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It’s ridiculous the amount of things I have in my head right now that I want to blog about, but just not sure that I have the time (or the energy) to really get into it.
There are three specific things on my mind at the moment, but I’m only going to talk about one of them in this post.
Last night was the television debut of “Who Do You Think You Are?” Produced (I think) by Lisa Kudrow, this show has been in the works since shortly after I became interested in genealogy, or at least shortly after I started listening to genealogy podcasts. That it took so long isn’t surprising, given how fickle networks are. And to put it on the Friday night schedule? Ouch.
Genealogy buffs everywhere are talking about it today. Most seem to be glad that there is something here to help get people excited about family history research, but at the same time feel that the show made it look too simple. As someone pointed out, however, we all have the same resources available to us. What we don’t always have, however, is the resources to hop on a plane and go from New York to Ohio to California to Massachusetts. And in at least one case, she was dealing with someone identified as a professional genealogist, which again requires resources that not everyone has. Like every hobby, there are costs associated with genealogy and sometimes it’s not just possible to do everything you’d like to.
To be honest, I was more irritated with the advertisements for Ancestry.com. Before I say anything else, I subscribe to Ancestry and I love what it offers. But you want to talk about someone making it look so easy? Every time I see someone talking about linking to all of the other people who have created trees on Ancestry, I cringe. A while back, Ancestry added a new feature that allows you to see if others are adding the same records to their trees that you have added to yours. I found someone had added a census record for my great great grandfather and I got really excited because I’ve been looking to make a connection on that line. It turned out that the ancestor they linked this record to was a completely different person than my great great grandfather. There were fairly obvious clues. Her ancestor and my ancestor were married completely different spouses. I am assuming that the other tree owner decided that my great great grandmother must have been a previous or later wife. However, I have verifiable proof that my great great grandfather was only married once. And he died well before she did.
Even though I contacted the person, the last time I checked, my great great grandfather’s census record was still linked to her ancestor. Since both men have the same first name and a similar last name (which has been spelled a variety of ways), it is likely anyone searching for either of our ancestors will find both trees. Anyone encountering her tree is viewing bad information. If they in turn add it to their trees, this snowball of bad information is just rolling down the hill.
I would like to see Ancestry find a way to make their ads incorporate a little bit of reality. Yes, you might find all kinds of shaking leaves when you add a family member. They really need to stress that these are potential leads.
As for the show last night, the other thing that it would have been nice to see addressed (and hopefully it will be in a future episode) is the infamous brick wall. Sarah Jessica Parker, in my opinion, was extremely lucky that so much information involving her relatives was available. I have a great great grandmother on my mom’s side that no one can find. And though I think I’ve come the closest to finding her, I am certainly not the first person who has tried. I’ve connected with distant cousins who have been unsuccessful in locating her. I don’t know if professionals were ever called in, but I do know that the author of a book about her husband’s family didn’t seem to know anything about her either.
I would love to see more people develop an interest in their family history, especially while they still have living relatives to ask about the past. And I hope this new show does generate new interest. But I hope that in future episodes, they work in that it’s not always as simple as it appears on TV. It doesn’t have to be easy to be interesting!
Oh, I almost forgot… cheesy music recap montage at the end? Yuck. If I want cheesy, I’ll watch CSI Miami.
I know, I KNOW.
The surprise from FedEx was my new Droid, which I would post photos of but that would entail me putting it down long enough to pick up my camera and actually take the photo. Aaaaand… no.
It’s been a crazy (and not in a good way) week. My dad was scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy last Friday. It has been postponed until March 1, due to some mixed up numbers on the blood work reports. The numbers have been straightened out, but the test couldn’t be completed that particular day.
My stepmom is in Tennessee right now, taking care of HER father, so I went out to take my dad to the appointment and then after it became clear that he wasn’t going to have the bone marrow biopsy, I came home. I just checked on him and he’s watching the race, so all is well, at least for the moment. I’m not going to say that I’m not worried. But I’m choosing not to dwell on it until we have more concrete things to worry about.
