Well, I didn't accomplish much this weekend. Saturday, I woke up very early with horrendous heart burn and spent several hours in a nest on the couch trying to sleep sitting up. Finally, I gave up and spent most of the day doing some homework and watching movies -- it wasn't a bad way to spend the day.

Sunday, we went to Glenville Baptist Church again. It is a great church and the music is incredible -- I do, however, wish that they'd sing a chorus or two that I actually know. It's been said that the average adult knows the lyrics to approximately 3,000 songs; because I've been singing all my life, I think I probably come in around 5,000-6,000. Yet, somehow, I haven't known a single chorus that we have done for three straight weeks. Better yet, Shane, Mom, Dad and Candy didn't know them either. With the combined catalogue of musical knowledge for that group, I would have thought that impossible! They are very good songs, though and it's always nice to learn something new! After church, it was more homework and then early to bed (ahhhh, bed).

Here's to a better week than last week!

Ok, this is almost as much fun as the falling sand game. . .

I try to be a positive person, but sometimes I fail -- that may explain why I have fallen in love with this website. Anytime I think I'm having a bad day, I check it out to see who is having a worse day. Try searching "hotels" or "airline" -- you will read some of the worst vacation stories ever collected. You will also see stories of idiots who should have known better and customer "service" agents who should have known better. Some of the stories are truly heartbreaking and some are proof of why some animals eat their young.

Feeling bad about your day? Check it out -- I'll warn you, though - it's addictive!

A Sad Anniversary. . .

I had forgotten this year -- not something that I usually do. Twenty years ago Saturday, the Space Shuttle Challenger burst into a ball of flames and disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven astronauts onboard. I was home sick that day and my mom and I were watching TV when they broke in live from Kennedy Space Center. At first, we just saw stream of smoke and what appeared to be missiles flying through the sky with no explanation - we had no idea what was going on. Tom Brokaw finally explained that they were not missiles, but were the solid rocket boosters from the shuttle; something horrible had happened, but no one was quite sure what. It would be years before we knew about the faulty "O" ring and the fact that the seven astronauts actually survived for almost three minutes after launch; long enough for the crew cabin to plummet back to Earth and hit the ocean at approx. 200 miles per hour. This article talks about a few of the myths surrounding the Challenger disaster.

I was ten years old and obsessed with becoming an astronaut. Space was the coolest thing ever. I built and launched my own rockets and had models of the space shuttle in my room. One of my favorite teachers was a semi-finalist to actually become the first teacher in space -- I've never been so glad that someone lost a contest. I have had the privilege of visiting the Challenger memorial in Arlington National Cemetary; it is rather small and unassuming, but in a place of great honor within the cemetary. Unfortunately, it has a companion memorial now -- the Columbia memorial.

I know that I will probably never go to space (still hoping), but I think that space exploration is critical to the United States and to the world. There are experiments in science and medicine that can be done in zero gravity that could never be done on Earth. I don't think we'll be colonizing new planets anytime soon, but I hope that we continue to venture out to where few brave men and women have gone before.

Well, well, well. . .

Another day, another dollar (better be more than that, or I'm not coming back tomorrow). Took my first astronomy exam last night, and I think that things went quite well; of course, the instructor hasn't graded my essay questions yet, so the truth is yet to be determined. The test was mainly multiple choice, with five essays; the multiple choice were graded by the computer as soon as I submitted the exam; it also gave the basic answers for the essay questions. I have to admit to BSing my way through several of them because the answers seemed way too brief to earn 10-12 points. When you just spent several hours studying Einstein special and general theories of relativity and the concept of "space-time", you don't really think a one-sentence answer is gonna cut it. Can't wait to see my grade . . .yikes. On the bright side, I know what E=mc2 means now, so there's that. . .

Two in one day. . .

I know -- it's a miracle. I just ran across this link and I had to share . . . Falling Sand Game Give it a shot -- it's awesome!!

Hee, hee, hee. . .

