On the Edge of Something New

: serendipity_15; December 8th, 19:43

Current Location:: home

So I've been at my internship for almost two months now and it's interesting but at the moment I'm super bored. Why am I bored? Easy, it's cause my supervisor hasn't been in for almost a month and Michael and I have run out of useful things to do.We already did the due diligence reports and we did the Diaspora stuff, leaving us with the Mozambique Diaspora. There's nothing useful about Mozambique on the web, it's one of those African countries that like no one has ever heard of. So now I'm bored and have no desire to go back tomorrow because I can just as easily surf the web at home as I can there. I hope she comes back soon, I want to do something useful again.

In other update worthy news UConn won its last two games after its win against Notre Dame so that ends the season on a high note and they also get to go to a bowl game, they're going to Birmingham, AL, so the seniors in band will have gone to three different bowl games, that's pretty cool. Too bad I have no money to pay for a ticket to the game, either money for gas or like a plane/bus ticket and a a place to stay while in Birmingham, I would love to go watch the bowl game in person and see band people again.

Aside from my internship and UConn doing good in the latter part of the season I've gone ahead and adopted some troops from the site anysoldier.com. I have soldiers, airmen and sailors and I've send out cards and letters to them. I have no idea if I'll ever hear back from any, that would be cool but I'm not holding my breath. Personally, I just like writing letters and like the idea of people getting a nice surprise in their mail that can bring a smile to their face.

Tags: internship, letters, uconn

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; November 21st, 19:05

Current Location:: home

Current Mood:: celebratory

Current Music:: We Are The Champions - Queen

Oh my god! UConn just beat Notre Dame in double overtime!!! Being in the band right now, since they're right on the field, must be freaking amazing. Someone better have facebook pictures of this up soon.

Tags: college, uconn

What Band Are We? UCMB!

: serendipity_15; November 14th, 23:56

Current Location:: home

Current Mood:: nostalgic

Current Music:: Alma Mater

I went to the MAC Championships tonight and saw Brien McMahon and UConn perform! I miss it all, I really do. I really want to do marching band things again.

I loved both shows from both my bands and will be placing the clips on youtube in the near future. McMahon got fourth place in Class IV. After UConn performed I ran into Marvin and Dr. Mills and then joined the band for the singing of the Alma Mater with my senior fluties. It was wonderful to get to chance to sing the Alma Mater again with people who actually know the lyrics. Then I got to join in the huddle. :)

What band are we?
UCMB!

What does TUP stand for?
Talent, Unity, Pride

Tags: college, marching band, ucmb

So We Say Goodbye to Those Who Belong to Eternity

: serendipity_15; November 10th, 23:35

Current Mood:: sad

Current Music:: Amazing Grace

Today was the memorial service to honor those killed during the shooting at Fort Hood and what a heartbreakingly sad memorial service it was. Anyone who joins or is in the military during wartime knows that there's a chance that they will die in combat but no one expects to be gun downed on an Army base, a place where any soldier and their family expects to be safe, and by one of their own no less. As I said, it was a heartbreakingly sad ceremony and my heart just about broke each time they'd cut to the fallen soldier memorial of empty boots, a helmet, rifle and dog tags. For me what had to be the saddest part of that whole thing was the final roll call, the silence spoke volumes.

Obama's speech was heartfelt and I loved that he left a commander's challenge coin at each memorial. The whole ceremony was filled with traditions that by themselves are not necessarily sad but in the context of a memorial service they take on a poignancy that can bring tears to your eyes.

As with all things life will move on, even if you don't want it to, but it won't completely take away the sense of loss so as this day closes I'll say a little prayer for those families who've lost, for those who have been wounded but also all for those left behind and affected by it all, even indirectly. We ask them to go to war, the very least we could do is pray for their safety and their mental and emotional well being.

Tags: current events

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; November 2nd, 23:40

Current Location:: home

So my internship is going fine but there's been some upheaval in my department. Before my department was three paid people and then like two interns but because of the economy they basically fired the paid people but left one opening and allowed them all the chance to reapply, one chose not too and then they chose between the remaining two. So now my department is one paid person and two interns, that's the entire department. Fun times.

