Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of my dear friends here and there!

The weather held off nicely for my drive home on Tuesday. It was rainy but luckily not icy minus that freezing on the front of the car as I drove in the wind. I saw an old high school friend on my journey at the infamous Beaver Dam rest stop. I wasn't going to stop but was not sure after a large water for lunch that I could make it the last 1.5 without making a pit stop and that is my last choice. So I stopped and on the way out, I ran into Sherry. It was great to see her and catch up quickly. You never know who you may run into on your travels to and fro. May your travels be smooth as well.

Christmas Eve was spent in the traditional manner with family lunch/dinner, Christmas Eve Mass, and time with my mother's family opening presents and eating.

Christmas Day brings more family time in the morning, followed with Christmas with dad's family, and I am sure some dominoes with the grandparents.

Have a Merry Merry Christmas!

Wow..How time flies?

Not sure what all has happened but I feel like I am getting wrapped up in the same phenomenon so many of my friends have, the phenomenon of always being busy and seeming to have little time to keep up with friends and family. Those who know me well are sure to know it is quite frustrating. If I have missed your birthday, anniversary, or just have not spoken to you in ages, I truly apologize. I am trying to get back into my previous past of keeping in touch and will try so to write more posts of worth, though we all know that blogging has never been a strong suite of mine.

It is now November. My first semester of working in the collegiate environment is starting to wrap up and come to a close. In ways, I look forward to the end of the semester minus the fact it lies on December 11. Granted ending then and not still continuing is a plus. Years in the future, we will still be in school as so many years previous.

Highlights of the Semester thus Far
- Taught my first class.
- Graded my first set of papers though quite scary the quality at times.
- Received acceptance for a program proposal at a national conference in March.

Exciting things of the last few months
- Finally looked at the first half of my Ghana pictures.
- Had my first visitor to my new home after my parents helped me move-in.
- Went hiking this weekend at McCormick Creek State Park.
- Walking in general.

Things to Blog about soon
- GC Homecoming 2008
- Georgetown vs Louisville – Nov 1
- Basketball Madness
- Gas Prices

I am sure there is much more to share so keep your eyes posted for more to come soon.

Hurricane Winds lead to rare phenomenon in Kentucky

Here is the news report from Paducah. I might try to write more on this later.

"UPDATE: David S. White, professor of Biological Sciences at Murray State University is reporting more evidence supporting our story.
White writes, "Our water monitors (taking measurements every 15 min) in Kentucky Lake actually picked up the seiche and the changes in water levels. The changes in water level perfectly match the changes in wind speed from our weather station."

Marshall County, KY - As cleanup continues from this weekend's hurricane-driven wind storm... a new mystery. Why were so many boats left high and dry? It turns out they were not simply swept away by high winds.

It is suspected that a rare phenomenon known as a seiche raised one end of the lake by several feet.
It's similar to a storm surge -- those walls of water we've all seen as hurricanes slam into shore. Except on inland waters it's called a seiche. The strong sustained winds push the water to one side of the lake and hold it there. The national weather service says it's likely that's what happened on Kentucky Lake.
Copyright 2008 WPSD-TV, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed."

Ryder Cup in Kentucky

The past several days Kentucky has hosted the Ryder Cup. I have never been a real huge golf fan for many reasons. I don't know a lot about golf: the rules, skills, philosophy, etc. It has always seemed like a very boring sport to watch on tv. My uncles constantly watched it when I was a child, but I never fully understood it or got into it. There are other sports that attract my attention and keep me interested on tv over golf.

All that said my tv was on the Ryder Cup the majority of Saturday. Why, I kept asking myself. I believe there are a couple key reasons for watching the Ryder Cup. It is exciting to have such a big event in your home state. I was also curious how things were going after the devastation of Ike. There are still thousands of people in the Louisville area without power. The Ryder Cup appeared to go off without a hitch which is good since it was an international event. Another reason is there were two Kentuckians on the USA Ryder Cup team. I feel like I have grown up hearing about Kenny Perry and was interested to see how he was fairing. Though I watched, it was not an intense, continuous watching. I put the tv on mute several times and caught glimpses of what was going on throughout the day. It was definitely not something that peaked me interest continuously as I totally forgot that it was on again today until I was reading the news headlines and Facebook statuses.

