tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59225507441244634152024-02-07T19:20:29.460-06:00The Pink Bookmarkthe blushing bookworm and her many musings...Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-53831722881999635972009-04-18T07:00:00.000-05:002009-04-18T07:00:00.898-05:00The Read-a-thon begins!<span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">For those of you who haven't heard, I'm participating in a 24-hour reading marathon from 5 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. on Sunday. It begins now!!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">If you would like to join or see what all the literary fuss is about, hop on over to the website </span><a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://24hourreadathon.com/">here</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Here's a questionnaire to get going on all the fun and festivities.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Where are you reading from today?</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" > Glendora, California!</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" >3 facts about me …</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" > 1. Most days I wear pink sparkly eyeshadow; I can’t help myself. 2. I am a Ph.D. student in English literature...so part of this read-a-thon is my normal homework routine of reading every minute of every day, haha. 3. This is my first read-a-thon!</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" >How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" > About 14, but I am rooting for finishing about 4 or 5.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" >Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" > 4-5 books, probably 15 hours or so (hopefully more!), and I want to cheer others on when I get a chance.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" >If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" > It’s my first, but I would love advice!</span></li></ul>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-76012705187706757122009-04-16T16:43:00.000-05:002009-04-16T17:17:16.331-05:00listies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRSH9cfCcE4gGWm6ydA-FU4p-k3VkZMu_wF2iAnT6_Bbbh6Reuu192GS68yc2lpd9GOys4AXcQ8oZmWJL3K5hzDNEnm_xYwDgmUmGpAwWQC2jf1rZSZlCEiMbb-NIR738Z4LfGe6qClvH/s1600-h/read1.bmp"><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325410773787497906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRSH9cfCcE4gGWm6ydA-FU4p-k3VkZMu_wF2iAnT6_Bbbh6Reuu192GS68yc2lpd9GOys4AXcQ8oZmWJL3K5hzDNEnm_xYwDgmUmGpAwWQC2jf1rZSZlCEiMbb-NIR738Z4LfGe6qClvH/s320/read1.bmp" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;"><br /></span><div></div><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">I have finally compiled my read-a-thon list, which is so exciting that I think I might have to do a little dance before typing any more...</span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">*long pause*</span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">Allllrighty then. Back to business!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">My read-a-thon list is quite awesome. Starting at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, I will be reading...</span></p><p><span style="color:#330033;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>"Non-negotiable…" selections</strong><br /><br /><em>Much Ado about Nothing</em> by William Shakespeare—for my Shakespeare class<br /><br /><em>Antony and Cleopatra</em> by William Shakespeare—for my Shakespeare class<br /><br /><em>The Devil's Dominion: Magic and Religion in Early New England</em> by Richard Godbeer—for my American History course (I'll probably add this to my non-fiction five challenge list)<br /><br /><em>And Then There Were None</em> by Agatha Christie—for the Intro to Lit course that I teach. My students start discussing this book on Tuesday…<br /><br /><em>Henry V</em> by William Shakespeare—for my big ‘ole paper due in a month (blah)<br /><br /><em>The Moonstone</em> by Wilkie Collins—I have to write a paper on this novel before school is out to finish my incomplete in my last nineteenth-cent. British lit course. I should re-read it or at least get a good chunk re-read this weekend.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="color:#330033;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Just for me, but still academic-y.<br /></strong><br /><em>The Scarlet Letter</em> by Nathaniel Hawthorne—because it’s soooo good.<br /><br /><em>Hard Times</em> by Charles Dickens—for my Classics Challenge J<br /><br /><em>Little Dorrit</em> by Charles Dickens—because Dickens is my homeboy<br /><br /><em>Pride and Prejudice</em> by Jane Austen—because I’m the only one (and by “one” I mean mushy book-crazy girl) I know who hasn’t read it.<br /><br /><strong>For fun, for ME!!!</strong><br /><br /><em>All Cooked Up</em> Elvis Cookbook—to make the read-a-thon hip shakin’ good (for Non-fiction five challenge)<br /><br /><em>Being Perfect</em> by Anna Quindlen<br /><br /><em>The Messenger</em> by Lois Lowry<br /><br /><em>Dr. Dredd’s Wagon of Wonders</em> by Bill Brittain</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;"></span> </p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">Does my list make you happy too? Enough to dance?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">Here's another list. It's things I've done in the past 24 hours. Lots of numbers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">I have...</span></p><ol><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">graded 39 essays, 4-7 pages each</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">slept 2 hours</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">taught 2 classes</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">caused 2 students to cry</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">written about 15 emails for the transdisciplinary Text course </span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">received my big Amazon box in the mail with 7 new books!</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">danced 1 happy dance</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">spent about 1 hour w/ hubby</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">eaten 1/2 of an enchilada that I brought home from El Ranchero a few nights ago. YUM.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">compiled my weekend's read-a-thon list</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">danced 1 more happy dance</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">made a list on my blog with 12 items</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;">And the answer is "yes" if you have asked, "is she going nuts?"</span></p><p><br /> </p>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-55713051833626409332009-04-14T17:09:00.000-05:002009-04-15T17:42:47.251-05:00bookmarks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMCs8rYL72OpQTWbc8aFnvEtRpWY_Kjo_2PrWJR0CP0Wg_10e9krw3ht4LBhsTJz3p8QVuNeNqTmyTwzzRdbFnkqdvUnesjYLou0qA07Q6GXubWumcmrSMGs7XD2ycpwswVW1tUTtRL0j/s1600-h/read1.bmp"></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#6600cc;">I've been mulling over my books for about two weeks now trying to decide what I <em>have to </em>read for school during the read-a-thon and what I <em>get to </em>read for myself. Since this is my last semester of coursework for my Ph.D. in English Literature, I'm working my rear end off trying to complete all of my assignments and finish what I start, which is a very hard thing for me to do when it comes to books. I LOVE books. I love, love, love them. But I have problems, too.