A Boy Named Sue

Language

2012-01-17T19:01:00.004-05:00

I was reading a book earlier about violence and thinking about Elaine Scarry's discussion of the difficulty we have expressing or describing pain. I was having all kinds of deep thoughts about language and feeling all philosophical and then I saw this-

Changing my name

2011-12-27T10:44:00.004-05:00

I have been debating changing my name for a while now. I go by my middle name and always feel a little strange when people refer to me by my first name or when I am forced to use my first name like when I am traveling or whenever I use my debit card (banks insist that my first name appear on the cards, same with my driver's license, etc). However, it was never a big enough deal that I felt I had to change my name- until I started teaching.

At both schools I have taught for I appear in the class schedule by my first name. On the first day of class I re-introduce myself by my preferred name but there are always some students who continue to address me by my first name or to list my first name on their papers. And it drives me crazy. On the other hand I feel petty when I correct them- especially on papers. So I have been thinking far more seriously about going through the process of changing my name legally.

Then the other day at the airport the gate keeper (as I like to refer to the people that work at the gates) paged me to come to the desk using my first and middle name, which he mispronounced- he called me Michelle. And I realized that at least no one (well only one person so far) ever mispronounces my first name- Mary, so by changing my name I'd have to deal with that far more often. It's completely understandable that someone would look at Michaele and think Michelle, especially when they know that they are referring to a female. I used to let it go when people called me Michelle if I thought that I'd never see that person again, but I learned that you just never know. For example, a bank teller once called me Michelle and I didn't bother correcting her because it was not a bank I went to all that often. Bu then i got a job near the bank and started going there all the time. The teller called me Michelle for 3 years and because I didn't correct her the first time I met her I never felt like i could and I honestly didn't care all that much. Then one day I made a deposit for my sister and she paused because the account was not mine and asked, "it is Michelle, right?" and I responded "Actually it's Michaele." She was mortified, "Why did you let me call you Michelle all this time!" Then I was embarrassed.

So what's worse, being called a name that feels a little foreign or being called the wrong name and having to correct people all the time? Blurg, this was more complicated than I thought It'd be.

The biggest thing holding me back was the fact that I am named after someone. Would that be disrespectful? I decided that the best way to deal with this was to take her (Baba's- my grandmother) middle name. When I mentioned this to my mom she told me that Baba had chosen her middle name (I assume she chose it when she was confirmed), so it seemed right somehow to chose the same name she had picked for herself.

Then, this morning a friend sent me a link to this article about a woman who changed her name and reinvented herself. So who knows, maybe after I change my name I'll become a rockstar! Or maybe I'll just approach the coming year (which I have been terrified about because my funding ends this year) with more excitement over the possibilities instead of with terror over the possibility that I will end up on a street corner with a cardboard sign reading "Will lecture you in history for food" (I don't think I'd have many takers).

So here's to a new name, a new year, and endless possibilities (that sounds a little corny, but it's the holidays so corny is more acceptable).

Follow up post

2011-12-26T13:49:00.001-05:00

I have no words.

Have yourself a gendered little christmas...

2011-12-24T14:34:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I wish my critical feminist eye had an off switch and I could just sit back and enjoy popular culture and take it at face value. Sadly it does not.

I remember working at Desert Star during the Christmas season and singing along with Eartha Kit's Santa Baby (the best version of the song btw). I still like the song but at the same time it niggles at me (I don't think I have ever actually used the word niggles before). Then today I heard a more recent version of the song- sung by Michael Buble and at first I liked that a man had chosen this particular Christmas song that seemed to exclude male singers but as I listened the song started to annoy me. The changes to the song are telling. As a christmas gift to you I will end here and simply share the songs with you instead of yammering on about them.

Christmas Music

2011-12-14T18:10:00.002-05:00

This is not a christmas song.

Neither is this.

Nuff said.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T21:39:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for Mr. Rusty and that my mom was willing and able to come celebrate thanksgiving with me. It's been a lovely day with tasty food and good company!

I think Rusty had a good day too-

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:17:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Normally I would post an adorable picture of Rusty in costume, but I have decided to forego that particular tradition as Rusty does not really seem to enjoy it and I felt a little mean, but perhaps next year I'll ignore his pained expression.

I also just had my first tricker-treaters- who goes tricker treating in an apartment complex? I was not prepared. Luckily I have fruit snacks so I didn't have to turn them away- but fruit snacks are a rather lame 'treat' to hand out. If Rusty had only been in a costume- his cuteness may have made up for it.

Rusty is a nester

2011-09-29T12:59:00.002-04:00

Before-

After-

I'm an amazing photographer

2011-09-23T09:35:00.008-04:00

Not really.

On a recent trip home I went to Swiss Days in Midway, Utah with my beautiful sister Robin. On the very lovely drive home I attempted to take a picture of Bridal Veil Falls. I say attempted because it turned out like this-

(Take note of the rearview mirror- if that was the whole picture it'd be much better).

Luckily Robin already had a picture of the waterfall and was nice enough to share it.

As you can see- she is a much better photographer than me. I wasn't a complete failure though- I did snap this amazingly cute picture of Rusty enjoying the ride (of course he makes that very easy by being so cute all the time).

Seeing Red

2011-09-14T14:24:00.003-04:00

Contrary to evidence (the evidence being that I haven't posted anything in almost 2 months) I am still around. I have been busy with NIAHD and then busy recovering from NIAHD and teaching another online class and traveling and, you know, living. Lately I have been working on my dissertation and trying to regain my focus after a very busy summer.

I do have pictures from NIAHD to share but I'll save them for another day. In the meantime I thought I share a cartoon I have been watching today (for research of course- I'm not slaking I swear). One of the chapters I am currently working on focuses on wolves - a theme you have seen before here- so here is yet another rendition of my favorite (not really) story- Little Red Riding Hood- in this case Little Red Walking Hood.

Poe

2011-07-23T09:07:00.009-04:00

It's been a crazy busy summer so I have been rather neglectful of the blog- I had planned to post something on my visit to the Edgar Allan Poe museum in Richmond a long time ago and now am finally getting around to it. It's been well over a month (two months maybe?) since I actually took these pictures during a lovely visit to Richmond with my friend Laura.

Here are the aforementioned pictures.

What do you think?

2011-06-30T15:28:00.002-04:00

Is this feminist? I can't decide. Some of my students felt very strongly that it was but I was leaning the other way- what do you think?

RIP Peter Falk

2011-06-25T08:38:00.003-04:00

The South

2011-05-29T16:34:00.008-04:00

Recently one of my friends blogged about place-ness I've had some similar moments myself- most recently yesterday afternoon as I was walking Rusty. It had just rained and it was misty out and humid of course- but not unpleasantly so. It also didn't hurt that I was walking by Bassett Hall which is where the Rockefellers stayed when they began restoring Colonial Williamsburg.

The mistiness shows up a little bit better in this picture at the golf course-

And here is the obligatory picture of Rusty- here he is trying to sneak over to greener pastures- I'm not sure what he saw over there but it must have been very intriguing.

I've been dreading summer here. I've never been a fan of summer- the weather part not the vacation from school part (at least not since I can remember) and it's been even worse since I've lived here- summers here can be quite miserable. I had hoped to spend much of this summer at home but alas- one must work- and work I will. This summer is going to be an exceptionally busy one. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough money to pay the bills let alone cover luxury items- you know, like food. So in order to avoid standing on a street corner with a cardboard sign reading- "will lecture you in history for food" I signed on to 4 different teaching gigs- assuming that one or more of them wouldn't work out. Well right now it looks like they all are going to- I'll find out tomorrow for sure. I am really excited about the opportunities but I am also a little worried about managing it all!

Sorry- I got side-tracked there. I was going to say that it was nice to have such a pleasant walk and to enjoy living in the south. I will try to remind myself of that during the miserable summer months ahead.

Colonial Williamsburg

2011-05-13T21:26:00.009-04:00

I thought I'd share some more pictures from my walks with Rusty- I kind of felt like I had posted so many pictures of our walks around CW that I had little new to share. But I am realizing that there are still many things that I am noticing for the first time or am seeing from a new angle and it has been kind of fun to start exploring all over again. And Rusty loves CW- so many interesting things to smell...

Lambs

2011-05-05T16:56:00.007-04:00

It's springtime in Williamsburg, which means there is added cuteness to my walks with Rusty- in the form of lambs. Even Rusty will slow down and watch them frolicking. I was going to say play- but frolicking seems much more appropriate.

They are also cute when snuggling with their mothers-

Or when they are making new friends-

Ok, enough cuteness, back to reading about violence...

Commercials

2011-04-30T21:08:00.001-04:00

I recently complained about commercials and how sexist they are-I still think they are but at least they aren't as bad as they used to be. Here is a compilation of a bunch of old Folger's commercials that I shared with my students.

Spring Break

2011-04-17T07:46:00.009-04:00

OK so I'm a little behind. Rusty and I went home to Utah for Spring Break (about a month ago). Here are some pictures from the trip. We didn't do anything too exciting but Rusty had fun playing in the snow and picking up the girls from school.

Advice

2011-03-25T18:26:00.003-04:00

I showed Pettin' in the Park to my students (even though it didn't really have much to do with what we were talking about that day- but it did tie into larger themes of the class, so that's ok, right?)

Anyway- they requested that I show these as well- and they are too funny not to share. I apologize for the commercials but at least they are quick- and the clips are worth it.