Congrats to the US Ryder Cup Team for bringing the Ryder Cup back to the US for the first time since 1999! Congrats to the two Kentuckians for showing the world what Kentucky has to offer!

New Job, New Community...Seven Weeks Later

Seven weeks ago I started my first full-time job in the higher education field. Life is definitely interesting being back in a 40+ hour a week job with no studying or classes to take. I have a dual position at Franklin College as the Coordinator of New Student Programs and Residence Hall Coordinator.

New Student Programs (NSP) is in the process of creating a new identify and redefining some of its goals and purposes. There are four main components to the position: NSP Mentors, NSP Registration sessions, NSP Orientation, and LA 100: New Student Leadership Seminar. Mentors are selected each spring to assist with the other components of NSP and also take a leadership practicum course in the fall which I currently co-teach. The practicum course helps the mentors reflect on their interactions with the students outside the classroom as well as their role in the LA 100 classroom. There are three day long NSP Registration sessions for all new students, which is followed by a 4-day orientation program at the beginning of the fall semester. Each new student is then required as part of their liberal arts curriculum to take the LA 100: New Student Leadership Seminar course. This class teaches students basics for transitioning into college, the mission and values of Franklin, and focuses on excellence, leadership, and service. Those are the main components of that half of my job.

The other half of my job is serving as a residence hall coordinator for a hall of about 108 students. The residents reside in either single rooms with communal bathroom or double rooms with a shared bathroom making a 4 person suite of sorts. There are a couple exceptions but that is the basic layout of the building. It is a coed building with 2 floors women and 1 floor men. I supervise 6 resident assistants (RA) and am in charge of the room selection process in the spring. Of course, there are lots of other things that go along with the job, but those are the basics.

Needless to say, if you understand anything about the two positions, you will understand why I fell off the face of the earth during August. The first week was getting acquainted and attending several different training sessions. Week two was RA training from Sunday – Monday pretty much non-stop. Week three was mentor training followed by orientation. Week four concluded orientation and was the beginning of school. Therefore, weeks 2 through 4 included students moving back into the residence halls.

Overall, the experience has been great. I am looking forward to getting to know people on campus, expand the programs, and develop stronger ones. Key is not trying to do everything in the first 6 months  There are a lot of caring, wonderful people on campus.

Two months later...what has happened

Wow so much for staying on top of the blog this summer and keeping everyone informed on life. I will try again starting now to maintain a more up to date blog on life's happenings.

THE MOVE
Life became very stressful the last week of July. After receiving a couple job offers, I accepted a position at Franklin College in Franklin, IN on Tuesday, July 29. This took the move in a stressful direction because I was to start on August 4th. The POD though a great idea was potentially way to small and delivery times where not working out. I decided to check out some of the other truck moving companies and found a decent deal with UHaul, which ended up being a great deal.

UHaul Adventure....There were no UHauls of the 24' or bigger variety in Bloomington so I had to go to Greenwood to pick up the UHaul, which in the long run probably worked out well because of the great discount. Thankfully, my friend PY graciously volunteered his time and driving skills. He helped me not only pick up the UHaul, pack, clean some, drive the loaded UHaul, unload, and return it. There are not enough thanks to go around. Also, thanks to the many others who came over on Wednesday night to pack up the UHaul. We got everything packed up and away minus a few things, which I came back after on Thursday.

Late July 31...tired, beat, and moody. I moved into my new apartment on campus in one of the residence halls. It is a nice two-bedroom apartment with tons of storage space. I think I could store even more stuff :-). I won’t so you will return and help me move next time. Basically, we arrived, unloaded the UHaul with assistance from staff and students, and left to return the UHaul and return to Bloomington. Back in Bloomington, I spent the afternoon and evening cleaning the apartment thoroughly. I was a bit crabby for many reasons, but appreciate those who helped me clean and finish packing things up. I got all of my deposit back so that was good. Thanks to CS for letting me stay Thursday night as well.

Friday, I finished up some errands around Bloomington and departed not to return  The rest of the weekend was spent in my new apartment cleaning and unpacking. The parents came up late Friday and we spent into the wee hours of the morning cleaning and unpacking. They have way more stamina than I. Granted I had been running ragged for about 2 months by then. We did get 95% of the apartment unpacked and put together. The office was still in boxes and in many ways still remains in boxes to this day. It is slowly coming together.

There is the move and everything did work out as God planned. I had a job with living accommodations. The job was close and the transportation of belongings was successful.

