Happy 2007!

As I'm writing this, it is in fact 2007. And I think there's a lot to be celebrated about this past year. Yes, this is the night when we look ahead to fresh beginnings and new excitement in a new year. But this should also be a day to look back and thank God for everything he's given us in this last year.

This last year has held many milestones for me.

-I graduated from highschool.
-I started college. (and completed my first semester)
-I quit my first job.
-I drove across the country for the first time.
-I started my first website with actual people who actually visit it. (this blog)
-I visited Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Washinton DC, Virginia, and Maryland for the first time I can remember. (I visited somewhere back East when I was about 3)
-I turned 19!
-I lived away from home for the first time ever.
-I made a bunch of new friends and had some great experiences.

Life is good. God is amazing. I am so blessed.
I look forward to another great year in 2008!

God bless you all and your new year ahead.
-Rebekah

"New" Website

Some of my older and dearer friends may remember my old website, The BookClub. It was basically a list for my friends and me to share and recommend our favorite books and movies. This was 4-5 years ago, when I was first learning HTML. To make a long story short, the site flopped, about three times. But I'm stubborn.

Well, this was before the advent of the wiki, which I realized is exactly the type of site I really need. For one thing, it makes editing the site a lot easier. wetpaint.com has a make-your-own-wiki service, which has allowed for the rebirth of this old dream of mine.

This is all to say, Come visit my site! Sign up! Contribute! Help to make this a great and useful resource for readers of all ages!

the-book-club.wetpaint.com

Thanks!
-Rebekah

Admission

I'll admit what I was previously unwilling to: Steubenville has stolen my innocence.

When I came back to San Diego for Christmas, I swore that a semester in a state with weather hadn't made me any less of a weather-wimp. That I still firmly held to the principle of the relativity of temperature.

But this morning on the way out of the church, just as I was thinking what a nice day it was, (it's about 55) I overheard a girl telling her mom that it was "sooo cold!"

I'll admit what I was previously unwilling to: Steubenville has stolen my innocence.

And all of my readers not in California now have permission to hate me. :)

Might as well just get a national language already

I was asked to dust the wood divider at work today and given this can of Pledge:
"Anaranjado" is the color, not the fruit. Apparently, the company that makes Pledge hires no one who ever either took a single semester of Spanish or learned how to do a proper web translation. What a shame that so many Americans are monolingual and lazy...

But it makes for an amusing cleaning experience, «Sí, este color es anaranjado. Muy bien. ¿Y eres licenciado en negocios? Que bueno.»

EDIT: I was informed that the photo wasn't working. Hopefully it is now, and I apologize for the mishap.

Okay, so I'll post.

Uncle Mike was giving me a hard time about my online silence since I got back home, so I thought I'd give you a quick run-down of what's been going on in my life.

To be honest, I haven't been posting because I haven't been online nearly as much as I was during the school semester. What with all the blogs and podcasts and facebook to keep up with, I barely have any time for any posting of my own.

So I got home. That much you knew. Grandma came the following Saturday from Phoenix for a quick visit. I didn't go to her house for Thanksgiving with my family, so she wanted to see me while I was on her side of the country.

On that Tuesday, she, Emily, and I went down to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Natural History Museum. It was really neat to see these little scraps of parchment and to realize that they are over 2,000 years old! So cool! And Emily was able to pick out the "YHWH" (for God) in one document.

I started work again the next day at Pick Up Stix (Chinese food). It's good to be back, I guess, especially considering the complete lack of edible Asian food in the caf. I was surprised to realize how much I still remember. And how much has changed in only three months.

Christmas came much to quickly. As always, we attended 2-4 Masses each (5 different ones) and opened gifts at home. Then we drove up to Orange Co. where my mom's whole family (she has a sister and 6 brothers, though the oldest wasn't there) gathers for dinner, gifts, and lots of CRAZY fun. We do a "white elephant" exchange where we give away something we don't want. If you've ever met my mom's family, you'll know that some of those gifts are hilarious!

Anyway, now that things have quieted down a little, (after all the Christmas bustle) it's time to get down to some serious scrapbooking. I want to finally finish the album from our trip to World Youth Day 2005, and then put together some of my pictures from this last semester. If I finish that, I have an extensive crochet project I want to get started on. More about that at is progresses.