Ok, so maybe I tried to poison him just a tad by fixing a frozen pizza while I was there and forgetting to take the cardboard off the bottom. That’ll teach him to refuse my offer of stopping for takeout on the way.  I wonder if THAT’S why he opted to go out for Mexican the following night. Hmm….
My stepsister just told me (via text message) that I am a fast typer (of text messages). That makes me laugh because I used to get so frustrated with Kimmer sending four messages to my ONE that I’d just say, “Eff it!” and call her. So, yeah, I love the Droid. I love checking in on Foursquare. I just wish that I had more friends there. It’s sad when you’re the only geek in your group of friends. It’s also sad to realize that I’ve been part of Foursquare for nearly two months now and I have a pathetically small amount of checkins.
That’s the life of the full time working grad student.
Apparently, *some* people who read my blog feel that a day home sick from work means I have time to blog. In reality, a day home sick from work means I’m… home sick from work.
However, I have been working on homework today. And watching the snowstorm outside. No, we’re not getting anywhere near what the east coast has been dealing with this winter. We are getting pretty well hammered, though, with up to a foot of snow expected in areas close by.
I’m also waiting for FedEx. I was starting to think perhaps they wouldn’t snow… er… show. Heh. But then UPS showed up a few minutes ago to deliver something JM ordered. Yes, he moved out, but no he hasn’t changed his address yet. Yes, it does concern me a bit because it sends a message that a seemless transition into moving back would be possible. Hmmm…
I felt bad for the UPS driver. I’ve never seen one of those trucks have problems getting started, but his back tires were spinning out on the street as he tried to leave. Today makes me grateful I do not have a job that requires me to be out in the elements like that. Preliminary shoveling commenced earlier today, but our mail carrier still had a heck of a time walking from house to house. And any work completed has long been undone. What didn’t get covered by additional snow is buried under the drifts. Did I mention it’s also windy with whiteout conditions?
I’ve been taking photos throughout the day. I should post some. That would involve getting up, though, and I’m pretty comfy here on the couch. Maybe after FedEx gets here.
I feel guilty for wanting them to come, but I do. Oh, I so do. They’re delivering something for me that I have wanted since the moment I first saw one. I’m not going to talk about it just yet. But if FedEx does make it out here, I’ll get up, grab my camera, take a picture of what I got and upload it, along with snow photos.
Deal?
Yesterday, I submitted an assignment that, upon thinking about it, makes me queasy.
There are times when I wonder at what point someone is going to call me out for the fraud that I am. When I wonder when they’ll say, “Please, your undergrad degree is from THAT school. Do you REALLY think it’s worth anything?” When I wonder which professor it will be that will look at something I’ve written and say, “You might want to rethink your career options. Graduate school doesn’t seem to be for you.”
Never have I been so absolutely clueless about what the intent of the assignment was. And I think that was probably the point, but reading the discussion board today, it seems as though other people saw more than I did in the reading.
I’m feeling overwhelmed again. I would love to drop down to one class per semester, but doing that means not going at all. I can’t get financial aid for one class and I can’t afford to pay for the tuition out of my own pocket AND pay on the student loans that are currently in deferment. And I can’t quit my job to go full time.
Ultimately, I can deal with that. It’s the loss of self-confidence that’s scaring the hell out of me right now. I need to be more disciplined, but I don’t know how to get to that point. Or I do, but my fear is standing in the way.
One thing is for certain. This experience is holding true with my non-New Year’s resolution. I’m living every day out of my comfort zone right now. This wasn’t exactly my plan.
So, I did something the other day that I wouldn’t normally do. I posted on Facebook that I would be in my old hometown on Saturday morning, if anyone wanted to meet me for coffee. As it turned out, I got three responses. One of them showed up, a former classmate who heads up the reunion committee. It was so cool to have a chance to just hang out and talk.