Packing and Moving - Off to a New Adventure

Wow...two years ago I was writing a very similar post. It was about the move to Bloomington, Indiana to start this new journey in life. I left the grand state of Kentucky to pursue my Master of Education in Higher Education Student Affairs. Two years later and the degree is completed and the time has come for my departure from this beautiful town of Bloomington. I cannot tell you where exactly I am headed except for the fact that I must move out of my apartment by Thursday, July 31. Friday started the true packing and hopefully by tomorrow the majority of the apartment will be in boxes.

It is hard to pack in some ways because I don't know exactly where I am headed and how long my things may be sitting outside in the hot sun or in storage. I did finally reserve something to put my stuff in so that I can get it out of the apartment. A POD will be delivered on Wednesday with no current pick up and delivery time for its final destination. If you are around the area and would like to help pack the POD Wednesday night, please let me know.

More to come very soon, but since things are going to be very crazy this week, I thought I would post a quick update on life so you didn't think I had totally abandoned the blog again.

External Hard Drive

Okay, I have one week plus a couple days before I have to move out of my apartment and I really need to back up my computer before I start hauling it around to who knows where. My question for you is what would you suggest in terms of purchasing a hard drive: brand, space for money, where you usually find the best deal, anything else that may be important in this decision. Unfortunately, purchasing something off the internet is probably not going to work since I have only a week, but suggest away.

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions!

Messaging Services

Maybe this will stir up some conversation, though then again I believe there are about 4 people who are regularly reading my blog these days. Most of these people read it because of the RSS feeds, while everyone else has given up because I use to never post anything.

Who knows if I have posted on this in the past or not, if so it was ages ago. I know there has been discussion in the past because that is how I got into using Trillian many moons ago. Yes, I still use Trillian. It is a wonderful tool that allows me to log into ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, and AIM. On top of that I can log in with numerous accounts on any of these, if I so had such numerous accounts. I also like that it tells me when I have new mail in these locations as well. It helps me from having to log into all the email accounts or constantly check my outlook mail.

So why do I bring all of this up because I am interested to know how many people actually use any of the previous mentioned systems and how many people have moved over to Gmail or even Facebook. I am not as interested in Facebook because I am really not a big component of email or messaging out of Facebook.

Now Gmail seems more along the same lines as the others and is of more interest to me. One reason is because my friend Pauline only really uses Gmail and as much as we talk or try to make plans, it would be nice to just send her a quick message when she is online instead of playing phone tag or sending a bazillion email messages back and forth. I have a Gmail account but rarely use it. So what are your thoughts?

Disappearing for a Few Days and more

Dear Friends who actually read my blog:

Hopefully you have been out here on a more consistent basis otherwise you are probably way behind on the news and postings. I am trying to do a better job of posting and keeping you updated on the random happenings in my life. There is a lot more to share in life but I prefer not to have the various in depth details floating on the web. I say all of that to let you know that I will probably be a bit MIA starting next week with the blog entries.

Why MIA because I will be traveling 844 miles by car or shuttle and 1086 miles by air. I will fly over, land, drive, or be transported in 5 different states as well. The journey starts on Tuesday and will end Monday evening. To make everything more interesting, I will see my apartment every one of those 7 days either in the morning or the evening. There is chance that I might change my mind and not see my apartment 2 of the 7 but that is highly unlikely.

Quick update on the exercising: Monday, I actually walked with my friend CS in the evening for another 40+ minutes to the 40 minutes in the morning. I skipped Tuesday because of a morning appointment and a craving for pizza, but hey I walked 80 minutes the day before.

Thursday, I walked 44 minutes in the morning and another probably 50+ minutes in the evening with CS. I also pulled out the 10 lbs weights and did some random arm exercises when I got back in the morning. I definitely was feeling the tension in the shoulders while at the library Thursday afternoon. I again skipped walking or exercising today because bills needed to be paid and I had lunch plans.

Internet Woes by Microsoft

Order of events:
A little before 11:30 pm on Wednesday, I shut down my computer and it asks to download the latest updates. As Chris and probably both of them though only one of them has stated such, I have become a lazy IT person who just accepts the updates and goes on with life. I use to check them out but that stopped at least a year ago.
Just before midnight, there was a power surge and all the power went out in the apartment for at least a minute.

