Help End Sexual Violence in Your Community: DONATE

“May the stars carry your sadness away…”
- Chief Dan George

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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and in honor of that, I thought I’d share 5 ideas this month for fighting back against sexual violence. Here’s the first one.
Donate!

There are tons of local and national organizations that desperately need resources to continue doing what they do. These organizations provide 24-hour hotlines, hospital advocacy, counseling and support groups, community/school education and prevention, and much more! Government funding of these programs is constantly being cut and many crisis centers are fighting to keep their doors open and their staff paid. Most centers accept online donations (which are tax-deductible). Donate locally or visit RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) to donate to what Worth Magazine deems one of “America’s 100 Best Charities.”
You can also buy great gifts for friends and family that support RAINN by clicking HERE.

And they don’t just need money! Contact your local domestic violence shelter or rape crisis center to find about donating things like:

• Old cell phones that can be converted into emergency phones. These phones will only dial 9-1-1 and the survivor or at-risk person will not be charged any fee.
• Gently-used clothing/bedding – many shelters have beds for survivors of abuse but are running out of things like pillows and blankets.
• Hygiene products like shampoo, toothpaste, new underwear and socks – in hospital situations, survivors are often asked to give up their clothing as part of evidence collection.

Thanks for reading this! Oh, and just so you know, I’m not paid by any of these organizations, including RAINN so this isn’t an advertisement so much as a hope that you might find a few minutes to visit a website and consider donating to a worthy cause!

Stay tuned for more ideas for ending sexual violence in YOUR world…

Much love,

Elizabeth

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Mad for Madigan

Dear Readers,
Today I’m talking about a little thing I like to call “quality time.” And lest Mommy think this post another great opportunity to offer her opinion in some kind of adorable metaphor, I am going to warn you. She does that. And I call shenanigans.

So here’s the long and the short of it. If you love someone, you’ll make time for them. For instance, I may feel like snoozing all morning but if Daddy really needs someone to take him out for a walk, well…I’m going to make that happen. Because I love my daddy.

Qual-i-ty time /ˈkwälətē tīm/  Noun. 1. Deliberately enacting a quantifiable unit of togetherness whereby two or more parties feel that they are cared for by one another through the act of sharing a common bond or experience. 2. Belly rubs.

Humans are weird. No question. They poop in the house but get mad if you do. They have no fur to speak of (total ick, by the way). They have really missed out on the art of the polite salutation (hello? my buttocks are RIGHT HERE.) And they have the completely misguided notion that you submit to having your ears scratched or your ball thrown because you need attention. Puh-lease. Any animal worth her salt will tell you…humans need us. They need the stability of expectations and responsibilities. They need to be licked on the nose in the morning. They need us to get into the garbage and chew up their favorite belongings and bark at strangers. It shows them that we care.

So take my advice, pets. Get out there and spend some quality time with your humans. They won’t thank you for it. They’ll sigh when you demand to go out in to the snow to pee. They’ll groan when you gak up half your breakfast in the hallway. But inside they’ll be singing like Cinderella to her mice (who she totally needed to get her to the ball, in case anyone forgot).

‘Til next time, peeps.
- The Madster

See what I mean? He’d be so lost without me…

8 Albums You’ve Never Heard Before

As serendipity would have it, a local radio station chose today to dump ten or so boxes on a table and tape the following sign nearby: FREE CDS HELP YOURSELF.
And so…I did. And there are not words for the waves of delight I experienced, digging through boxes and boxes of obscure college alt. rock and bad garage band demos to find a couple stacks worth toting home. Because I couldn’t actually listen to any of it at the time, all of my judgments were based solely on album artwork, band names, and song titles (the more ridiculous, the more likely it made it into my backpack).
Total bonus: the radio station deejays had compiled their own lists/reviews/notes about each album and taped them to the inside. It was like finding GOLD. And after a very lovely listening party, Kyle and I have chosen eight of the choicest albums for this list. Read on…

1. Lost Somewhere Between The Earth and My Home by The Geraldine Fibbers
Conclusion: Salty and soulful. Good driving music.