Can Openers

2011-03-23T10:04:00.004-04:00

I guess I should start by apologizing for not posting often enough- I've been alternating between being engrossed in teaching and engrossed in my dissertation. I'm also getting ready for two potential summer classes- cross your fingers that enough students register so the classes don't get cancelled!

I may have shared this clip before but I couldn't find where so I am sharing it again (maybe).

Anyway, for some reason I woke up with this song in my head. I know it's a little long but you really should watch to the end- it's unbelievable!

Fist City

2011-02-22T14:22:00.002-05:00

I love Loretta Lynn.

I was looking for the sing 'The Pill' to play to my class tomorrow and found this song on youtube-

Checking in

2011-02-10T14:09:00.007-05:00

I haven't posted for a while because I don't really have much to say and I've been preoccupied with school stuff- but I thought I should let you know I am still alive and well in Virginia.

Since I don't really have anything to say here are some cute pictures of Rusty enjoying his new pillow.

The F-Word

2010-12-28T16:37:00.006-05:00

No, not that F-word, the other one- FEMINISM. I wasn't sure how to tie all of this together- but here are some random things I have been thinking about lately, the common thread is feminism.

My nieces got a Wii for Christmas, so I've spent the last couple days playing Wii Sports (I am especially good at Wake-boarding, sadly I do not think this skill will translate to real life. On the other hand, I am a horrible Wii golfer- which would likely translate to real life). I also have been spending a lot of time reading stuff for the Women's Studies class I will be teaching next semester. So between playing the Wii and reading feminist theory I have had some odd dreams including one where the Wii games were rigged so that female characters (I believe they are called female mii's) could not preform to the same level as the male mii's. I was incredibly mad in my dream but woke up before I did anything about it- perhaps my mii character could have staged a sit-in on the virtual table tennis court.

I have been irritated with commercials for a long time over the way they portray women as the only people capable of using cleaning products. Like those horrible paper towel commercials where a man and his son debate the number of paper towels it will take to clean up a spill and a woman steps in and uses one paper towel to clean up the mess. I'd like to think this commercial would annoy me as much if I were a man (though it's doubtful) because the commercial is basically calling men stupid (seriously- who gives that much thought to the number of paper towels one might need for a given spill? Is it that hard to simply clean it up? Are men really so dense that they have to debate such a mundane issue?).

But my annoyance at the paper towel commercials are nothing compared to my annoyance over the new Swiffer commercials. I think I am going to have to stop using their products. Who thought it was a good idea to show women (itty-bitty women) lying on the floor dreaming of the day when a worthy mop will come by and pick them up? Seriously Swiffer- it was bad enough that only women clean floors or dust in your world but this is a new low. Am I the only one who finds this type of commercial offensive? Am I being overly sensitive? It may seem like a little thing but it adds to the over-whemling message our media is sending to us about how the only things women think about are finding good cleaning products (so we can all be perfect wives and mothers- the only real roles for women) and how much we hope and dream of finding the right man (again so we can become perfect wives and mothers).

While it clearly doesn't take much to get my ire up it does sometimes sadden me that I can't turn off my feminist filter. I recently saw Tangled with my sister and nieces and found it rather difficult to simply enjoy the movie (though I have to admit I did like it). I found the message the movie sent about older women to be very off-putting. It demonstrates how our popular culture is constantly trying to pit older women and younger women against each other and shows how much we value youth (especially in females) in our society. While Disney's images of women (girls really) has certainly improved over the years- they now have several movies where the mothers of our heroine live past the first 5 minutes; feature women, such as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, who are intellectual; where women can defend themselves- like Mulan, and like Rapunzel in Tangled who welds a frying pan; where female's have dreams beyond getting married- as in the Princess and the Frog, where the heroine aspires to be a restauranteur, but at the end of the day the Disney heroines are all young, are all beautiful (even Belle our 'smart' heroine has to also be the most beautiful girl in the village), are all ridiculously (impossibly) thin, and only find 'true happiness' after they meet the right man. What message does this send to girls and boys who grow up watching these movies?

So, what do you think?

Teaching online vs teaching in person

2010-12-07T15:23:00.003-05:00

I am in the middle of teaching my second online course. I am teaching the same class again, which is nice because I can start to think about what works and what doesn't and tweak things. I am also working on some syllabi for classes I will be teaching at WIlliam & Mary. So I have been thinking a lot about teaching and the differences between online classes and the more traditional classroom setting.

I am really grateful to have the online teaching experience- for better or worse it is going to play a part in the future of teaching in universities as more and more schools offer online classes. Frankly, I have mixed feelings about this. I have very little control over the assignments and readings for the online classes I am teaching- so I feel more like a facilitator than a teacher. I've felt a little more confident the second time around, so I'm sharing more of my knowledge of history instead of just sticking to the textbook. But sometimes I still feel like a glorified grader and I don't think I can have the same kind of impact on my students. When I think about the kind of professor I'd like to become, I think about teachers and professors who've had an impact on me- and I'm really not sure an online instructor can reach students in the same way. But I'm trying to anyway.

Unlike my classes at William & Mary, the majority of my online students are older than me- many of them have children older than me. And many of them are women. I've had a couple (female) students who have told me they had doubts about their ability to succeed in college and who have been told that they would fail by family and friends. This saddens me more than I can say. And I am incredibly impressed with their determination to try even though they lack a lot of confidence and support. This also makes me want to be a better teacher- to not only facilitate but to actually have an impact on my students' lives. To not only teach them history, but also to help them become better writers and to hopefully make them feel more confident about their abilities. So, in this way I am glad that online courses are available to students who would otherwise not be able to attend college or who might be more intimidated by the typical college classroom.

At the same time I worry about the impersonality of the online classroom. I have had several students plagiarize- to varying degrees (and have taken responsibility for their actions to varying degrees). I think this has something to do with the availability of information (or a multitude of places to plagiarize from) on the internet. However, I wonder if it is easier for students to break the rules when they don't ever have to see the instructor. But maybe I am just being naive- maybe someone who intentionally and repeatedly plagiarizes would have no problem looking their instructor in the eye after being called out for it. Fortunately these students seem to be in the minority.

At the end of the day, I'm just grateful to have the opportunity to work with students- whether it be online or in person.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T18:28:00.003-05:00

I am very thankful that my dad was able to come to Virginia for the holiday (Rusty's pretty excited about it too).

Now I just need to convince him that he wants to go to the White House of the Confederacy while he's here-I've been meaning to go for a while and it's always more fun with someone else!

Little Red Riding Hood lives on...

2010-11-19T12:39:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about have a chapter in my dissertation about wolves- as you probably already figured out if you have been reading my blog and all the recent entries involving Little Red Riding Hood. But I have to admit I am surprised that there is a Red Riding Hood movie coming out- this story apparently never dies. How fascinating.

Oh- and thank you Laura, for mentioning this preview!

Vote!

2010-11-02T10:34:00.001-04:00

And as Katie noted on her blog- "Virginians, remember that a vote for Krystal Ball is a vote against slut-shaming."

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T19:22:00.007-04:00

It's probably not fair that I dress Rusty up for Halloween, especially considering that I don't dress up myself- but thems the breaks...

In case you can't tell- he is a fish, though it kind of looks like he is being eaten by a fish.

And here he is curling up for a nap on his costume- so it serves two purposes- how handy!

Grover

2010-10-09T10:06:00.004-04:00

(BTW- I changed the design of my blog so I could widen the posts and you would be able to see entire clips instead of having the sides cut off- what do you think of the new design??)

A friend posted this on Facebook- I love it and had to share. Hopefully Robin will see this as Grover was always her favorite!

The inspiration for Sesame Street's clip...

Kill Devil Hills

2010-09-28T19:20:00.010-04:00

My sister has been in town and I decided to drag her to North Carolina while she was here (she went willingly). I have been meaning to explore more of the East Coast since I moved here and have failed miserably- I really need to get out more. And recently a friend mentioned the Outer Banks and there was a lot of news coverage of it during Hurricane Earl- so that's where I decided to go. It wasn't really the best time to go to the beach as there was a fairly massive rainstorm yesterday and today but it was still beautiful. Here are some pictures....

Stop It!

2010-09-22T21:41:00.003-04:00

My sister, who recently received an APC- which stands for Associate Professional Counselor, recommended this video- apparently this clip was shown in several of her classes. And, since I love Bob Newhart, I decided to share it and encourage you to take his advice.

Little Red Riding Hood

2010-09-11T12:10:00.004-04:00

I recently posted a video of Swing Shift Cinderella here and my friend Katie asked if i had read the book Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked- I hadn't, but i recently got the book and just started reading it. Every time i see the title I get the Little Red Riding Hood song stuck in my head and, as I only know one line of it, it was getting quite annoying. So this morning I finally decided to look for the song so that at least I would know more of the lines when it got stuck in my head and I came across this amazing video on youtube of an old Betty Boop cartoon put to the song. It seemed perfect because I had recently been talking to another friend who is teaching a film class and is using Betty Boop cartoons in the class and had just sent me an article on Betty Boop. Anyway, I figured I'd share the clip here- it's amazing what they could get away with in cartoons in 1931!

Bronte Sisters!

2010-09-03T12:06:00.001-04:00

A friend posted this on Facebook- I had to share.

