Sled Riding!!

So, today we went sled riding over at Atwood Lodge’s golf course. It was a lot of fun, and really the first time that Andros went sledding. We’d gone outside last week and played outside and done a tinsy bit of sledding, but nothing like today. It was a lot of fun, and I really think he had a good time. We got a couple good pictures… I’ll try and get them up tonight or tommorrow.

We saw Stardust the other day - Kevin got it through Netflix. And it was amazing! Such a good movie - definetly one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Why don’t they make more movies like that? Just good, interesting, fantasy. Some special effects but not the entire freaking movie! Such a great film. We also saw Sunshine, which was also really good. Almost made me cry a couple times, but, again, great movie. Those are definetly two of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.

Hopefully tommorrow Kevin will hear about an interview (or two?) for a job at McDonalds or Dairy Queen for a couple months. Just something to hold him over till his job starts back up at Atwood Lake Park in March. I know it’d make him feel super good just to be working again, and so will I. It’ll be nice to have a little bit of “alone” time again, though at the same time, I’ll miss having him around!!

Swimming at the Y

So strange, last night after tae kwon do, I was freezing cold. Seriously, the room couldn’t have been more than 55 or 60 degrees, and it was just a slow class, so I was *COLD* by the time it was over. It didnt’ help that it was like 5 degrees outside and in the car… by the time I got home, I was SOOO cold, I layed under two blankets on the couch shivered for like an hour… and then I puked :( Had a little fever, just felt horrible… but by 2am I was fine. So weird.

In other news, I think I’m going to apply to Baker College, for their Computer Programming associates degree, so I’ve got one option good and open. Then we’ll see what Oregon State says (should hear from them by the 1st of February), and go from their. I’m still pretty torn…

We went to the Tuscarawas County YMCA today, and got info on how to get a discounted membership. Its a very nice Y - two pools, one standard for doing laps in and then a smaller one thats super warm where they do classes thats nice and shallow. I did 20 laps (down and back), while Kevin & Andros played in the small pool - they had a lot of fun, and Kevin did like 6 laps in the pool. Then we went and worked out in their weight/fitness room which is also super nice. I walked around the track carrying Andros (walked a mile;) and then he fell asleep. Kevin ran a couple miles and did some other random stuff… not really sure what all he did. Overall it was a very nice day. I hope we get a membership one way or another, and end up going at least once or twice a week. It took me a couple laps to get back into the rhythm of swimming, but it was super nice. Almost forgot how much I love to swim!!

Training

So I’m going to call some colleges today and make a decision by this weekend, on what exactly I’m going to do. I’m leaning towards Baker College’s online Computer Programming associates degree right now. Though, I’m also considering Westwood’s Software Engineering associates, and Oregon State University’s Bachelor of Natural Resources. I’ve pulled out my old copy of The C Programming Language and am working my way through the first chapter right now. Its going pretty good, and I’m enjoying it so far, which is a large part of why I’m leaning towards computer programming. We’ll see though..

Andros is so close to walking, its incredible to see. He’ll pull himself up, turn around, balance, and turn around and grab something as he takes a step. Its absolutely amazing. Any day now he’s going to just stand up and start walking around… I actually dreamed that he did so the other night.

I’ve stated trying to exersize more now too. I rowed for 15 minutes-ish today, did 40 cruches and 10 pushups along with some other random exersizes. Hopefully if I really start exersizing every day, I’ll be able to get into shape and loose the last 15lbs ish of pregnancy weight. That’d be awesome, so, we’ll see if I can really stick to it. Plus, it’d be nice to be in decent shape for my black belt test on the 9th…

Going back to School

Today I spent looking for a college where I can get my bachelors degree. The only place that sounds reasonable/practical is Oregon State University. They have an e-campus option, and I should be able to get my degree in Natural Resources… I’ve been trying to figure out how many credits I have that would transfer and I’m just not in the least bit sure. Its so hard to try and match up whats what, you know? Plus I might have to take a year of Biology somewhere around here - depending on whether or not they accept classes I took at hocking for that, which its sounding like they aren’t going to do.

My other option I suppose is to just get a bachelor’s degree in “general studies” and then go for a master’s in environmental science or whatever I really want to do. And for that, I think I’d have a lot more options… although I think I’d much rather have a degree in *something*…

Andros seems to be back to himself again, finally. He had me pretty worried yesterday, what with pooping 5x in one day - which he hasn’t done in *MONTHS*. It was just… wierd. He’s been sleeping a lot lately, or at least, it certainly seems like it to me. He slept nearly the whole time we were driving both down to and then back up from West Virginia, plus all night long. So, its been kind of a relief that he’s back to himself.

The Future

So, we turned down The Mountain Institute. It’s a beatiful place, rugged and wild. With the 6+ inches of snow that they had while we were there, it was even more so. However, its also very remote. In a lot of ways thats nice, and very cool. But, its also just a tad bit on the scary side - what if something happend? Its about an hour from the closest “decent grocery store”, so how far to real emergency medical care? Its also quite rustic - we’d be living in, basicly, a hut. Thats not bad, but it’d be a big change. Currently, most of them don’t even have elctricity, let alone a bathroom, kitchen, stove, etc. We’d have to share those things with the rest of the center. Thats not neccarily a bad thing, it’d just be… different. In anycase though, we turned it down.

