Tuesday, September 29, 2009

meet our friend shload...

If we have not seen you in Idaho or Michigan, then you have not met our friend Shload. Why Shload? It came from 'Shload the Pygmy Toad' because there was a pygmy donkey in town in Pocatello. Confused?? That's understandable because there's not much logic behind it....
Here's the story... the spring of my sophomore year at ISU somehow Mikel and I were at a pet store and saw these cute little African Dwarf frogs (I think that's what they're called) in a tank with little fish. I thought they were cute and wanted one so a couple days later I got a frog, a gallon fish bowl, and three little fish friends.
The frog eats these little pellets that we drop in the top of the bowl once a day and the fish ate fish food. Well, everything was getting along swimmingly until I left for something and, as my roommates were taking care of things, the fish all died. We think it's because they put normal tap water in the bowl (apparently the frog is tougher than fish). Well another set of fish were bought and subsequently killed by different roommates so I decided I'm not a fish person and just stuck with Shload...

He got the name 'Shload the Pygmy Toad' from Mikel and his roommates when he was at their house. No, he's not a toad- he's a frog. I can't explain it more than that except the boys said it and it stuck.
Well, this is why you don't buy pets on a whim because he's still alive! We do like Shload and he made the trip to Michigan sitting in between us in a box in the moving truck and now he sits on a shelf in our living room. He swims around and floats and talks but he's not too overwhelming to care for (he doesn't require much of anything). And yes, he does talk although Mikel can't hear it (it's fairly quiet and high pitched). I originally couldn't figure out what it was, I thought it was the tv or refrigerator when I first heard it but it's Shload!!

That's our friend Shload!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

where have we been?!

I was doing so well with the blog for awhile and then... life happened!!

Well more accurately, school started as well as procrastination and the last we will see of sun for awhile so we have been slightly preoccupied!

As for what we've been doing... Mikel is still working at Sears; he's back in tools and is getting a good number of hours. Tools will be a good place to be once Christmas comes! He's also recently bought his fishing license so he's trying to find time to enjoy that! Also, Josh is coming in town on Wednesday night and staying through the weekend so that should be a lot of fun.

For me, school started so I'm busy again! I am teaching two classes-- The Healthy Lifestyle and Physical Growth and Motor Behavior. I'm liking the classes and enjoying the challenge of a new class. Because I don't have a lot of activity classes, I spend less time actually teaching but more time preparing- it's a trade off but I like it and it is good preparation for actually having to get a job after I'm done. I am also helping teach Beginning Bowling with an international student. It's a little bit extra money so I'm glad to do it but the language and cultural barriers that exist working with someone from China definitely add a little challenge to an otherwise easy class!
On top of my teaching load I am taking three classes: Qualitative Research Methods, Issues in Teaching Undergraduate Kinesiology, and an Independent Study. The classes have been good- nothing too exciting or ground breaking but it's good. I am also working on a couple of research projects that are going well but taking a lot of time. My goal is to get as much research/teaching experience while I'm here so I'm doing what I can!

On a side note, I have gotten a small part-time job working at the Breslin Center (where the basketball teams play and they host a lot of other concerts and events). Because I already have a Graduate Assistantship working for Kinesiology I can only work a few hours a week but I will be able to see some cool events a make a little bit of extra money on my days off. Plus, it will give me the opportunity to work during Christmas break and other times when we are not in school but I may still be around.

What else?? Well, while I was making homemade macaroni and cheese (enough for an army) yesterday, I realized that there is a big difference between "1 cup shredded cheese" and "1 cup cheese, shredded". Let me just say, we now have cheese in the bottom of the oven- not too much thank goodness!

Well, Mikel is at work today and I've got a bunch of emails from panicking students as well as my own work to do so off I go to be productive! I feel like I should have bought this sign in Hawaii last year:
In case it's really small it's says: "lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on mine"

Sunday, September 13, 2009

MSU v CMU

East Lansing was full of excitement and Spartan Stadium was full of fans to watch MSU take on Central Michigan in football this Saturday. Although the game didn't end up in MSU's favor, the stands were full and the game was memorable!


Mikel and I checked out all the tailgating before we headed over to Tim and Barb's house to watch the game. Tim is my mom's cousin who lives here in East Lansing and they are CMU fans. It was a fun day even though the CMU fans were much happier than the MSU fans walking around town after the game!

Also, because I have to....


I think we may have a UM convert!!

Friday, September 11, 2009

I'm thinking of Matt and praying for him and Natalie today!! Surgery is no fun but if he needs his toenails painted like I did, I'd be happy to return the favor!!





Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Labor Day fun!

Mikel and I both had Monday off so we decided to head out on a small adventure. There's a Michigan State Park about 30 minutes from our house that we hadn't been to yet so we went to check it out!
This park has a small lake/beach called Lake Ovid that isn't very deep or overly exciting but it has nice sand and a grassy area with picnic tables and barbecues. There were a few families out enjoying a day off.