Nothing exciting to report

2010-08-31T16:03:00.006-04:00

I've been somewhat busy but also not doing anything exciting. The online class I am teaching is mostly grading (and least it feels that way). I do think it's a good teaching experience for me even though I have mixed feelings about it. I am a little grateful that the first time I have to deal with some of the unpleasant aspects of teaching have been done online instead of in person. For example, I am glad that the first time a student swore at me it wasn't face-to-face and that I had time to think about my response before I sent it. I've also been dealing with some plagiarism, which has been eye-opening. I read a recent New York Times article that referred to the students now entering college as 'generation plagiarism.' It was disheartening, apparently students don't feel like they have to cite sources that have more than one author or a anonymous author- such as articles on wikipedia. This seems ridiculous to me. The papers you write are supposed to be your work- if it isn't your words you have to cite it- why is this so hard to understand? I don't care who wrote something if it isn't you- you shouldn't put your name on it. Period.

I feel like I should print a huge disclaimer on all of my syllabi, something like- I HATE CHEATERS, IF YOU CHEAT I WILL NAIL YOU TO THE WALL. Sadly I doubt this will discourage everyone. I think students delude themselves into thinking they can get away with it.

On the bright side- Rusty is awesome and cheers me up when the cheaters in the world get me down.

Sister Suffragette!

2010-08-18T16:30:00.001-04:00

In honor of the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment...

Pirate Golf!

2010-08-10T10:42:00.010-04:00

It only took me two years to get there- but I finally played pirate mini-golf at Pirate's Cove. Here is another reason for you (readers who know me) to come visit Williamsburg- so I can kick your a** at Pirate Golf.

Ok, not really. I came in third (a.k.a. last) when I played my sister and cousin during their recent visit- so you can come to Williamsburg and have a boast to your self-esteem when you beat me at pirate golf.

It was fun and educational- I learned a lot about pirates while enjoying a lively game of mini-golf. I didn't have my camera with me so the pictures (taken with my phone) aren't the best quality but you get the idea-

One of the holes was in the cave- it's hard to make out- but cool anyway.

can you see the pirate in the above picture?

The Oregon Trail

2010-08-04T17:25:00.000-04:00

Is it strange that I had never heard of this game until I moved East?

too funny (and I'm not even a Star Wars fan)

2010-07-24T08:02:00.000-04:00

Thoughts on NIAHD (and Keio too)

2010-07-21T13:05:00.003-04:00

I have been busily grading papers for NIAHD (I only have 2 left!!!) and setting up my online class (only NINE weeks to go!!!) so I haven't posted anything here in a few days. Trust me, I'd rather be sharing pictures with you than grading papers.

Keio starts next week and I am a little sad I won't be working for them again. I am not sad that i will have some free time and will be able to visit with some family and friends who are coming to Virginia and to possibly work on my dissertation- oh and to teach the online class of course- but I am sad I won't get to hang out with some awesome students (because if this year's Keio students and even half as great as last year's it is going to be a good time).

NIAHD was a great experience. It was very different from Keio- for me the best part of Keio were my amazing students but I didn't really get to know the students with NIAHD because I was kind of like a substitute teacher- but I still had fun and I got to see a lot more of Virginia. Virginia is an amazing place to study history- the 'field trips' were totally worth suffering through the incredible heat and humidity well, mostly worth it (seriously it is disgusting here this summer- we have yet another heat advisory today- my family and friends who are coming to see me don't know what they are getting into to- no one is going to want to leave my air-conditioned apartment- I certainly don't want to. Ever. So gross). I also got to work with some amazing people. I love american studies but it was nice to get back to my history roots. And the one useful thing about the disgusting weather is that I think it really helped the students realize how difficult life was for a lot of our ancestors- especially the millions of Africans who were brought here as slaves.

All that said, it is really nice to be able to sit on my couch, with my faithful dog snuggled next to a me, and to waste some time on the internet. (Inside. Where its air-conditioned).

Last NIAHD Field Trip

2010-07-17T14:42:00.007-04:00

Our last trip was to Yorktown- the 19th century class started out there and the Colonial class ended there- so I got to go there twice. And I have been there before. So it was less than exciting.

I do have some pictures to share but not much to say. Sorry, I have kind of fizzled out here at the end.

The first two pictures are of the battlefield.

And this is the monument celebrating the victory at Yorktown.

We also stopped by the Yorktown Victory Center- I posted about it already (from the 19th century class' visit) but last time I didn't make it back to the encampment.

Mount Vernon

2010-07-16T14:10:00.010-04:00

The last couple days have been crazy busy. One of the instructors had to leave unexpectedly so I had to take over his course- which, is why I have been busy.

I hadn't planned to go on the Mount Vernon trip, I have been there before and wanted to go someplace new- but I am so glad I went- it was a really fun trip. Plus, the last time I went we didn't get to go on the house tour because the line was too long and my friends had to get to the airport- so it was nice to see the inside of the house. Unfortunately, I can't show you any pictures of the inside of the house because they didn't allow us to take pictures inside.

The house tour was kind of bizarre- we all filed through in a very long line, staying between the ropes, and the tour guides kind of shouted tidbits of information at us from the middle of the rooms- all they needed was a conveyor belt to keep it all moving more smoothly. It was the Disneyland of presidential homes. Very strange. The goal was clearly to get as many people through as quickly as possible. I think the tours are very different during less busy times of the year- I'll have to go back during the winter.

The assembly-line fashioned tour aside, it is now my favorite presidential home. I have only been to three but Mount Vernon is my favorite so far. It's beautiful. If you get the chance- go see it.

Here are a couple pictures of the garden...

and of the Potomac.

Colonial Williamsburg- again

2010-07-13T15:30:00.024-04:00

I spent the day in CW, again. It wasn't too bad though since we went to two places I hadn't been before- the Peyton Randolph house and the Great Hopes Plantation.

Peyton Randolph was a wealthy and important man- he was attorney general of Virginia and was the president of the Continental Congress but he died before they declared independence- they told us more about it him but my brain was fried by the heat (the humidity was brutal today) and I just don't care right now. :) But I'll share pictures. Oh, I should mention that much of the focus at this house is on the slaves, so we heard a little about Peyton Randolph but the interpreter focused on the slave experience and how they would have felt listening in on the conversations of men like Randolph and Thomas Jefferson when they talked about how the King was a tyrant who treated them like slaves and how men should be free....

This is Randolph's office.

Here are a couple guest rooms.

The family room...

The staircase....

The master bedroom....

The parlor...

And dining room....

The back of the house and the outbuildings...

(this building housed the kitchen and the slave quarters)

And here are pictures from around the plantation- which is near the visitors center- but a ways away from the rest of CW.

these guys are working on fixing the windmill- which has been without it's sails for a while- it could be another year before it's back together again.

The slave quarters

Pigs

Chickens

Colonial Williamsburg

2010-07-12T16:26:00.002-04:00

Today I was with the Colonial group- they, not surprisingly, spend several days in CW. As I have been there numerous times and have shared probably too many pictures of it here I didn't bother with pictures today- sorry if this disappoints.

They are trying something new at CW- when they take you on house tours the interpreters (the costumed people) are 'in the moment.' So instead of basically lecturing the tour group on the history of the house they told us what day it was- July 12, 1776- and pretended it was that day throughout the tour. The girl at the Governor's Palace was really cute- she was supposed to be a servant, I missed the beginning of her talk because I was dealing with some student issues but I think she was acting like we were other servants there for the day to help with a ball they were hosting that night. She acted like she was sneaking us around the house because the family was out and we were in rooms servants wouldn't normally be allowed. Unfortunately the students weren't as into it as she was- they were all very polite but I think the whole thing made everyone a little self conscious. I also felt kind of bad for the poor couple that was stuck in a group with us.

The tour of the Capitol was also 'in the moment' but it seemed closer to other tours I have taken of it- the interpreter there told us all about what had been happening in the last year.

We also went to the Wren Chapel and listened to a sermon by Reverend Camm (he was the President of WIlliam & Mary at the time of the Revolution and was a Loyalist- he was ousted from the college and returned to England in 1777) and then had the opportunity to ask him questions in the classroom. I guess he was also 'in the moment' because one of the students asked him about something Lord Dunmore wrote (I couldn't actually hear the question) there was a long pause and the Rev answered that he hadn't written that yet. This got a laugh. It was kind of fun to listen to him talk- the interpreter has clearly been playing this role for a long time and enjoyed debating independence with the audience. I was a little surprised by how many people were at his talk- since it really was like a sermon.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole 'in the moment' thing- but I must say, regardless of how you feel about interpreters at these different sites you have to admit that they are teaching people a lot about history- and it's rather surprising that so many people spend their summer vacation learning about history.

Swing Shift Cinderella

2010-07-11T11:05:00.003-04:00

This is a bit long- but I am fascinated by the use of wolves in cartoons during WWII to represent sexual aggressiveness. (Sorry- I've got my dissertation on my mind....)

Fort Monroe

2010-07-10T10:25:00.029-04:00

Yesterday we went to Fort Monroe. I don't have much to say about the trip other than I'm glad I got to go on this one (but I do have lot's of pictures)- I think Fort Monroe and Tredegar have been my favorite so far. I'm not exactly sure why.

Fort Monroe is in Hampton- it was built between 1819 and 1834. It is at the point where the James and York come together- which is obviously an important spot when you think about protecting the Hampton Roads area- well the whole peninsula really. The English built a fort there in 1609- Fort Algernourne. The decision to build Fort Monroe came about because of the War of 1812 and it is the largest stone fort in the United States. Since we visited it as part of the Civil War class I should mention that the Union held the fort throughout the war- if I am not mistaken the Confederates didn't even bother trying to take it. It is also were Benjamin Butler made his famous contraband decision after three slaves escaped from their masters and went to the fort- their masters then came over the water under a white flag and asked for the slaves return- Butler refused and called the slaves contraband- he had come up with a legal excuse to keep the slaves (he was a lawyer and a political general- which means he had no prior military service and got the post because of his political connections). This opened the floodgates and soon slaves were escaping by the hundreds.

The Army still runs the fort today- it is a training facility- but it is going to be decommissioned soon and returned to the state. This makes me a little nervous since it is prime real estate and could be turned into condos but hopefully they will preserve the fort.

These are the stairs up to the parapet.

We also walked through the wall- I am not sure how to phrase this- we were basically inside the walls of the fort.

And here's the moat. There's just something cool about a moat. I want to live somewhere that has one.

Here we are on the top of the fort- where there is a pet cemetery- crazy right? - the whole parapet is interspersed with headstones for beloved pets.

Here is a view of Saint Mary's church from the top of the fort.

And one of the houses inside the fort.

I believe these are called casemates- I could be wrong- they are where the big guns that protected the fort used to be. There was a headstone between each but I don't think you can see them in the picture.

These are some signs found on the parapet-

And the view of the water...

Pictures from inside the fort...

(the word park is covered by the tree branch in this picture)

I don't know why- but this amused me...

This is the famous Lincoln Gun. You probably can't tell how big it is from the picture- to give you an idea of it's massive size, it would take 150 horses to pull it. And I love these trees.

We then went into the Casemate Museum- which is housed in the walls of the fort. It was kind of fun because they have mannequins all over the place- which also amused me.

Jefferson Davis was imprisoned here for a short period- here's his cell.

And a picture of the flag they hung in his cell.

And a bird that has taken up residence between the barred windows.

I think this is supposed to be his wife.

And this is his pipe- one of the RPAs said it is very badass.

Car Problems- Part 2

2010-07-09T16:06:00.004-04:00

So a lot has happened since this post.

Previously on A Boy Named Sue.... I had tried to pick up my car but it didn't want to start so they sent me off in an HHR...

The next day they said they had figured out the problem- supposedly the gas in my tank was rancid. They drained the tank and filled it up, I picked it up (this was on Friday) and only had to pay for the gas they put in my tank. The car didn't start right away- which made me nervous- but it started on the second try, so off I went.

At three the next day I tried to run to the post office and the car wouldn't start. NIAHD started the next day and all I could think was "how am I going to get to work?" and I started to get more and more upset- car problems can be overwhelming and this seemed to be my tipping point. I knew the service department was closed so I called Enterprise to could get another rental- but they closed at noon, so I called the rental place the dealership used and they also closed at noon. Now I was getting really upset. I finally called the general manager at the dealership that had been working on my car and explained my problem to him. He sent a tow truck over and I hitched a ride back to the dealership with my car and they gave me a used car to drive for the weekend.

I talked to the service manager on Monday and he told me to hang on to the used car while they figured out what was wrong with my car. I didn't hear from them again until Thursday when they asked me to come switch the used car- an Equinox- for another rental- an Impala.

I've been in the Impala since then. Basically they wouldn't call me for days and then I'd call and they'd tell me they couldn't figure it out, etc. etc. I honestly didn't care that it was taking so long- I was enjoying driving a car that started on the first try every time.

Well- today I finally got my car back - they changed the PCM (or ECM? I don't know something like that or both) and the ignition switch. They have tested it repeatedly and the problem seems to be fixed. (I should mention that they didn't charge me for either of these things- since they charged my almost $700 to change the fuel pump which was apparently unnecessary).

Keep your fingers crossed.

Tredegar Iron Works

2010-07-08T18:41:00.015-04:00

Today we went to Richmond to Tredegar Iron Works which (according to the brochure they handed me) "geared quickly into the industrial engine that sustained the Confederate war machine." Now it is a Civil War Museum. Tredegar opened in 1837 and ceased operations in 1957. I wish the museum had focused on Tredegar's history instead of the Civil War- especially considering the fact that another Civil War museum opened next door a few years ago.

The National Park Service runs Tredegar- I am not sure who runs the American Civil War Museum but I think it is owned by a private company- or maybe the state, I don't know. What's the deal with competing historic sites? This is the third such site we have visited in NIAHD. There are two sites at Yorktown, Jamestown, and now these 2 Civil War Museums at Tredegar- all of them have one site run by the National Park Service. Do these places really need two museums? I don't get it.

I only took pictures outside- because frankly that was the part that interested me the most.

You have to walk up some stairs from the parking lot area to get into the museum run by the National Park Service- and the first thing you see when you get to the top of the stairs is this statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting with a child.

For a moment I thought we had driven too far north- there can't be a statue of Lincoln south of the Mason Dixon- can there? And in the capitol of the Confederacy no less! Seriously- I thought the heat must have finally gotten to me- either that or I had never noticed how much Jefferson Davis looked like Lincoln. Turns out it really is Lincoln. It is a very controversial statute (big surprise). The Sons of the Confederates (the Sons of the Confederacy?) were all up in arms about it. The people who were in favor of the statue (you know- those people who were putting the statue in and no one else in Richmond) felt that it was appropriate considering that Lincoln had actually been to Richmond, after the city fell, and they felt that it would be a sign that the nation had really gotten over that whole Civil War thing. Turns out we weren't over it- 2003 was just too soon. I did kind of wonder if the child was supposed to symbolize the South- which would be upsetting to me too if I were a Southerner- I mean was it like they were saying the South was a naughty kid but no worries daddy (aka Lincoln) still loves you!

I thought it was cool that these plants were growing out of a brick wall...

And that these plants were taking over the iron works...

I really thought the coke machine added to the authenticity.

I thought this view was cool because of the contrast between the modern city and the 200 year old iron works buildings.

Sixteen Tons- and go go dancers!

2010-07-07T20:21:00.003-04:00

After my earlier rant about slaves and labor I starting thinking about the song Sixteen Tons. I looked it up on Youtube- and found this-

Priceless. I had to share.

Montpelier

2010-07-07T08:07:00.010-04:00

Montpelier is the 3rd Presidential home I have visited (Mount Vernon was the first and Monticello the second). Montpelier was the home of James and Dolly Madison (she was the first FIrst Lady- though she wasn't called that until her funeral). After James Madison passed away Dolly left Montpelier in the hands of her son (his stepson) while she mourned in Washington DC. He quickly ran the plantation into the ground and landed himself in debtors prison. Dolly Madison sold Montpelier to get him out. Eventually the duPonts purchased the house- added on to it and covered it in pink stucco. Yes- you read that right- this home

was covered in pink stucco. The house is now owned by the Montpelier Foundation which has thus far spent $25 million on restoration- most of which was used to remove the pink stucco and all of the additions the duPonts had made to the house.

Here are a couple more pictures of the house today (well yesterday).

And here are a couple pictures taken from the roof terrace- the first is of the front lawn and the second of Dolly and James chillin' in the backyard.

I took these next 3 pictures as we walked the ground around the house- it's a beautiful spot.

And here is a picture of the garden gate (we didn't actually go in the garden).

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house- so that's it for the pictures today- but I wanted to bring something up. We have gone to these amazing homes- like Montpelier and Westover (not to mention my owns trips to Mount Vernon and Monticello) and we all ooh and aahh over these architectural beauties but the people who run these sites rarely mention the people who actually built these homes. Slaves. Oh- they will talk about slaves and we might even look at the slave quarters but people rarely acknowledge that slave owners, like Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and William Byrd, would never have been able to build these homes without slave labor.

The Necessary

2010-07-05T16:28:00.018-04:00

Today we went to Westover Plantation which was the home of the Byrds- as in William Byrd II and Lucy Byrd (or at least those were the two I had heard about before). William Byrd kept a coded and rather detailed diary- the students especially liked his entry about having sex with Lucy on a billiard table (that's really all he says about it- except he called it giving her a flourish). William and Lucy had a very tempestuous relationship and his diary gives us great insight into the battle between the sexes in the early 1700s. Anyway- I've read about them before so it was kind of fun seeing their home.

The fields didn't look so good- but then, what do I know about fields?

First we went to the cemetery on the plantation which is where Benjamin Harrison is buried.

Their plantation is right on the James River- which of course is a sign of how wealthy the Bryds were.

You can see the house from the river- which was a way for the Byrds to display their wealth to everyone who traveled up or down the river.

And here's the front of the house which is the side facing away from the river.

There were some very cute bunnies near the garden entrance.

And here are some pictures in the garden.

In addition to reading about the sex life of a member of the Virginia gentry we also read about "Necessaries" (which is a nice word for outhouse). Here are a couple pictures of the outhouse (one of them) at Westover. It's something else- it's a five seater with a window (with glass in it- a luxury most planters couldn't even afford for their homes let alone their outhouses) and a fireplace! If this seems a little over the top to you, keep in mind that William and Lucy likely never even used the necessary- they would have used chamber pots. Can you believe a historian actually wrote about this? Sorry if it's too much info for you.

Bacon's Castle

2010-07-03T10:33:00.011-04:00

I had never heard of Bacon's Castle before NIAHD- which is one of the benefits of working for them- I get to see a lot more of Virginia and learn about historical sites and find out which ones are worth visiting- which will benefit any of you who come to visit me.

