Unofficial Holiday Today

Today is square root day - 3/3/09
On days when both the day of the month and the month are the square root of the last two digits of the year.

The next square root day will be April 4, 2016 (4/4/16) Square Root Days fall upon the same nine dates each century.

Never, Under Any Circumstance, At Any Time.....

Never, under any circumstance, at any time, in any place, no matter what, should you ever, in any way, even if you think you should, never-ever, should you ever...............................
bring your baby/young child to a movie.



Last night I went to see Twilight at the dollar theater. I made it through the 15 minute credits, the lights dimmed, and I'm thinking, I made it! I have the whole back row to myself when a couple walks in with their newborn and young child. I'm irritated, but think, it's okay there are plenty of seats available. Maybe they will sit far enough away that I won't hear them. And where do you think they sit? One seat away from me. I repeat, ONE SEAT AWAY FROM ME. The movie starts and immediately their boy, I'm guessing 8-12 mo. old, starts babbling away. Cute? No. I wait about 5 minutes before moving 2 seats over to the end of the row. What happens 5 minutes after that can you guess? They move 2 seats over!!! Again positioning themselves with one seat in-between. At this point, kids or not, I'm so frustrated there's no way I think I can enjoy the show. As the little boy starts chattering again I look over at the dad with what I can only hope came off as my scariest death stare. He passed his boy over to the wife and she was able to quiet him down. Luckily, the kids remained remotely quiet and eventually they fell asleep. Let it note, there were TWO other couples in the theater with babies. One of which had to take their kid out when it started crying.

Look, I get the tired young couple who want to go out to see a movie, but I will say two things.
1.) GET A BABYSITTER! 2.) Don't have kids if you're not ready for your lifestyle to change.

The Office - Michael

"Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't know where it's going. I just hope to find it somewhere along the way. Like an improv conversation. An improversation."

Stating the Obvious

It all began about a week ago when my boss asked if I was a notary. I responded with, "Why, do you need something notarized?" Later in the week my friend was pulling her pizza out of the microwave and I asked her if she was having pizza for lunch. Now I can't stop catching myself making these kinds of remarks! Why you may ask do I feel the need to state the obvious? I think it has to do with my inability to allow a passing interaction to be just a passing interaction. I feel a certain awkwardness when I respond with a one word answer, even though that's all they're after. I am, by definition, a small talker. I am now acutely aware of this problem and catch myself stating the obvious or asking dumb questions daily. At least when I was ignorant of my problem I didn't feel the embarrassment that inevitably follows my dumb remarks.

"Trouble With the Dryer?"

Life Decision.....Need Your Advice!

I have one week to decide where I would like to be placed for my Masters Program Practicum and I am feeling slightly dramatic in a sense that I could make the wrong decision and completely ruin my life (I told you I was feeling dramatic!). Okay, maybe not ruin, but could limit my future career options by not choosing wisely. So, I have decided to use this post as a way to organize my pros and cons as well as to get your votes. I have narrowed it down to three categories. Within those categories I will still have to choose out of multiple agencies/schools, but I'll tackle that one later.

1.) International Placement in Mumbai India or Gaboronte Botswana
Pros:
-How many opportunities will I have to study in another country?
-Social Programs are going to be vastly different in a third world country and it would be fascinating to learn about them.
-I love to travel.
-Having an international emphasis would stand out on my resume.
-Rather than going to school and doing my practicum congruently in the fall I would be able to go to school and work throughout the semester as I would be completing the practicum full time over the summer.
-If I went to India I would get to try real Indian food which I love.
-I imagine I could ride an elephant in both countries.
Cons:
-Extra travel fees in addition to course and practicum costs.
-Paying for an apartment/car/internet/etc. while I'm not here.
-Although not likely, there is always the chance that the school/agency could say they can't accept a new student/my funding could fall through leaving me behind all of my classmates and scrambling to find a Utah agency that would accept me.
-Being away from loved ones for three months.
-Harsh living conditions.
-I won't get the Clinical experience I feel I need.

2.) School Setting (I'm required to do 300 hrs. in a school setting to receive my SW School Counselor Certificate. The full practicum is 600 hrs.)
Pros:
-The idea of being a school social worker was partly what inspired me to go into Social Work in the first place.
-The schedule would be ideal for later on in life. Work during the school year, summers off.
-I worked with teen moms at a High School and absolutely loved it (won't count towards my 300 hours however, already thought of that).
Cons:
-Funding is being cut for schools and they are not required to have a school counselor/social worker so I may not have any positions to pursue when I graduate.
-It is a popular position and therefore very competitive.
-I want to get my LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Work. It's required to do therapy) and this position wouldn't prepare me for taking the test.