Ok, I admit the Bar-O-Meter, the official publication of the Wichita Bar Journal isn't exactly the funny papers, but lawyers can have a sense of humor, too. Check out the recent quote:
The President's Column
By Stephen Ariagno
I fear change, and I’m not talking about the kind of change we find in our pockets. Although I do feel compelled to start this off by saying that I’m a little creeped out by the new nickel. For decades Thomas Jefferson’s presence on the nickel has kept a respectful and professional distance in keeping with the manner in which he held his high office. His profile was strong and centered. On the new nickel, it appears as though Jefferson has rushed up on his photographer just before his picture has been taken. He is so close now I can almost feel his breath on my neck. Upon seeing a nickel, I now have an irresistible desire to move just a little bit further down on a couch. Suffice it to say that Jefferson’s portrait on the nickel invades my personal space. Whereas before, Jefferson was the kind of guy you would watch from a distance in a parade, he is now the kind of guy who would stand right next to you in an empty elevator. Creepy.

If you want to read the rest of this very funny article, you can find it here.

I'm hoping to have time this weekend to add a few things to my lovely blog, but that still doesn't mean I'll necessarily write more often. . . here's to a happy Friday!

Well, it's official. . .

I am the worst blogger in the world. Ok, maybe not the world, but at least on my block. I intended to update a bit over the weekend, but it didn't happen -- I couldn't remember where my blog lived. Sad, I know. I did, however, accomplish a substantial amount of homework, visit a great church, and host a viewing party for the season premier of the best television show on air right now -- 24. If you haven't seen it, you should park yourself in front of the telly next Monday at 7:00 and take a look! Well, back to work!

Bad Jokes. . .

Here's a little inspiration from my Multiculturalism instructor (you have to love a class that starts out with a Descartes joke). . .

Those of you lucky enough to have completed my on-campus introduction to sociology class (or any other class for that matter), know it is time for......... the bad jokes!

A man walks into a bar, sat down, and ordered a beer. As he sipped his drink he hears a soothing voice say, "Nice tie." Looking around he does not see anyone, so he chalks it up to his imagination and takes another sip. A minute or so later he hears, "Beautiful shirt." He looks around again, this time getting a little worried. He then hears. "Nice jacket." "Hey," he says to the bartender, "I must be losing my mind, I keep hearing voices saying nice things." "No," the bartender replies, "it is just the peanuts - they're complementary."

Bada bing.

A brain walks into a bar and says to the bartender, "I have a pint, please." The bartender replies, "Sorry, I can't serve you, you're out of your head.

Bada boom.

Rene Descartes is a bar. At last call, the bartender asks, "Would you like one more drink?" Descartes say, "I think not." And he disappears.

Bada boing.

Typical. . .

Well, I guess we all see how the blog thing is going to go :-). It's been a very crazy few days at work and the beginning of the spring semester at home. I'm looking forward to my classes this semester - Descriptive Astronomy, Social Psychology and Multiculturalism. I'm most excited about the content of the first two and the instructor for the last one . . . any instructor who posts terrible jokes as announcements on the second day of class can't be all bad. Plus, for Social Psychology, I am REQUIRED to watch Office Space and Shrek (along with Girl, Interrupted, Pay It Forward, Natural Born Killers, 12 Angry Men and Lost In Translation). Any class where you watch movies can't be all bad!

Greetings. . .

I've often thought about starting a blog, but never had the energy or the guts . . . as with many things in my life, but little brother gave me the necessary push -- he started a blog of his own, so I had to start one, too (hee, hee). We are a tad competitive, but never in a bad way!

So, an introduction is in order. My name is Chasity and I am 30 years old and live in Wichita, Kansas. I am currently finishing my Bachelor's degree online through Fort Hays State University and work full-time for the federal court system, where I've spent the last ten years dispensing truth and justice -- or at least assisting in the dispensing of truth and justice. My younger brother is 25 and his blog can be found here. My parents also live in the Wichita area, and I'm sure you'll hear more about them as time goes on!