<br /><br />I have an entire house full of books that are only partially read. I did a quick head count of my shelves, and just glancing at one of my "novel" shelves, I saw around thirty books with bookmarks sticking out of them. I am pretty diligent about marking my place when I stop reading them, but I am very bad at ever getting around to finishing the books. I have very good intentions. In fact, I try all the time to go back to books that I never finished. The problem, of course, is that I want to start over from the beginning again, and then I usually get busy right around the time I stopped the last time, so the book mark goes in again and I never make it to the end.<br /><br />Grad school has been brutal to my bookmark problem. In fact, the number of bookmarks I've lost to some really good books has probably quadrupled in the past four years. There is never enough time to finish one 800 page Victorian novel before it's time to read the next one, or the next one, or the one after that...and the tumultuous cycle continues. (That said, I've probably read *and finished* hundreds of books in the past four years...but I've stopped short too often due to the time constraints of school.)<br /><br />Does anyone else have this problem? Am I the only one with book-marky bookshelves??<br /><br />...I have made a vow to myself that I am going to finish before summer is over <em><u>at least</u></em> the books that I claim are my favorites. Then, once I finish my dissertation in 2011, I can revisit my bookmarks one by one.</span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-17874823809725870342009-04-09T13:16:00.000-05:002009-04-09T13:34:21.298-05:00Chocolate Cake; or, what I did last night instead of grading papers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OW_IA8ESmKXMKlocVeUULIgIvUjCTXf92K7kpZl5IAvWr8v6Z4HV9cX90KMj0Vx8LGuYCiRV6ox04RtF9ATHCNwf3KhnTKr6_Si1YVGIaxSCHW892r7O1_VaVFCH9dRsXn_J9dtBBC4R/s1600-h/mayo-cake-batter.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322761301308982386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OW_IA8ESmKXMKlocVeUULIgIvUjCTXf92K7kpZl5IAvWr8v6Z4HV9cX90KMj0Vx8LGuYCiRV6ox04RtF9ATHCNwf3KhnTKr6_Si1YVGIaxSCHW892r7O1_VaVFCH9dRsXn_J9dtBBC4R/s320/mayo-cake-batter.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#663300;">Last night, Scott and I made a delicious chocolate cake from my <em>All Cooked Up </em>Elvis cookbook. All I can say is YUM. I'll post the recipe later. :)</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#663300;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#663300;">I am doing a ton of reading for my history course, so I don't have much time to blog, but I wanted to say that I'm formulating a tentative list of books for my readathon! I'm going to have one for each of my classes, and then maybe a little one just for me. I'm two-thirds of the way through Lois Lowry's <em>Giver</em> series, which has <em>The Giver</em>, <em>Gathering Blue</em>, and <em>The Messenger</em>. I'll probably read the last book during my 'thon. The others will have to be school books, but I'm going to try to make some little goals for myself to spice it up. Any suggestions?</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#663300;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#663300;">Love to the fam, KB</span></div>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-130692328270389682009-04-02T18:10:00.000-05:002009-04-02T18:28:42.516-05:00Marathon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuV_BUTdq7H2-oabrtsEeLud1GqDFGOedoH99bZXLkP1U4xbGnYQpT8Wms0Mq13Dyv5v6eAm67jc_lHA6KDoFKdij9_uZWCeb2DpR8HapBHYa3D_xaC-GcArywYQQyO7igw3sIKQRVY3x2/s1600-h/ear0684l.jpg"><span style="color:#cc0000;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320238632860499858" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 299px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuV_BUTdq7H2-oabrtsEeLud1GqDFGOedoH99bZXLkP1U4xbGnYQpT8Wms0Mq13Dyv5v6eAm67jc_lHA6KDoFKdij9_uZWCeb2DpR8HapBHYa3D_xaC-GcArywYQQyO7igw3sIKQRVY3x2/s320/ear0684l.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"> </span><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;">24 hour read-a-thon? Of course I've heard of it...it's called every day in grad school!<br /><br />But in all seriousness...</span><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;">I've been playing around with the idea of joining the </span><a href="http://24hourreadathon.com/"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;">24 hour reading marathon</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;"> on April 18-19th. What do y'all think? I know I definitely have plenty to keep me occupied. The question is, can I stay awake the whole time??</span></div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;">The cool thing about the marathon is that you can use it to work on other reading challenges (again, in the real world it's called "homework"!). I would just need to make sure that I get all my grading done before the weekend. :) Would anyone want to join me? I think it sounds like fun.</span></div><div><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#cc0000;">Of course, I am a big nerd and admit this in public venues. But books are awesome, and I like making lists and then crossing things off. It may be a sickness. More details later.</span></div>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-22178657726419201102009-04-01T13:02:00.000-05:002009-04-02T00:29:48.856-05:00Non-Fiction Five Challenge<div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">Non-Fiction Five Challenge<br />May 1 - September 30, 2009</span> </div><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319785242731726674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 194px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwPraOelLOX3_FE5iPvp3SJhvDF-QBaDAAoyPqJjJZMYwkAfWc7HzqMUJ_QRAuBvjOXFD_9p3nnNQcNm0KUCWDbw7Yo85vqeAFvfeluzg4gxap-cD2ocGGx7RIwS38JzfIyNQ8ONvcXLl/s320/nonfictionsmall.jpg" border="0" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iIRlQaCvEzFs5mun-CRvw4uaDX35Sg7G_L1JmaLTQ8XA8z5kmUDHLvw3wCl4ThdAjTQ_D3yQKGoQBmNArA-yidT-GdPjsIMRBS9VCW-ac8jrojNDn1sp_ZkrlWGboPCeM1fYsMV-e5Gv/s1600-h/non-fiction_five.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319785311091799314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iIRlQaCvEzFs5mun-CRvw4uaDX35Sg7G_L1JmaLTQ8XA8z5kmUDHLvw3wCl4ThdAjTQ_D3yQKGoQBmNArA-yidT-GdPjsIMRBS9VCW-ac8jrojNDn1sp_ZkrlWGboPCeM1fYsMV-e5Gv/s320/non-fiction_five.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><p>My friend and fellow book-lover <a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/">Trish </a>has taken on a new challenge and has invited us to join <a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/non-fiction-five-challenge-sign-ups.html">here</a>.</p><p align="center">The Rules (unchanged from previous years)</p><p align="center">1. Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2009 (please link your reviews on Mister Linky each month; Mister Linky can be found each month on this blog)</p><p align="center">2. Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)</p><p align="center">(all choices do not need to be posted and may change at any time)</p><p align="left">My tentative list:</p><ol><li><div align="left">All Cooked Up: Recipes and Memories from Elvis' Family and Friends</div></li><li><div align="left">Jill Lepore's New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in 18th Century Manhattan</div></li><li><div align="left">Julian Symons' Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel: A History</div></li><li><div align="left">Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories</div></li><li><div align="left">Harry Mount's Carpe Diem: Put a Little Latin in Your Life<br /></div></li></ol>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-73471016416688056202009-03-18T12:10:00.000-05:002009-04-02T22:54:42.429-05:00Spring "un"-breakScott and I have had a busy Spring Break, especially since neither of us are actually taking a break. I'm still teaching at my other college that will have a later break, and we're both doing a ton of researching and writing for our semester projects and papers. Just once, I wish I could have a decent vacation. But, I am grateful for a week off of school and tutoring, and I just hope that I can get everything done in time to at least enjoy the weekend a tiny bit. I think I'm going to get a massage. :)<br /><br />My research is really interesting right now. I'm working on reading a series of New England Puritan sermons from about 1650-1750. I'm tracing the metaphor of death as sleep through these sermons and trying to form some of my own conclusions about how the Puritan settlers' ideas of both death and sleep were changing as a result of these publications. There's a really fascinating dichotomy that I've found in the way they talk about the death of believers as a kind of sleep, while the death of the unholy was a restless prison. I am hoping that--eventually, and after much more research--I'll be able to make some connections between Puritan beliefs of death and sleep and my former Gothic lit arguments of sleep as a fragment of death. I would love to write my dissertation on sleep in British literature, and I'm glad I was able to find something in this American History seminar that at least tangentially relates to my interests. I only wish I didn't have to read my sleep sermons in Special Collections! They have so few hours, and it's impossible to get comfortable and settle in with a book.<br /><br />On the other side of things, I'm working on a text edit of Shakespeare's Henry V, reading many books all at the same time, grading rather large stacks of essays, and trying to keep my many employers happy.<br /><br />In my meager spare time (or as the Puritans would write, my meagere sparre Tyme), I'm thinking about how crazy this summer will be since we have two weddings in Texas to go to (be in?) and we are also taking a trip with my sister, her hubby, and their toddler to Tennessee and Georgia. I am soooo psyched for this trip! But, I can't think about it toooo much right now or else I won't want to do any work at all.<br /><br />Love to the fam. <3 KBKaren Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-9024842761665485142009-03-15T02:47:00.001-05:002009-04-03T15:39:16.701-05:00Classics Challenge 2009!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrsIjKLlWFC8kGpR1NobBrsGv4EJE1YZf3R-ofOIHjRoIMix2X4w3YGE2px8efVcCrCRp8kt-1EptKA8sVpSIzO2t6HLSTArktFJR0DOk1b16ppT4_H5cwxQi0JIywn5JWqIYhyphenhyphen21MZFO/s1600-h/classicssmall.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313318176415999634" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 200px; height: 150px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrsIjKLlWFC8kGpR1NobBrsGv4EJE1YZf3R-ofOIHjRoIMix2X4w3YGE2px8efVcCrCRp8kt-1EptKA8sVpSIzO2t6HLSTArktFJR0DOk1b16ppT4_H5cwxQi0JIywn5JWqIYhyphenhyphen21MZFO/s320/classicssmall.jpg" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313318229515601170" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 200px; height: 146px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2yoYAAuASfxx4FoMPjMbHZ2empJ-GPw4utgP3Xo7bXiDMz8qt_C2i1-UntGJL4PjvrgreM2jdNN6jPoAeq_04-rezs4ORSVOBIm4yZXApwC5LN51SNW8gxvPkBuABMOwGF2pYWmwPTkU/s320/Bethany_Classics.jpg" border="0" /><br />click <a href="http://classics2008.blogspot.com/2009/02/classics-challenge-2009-sign-ups.html">here</a> to sign up!!<br /><br />1. <strike>Hamlet by Shakespeare</strike><br />2. Hard Times by Charles Dickens (in progress! 4-1-09)<br />3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll<br />4. The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe<br />5. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne<br />6. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James<br />7. Someday Classic Bonus: ???? by E. L. Doctorow<br /><br />update 4-3-09<br />I've replaced one of the above with Bram Stoker's <span style="font-style: italic;">Dracula</span>. Yummy scary books. Rarrr.Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-6270200625736402052009-02-21T22:35:00.000-06:002009-02-21T22:46:00.461-06:00Because it helps to talk about it<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Since December, I've been having a racing heart. I don't know how to describe it other than feeling like my heart is beating out of control--like I've been surprised or scared, except it hasn't slowed down. This happened a few times while I lived in Lubbock, and it seemed very worrisome to me at the time, but it would go away after 5 or 6 hours each time. This time, it hasn't gone away.<br /><br />So, I went to the doctor and had my blood pressure checked out. Sure enough, I was right. My heart didn't just feel incredibly fast, it was incredibly fast. The average person's heart beats about 60-100 beats a minute, depending on what they are doing (it's sometimes much higher if they are exercising). Mine was monitored over the course of about an hour, and it was around 100 the whole time. A tiny bit lower, at one point. It's not too good, he said, if it never slows down. My average should be around 80, not 100. However, the dr. said it was not too out of range to get worried, so he didn't feel like he should rush me to a cardiologist. Instead, he did an EKG that measures the electrical activity of my heart, and my heartbeat looks normal. There were no extra beats or in-between activity that would make him worry.<br /><br />They did other tests to check everything else out that could make my heart go crazy, but everything checked out normal. Everything except for my adrenaline levels, which were sky high. So, that's the culprit of my racing heart.<br /><br />For some reason my body is pumping extra adrenaline because something is telling my brain that it needs it. The doctor said that I'm either scared by something or scaring myself, worrying constantly, or putting irrational and unhealthy pressure on myself. OR, my brain is tricking itself into thinking these things. OR, any combination of these things are causing "fight or flight" signals in the brain which speed the production of adrenaline...<br /><br />There were so many possibilities, but I'm guessing it's a combination of school/job/ worry, not enough sleep, and a million irrational stressors attacking my brain and body. Whatever it is, it is putting my body in sprint mode for marathon lengths. One 10-second little worry (like merging onto the freeway, for example) will set my body into making enough adrenaline for days. That, in turn, causes an anxiety attack and leaves my head reeling, feeling panicky, worried, and generally stressed out. Not the "I have a paper due" kind of stress. (Because I always have a paper due. I will always have a paper due.) It’s more like "the world's going to explode" kind of stress. Hence the crazy heartbeat for over two months now.