Good vs. Evil

Ok so Rob is less evil than me.

New Flickr Account

So I started a Flickr account to collect photos for the eventual wedding site that I am going to create. Feel free to view, the link is on the sidebar. If you happen to have any photos of the ceremony, could you send them to me at deborah.ann.dilley@gmail.com Thanks!

My Kurdistance Article for this week...

Normally I don't link a post to my work on Global Voices, but I am particularly proud of the piece that I wrote today, please give it a look.

Why my testing teacher is lucky to be alive

During the break in testing class my teacher went up to my partner and notified him that he felt that our test project was "too simple" and that we need to do something else. Let's go through a bit of this shall we....2 weeks ago we presented the design of our project...the amount of time and blood that we put into it was immense....our presentation was polished and one of the best in the class....and because we were so polished he somehow decided that it must have been easy to do the project. UGH! My partner, was so worried when he told me, he was trying to think of new ideas, but I took on our professor after class. I think that he was surprised. I normally don't talk in class (mainly because it melts my brain- but also because the people who do talk ask the stupidest questions and suck all intelligence out of the room) so when I testily (I hate that word but it is the only one that fits) took him on using all of his logic to prove why our project was still valid and that he was making unfounded value judgements based on his ignorant notions of the amount of work he thought we put into it. Either way we won out, but we also gave him the added incentive of incorporating some of his new research ideas into our project to give him a trial shot for extra research....he liked that as well. My partner was relieved that I handled it. Mr.3 said that I have a redhead streak in me, that apparently is unpredictable....I am not sure that this is a good or bad thing.

Fantastic First Day on the Job!

Today was my first day at Outreach and it was bloody brillant! Let's see, my first task was to research jokes in the Middle East and do a write up about them for our newsletter due this week. I answered the main line but by not being in the main office anymore I didn't have to deal with the influx of traffic of people....I was able to concentrate for once at work. I was also having so much fun that I didn't even have time to do my usual goofing off on the internet. And....perhaps one of the coolest things, is that I have gone from 40 hours a week to 30! The important part of this is that I left at 3 today instead of 5 and is soooo felt like I was playing hookie from work. Mr.3 and I even went to work out and were still home by 4:30! I feel great! Tomorrow I work until only 2:30pm, and since my class starts at 3:30 this means that I can work on school stuff before class again. I haven't been able to do that since my two part time job days!

Last week blogging was scarce as it was spring break but I was also busting my butt to get stuff at one job finished before starting the next one. Now not everything is done, but what remains are all small items that I can take my time doing. We were still sifting through applications for my old job today. I figure that it will be a mircle if they can begin to interview this week, so next week for interviews..then another week for second interviews. Then I can easily see another 2 weeks before anyone can actually start....which means that the first week of this new person is going to be the end of the semester and they will have to deal with teachers not doing their grades....hopefully I can get Fall textbook information from the teachers before then. Part of me is annoyed with myself for saying that I would cover both jobs until a replacement is found, but the other (and larger part of me) is incredibly annoyed that the higher ups in my department decided that that was a fair option. It isn't like I am getting paid anymore, or getting extra hours. And the job change isn't a new thing...we knew that Carolyn gave 2 months notice, and I gave a months notice (plus an offer to help train). The situation is really frustrating but the pressure does seem to be less now that I am across the hall.

Back to the new job....it is sooo much fun! Friday (as Carolyn left an extra day early) we moved a new bookshelf into the office so that this morning I was completely moved in and ready to start working. I have this excellent bookshelf with a wonderful collection of books on the middle east, any and all aspects of it. I could get lost in its pages. Tomorrow I have to work on researching holidays for our October workshop (yes, we work that far in advance), and I only have to cover the calls on the main line from 8-11 in the morning! I'm so excited!

And the Reality of Living in Mormonland Comes Crashing in on me

This afternoon Mr.3 and I were having a late lunch/early dinner with my parents at Chuck-a-rama this afternoon. I was cooing over this adorable little girl in a green Easter dress right up until she went up to her mom...who I haven't seen since Middle School. Living here for as long as I have it isn't unusual to come across people you knew from your past...however it still is a shock when you see someone from school have four kids and to be pregnant with a fifth by the age of 26. This is normal for Mormon Utah, this girl, April I believe her name is to be, did what just about 90% of the other girls I went to school with did....got married at 19 and just started to pop out kiddies every year or so....stairstepped children of the corn. I don't want to say that I regret not having children....I will have children, but when I am ready for them...when WE are ready for them. I pity her because I worry that in her eagerness to perform her religious duty for producing more and more children, that she never got a chance to really live. Did she ever get a chance to find herself before she became saddled with diapers? Is she seeming to fall into the same trap of so many young and fundamentally unhappy Mormon brides, procreating in order to forget?

just another thing that I don't need...

a widget on my work computer that let's me blog easier...oh dear.