Since it's nearing the holiday season I've been thinking about perhaps adopting a soldier, actually I've been thinking about it for like two weeks now. I enjoy writing letters and I'd like to think that for someone out there getting mail, even from a complete stranger, can totally make their day when their day probably sucks more than most people's, unless these people are like first-responders or something. So has anyone done this before and if so what was your experience with it?

Tags: life, pen pals, random

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; October 18th, 23:19

Current Location:: home

Current Mood:: shocked

There was a stabbing at UConn early this morning in front of the Student Union and a student, Jasper Howard, was killed. I'm personally really shocked because that was MY campus and to hear that something that bad happened there is shocking. I mean, it's MY university and it's the campus that I practically walked all over in the three years that I spent there. The area around the Student Union is like one of the safest areas on campus because of the high traffic, cop patrols and lighting. It also makes me wonder about how safe I'd feel about walking around the UConn campus now. I mean, when I was there I felt pretty safe and while I didn't usually walk by myself long distances late at night (well, except for that one time) those few times that I'd be coming back from the library or from Kristen's dorm late at night by myself I never felt unsafe. Now, I'm not so sure.

RIP Jasper Howard

Tags: college

You weren't gang raped, you just had a minor disagreement with a gang of men!

: serendipity_15; October 15th, 10:58

Tags: the daily show, wtf

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; October 13th, 23:17

So I've been at my internship for about two weeks now and it's actually quite interesting. Perhaps it's the scientist in my that enjoys digging things up and finding out things, okay, yeah, it's totally the scientist in me. Heck, even when I switched from biology to psychology I was still that scientist since I went from learning about the biological components of plants and animals to what makes people tick and people are so much more interesting. I guess I should share a general tidbit about what I learned today from my internship; Allstate is a really shitty insurance company. No seriously, it's pretty damn shitty, if you don't believe me google the American Association for Justice's report on the top ten worst insurance companies, Allstate is number one.

Tags: internship, real life

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; October 5th, 18:32

Current Location:: home

So the new H1N1 flu vaccine is available, it's apparently the largest vaccination effort under taken by the US government (I thought that the campaign for the polio vaccine would be the largest but what do I know). I'm thinking about getting it, though I worry about the cost since I still have no health insurance, since it seems that like other flu pandemics it seems to be killing people who usually wouldn't die from the flu, namely younger people. I don't know yet, I have to read more about it and see when and where it would be available near me.

Tags: current events

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; September 22nd, 23:23

Current Location:: home

Current Mood:: sleepy

If you watch NCIS and haven't seen the season opener then you're going to want to skip the res of this.

( Thanks for recruiting me )

Internship

: serendipity_15; September 19th, 0:16

Current Location:: home

Current Mood:: excited

So I don't think that I've mentioned it but I got an internship with Save the Children! It's an unpaid internship in prospect research but you know what, I would take an internship with them regardless of payment or lack there of, besides aren't most internships unpaid anyway? I got the offer last Friday and the paperwork went through this Friday so I start Sept. 29. I'm super excited. :D

Tags: future plans, internship, real life, save the children

Everyone Should Have a Friend Like This....

: serendipity_15; September 16th, 20:58

Current Location:: home

Current Mood:: sad

It was a promise neither man would have wanted to keep. Yesterday the funeral of a Black Watch soldier killed in Afghanistan took a bizarre turn when his best friend arrived in a bright green dress and pink leg warmers to honour a pact that the two of them had made.

Barry Delaney weeps for Private Elliott. The men made a pact to wear a dress at the funeral of whoever died first

( Private Kevin Elliott and his friend, Barry Delaney, had agreed that whoever survived the other should wear a dress to the dead man’s funeral )

source

Tags: friends, friendship, poignant, sad, war in afghanistan

Never Forget

: serendipity_15; September 11th, 23:48

Current Location:: home

Today marks the eighth anniversary of 9/11. Eight years on I can still remember where I was and what was going on when I first heard (heck, I can still picture it so clearly in my mind).

