well.

Then it was time for the corn. The corn was cooked on the top of the pasta remnants stuck to the bottom of the pan. (Oops. Smokehouse flavor, anyone?)

Then, I took some pasta, a little meat, and sauce and heated it in that same mini pot to heat it up because at this point, all the ingredients were becoming cold.

It was quite a project.

The girls ate my sister’s Oreo cookies while they waited for the food.

Cooking dinner was an experience. I’ve proven that, okay, maybe I CAN cook, at least a little bit. And a hotplate is in fact useful.

Dodgeball

2010-04-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Friends episodes is the one when they throw the ball back and forth to one another. For hours, Ross and Joey throw the ball back and forth. Then Monica gets involved and it's serious business.

Some guys in New York did something kinda similar this week. A 31-hour dodgeball game in Albany made the Guinness World Record books yesterday.

Sounds like fun, but do these guys have jobs?

LOST

2010-04-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

I decided to watch LOST tonight. I’ve watched the first four seasons of the show. I haven’t caught up with season five. My dad lent it to me, but I’ve been incredibly busy. Why is Charles Whitmore trying to kill Desmond with a bunch of power stuff? It doesn’t make any sense. WHAT IS GOING ON?

The time now is 9:06.

The flashbacks are still working. This is good.

So, they’re playing the “if the crash hadn’t happened, this would be happening” game. Nice!

Charlie is back! I love how six years into the show, we’re still beginning to learn things about what’s going on.

Whatever happened to Penny? Did Desmond leave her because of Charles Whitmore?

When he’s getting the cat scan, he’s starting to look like Hannibal the Cannibal.

9:29

Did he somehow lose his memory?

How is this show ever gonna end?

Confused, I am so confused. Obviously, this is one of those shows you MUST tune into every week. I knew this before. It’s just hard to keep up.

Note: Samsung has a 3D TV out. Does it give people headaches?

OMG!!! Mrs. Whitmore is that woman on the streets from before. I can’t remember the details of what she was doing.

Daniel. Now there’s a character I remember and recognize. I’m starting to question what J.J. Abrams is thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a genius. But I’m really confused. I wish I could be more of a geek so I could understand some of this nuclear bomb business.

I think I must have gotten lost on an island. I’m SURE there was some other life out there for me. I’m just in this one because of a repeating record and an electromagnetic thing on an island in the Pacific.

When did LOST become all about love? It never was before? Did J.J. Abrams get a girlfriend and now he has to set everybody in his show up?

Note: My favorite characters from my show were always Desmond and Charlie (through season three). I liked Anna Lucia when she was on it-- before she went crazy and Mr. Echo--before he died. Daniel was my favorite from season four. My favorite relationship to follow is Penny and Desmond.

9:53… Still watching. Still confused. Desmond has always gone between time periods. How is he able to do this? I’m usually a girl who will read spoilers about things. For some reason, I don’t want to do this for LOST. I feel like I need to figure it out all by myself… or at least phone a friend about it!

LOST! That’s it. Only FIVE episodes until the series finale. BAH! I need to catch up.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post. If you’re reading it, it’s almost like you watched it with me. This is what I do when I watch TV or movies. I ask questions and make comments about what’s going on. It’s just that I usually speak them rather than type them out.

POKA!
HASTA!

busy life

2010-04-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

Does life ever slow down enough that it feels relaxing? Should it? Is it good to be busy all the time? Should we all slow down to make life a little less crazy?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I would love it if my life were a little more relaxed and regular. Or would I? I like having things to do.

Grad school is busy. I always find myself rushing to finish things.

When I get home to my studio apartment, I relax. That means I don’t always get to all my homework right away and I don’t stress about the work I didn’t finish at either of my two jobs.

I’m wondering…will this change?

Will I become one of those 9 to 5 workers who still brings home a briefcase with work to finish at home? Will I sit on the couch with my husband and work on my laptop instead of watching great sitcoms on NBC?

Not sure. Time, that will tell.

Spring Break Wrap-up: Six Days in Disneyland

2010-03-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Oops. I have several excuses.

First, I was on vacation.
Second, I had no internet while I was on vacation.
Third, my grandpa passed away while I was on vacation.
Fourth, school started and I was thrown into a full-time schedule as a grad student.

I suppose I ought to inform ya’ll about what went on during vacation, the good stuff, the fun stuff.

On the Friday before spring break, I boarded a train headed south. During the 28-hour ride, I ate trail mix, fruit snacks, rice crispy treats and drank a can of flat Diet Pepsi I bought on the train.

