Snow Day

Dad making a path.

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Don't know if you can tell, but you can't even get down those steps in the picture there. The porch was covered, so there wasn't much on it. But once you look down the steps, the snow was up almost up to the railings. The snow drifted up to my butt in places, and I am fairly tall.

Lonely Snow Day

Aren't snow days supposed to be fun? I had an appointment down in my neck of the woods on Tuesday afternoon, and as I was driving east and about to jump on the main interstate, I considered continuing on to my home instead. I knew we were about to have a major snow storm, and I was positive we wouldn't have school the next day. Wouldn't it be nice to spend the day with my husband and stepdaughter? But I had to get back up to where I work, so that I didn't have to drive in the aftermath of the storm. So that I would be there already when we had school the next day. So that I would spend the snowday working on things for school/university that I definitely would NOT work on if I were at home with my hubby and girl. So here I am, stuck at my parents for day #2. When school was called off again, I actually teared up because I just really feel like I should be with my family. Especially considering all that is going on.
S is sick. Has been all weekend. J didn't get any sleep. He worked all night in the storm and then had to take our dog Roxie to the vet this morning. She had major surgery on her mouth, plus got lots of skintags removed. She ended up having to have 5 teeth pulled, too. They degenerated and were rotting. We are not getting the removed mass biopsied, as we would not invest in cancer treatment anyway. Missy, our other dog, became very nervous when she saw my husband come home without Roxie. (Can you imagine? "Hi Dad! Good to see you! So glad you guys are back! ....Wait a second......") She ended up making a mess on our living room floor awhile later.
Roxie is back home, groggy, with lots of scars. S is still sick, went to bed early, and was pretty crabby from what I hear. The best part about all this, though, is that our neighbors chipped in and worked together to clear our driveway and sidewalks while J was out and about today. They all know our situation and I think they were happy to help out (or they just felt obligated). When J told me that I was really moved...that is so nice. It also means something to me because it means that neighborhood is becoming more and more like....my home.

Venison, anyone?

So Jamie shot a deer this past season, and now we have cuts and cuts of venison in our freezer. Which is great! Except that I don't care for venison. :) I can tolerate the summer sausage, but no matter how hard I try, all I can see is the deer strapped to the roof of the SUV with it's tongue hanging out.
Today, though, I am trying a venison recipe. Jamie's grandma gave me some venison recipes, and I am trying a "Dutch Oven Garlic-Rosemary-Studded Venison Rump". After looking at the total cooking time (about 2 hours) and the directions, I am thinking this recipe is about 45 min. of prep time. After buying most of the ingredients (could not find cippolini onions?) I started. First step, crushed garlic. After looking up how to do this on youtube, I tried it. Took about 15 minutes to cut, peel, and crush 8 cloves. My hands were sore from pushing down "just so" on the knife and dragging it across the minced garlic until I achieved a "pasty consistency". Then more work, and finally I came to working with the roast itself. "Remove sinew/silver skin," it says. Easier said than done. I think we need new, more sharpened knives. My back began to ache as I was hunched over the sink. Finally, I said "good enough."
So, now, THREE hours later, my roast is only 30 minutes into its 2 hours of cooking. My kitchen is a mess. I have brewed several cups of buillon/beef stock, cleaned, peeled, and cut celery, parsnips, carrots, and onions, minced and crushed garlic, proceeded to shove that garlic (along with rosemary sprig leaves) into little holes in the roast, rubbed the roast with olive oil, along with several other unintentional things that caught some oil remnants, burned vegetables twice in the Dutch oven (who has time to wait for 'sauteed' items?), washed the pot out twice just to use it again....
Here's the best part - the recipe calls for red wine. Only a cup. Wanna guess how the rest of the bottle will be put to use? Mmmm-hmmm....so I grab a huge wine glass, pour some merlot, take a sip....only to see a dead spider in my glass. Wine has been spit out and I am back to the coffee.
Next time I will try an easy recipe, not one that is for a champion chef at a wild-game lodge. Maybe the George Foreman and some seasoned salt will do just fine.