My reason for putting the call out was because I was heading out to my dad’s and I knew I was on time constraints because of things I needed to get done. I figured if I arranged to meet someone earlier, it would force me to get an earlier start, thereby getting back home earlier as well. And it worked. I went to my dad’s, accomplished what I’d set out to do, visited with my stepmom’s family for a bit and headed back home.
While I was taking care of a few things around the house, The Boyfriend made plans for us to meet some friends at the Olive Garden. I wanted a chocolate martini, and yes, even though I said I wasn’t drinking until after the Super Bowl, I allowed myself an exception based on the fact that it was with dinner, which meant no smoking. And it was lovely. Both the martini(s) and the company were lovely.
We headed back to the house afterward and The Boyfriend watched a movie while I read a bit. Sunday morning, I woke up and prepared to meet my friend Peg for lunch. Haven’t seen her… since June? Wow. That’s sad. We had fun, though, and she vented because she needs to. Note to self: make more time for Peg.
Later, The Boyfriend and I had dinner with MDFW and her family. It’s been a very long time since I’ve sat at the dinner table with kids and it was an absolute riot!
In between all of this, I was on the highway a lot this weekend. And given that I discovered one of my favorite bands had released a new album last summer that I was unaware of (until the other night when I downloaded it off of iTunes), I was quite enjoying myself. Both days were icy cold, but the sun shone brightly. I was ridiculously happy.
I guess I was right about Blue.
- Text messages. I never feel far from my friends, even when they ARE far.
- Chocolate martinis
- Driving down the highway, listening to new music
- Lunch with my son
- Unplanned weekends that turn out better than I could have expected
I was dreaming just before I woke up that I was in a hotel room where my friends Pat and Dawn were staying while they were in town. They had a patio outside their room, which overlooked the river. It was nighttime and moonless, but the snow on the ground cast a glow from lights of the city so it wasn’t totally pitch black. I was out there smoking a cigarette, wishing I had this kind of view all the time.
I heard a noise that at first sounded like water splashing. And then I realized it was the sound of wings flapping. Five Great Blue Herons were landing on the edge of the riverbank. I held absolutely still and one came within just a few feet of me. It was spectacular.
I was treated to so much wildlife observation last summer. We had a mallard explosion on campus and lots of Canada geese as well. It was so cool to watch the babies grow up over the warmer months. No matter the time of day, you could walk near the river and see a mother with ducklings. We noticed that so many of the males were sunning themselves on the sandbar, while the mothers tirelessly watched over the ducklings. The Canada geese seemed to have a more equitable arrangement regarding gosling-care responsibilities.
But the best part for me was Blue. Frequently, but not always and only in the early morning, I would see this Great Blue Heron. He was always quietly standing in the middle of the river, watching carefully for prey. On rare occasions, I would get to see his head dive into the water going after something.
When I was really lucky, I’d get to see him fly. His takeoff was always a little awkward (he is a rather gangly bird), but once he got going it was pure grace.
He was kind of a good luck charm. No matter what my mood as I was walking into work, when I saw Blue I knew it was going to be a good day. And it was.
With it being winter, the Canada geese have long gone and the last time I saw Blue or his mate (when they were together, I’d call them Frasier and Lilith) was in late October or early November.
Only the mallards remain, but they only venture out in the early, early morning before sunrise. They went into this hiding the day fall semester started. It was as though they knew it was going to get a little crazy. I rarely see them, since it’s dark when I arrive. But I usually hear one of them. It always sounds as though he – or she – is laughing at a really bad joke.
I’m not sure why I dreamed about the cranes this morning. Maybe Blue is trying to tell me that today is going to be a good day. I hope so.
The Boyfriend went to a hockey game this evening. He seemed reluctant to go, but I made him. He went with a guy from work. The game is at our new arena downtown and I thought it would be good for him to check out. He asked if I wanted to go, but this week has pretty much kicked my ass. Plus I’m using the quiet time to do some cleaning up in my office here at home. I’ve made quite a bit of progress, but I’m not quite ready to tackle those two piles of papers and books on the desk behind me. Truthfully? They frighten me. More than a little.