I reset the cable/internet box and all was well with the TV. I didn’t check the internet because all seemed okay.

Thursday morning, I woke and tried to get on the internet. I tried both my ATT U-verse and the dial-up connection. Though both were connecting to the internet, none of the applications were working to access the internet. I tried some debugging with the help of a friend but didn’t get anywhere. It became weirder when Pauline also could not access the internet from her computer, which uses Comcast Internet. The question now was why neither of us could get on the internet with three different connection types. We were both unfortunately stuck on the whole power outage scenario and I didn’t really think about the fact that she too may have downloaded the latest Microsoft updates.

So Pauline and I headed to the library to get some work done. My brain was fried apparently or maybe I have been out of IT too long to remember where to go to find such issues. Then again had I been thinking that it was an update issue instead of a network type issue, maybe I would have checked out Microsoft or one of the numerous other IT websites out there.

Upon returning that night, our internet still did not work so I called ATT to see what they could tell me. Sure enough the issue was the Microsoft Updates. They could even tell me which update was the culprit KB951748. But their solution from Microsoft made no sense. It was to delete cookies, files, and history from IE and set IE back to all its defaults. Not sure how that would resolve the larger issue of all of my applications not wanting to interact with the internet, though I could successfully ping external websites. It did not solve the issue and she suggested that I would have to talk to Microsoft or the computer company. That wasn’t going to happen.

So it was off to the next best solution, who do I know that surely has heard of the issue by now and could assist me. So I got a hold of Chris and he checked out the latest and greatest on the particular security update. It definitely was the culprit because the update and Zone Alarm apparently don’t play nicely together. Solutions shutdown Zone Alarm, uninstall the patch, or hardcode the DNS into Zone Alarm. Not hip on the disable of Zone Alarm and too tired to try to figure out the hardcoding, I just went with the uninstall of the update and miraculously everything was working again and that is the lovely internet saga for Thursday.

Packing Time

It is inevitable. The time has come to start packing up and preparing for the next stage of life, which is still to be determined. The one thing I do know is that in 3 weeks, I will be departing this humble abode for somewhere new though maybe temporary. (If you have a spare room for a friend and a bit of her junk, please let me know. I enjoy to cook, care for children, and …)

The question is where to start on the packing and how do I keep myself from procrastinating the packing, as I am doing right now. I have organized the apartment over the past few days so that I at least feel like I am not making a huge mess on top of an already huge mess.

The food pantry is dwindling and those who know me well know that it is usually well stocked. (GAP friends and others…the mushroom stash has been totally depleted, freezer items are not falling out when you open it nor is there anymore pizza, and the chocolate though still existing has also been depleted.)

It is also leading to some creative cooking and fun exploration in the kitchen. Question for the cooks out there: Can you substitute brown sugar for sugar or granulated sugar? What is the difference between using sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, or even powder sugar? While we are on the subject, can you substitute powdered sugar for any of the above? I am going to say this is less likely, but why not ask. I ask such questions because I have just over a tablespoon of sugar left and a full bag of powdered sugar plus a nice supply of brown sugar.

Some people may be scared when I start talking about creative cooking because they have read here before of my very interesting combinations of food, but do not be afraid at least not at the moment.

Friday having no sugar and wanting to make cookies. I searched and searched for a recipe that called for just brown sugar and in which I had all the other ingredients. I came across Outrageous Double Chocolate-White Chocolate Chunk Cookies in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Okay, so I didn’t quite have all the correct ingredients. I substituted dark chocolate chips for the semisweet chocolate chips, which you melted to make the batter chocolate and also place whole in the cookies. Instead of white baking bars, I used white chocolate chips. Lastly, instead of pecan or walnut halves, I used macadamia nuts. The cookies, now called Amazing Double Dark Chocolate-White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, turned out great and everyone seems to enjoy them.

The first item has been boxed and is ready to go. (The humidifier received a nice cleaning and put back into its box this weekend.) Enough procrastinating, I shall go cleanup and see about hitting the closet and making a pile for Goodwill.

Workout - July 9

Well, July is official here in the Hoosier state. The past few days have been very representative of the hot, muggy July Midwest, unlike the postings prior of beautiful cool sunny days. Thankfully a storm blew in last night and cooled things off. It is a slightly misty Wednesday morning. The rain held off and I went for a very nice walk/jog again improving on my accomplishments of last.

