Today has been a bummer day – I didn’t get either of the funding sources I applied to, so it looks like I’ll be paying for my trip myself. I talked to the career advisor & she said that funding is very tight & extremely competitive this year & that she’ll let me know if she hears of anything, but it’s highly unlikely. I’m pretty disappointed. Oh well – I have my ticket, I’m going & it will be an amazing experience.

Last year sometime, Joel came back from walking Wes & said that someone had taken his picture. I didn’t think much of it until today when reading Mark Maynard’s update of The Ypsi Project. The project sounded interesting & I was intrigued if this had anything to do with Joel being photographed. After going through about 13 pages of really wonderful photographs of Ypsilanti and its citizens – there he [& Dan & Wes] was!

Erica [the lovely photographer behind the project], wants to have a gallery showing of about 100 of the portraits. I’m really excited about this opportunity [even though I’ll probably be out of the country for the show itself] & donated a little bit of money to help back the project. You can do the same [& even get some lovely gifts] on their Kickstarter page.

I really love this town & felt inspired to wear my Michigan necklace today. My grandmother got it for me as a Christmas gift this year from City Bird – a Detroit store that features Detroit-themed goods, as well as items from over 50 local designers and artists.

You may remember my 50 Books in 2010 project – one that I’ve fallen ridiculously behind in [the goal is pretty ambitious for a grad student], but I haven’t given up on it completely. Last week I finished reading The Little Book – an interesting time-traveling tale about family, love & Vienna. This weekend I picked up A Canticle for Leibowtiz & I’m over half finished. I also checked out some audiobooks to listen to while riding the bus & working. I’m starting with Gilead by Marilynn Robinson. My cousin-in-law Angie didn’t give it a great review, but I absolutely loved her first book Housekeeping, so I’m willing to give it a shot.

Here’s hoping the rest of the week is up hill from today. If the weather forecast is any indication, I think it will be!

What a beautiful, sunny day!

I posted my first refection blog over on the ASB site. We’re required to do two blogs & this first one gives an overview on our project & some thoughts on service. You can read the blog & see a photo of me with my co-volunteer & project mentor right here.

Michigan Radio is having their spring pledge drive right now & you can download a Michigan Radio word search to complete & submit to be entered in a drawing. I did!!

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day! Last year it was beautiful & I wore a dress, spent almost the entire day outside & got sunburn. Unfortunately I work tomorrow, but there should be plenty of daylight & lots of friends to make it an equally great day.

But today,
I’m having a rough day…
At least my life is full of love & I have so many hugs to share.

After a full day of snow, it was a county-wide snow day today. Almost all the local schools were closed, Washtenaw County had a half day off and even Eastern Michigan University closed. U of M, however, was open – they’ve only ever had two campus-wide snow days, one in 1945 & another in 1974. Also, contrary to the rumor that I’ve heard a number of times today, it’s not because some law students sued the university over a snow day.

Although life has been SO busy, I’m really thankful for all the opportunities I have & the ability to live such a carefree life. Last night a group of us went to Sidetrack to celebrate the coming snow day. The snowfall doesn’t look too dramatic, but considering the snow was nearly completely melted, it was quite a storm.

Google just added Buzz to Gmail – it’s like Twitter or a Facebook status & allows you to add other sites into your feed. I honestly don’t see a need for it & think it’s a little obnoxious, but then again, I’m feeling pretty down & cranky today. At any rate, I think I’ve reached my saturation point for web 2.0 & social media.

This afternoon holds more paper writing, application work and computer programming. Although there’s been talk of sledding, which would be a welcome break from sitting in front of this computer.

Thankfully my computer programming class was let out a bit early today. My head was spinning & there was little hope I’d learn anything more, plus this gives me a bit more time between classes, so it’s a win-win.

Last Thursday, while contemplating my internship situation & desire to travel, I sent an email to the special collections library at the American University in Cairo explaining who I was & inquiring about a summer internship. We’ve emailed back & forth a few times & it looks like it could be a possibilty. Again, like with the ICTY position, I need a definite answer so I can apply for funding & I only have about a month left to do that. So we’ll see.

If you’re going to read the Bible, why not read the Lego version? Here’s a verse from Revelation, as illustrated by The Brick Testament:

The one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. - Revelation 14:16

Fans of Dwell, Apartment Therapy or other modern living guides should appreciate Unhappy Hipsters. They take the spare, minimalist furnishings and project it onto the thoughts & emotions of the residents in a way that’s sad, but funny.

You can come out when you can properly explain the differences between Modernist architecture and postmodern ornamentation.

His sartorial attempt to blend in with the concrete did little to assuage the tension.

I have to say that I’m completely uninterested in all this talk about the iPad. I can’t believe how worked up people are getting over it & I don’t understand what the big deal is. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it [not that it's at all affordable anyway].

This weekend, my mother-in-law gave me a snuggie that she was given, but didn’t want. Right now, sitting by the giant window in the library, I really wish I had it with me.

Snuggiest ninja

Now for lunch, 6 more hours of class, coffee & trivia.
I could use some flowers & hugs today…

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson