To all the bad-ass moms out there

So, I have 4 moms. There's my biological mom, my step-mom, mother-in-law, and a stepmother-in-law. I love all of them but there is definitely something different and unique about a child's relationship with their biological mom. She raised me and my brothers and sister while she was pursuing her degree in Anthropology. This is just an example of why I emulate my mother, although I'd be happy with just being half the person that she is. There is this concept where the average American woman is terrified of becoming like their mother. I know I'm turning into my mom and I couldn't be happier.

My mom is bad ass. She is more than that, don't get me wrong. But that's a word that many other kids like me wouldn't use to describe their mom. My mom is a survivor, a world traveler, video game addict, and a horror movie watcher. When she was little, she was forced into the Catholic boarding school institution. This was initiated by the Canadian Government (as well as the U.S. Government) as a way to "civilize" Indians since they couldn't wipe them out completely. "Kill the Indian, save the man" as they would like to say. Although many children like my mother either died in the schools, took their own lives later in life, or took to drinking, she endured. She still does to this day; the experience of being taken from your family and thrown into this system does damage. But some how, my mom managed to raise me and my siblings well.

As mentioned earlier, my mom got her degree in Anthropology while she had kids at home. As a college student, I can't imagine pursuing my studies as well as having a family to raise. When I was 11, my mom went on an archeological dig in Jordan. She was there for months. This was an amazing feat for her as well as our people. For my mom to go from a kid growing up without electricity or running water and not speaking English, to traveling to another far away country is unheard of. It might as well be the moon. This event was so important that my sister was named after it, her Indian name rather. Her journey has sparked something in me as well. I wish to travel some place completely unknown...and maybe get a little lost even.

One of my fondest memories with my mom is watching a scary movie with her. And if you were there, you'd probably have more fun watching me and her. We both really get engrossed in what we are watching. While my mom begins to "tap" her hand on her leg, I'll start to cover my eyes or look away from the movie. Lately, she's been placing napkins in front of her face but they have holes poked through them for her eyes. You're probably wondering why we do this or why bother watching something if it scares you this much? We both like being scared stupid. Sure, waiting for something to pop out and scare us is, well scary, but we love being able to laugh at each other after the movie is over.

I'm a lot like my mom in the sense that were more than meets the eye. She may have a short stature and she will be extremely nice to you; offering a warm, comfy bed to sleep in, a nice meal, and to make sure you have clean clothes. She does draw the line when it comes to playing HALO. There, she will pick up a flamethrower, torch you, and watch you burn. Just ask my husband, or as she likes to call him, "The person I like to cook marshmallows over."I basically taught her and my step-dad how to play Medal of Honor way back when. They've been playing ever since. They recently got HALO: ODST for Christmas and have been playing that one frequently. When I call her on Sunday evenings, they're usually playing a "firefight" of a "campaign" and she'll complain about her eyes drying out from not blinking. She told me once that she and my step-dad played until four in the morning. I guess having an empty nest drives one's attention elsewhere.

In closing, I'm not going to hit you over the head with cliches about how my mom is my hero and what not. I'm just going to say that I love her with ever fiber of my being and wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day!

Dances with Pickles

Had a bizarre but filarious (which is f*cking + hilarious) conversation with the hubby. It all started when a dog was barking at me and not at him or our dog.

Me: He could probably sense it...all because I'm black...

Jeremy: Foot.

Me: Yeah, we used dogs for many things before we had horses but we probably ate them from time to time. But we also hunted the mighty buffalo and followed the herds where ever-

Jeremy: We had pickles

This is where I nearly doubled over laughing. The end.

ZOMBIES!!1!

No, this isn't a picture I've taken of the impending zombie apocalypse. This is from the video game Left 4 Dead 2. If you were to get to know me through other people, You'll find out that I'm somewhat of a "Zombie enthusiast." This doesn't mean I like zombies but the idea of a zombie uprising makes me giddy. Before you decide that I need a psych evaluation, hear me out. It all began with movies of course. It all started when I was around 16 years old and I went and saw this little movie called "28 Days Later." As I sat there beside my mom (who was cowering behind a napkin with eye holes poked through it) I started to think what if I was in a situation like this? Okay, okay, you can argue that "28 Days Later" in NOT a zombie movie because they don't even mention the "zed word" or that these zombies are not the lumbering ghouls from days of yore. But what the film does share with zombie movies is that you're nice neighbors could be transformed into bloodthirsty maniacs that want a piece of you, literally.

The main reason why I'm sharing this with you, dear reader, is that I also dream about zombies a lot. I think I've had two in the past week. I had a discussion with my Professor of a step-dad and he told me that he had a survey of zombie dreams in one of his classes, don't ask how the lecture came to this, but a lot of his students had had these dreams as well. Of course, in my case, it doesn't help with the zombie video games, movies, and books (I'm reading stuff by Max Brooks). It's funny but in my dreams, it's not the zombies that pose the biggest threat to me but the other "survivors." Interpret that as much as you like but a lot of the films and books also add the threat of human survivors to the mix. "Night of the Living Dead" is an excellent example for social commentary. The one Black guy that survives an epic zombie attack and even saves some human lives is killed in the end by white police officers who "thought he was a zombie." But I digress and I have a movie blog for this type of thing.

My older brother gave me a copy of Brooks's "The Ultimate Zombie Survival Guide." He and I are both on the same wavelength and I blame him for being an enabler of sorts. He took me shooting about a month ago and I was watching him at the range. I noticed that, as a police officer, he's trained to have "tight groupings in the center mass." My brother was shooting his targets in the head. When he finished up, he walked by me and said "Zombie drill." It's also note-worthy that my brother and I are in areas of work, as depicted in movies of course, that are risky in the event of zombie attack. He being a cop and me being an emergency medical tech. Some of my medic buddies have watched one too many zombie movies and have scared themselves silly on the job. Let's just say zombie movies and a 72 hour work shift messes with your head.
Before you think I should be hauled off the the loony bin, this is all harmless fun for me. There are also a great number of people who share the same interests as I. I'm not some crazed, militant, whack-job who is building a bunker in their backyard. I enjoy a good zombie flick since it runs in my family. Not only does my brother enjoy zombie movies but my mom does as well. She owns all of the Resident Evil movies and has a "thing" for Milla Jovovich *tee hee* My mom and step-dad also seem to like the idea of "zombie comedies." They love Shaun of the Dead and they howled with laughter when I showed them Zombieland. Speaking of Zombieland, when I'm running I sometimes pretend zombies are closing in on me to give me that kick because "Rule #1 CARDIO." I may not be building a bunker or hording weaponry but I do have a list. And I will openly admit that I do sleep with a machete within close range because Rule #4 Blades don't need reloading.

Also- I hate to sneak this in at the end but I wish to include more of my own pics in my blogs but my camera copped out and am in search of a new one. If you could think of a decent camera for someone on a budget please tell me!

Everybody gets knocked down

So here I am at 19 years old. I'm about to run the last race of my 2005 cross country season and basically my last race for about 5 years. I just stopped running. Of course a lot of things came up like school, work, and relationships. These are all important things to me but what I didn't realize was how much I love running. What made me realize it was when I stopped and saw that I was at my lowest. I gained almost 20 pounds and had taken on a few bad habits. I was depressed. It isn't just my lack of running that added to it but the various sucker punches life likes to throw at us. I am in such a state right now where I've been blindsided and knocked down. I'm just kind of laying there and trying to figure out if I should get back up or not.

Number 83

The sucker punch for me was not getting into a nursing school. I found out about this over the past week. I've already been demoralized after seeing some of my classmates, that are my age, becoming full fledged RNs and working in hospitals. I just kept trying and trying but my efforts don't appear to get me anywhere. And to top it all off, I'm sick as well. This cold has kept me from running and that's not helping at all. I wish I was able to find that "spark" inside me that always reminds me to get back up.

Running a race a couple of weeks ago

I am a runner once again. Or rather, I've always been a runner but have been dormant for some time. Although I am sick right now, I will lace up my shoes and run no matter what. Even though I may lost my way as far as my future is concerned, running will remain a norm for me. This is what gives me my "spark." Sometimes, while i'm in the middle of my run, I'll ask myself "Why did I stop doing this!?" This list goes on about how running benefits people. For me, I feel mentally and physically stronger. And ready to take life's sucker punches. I know it's kind of cheesy but I'm reminded for a Nike commercial ("The Human Chain" and it's on youtube). "Everybody get's knocked down, how quick are you gonna get up?" I don't know if it's a question of "quickness" but I think getting back up no matter what is what's important.

My biggest fans

"Just ran a 4 mile race, had a big meal, and about to go to work."

Conan. How do I miss thee.

The story so far

Wow, has it been that long since I posted something on here? Yeah, I apologize but I have to admit that the past year has been a busy one. I got married last October and the year was chaotic to say the least. And it hasn't let up since. We've been so busy we haven't really had a honeymoon. I got time off from work and talked to my professors (who are about as forgiving as professors can be). I had a lovely weekend on the coast with my new husband but it was back to the grindstone almost immediately.

I am a full time college student in addition to working anywhere from 20-30 hours a week. At the moment, I am definitely out of balance. I make sure to get a caffeine fix for the early morning classes and make sure I don't murder a co-worker. You might think "Wow, so this is how married life is going for you?" And I'll admit, things are a little tough on us right now. But I have turned a new leaf. I know we aren't going to always live with roommates in a crappy house. I know we aren't always going to wish that we could have a full fledged honeymoon. This is all temporary. Right now, I definitely have to appreciate the little things. This could be watching an episode of a TV show with Jeremy after a long days' work, or having a beer with Jeremy and seeing who can make the stupidest face (I usually end up winning). The point is this: the little things matter so much to me. I keep driving towards all these goals but I need to stop and take it all in, no matter how minute things may seem.

In closing, I have some random pics such as our first Thanksgiving and Christmas. Enjoy the story so far:

Our first Thanksgiving Dinner. Even though I had to work.

Georgette is breaking in her new bed that Santa brought.

Santa gets homemade cookies and BEER

October 3rd, 2009

Oh yeah, thought this was funny