Before delving into the details of today’s workout, A couple goals that need to be put into place:
- In order to really get in shape, the left leg needs rehab. Anyone have experience or knowledge? I know what is wrong with the leg. I just failed to actually do rehab on it 10 years ago so it still causes problems. I also do not believe falling in Ghana on my knee and the huge bruise that remains helps much.
- Secondly as July continues and August is around the corner, I am going to have to get up earlier in order to enjoy cooler weather and being able to accomplish more before noon.

Today’s Workout
Total Time Walking/Jogging: 43 mins 30 secs with probably a 10 min break in the middle for stretching and additional workout. Today's workout took me down to the retirement community and clockwise around it. Then the back way around to the post office and Pete Ellis, down the bike trail to MM's, around the shortest circle clockwise, back down the bike trail, down Pete Ellis, down 10th to the second entrance of the apt complex, and finally back home.

Walk: 13 mins 24 secs - Apt complex, around retirement complex to the sign on the far side.
Jog: 5 mins 43 secs - From the sign to the telephone pole heading up the first hill on the bike trail.
Walk: 4 mins 7 secs - The rest of the bike trail.
Break: Stretching on the playground. Lateral push-ups against the play gym. 2 sets of lunges.
Walk: 10 mins 25 secs - Clockwise around the smallest circle of the neighborhood and to the top of the bike trail.
Jog: 5 mins 11 secs - The entire bike trail and down 10th street to the stairs by the post office.
Walk: 4 mins 41 secs - Back to the apartment with some wait to get across the street.
Finish with a bit of stretching and sharing today’s accomplishments.

I will say that after the first jog. I had strong thoughts about what MM and her husband would say when they came home to find me immovable or passed out on their driveway. But I mustered up the strength to continue on and return home.

United States of America Independence - July 4th

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July celebrations with family and friends in celebration of our countries independence. I spent the evening with IU friends outside of the alumni center watching fireworks from between the football stadium and Assembly Hall. Thankfully the rain stayed away for a beautiful fireworks display.

Curious, what is your most memorable 4th of July celebration and why?

I believe the most distinctive celebration for me was in 1999 in Perth, Western Australia. The American team put together an American 4th of July celebration for the youth. We had hotdogs and hamburgers and a cake with an American flag, along with lots of fun American games.

Beyond that, I would say the many 4th of July celebrations spent with my mom's family at the pool celebrating life and liberty with those we love the most.

God Bless America

Try not to break the cycle...

In order for you to continue reading the blog, I figured I better post something again. The weather was not so beautiful Thursday and Friday last week, though I did get out on Friday and went for a bit over a half an hour walk with my friend PC (my dear computer friends don't get wise one me here). I was headed out today to walk and maybe jog, but when I opened the door I realized it was actually still raining. I did manage to get the Gazelle out and walked 40 mins and 2.75 miles as I watched Saved by the Bell reruns.

Mentioning of Saved by the Bell. I spent most of Friday watching JAG and NCIS reruns, which was quite fun. I had forgotten how NCIS was launched off of JAG. It was interesting to put it all back together again.

Another Beautiful Day and More Exercise

Wow...I am really enjoying this July weather, definitely not much else you can ask for. It is great for my continued motivation to enjoy the outside and get in shape.

Reflection on Motivation
Yes prior to departing for Ghana, I was somewhat motivated to get in shape and enjoy the beauty of nature, but I believe upon returning those motivations have drastically increased. It is amazing what life brings you when you take a moment out to experience what God has to offer:
* the beauty of the land, the sky, and water
* the simplicities of life without tv, internet, air conditioning
* the wonders of home grown vegetables and fruits
* the joy that comes from cooking a meal from near scratch without all the extras
* the pleasures received from knowing that you put effort and care into what you fixed
* the happiness and smiles from friends and family as you sit down to enjoy a meal together
* the feeling of accomplishment and self-worth received from caring from oneself and forgetting about the consumerism of the world

I continue to ponder now, during the trip, and prior to the trip:
~ what has development done to our society, culture, and traditions in the United States?
~ how is development stripping other societies of their culture, traditions, and simplicities of life?
~ what does sustainability really mean and can the United States and other developed countries return to the simpler ways of life?
~ can developing countries learn from our mistakes or is society as a whole becoming way to consumerist and greedy?

A few thoughts to ponder and feel free to share your thoughts on these questions and reflections.