Week of the never-ending late school nights

We all have had nights where we are up late doing school stuff, but this week (everyday this week) I have actually been on campus until at least 9pm only to turn around and be back on campus at 7:30am. Tonight is another late night because of class but at least I should be home somewhere around 7. I can't wait until this week is over...or well...all of my presentations are over. Testing class went smashingly well, and in a bold ego-centric move, I would say that ours was the best in the class. Then again, we also were the last group and had the benefit of seeing what happened with the groups prior to us in class. Either way my partner and I easily spent 20 hours in preparation for this together, and then more time on top of that was spent working on our own.

And there was something else that I was going to write about...but I forgot. It looks like today is going to be one of those days.

threatening comments

So yesterday I received several comments on this blog that were either freaky whacked out or just plain threatening....my question is, what really is the motivation? As this blog is my expression it should be noted that I will make complete fun of these people if I so choose. I also take full responsibility for anything that I write here. Comment if you wish but please give me a name if you are going to call me one so that I can adequately curse you.

The bug eating bugs and other fun stories...

My dispondent mood was calmed today by lots of bits of gossip about the bug. We held a lunch for the graduate students today to get them more involved in our discussion groups on campus...and of course in these situations the only way to gather students is to bribe them with food. Anyway, setting this up because an team-office undertaking. I would have had to do all of it but my ploy of "I only sit at the desk I don't know anything else" actually worked. I coordinated everyone's schedule, took RSVPs and let the professors know where they needed to go to reserve the room. Teri, Shari and Carolyn (who I keep calling Carrie today) researched into food and ordered everything last minute for the luncheon as no one had told them that they needed to be working on this. June sent out the invite email. So the lunch starts and Shari goes up to the lounge with the PO to make sure that the pizza gets paid for. The bug grabs the PO from her, tell Shari that this is HER show, and that she should leave. Shari left, but not before the bug had time to chew her out about filling out the PO wrong (which was filled out by Teri our AA). Shari came down and told us what had happened which lead to some interesting conversations, but our annoyance at the bug's behavior was quite tangible. About 40 minutes into the presentation I went up to help "clean up"---otherwise known as morbid curiousity and hunger pains. The meeting wasn't quite over when I got up there so I just stood next to "I". Shari's name was mentioned several times, and it really should have been an event that she should have been present for. "I" asked me why she wasn't there. I told him that Shari was told by the bug that she shouldn't be there. He thought for a second and then (rather loudly) went "What!? She did what!?" I think that "I" was in a bit of shock...and he had the giggles as well every time he looked at her. So we have that today....

Then she basically got caught in a lie with Teri our AA. This morning the bug told Teri that she had given the letters for graduate school acceptance to our graduate faculty advisor on Friday to sign. However, I heard her tell the graduate faculty advisor that she just now has the first batch of letters ready for him to sign. Teri was not happy when she found out about that, and she has it now as a mission to "re-educate" the bug in her job. The bug has been in the position for a year, and everyone under the sun has given her a lot of leeway because of it....who knows why....I didn't get any and either has Teri...so that has got to stop. And the fact that she has so many student complaints that "I" and PVS refuse to deal with her on. Mr.3 is thinking about writing a letter about the letter situation to the Assistant Dean on Undergraduate Affairs, something that I support. The part of me that works here and loves the people I work with feels a little bad, but the part of me that is the student who got screwed over by the department wants hell to be raised.

Interesting story from the bug today....besides the fact she saw the movie a beautiful mind and saw a lot of parallels between the main character and her whelp of a husband....she told me that this weekend she had taken a handful of almonds to eat with her beer the other night. After eating them for a while she happened to look down at them and discovered that the almonds where riddled with bugs. Either this was an illusion of her alcohol-ravaged mind or something that really happened...I find it damn funny that the bug made herself sick this weekend eating bugs.

Touchy

the nice way to describe the way that I have been feeling today and the past few days is "touchy" the more accurate description would be "that I am so angry and depressed at the world that I am making myself physically ill". Why am I angry....well I am angry at somethings that I can't control and many things that I could fix but shouldn't have to...topically we are running the whole gambit of issues: school, money, the phone ringing, my stomach, sickness in general, work, dishes, just about anything. And I swear to God that if I have to hear about what the bug did or did not do...... and well I was going to say that if I even had to talk to her today I was going to scream....too late...because of course as I am writing this she comes in and talks about her miserable failed life that she continually claims to be the victim of. If anyone is the real victim it is the people that she complains to becuase that is valuable breathing time that I can never get back again. Has she finished the graduate letters? Probably not....but of course how can she function with all of the alcohol that floats in her bloodstream?

AAARRHGGG!!! I just want to throw or punch something!

found this about soccer

and i found it damn funny, maybe you will too.