People have stuff they want to share.

People create blogs so they can share interesting information and photos with others

People read blogs.

That’s pretty much it, but since Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites have become so popular, the need for a blogger to share her or his thoughts has become superfluous. When the “Cliff’s Notes” version is conveyed via Tweet or status post, who needs the full volume? And photo uploads are much easier via Facebook than Wordpress. However, since no one in my family will deign to join Facebook, I will continue to post the odd summary of my life here and there.

There were four drafts in my Wordpress dashboard when I started this one; I haven’t been able to find the time or the attention to finish one. I’m going to combine them and hit the highlights of the last few months, so that the three people who read this blog will have something to look at other than Chip’s traffic cone imitation.

I swam with dolphins during my last visit to the keys. It was incredible.

We got an early morning visit from a wild dolphin too. I was amazed by the number of people who responded “in the wild?” when I said I’d gone swimming with dolphins. They don’t *generally* swim up to the boat and offer rides, folks.

You’d think I’d get tired of taking sunset sailing photos, but I don’t.

I highly recommend Bahia Honda if you’re ever in the keys; it’s beautiful.

I really wanted to find these kayakers so I could give them this picture … another postcard-quality shot from the keys.

For a full account of my adventures in the Keys, read Misty’s post, because there’s just really no point to typing that up again. Sooner or later I’ll post the photos the Dolphin Research Center folks took, although you can see some of those on Misty’s blog too.

I also visited my parents, and found an amazing pear tree collection just a few streets from their house.

Just turn your head to the side when you look at it. I’m busy, okay?

I have enjoyed a very brief reprieve from school work, but Summer Term starts Tuesday and I already have reading to do. While I’d like to promise I’ll be a better blogger in the future, we all know how that goes.

As an English major, I am utterly annoyed when someone quotes or mentions some great piece of literature and I have to respond “I haven’t read it.” Similarly, when great contemporary works are mentioned I feel as though I’m falling down on the job if I don’t keep up. I realize I can’t read every influential piece of literature in existence, but I feel that attention should be paid to those works which have formed the basis of the literary world. The contemporary works that continue the tradition of great literature are even more impressive, for they manage to recreate age-old plots in ways unique enough to astonish us all over again.

The idea is to read 100 books in 5 years that are all “important” pieces of literature – to “fill in the gaps” in one’s literary background. Obviously this is a subjective matter, and I have yet to compile my entire list, but I’m soliciting suggestions. Meanwhile, I’m picking up books like Pride and Prejudice whenever I can so I actually have the books to read when the times comes. I figure this way I have something to read at all times, and the things I read can contribute to this list rather than to the deterioration of my IQ. As some of you may know, I have a tendency to read junk when school isn’t in session.

Aside from all that nonsense, the quarter is plugging along and SOS is gaining members thanks to the t-shirts, so thanks to all who donated! I’m writing so much for school this quarter, blogging is difficult to fit in, but I will try to be a little more diligent with updates.

In the mean time, you can check out this link if you’d like to see some truly adorable photos of Vicki and Joslyn crossing the finish line for the Derby Festival Marathon. Huge congratulations and admiration are due to Vicki for running the marathon, and the same to Chip and his l’il bro Joe for tackling the mini!

Anyway, here’s to you, Good Samaritan.  I’m sure the turtle appreciates it even more than I do.

I am the recipient of Wright State University’s Adult Incentive Scholarship, a scholarship I was invited to apply for many months ago. I applied, since the scholarship awards tuition for three quarters – a full year at WSU. To my knowledge, they only award one student.

The scholarship is geared toward people like me who are starting school a bit late in life, to serve as a little bit of encouragement for the daunting task ahead. Since this will mean three whole quarters free of tuition (not counting the student loans and the federal grant I received) I won’t have to ask Chip to pay a thousand bucks every ten weeks, or ask him for several hundred dollars on top of that for books. I’m really thrilled that they picked me, and truly grateful for the coinage.

I didn’t even know I’d won the scholarship until I looked at my student account and saw that it was way overpaid. When I looked at my account receipts I saw “Adult Incentive Sch” as a credit for the quarter. I was thrilled and called Chip immediately.

The scholarship application asked for an essay and two letters of recommendation. If it weren’t for the amazing letters that Laura and Krista wrote for me, I certainly would not have won. Thank you, Laura and Krista. I was so encouraged by your letters that it didn’t matter whether I got the scholarship … but it’s damn cool that I did.

Thank you both. You have both known me during different parts of my life (all parts, in Laura’s case) and you still saw fit to tell WSU wonderful things about me. I will be forever grateful and I love you both.

*dances jig*

And to the donkey’s butt who parked his ridiculously large pickup truck that is SO OBVIOUSLY trying to compensate for something else so close to my Jeep that I had to climb in through the passenger side: karma is one mean mother.

I’ve really never seen anything like it — as you can see, we did not get the predicted 5-8 inches of snow that would shut down schools and businesses, but we did get a really strange combination of snow and ice that kept Kory home from school and closed Wright State for the day. Even the Air Force Base opened late.

Anyway, I encourage you to look at the full sized version of the photo – you can see the mailboxes reflected in the sheet of ice that coated our paltry inch of snow.

I CAN proudly attest that I was awarded honors for last quarter, and that I’ve been invited to apply for an Adult Incentive Scholarship.  I’m especially excited about the scholarship potential … I already feel guilty about how much I’m costing Chip, so the more money I can pile up in grants and scholarships, the better.

I’ll keep trying to become the blogger I know I can be, just bear with me in the mean time.