Reverb 10.1: One Word.

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)
Growth. 

To say that the year has been overall positive or overall negative isn't easy to do, especially because I imagine anything could happen in the next 29 days. Sort of like anything has happened in the the string of '29 days' that have made up 2010. But there is a consistent beauty in a year that has been full of new adventures, momentous firsts, happy endings mixed with heartbreaking losses, the total and complete experience of 'all good things must come to an end,' and the multitude of injuries that have been inflicted on my physical, mental, and emotional self. That consistency is the opportunity to grow. Because we can't always control what happens to us, but we can control what we do next-- how we choose to react, the way we choose to think about everything and, maybe more importantly, how we choose to think about ourselves.

And overall, this year I am proud of myself. I completed my Masters degree from a school that is one of the top institutions in its field. With a 3.9 GPA. I landed my dream internship that has extended well beyond the initial 3 months promised, and on Monday will become a long-term temp position which provides more stability and a little more pay than the internship. And overall continues to be a safe place to learn, gain experience, and work creatively with people I have grown to love as colleagues and as friends. I completed 2 triathlons, a ride/run race (up and down ski slopes, I might add), various 5Ks, and I played in my first slowpitch softball rec league. I have worked hard to be a more authentic friend and that change is not always easy; it sometimes means saying no to people you adore and saying things that are blunt/honest (I have a difficult discerning and delivering the difference) and not expected by the listener.

Adventure.

2011 is going to be a great year. After all, the last 24 years have sort of established a status quo of great years. But if 2010 was a bit of a rebuilding year, figuring out where to go next and how to use the tools and experiences I had spent so long cultivating, 2011 is going to be about taking all of that to the next level. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone to continue to try new things with joy and curiosity. Regard novel moments with the awe they deserve and bask in the warmth of the beautiful relationships in my life. And maybe do something a little crazy. Maybe.

Introducing: Reverb 10

I am clearly all in to series of things lately.  A reading list, workout plans, etc etc.  So it made sense to take on another, no?

In my epic quest to just keep up with all that is going on in the wide world of social networking, I noticed an interesting little trend/hash-tag: #reverb10.  Usually I don't have ANY idea what hash-tags refer to, and this of course was no exception.  But for some reason, I started clicking on the shortened links that peppered my Twitter list (perhaps this is referred to as a Twist?).  And there was some super insightful writing going on out there, all sharing a common, high-trending hash-tag.

What is a semi-savvy social networker to do when she just cannot verify the source of a trend?  Google it.  And I came upon Reverb 10's website, which explains the project as this:

Reverb 10 is an annual event and online initiative to reflect on your year and manifest what’s next. Use the end of your year as an opportunity to reflect on what's happened, and to send out reverberations for the year ahead. With Reverb 10 - and the 31 prompts our authors have created for you - you'll have support on your journey.

A little more digging leads one to discover that this is a daily writing project for the month of December which gives the writer, and their readers (lucky ducks!) a chance to reflect on the year that is quickly closing and get all psyched up for the year that's coming (because it is on it's way whether we like it or not).

Frankly, this sounds awesome to me for a whole bundle of reasons:

• I am a reflector.  Not the shiny "hey car, see me because I am running in the dark" kind.  A guess a better word might be storyteller.  Because telling stories about what I have done and what I am doing now allows me to reflect on my choices and the events I have been involved in and how those have absolutely instilled in me a desire to change by improving on decisions, making some decisions again and again and again, and remember some decisions simply because they should not be repeated in this lifetime.  Or the next.  Or the one after that either.  
• Believe it or not, blogging is hard.  I know I make it look pretty easy, if I do say so myself, but it's more than sitting down to your computer and bitching about all the injustices in your life (although, that's about 50% of the battle right there).  And its difficulty and complexity are intensified by the fact that you may know who some of your readers are, but certainly not all.  And further, you don't know which posts they've liked, which they've hated, do they like pictures, are links their thing?  No one shares this.  And it appears from my statistics that I have 7 RSS subscribers (thanks!) and approximately 30 site visitors a week (you should subscribe!).  But I know who very few of you are.  Long bullet short, a month of writing prompts means that, theoretically, I can't pick the wrong topic and you can't be disappointed.  We are driven by a higher power (i.e. the Reverb 10 prompts) this month.  

So, currently there have been two prompts posted.  I am going to try and play catch up now, especially because I have a busy weekend coming up and don't know if I will have much of a chance then and if I waited that long, I could end up 5 days behind instead of just 2.  Which would satisfy my procrastinating soul but would not really stay true to the mission of Reverb 10, which is a daily reflection to find calm about your year.  

I encourage everyone to think about these prompts, and even if you don't choose to publish them for the whole internet to stumble upon, write them in a journal, on a napkin, or find "an app for that." 