We had to get off the train in LA. It was my first time there. The train station was pretty nice. It was enormous, a lot like the train stations I traveled through when I was in Europe. The bathrooms were sketch, though. I think people in LA are a little crazy. Some girl actually tore out a part of the bathroom stall wall. What? Who does that?

From LA, we took another train to Anaheim. It had been five years since my last trip there. My parents took me to Disneyland the month before I left to Ukraine. It had been our goodbye to childhood kind of trip. (None of us knew that two years in the Peace Corps still wouldn’t force me to grow up.)

Disneyland was a hoot. I had forgotten how great people are when they’re traveling to the happiest place on earth. I loved being treated like a person, treated nicely. People in the “real world” just aren’t as nice as people in Disneyland. I would change this if I could.

We spent six days in Disneyland. I don’t want to bore you with too many details so instead, I will give you a few short lists to tell the story.

My favorite rides/attractions at the park were…
1. Peter Pan’s flight- this is always a treat. You get to fly over London, fight evil Pirates listen to a groovy tune.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean- I was a Dayton Pirate. Of course, I love all things Pirates. The additions to the ride are awesome, especially all the places Captain Jack Sparrow shows up.
3. Indiana Jones’ adventure- by far the most thrilling. The ride made me want to jump in a time machine and go back ten years so I could watch all the movies with my oldest brother at my parents’ house.
4. It’s A Small World- probably the only ride I remember from when I was one-and-a-half –years-old (if those are in fact REAL memories). It’s so fun and friendly and I LOVE the parts with England and Ireland.
5. Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland- I had never been on this road before. It was amazing. I am especially attached to the story now, since the new movie came out and all.
6. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride- I rode through hell claiming, “Hi, friends. It’s nice to see you again.” My travel buddies made me ride it alone, I HAD to entertain myself.
7. The Carousel- always a safe bet with Rece. I have ridden on just about every carousel I’ve seen and had money to ride.
8. Dumbo- my mom and I rode it together to replay the picture from when I was a baby girl and we rode together.
9. Toy Story- this attraction at California Adventure was FABULOUS! I had SO much fun. It didn’t matter that I was the fifth wheel and had to go alone. I was so impressed. It almost made me want to start playing video games full-time!
10. Buzz Lightyear’s Ride- I had to ride this one alone at least three times. I learned how to use both guns to score a bunch of points. It was entertaining.
11. Splash Mountain- water, fun, friends, cute music. LOVE IT!

Here are a few crazy highlights from the magical kingdom…
1. Ma Bunn fell asleep when we rode Pirates of the Caribbean on Thursday night. HOW can anyone fall asleep on a ride? SERIOUSLY?
2. Spencer had “an accident” when riding WITH TIA RECE on the Matterhorn. I am Tia Rece. Yep. We had to go get him new shorts. It was funny, strange, and uncomfortable.
3. My dad added to his pin collection. I bet the money he spent on the pins could have covered a whole month’s rent down here in Eugene.
4. Spencer bought a dinosaur with his spending money. I learned what dinosaurs sounded like for the rest of the week.
5. I got to meet Peter Pan and Wendy. Wahoo!

Well, there are a few highlights. Oh, did I mention WHO was with me on the trip? It was Ma Bunn, Pa Bunn, Sister Shanna and Spencer (Shelli’s son). None of the rest of the “BBJ clan” showed up. It was a little sad, but okay. We had a lot of fun anyway.

Well, tootle-oo, folks. By the way, if anyone knows the proper way to spell, tootle-oo, please leave me a comment. It’d sure be nice!

XOXO

Note: The pictures aren't necessarily in the greatest order or design on this page. My sincere apologies. I'll work on this in my design class SOON!
The pix are of the crew in Disneyland (without me, though), my parents with Spencer, me with the Neverland folks, and Spence all by himself. Spence was quite a character. Remind me to take better notes next time I go on vaca with an eight year old!

RIDIN' ON AMTRAK

2010-03-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

My mom just asked my dad, “did you see all the cows on the hills?” Followed by, “there were a couple of wild turkeys.”

Something is seriously wrong here.

You see, my mom was never into the cows and things before. I think it’s been a recent thing, since I went to college or so that she’s decided to take an interest in the farm things in life.

Well, the above conversation is the sort of thing that is talked about as we travel the rough tracks from the Willamette Valley to Anaheim. Thus far, we’ve been on the train for a total of 18.5 hours. Well, I should say I’VE been on the train for that long. The other folks got on the train an hour and a half before me up in Salem.

There are five of us: me, my mom, my dad, my sister Shanna, and my nephew Spencer. This is Spencer’s first train. When the four of them first hopped on the train in Salem, my dad asked Spence if he’d been on a train before. Spencer responded, “Never in my whole entire life.” He’s eight!