<br /><br />I don't know what set me off, but something happened to my body or brain in December to make me sick. The doctor thinks that therapy will calm me down, or at least give me a "safe place" to let out what goes through my brain that could potentially cause one of these anxiety attacks. My psychiatrist thinks that my illness has probably been a long time in the making, due to my “perfectionist, self-induced worry complex.” Hmmm…am I crazy? No, not at all. Just extremely over-worked, over-stressed, and under-rested. Nothing that a little graduating in two years with my Ph.D. won’t cure. In the meantime, I’m supposed to take deep breaths, relax, and keep telling myself, “it’s okay, you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay” whenever I feel panic coming on. Surprisingly, it’s actually helping.<br /><br />You know what else is helping? Prayer. Real prayer. Real worship. Time spent not thinking about anything else other than something omnipresent and omnipowerful. It’s amazing how healthy my heart feels when I envision my Lord holding it, protecting it, and calming it down. Calming me down. This might not make sense to everyone out there, but—dear reader—it makes sense to me.</span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-63823534886932603262009-02-13T18:15:00.000-06:002009-02-13T18:27:58.720-06:00full of heart<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family: georgia;">In my last blog, I hinted at some health problems that I have been having. Is it normal for a heart to race for <strike>weeks</strike> months on end with no relief? Well, it is beginning to feel normal for me even though this clearly is not a common problem. But before you start worrying, let me briefly explain that the EKG and a wide scope of blood tests all confirmed that my heart is fine. In fact, it's great. And ditto for my thyroid, kidneys, liver, etc. (On a slightly humorous note, the dr. said he'd never seen a 26-year old grad student with better cholesterol. Go me!) Unfortunately, even though my body parts are working fine, there is an abundance of adrenaline being produced which keeps me continually on edge, on alert. I can never relax or rest because my brain is receiving mixed signals from the excess of adrenaline, which makes me anxious (or worried or scared or irritated, you name it). If the condition doesn't improve on it's own, I have the option of taking medication, but I would only be treating symptoms unless the adrenaline production decreased.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">So, what was the doctor's prescription? Therapy. I kind of chortle as I write it, but the way he explained it, it actually made sense.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">I need an outlet for emotion and ideas since my brain is working over-time. Talking to a trained counselor might be exactly what I need to calm down and make some sense of the ways in which I often feel completely overwhelmed. I started "treatment" today, and I am looking forward to stepping out of my (wildly chaotic and, therefore, ironic) comfort zone more often.</span></span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-64135694049946908792009-01-28T16:18:00.000-06:002009-01-28T16:34:04.593-06:00heart<span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;color:#990000;">I don't have any time to calm down, but for my own health, I may have to eventually stop what I am doing and give myself some time to heal.<br /><br />Scott finally convinced me to go to the health center here at school to talk over some of my most recent concerns, and when I think logically, I know he's right. I <em>should</em> go talk to a doctor. I <em>should</em> tell someone licensed in medicine what I have been feeling and noticing about my body. And--he says--"knowing is <em>always</em> better than not knowing." Well, maybe, but I am scared of knowing, even if it is better than the unknown.<br /><br />So, all this to say that I did make an appointment for Friday, I will be talking to a doctor, and I will probably spend a considerable amount of money on inconclusive tests...but, at least I am taking a step toward knowing, which you know who says is always better. I worry and cry and get my husband's shirts soggy with my tears about health problems, and I guess he is taking a stand against sogginess from now on. Because he loves me.<br /><br />I enjoy what I do, and I don't want to have to give any of my academic plans away. Let's just pray for some peace to come from the appointment, if nothing else in the form of answers.</span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-26599136704530125152009-01-25T15:35:00.000-06:002009-01-25T15:44:11.811-06:00today I am grateful for<ul><li> a patient, forgiving, and loving husband and the beautiful match we make</li><br /><li>the nutritious food on our plates, fresh fruit, warm bread</li><br /><li>books books books, in every room, under the beds, scattered on floors, piled on tables and nightstands, filling the car trunk, hiding under stacks of old mail, weighing down backpacks</li><br /><li>the jobs I have shown myself capable of handling, in any situation--good or bad</li><br /><li>the meager but well-deserved paychecks </li><br /><li>the talents God has given me, and the strength, wisdom, and courage to keep trying even when I am scared or don't know what my talents will ultimately be used for</li><br /><li>...literacy.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295350010233108466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 326px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3iFB-Nnq14Br-ej43sLsjyqvxHDKmThhxdjK3wHOmsoWdGOOarJobbmU1zOKfaiUBc6HHXPAcfhnTFgoCsXyq8aqa81Fk-PGKkLsvQxQhpyZ0l1HbXpPNcRK__HrjvKmGPGJFiAGzv1t/s400/kbelf.jpg" border="0" /></li></ul>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-31465606820487547132009-01-23T17:17:00.000-06:002009-01-23T17:52:56.304-06:00...and everything yule in between<span style="font-family:verdana;color:#993399;">Scott and I had a wild time rushing home to Texas and back during Christmas. Our time there was short but much appreciated and much blessed, and we wish we could have stayed longer. The trip consisted of leaving a day and a half late because of schoolwork, not completing said schoolwork, getting 1/3 of the way there only to run into icy and blizzardy conditions between Kingman and Flagstaff, having to turn south and backtrack to Phoenix to I-10, finding out that we did the right thing because I-40 was closed and not opened until Christmas eve, driving around lost for half an hour trying to find our downtown Phoenix motel and then realizing it hadn't been our fault because we had been given the wrong address, staying in a freezing room with an old run-down heater that konked out about 5 minutes after we arrived, waking up after far too few hours of sleep to drive all the way through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to get home late on Christmas Eve-eve. </span><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#993399;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#993399;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294641039839394802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolY84p4kZd7PKAaJzQfoR4cVBbR9CXOz0oYhS6RgUHWdYICX24acZRJsvbFYQ29kKzpyt-pbP0S2Ti1_kI-iD-Qu0Ri4x_ZvGCPgsETGCsB3EDtHz28M_OCIeh0sEpcgLL6bs39HL0gAH/s400/christmas.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#993399;">THEN finding out after hearing a horrible sound driving home from my sister's on Christmas day that the so-called "oil" in my oil reservoir was actually transmission fluid (thanks for that, mechanics who did the last oil change, we really appreciate finding this out AFTER driving 2000 miles in inclement weather, you could have been the death of us and my little trooper car, Priscilla Paige O'Dell-Strovas).