Okay, let's get on with the show.  

The 100 Reads Project In Full Swing

I finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  I first fell in love with Marquez and his fiction when I read Chronicles of a Death Foretold in my World Literature class in high school.  His books are richly painted glimpses into the Caribbean at the turn of the century, incorporating values and traditions of the indigenous, Spanish, and African cultures.  Love in the Time of Cholera was an interesting page turner because the middle of the book felt slow at times, but I still was so intrigued at the way he introduced the story that after every chapter I thought "Well, now we will find out what happens."  But you don't really find out what happens until the last 50 pages.  Meanwhile, it is easy to enjoy the rich storytelling and depth of character development in the middle 250 pages.  By the end of the book, I certainly found myself not-so-secretly hoping for the love story to come true at last for the two protagonists.  I am excited that my list of 100 Reads includes another book by him.

I am starting the project with the book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace. . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  Three Cups of Tea features the story of a mountaineer (Mortenson) who found himself in Pakistani village after a failed attempt to climb K2.  He was so moved by the inhabitants' kindness, that he promised to return and build a school.  And he kept his promise to the villagers, plus building 54 additional schools, particularly focusing on the goal of educating girls in a part of the world still plagued by severe gender discrimination and oppression.  This book is of particular interest to me because of the promotion of educating girls, as a lot of health and economic research has shown that educated girls become educated mothers and women who work better jobs (often starting their own small businesses) and lead healthier lives, starting a cycle of good health generations in their family.

This Season in Obscure Holidays

It's officially the holiday season around here.  I know because I was walking through Macy's the other day on my way to lunch (thank heavens for the Skyway system in Minneapolis) and I got stabbed in the eye by a hanging snowflake and Harry Connick Jr. Christmas carols followed me through the men's department, around the shoes, and while I craftily dodged the "perfume ladies" and their spritzing and dashing and grabbing your hands and slathering them with some putrid smelling glittery lotion.

Thanksgiving and Christmas get all the attention this time of year, and perhaps for good reason.  They each come with a fabulous spread of foods.  And, to a lesser extent, some mass media/advertising attention is paid to Hanukkah (and it's 200 different spellings) and Kwanzaa in an effort to keep the holidays politically correct.  

But there are a lot of holidays going on this time of year that get easily overlooked behind the turkey and the cut-out cookies, the fabulous department store discounts, and the stuffed stockings.  Luckily, we've had ourselves a bit of an ice storm and I have nothing but time to bring those holidays to your attention!  Perhaps you can squeeze in one more party and one more turkey loaf for one of these fabulous occasions as well! 

Friday, November 26: Black Friday.  Because nothing says holiday cheer like leaving your family to line up outside of Wal-Mart at 2am only to stampede like a bunch of deal-seeking wildebeest and trample an employee.  To death.  Happy Holidays! 

Saturday, November 27: National Listening Day.  "Huh?  Did you say something?  No no no, I was listening.  I just, uh. . . need you to repeat that for me one more time."

Tuesday, November 30: Stay Home Because You're Well Day.  Unless you're an hourly worker, sans benefits, like some of us who are out there livin' the dream.  For us, this is a lesser known holiday, "Go To Work Because You Have A Job, Yay!" Day.  

December is National Tie Month.  I expect some much better dressed men in Downtown Minneapolis for this month.  Spruce yourselves up, boys! Especially if you participated in the god-awful observance of No Shave November.  Ugh. 

Wednesday, December 1: World AIDS Day.  Ahem. [steps on to soapbox]  Part of the epidemic of AIDS is biological; it is caused by a nasty virus that can be elusive to the infected individual.  Many people are infected with HIV and don't know for some time after infection, giving them the opportunity to spread it to sexual partners or between mother and newly born child.  Another part of the epidemic is social.  We're afraid to talk about HIV/AIDS because it makes us talk about issues that we're uncomfortable with.  For example, men who have sex with men but don't identify as homosexual are at a dangerously high risk of HIV infection but we don't talk about that.  Further, HIV/AIDS is running rampant through parts of the world where sex is used against women and children as a weapon of war and conflict.  But we frame HIV/AIDS infection as the responsibility of the infected person by saying things like "They shouldn't have sex with someone they don't know" or "They should have used protection."  I think we all wish it were so easy.  The last part of the epidemic is the continued need for resources.  There are retroviral treatments that can extend an individuals life with HIV and prevent the onset of AIDS.  They are having mixed, but mostly positive results.  There are drugs that prevent the spreading of HIV from mother to child during birth and these are showing extremely positive results and are greatly reducing the burden of HIV on infants.  But these are not inexpensive treatments and they need continued funding and support along with increasing support for comprehensive sex education in the US and abroad, the continued empowerment of women worldwide to have control over their own sexuality and sexual decision-making, and to further punish individuals who use sex as a tool of violence.  Learn more here.   

Saturday, December 4: National Cookie Day.  I do so love any National [insert something delicious here] Day.  

Friday, December 10: National Salesman Day.  I get it.  This is someone's job and we should celebrate them just like we celebrate teachers, bosses, secretaries and the like.  But, in all honesty, less than 5% of the teachers I have had were real jerks, but at least 80% of the salesman I have had to deal with (I am looking at you phone companies and internet and television service providers) were real ass-hats.  Maybe this year in celebration, they could try not being that way.  You know, to spice things up.  

Friday, December 10: Human Rights Day.  All humans are created equal.  Unfortunately, some are still more equal than others.  The beauty of the Human Rights Declaration is that it asks for rights to be extended and recognized in many areas of human life.  The right to adequate nutrition, the right to adequate health, the right to a safe place to live, the right to education, the right to make a livable wage doing fulfilling work.  Pick your topic and fight for it on this day and every day.  Learn more here.  

Wednesday, December 15: Cat Herders Day.  Is this for actual cat herders or for people who have professions that are akin to cat-herding?  For example, anyone working with children and their snotty noses and sticky jelly fingers.  

Thursday, December 16: National Re-Gifting Day.  Oh, do not roll your eyes like that and think 'Gosh, what a tacky holiday!'  We've all done it.  And you know it.  

Tuesday, December 21: National Crossword Day.  I, for one, am glad this day falls on a Tuesday rather than a Friday or Sunday?  The Crosswords/Sudokus/Cryptoquips are far and away easier at the beginning of the week.  

Okay, hope that's sufficient to get you through the holiday season.  I don't know what kind of baked goods you make for National Salesman Day (arsenic brownies, perhaps), but I am sure you'll figure something out!

Oh! And Happy Festivus (the holiday for the rest of us) which officially falls on December 23.  

One thing of note: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was on the list of official holidays and I could not agree more.  

Let's Get Literary

I made an update, but forgot to update you about the update. 

Stop chasing that sentence like a tail-chasing pup and come back to me, here. 

You know why you didn't know it was an update?  Because it wasn't an actual post, like this update on the update is.  You're asking how that is possible and I am answering.

I added a... page! (Gasps can be heard spreading through the reading crowd like wildfire*)

So, for the first time (and possibly the last) in the history of Misadventures of a Modern Mugwump, I am going to allow you to let your eyes wander over to the right side of the page and find the new toolbar labeled "Pages."  And under that you will see a link to Home (that's where you are now; welcome to my e-Home!) and to a new addition: 100 Reads.  I won't describe it here, because it is described there, so click on over and enjoy!

* First Mom gasped on the couch, and then Dad in the easy chair.  And the dog "harumphed" and it was counted as a gasp because this blogger will take all she can get. 

You Can Find Me on the Treadmill

So, there are lots of great things about being a real graduate: no more classes, no more late night term paper sagas, no more stressing over exams, no more no more no more.... No more things to do in the evenings?  No more thesis clogging my every thought and spare moment?  


Oh. My. God.  


Now what?!  

Well, a 10K, of course.  I have all this time in the evenings, and other than the occasional social engagement, the brief errands here and there, I have too much time to be idle.  So much so that it is uncomfortable-- I can't sit still, I don't sleep after a night of doing nothing; it's awful, really.  But, I recently have also bought a gym membership and I have to go 12 times a month to get a pretty good discount from my health insurance provider. What do you get when you combine free time and a gym membership and a need for a good challenge?  10K training.  




[Gosh, sorry.  I didn't notice the photo didn't show.  You probably didn't either actually.  Will attempt to fix...maybe]


First saw an awesome training plan in a friend's copy of Fitness magazine and unearthed a copy from their website.  It's funny because it is sort of arranged how I do my weekly training anyway: interval runs and swimming or biking for my cross-training, and I try to do my longer runs on weekends because I have more time.  I think this training program and I might get along perfectly well-- as long as I can stick to it.  Fingers crossed! 

By the Numbers: Completing My Masters Degree

6: percent of the US population with a Masters Degree.

0.00000000322: percent of the US population that is me.

19: Years I have spent in formal school.

19: Years I have spent in public schools (woo!).

6: Years I have spent in higher education.

12: Number of times I have moved residences in 6 years of higher ed. This number makes me terribly excited to plant some honest roots in the near future.  Transient living is for the birds.

2: Years spent in graduate school. 

54: Credits completed in graduate school.

4,652: Number of complete and total meltdowns in graduate school-- complete with wailing, uncontrollable tears, hyperventilation, assuming the fetal position, throwing of papers and/or flash drives, red-wine self-medication, and desperate phone calls to my mother.  