According to their brochure- "Bacon's Castle, one of only three surviving Jacobean 'great houses' in the Western Hemisphere, was built in 1665 by planter Arthur Allen. In 1676, during Bacon's Rebellion, seventy of Nathaniel Bacon's men drove Allen's son, Major Arthur Allen, and his family from their home, occupying it for four months."

I think it is ironic- and kind of sad- that the house is named after Bacon (who never actually owned or lived in the house- he wasn't even there when his men occupied it, he was busy attacking Jamestown) and is not named after the man who obsessed over it's creation- going as far as to import dirt from England for his garden. Don't get me wrong- I find Bacon's Rebellion as fascinating as the next 20th century historian, but it doesn't make sense to name Bacon's Castle after him. Oh, and by the way, it's not a castle either. Just a fancy house. All that said- it was a cool building and we had a great tour guide (docent?).

And now, on to the obligatory pictures. (I'll make the same disclaimer I have before- the pictures would be better if I weren't trying to avoid having the students in the pictures- most of whom were standing in front of me).

These first two pictures are from the ferry ride over to Surry- and give you a different perspective of the last two sites I've written about-

Jamestown Settlement

and Jamestown Island

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house- here are some exterior shots of the house and the English garden.

I should mention that they added on to the house in the 1850s- the original structure is flanked by 6 chimneys (3 on each side).

This section of the house connects the new (well, new in 1857) with the old.

The Other Jamestown

2010-07-02T15:58:00.011-04:00

Yesterday we went to Jamestown Settlement- a museum near Jamestown Island that includes an indoor museum and an outdoor area including a recreation of Powhatten's (not sure how to spell that) village, the Jamestown Fort, and the three ships the original English settlers came over in (sorry that sentence kind of got away from me).

If you come to visit Virginia you may ask- which site should I visit; Jamestown Settlement or Jamestown Island? My answer is that it depends on the weather. If the heat index is over 100 I would stick with Jamestown Settlement which has a huge indoor museum that is actually quite good and you can stay out of the heat. However, if the heat/humidity is not an issue than I would suggest Jamestown Island which is the actual site where Jamestown was and is also, as I mentioned in my last post, an ongoing archeological dig- there is also a small museum there which features items found at the site.

I usually don't spend time talking to the interpreters (the people in the costumes) at these sites but did on this visit- I had a very interesting discussion with a women who worked in the Indian Village. She told me and one of the other instructors that a lot of the interpreters are being laid off and said that you can see the museum's priorities now that money is getting tighter- they say they are all about education but the educators (in this case the interpreters) are the first to be laid off, meanwhile the executives keep their jobs and likely haven't even had pay-cuts. I should really spend more time talking to the interpreters in the future.

I've been to Jamestown Settlement several times now so I didn't take too many pictures.

On to Jamestown

2010-07-01T13:50:00.009-04:00

I have kind of a strange job with NIAHD- I am a fill-in or floating instructor- so I am here if one of the instructors is ill or cannot teach a class for some reason and I also fill in one day for each of them so they can have a day off and I can get some experience working directly with the students. So it is a very different experience than Keio where I got to know my group of students really well. I haven't had to fill in for anyone yet so I have just gone on the field trips and then get to go home- I feel a little guilty because I haven't had to work all that hard yet and have had fairly short work days.

Anyway- the whole point of me mentioning that I am the floating instructor is to say that there won't be a natural timeline- or progression of the sites I visit. Some days I go with the Colonial group (which focuses on American History from Jamestown to the Revolution) and other days I go with the Civil War group (which focuses on American history from the Revolution to the Civil War).

Yesterday I went with the Colonial group to Jamestown Island - which is the actual site of the original Jamestown Fort where there is an ongoing archeological dig. Part of the fort's remains have been eroded away into the James River but about 3/4s of the land where the fort stood is still there and it is an incredibly active and rich site. I have been there before, last summer, and already shared those pictures so I tried not to post duplicate images- fortunately the dig has moved from where they were last summer so there are new things to see and we were allowed to go into the vault where they keep a lot of the remains they have found.

We were also incredibly fortunate with the weather- it was the perfect day to go there, apparently almost every other year they have had students who have passed out on the Jamestown Island day because it is usually so miserable (hot and humid) when they go there- and it has been a very hot couple weeks but we lucked out and went while the weather was not only bearable but actually quite lovely.

This building wasn't there last summer (at least I don't think so).

Here we are standing around a site in the fort that is actually both a Civil War site and a Jamestown Fort site- meaning CIvil War soldiers (Confederates if I am not mistaken) built some earthworks here on the Jamestown site. And the statue you can see is on John Smith.

In this picture you can see the church, one of the digs, and the obelisk in the background.

And these two pictures are from inside the "vault."

Day 2 with NIAHD

2010-06-30T18:28:00.015-04:00

Yesterday we went to the Yorktown Victory Center. I have been to Yorktown but this was my first visit to the Victory Center, it's a fun site- at least the students all seemed to like it.

This picture was actually taken along the Colonial Parkway (which links the Historic Triangle; Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown)- we stopped along the way to kill some time as we were going to get there before they opened.

Here are some photos from the outside of the museum where they have recreated what part of Yorktown may have looked like around the time of the Revolution.

This is a garden- an organic garden, they try to grow things that may have been grown here in the late 1700s and using methods that would have been used then.

Here are some turkeys that were chillin' in the shade- the students weren't too fond of them, they were all talking about how stupid turkeys are (one of them said they are stupid, but delicious).

This is a kitchen.

Laundry (I really hate doing laundry- but we are really rather lucky, laundry has always been an unpleasant chore but it has gotten much easier).

This type of house would have been owned by someone rather well off (not gentry but pretty wealthy).

These are some of the toasts patriots made while celebrating the Declaration of Independence- my favorite is the last one- "Perpetual Itching without the benefit of scratching, to the enemies of America."

I like this quote almost as much- "No Man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail: for being in a ship is being in jail with the chance of being drowned... A man in jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company." Samuel Johnson, 1759

Liberty Park (Utah love cont.)

2010-06-30T15:26:00.017-04:00

There is an amazing fountain in Liberty Park in Salt Lake City called the Seven Canyons which recreates the canyons in the Wasatch Valley. I tried to take pictures but the shade made it difficult so they didn't turn out that great plus the water wasn't on so it's not the same- but on the bright side that means there were less kids climbing all over it (they were all playing in the "Great Salt Lake" pond).

Litte Cottonwood Canyon

Big Cottonwood Canyon

Millcreek Canyon

Parley's Canyon

Emigration Canyon

Red Butte

City Creek

This represents the city...

It's a cool spot- Liberty Park is a great place to hang out, here are some more pictures from my walk through the park.

The Wren Building

2010-06-29T12:58:00.008-04:00

For our first NIAHD field trip we toured the Wren Building on campus (can you call it a field trip if you don't leave campus?) Apparently it is the oldest college building in the United States- see I am already learning stuff. I didn't take a lot of pictures but here are a few- I took some better ones but they had some of the students in them and I didn't feel right about posting their pictures on the internet (though the backs of some heads will be featured here- exciting I know).

And the fanciest room of all....

Senator Robert Byrd

2010-06-28T19:26:00.002-04:00

Well, this is undoubtably a new record for me (3 posts on the same day!) but this one is brief. I just want to share a link to my friend Katie's blog post on Senator Robert Byrd- she wrote a great entry on him and I think it's worth reading.

Park City (a.k.a even more Utah-love)

2010-06-28T16:47:00.010-04:00

While in Utah I also had the fortune to spend the afternoon in Park City with my sister, brother-in-law, 2 of my nieces, and some cousins.

First my sister, her family, and I walked Historic Main Street.

Our cousins were vacationing in Park City so after walking Main Street we headed over to the resort where they were staying- which was amazing...

NIAHD

2010-06-28T12:47:00.008-04:00

I am working for NIAHD (National Institute of American History and Democracy) this summer- and it started yesterday. We had our "opening ceremonies" in the brand new School of Business Building. I took a couple pictures, I should have taken more- the building is ridiculously beautiful- meanwhile the American Studies building is being de-aspestosized this summer. Remind me again- why did I go into the humanities?

I could use some of that Business School money about now- here's my car being towed away for the second time in a week...

Here's Rusty in yet another loaner car- he doesn't look too happy about it.

More Utah Love

2010-06-26T14:44:00.006-04:00

While in Utah I also took a drive up Emigration Canyon, this time without the dogs so I was able to get out of the car and take some (hopefully) better pictures...

Rusty in the rental

2010-06-25T19:40:00.009-04:00

I got Rusty a doggy seatbelt- I don't think he likes it...

I like that he wants to sit in the middle of the front 2 seats even if he has to sit half on two different arm rests...

And here he is back in my car- cowering (kind-of) while we were driving through the car wash (as a side note- this is the first time I have washed my car since I moved here- maybe that's why it hates me!)...

Givin' Utah some love

2010-06-25T13:17:00.011-04:00

Utah is a beautiful state. I don't think enough people know this so I thought I share some pictures. Before I moved to Virginia two years ago I shared some pictures I took during a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon, so during this trip I took Angel (my parents dog) and Rusty for a ride up Little Cottonwood Canyon. We didn't get out of the car since no dogs are allowed in that particular canyon but we had a lovely drive- the pictures (most of which I took through the windshield as I was driving- not the recipe for great pictures) do not really do the beauty of the canyon justice- but I will share them anyway....