It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day, not a cloud in the sky. I was 16, a junior in high school in 2001. I was sitting in chemistry class when I first heard about it, I don't remember what we were doing before or who told my teacher but suddenly we went from our regularly scheduled lesson for the day to wondering if the first reports of a plane hitting the WTC were actually real. No one knew what to believe or what was going on at first and then suddenly we were on lock down and no one was allowed to leave their room, that was about the time a good majority of my class decided to take over our teacher's computer to try to get some answers but literally EVERY news website or source of news was down because of everyone trying to access it at once. We finally did manage to find one news website that wasn't down and that's when we saw those still photos and knew that those reports were so very real. No one had told us yet what was going on so when another class came into our room they were complaining because no one had told them anything. The spouse of the teacher who taught their class worked in New York and she had left to go try to find out what happened to her husband. Being an hour away from New York means that pretty much all of southwestern Fairfield County is more or less a suburb of New York and many people work in New York but live here as a result of that. We were finally told by our principal what had happened before they finally did let us out of lockdown, everyone was stunned. The next class I had was my civics class and we spent the entire time just listening to the news on the radio in our room silently. There was a computer lab right next door and Abe kept us updated, he was the one to tell us about the second plane that hit, the plane the hit the Pentagon, the plane that crashed in PA and when the towers fell. I don't remember much about what happened between then and the end of the school but I do remember that we had so many kids and teachers in tears or close to hysterics because they didn't know if their husband, wife, sister, brother, mom, dad, cousin, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, ect was safe because they worked in New York and many of them worked in financial offices or businesses that were housed in or near the WTC. Many of them left early that day. The next thing I remember very clearly was sitting in the band room at the end of the day with Secchi letting us talk and talking to us about today and how we'd never forget where we were or what we were doing when we first heard. He said that our memories of today, of where were and what we were doing when we first heard, would be similar to the memories of his generation, they can all tell you where they were and what they were doing when they heard that JFK had been assassinated, and he was right. Those memories are so salient, they are flashbulb memories, forever imprinted in your memory.

Another thing that I remember vividly were the pictures of the people stuck at the top floors of the towers and their desperate cries for help that wouldn't be able to reach them. Some grew so desperate that they jumped, death was a certainty in either instant, I'm sure that they knew that but I guess they wanted to choose how they went. This is why we should never forget. We should never forget because we owe it to the nearly 3,000 people who died that day. We may not know any of them personally but no one should be forgotten, especially when they did nothing to deserve to die the way they did.

Never Forget

Tags: 9/11. never forget, politics

"We did not come here to fear the future, we came here to shape it"

: serendipity_15; September 9th, 20:17

Current Location:: home

Good god people, sit down!
I thought this was a speech about health care not the economy....
Please God, let this be a speech where there are specifics and facts, not vague ideas
Oh, quick history lesson, cool.
John Dingle Sr.'s kid is old
Preach it, brother!
Seriously why are we the only developed nation that doesn't have a public option?
If they can manage to do it, why can't we?
You know, for all the money we spend on health care we get such a crappy return
I thought that it would be common sense that letting this 'system' continue as it is will lead to nothing good?
Okay, so you want to improve what works, awesome, but how?
Please give me something concrete to work with, Obama!
Okay, what's this 80% that needs to be done?
Well yeah, this summer was a freak show with riots disguised as town hall meetings.
"The time for games has passed!"
"Now is the time to deliver on health care" Do it for Ted!
McCain looks uncomfortable
How will insurance work better for you?
Sweet, can't deny coverage because of preexisting conditions!
Also they can't drop you if you get sick or water it down! Awesome!
No arbitrary caps? Obama, I think I love you
"No one should go broke because they get sick"
See, an emphasis on preventative care would be so good in the long run and save people and the government lots of money as well.
Yeah, I would want insurance as good as what congress has, actually I want insurance period
Really? Four years? That kind of sucks
Shout out to McCain, he looks happy
This is why Advil at the hospital pharmacy is like $20
See universal primary care coverage is something we desperately need
Yeah, everyone needs to participate, only as strong as our weakest link, folks
A waiver for those who can't afford the health insurance? That sounds promising
Good god people, there are no freaking death panels!
Obama: "I'm not going to kill grandma"
Obama: "Reforms I'm proposing won't cover illegals"
Obama: "I'm not making abortions mandatory"
Steam roll over those bitches
YES!!!! Hold the insurance companies accountable!
Health care, a right now a privelige
Non-profit option available in in insurance exchange as an option for those without insurance, if you have insurance you won't be required to take it. ARE YOU LISTENING PEOPLE?????
Okay, I'm confused, why wouldn't insurance companies be able to compete in a free market type system? I thought we were all for the free market economics
Good example, private universities compete quite well with public ones
The Obama on right now is the guy I voted for, yes it is
We like choice
Okay, the tricky part, how to pay for it
That's all well and good, Mr. President but how exactly would we pay for it if you don't want it to add to the deficit?
Damn Bush for leaving such a mess and our economy in the hole
Would we be in such a deep hole if we had only stayed in Afghanistan and not gone on some wild goose chase in Iraq? Probably not
You know for all those people screaming socialism they all seem to like Medicare, which is a socialist institution
I still want a public option
I still want universal coverage
Democrats, please grow a spine for this and make this reform happen!
Common ground is all well and good but put your foot down, Obama
Day-um "I will not waste my time if you want to kill this plan instead of improve it"
"If you misrepresent this plan we will call you out"
"I will not accept the status quo on this one"
Oh, personal letter from Ted *sniff*
Oh Vicki, you look so sad
Do it for Ted!
The true character of our country
"The danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little"
"We did not come here to fear the future, we came here to shape it"