Oh! And Mary Joy's back home! She's been at boarding school in RI this year. She just came back last night, and she gets to visit for three days. It's great to see her again!

Well, hope that makes you happy, Uncle Mike.

God bless you all. Maybe I'll post again soon.
-Rebekah

I'm BACK

I got in to good ol' SD tonight and it feels like I never left. Come to Fr. Francis tomorrow (which only applies to you if you, 1.) know what that means, and 2.) could logically make it in time, i.e. you don't live in, say, OK) and see me.

OK, I'm going to bed now cause it's been a 27-hour twilight zone of a day and I want to go get pants in the morning!

Love you all,
-Rebekah

Greetings from Happenin' Vegas!

I'm having so much fun! There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now than spending two hours in an airport! At least I've got wifi so I can tell you all about it. :)
Love ya, see you soon,
-Rebekah

I'm coming home!!!

I just got out of my last final. (History) It was rather anti-climactic, but that's OK I guess. Anyway, I wanted to get one last post in before I head out. I tried to last night but the internet decided not to work from my room. Good thing I'm moving. :)

I was talking to my dad for a while on the phone last night. I mentioned the last time we flew from Pittsburgh to Lindbergh, and our terrible experiences revolving around the Las Vegas airport. Our flight was delayed so we went to TCBY while we waited. Dad said over the phone that "TCBY" stands for "The Country's Best Yogurt" then mentioned that he heard someone say it stood for "This Can't Be Yogurt."
"Like, 'I Can't Believe it's Not Ice Cream'," I said. Dad started laughing uncontrollably, till I noted, "That wasn't that funny, Dad."
He stopped and sighed, "I know, I just can't wait for you to get home."
That one comment just made my day. It reminded me of a similar line in one of my favorite books, "I'm glad you're come home, Lizzy." All that above is just to say that I feel loved.

Anyway, Let this be my goodbye to all my wonderful friends at Steubie, and a "see you soon" to all my amazing friends in Poway. I can't wait to see you!

Until we meet again,
-Rebekah

blogging sample platter

Have I mentioned how much I love my Google Reader? I've been following some pretty fun blogs recently, all about this lovely language of ours. Now, I've said before that I don't like English and that this is the reason I'm majoring in foreign languages, but these are just too funny. So I thought I'd pass them along. Just be warned, most of these are written by adults for adults. They aren't explicitly dirty, but it wouldn't hurt to check before having young kids log on.

First, The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. Lot's of good fun and a few posts a day. I like this one because of the commentary the blogger puts into it. It's amazing how bad some of these abuses are, and how awkwardly they can be misconstrued.

The next blog is not grammar-related, but it's still quite funny. http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com features reader-submitted notes that have been left by room-mates, co-workers, neighbors, cleaning staff... There is often language in these notes, as they reflect pent-up anger. But they are usually all kinds of funny.

Next, we have Apostrophe Abuse. The lack of commentary makes this one a little less fun, and the abuses are often redundant, but it's still good and amusing for the moderate-to-hardcore grammar geek.

And finally, one I found just today. Say What? is a relatively new blog, but very funny. It basically features a collection of signs that make little or no sense.

Most of these blogs link to others. There is a general grammar abuse blog, but it's a bit nit-picky not my taste. It's easy to quickly gather a collection of English blogs that fits your personal pet peeve. Ignore or enjoy.

And thanks to Uncle Steve for getting me hooked on these in the first place. It was his comment to this post that helped me find all these wonderful goodies.

And be sure to vote in the poll! Not that the answers matter to any great extent, I was just curious.

God bless,
-Rebekah

Almost ... done ...

I finished my fourth final this morning at 9:00. (Spanish, it wasn't too hard) Now I've only got one to go, and it's on Thursday, so I've got a whole free day to [study] and clean and pack and move. It's really quite a daunting task.

I've never packed for a whole month before. And the climate is different. I have to decide how many of my coats to leave and how many hoodies I'll need till mid-December. Do I need some of these books at school or should I leave them in San Diego? I think I want to bring some of my textbooks home to try to sell them online over break, but only if I can't sell them on facebook, in which case I wouldn't need to bring them at all. Which shoes do I need? Should I bring all my socks? And what am I wearing for Christmas? So many things to worry about! And all while "worrying" about my history final!