Summertime....

2010-06-24T15:47:00.005-04:00

I'm back in Virginia after spending a month in Utah. I hadn't expected to travel this summer but one of my sisters paid for me to go home as a congratulations gift for passing comps. I guess you could say I had good timing as my maternal grandmother passed away the day after I got there, I am very grateful that I got to see her and was able to be with my family. I am also glad I got to spend time with my cute nieces Mila and Bella and my new niece Sarah.

And now I'm back. It's always a little strange settling back in here in Virginia after being home- it's especially difficult now with the heat here! It's crazy! There is a heat advisory in affect, the special weather statement warns that heat illness is possible and urges everyone to stay in air-conditioning and to check on relatives and neighbors. Nice. I should have stayed in Utah.

But I didn't, I arrived in Richmond on the red-eye and got back to the 'burg around 10. I decided I should run errands before I slept for a few hours (I didn't sleep much on the flights). I've been having car trouble for a while and actually had it in the shop for a couple days about a month before I left but they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, we figured it was a problem with the fuel system so they put some fuel injection cleaner in the gas tank and I did too the next couple times I filled it- but it didn't seem to help. I was worried about it sitting so I had a friend start it while I was gone and she was having trouble the last week or so- well more trouble starting it than normal.

Anyway- I went out to run errands but it wouldn't start- the battery was clearly dead (the remote wouldn't unlock it and no lights turned on when I turned the key). So I called AAA and they came out to jump start it (it was the same guy who helped me the last time I had to call them- he is super nice), he couldn't jump it- the battery was so dead it wouldn't even hold a charge- he suggested I change the battery myself because it'd be a lot cheaper- well that's easier said than done. My dad suggested I call my apartment manager and ask if the maintenance guy would help me - I was sure they were going to say no, since it was a car problem not a problem with my apartment- I was wrong- the apartment manager came and helped my himself! He took my old battery out and drove me to the parts store (which was very close by) and put the new battery in- he was so nice, it was disgustingly hot and humid out (as I mentioned) and here he was leaning over my car and hauling heavy batteries around. Seriously, I never expected that they would be so helpful!

Unfortunately the dead battery wasn't the only problem. it still wouldn't start. It was clearly a different problem both the apartment manager and the maintenance guy agreed it sounded like a fuel system problem- which is what we had suspected all along and was what I was trying to deal with before I left. I couldn't get it to start after numerous attempts, so I called AAA again and they sent out a tow truck. After the hauled it away I rented a car and managed to finally run my errands- well half of them anyway.

The shop that had my car said it was the fuel pump, as suspected, and I needed a new one as well as a fuel filter, which would cost almost $700. Considering that my car has over 120,000 miles I figured I was due a major repair so I am trying to take it in stride.

I returned the rental car this afternoon and they (the kind people at Enterprise Rent-a-Car) gave me a ride to the dealership to pick up my car. I paid for it, walked out to get in and was told that it is still not starting, the advisor who pulled it up said she had a very hard time getting it started and then a mechanic tried to start it and it wouldn't start. The advisor (not the one I was working with- he was at lunch) offered to put me in a rental car for the day (after I said I didn't want to pay for another day)- so now I am in a different car- which the dealership is very kindly paying for- a HHR (an HHR, that sounds better). Yesterday I had an Aveo. One thing I've learned from this experience is that when I buy a new car (probably a used car) after my car finally dies I am pretty sure I will not be buying an Aveo or an HHR.

I still don't know what is wrong with my car now but hopefully the dealership will figure it out and will continue to pay for the rental car until they do!

Random Photos

2010-06-15T09:52:00.010-04:00

I often take pictures envisioning blog posts and sometimes I forget to follow through- I was going through my camera and found some of those pictures so I thought I'd share them now.

I took this first picture in Yorktown- every once in a while I drive there to sit and read on the riverwalk when I need a change of pace. On this particular day it was cold and foggy out- I think this is a really cool picture of the bridge disappearing into the fog.

I took this next group of photos at the airport in Detroit- way back in September. My grandmother passed away and I had to travel home on very short notice and I ended up having some very long lay-overs in Detroit which actually worked out well since they have a hotel attached to the airport with a separate entrance (and security line) so I was able to take Rusty outside through the hotel which was much more pleasant than taking him out through the main airport lobby- anyway, this first picture was taken in the hotel- which seemed very fancy, I doubt I could afford to stay there...

These two pictures didn't really turn out very well- but if you've been through the Detroit airport you'll know what I was trying to capture- they have a light show (I guess that's what you'd call it) along the tunnel in between terminals. Rusty was not a fan but I thought it was kind of cool. One of my friends said she went to the tunnel heavily medicated because she hates to fly and when she went through the tunnel she thought she was in hell- so not everyone is a fan...

While Rusty and I were sitting by the gate we were suddenly surrounded by birds- first there was only one, then two, eventually there were at least 6. Rusty wanted to check them out but he showed a lot of restraint.

This last picture is of Rusty (I know I've shared a lot of pictures of Rusty lately- but here's one more). I've been trying to get a a picture of him with his ears out forever- he's so cute when he stretches his ears but he always puts them back down before I can snap a picture- well I finally caught it- how cute is Rusty?

2 years with Rusty

2010-06-08T20:17:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe but I have had Rusty for two years now! On one hand it seems like he has always been with me, on the other hand it seems like I just got him. I've been thinking back about my time with him which of course made me think back to the summer I got him and the fact that it was my last summer living in Utah. Rusty made my move across the country much easier to deal with and has helped keep me sane. He was the only thing that stood between me and life as a hermit when I was reading for comps. I've talked to far more people than I would ever have without him- whenever I take him for walks people stop me and ask questions about him or ask to pet him (or they ignore me completely and have a conversation with him- which is always amusing) and he is a great travel companion as well, people in airports aren't usually all that friendly- I think flying is too stressful now- but they are far more friendly when they see Rusty!

This post is all about Rusty but I'll post some other reminiscences about the last 2 years in another post....

My Constant Comps Companion

2010-06-07T12:52:00.004-04:00

A Sigh of Relief- I Passed!!!

2010-05-16T11:04:00.003-04:00

Well I took my exam last Friday and haven't had time to reflect on it too much because it's been a crazy busy week.

The exam went really well. I was very nervous the morning of but once I got in the room I was fine. There were a couple questions that threw me but overall it wasn't nearly as stressful as I thought. I was worried about one of the professors because he has a bit of a reputation, several people warned me not to work with him- or to at least expect that he would grill me during the exam. I am so glad I decided to work with him anyway. His section of the exam was the most enjoyable- I really did enjoy the conversation. I was also nervous about having War and Society as one of my minor fields because I don't have a strong background in military history- but again, this ended up being the list I enjoyed the most. I've already got a stack of war memoirs I want to read this summer.

In order to celebrate and reward myself for surviving comps and finishing in one semester- I went out and bought a Nook. I haven't actually read a book on it yet since I am still recovering from the comps reading but I really wanted to play with my new toy and it has two games on it chess and sudoku- neither of which I have ever played before- so I learned how to play sudoku. I am not very good at it yet- which is why I cheat.

I am also almost done with the training so I can teach online this summer- I am looking forward to the experience. And it looks like I will be working with NIAHD as well (the National Institute for American History and Democracy) but I am not sure which session or what exactly I'll be doing.... but either way it is going to be a busy summer!

One Week To Go!

2010-04-30T18:37:00.003-04:00

It's crazy to think I will be taking my qualifying exams (comps) in a week from today! Send positive thoughts my way next Friday- I will need them!

I've really taken a step back from the process this last week. Several people told me to take it easy for the weeks before the exam so you don't over-think and over-stress it. With all the stuff going on with my family back home it hasn't been hard to get my mind off comps. I have actually been worried that I'm not stressed enough- I should be freaking out right now- right? On the other hand, it has affected my sleep- I keep going over answers to potential questions in my head at night which makes it hard to fall asleep. I'm a little worried that if I slack off too much now I will forget everything and panic next Friday.

I'm really not sure what I think of this process at this time, I'll have to force myself to take time to contemplate it once it is over. I really need to take some time to celebrate- but I'm not sure how to mark this major step in my career- and a major accomplishment. I do know one thing, I spend way too much time in my head and I need to get out more, too bad I'm broke so I can't afford to go anywhere- ah the life of a grad student!

back to the grind

2010-04-17T09:21:00.003-04:00

Rusty and I took a quick trip west for Easter and to attend my sister's wedding in Vegas. It was kind of a strange trip and I was nervous about taking a break this close to my exam- but I think it may have been a good thing to break me out of my comps rut. I've had three meetings since I got back and all three professors said they think I am ready! Which is great news- only one more professor to go! Hopefully he'll respond to one of my emails and actually set up a meeting. It's kinda strange- even though all of my meetings have gone well and I am on track for comps (I finished reading- so it's all review all the time from here on out) I'm feeling a little depressed- I guess I'm just ready for this whole process to be over!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T11:59:00.005-04:00

Rusty got a haircut yesterday. I never know what to expect when I go to pick him up, they always say they will do it the same as the last time- but he always looks different....

BEFORE

I think this is the first time he has gotten mutton chops...

AFTER

Happy Easter!

the light at the end of the tunnel

2010-03-29T18:42:00.003-04:00

I am getting closer- I should be done with the reading in about 2, or 2 and a half weeks. I am finding that it is more and more difficult to stay motivated and I am not getting as much out of my reading as I did at the beginning- I've become a machine, just processing books trying to hit my goals each week and caring more about the number than the contents.