2. Memphis is Dead by The Lost Sounds
Out of the mouths of deejays: “A small pocket of hell may have opened, spewing forth this punk/synth/garage soundtrack to an apocalypse we have yet to see…like breathing shrapnel.”
Conclusion: These sounds should have stayed lost. Terrible.

3. Fisherman’s Woman by Emiliana Torrini
Try her if you like: Regina Spektor, Dido, Carla Morrison.
Conclusion: Breathy, atmospheric, and satisfying mood music.

4. Don’t Let the Bast**ds Grind You Down by The Toasters
Dedication: Toasters song on playlist is for Sarah. Visit her HERE.
Conclusion: A less-polished Aquabats with slightly over-indulgent saxophone player. Worth a listen for the ska-lover.

5. Near the Sun by Julie Peel
Conclusion: Next time I’m sad, I’m skipping the calories and heading straight for Julie’s cheerful little declaration, “I don’t get people and they don’t get me and I don’t mind. I am living in a movie.” I would actually pay for this album.
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6. meet miss young and her all boy band by Kristeen Young.
Best promo tag ever: “Is it Goth? Is it 90’s new wave pop? Is it Jazz-Punk-Opera? Does it really matter? It’s the Minnie Pearl of Goth!” This sticker on the cover is seriously THE only reason I brought this one home.
Conclusion: If Alanis Morissette and Amy Lee got drunk and made a record in Minnie Pearl’s bathroom…it would sound better than this.

7. “curtains” by tindersticks
Out of the mouths of deejays: “Deserted, sad, lonely, nice drumbeats but very depressing. [Listen to] #1,3, and 12 (if you can take it.)”
Conclusion: I completely disagree with the deejay on this one. If this album was a flavor, it would be black cherry and walnut. Heavy dark romantic sound, some sad lyrics but overall, a rewarding listen.

8. Tragic Animal Stories by Barry Black
Conclusion: Um, any guy who can write a  sweeping love song about microscopic fish has missed his calling (“The Horrible Truth About Plankton”). Seriously, why is this dude not writing scores for Animal Planet? Pretty much the whole album sounds like Morgan Freeman should be talking about penguins or something.
Honorable mentions: So Serious by The Like Young. Love Is a Dog From Hell  by Maggie Estep.

Working Hard or Hardly Working: a day in the life of a grad student

I haven’t talked much about graduate school on this blog but now that I am in my last quarter as a master’s student (and about to begin my PhD), I thought maybe some of you might like to see a typical day for me on campus.

This is right across from one of the buildings where I teach.

The café where I buy my morning Starbucks…

Obviously the caffeine hasn’t hit me, yet.

I teach in this building. Obviously, this is the closest I will ever come to actual engineering.

This is one of my classrooms. One of my students was nice enough to take a picture. And that's a quote from the beginning of Twelfth Night on the board behind me.

After class, I decided to take the scenic route and show you some of my favorite spots on campus. I don’t always have time to go the pretty way but thankfully, I did on Thursday!

Pretty old buildings that I never have any reason to visit.

There were hundreds of pinwheels on one of the South Oval lawns as a part of project to end child abuse. They were beautiful with the sun shining right on them.

I love this tree. And the eye painted on it.

My hands-down best-loved spot at the university, Mirror Lake. I sat here and ate my lunch and watched people feed the birds. Obviously, none of them read THIS sign:

I’m not going to say this is slightly overdramatic signage but…I’m thinking it. And for anyone who doesn’t already know where I go to school, here you go…

If you’re not familiar, football is kind of the only thing that matters here. Go Bucks. I considered that maybe the bloggingverse shouldn't know where I attend graduate school. But I go to school with 56,000 people. Good luck stalking me.
It
My mailbox in the grad corridor…

And the office where I hold hours…

The rec center (where people with great tan lines and big muscles like to work out)

Brutus the mascot dressed as a mime and The Phantom of the Opera.
Don’t laugh, he’s a very multi-faceted nut. 
So this post was mostly pictures…hope you liked them!