I'm not really stressed, though. I'm desensitized to stress. :)

OK, basically, I can't wait to see you all in just a couple days!

God bless,
-Rebekah

Have I mentioned yet that about half the girls here are named Katie?
These are just the ones I'm facebook friends with, I know several more.

I know you've been waiting for this post...

As Andrea so wisely noted in her comment on the post regarding my flickr update, "Snow!"

Yes, you may also have noticed that particular meteorological tidbit. There is, in fact, snow in Steubenville. (just teasing, Andrea)


Sorry I didn't post the first chance I got (like when we got those flurries a couple weeks back) As duly noted earlier, I've been busy.

So, yeah. I'm too lazy to post the pictures here. You can see them on my flickr.
The snow started Monday. It was momentous because it stuck to the ground, but only so much as to make the grass a light green. That was the day I took the picture out my dorm room window.
Tuesday gave it a chance to melt a little more.
But then Wednesday, it snowed basically all day long, non stop, and it's been in the twenties since then. There has been sledding going on, in which I have yet to participate because Tessa broke her toe and I don't want to make her jealous. (she dropped a bookcase, but that's a different story)
Anyway, It's snowing again today, so maybe I'll go out and get more photos.

Till then
Yours always,
-Rebekah

Prayer Request

Could you please pray for my aunt who is in the hospital with a really bad case of pneumonia.

Thanks.

Stress Code: Baby Blue

I went to the caf to get breakfast this morning after my French "final" and felt like an outsider. Only a few people we actually sitting with someone. Everything was quiet, everyone had notebooks or flashcards or handouts. The atmosphere was so stressed. I got the feeling that everyone there had an exam at 10:30, and a stressful one.

I had just come from a joke of a final. For me, yesterday was the end of the really stressful stuff. I've been looking forward to finals for a week now. I finally feel free to just study, without any papers or assignments. And it's snowing again! Life is good and I want to share it, but whenever I try, I get funny looks that say, "you're crazy, don't you know you're supposed to be miserable?"

Oh well, I just have to make sure that I turn this euphoria to productive study time. After all, I've only got three classes left. It's as if I never took Philosophy or French (figuratively) and I've got three straight days to do nothing but study for them. So, wooh! Go finals! Let's hope some disillusioned college graduate who reads my blog (no offense :) ) will agree with my point of view.

OK, God bless you guys.
-Rebekah

A Recipe

The espresso machine at Jazzman's has been broken for over a week now, which means no mochas, no cocoa, nothing but straight brewed coffee. (which keeps you awake, but it's sour) So Schloeder labs, STM 229, has created a little something for your drinking pleasure.
You know how Jazzman's sells peppermint cocoa? I tried it before the machine broke, and it was good, but it costs about $2.50. Well, forget them! You can do it yourself! with a starlight mint! Don't believe me? Give it a try! Just...

heat a mug of water and add a starlight mint (like from the caf) stir for a little while. It will dissolve pretty quickly, but you don't have to wait for it. The water should turn a cloudy pink. Now you have what I like to call "peppermint stock." Just add your hot cocoa mix, ignoring the fact that the water isn't clear. Stir and enjoy! If the mint isn't dissolved yet, just mix it around every once in a while. You can start drinking before it's completely dissolved, but it doesn't take too long.

Also, you can flavor Jazzman's coffee with a Werthers'. But this still doesn't deal with the aftertaste.

The Home Stretch

So the whole campus got back from Thanksgiving break and realized that, suddenly, we only had three weeks of school left. And now finals are upon us and it seems like a dark cloud is hovering over the campus, aleviated only when you walk out of an exam, or when you go sledding.

I have been under so much stress lately though, that I'm glad finals are here. I've got the whole weekend to just study. No papers, no homework, no assignments. Just pure unadulterated study time. I never realized that I was capable of asscociating "study" and "relaxing" but that's how I feel.

I don't think I did very well on my Philosophy final this morning, but when I walked out, I felt so free.

...I...will...never...take...Philosophy...again...

I just didn't enjoy it much (remember, I'm the language geek who misses Maths and Science)

So that's over with. And the French final tomorrow only counts if it improves your grade (it's a long story) so I've really only got three finals left, and a whole weekend in which to study for them. Life is good.