Weighted Down

Things feel a little heavy lately. Today I am traveling home to hopefully finally talk with Megan and support her and her family in their loss. I am also hoping to make a visitation to one of Jamie's uncles that passed away. School is suffocating. I feel lost, for the most part, and feel like I don't have the right resources at my fingertips. My work is suffering a little, and so I've been putting even more sweat and tears into it. There is a significant time crunch- we are supposed to go camping with family this week and I'm working all day tomorrow. How do you mothers be a mother and wife and go to school, too? I have so much more respect for you people now.
We got our wedding pictures back and they look fabulous. (Thanks Libby!) I just have not had time to pick out the ones I want or get them to the family members that want to see them!

But at least I'm married!

Wow. I haven't written on this in a long time. I used to turn to my journal when I had problems I wanted to vent, dreams I wanted to get down on paper, or thoughts I needed to work out. Then things got crazy with school and I moved in with Jamie, and then of course we had the wedding to deal with. I'll have to blog about that later, and put some pictures up as well. School is still crazy, but in a different way. I don't have a LOT to do, but I am very confused about what exactly we need to do for this class and I'm having trouble keeping it all straight on a time line...especially with work and home life added to the mix. I'm just doing what I can.
So I am working at a golf club in the area. It's not bad money, as long as I'm working in the "clubhouse" serving golfers and diners. I don't make as much working on banquets. I am also still doing the promotional modeling/talent thing from time to time. I was going to end that as a side job when I started working at the golf club, but it's a good job to have...you decide when you want to work and which promotions you want to do. I will most likely not be able to work in the fall, as our workload stacks up at school and we start our internships and our theses. (They actually recommend that we not hold a job at that time.) So I'm thinking I'll still do promotions here and there to get some extra money. I just got back from Petoskey where we did five promotions in one weekend up there for Malibu Rum. Almost every job I've done with my agency is as a Malibu girl. They've treated me really well and they have some awesome brand reps. The only promotions I refuse to do are the ones where I would work alone.
Jamie works late shifts now, and doesn't get home until almost 3am. I usually find myself staying up until 2am. I don't know if I'm trying to stay up until he gets home or what. We have the next couple of days off, and even though I have things to do with school (when don't I, seriously?) we are going up north with my stepdaughter and his in-laws. I'll still work on stuff up there, I hope, but I won't be able to use the internet to send or receive stuff and get feedback.
Well, I better go pack. We're leaving in the morning, and I have already found that I cannot concentrate on packing what we/I need with a four-year-old, a husband, and two dogs to distract me. I'm learning that I have to prepare myself early so I can try to take care of everyone else when the time comes. I think Jamie has mastered a little of that. Or maybe he just doesn't need to pack as much as I do. :)
I'm also praying for my friend Megan, her husband Pat, and their little unborn baby boy. Please whoever reads this send a prayer that God turns this into a great situation for them, and that they always remember and feel comforted knowing that God's power is great. We all love this baby boy so much already, and Megan and Pat deserve something wonderful. :)
Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone!

The National Dean's List, Mermaids, and Frosted Flakes

So, here I am, back in my studio in Detroit. I am soooo sick of the snow! I have to walk everywhere, and it just makes for a mess. Anyway, even though today was our first day of class, we had to turn in a portfolio that we should have been working on over the break. One of the items in there is our curriculum vita, which is basically a resume, but you list your training on it instead of your previous employment. One of the accomplishments I contemplated putting on there was that my name had been published in this book entitled The National Dean's List. Twice. Sounds good, right? I thought it sounded a little fishy when I received the letter in the mail, but sent my biographical information in anyway, opting NOT to purchase the $70 book. The company that publishes this book also publishes Who's Who Among American High School Students or something like that. I think that one is legit. While I was pondering putting this on my vita and potentially getting laughed at by a future prospective employer, I decided to do some research. I came across others who had received this honor, but had been out of college for 30-some years! Some people got fictitious names appointed the dean's list, too. Too bad, because it sounds nice to be one of the "1/2 of 1% of our nation's college students that are eligible for this award." They even have a catalog with collector's items, and their letterhead lists several committee members. They also offer scholarships. I am confused, as this is not really a scam, but is not the honor it presents itself as. And so, I have decided to leave it off my vita.