It's hard. I feel like I am doing violence to the books. I am gutting them not reading them. It makes me think about the day I publish a book and it's future in the hands of graduate students who will gut it too- do I strive to make it easily guttable? Sounds painful. Of course, that assumes that I WILL write a book and that someone, anyone, will read it or "read" it.

I do still think I am getting something out of this process, even if it makes me long for my undergraduate days when I could read a whole book, word for word, page by page, and care about the stories told, not just about the arguments made.

I do think this will help me teach- I have been able to identify which books I want to go back to- and maybe assign and read with my undergrads- I long for the day when I get to sit in a room and discuss the stories of history not just the arguments of historians (or to chat online with my students).

I am glad that at this point in the process I am still looking forward to being an educator and to share my love of history with students- I hope they appreciate and get as much from me as I have from my professors (well, most of them).

getting nervous

2010-03-15T19:26:00.005-04:00

I am beginning to think I have taken on too much. My first encyclopedia article is due next Friday and I am only about halfway through. And then of course I have to start on my second article, but at least that one is much shorter. I am also presenting a paper on the same day my article is due- I don't have to write anything new for the presentation but I do need to put together some form of powerpoint and of course review the paper I will be presenting (my senior thesis) and I probably need to shorten it a bit more. I am mostly worried about the encyclopedia article- I'll feel better once I've sent it off (even if it comes back needing revisions).

I also applied for a job. I wasn't planning on trying to find a job until May (after comps) but I am not sure about how I am going to survive summer (ah, the joys of grad school) so I applied for a job one day when I was panicking about money. I wasn't expecting to hear back from them so soon- but they've moved pretty fast and now have scheduled a phone interview with me. I'm not sure how I feel about it- it'd be a great opportunity but my timing is off a bit- I just hope that if by some long-shot I actually get it they won't want me to start until after comps are over!

That brings us back to comps. I am still getting a lot out of the reading- well... I'm still enjoying it for the most part but I am not sure if I am processing the information as well because it's an overwhelming amount of information to process and I am sick of reading- like the actual act of reading- I am starting to hate words which I thought was never possible. There are books I want to read but than I open them and see all those evil words and I just feel like curling up and taking a nap. I'm sure this is a natural part of comps (is there really anything 'natural' about this process?) but it does worry me that won't be able to regurgitate all of this information come test day. I have started meeting with my advisors- and they have gone pretty well- but they are a little scary too. The whole process is overwhelming. I need a break. I can't wait for it to be May.

Rusty is handling this all better than me- his bed arrived the other day in the mail (I didn't have enough room in my luggage to bring it back to Virginia with us- so my mom had to mail it). He was happy to see it.

On the way to becoming a hermit

2010-02-28T20:01:00.010-05:00

Reading is starting to get to me. I spend most of my day sitting and reading. Frankly it's getting old- and I'm just past the halfway mark- which is great- because it's downhill from here but bad because I feel like I've been reading forever- and I'm only halfway there!

I spend way too much time alone- if I were a guy I'd grow a beard and starting calling my dissertation a manifesto since my lifestyle is becoming rather unabomber-esque- only without the manhunt and bombs.... and I still shower and stuff.

Luckily I have a dog- unluckily for him he is owned by a hermit, I think it is starting to affect him too.

On the bright side- I actually manage to get out of my home almost everyday- Rusty enjoys his walks and how could I say no to that face? But I do think our combined stir-craziness has made our walks more interesting. Today he started climbing fences. Ok, it was just one fence- but he climbed it twice!

Here he is on top of the fence... there is a sheep behind him but it's hard to see since he is blocking most of it.

Here he is trying to go under the fence, since I wouldn't let him go over it. Now you can see the sheep.

The sheep have noticed our craziness too- these two sheep tried to climb through the fence to get to Rusty (turnabout is fair play and all that- except these are different sheep). Don't be fooled by their sweet expressions- the sheep on the left kept trying to butt Rusty through the fence.

Now, please excuse me I must get back to reading.

back in va

2010-02-20T10:18:00.002-05:00

I'm back in Virginia!

I spent two months in Utah hanging with family and friends... and reading of course. Last semester was my last semester- of course work that is. So I have no classes this semester (which still feels strange but hasn't really hit me) and I am not teaching this semester and I can, at least theoretically, read for my comprehensive exams anywhere, and I am broke so I won't be able to afford to fly home again anytime soon- so I decided to take a very long trip home this year- hence the two moth stay in Utah.

I was worried that I would not get enough reading done while I was home because I'd have the distraction of family there- but I actually managed to get quite a bit done! I have had less luck in the week I have been back here. I lost two days to the language exam and then I had a day full of meetings one of which went until 1:30 in the morning! I am way too old to be up until 1:30am- it took me a couple days to get back on track. I had a pretty good reading day yesterday- but I still only have half of my books read for this week and it's Saturday- not a good sign. But if I can get back on track I should still be able to finish in time for my April 28th exam date. In order to do that I really should get back to reading now....

Hey- did I mention I passed my language exam?!?! I PASSED MY LANGUAGE EXAM!!!! Finally, on the third, yes the THIRD, try I passed the language exam!! I am still giddy about it. Even getting in a small car accident (no one was hurt) could not dampen my elation over the language exam. Even the fact that a months worth of my mail was sent back could not dampen my elation over passing the language exam. Even the unpleasant meeting that went until 1:30 in the morning could not dampen my elation over passing the language exam. Even the fact that I am now behind on my comps reading could not dampen my elation over passing the language exam. Even the fact that I am missing my family and friends back in Utah could not dampen my elation over passing the language exam. Ok, I'll stop now, it should be clear that I am rather excited about the language exam.

Now back to reading....

nothing new

2010-02-11T08:17:00.002-05:00

still reading, reading, reading.... nothing else new to report.

But how cute is Rusty?

reading, reading, and more reading

2010-01-29T17:34:00.003-05:00

I have very little to say. I have been reading and doing very little else- I'm boring. But I am making very good progress- at least I think I am making very good progress. And I am still actually enjoying reading- not the euphoria of the first few weeks- but I'm not hating it. I've been getting up very early and reading at a coffee shop (where I will not be tempted to watch TV or get on my computer, or play with Rusty or my DS, or do laundry, etc, etc), it is a little hard to get up so early- but I do look forward to having the time to just focus on my work.

Besides reading I am working on my thesis- trying to edit it into an article that I can submit for publication. And I need to try to turn my senior thesis into a talk for the graduate research symposium. And I need to write two encyclopedia entries. Yikes thats a lot- And I didn't even mention preparing for my language exam (a topic I am still avoiding- but I am not avoiding studying- so that's good).

more on comps...

2010-01-21T15:24:00.002-05:00

The reading continues.... and continues.... and continues.....

I am very nearly done with my 19th century list!!! It has gone faster than I expected. I should be done with the list I have now by Monday at the latest. I could say that I'll be completely done with a list but my advisor for this list is adding around 10 more books and I do not know what they are yet... but either way I am excited that I am making good progress- and I have managed to maintain my motivation even though I had to make it through the Gilded Age/Progressivism/Populism this week- which usually bores me to tears- I don't know why but agrarian radicalism puts me to sleep. Seriously why does this period bore me so much? A lot of interesting stuff happened then- allegedly. Of course getting up at 4am and trying to read about a topic that bores me was probably poor planning. I did enjoy reading about vigilantes in Montana today- much more exciting than farmers getting all political and trying to change the world- *yawns*

I continue on the American West tomorrow- good times!

W-O-M-A-N

2010-01-18T10:44:00.001-05:00

Fun new blog and random thoughts

2010-01-13T21:31:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to post- but have actually managed to get into the comps (comprehensive exams) groove and haven't managed to do it.

Anyway, first I wanted to recommend this new (well now newish) blog, it is written by a guy that went to school with one of my sisters- he is recording his journey through culinary school- in Paris! It's a fun blog and he post almost everyday- far more often than I do. I highly recommend reading it- especially if you like Paris- or food- or hearing about someone who is following his dreams.

And speaking about following dreams- grad school was kind of getting me down- there are so many things to worry about and feel insecure about- and frankly my money situation is really freaking me out- what with the abysmal job market and all (especially in my field- which was abysmal even before the economy tanked). Last semester was kind of rough (as I may have previously mentioned- if so- sorry to beat a dead horse) so I have been questioning my decision- many years ago- to go back to school full time and to go onto graduate school.

Basically, I was in a terrible mind-frame to start reading for comps. For those of you who I haven't described comps to here's what I am in for. I have four reading lists for my three fields and have a professor to advise me on each list- and to eventually examine me. My fields are American History (19th, 20th, and 21st centuries) this field is split in two so I have two advisers- one for each half, and then I have two minor fields- Gender and Sexuality, and War and Society. In all I have about 285 books on my lists (yes 285!). And my examination is scheduled (somewhat tentatively) for April 28th.

