Finally

Beatrice Elliot Ming Ge, nee Shang Guan Ming Ge (means Bright Song)
Shanggao County, Jiangxi Province
Born November 13, 2010

Finally, finally...

Yet Another...

Stole this one from Michelle

Bold the items that you have done(or will admit to doing).
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse3
4. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
42. Had amazing friends
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children - yes C counts!
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Think I Was Dead?

Just a brief MeMe to let you know I am still in the land of the living. Just been busy, that's all...

Where is your mobile phone? Purse

Where is your significant other? Upstairs

Your hair colour? Blonde

Your mother? Friend

Your father? Awesome

Your favourite thing? i*Pod

Your dream last night? Scary

Your dream goal? Tenure

The room you're in? Cold

Your hobby? Reading

Your fear? Death

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Alive

Where were you last night? Bed

What you're not? Thin

One of your wish-list items? Coach

Where you grew up? Mountain

The last thing you did? Talk

What are you wearing? T-shirt

Your TV? Addiction

Your pets? Shedding

Your computer? Warm

Your mood? Cranky

Missing someone? Nope

Your car? Sorento

Something you're not wearing? Bra

Favourite shop? Amazon.com

Your summer? Over

Love someone? Obsessively

Your favourite colour? Eggplant

When is the last time you laughed? Daily

When is the last time you cried? Two weeks ago

What I've Been Doing

It is finished, defended, and approved. I am officially a All But Dissertation. This, my friends, is a very, very, good thing!

Really, this is the biggest news I have. Some other updates:

~ We still have no resolution with our homeowners insurance on the ceiling collapse in our dining room. A structural engineer came and did a review the same day as my portfolio defense. She seemed positive that the entire ceiling should be replaced because of the lack of plasterers in our living area. Especially a plasterer who can do horsehair plaster repair.

~ In the midst of our home improvement, I aggravated my abnormal hips (anterior tilt in my right pelvic bone), and locked up my right side. After grouting, yard work, 3 hours driving and 12+ hours in heels, I totally wrecked my lower back. I have seen my chiropractor daily, even over the weekend, and have been bed-fast since last Thursday. I can sit for 10 minutes and stand for 15. I have no idea how I am going to teach for 3 hours tonight, drive for 3 and teach for 3 tomorrow, and sit through 2 1/2 of class for me on Wed, and teach another 3 hours on Thurs. I am wearing a lovely support belt, which is SEXY, and taking 800 Ibuprofen and 1000 Tylenol. Right now, I am reclining in my bed on the heating pad. Believe me, the reclining became old about 3 hours into last Thursday. My hair is wrecked as well and I basically look like this:

Totally 80s Birthday Pics!

Here they are in all the glory, a few pics from my 80s Karaoke party. Notice the pegged pants, which just looks dumb. I really don't get Katie Holmes trying to bring that trend back! B went Vanilla Ice with a 10 dollar track suit and some t-shirt iron ons. We had a most excellent time.

My brother, Brian and me singing Hold Me Now by the Thompson Twins

My friend Kevin & I sing Karma Chameleon while the peeps dance

B & me singing our encore duet of Always Something There (to Remind Me) by Naked Eyes

Billie, Arlene, and Caroline do some Belinda Carlyle

AWESOME CAKE - the flowers were a little weird, but so apropos

Has It Really Been That Long?

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's been a month and a half since I last blogged about anything. I've had things going on, but I guess blogging about them hasn't really been in the forefront of my mind. I guess I'll continue my current MO of bullet updates and hopefully get back into blogging sometime in the future. Somehow I doubt this, but it sure sounds good.

~This is my last week at my current job, and truthfully, Friday can't come fast enough. I saw my last client today, and there were no bittersweet feelings associated with any of my "last" activities. I wonder what that says about me?

~The new job starts Monday and I am woefully unprepared. Not really, I am ready, but I think I'll feel this way until I get into the groove

~About every 2-3 months I have been getting these lingering sinus infections. I am currently on day 10 of my current one, and it has totally whipped my ass. Since this time last year, I have been on: 10 antibiotics, 2 decongestants, 2 cough medications, an antihistamine, a nasal spray, had 2 steroid shots, a CT scan, a chest x-ray, and use a Neti Pot regularly. I have pretty severe allergies to grasses, plants, trees, and molds. My theory is that I have this, which makes total sense, since molds and fungus cause my most severe reactions. I am currently waiting on an ENT appointment, and am at the point where I will welcome the surgical scrape to get rid of this shit.

~I finished my final course and have now entered the dissertation phase of my doctorate. I am planning to defend my portfolio in early September and will officially be a candidate.

~We have a leak in our bathtub which has caused our 80 year old horsehair plaster dining room ceiling to collapse. We have to have the plumber 'diagnose' our problem and then our homeowners insurance will pay to repair the ceiling. All of that plaster dust and leaky residue is surely contributing to my sinus issues. Dammit.

~I had an 80s Karaoke birthday party last week for my 37th birthday. We totally rocked the face off the 80s music. B and I duetted to Bon Jovi's Dead or Alive. It was awesome. I will post pictures as soon as I can. The cake alone is worth seeing.

~ The latest addition to our family was born 2 days later. Mr. Jonah Brian (JB) is now comfortably at home nursing the night away. He's the first kid in 2 generations to be born with hair, which is a pretty amazing feat considering most of us were bald until at least 2. I've only seen pictures because I have been too sick to be around him.

~ Michael Phelps is KICKING ASS!

~ Our agency told us to hold off completing the I-800. We let our 171-H expire (long story), and have to re-file. The worker told us to just wait for a while, which is pretty freaking discouraging. 25 months and counting.

A Change Will Do You Good

So, remember this post a few months ago where I predicted that changes were coming? Well, it's official - my prediction that change is a comin' has finally come true. Last Friday, I resigned from my job. It wasn't a "Hey! Take this and shove it!" situation, I gave the company a lengthy notice and will be finishing mid-August and transitioning to my new position the following Monday.

A little history:

Back in December B called me at home and told me "I am emailing you something. You need to do this." He emailed me a notice from our state's largest Research I university (his employer and my former employer in a different capacity), an advertisement for a teaching faculty position in the Master's of Social Work program.

I scoffed.

"No. Seriously! You need to apply!"

So I did.

And I promptly went on with my life.

Eventually, I received a call that I was a candidate for the position and an interview was set up at the end of March. Oh friends, this was not just your average job interview - it was an interrogation of the highest form. Over the course of 2 days and 350 miles round-trip, I met with:

• a 6-person visiting committee, which included the Dean of Medicine and the Division Chair of a sister university;
• Developed and conducted a 2 hour teaching session on Everett Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations;
• Met with the dean;
• Met with the assistant dean,
  
• Had lunch with 2 faculty;
• Had an 8-person faculty round-table panel interview;
• Met with the division chair.

I was exhausted by the end of day 2. I don't think I have ever slept so hard.

I start with the fall semester teaching 3 classes and revamping and applying curriculum to the university's current online learning management system. I'll also supervise students in field placement and work with our local NASW chapter on conferences, fairs, and legislative work days.

In 2000, I graduated from the program for which I will be teaching. Had anyone predicted that I would eventually teach in the program I would have scoffed. Oh wait, I did.

Good thing I don't listen to myself.