<br /><br />$$ later and a merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all, we said sad goodbyes to our families (the hardest for me was saying bye to my sister). We drove home (only having to break into one relative's house for a place to stay on the way home--btw, sorry about that). We made it back to California, obviously stopping at In-N-Out Burger on the way into town because we had been without it for two weeks, and then started an intensive French course one day later. TWO weeks, $500, and 30 in-class hours later, Scott and I had both passed our French reading exams after never having studied French in our lives until 2009. (we're awesome, did I mention?) I can't speak more than 10 phrases in French, but boy can I read it!<br /><br />I started teaching again in the midst of French craziness, but we didn't start our own classes until this week. Technically, both of my classes were cancelled this week, so I don't start until next week. I am excited to start my third job soon. That's right, this semester I have taken on three jobs in addition to my own coursework and trying to pass another language exam (this time, it's Latin). I'm nervous but equally excited, and I'm ready for the challenge. So, if you see me in the next few weeks and wonder why school <em>just </em>started and I already look exhausted, crazy-eyed, on the verge of tears or insanity...it's okay. It's just me. C'est la vie. Hugs help. :)</span></div></div>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-11593753508726218972008-12-15T01:45:00.000-06:002008-12-15T01:55:24.171-06:0010 lords aleapingSo, I'm trying to keep up this maddening pace of finals, grading, seminar papers, etc.<br /><br />Here's today:<br /><strike>wake up and realize the hubby and I have both been pressing snooze for about an hour<br />bake my famous spicy chicken<br />prepare chicken and veggie stew for crockpot<br />submit final grades for both classes</strike><br />finish Hair paper<br /><strike>find my enormous stack of Wilkie Collins articles<br />sample stew, say "damn, I'm good"<br />drive to school, with only a very brief Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf detour<br />work at writing center 7 p.m.-10 p.m.<br />make huge pot of coffee<br />start working on Wilkie Collins paper for 19th cent. seminar<br />wallow in self-pity<br />drink last sip of coffee<br />wish I were at home in bed</strike>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-57702726140193536042008-12-14T01:28:00.000-06:002008-12-15T02:00:41.930-06:00tired<span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">As I sit here at the library typing my seminar papers for this semester, I can’t help but wonder at how I made it this far without crashing and burning. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">Simply, I’m tired.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">I’m trying to hold down multiple jobs, all in this crazy sub-culture called academia, trying to complete three graduate seminars, and trying to be the perfect wife (which I’m slowing discovering is a fantasy). Because I’m torn—yanked, prodded, pulled, you get the picture—in so many directions, I’m not really doing any of them justice. I do not get to spend enough quality time with my husband. I do not keep a clean house. I do not have a perky get-up-and-face-the-day attitude in the mornings. I do not love my jobs as much as I appreciate having them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">No, unfortunately, our townhouse is a mess. This isn’t because Scott or I are particularly messy people, but because we are so busy that we are never home. And, when we are home, we are usually only there long enough to throw down our backpacks, books, and papers, change clothes, pick up another stack of books and papers, and run out the door again. When we finally collapse with each other at night, we have some amazing moments of solidarity and companionship. And then we sleep far too little before we have to get up and do it all over again. Ah, grad school.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">Scott has been my rock for the past four years, and every part of me wants to make him proud. I never would have been emotionally stable enough for grad school without him standing behind me, reminding me of my strengths and cuteness. I want so badly to excel at my current jobs and graduate studies so that, once we (if we?) finally finish, I’ll be able to get a job that is both financially and emotionally satisfying. That way we’ll be able to appreciate each other more and appreciate all the work we’ve been killing ourselves for out here. We’ll be able to look back and know that these hard years of our Ph.D.s were 100% worth it, no regrets, no what ifs.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;"></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">Here’s my grateful list for today:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">husband’s fuzzy pajama pants</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">yummy cheese and cracker snacks</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">other harried-looking students in the library, proving that I’m not alone in the world</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">my CGU partners in crime, Jan, Stefani, and Sharone</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">Holiday Blend coffee</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">hair long enough to braid so that I don’t have to think of anything original to do with it</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">free food in the library</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">husband’s warm hugs after chastising me for wearing his fuzzy pajama pants</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">books about hair, black hair, long hair, African American hair, literary hair, kinky hair, political hair, and Janie’s hair</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">our nice apartment manager who keeps trying to give me free lemons</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">the thought of sleep tonight, however short it may be</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">I’m almost halfway through one paper, with one more to go after this. Earlier this semester, Sharone and I turned in our 80-page Jazzwomen project, which was half our grade for our Jazz Transdisciplinary course. I’m glad I am finished with that class and only have to complete two more. Two more. Two more. Two more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#6600cc;">To be continued…</span></p>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-80099671407575902752008-11-28T16:14:00.001-06:002008-12-15T02:03:10.168-06:00I love my family!<div style="WIDTH: 425px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e9e9e9"><object id="A176215" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="319" width="425" data="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=" wmode="transparent" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" service="sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID="></object><div style="MARGIN-TOP: 6px; WIDTH: 435px; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Send your own <a href="http://www.elfyourself.com/">ElfYourself</a> <a href="http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables">eCards</a></div></div><img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTIyNzkxMDM3ODk1MyZwdD*xMjI3OTEwNDE*Mzc1JnA9NDE4ODEzJmQ9MjAyNjY1Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTImdD*mbz1kOTA*ZTlkMTEyODE*MWE3YmZmM2VkMmZiMWUxNGUxZA==.gif" width="0" border="0" />Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-86806354556628220052008-11-26T11:23:00.000-06:002008-11-26T11:27:45.729-06:00elf-esteemKarenBeth is an elf: <a onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," href="http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/HmQX3nKSkRSIftKBDsPv" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/HmQX3nKSkR SIftKBDsPv</a>.