3.) Clinical Setting
Pros:
-I haven't had any experience in a clinical setting so far and I am going to need the counseling experience.
-Over the years when I picture myself as a Social Worker I continually imagine sitting in an office setting with a client across from me.
-I could see myself doing, and being happy with doing, individual and couple counseling.
Cons:
-Practicum spots are limited and so it is highly competitive.
-Most stressful of the three options.
-To be honest, this one scares me to death. I don't know if I'm ready to be counseling. I guess that is what a practicum is for though.

So far I have feedback from two of my friends at work. Their responses:
Friend #1: You are going to get a whole new experience in India that none of the other students will have. It is only for three months and you have a year to save.
Friend #2: I would choose the most practical one. With the way our economy is right now you would be smart to pick the one that will give you the most options for career choices. This would be in a Clinical Setting. It's broad enough that I could take it anywhere and it would give me all of the skills I am going to need.
So....What do you think?

Chicago Walking Tour

I just returned from my third trip to Chicago and I decided it was time for me to do a little more obvious sight seeing, so I signed up for the Historic Skyscrapers Walking Tour. I met my group at 10:00 am for our two hour tour feeling pretty good about the three shirts I was wearing, in addition to a sweater and coat, two pairs of socks, scarf, hat, and tights under my pants, there was no way I was going to be cold. The group turned out to consist of me and one other girl from Germany. (I'm sure the size of the group had nothing to do with the fact that it was negative 4 degrees that day!!!)

(Cloud Gate. AKA The Peanut)

The tour turned out to be really interesting! There were so many intricate designs on the buildings that I had never noticed, even when I had locals showing me around. Plus the history behind all of them was informative and kept my interest. I've posted some photos below, but unfortunately my camera died mid-tour. I would definitely recommend this tour for future visitors. (Surprisingly, even in the winter!) It was conducted by a sweet older woman who was a retired English teacher and a volunteer. She really knew her stuff!

Burnham and Root’s Rookery (1888)

The Rookery's Winding Oriel Staircase

Rookery Ceiling Designed to Maximize Light
Frank Lloyd Wright Restored the Interior

La Salle Street runs through the Loop and is
considered the Financial District of Chicago

Additional stops on the Historical Skyscrapers Tour: Adler and Sullivan’s Auditorium (1889), Holabird and Roche’s Marquette Building (1895), Holabird and Root’s Chicago Board of Trade Building (1930)

By the end of the tour I was frozen to the bone. Face chapped, feet wet, and let's be honest...miserable. I made it two blocks down the road before I had to escape into a cafe for a cup of soup and a panini. I took refuge there for about an hour enjoying my hot food and book. When I finally ventured out again I walked another five blocks, cursing under my breath, and slipped into another cafe. This time I endulged in a Chai tea and a scrumptuous lemon bar. The plan for the day was to walk the city while my friend was at work. Ya..................NOT A GOOD PLAN! I ended up taking a nap in her office while she finished work. I never fully warmed up until later that night when I spent an hour in a scalding hot shower.

Funeral Potatoes

Somehow my friend in Chicago heard about Utah's "funeral potatoes". She has been asking me to make them since my first visit last year. So last night I went to the grocery store, purchased the necessary ingredients, including corn flakes for authenticity, and set out to wow her. The potatoes, I thought, turned out good, however her response was pretty anticlimactic. I guess just us Utahn's can truly appreciate the cheesy, sour creamy goodness of funeral potatoes. I told her about the different versions of this dish and she said she'd be up to trying a different one. She was shocked to learn that at my grandpa's funeral there were at least 5 different variations. I'm guessing she's now not so interested in trying the jello dish I was planning on introducing her to! Anyone have any to-die-for funeral potato recipes?

Urban Sledding

I'm currently visiting my friend Lisa in Chicago and she asked if I wanted to go sledding?

"Um...sure, but there aren't any hills" was my reply.

This is how the city kids go sledding. Notice the traffic in the background. Also notice that by sledding I mean me pulling a sled along the snowy sidewalk.

It was Sean's first time sledding, and considering how cold it is in Chicago right now, I was suprised that he loved it. Plus he looks so adorable in all his snow gear!

We made a stop at a nearby park to hit the icy slides. Got to do what you can to make up for the abscence of hills!

He was so tuckered out that he just layed his head down on the way home.

I wouldn't trade my childhood sledding experiences for anything. There is nothing like repeatedly hiking up a huge hill, piling two or three girls on a tube, and flying down the mountain (or so it felt like a mountain at that age). I also can't forget the joy of hitting jumps only to fly off and get the wind knocked out of you. It's good for ya, makes kids tough!