This Junk is Good!

September 8, 2008

A day in the life

This fall, I was supposed to be in medical school, and gave my heart and soul to the achievement of this goal. But God knows our needs, even when we don't. I'm not in school now, due to circumstances out of my control, and I am slowly being healed from several dark clouds that followed me through grad school. My healing is taking several forms. Living in the loveliest apartment in history with hardwood floors and endless light and a front porch and gardens in the back. See below.

I walk to a job I like, past quiet parks and old houses and indie rockers and artists walking their dogs. I sit on my porch with my brother reading books and eating mangos and yogurt before I meet friends for hummus and beer.

Listen to this lovely music: Ignore some of the dumb homemade music videos that I stole from youtube to give you the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFWeQuCeT7Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j3R2FMfniA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQRS40OKNE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDlEXQaMBpk

making up for being a Biology major | By kdeanna | 10:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

April 24, 2007

Jambo!

Hello pals,

Just thought I would let ya'll know (for those who don't) that I am heading for the African continent this summer. I'll be hitting up Uganda for three months, doing my Masters research project with a title of "Qualitative Fistula Data Collection Among Ugandan Traditional Birth Attendants." Bada bing, bada boom. Thankfully, I have been blessed by having my trip and stay paid for by a lovely little grant, which makes the trip possible, and enjoyable. I'll be swinging by London (my first trip to Europe!) to visit Laura K. and Heidi K. - any suggestions of what to do in three days?
If ya'll wouldn't mind remembering me in your chats with our Father regarding this trip. Although I'm quite excited, I'm also quite nervous, since I am going by myself, and have never been to Africa before. Uganda is rather safe, compared to other African countries, but...

Love love to all.

In which I request great amounts of prayer | By kdeanna | 9:25 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

April 12, 2007

Now Thank We All Our God

Sometimes God's mercy comes quietly and subtly.
- A grad school pal who likes to speak the words of the Bible out loud with me
- Daily delight in my life as a single person (so counter to the secular and Christian culture crazy push to date)
- Lessening of nightly fears of death
- Cough medicine with codene
- Friend suprising me with supper after a rough day
- More money in my account than expected
- The resurrection of my bonsai tree
- Lack of seasonal allergies
- Beautiful cousins to make mockumentaries with
- Gracious and funny parents who let the two dogs sleep in bed with them
- The pear tree outside my apartment
- Singing Easter morning with my whole family
- Insurance for my aunt's radiation treatment
- A job that challenges me to enter into another person's life, and forget myself temporarily
- The silent glee from completely understanding the biostats lecture
- Songs by Stars
- Onesie shirt with giraffe print

I grow in stature and wisdom | By kdeanna | 2:02 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

October 28, 2006

Laura's Dream

Greetings all.

I believe that a fellow grad school student lives in our classroom building. He is here every night and even orders pizza to the building. There are showers here, and this has happened in past years, so much so that they started locking all of the classrooms at night. Maybe he's sleeping in the biostatistics classroom, understandably.

Congrats to the Cardinals fanatics in my life. Congrats also to the marriage fanatics in my life.

I must design the t-shirt for my school (foolish foolish people leaving this to me). Any plans/ideas?

Did you know that during Carter's presidency there was no daylight savings time? Or was there daylight savings time ALL the time?? First peanuts, then this craziness. Although I wish someone could sit me down and explain these three things: (1) the stock market (2) the electoral college (3) daylight savings time.

When I was younger, I would hear people talking about trading "shares" on the stock market - I always thought they were talking about "chairs". Not just any chairs, mind you, but the plastic, blue, stackable ones. I envisioned a huge room with stacks and stacks of chairs. I was bewildered about why this strange trading habit made the news, but I just chalked it up to general confusion about the adult world. I hope the real stock market is like that.

My mum and I want to start a coffeehouse in our neighborhood. Any ideas about names? We think it could beat the current hang out spot - the WinnDixie View image
parking lot. Nothing against WinnDixie, of course, it's a great store.

Want to see a funny pic?

Here's my Public Health Student Association (i'm the VP) groupies. Why am I in front again? Tacy Jane, this asian girl in the front is just like you, but asian.

happy time changing day! | By kdeanna | 11:18 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

September 6, 2006

The advent of the year of solitude

The strange truth is that, by living by myself, I have started to become the person I always wanted to be. My apartment is metiulously clean. I am a great student, who is (for the first time in her life) spending a good amount of time reviewing the class notes for that day. I make my bed everyday and never let dishes sit out unwashed (shocking for those I have lived with). I rent movies for my own enjoyment and watch them alone. I spend hours in bookstores, lusting after books, studying, and hoping that no one talks to me. I know this sounds depressing, but it is something that I have always wanted - to be content and happy to be alone. At times the solitude is painful and sharp, but it is beginning to take on nature of a down comforter that I want to surround myself with quite frequently.

I grow in stature and wisdom | By kdeanna | 12:33 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

August 27, 2006

My new Mr. Potato Head checks.

Hello and hello.

I'm writing this post from the small but cozy computer lab of UAB School of Public Health (make sure to spell public correctly). There are probably around 350 students getting both their masters and Ph.Ds in concentrations ranging from Biostatistics, Health Behavior, Health Policy, and Epidemiology. Epidemiology, the "queen science" of public health, is my concentration of choice, with an added program of International Health. Bada Bing, bada boom.

My Heart longs for Boston, but the pain is not as severe as when I first moved. As Elk can testify, I had never been so reticent to move anywhere in my life. Living by myself was depressing and I didn't want to meet anyone. But, time and several pub crawls and a toga party can acts as a very powerful salve to my discouraged spirit. I have found several good friends, and even after three days, it feels as though we have been friends for a month. My classes will be very interesting, and will range from Intermediate Biostatistics and Global Health (which I'm in now), to AIDS/HIV, Infectious Diseases (taught in Jamacia), Genetic Epidemiology, Reproductive Health in Developing Countries, and Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology, AND an international internship. And I like these SOPH students - they are not in it for the money, and they are all a bit nerdy and game for new experiences - and just like me.

Who knows what time will bring. But I'm happy and thankful for God's faithfulness.

Finally showered! | By kdeanna | 12:57 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)