The week hasn’t been as productive as I’d have liked. Working out fell by the wayside after the Iowa game. One night of little sleep pretty much wrecks me for the rest of the week. I think a part of me will start to relax after I see what I’m hit with at work next week.
One of my professors posted a “pre-week 1 lecture.” I logged in to view it today and was rather surprised that it was nearly an hour long. But it wasn’t painful and I appreciate the lectures more than just slides in a Powerpoint presentation. The class itself sounds like it might be tedious and grueling, but it sounds like she does what she can to make it tolerable. Also, her philosophy interests me.
Even so, I have yet to see what the other class has in store for me and I’m nervous. I’ve already told The Boyfriend that we should probably go out with friends tomorrow night, because it might be the last of a social life I have for a while. Hell, I might even blow off the no drinking thing for a night and have a martini. Just one.
Because over the next few months, there probably won’t be time to drink anyway.
And what the hell? I’ve been summoned for jury duty AGAIN. This makes four times in three years. And I was summoned at least twice when I was still living in my apartment. I suspect, based on my group number, that I will have to go downtown again, for the third time. I guess it’ll give me some time to read, eh?
I was up waaaaaay late last night watching the Orange Bowl (WOOHOO HAWKEYES!) with friends. Consequently, I did not get out of bed early enough this morning to work out. However, spending time with friends on a weeknight is something I don’t typically do, so in a sense, I was getting out of my comfort zone.
I told The Boyfriend several days ago that he had to be supportive of my efforts and that frequently, I would be in bed before he got home from work. But that I would also make an effort for him, to stay up later than usual sometimes. Last night was one of those times.
We’ve been having people over more often lately. I like it. The house is relatively picked up (except for the office, dear god, don’t go in there) and I enjoy having people here. I wish I had more places to sit though… perhaps a smaller dining room table would allow for something. It’s on the list.
It’s 8:30 p.m. and I think I’m going to go to bed. Because I can. And also, I’m really tired. And I have to be up early tomorrow to work out!
It’s been interesting to see how many bloggers are not talking about making resolutions. And by not talking about them, I mean they’re all saying that they aren’t making resolutions.
I actually have absolutely no problem with that. I like the idea of resolutions, but when I say, “I’m going to do X,” I find that I usually don’t do it. I rebel against my own authority. “Oh yeah? Think so? Well, guess what? You’re going to do Z instead.”
I made a list a couple of years ago of things I wanted to do in 1000 days. I have no idea where that list is now. One of the things I wanted to do was try a new restaurant every month. I made it to February.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’ve determined that there is one thing I can, nay, need to do in my life that will ultimately (I hope) have positive effects on every facet of said life: break out of my comfort zone, regularly and often.
One of the first things I have planned for this month is attending my first Lucas County Genealogical Society meeting. I won’t know anyone there and that is definitely out of my comfort zone. But this is something I’m interested in and I shouldn’t let anything stand in my way of being able to learn more.
I dragged my happy ass out of bed this morning and worked out for 20 minutes before work. That was DEFINITELY out of my comfort zone. But in the midst of it all, my body remembered, “Oh, right! This is GOOD!” Ten minutes later, of course, it was screaming in agony, but man… those few seconds of endorphins kicked ASS. I’ll do it again tomorrow.
Making better food choices is even out of my comfort zone. Getting to bed early… out of my comfort zone. There are other things in the back of mind that I may or may not do. I’m not going to talk about them now because I don’t know what I will ultimately decide to do.
But I’ll talk about them afterward. It’s kind of the like the husband and wife who sat down to make To Do lists. The husband could never understand how the wife managed to get everything on her list done, when he struggled to get half of his completed. It was simple. She did something, wrote it down and promptly crossed it off.
Sounds reasonable to me!
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