Oh, yeah! And then I get to come home.

Thanksgiving Break

We got the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off, which we very nice. I went to Mary's house in Manassas, VA. We left Tuesday evening and got in around midnight, so we had all of Wednesday to work on dinner for Thursday. And don't worry, she did put me to work!

Dinner was amazing and at 1:00 pm. I made my grandma's yam recipe for them, which I added too much liquid to, but which still tasted great. They got to keep the copy of the recipe I had printed.

The next day, we went out coat and boot shopping. It was pretty crazy, but we had fun anyway. My parents had said they would get me a coat for my birthday gift, so I just picked one out in VA. I figured Manassas was bound to have a better selection than San Diego. And I was right.

The next day (Saturday) we spent in sightseeing and turisty-ishstuff, purely for my benefit. We visited the battleground, which was pretty neat, but also pretty cold, so we didn't walk around much. The film in the visitor's center is very good, by the way. We also spent some time around old town, which was really cute. And then I realized that old town means very different things depending on where you live. Old town Manassas looked kind of like Julian, whereas Old Town San Diego is un fiesta grande.

Sunday was spent mostly in driving back. We went to morning Mass at the Pauls' parish. It really made me miss Gene Regard, which I can say because I don't think Mary reads my blog. But just in case she does: no offense meant. Another friend of Mary's, Dani, travelled with us both ways. Just before we left from the church, her dad had to go and curse the transmission, (he basically said something like, "bet your transmission will go out on the way" and fortunately, it didn't wait too long. We were still pretty close to there house when we realized something was wrong. I just heard earlier this week that they got the car back from the shop and it was indeed the transmission. Dani's dad gets the full blame.) so we ended up having to go back to the house and switching to a different car and leaving Mary's mom and brother behind. Now it only remains to be seen if they can afford a new car. Trip was relatively uneventful, and then we got to go to Walmart (a real treat) so I'm all stocked up for finals and studying.

Anyway, there's my rather skellital account of my holiday. I missed my family terribly, especially because, while I was coat shopping, they were in Phoenix, AZ. ('nough said) Photos of Thanksgiving break can be found on facebook.

More updates to come!
God bless,
-Rebekah

My birthday

OK, this is the first in a series of many small catch-up posts.

You probably all know that 11-19 was my golden birthday.

I want to quickly take this opportunity to thank all of you who signed my sign. It really made my day! The story follows...

I had an uneventful birthday. I opened presents at about 12:30 am (just couldn't keep waiting, and Dad was online) Nothing much happened till after Honors class. I had texted my dear friends to have them come join us for dinner afterwards. I just planned to do cake and ice cream in the caf with friends. But Mary and Erica were late for dinner, I had no reason not to believe the story the gave me. They managed (I still don't know how) to convince me that the cake in the caf wasn't birthday-worthy and I should just stick to ice cream. I am ashamed to admit that I caved in to peer pressure. They said we should go hang out in my room cause we usually hang in Clare. I complained that my room was dirty, but gave in after a little prodding. Well we showed up and the door was covered with loveliness. I was so naïve in my childish delight. Took me a while to figure out that they weren't surprised. Oh well. They had made me a cake, too, which we had to eat in Clare cause they couldn't find an RA in Tommy to ask about candles. It was a great night, and apparently, it's all my dad's fault. Darn facebook!

There are photos of the decorations on my flickr page. Unfortunately, most of them fell down before I could take the pics, hence the pile on the floor.

Anyway, That wraps that up. More to come very soon, probably this afternoon. (that's evening here)

-Rebekah

New Photos

I just took the time to add all the photos from this semester so far onto my Flickr page. (take a look at the widget on the left to take a peek)

I've had so many things piling up in school lately (I'm not lying!) and I am sorry that I haven't been able to post, but the big huge hump I have to get over is tomorrow (Thurs. 12-6) and I promise to start catching up here tomorrow afternoon and into the weekend!

So look for your feed-readers to be inundated with goodies very soon, and thank you for your patience.

Pray for my finals and I'll pray for yours!

God bless,
-Rebekah

What the?

You might not be able to see from the photo, but this tree (found in Cosda) is basically covered in shredded quilt batting. I think we have reached a new low in Christmas decorating.