Inspiration of the Month: Sasha

 

Hey, it’s April and that means it’s time to unveil my latest inspiration! This month I’m shining a spotlight on Sasha!

There are so many things that make Sasha inspirational! She’s the gorgeous single mom of a beautiful five-year-old daughter, Shayanne, a full-time university student, a marathon and triathlon athlete and works two jobs to make it all happen… Let’s all just take a second to remember that a marathon is 26 miles of running (I’m getting out of breath just typing that). As busy as I personally am, I can’t imagine trying to do all the things that she does and still make time to be an incredible mother! She definitely inspires me to live a healthier life!

Full disclosure, Sasha also happens to be Kyle’s sister. But lest I seem biased to you, read five remarkable things about Sasha below.

 

Five Fast Sasha Facts

- Sasha was ranked as the number one women’s lacrosse goalie in Colorado for three years running.She plays tons of sports including: lacrosse, track, swimming, and skiing. And she used to be a lifeguard!

- Her middle name is Cheyenne and her family still calls her Chey.

- Sasha also makes incredible themed birthday cakes. I wish I had a picture to show you!

- Her three favorite movies are Stand By Me, The Goonies, and Tangled.

- Sasha is majoring in Sports Nutrition and Personal Training but she’s always loved cooking healthy, organic meals. She’s a sucker for Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. 

Tune in next month for May Inspiration! And tell me below…who is the most inspirational person in YOUR life?

Jane Eyre: a vlog review

A comparative review of the novel and newly released film…I’ve never done a video review before so I apologize for the quality and the length and the…sigh…I’m sorry about all of it. Enjoy the verbosity. Apparently, I don’t know how to shut up.

Watch me talk about Jane Eyre. A lot. Bonus: mighty usage of the word "um"

Also, here’s a link to the trailer for the film. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Jane Eyre

Mad for Madigan

Sometimes I think our dog is a lot smarter than us. So to prove me right, here’s Madigan in her new weekly segment…Mad for Madigan…

Dear Readers:

This week I’m talking about communication. This is something about which I am an expert. For instance, yesterday Mommy informed me that scaring the poop out of the neighbors with my window-howling was, oh, how did she put it…rude? To which I calmly replied, “Bark-bark. Bark bark, whine, bark.” As you can see, I am an excellent communicator.

But despite my best efforts, sometimes my expressions of love, excitement, fear, or interest are misinterpreted by the morons that surround me (word to the wise: don’t let your humans rent an apartment – the idiots get packed in like sardines here).

The point is, communication isn’t all about intention. If my morning whimper in Daddy’s ear means, “I need to go potty NOW” but he hears, “Cuddle with me because I’m sad that Mommy went to school,” well…he’s in for a surprise. Unfortunately for puppies and people alike, what we meant doesn’t matter if it doesn’t come across in translation. Last summer, I met the unbelievably pedestrian terrier downstairs. And even though I started our conversation with what I thought was a very polite, “Bark-bark-bark! Play-growly bark,” he immediately came out with a “Bark-bark-BARK-bark-bark! Serious-growl, snap, yap-bark.” And then, naturally, I was all like, “Barkity-barkity-bark, you stupid barker. Why don’t you just bark-bark-bark your way back into your bark-growl-barkington!” Needless to say, we have not continued our relationship.

In conclusion, even the best of us must work hard to communicate well with the people we love. Sometimes we confuse ourselves, mix our messages…but I like to think of myself as a Pomeranian-in-progress. If I don’t get it right the first time, I find a new way to say, “Play with me.” It usually involves getting into the garbage or stock-piling all of Daddy’s dress socks under the bed but hey…no one’s perfect.

Love,

Madigan

PS: If you were hoping for a cutesy blog post with lots of animal-puns, look elsewhere. I don’t do that. Paw-sitive.