Workout - July 2

To help in my motivation to get in shape, I have decided to share with you my progress. Today, July 2, I ventured out for a walk/jog, across the street, around the retirement complex, and through the adjacent neighborhood, and back down 10th street to my apartment. Here are the results:

Walk -- 11 mins 39 secs (from the apartment to the retirement community railing on the east side)
Jog -- 3 mins 18 secs (from the railing to the mailbox prior to the curve on Grandview)
Walk -- 2 mins 8 secs (from the mailbox around the corner to visible site of the 3-way stop sign)
Jog -- 3 mins 8 secs (from the visible site through the stop sign to the Y close to Smith Rd)
Walk -- 3 mins 47 secs (from the Y to the mailbox out of the shade after the stop sign)
Jog -- 2 mins 37 1/2 secs (from the mailbox to the stop sign at Grandview in site of 10th St)
Walk -- 9 mins 39 secs (from the stop sign back to the apartment going straight down 10th)

Total Time: 36 mins 16 secs

Not bad for a morning workout though we will see how I feel tomorrow and Friday.
Thanks for being supportive and those that post about running, getting in shape, and/or share in person, I appreciate all the positive though indirect motivation to get me going. May the support system continue to work.

Quick Update

I know everyone is looking forward to stories and pics from Ghana. They are coming in the near future. I have over 2000 digital pics and 5 rolls of film to process through before I can get things uploaded to share. I will try to upload things here and there for your viewing and knowledge attainment. The trip was awesome and the stories are almost endless and of great variety.

I returned to the United States on June 20th and spent two days with a friend in Baltimore seeing Philadelphia and Washington DC before returning to Bloomington on June 23. In which time the job process started back in full swing with three phone interviews and a campus interview scheduled for July 16. I have sense returned from Kentucky and the Lexington/Louisville area, where I attended a college friends wedding and was able to catch up with some other friends.

What a Beautiful Day!!!

What a wonderful and beautiful day it is here in Bloomington. I just enjoyed a lovely walk and accomplished some grocery shopping at the same time.

Walking is good. Why?
- You get some good exercise.
- You can accomplish multiple things at once.
- You can enjoy the blessings of nature.
- You get some good exercise..did I already mention that?
- You spend less money at the store because you can only carry so much back.
- You can reflect on life and writing a post like this though to write a good post you need to remember the brilliant things you came up with while walking. Oh well, I will work on that.
- You save money on gas and car expenses.
- You help the environment.
- Your own well being is better for it as well.

Those are my thoughts on why it is good to walk. Please feel free to add your own comments.

Off to Ghana in Three Days

For those who have not heard yet, I am finally headed to Africa after listening to great stories from friends and wanting to go visit myself. I depart for Accra, Ghana on Thursday, June 5 and will return to the States on Friday, June 20. The trip is through ACPA (American College Personnel Association), which is a national professional organization for college student affairs professionals. The cultural study tour includes visits to local universities to learn about the education system in Ghana. In addition, we will be traveling a large portion of the countryside and learning about the culture throughout Ghana. There are 12 individuals partaking in the trip and we will all meet up for the first time Thursday at JFK. It is a very exciting and wonderful opportunity. If time and access permits throughout the trip, I will try to post updates and stories. When I return and things settle down a bit, I will post more thoughts and stories as well as lots of pictures. Thanks for all the great advice and wishes for safe travel!

Life has been crazy and busy the last few weeks, months. I promise more to come on all of that soon. Until then hopefully, I will post a few times about my trip to Ghana while I am overseas. Have a wonderful June!

Update: 4.0 Earthquake Monday Morning

Update: This mornings earthquake has been downgraded to a 4.0. For more information, check out USGS.

Were you jolted out of bed around 1:40 am this morning or maybe slightly aroused unsure of what was happening? Well you might have just experienced another aftershock from Friday's earthquake. A 4.5 earthquake occurred at 1:38 EST. I was in the same location as the 4.6 on Friday morning, but this was was definitely not as strong or as long. The window shook, there was a slight movement of the chair, but that was about it.

I looked at my friend SF in disbelief.
She asked "what was that, an earthquake".
I said "I believe so. It sounded just like the other day and it definitely wasn't wind blowing through the window because the sliding door is open."
After vigilant monitoring of the USGS site, I finally saw a large red box pop up on the map and confirmed that we did definitely experience an earthquake/aftershock.
My friend was quite excited as she missed the previous two as she was in Washington state, where earthquakes are much more frequent.