Anyway- I dove into reading a couple weeks ago and last week I realized, much to my surprise, that I am actually enjoying myself! I now remember why I made my crazy decision in the first place- I love history. The way I decided to approach or think about my reading is to try to figure out how I would teach a class on what I am reading and to think about whether or not I would use that particular book or article in a class- I have thought about this while I've been reading before but my first focus was always on what I needed to get out of the reading for class- so I was more focused on what my professor wanted me to get out of a book than about what I might want a student to get out of it. I know it seems like a strange distinction to make but it makes a HUGE difference. I am really thinking about future as a teacher now instead of being dwelling on my own abilities (or insecurities) as a student. It's amazing! And brings me to the other big reason why I decided to continue school- not only do I love history but i want other people to enjoy it and to be curious about it and to want to know more- and to be surprised by aspects of history often left out of textbooks and to learn about some of the amazing people who are also often left out of textbooks.

People think that historians or those of us in American Studies have something against America- that, especially since the 60s and 70s- liberals have dominated the field and want to tarnish American History because we no longer focus on the usually white, usually wealthy, usually Protestant (or at least Christian), and almost always male, leaders of our country and because we no longer focus on the seemingly heroic moments of our history and argue for American exceptionalism. As I listen to a lecture on WWII and I read about slavery and the American Civil War I start to get excited about history again and to really appreciate the sacrifices Americans have made in the past- but to also think about the self-serving decisions and the brutality that the American ideal of individualism can also lead to- and it makes me want to share with students the complexity of our collective national past- Americans haven't always been good, haven't always cared about other Americans, but Americans have also been heroes who face incredible odds and sometimes willingly gave their lives for love of country. We are fortunate to live in this amazing country and we should celebrate that fact by studying our past- the good and the bad- because after all no one is perfect- and what better way to celebrate those who have have gone before us than by remembering them.

I didn't plan on writing all that when I started this post- I simply wanted to celebrate the fact that I am enjoying the beginning of my comps experience- I realize that I may not (ok will not) feel this way throughout the entire experience- but at least now I can remind myself why I am putting myself through what one of my professors called a hazing.

(Belated) Merry Christmas!

2009-12-29T16:58:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas!

It was an odd Christmas for me- traditions had to be shifted a bit to meet everyone's schedule- so Christmas felt rather un-Christmas-like. The only tradition I managed to fulfill was getting sick. It seems like I am sick every year for Christmas- a glance back at photos of the recent-Christmas past reveals me with a red nose- every year. I have to say this is one tradition I wish I could fore-go.

I've also been feeling rather blah. I had hoped that reaching the milestone of being done with course-work would be more exciting- or maybe more fulfilling somehow. I mean it's a major milestone- it should be exciting right? Well, it just seems kind of anti-climatic. This may be because I now feel the pressure to dive headlong into reading for comps- which is terrifying. Everyone is giving me advice on how to approach the readings but I haven't really figured out a system yet which is a bit frustrating and the whole process feels very intimidating. It also doesn't help that I still have my language exam hanging over my head. Don't even get me started on that- I'll save my rant on the language exam for another post- right now I'm trying not to dwell on it as it makes me very angry and it's counter-productive to fall down that particular rabbit-hole.

So for me, it was a rather strange, somewhat melancholy Christmas- that was made better by being in the company of family and friends... and of course Rusty.

Cinema Class

2009-12-19T14:27:00.003-05:00

i miss my students. They were a lot of fun. So in honor of them here is one of my favorite scenes from a movie we watched this semester.

Mascot

2009-12-12T20:07:00.003-05:00

William & Mary is looking for a mascot- we're called Tribe- but what mascot goes with that? Anyhow, here are the finalists. They made me giggle. I can't decide which is the most appealing/funny. What do y'all think?

I should be working on my last paper- my LAST paper- but I'm writing this and looking at mascots instead. I am the queen of procrastination. Hey- maybe we should go with the king and queen mascots!

ending a chapter

2009-12-02T09:14:00.003-05:00

This is my last semester of coursework.

I remember talking to my fellow TA last Fall, my first semester here at W&M, about the end of coursework. It was his last semester and he was looking forward to being done with classes. At the time I couldn't imagine life without class- I love going to class, although I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I miss lecture courses- most graduate classes (well- all that I've taken) are seminars- where the students talk as much if not more than the professor. I love leading discussion sections as a TA but there is something special about listening to a (good) professor's lecture. And now that I'm getting closer to a point in my career that I will be giving lectures- I have started appreciating the skill and preparation that goes into a lecture. I gave my first lecture the week before Thanksgiving and I spent 5 full days working on it and preparing my visuals. But back to my original point, I wouldn't have been able to last this long in school if I didn't enjoy going to class- seriously, I feel like I've been in school forever- I hardly remember what life was like before my return to college.

My feelings about school have shifted since then. Now I cannot wait for coursework to be over. I am sick to death of writing papers on things I have no real interest in- I want to be able to do the research for and to write my dissertation. I am so happy that classes are coming to an end!

I'm sure that I will be reminiscing more about this as I move on to the next chapter of graduate school- but right now I'm too busy since I still have more books to read and papers to write- and of course, preparing for my colloquium- the fist official step towards my comprehensive exams. Yikes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T10:47:00.002-05:00

I wanted Rusty to be thankful today too- which is why there is no picture of him dressed up as a turkey.

Jammin' the Blues

2009-11-24T21:39:00.001-05:00

This is a truly awesome short from 1944- we watched it in the cinema class- we've watched some amazing stuff...

Shopping with Rusty

2009-11-14T09:48:00.006-05:00

I try to take Rusty with me whenever I can. So I take him with me into stores, as long as they do not sell food I figure it's probably ok- and I carry him so it's not like he's running around or can get into anything. Of course, we are occasionally asked to leave- or I'm asked to take my dog to my car and come back and spend money- but normally no one seems to mind and a lot of people stop to talk to him (not to me) and pet him- well, occasionally they do talk to me and when they do they usually tell me stories about their dogs.

Here's a picture of him during one of our shopping trips. How sweet is he?

The Riverwalk

2009-11-08T11:02:00.007-05:00

I've been feeling kind of blue of late and a couple weeks ago I decided to cheer myself up and drove to Yorktown, I wanted to see all the beautiful fall leaves along colonial parkway before it was too late and it was fun to sit on a beach and read- you should all be jealous that I get to do homework on a beach (although, I'll admit I'd rather not be doing homework and just enjoy the riverwalk).

I wanted to share how pretty the drive was but the pictures don't really do it justice and I learned that I shouldn't try to take pictures while I'm driving.

It was a little colder than I expected- I knew it would be cold so I wore a sweatshirt but I should have thrown on a jacket too!

And Rusty LOVES the beach- as soon as his feet touch the sand he takes off and starts running around like mad.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-31T13:01:00.008-04:00

Here's the inspiration for Rusty's costume...

I personally think Rusty is much cuter!

Not surprisingly, Rusty wasn't too fond of the costume- here he is attacking it before I even put it on him....

And here he is trying to get it off...

And here he is celebrating his freedom...

The Seven Dwarfs- in French!

2009-10-30T08:30:00.001-04:00

Wonder Woman

2009-10-17T22:37:00.006-04:00

I've been watching Wonder Woman- if you haven't ever seen the pilot- you MUST watch it- add it to your netflix queue now!

Anyway- here's the theme song- my favorite line is "she'll stop a war with love."

Yes!

2009-10-09T20:52:00.002-04:00

When I was home last month we woke up one morning to find this on my parent's driveway...

(It says- "YES! oops wrong house, response to Homecoming")

catfight!

2009-10-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

Awesome (although they could have been less obvious with the stunt doubles).

Sherlock Jr.

2009-10-01T22:05:00.002-04:00

I love this movie and I think it includes one of the best car chase scenes ever (well- the best I have seen) and I've been meaning to put a clip here for a while. It's a longer clip than I wanted but if you skip forward a bit- to like the four or four and a half minute mark you can just watch the car chase- but the rest is great too!

Monticello

2009-09-30T21:04:00.004-04:00

Just when you thought I was done talking about summer I bring it up again.

I went to Monticello, for the second time, with my friends Laura, Amy, and Anna. They came to DC when I was there a couple years ago and we spent their last day there at Mount Vernon so we decided to make it a tradition and go to the home of another president on their last day here. Since it was my second time visiting Monticello and I was still suffering from KES I wasn't all that into it-nothing against Monticello- it's an amazing place- my friend Jenel says she understood Jefferson much better after visiting there (well, if I remember correctly, she was talking about his motivation for slave owning, but I digress...). Anyway, I only took a couple pictures- sorry you'll have to refer to my first post about Monticello or go there yourself if you want more.

rest stops

2009-09-27T10:49:00.003-04:00

Rest stops in Virginia...

Rest stops in Utah...

Yorktown... I think

2009-09-21T09:44:00.003-04:00

So I think this picture is from Yorktown- maybe Laura, Amy or Anna will comment and correct me or fill in the story behind this house. I was kind of checked out the day we went to Yorktown- I blame Keio Exhaustion Syndrome (KES) perhaps that also explains my current procrastination and lethargy.

More Summer Photos

2009-09-19T20:57:00.014-04:00

Forgive me I still have catching up to do....

Here are some more pictures from my friends trip out, these are from our trip to Historic Jamestown, my first trip there- it was very pretty and worth the trip out- I'll have to take my next visitors there too.

recent unexpected trip home

2009-09-14T20:49:00.003-04:00

Here's Rusty hanging out with Angel and Kate (a hamster).

Dallas

2009-09-12T21:37:00.000-04:00

If you haven't watched Dallas you have no idea how awesome this is. Still, it's too funny.

self defense

2009-09-04T20:53:00.002-04:00

Oddly enough this clip ties in nicely with the reading I did this week.