As for mermaids, my bridesmaids and I have selected their dresses. The color is mermaid. As Darcy put it, "I always wanted to be a mermaid!" Here is what it looks like:


And the Frosted Flakes? Well, I left a little treat for my squirrel friend on the porch and discovered that 5 or 6 birds were also fans. I felt like the Snow White of Detroit with all my furry and flying friends scurrying around on my dilapidated porch!

First Semester of Grad School: Check

Well, the first semester is officially done! I ended up with an A in:
Introduction to Behavioral Psychology
Human Developmental Psychology
Psychological Evaluation I
I got an A- in Practices and Procedures in Professional Psychology. I'm a little bummed about that one, as I was borderline A/A-. That professor is going to send us some recommendations for what we can work on. There are some high expectations here, but I feel more comfortable and I feel like I am more prepared to handle the next semester. But let's not jump ahead of ourselves, here. :)

School Psychology named as 1 of the 30 Best Careers in 2009

In this time of economic turmoil, financial uncertainty, and especially the stress and questions involved in my postgraduate training, hope was sent to me via an email from one of my cohorts in the program. The email contained an article recently published by U.S. News & World Report newsmagazine. It listed the best 30 careers for 2009. Here are a few snippets:

The first is an example of a day in the life of a school psychologist, in case you are wondering what I am going to school for.

A Day in the Life . A teacher wants Johnny placed in a special-education class, so you make a classroom observation. You see something different, however. If the teacher provided some individualized instruction for Johnny, he probably wouldn't need special ed. The teacher isn't pleased with that assessment, but you have the final say. Next, you test another child's eligibility for special education. This time, you administer an intelligence test, an achievement battery, learning disability diagnostic tests, and personality instruments, and write the results and recommendations in a three-page, single-spaced report. The most stressful part of your day is a meeting to agree on the annual individualized education plan for a severely disabled child—most of the time, he rocks back and forth. The parent and teacher demand more services for the child, while the principal argues they're not cost effective. You facilitate the decision-making. Next, you and a teacher show a parent how to help her dyslexic child improve his reading while coping with his "depression" about it. The final activity of the day is illuminating: your weekly Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n Roll discussion group with seventh graders.

The second is the estimated salary...might seem a little off-beat that I'm posting that information, but can you blame me for considering it an important part of the career these days?

Salary Data
Median (with eight years in the field): $60,700

25th to 75th percentile (with eight or more years of experience): $53,700-$80,100

An overview of my future career and why it was chosen:

Overview. The job outlook for school psychologists should be strong. Many are reaching retirement age. Plus, parents of children with special needs are increasingly emboldened—and often armed with lawyers threatening to sue school districts if desired services are not provided. In addition, the media are focusing on many of the problems school psychologists deal with: autism, school violence, bullying, and Ritalin prescriptions for active boys.

Not only is the job outlook good, so are the working conditions. You are likely to follow the school schedule and work just nine months of the year. Status and job security are high, and the stress manageable. And school psychologists often get to do such rewarding tasks as conducting parenting workshops, counseling teachers and parents, and screening kids for gifted-student programs. Most school psychologists spend more time assessing students for special education, writing individualized education plans, and persuading parents and teachers to sign off on them.

To read more, go to http://tinyurl.com/5q86v3.

Source: Nemko, M. (2008). Best careers 2009: school psychologist. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved December 12, 2008, from http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-school-psychologist.html

My Apartment, Yo!

I hope it doesn't make you sick!!

Nesting with the Squirrels

So right now the temperature feels like 35 degrees outside, and I've got my window open. Why? Because I live on the third floor. I have NEVER once turned on any of my three radiators, yet my apartment is usually in a semi-sauna state. Well, I lie. Saunas are steamy, right? My apartment is dry. I guess all the heat drifting up from everyone else is enough. There hasn't been a night yet where I haven't slept with my window open and a fan sitting in it, and it's mid-November! Today is the first day I've had to get up and close it to just an inch-wide crack because of the temperature and because of the rain. What a crappy weekend! It's supposed to rain, snow, and be cold. I have a tree right outside my window where a little black squirrel used to take naps when it was warmer. I wonder if he'll come back to snuggle away from the snow. Where do squirrels go in the winter anyway? Do they find a new home? Or just re-insulate the old one?