At this point, we’re in Salinas, California. We’ll be here for a few minutes. My dad’s eating all his train goodies, the bag of nuts, fruit snacks, and whatever else he can get his hands on. My mom is about to get him the egg salad sandwiches I made with my brother’s eggs I’ve had in my fridge for a week or two.

Note: The Coastal Starlight has a food car. You can either dine for about $12-$19 a plate or buy packaged sandwiches or chips for $2-$3 MORE than you’d pay in a store. I bought a can of Diet Pepsi this morning for $1.75. First, a CAN of PEPSI should NEVER cost that much. Second, the can of soda was FLAT! It was FLAT! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Well, I’m about to much on some delicious egg salad sandwich with spicy brown mustard. Tootle-oo!

WRITTEN 11:39 AM on March 20, 2010 while on the Amtrak train

SPRING BREAK STARTS NOW

2010-03-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Classes are REALLY over for the quarter. It's thrilling. I even survived portfolio presentations (with neither scars or awards).

Thoughts on PhotoJ

2010-03-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

This quarter, I took a class in photojournalism. After a stressful fall quarter, I wanted to invest some time in something I feel passionate about, photography. It has been a tough class. I've had to learn new things such as how to use a flash and heavy duty lighting equipment. I've had to reinvest time in composition, as my lines and eye-level things are often an issue. But in general, it's been a great class.

I decided to show this picture for your viewing pleasure. It's of my friend Sarah. She was the subject of basically ALL of my flash photos. She's a gem. She lent her time to me and let me take stupid photos of her eating a muffin, working on her computer, or acting out things like this (hear no evil,speak no evil, see no evil... only in a different order.

I love photography. I'm excited for the prospect of taking pictures for fun again, no pressure to meet a deadline or get a certain shot. I think photography will always be a passionate HOBBY for me...

Weekend at Home

2010-03-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

I went home to chill with my parents this weekend. The original plan was to check out the fabulous wineries in the area. That didn't last very long. I ended up going home to a sick mother, an overworked farmer-of-a-father and a bed with the same wrinkly sheets I stayed in a month ago. My poor parents have been working so hard that one of them got sick and the other has had to put aside some of his house duties to help out my other siblings.

Although we ditched the plan to go wine tasting, we still went out for a bit. We spent Saturday night at the movies. We saw Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton's newest hit film.

Weekends at home are an odd thing. I'm always so tired that I end up sleeping a bunch. And I end up helping out with the dishes, taking pictures of my gnomes on the front lawn, and watching DVDS of old TV shows or movies I haven't seen in a while.

Home on the farm is relaxing. My life in Eugene isn't always the same.

It's good though. I like a change in scenery every now and again.

ALMOST DONE!!! ALMOST DONE!!!

2010-03-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

If you can't tell from my title, I'm almost done with winter quarter. It's been a fun, long, interesting, and challenging ten weeks.

It's still going... I still have two projects for my photojournalism class. But by Wednesday of next week, I'll be set and ready to roll.

The cool bit is that things are still progressing for me. I'm still at KLCC, the public radio station here in Eugene. Tomorrow, I get to go to the courts to cover the UO football players who have been getting in trouble. LaMichael James is changing his plea. I have to do a little checking up before heading in.

I should be going to see my fam and bff this weekend. It should be cool. I like spending time with those amazing peeps.

But to get things rolling... I really should go to bed. There's always more to do tomorrow. We might as well sleep today!

Oscar night

2010-03-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

I really had intended to do some serious homework tonight. But then I realized that the Oscars were on TV. I’m watching them now.

It’s been years since I’ve been able to watch the Oscars on TV. The last time I saw them was probably back in high school. In college, I was always working Sunday nights. And in Ukraine, well, Ukers just don’t watch the Oscars. And then the rents didn’t have TV.

The tribute to horror movies made me realize how little I know about the genre. Sure, I finally watched Saw. And I’ve seen all versions of Scream and I know What You Did Last Summer. I still haven’t seen Psycho. Oh man, I’ve gotta get going! So many movies to see, so much other work to do in the meantime.

Quentin Tarantino looked pretty happy with the horror bit.

My eyes were glued to the screen when it came to the sound effects. How cool would it be to do that? I work in sound... at the radio station. Could I have a future at the Oscars? Um… it might be a long shot, but it’s still a pretty awesome idea.

Here are some of the things I have learned thus far during this night at home with the Oscars:
1. I need to finish school so I can have more time to go to the movies.
2. It would be beneficial for me to watch a bunch of John Hughes films.