<br /><br />Just trust me and click the button. :D You'll laugh so hard you'll cry!<br /><br />(I'd like to thank Jan, Stefani, Sharone, and Scott who graciously and unknowingly lended their mug shots to this fine work of art. I'd also like to thank my mother who didn't institutionalize me even when she knew I was a little crazy. Finally, I would like to thank the Academy...no, don't play the music, wait, wait, waaaaiiiii---)Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-72143003776895678892008-11-23T17:31:00.000-06:002008-11-23T17:46:21.335-06:00God's love<span style="color:#333399;">I'm trying to pace myself with posting my students' funny sentences, but the truth is that they are just too good to keep to myself. The following are laugh-out-louds, head scratchers, or just plain bad:</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#333399;"><strong>"David also worked very closely with Robert Moffat, who arrived a few weeks after him. He had a daughter named Mary and they were deeply in love. They got married on January 2, 1945; they had four boys, and a daughter who died on the mission field due to sickness."</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">Okay, besides the correct use of a semi-colon here, there is not much about this sentence that is good! Of course the daughter died, if the diction is to be trusted! My student commited the unforgivable crime of creating an incestuous relationship for unsuspecting missionary workers!</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#333399;"><strong>"These feelings were all about to be reversed in an event that would change his lives."</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">Hmmm...just for the record, exactly how many lives does this man have?</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#333399;"><strong>"According to The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Augustine was raised in a Christian atmospheric home."</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">Well, if The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy says it, it must be true!</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">And my personal favorite...</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#333399;"><strong>"Anyone can come out of the deepest depths and God's love reaches every corner of every bottom."</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">Yes, indeed.</span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-28199836029158134162008-11-16T00:27:00.000-06:002008-11-16T00:32:21.762-06:00Oh, the funny just won't stop<div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#6633ff;">from a student's recent essay on Sojourner Truth...<br /><br />"Like her mother and many slaves had done, Isabella watched as her children were torn out of her fingerprints and sold to other farms."<br /><br />First of all...ouch! Second of all...thesaurus much? Ahhhh. I just LOVE this time of the semester.</span></div>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-68869160811866062832008-11-13T17:36:00.000-06:002008-11-13T17:50:15.257-06:00My friend Timmy<div align="center"> Anyone who can look this adorable this often deserves some web recognition. I miss him...</div><div align="center">Here's Timothy Elijah, the cutest little squirt in my entire family.</div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268291048261240146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREUXo7TH3mUzxPoKr99K3fcBFvnXnLRUTTIAEo24cdbdjJhjrO1oeecnoe_CZYRyD761DBgggZlFwHbvY4JknIcotkBoQ7OErrui02XX24Wt8UWed2T5Anx1skHeqWUyR-fO0bjau_-8_/s320/timmy2.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"> And here's the handsome little dude after a hair cut.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268291257457202450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu_IROPmlzcZwM7R3OnglqXRIwHaUqSNEOjDiiV_7kF_8cXy5JcumDSLsht_DlhuOi1uQ9f-00Ktul8TlTJYddDgpwKNMbMO3yHT1I229hqabzU1hJJXH1FZoQc5FPYH3v2mDQFHzbgOV/s320/timmy3.jpg" border="0" /><br />And here's Yoda trying to impersonate my nephew for Halloween.</p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268292029368648226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhIA6kmA5mjWfCvW4ebJY5NxDHFwq8m1srwqn_V33oHuij71wU-mjHq0I6lH57V2ZYCDi1Ldz_XGS033ZKF1MDhk-IKzoEBdbKOjPQnpAxr20zGdnq6FauiKCd0m8jfwjmq7B6PNdVhj0/s320/timmy4.jpg" border="0" /> </p><p align="center">And here's how big he was when Scott and I moved to California (3-4 wks old). </p><p align="center">Awww, Little T and Auntie KB!</p><p align="center"><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268292459080322226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 279px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMaVkcuCtSiucHDvJIJHVGWBD3AUwxR05ODbChaSXy7ugRDv0MLygknKcuCZixRtLbbISDb-TOrA60XWTDB3zQozsT6k7NdgoLQUWCnFJ-lhj39r8c-wPKVj6_0O1P9t2_cTuodW40Bro/s320/timmy5.jpg" border="0" />Here's to all out there who miss their loved ones...<br /></p>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-37348500920979065832008-11-07T16:05:00.000-06:002008-11-13T17:52:27.429-06:00arrrrump pa pa pummm<span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">KB’s Christmas (gift) Wishes<br /><br />1. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Declaration-Gemma-Malley/dp/1599902958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226094216&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">The Declaration</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"> by Gemma Malley (book)<br />2. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Shop-Landon-Pigg/dp/B00168E30S/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1226094326&sr=8-2#moreAboutThisProduct"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">Coffee Shop</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"> by Landon Pigg (CD)<br />3. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/We-Sing-Dance-Steal-Things/dp/B0013FNC38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1226094619&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"> by Jason Mraz (CD)<br />4. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/House-M-D-Season-Hugh-Laurie/dp/B000R9YLKY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1226094712&sr=8-1"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">Season Three</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"> House (DVD)<br />5. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hideaway-Weepies/dp/B0015I2O50/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1226094814&sr=8-1"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">Hideaway</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"> by The Weepies (CD)<br />6. Sterling Silver earrings (hoops or studs)<br />7. lap pillow with a hard top to write on<br />8. sitting pillow (perhaps </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bed-Rest-Pillow-%252d-Tan/dp/B000M8GZHW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_10?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1226095034&sr=8-10"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">something like this</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">?)