If you have not paid attention to the seismic actions of the area, here is a quick update as of current reports on the USGS site:
Friday, 4/18/2008 (Date and Times in UTC: I will try to modify later.)
5.2 Initial Earthquake at 9:37 (5:37 am EST)
Followed by 10 aftershocks ranging from 1.2 to a 3.4 between 9:59 and 11:55
4.6 Second Earthquake/Aftershock felt at 15:14 (11:14 am EST)

Saturday, 4/19/2008
Followed by 4 aftershocks ranging from 1.3 to 2.8 between 3:05 and 16:55
1.7 Earthquake was registered 23 miles South of Sikeston, MO at 23:19

Sunday, 4/20/2008
2 aftershocks - 2.8 at 5:02 and 2.3 at 10:34

Monday, 4/21/2008
4.5 Third Earthquake/Aftershock felt at 5:38 (1:38 am EST)

5.2 & 4.6 Earthquakes - What was your reactions?

UPDATE: The first quake was 5.2. It was downgraded from the initial 5.4, but the largest aftershock registered a 4.6 not a 4.5 as initially noted.

Shortly after 5:37 am EST this morning, I was awakened by the sound of metal rattling by the window. My first instinct was its an earthquake. My second instinct should have been to find cover or at least not head towards the window. But yes, I went in search to feel out and confirm what was making all the racket. I found the jewelry box shaking and the metal handles banging on the side. As i quietened them, the closet doors began to rattle briefly before subsiding. Still sure that it was an earthquake, but not worrying too much else about it, I decided since I was up. I would make a restroom stop and then climbed right back into bed. I didn't necessarily sleep soundly the rest of the evening as I really wanted to confirm that my instinct was right and also curious where the epicenter was at and who else felt it.

Okay as I was in the middle of typing this post (11:16 am EST), when I began to feel another aftershock or earthquake not sure which or what the difference is. All I know is that my chair and desk was shaking. My window was rattling and my heart was racing. Again, I did nothing but sit in shock this time trying to synthesize what I was feeling. I really was not and am still somewhat in disbelief that I was feeling it again.

Yes, this second one was another earthquake registering 4.5 according to the USGS at this point in time.

USGS has reported 5 earthquakes around 2.5 since the initial 5.2 earthquake and now the 4.5 earthquake. Check out their website for more information. It is quite interesting to follow.

Did you feel either of the two larger earthquakes or any of the smaller ones? What was your first reaction? Have you ever experienced an earthquake before? Also curious who had earthquake drills as a child because this could explain your reaction?

Yes, I still exist out here

I apologize for posting basically nothing in the last six months. It has been a crazy, busy, and exciting past 6 months. The next 3 to 4 months are most likely going to be just as insane though more unknowing. Yes, I am still on track to graduate on May 3, 2008 with my master's. I am currently in the job search process and when I find that top job, I will definitely let you know. Currently, I am searching east of the Mississippi river and maybe a bit on the west side especially in Missouri. I have interviewed from New York to Missouri and down to North Carolina thus far. Classes are going great. I only have two this semester our capstone course and a counseling course. I have one major project left in capstone, a couple small papers, and a final to conclude the semester and my degree.

I have been doing a lot of traveling this semester to conferences, basketball games, and baby showers. It has been great to see many of you and look forward to seeing you again soon. I just returned from a trip to Atlanta, where I spent the bulk of my time interview for multiple positions across the country. I have also been up to Columbus, OH and of course down to Kentucky on numerous occasions.

Current exciting happenings:
- Many of my friends are due with their first child very soon and one any minute now. I wish them all the best and look forward to seeing the little ones soon.
- The job search is in full swing and there are a lot of exciting opportunities.
- Graduation is in 4 short weeks.
- Other exciting news to come.

That is a quick and brief synopsis of life today.

Remembering Dr Keon Chi

For those Georgetown College alumni and friends who may not have heard, Dr. Chi passed on Wednesday night from a car accident outside of the Kentucky Horse Park.

Local Newspaper Articles
Ex-Georgetown professor, dean is fondly remembered
Retired Georgetown College political scientist dies in wreck
Former Georgetown College dean killed in crash at intersection
Remembering Dr Keon Chi