Here are some of the movies I added to my “to see” mini journal I take with me everywhere:
1. Crazy Heart
2. The Hurt Locker
3. A Serious Man
4. Avatar
5. The Young Victoria
6. An Education’
7. Precious
8. Imaginarium by Doctor Parnassus

I agree about the ingenuity of Inglorious Basterds. I’ve been talking about it since I first went to see it. Oh man, I hope it gets its due.

Commercials during the Oscars can be pretty rockin’ too. There’s a new show coming to ABC. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Hmm… sounds pretty great.

Note: Movies are powerful. There have been at least five times in the past hour and forty minutes watching this awards ceremony when I’ve started to cry or tear up. What can I say? I’m passionate about movies.

The dancing to the movie scores is pretty amazing. I’m really glad we humans are such fabulous and innovative people. I’m definitely a fan!

Happy Oscar watching to all!

A 26-Hour “weekend” in the “big” city

2010-02-28T15:25:00.001-08:00

I’m riding back from a fabulous weekend in Portland. I love that city. I was there for little more than 26 hours, but I had a great time.

There were several reasons for my trip.

1. I wanted to visit Shane and Jim, two of my favorite people, where they lived in Beaverton.
2. My friend David Horton was having a musical/dance performance in the city.
3. I like to get away from my crazy grad school life.

It ended up being quite successful.

When Shane and Jim picked me up from the train station, they drove me out to Cup and Saucer, a cute café on Hawthorne. It was sweet. Their veggie omelet was delicious, but the vanilla scone was by far the best. We chatted as we consumed our food things and then walked on over to Powells which had just opened. I’d never been to the Powells on Hawthorne, but it was nice. It was much less busy than the City of Books in the Pearl District. I liked it.

The whole area down by Cup and Saucer was pretty groovy. The buildings were so colorful and sweet looking. The metal bit with the shiny windows didn’t do anything for me, but I guess modern development will always be on the stainless steel side of things anyway.

When we left there, we went to the casa de mis Shane and Jim. I tried to write a bit of my story for class, but I just couldn’t. Doing homework and hanging out with people has never worked for me. I ended up giving up on the creative craft all together and settling in for a little TV on DVD action.

First, we watched Better Off Ted. After two episodes of that, Shane and Jim went upstairs for a bit. I put in the beginning of Glee. Shane joined me for that while Jim went out for a bit. He came back with series one of Clatterford, the latest addition to their BBC television series collection. It was spectacular. We pretty much watched the whole set of six or so episodes. I think Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French have to be two of the funniest people in all of Britain.

Shane and I took the Max into Portland for David’s dance and music performance. It was pretty grand. I have never seen modern dancing before. I was definitely in an unfamiliar world, but I enjoyed watching the dance and the music, as always, was spectacular.

This morning was typical. Get up, go eat breakfast, and chill until I was to leave. They drove me to the train station and went home to get ready for USA vs. Canada hockey.

I’m writing this on the bus.

My weekend was pretty awesome. I love taking time to spend with my family and people close to me. I’ve realized that if this is our only life we get, we’d better take advantage of every opportunity and make every minute count. And although a majority of my Saturday was spent in front of the TV, I was with some pretty cool people. I wasn’t alone. And that means everything in the world.

Zoot Suit Riot

2010-02-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

I never thought I’d be one to blog about a song. Oh, but I am. I’m on a train to Portland, working on a story for class, but I had to take a break to jot this down.

Music has a way of dictating so much of our lives. Songs can inspire us, depress us, make us happy, help us fall in love; they do so many things. And somehow, songs teach us a thing or two about memory. You can listen to a song and you are sent back ten or fifteen years, to a certain moment in time, with a certain person, in a particular place. Even if you haven’t thought of the event, person or place in years, the song can send you back. It’s crazy.

I’m listening to the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies album. The song, Zoot Suit Riot sends me back nine years, back to my senior year of high school. We were at the prom. Chris Whitehead and Rachel Brown had been taking swing dance lessons together. The song came on and they were center stage, dancing for the rest of us.

I’d always wanted to learn to swing dance. My sister, Shelli, and I had learned some of the cheesy western swing dances when we both lived at home. But when she left to college, all attempts at swing dancing went away.

Zoot Suit Riot will always remind me of my senior prom. It will also remind me of Eugene and finding the album at the library.

Music is a funny thing. I can’t imagine life without it; I depend on it so much. Is it bad to let it dictate so much of my life- my emotions, my memories?

I guess it doesn’t matter. Even if it does, I’m still listening…and I’m gonna love it!

eyewear and such

2010-02-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

Since starting grad school, I have converted to wearing glasses every day. It's not to look smarter or to get ready for eye surgery (don't I wish!). It's really about the economy of it all. I can't afford to buy contacts any more.