9: Number of months spent securing IRB approvals, analyzing data, writing, graphing, editing, re-writing, re-graphing, emailing, revising, and presenting my Masters project.

43: Pages in my final project.

38: Slides in my defense presentation.

45: Minutes in my defense presentation.

5: Minutes spent by my committee 'deliberating.'

0: Number of revisions to make to my project before final submission to the School of Public Health.

17: Number of people I mass-texted this message to on Tuesday, October 19, 2010: PASSED.

0: Experiences like finally earning your Masters of Public Health. 

I definitely put the MPH in triumph this time.

De-fense! De-fense!

 "Coming to a cramped conference room near you, October 19, 2010...

A thriller two years (and a little extra, but who's counting) in the making...

An effort filled with blood, sweat, and tears (but mostly tears)...

An example of triumph over Stata, PowerPoint, and Logic Models...

The story of one woman's journey from falsely hopeful undergraduate to totally exhausted, semi-employed graduate student boiled into 30 minutes of action packed graphs and video screen captures...

Starring a committee of three individuals with near total control over our protagonist's potential future...

And the ever charming, ever witty, ready to graduate Mugwump.

When you learned your alphabet in Pre-K, you never knew the most important letters would be...

MPH." 

Read it in that movie announcer voice.  Then it actually sounds pretty bad-ass. 

Confessions of a Hypersensitive, Overactive, Toy-Destroying Border Collie

Regarding my body:

• I do not understand that in the last 9 months I have been with this family, I have gone from a young pup to a full-size adult dog.  I anticipate being able to fit in spaces such as laps, car seats, and through gaps that are still puppy sized.  
• Unlike other dogs, I am built entirely of elbows.  You may not understand this now, but when I flop myself into your body, you will feel each of them in the bony, digging, sharp manner in which elbows are often thrust. 
• Coordinated movements are fined tuned if I am fetching something, chasing something, chewing something, or trying to sneak out of trouble.  I move like a floppy scarecrow if I am walking, getting off the couch, going through doorways, getting in or out of the car, or turning a corner.  

Regarding my behavior:

• Not only do I warn new people that this is MY house when they come in by barking in random directions, I remind them again when they leave four hours later, even if they have spent the majority of that time rubbing my belly and tossing a ball.  
• I am constantly needing to go outside to check on the status of my toys.  All of the balls in the yard must be congregated in the place of my choice.  If they are not, they will be.  
• My feelings get hurt terribly easily by the following words, phrases, or actions: taking away the ball, "dammit", "go lay down", petting the cats in my presence, leaving me behind for any reason, closing the microwave too loud, asking me not to lay on your clean laundry, accidentally getting kicked because I take up two-thirds of the couch, not being able to sit on my human's lap on the freeway, anything that happens in Petsmart other than letting me carry a squeaky tennis ball around the building, "give me that, please, we need to pay for it."
• I spend my entire day herding things like toys, buildings, parked cars, etc.  By the time I come in for the night, I am exhausted.  My bedtime is strictly no later than 10 pm and I am not interested in starting bed time in my human's bed, on the couch, or on the floor.  Bedtime is observed exclusively in my crate.  Which I love.  

Mobile Mugwump

No.  There’s not an “app” for Mobile Mugwump, although I suppose- in theory- you could be reading me from your fandangled smartphone/mobile device of the gods*.  Imagine for a moment, if you will, all the places you could enjoy me from if I went digitally mobile: work (you shouldn’t be reading personal blogs at work!), home (you really shouldn’t ignore that pile of laundry or the beautiful weather to read this child-adult complain), the bathroom (ugh, gross!), waiting in line (ahhhhh, you’re one of those people…).  On second thought, let’s just enjoy this from your computer. 

This Mugwump went mobile, analog style.  I spent an extended Labor Day weekend in Washington DC as the first vacation I have really had since spring of 2008.  I had a lovely time and got to see some of the cool things I hadn’t seen in my previous trips out there (hello Space Shuttle!).  Also of note, there are an abnormally high number of ducks making their summer home in the reflection pool near the Lincoln Memorial. 

Vietnam Memorial

Relief art at the World War II Memorial

Federal ducks are happy ducks.

Stars and Stripes on a windy, hazy DC day.

Memorial Wreaths at World War II Memorial.

Each star represents a member of the military lost in World War II.

I knew the East Coast was kind of different-- they're ducks come in a vertical model as well. 

He's got my vote for 2012.

 

Surprisingly, it looks like a marshmallow.  A giant, atmosphere busting, zero-G marshmallow of exploration.

*  Someone may or may not be terribly jealous that Verizon’s RIDICULOUS plan only lets a loyal, timely bill-paying customer update her phone once every 2 years and has thus been left in the digital dust of cell phone technology.