I'm guessing either the picnic table got moved or the water got high...

The trees are already changing colors?!?! This isn't even a great example; outside our apartment there's a tree that's completely colorful. There is so much color already and that is not a good sign since I've been hoping for a long and warm fall before winter starts!


We heard a bunch of splashing in the water behind us and turned around to see these two deer (in the right side of the river) running across the river.... Pretty cool!







And we stopped for turkeys crossing the road on our way home...

Pretty pretty pretty!! This park also has some camping spots that can be reserved so we may check that out soon (before it gets cold) or wait until spring when it warms up again! (can you tell we're already dreading winter??)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Brett and I were reading this today before our classes started. It's published every year by Beloit College about the 'Mindset' of the incoming freshman and it's pretty funny although I'm not that much older than them so I don't understand a lot of the things. Brett on the other hand is about 8 years older than me so he was laughing (both at the list and at me).

The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2013

Most students entering college for the first time this fall were born in 1991.

  1. For these students, Martha Graham, Pan American Airways, Michael Landon, Dr. Seuss, Miles Davis, The Dallas Times Herald, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.
  2. Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Kevorkian, and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
  3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
  4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
  5. Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister.
  6. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
  7. Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
  8. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
  9. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
  10. Rap music has always been main stream.
  11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
  12. Someone has always been building something taller than the Willis (née Sears) Tower in Chicago.
  13. The KGB has never officially existed.
  14. Text has always been hyper.
  15. They never saw the “Scud Stud” (but there have always been electromagnetic stud finders.)
  16. Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
  17. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.
  18. Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
  19. They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
  20. American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.
  21. Except for the present incumbent, the President has never inhaled.
  22. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
  23. The European Union has always existed.
  24. McDonald's has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
  25. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
  26. Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
  27. Christopher Columbus has always been getting a bad rap.
  28. The American health care system has always been in critical condition.
  29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.
  30. Desperate smokers have always been able to turn to Nicoderm skin patches.
  31. There has always been a Cartoon Network.
  32. The nation’s key economic indicator has always been the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
  33. Their folks could always reach for a Zoloft.
  34. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
  35. Women have always outnumbered men in college.
  36. We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time.
  37. Amateur radio operators have never needed to know Morse code.
  38. Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia have always been independent nations.
  39. It's always been official: President Zachary Taylor did not die of arsenic poisoning.
  40. Madonna’s perspective on Sex has always been well documented.
  41. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
  42. Ozzy Osbourne has always been coming back.
  43. Kevin Costner has always been Dancing with Wolves, especially on cable.
  44. There have always been flat screen televisions.
  45. They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
  46. Disney’s Fantasia has always been available on video, and It’s a Wonderful Life has always been on Moscow television.
  47. Smokers have never been promoted as an economic force that deserves respect.
  48. Elite American colleges have never been able to fix the price of tuition.
  49. Nobody has been able to make a deposit in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
  50. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.
  51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
  52. They have never been Saved by the Bell
  53. Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
  54. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
  55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
  56. The status of gays in the military has always been a topic of political debate.
  57. Elizabeth Taylor has always reeked of White Diamonds.
  58. There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
  59. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.
  60. Agent Starling has always feared the Silence of the Lambs.
  61. “Womyn” and “waitperson” have always been in the dictionary.
  62. Members of Congress have always had to keep their checkbooks balanced since the closing of the House Bank.
  63. There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
  64. CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging.
  65. Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
  66. NATO has always been looking for a role.
  67. Two Koreas have always been members of the UN.
  68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.
  69. The NBC Today Show has always been seen on weekends.
  70. Vice presidents of the United States have always had real power.
  71. Conflict in Northern Ireland has always been slowly winding down.
  72. Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
  73. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
  74. Congress could never give itself a mid-term raise.
  75. There has always been blue Jell-O.
The link to this years and other years can be found here.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

MSU volleyball

Back to school, back to volleyball...
Well school actually starts tomorrow but the MSU volleyball team was back in action this weekend so Mikel and I went to check things out. On Friday night MSU actually upset USC who was #12 in the nation and that was an awesome game but of course- no camera. We went back on Saturday to watch them play University of North Carolina who they beat to win the tournament! They should be good this season!

They had a good crowd of over 2,000 both nights!

Apparently nobody is above technical problems. A couple players ran into the scorers table and unplugged the scoreboard so they had to bring out the flip score!
Another couple pictures of Jenison Fieldhouse.... All the Big Ten team flags and the extra practice courts. This is also one of the buildings I will be teaching in this semester...

I had orientation and a special training for the past week and things have gone really well. Getting back into the swing of things is not always easy but it's so much easier this year not being a newbie! I am teaching two lecture classes this semester, The Healthy Lifestyle and Physical Growth and Motor Development. Should be an interesting semester- I'm excited! I'm also working on two different research projects and moved my office out of the basement into a better office with just a couple people which is nice.

I'm sure there will be a lot more going on once school starts tomorrow- better put on my helmet and get ready!!