I could sure go for a pumpkin right now...

How random is this?? Poor guy...it's funny yet so wrong...I'm sure he's wondering what the hell is going on. One thing is certain, he will have the very first squirrel hang-0ver in the history of the animal kingdom (and a bad one at that)...

"There was once an old man named Armand..."

After checking my WVU email, which I hadn't done in awhile, I learned that Dr. Armand Singer had died after a rather long struggle. He was a retired professor who enjoyed dropping in at Chitwood Hall to share stories and send emails. He was 93 years old when he passed away on July 12th but, he had the most amazing life--- traveling to every continent on earth, visiting both Poles, making it to base camp on Everest, sky-diving (as you can see), white water rafting, etc.--- and all while well past retirement age. He was a truly unique individual; always cheerful, funny, outgoing and full of crazy stories.

Though my encounters with Dr. Singer were brief, I will never forget him. He happened to attend a conference in Las Vegas, NV that I attended and he made quite a splash. He was part of the panel in a poetry reading and opted to go last. Each person that got up read some depressing, dark, angst-ridden, super-metaphoric poem that no one understood but clapped for anyway. Then it was Armand's turn. He couldn't stand but managed to demand the complete attention of the audience from his chair. He began by apologizing for any "grimaces" he might make as he read, as this was because he had broken "a rib or two" the night before and they were bothering him. Then, off he went into the material as if what he had just said were of absolutely no consequence. He proceeded to then read several selections of the dirtiest limericks in the history of the style--- while pausing only to giggle between each one. Things came out of that old man's mouth that would make a drunk frat boy blush; at first, the audience was shocked and utterly silent. Slowly, younger people began to snicker (I think I was probably the first one to laugh) and then the stuffy poets began to laugh and then the entire room erupted into uncontrolled laughter.

Armand finished to thunderous applause and several people stayed afterwards to talk with him--- while the other panel members looked on, rather displeased. It was wonderful! It was easily the highlight of an otherwise very calculated, self-absorbed conference. The best part was that I knew what was coming but no one else did. I was crying by the end because I couldn't laugh any harder. That is how I will always remember him--- as the giggling little old man with his lude limericks shocking the hell out of everyone. He was never a person afraid to say what he thought. And he used the guise of his age to get away with virtually everything! But he was also a very intelligent and cultured individual. Personally, I think Armand did it the right way--- life, that is. I sincerely hope that he died happily, knowing that he made the world just a little bit better with his joyful attitude and his zest for life. He was an inspiration to everyone that met him. Here's to you, Armand, we will all miss you!

Does anyone know someone like Armand?-- A person that squeezed every ounce out of life and never let anyone tell them they were "too old" to do something. How will you be when you retire? What will you have accomplished? How do you want to be remembered?

Rusty Wedding Bells

Today in History: July 18, 1981 my parents tied the knot in a little country church in central Pennsylvania (I was born roughly two years later).

So, today is my parents anniversary and, I tell ya, I couldn't be happier. They seriously have one of the best marriages I have ever seen and I'm not just saying that because they're mine. They genuinely enjoy each other, they laugh all the time, and they are clearly the best of friends; you couldn't picture one without the other. I've always looked up to the way they defined marriage. Now, as virtually every friend and acquaintance I have is getting married or engaged, it really makes me think about what marriage means.

In today's world where slightly over 1/2 of all marriages end in divorce, it seems like, somehow, most people are not going into this thing with both eyes open. I can see how it's easy to get caught up in the ceremony of it all--- the dress, the music, the flowers, the rings, the honeymoon, etc. Plus, it's seen as a status symbol to be married--- you've reached adulthood, you've settled down, you're normal. But, at the same time, all that stuff in the moment doesn't really mean anything when you have to spend every waking moment with this person for the rest of your life. Personally, I've never been one of these girls that dreams about her wedding all her life. I really couldn't care less how it happens or, honestly, if it happens. I just want to be with someone that makes me happy and I can do the same for them; that's the really important part, all the rest is just details (and very expensive ones at that).

Which is why, I suppose, I've never understood why people are so radically against same-sex marriage. Marriage is a committment of one's life to another and anyone can do that so, legally, anyone should be able to do that, in my opinion. I've met several gay/lesbian couples who have just as functional/disfunctional relationships as any other straight couple-- including when children are added into the mix. What it comes down to is that human relationships of all kinds and levels are hard work because they require a certain level of selflessness, which is rather rare in today's society. If you can find that with anyone-- regardless of gender, race, religion, etc.-- you've really discovered something great.

My question to all of you is: what is marriage? What makes it work? What causes it to end? How necessary is that "little piece of paper"? Is it a right for all or a privilege for some?

"Memories, like the corners of my mind...."

Awww....my alma mater is still going strong....congratulations to all the great teachers at HHS! You guys deserve it!

Lost in Translation

Sheesh...I'm exhausted. I had my very first full-blown, 8 hour interpretation job today. It was for an environmental engineering company (from Spain) at their plant in Northern PA. Needless to say, it was quite a commute; that alone is enough to wear a person out. In addition to that, I had to do bilingual translation (sometimes simultaneous) from English to Spanish and Spanish to English. I was REALLY nervous because it was a job that required technical language that I'm not particularly familiar with and it was my first really important translation job so, I had to prove myself in order to set myself up for future assignments.