Which, leaves us back at the question of “whats next?” After a good bit of discussion our plan for now is to stick around here at my dad’s place untill next fall/winter. Kevin will either go back to work for the MWCD or get a factory-type job with a temp agency. We’ll save up as much as we possibly can, and then in the fall/winter Kevin will go down to Hall’s Diving Career Institute and take their Professional Diving Instructor course… and we’ll move down to Florida or similar and go from there.

So, thats our plan for now.

West Virginia

Well, we drove down to Spruce Knob Mountain Center on monday - it took right around 5 1/2 hours to get there, and Andros did wonderfully. We got there right around 5pm, and met Dave Martin. He took us up to the dorms and the main yurts, and so we just ate dinner and hung out and then went to bed. Its a beautiful area, and was especially so with the snow.

Its very remote - the closest town being 9 miles away (six miles down 28/10, a forest service road, and then 3 miles up 28), though it doesn’t even have a post office. The next town, 3 miles up the road, Circleville, is where they get their mail. But the closest place with a decent grocery store is Franklin, an hour away, or Elkins 1.5 hours away. In between are several tiny towns, Seneca Rocks, and miles apon mile of national forest.

The mountain center itself though, is pretty cool. Most of the buildings are yurts, including the main one which houses the the kitchen, dining area, library and a “bubble” at the top from which you can see the night sky. Its also connected (via a short walk way) to the other big yurt which is just one big open room where they can have lectures, classes, whatever. Its pretty cool. From there, there are two dorms, each of which can house aprox 20 people, as well as several small yurts which are usually indivudual residences for field staff and/or visiting “dignitaries” over the summer. Some of them have had wood stoves in them in the past, which is how most everything is heated (except for the bathrooms which do have a gas heater). Theres also a few other buildings, including a geo-dome, several sheds, the main office and another all-season residence.

Overall its a pretty cool setup, very rustic but cool. The only thing that bothers me at all is just how remote it is. Andros wasn’t feeling very good while we were there (and still seems a bit more fussy/upset than usual), and it kind of made me worry about what would happen if he were to get really sick, or hurt or something. Other than that… its awesome. I’m not sure I’d really want to stay there over the winter, but during the spring/summer/fall? I think it’d be very cool.

The drive back took about 2 hours longer than the drive down, due to very, very bad weather. It took over two hours to get to Elkins. When we left they hadll like 6-8″ of snow and it was still snowing. So, probably a good thing we left when we did. The roads were horrible till we got to Elkins and then pretty bad through till we got to 79. So, its good to be home again. Very, very good to be home.

We still haven’t decided if we really want to do it or not. I think we probably will tell them we’re interested. But we’ll see. It’d be a change thats for sure… one heck of a change!

Africa's Holocaust

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a civil war which supposedly ended over 5 years ago, goes on. Over six million people have been killed during the past six years. That’s the equivalent of the entire population of New Zealand - or New York City - dead. Its also the approximate number of Jew’s killed in the Holocaust, the first major genocide. Like every other genocide, it is being largely ignored. Half of all deaths are of children under the age of five - a quarter of all children born in the Congo today won’t make it to the age of 5.

The worst of the violence though, is being committed against women. Rape has become the weapon of choice of the Congolese military, as well as the “Mai Mai” militias, civilians, UN Peacekeepers, and perhaps most telling of all Hutus who fled Rwanda after committing genocide against the Tutsis their and who have taken up residence here in the Congo.

Some of the Hutus have become known as the Rastas, who wear shiny track suits and LA Lakers’ jerseys. They have become notorious for burning babies, kidnapping children and killing any and everyone who dares to get in their way.

There is one light of hope though in all the killing. At Panzi Hospital Dr Mukwege, an OB/GYN does six surgeries a day on women who have been raped. Most who come have fistulas - holes inside of their bodies. Many are the result of having had various implements - guns, bayonets, bottles, sticks - shoved inside of their vagina’s and rectums, literally ripping them apart from the insides. Others stem from birth complications. A mother who cannot give birth due to militias, who has no time for labor and whose child dies inside of her. One carried her dead child inside her vagina for a week before arriving at the hospital.

Because of their woods, they are unable to control their bodily fluids, and so their urine and feces literally leak out of their bodies. Many are shunned by their communities - and yet in some villages over half the women have been raped. Few are spared - Dr Mukwege says his oldest patient was 75, his youngest just 3.

Why is this occurring? That is the question, that no-one can answer, although it is clear the purpose of the attacks to terrify. Why else would women be raped in front of their families - husbands brothers, sisters, children, communities? By doing so they are raping not only the women but everyone around them as well. Showing them, proving to them, that they are powerless and helpless before such as them.

I’m still trying to figure out what I can do, what we can all do to help, to end the violence. Perhaps the best option is to write the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila Kabange, and urge him to take action to stop the violence. Write your representatives, and urge them to start proceedings to take action. Or you can donate money directly to Panzi Hospital where Dr Mukwege works, print out posters, and sign up for email alerts at http://www.vday.org/contents/drcongo.

But, perhaps most importantly, you can speak out to your family & friends. Tell them about the conflict, and keep it fresh in your mind. The perpetrators would prefer that we forget, that we pretend its not happening. But it is. And the least that we can do for those who are being hurt is to not forget them, and their struggle.