<br />9. lip gloss or lip balms that smell like fruit or baked goods<br />10. lotion or candles that smell like baked goods<br />11. an empty spice rack<br />12. a muffin cookbook<br />13. flavored coffee (especially Candy Cane Peppermint from </span><a href="http://www.dbcr.com/default.asp"><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">Day Break Coffee Roasters</span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;"> in Lubbock)<br />14. bookends</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">15. soft pajama pants and/or fuzzy socks</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">16. mints of any kind</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">17. sparkly bobby pin hairclips</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">18. colored ink or gel pens</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">19. flavored hot cocoa</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#333399;">20. wine stoppers</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">November 13 additions:</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">21. <em>Die Hard</em> collection</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;">22. Season 3 of 24</span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-42038670359731690162008-10-12T22:52:00.000-05:002008-11-16T00:33:24.050-06:00These snozberries taste like snozberries!<span style="font-family:times new roman;color:#6600cc;">My husband is my main source of laughter, which is sweet, I know, but what I love the most is that the jokes have not gotten old. In fact, we laugh about the "same old stuff" more and more. I love that his belly button lint and my premarital pink socks continue to be sources of hilarity. And I love that he gets frustrated with the avocado every single time. I <em>love</em> that.<br /><br />My students--on the other hand--crack me up in other ways. In spelling ways. Here are two examples of laugh-out-louds:<br /><br />"Unhappy couples get caught in the viscous cycle of divorce."<br /><br />"Many types of symbolism in Bram Stoker's <em>Dracula</em> are berried in the text."<br /><br />You see, dear reader, I have a wonderful life. I have a job for which I am paid to laugh, cry, and grit my teeth right alongside the kiddoes (only they don't know <em>why</em> I'm doing it). And that's the best part.</span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-47852209164233300602008-09-05T00:33:00.000-05:002008-11-23T17:48:24.230-06:00Two households, both alike in Karen BethsTwo households, both alike in Karen Beths, in fair San Gabriel Valley where we lay our scene. Ahhh, if only Shakespeare was alive for that one! Moving is one of the hardest things about life. But even harder than moving is living out of two different residences while the moving is taking place! (Even harder than that? Planning for in-laws in town while the moving is taking place.) But...they actually ended up being a huge help to us.<br /><br />Scott and I are finally moved all the way into the new place! We started looking about halfway through the summer because we needed more space and more privacy. The apartment we were in was in a great location and came at a reasonable price (if anything in SoCal can be called reasonably priced), but we didn't like the noise from upstairs neighbors, and we didn't like not being able to make our own noise as musicians...<br /><br />We found the perfect place for us. It's a two-story townhouse in Glendora. We have two bedrooms, so one will be an office/studio for us to do schoolwork and practicing. The other will be our master bedroom. We have <em>three</em> bathrooms for some reason, we're still not sure why, but very excited about it. We have a garage, balconies, a patio, a bigger kitchen than the last place. All in all, as soon as we get more boxes unpacked, we'll be VERY happy and cozy in our brand new place. The best part about it? We don't share any walls! We live in a townhouse community, but our little place stands all on its own. We still rent, but it's progress!!<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242410506624860610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPw3ygJqHQTK5MCPjOVriIudAybqvR8M7NO75S1HGXgnGhr_phw6PYcy9XSzoz_lye1j_KNXDe3Cchv27n_AreGbB7vPfN3QJuUqjY9Hh2jRfpJR6i6KMg_n87E1bJF3N6zH6OmTP4Gtj/s320/IMG_0390_1.JPG" border="0" /><br />(note--hey, if you need our new address, just drop me a line by email)<br /><br />I'm blessed to have a loving husband who only complained a leeeetle bit about carrying my many many many boxes of books up the stairs. In total, we probably had about 600 books to move from one place to another, and it was a huge chore. I don't feel too bad about it since at least 200 of them were his. Still, what a sweet hunk.<br /><br />School has started again, which makes this whole moving/unpacking process even more stressful. However, I have so many things to be grateful for.<br /><br />1. A fresh bunch of students with eagerness and expectations written all over their faces.<br />2. New books!<br />3. Getting back in touch with good friends.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpmPhr9yQ8lu5JY6iKw-jsKBSLkWPd81Vo10oSfOR0llrXZhGGgoqgKITt3SGZd2fc_wHB7XV3pUkkUJ8919fsjGx4GcndwHsaNeJ-TppbUKmv9bnsEyJ8Sb71cu3ug7EjzVIjjx7VkYp/s1600-h/Chris+and+Sharone.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242412922375890898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpmPhr9yQ8lu5JY6iKw-jsKBSLkWPd81Vo10oSfOR0llrXZhGGgoqgKITt3SGZd2fc_wHB7XV3pUkkUJ8919fsjGx4GcndwHsaNeJ-TppbUKmv9bnsEyJ8Sb71cu3ug7EjzVIjjx7VkYp/s200/Chris+and+Sharone.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9KlaqlEvDyBMBKtdpw3WZM0jdA7g7BwV1pafCXxQJEOhbn9V_Xwz0jFHdMXwzW9DPjVhyphenhyphenRoxPiCGfxnBVMQxuze6WcghGKwd1qmS98bME197_CPtZBFsit84Y1Qqb1QasT_5_ERFVtHj/s1600-h/KBstefshar.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242412730342987314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9KlaqlEvDyBMBKtdpw3WZM0jdA7g7BwV1pafCXxQJEOhbn9V_Xwz0jFHdMXwzW9DPjVhyphenhyphenRoxPiCGfxnBVMQxuze6WcghGKwd1qmS98bME197_CPtZBFsit84Y1Qqb1QasT_5_ERFVtHj/s200/KBstefshar.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242412846031475794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMTq0giyQCVIgDvzvnHEceaNBi4JQYDbV7LRsULKRagGqH1_dBVoWmdkJAZO-An-RVKt4WTFtbt3xrdjXTwGqE4_h-ADlDpdublvP9nHAKRmqEVC_oTwDlQR9yTRiTTVtC0nh6xZu8frO/s200/sharjanstef.jpg" border="0" /><br />4. Making new ones.<br />5. Carpooling with the hubby to school.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242413029238942914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbusUxHOywek8vcBeOnseewjNCQOIvOvXB-jeyvlNOtyaiNJaYMc0x4wcloWmdd2UfZi5O1QjYEX95iRQAXXemTRCSEeVV7OER_7dFrR1HsQ4_T40_A-FagnwtwXGPYl4fLczBFtYEQo1/s200/kbscottluau.jpg" border="0" /><br />6. New classes=New challenges<br />7. New reasons to try my very hardest.<br />8. did I mention new books? :)Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-26265917692194203582008-08-13T19:16:00.000-05:002008-08-13T19:28:00.825-05:00The freedom of silver<p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;">My mom is the most patriotic person I know. I am the 2nd in line. :) </span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000099;"><p><br />The summer olympic games are memories that I carry with me from my entire childhood. My parents get very excited about the competitions and broadcasts, and I have always carried on the tradition of cheering on my team USA. Now, I know that just about every household at some time or another during this twenty-ninth olympiad will be glued to its television set, holding its collective breaths, and yelling at the screen ("GO MICHAEL, GO GO GO GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"). I know that I'm not unusual in loving the olympics. This is America, after all. But I believe that I do have more stamina than most for watching as much as possible, and I get really personal about the games. It's a family thing. My mom and sister and I--and daddy when he got home late at night--used to watch every minute of the television coverage. But that's not all. We would decorate the living room with USA paraphernalia, wear our red, white, and blue USA shirts, make olympic-themed meals and desserts, create scrapbooks out of newspaper articles on the athletes (esp. the gymnasts), and it would consume us for 15 entire days, and then many days after.