As soon as I got there I realized it was not going to be nearly as complicated as I had imagined. For one thing, my contracting agency told me that I was going to be translating a presentation to a group of employees which would involved highly technical engineering lingo. However, it quickly became apparent that what I really had to do was simply shadow a logistics expert from Spain (who spoke no English whatsoever) as he tried to get this new branch of the company in order. At times, it was rather uncomfortable because he was basically chewing out several employees and office managers for their (to be totally frank) incompetence. These people had mis-labeled, mis-sent, and mis-counted just about everything possible in the warehouse. It was really quite ridiculous.

There were definitely moments where there was the need for a specific, technical term but I managed to be able to talk around pretty much everything I didn't know how to say (i.e. When would I ever encounter/need/use the word "skid"--as in a pallet-- in Spanish??) So, overall, I think I did great given my lack of a mechanical vocabulary. I really enjoyed working with the logistics expert (named Emilio) and I think that the company itself is excellent; I would be over-joyed to get the opportunity to work with them again either here or in Spain (especially there). Who knows, maybe I can maintain some connections?

I still can't get over the fact that I'm getting paid (REALLY well this time) for just talking. It honestly blows my mind sometimes. It really makes me think---- communication is so incredibly complicated and, therefore, so important in every aspect of life. Not being able to communicate properly because of language barriers, cultural differences, education level, etc. is not only vital to the essence of who we are, but also how others perceive us. What do you tell people about you based on the way you speak? The words you choose? The things you like or don't like to talk about? Is the old adage wrong--- are we not what we eat but, rather, what we say?

"She works (too) hard for the money..."

Something has recently come to my attention that is rather disappointing. I have been working at my current 40hr/wk summer job for about 2 months now. When I arrived, my boss seemed really enthusiastic to make a positive change in the workplace and I appeared to be an integral part of that. However, as time has gone on, I've been told several times that I "work too fast". This means that I complete assignments faster than my boss expects or would like. I never thought of it as a negative thing, really--- it's just who I am. Tell me what to do and I will get it done-- period. No messing around, just do it.

Unfortunately, every time I enter into the workforce I am told the same thing. I have come to realize that my bosses don't ACTUALLY want me to finish what I'm doing-- especially not in record time. The more I do, the more they need to do to keep me occupied. I've talked to a few people about this; in particular, my Dad, who is a supervising manager for a local manufacturing company. His take on it was this, "I'd like all my employees to work like that but, the fact is, none do. And when they do, co-workers give them such a hard time for "making everyone else look bad" that they eventually learn to play the game too." And what is this "game"? It is pretending to work and be busy when you are really just wasting time and milking a job for all it's worth. The longer you take, the less people expect of you and if no one expects anything of you, you don't get asked to do much. It really is the perfect strategy.

So, what should I do about this? Well, I guess I'll just go to the bathroom a lot, take longer lunches, take smoke breaks (even though I don't smoke) and play card games on my computer all day long because, frankly, I don't want to lose my job. If I keep the pace I've had, I'll finish my job before I'm actually scheduled to leave. It makes me sad to learn that being a part of the "adult", working world translates to such little actual productivity.

Anyone else encountered this phenomena? How do you deal with it? How much should we all just "go with the flow"?

Top 10

Ok, well, I've tried to avoid it for a bit but, I've been tagged by my buddy Ryan to list the "Top 10" things that most people don't know about me. So, here it goes....

1) As a kid, I had really severe ear problems and could've gone deaf had I not undergone surgery.

2) I hate cleaning kitchens...with a passion. I would MUCH rather clean a bathroom (including toilets) than do dishes; for me, rotting food is the ultimate in grossness.

3) I'm a musical freak. I am constantly humming, singing or whistling. I wake up every morning with a song stuck in my head for no apparent reason.

4) I have a talent for remembering names and numbers. If I met you once 8 years ago and you told me your name, I'll still know it (though I probably won't recognize your face). I can read a phone number once and remember it for days...not sure why.

5) I spent my childhood in rural PA; so rural, in fact, that practically all our neighbors owned farms and were Mennonite. As a result, I was brought up in the Mennonite church (complete with hair to my knees).

6) I have been tested at a 132 IQ ("gifted") but failed the test for the gifted program in WV schools in 6th grade (though I had passed in PA) because I was extremely nervous and my tester was so eccentric it actually distracted me.

7) I distinctly remember (on more than one occasion) having dreamt in color and, a few times, in Spanish though they say it is not possible.

8) I cannot give blood because I don't weigh enough.

9) I missed being in the "Top 10" of my graduating class in high school by .01 points--- damn calculus.

10) I have only ever broken one bone--- my tailbone, which is the one bone that cannot be re-aligned. Ironic, huh?

I now tag: Amber, Alison, Rose, Daniel, Erica, Alyssa, and Becky....