With glasses, I feel like a completely different person. It takes more effort to look behind me when I'm walking. My sight gets smudgy as the glasses get dirtier and I have way less motivation to wear eye make-up.

With all that in mind... here's a quote:

"The eyes are the spoons of speech." (AN ARABIC PROVERB)

If my eyes are covered by these dirty glasses, does this mean I have a speech deficiency? I mean, I can't make eye contact when my glasses fog up or when I can't see through them and have to clean them off with my t-shirt. What's the deal?

I wanna get glasses again. I think it'd be a pretty rad thing to do. We'll see if that happens.

Ten Reasons I'm up past 11:27 PM

2010-02-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

It's the year 20-10.

This must mean it is appropriate to make lots of lists of ten.

I like it. I LOVE lists. They keep me organized.

Here's a list for this fabulous February late-night...

Ten Reasons I am still up and not in bed where I want to be:

1. I wanted to blog. I have missed many days of blogging this month. It's about time to fix that problem.
2. I ate a snack when I got home and had to stay up to "work it off" a bit.
3. I was planning to finish my state taxes.
4. I was named a semifinalist for the Snowden internship and needed to write an e-mail about my interview time.
5. Thought I would get to the dishes even though I didn't.
6. Had to go through my bookshelf to think of suggestions for my friend to read.
7. Got home late. Had to finish my design page at school before coming home.
8. We had a three hour class tonight.
9. I like to stay up late.
10. Decided to do online banking this evening.

That's about it. Isn't it grand to take a look at the life of Rece?

Should be!

Brew Fest 2010

2010-02-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

I went to my first brew fest on Saturday. It was amazing. I took my parents. We had a lot of fun together.

Unfortunately, two of the beers didn’t taste so hot. One was my favorite beer, Blue Moon. Instead of the sweet, delightful taste of beer, it tasted flat, like a pile of rocks. NO GOOD!

The second beer was one of the Bridgeport brews. Bridgeport is from Portland. I figured the beer had to be tasty if it was from Oregon. It wasn’t tasty at all. In fact, it tasted like crap, literally. My mother referred to it as “Banson’s Beer.” The Bansons are the people who own the cow farm next to my parents’ house. Get the picture?

All in all, the brew fest was an absolute smash. I had a blast!

going native

2010-02-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

I’m being taught that one of the cardinal rules of journalism is to not “go native.” I don’t know how I feel about this. I feel that as a journalist (one who journals), I have the responsibility to live and truly understand the people I write about.

When I was in Ukraine, Peace Corps encouraged us to join in the culture, to join in the fun, if you will. Hanging out with the Ukrainians, picking up their lingo and eating their food is part of what made the experience so awesome.

Actually, I never was able to go truly native. Sure I drank some of their vodka and swam in their waters, but parts of the culture I could never really embrace. For one, I couldn’t get into their clothing styles. Tight jeans and shiny silver belts didn’t exactly look good on me. My friend, Sheryl, could pull it off. She’d wear her shuba (fur coat), winter boots, and shiny belt to the disco every Friday and Saturday. She basically became a true Ukrainian. And then she married one.

I’m not really sure where I’m going to end up after I finish my masters in journalism. I’m okay with this, though. I do know that I fully plan to experience life and “go native” in some respects. I will travel. And I’ll get to know what the cultures are like. Maybe that’s not truly going native, but you know… there are just too many rules in journalism.

Photo day

2010-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

I had to learn how to edit photos and change them to black and white today. I've done this before. Today I had to do it for class. I got a little help. However, I think my friend that helped me was a little annoyed by my stubbornness.

This photo is of KLCC Morning Edition Host Rachael McDonald. She's rad!

Wedding Whistles

2010-01-09T22:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm not engaged. I'm not even seeing anybody. I did, however, attend my first ever wedding show today. My friend, Brenda, is a wedding coordinator. She let me have a pass to the show to take pictures for her website. I had fun with it. It was actually pretty rad.

The show aside, I got to thinking. Weddings are fun. The party itself is awesome. I can hardly wait for it. The thing is, I'm not so sure about the marriage part. That's not good. If I'm more excited about a party and a diamond ring, that's proof that I haven't met the right person, correct?

Here's a quick list of things I've said recently regarding marriage...

"If I could marry a restaurant, I'd marry the Glenwood."

"If I were to spend the rest of my life with only one food, it'd be cheese."

"If I were to fall for a coffee drink, it'd be an 8 ounce mocha."

You see, my ideas of marriage and love don't extend far enough to really get to the heart of the wedding phenomenon.