Tags: healthcare, live blogging, obama, politics

The extremely sad story of a once proud party

: serendipity_15; September 1st, 0:56

Something strange has happened in America in the nine months since Barack Obama was elected. It has best been summarized by the comedian Bill Maher: “The Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved to a mental hospital.”

Tags: politics

RIP Ted Kennedy

: serendipity_15; August 26th, 9:32

Current Location:: home

Current Mood:: sad

Current Music:: The Today Show

Sen. Ted Kennedy died last night after a 15-month battle with a brain tumor. RIP Ted, you will be sorely missed.

Sen. Ted Kennedy died shortly before midnight Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass., at age 77.

Ted Kennedy suffers convulsions during Obama's luncheon

In this file photo, U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., waves to the crowd during day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Kennedy was rushed to the hospital after having convulsions during Barack Obama's inaugural luncheon.

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
More Photos

The man known as the "liberal lion of the Senate" had fought a more than year-long battle with brain cancer, and according to his son had lived longer with the disease than his doctors expected him to.

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," the Kennedy family said in a statement. "He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it."

Tags: politics, ted kennedy

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; August 15th, 14:45

Current Location:: home

From

ontd_political

Because apparently Medicare isn't a form of socialism when Republicans so say.

Tags: healthcare, politics

Damon Weaver finally gets his interview

: serendipity_15; August 14th, 18:32

Current Location:: home

Current Music:: ABC World News

Tags: obama, politics

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; August 13th, 1:32

From

ontd_political

Remember kids, if you're going to go on TV then you better know what the fuck you're talking about or you'll get handed your ass.

(no subject)

: serendipity_15; August 12th, 22:29

Current Location:: home

Current Music:: Current TV

So I applied again to that same job that I talked about in my last entry, it can't hurt any, right? I've also applied for an internship with Save the Children, not sure what my chances are with that one either but it couldn't hurt to just try. In other job hunting news I'm still searching for a job and have expanded my search to include non-profits, human resources and education. It's still hard.

In other news we've gotten the new fall product out at CWC and, gasp, I actually like some of the stuff. They're definitely starting to make more things to try to woo the younger crowd and when I say young I mean like early 30s and that's a big shift for them since I believe in stores their average customer age, at least in our area, is around 40+. They actually have pants and jeans that I like since they're more modern and the rises aren't as high. They say that they are low rise but to me that's mid rise since that's often where a mid rise hits in other stores like the Gap or Anne Taylor (by the way, I love that store, they have an accesible petites section with cute stuff!).

Oh yeah, Arch is coming back for eight days next week!

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On the Edge of Something New

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