</p><p><br />The '96 olympics in Atlanta, the XXIV Olympiad, were and always will be my favorite. Who can forget the "Magnificent Seven," the USA women gymnasts who won gold in their home country? Kerri Strugg vaulted with an injured ankle and landed on one foot! Coach Bela Karolyi carried the small star up to the medal podium to receive her gold medal, a picture which was probably on the front page of every newspaper in America the next morning. Michael Johnson with his shiny gold tennis shoes won gold in both the 200 and 400 meter races, setting a new world record in the 200 at 19.32 seconds! Amy Van Dyken won four gold medals in swimming, and she was the first American woman ever to do that in one olympics. Andre Agassi (my favorite tennis player of all time) won the gold medal which earned him the always coveted Career Grand Slam (all four major tournaments + olympics). Carl Lewis, who was only surpassed this year by Michael Phelps for the number of medals won in the olympics, won his fourth gold in long jump at age 35. It was the first olympics for softball, beach volleyball (which is about all they show on NBC this year--errr), mountain biking, women's soccer (we won gold!), and lightweight rowing. Muhammad Ali was chosen to light the Olympic torch and was given a replacement gold medal from his 1960 games. Medals were won by a whopping 79 countries, and a record 197 countries participated, including Palestine, which was admitted into the Olympics as a nation for the first time. I LOVED the 1996 Olympics. (Even if it was a two-week non-stop Coca-Cola/ Kodak commercial.)</p><p><br />There were memorable tragedies, though, and I remember how saddened my family was to hear about the bombing during the games in Centennial Olympic Park, which caused two deaths and 111 injuries. The games were also marred by the continual question of doping, which had become more and more prevalent in athletes' drug tests. [sigh]</p><p><br />But, nonetheless, I look back on Atlanta and think of how proud I was of my country--how proud I was of their patriotism, athleticism, and sportsmanship.</p><p><br />Here we are (fast-forward to 2008) in Beijing (well, not me, but my heart and soul...and my secret crush Bob Costas). I see the Chinese being very proud of their nation and their accomplishments. I see them waving their flags and pumping their fists in the air with victory. I see the Great Wall, the ancient relics of dynasties, and the strong people with an even stronger dictator. No viewer doubts that the Chinese are very proud of their Olympics debut.</p><p><br />But at what cost? These "games" are no longer games anymore! They are showcases of fear and hardship. I've heard horrible stories about how children are taken away from their parents at age 3 if the parents are "genetically superior." That's what happened to NBA basketball player Yao Ming. His parents had good (tall and strong) genes, so he was breeded to be a star. Little children are taken to be gymnasts or divers if their parents are small, strong, flexible, and graceful. They are taken to be table tennis champions if the parents have excellent hand and eye coordination. I am not making this stuff up! Chinese toddlers are ripped away from their parents (who, by the way, still are not allowed to have more children even if the government takes theirs) in order to represent their country. They live in sports facilities like dormitories or boarding schools and train from age 3 to be gold medalists; these are places where 2nd place is not acceptable, and 3rd place is unthinkable. I watch these little girls compete on the Chinese gymnastics team with fear in their eyes. It's even worse for the men's team. One missed step, one missed hand hold, and it's all over. The only joy came when they won the gold, and it didn't look like utter and complete happiness. It looked like relief...safety from whatever punishment or embarrassment would have come from winning anything less glitzy than gold.</p><p><br />Personally, I like silver better. If I know that my country's athletes have good lives, love competition and the thrill of doing the best they can, are treated well, have no fear of public shunnings or private beatings when they return home, and can have semi-normal lives when they aren't off being olympians, then I would much rather all of the Americans bring home silvers than golds. Gold isn't worth the cost of freedom and human rights from age 3 on.</p><p><br />[Side note: Of course, I personally am THRILLED that Michael Phelps and the rest of the men's relay team on Sunday night blew the France team's hoity toity opinion of themselves to smithereens. But, for everyone else, second place is plenty high enough if it means that my fellow Americans can compete with true excitement in their hearts instead of fear. WE are team USA (thank you, Bank of America, for inspiring this idea with your incessant commercials), and we love our teammates no matter what.]</span></p>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922550744124463415.post-72214388999039526732008-06-17T00:24:00.000-05:002008-11-16T00:35:14.243-06:00Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-P4lRAk_MMNhyphenhyphenOuINxzyvCyX2UgG67TSzJmkxeiR-VcUkE00NWOEsNHB4cmW-z1ku9XwHZXDVbV0iuKaS3B3kAQsz-EMOM56uomPgAiOffUXyjjJumG6tvCuKRk0xDm1-VwUNWzR0mQH/s1600-h/gpb.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212718536049468786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-P4lRAk_MMNhyphenhyphenOuINxzyvCyX2UgG67TSzJmkxeiR-VcUkE00NWOEsNHB4cmW-z1ku9XwHZXDVbV0iuKaS3B3kAQsz-EMOM56uomPgAiOffUXyjjJumG6tvCuKRk0xDm1-VwUNWzR0mQH/s320/gpb.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> When Edith Wharton labels a little book the "great American novel," it's no longer a little book--it's one that deserves notice. I had never read <em>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</em> or heard of Anita Loos before a few weeks ago. I had heard of the Marilyn Monroe movie, but hadn't seen it. All in all, until last week I was thoroughly deprived of an amazingly funny story that made me snicker, giggle, chortle, laugh uproariously, and probably grin mischievously when nobody was looking. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em>Gentlemen Prefer Blondes </em>is the story of Lorelei Lee, along with her friend Dorothy, on a journey across the eastern United States and especially the big hits in Europe (London, Paris, etc.). Lorelei's more pertinent journeys, though, are her attempts to gain upward social mobility, "education" of the mind, and--of course--convincing men to buy her as many sparkly, expensive things as possible. She's hilarious in her honesty (the novel is written as her own diary), just as naive as she is cunning, and possibly the smartest idiot in literature. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The ending was so-so, but the first 90% of the book had already made me fall in love with Loos's writing style and spunk. I recommend this book! I'm not necessarily condoning Lorelei's behavior, p.s. Just loving it between the pages.</span>Karen Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17422002745008465008noreply@blogger.com3