My, how multicultural!

I've just started my 2 week summer class at UW: Multicultural Education. Yup, it's as bad as it sounds. Actually, for the most part it's not too bad, but we are being very inclusive, non-offensive, and using specific language and all that stuff. Some of it actually makes sense, and to a degree is good to use in the classroom, while most of the rest of it is over the top, I think.

I can understand that white men have dominated the prominant places in what's taught in our schools in the past, but, especiall in our country, that's because they did much of the historical and siginificant things. Right or wrong, other cultures weren't able to contribute in the same, major-appearing ways, and thus they don't appear as prominatnly in US history. That doesn't mean that we need to re-write history to include what wasn't there.

Granted, I agree that there is some more inclusion that can be done to give place to those of different cultures and ethnicities that didn't/haven't gotten their deserved recognition in the past, but I'm not at all for changing what's taught, or ignoring those significant figures who happen to be white men. Especially in the realm of science, which I'll be teaching, things are how they are, regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity. If a white man made a discovery, then a white man made the discovery. If he wasn't Asian, I can't change that, and I'm not about to ignore the discovery if it's a scientifically significant one. And I think to do so would be bad teaching.

Now do I mention any of this in class? Certianly not! I would get eaten alive. But this is my blog, and it's called "The View From Here" for a reason, so I'll say what I think, take it or leave it.

Ok, for those who are wondering, my trip to Florida was actually a good one. I enjoyed myself and took LOTS of pictures. If anyone actually wants to see them, let me know (by more than just comment) and we can find a time to look at them. Otherwise, I may see if Ben can show me how to put pics up on this site so I can at least show some of the best ones (like me in Dr. Seuss Island and Universal Islands of Adventure).

Ok, that's all for now. I have to prepare for a presentation tomorrow in my class about some multicultural guy.

I did it!

Amazing, but true, I have now officially graduated from college! The ceremony was nice and long (something like 3 hours), most of which was either someone I didn't care about talking, or the other 840 students' names being read. Regardless, I had friends there, and I did in fact graduate, so that's what matters. Thanks to all who came!

I'm now frantically packing for my trip to Florida. Once packed we head out to dinner at the Melting Pot, then back home to grab stuff and leave to the airport from there. I'll be in Florida for a week, so blogging or e-mail from there, but I will have my cell phone, however (yeah T-Mobile & no nationwide long-distance).

That's about all I have time for now, gotta get back to packing.

I made it!

Well, as of about 11:00 this morning, I am finished with undergraduate school! Now I only have to wait until Sunday to acutally do the official graduating, but the work, the hard part is done.

After I finished my last final this morning, I went to my car, got in, and just sat there. I don't know if I was in shock or what, but I just couldn't do anything. I couldn't believe that I was done w/ college. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was in HS and getting ready to graduate from there. College has gone by so much faster that HS, it seems. I suppose that could partially be due to my doing 2 years at BCC and 2 years at SU, breaking it up a bit, but I think it would still seem faster.

The rest of the week is filled with family gatherings and Mariners games (working, not attending). Sunday morning is graduation, 9:30am at Seahawks Stadium (no tix required, so anyone is welcome to attend). After that I do lunch w/ one side of the family, pack for Florida, dinner w/ the other side of the family, and then leave for Florida at about 10pm. Off to the hot and muggy state I will go.

I still can't believe I'm done...

When it rains...

Boy have I had an interesting week! I mentioned in my last post that soon family would be arriving and things would get crazy at my house. Crazy doesn't begin to describe it.

The "fun" began on Wednesday night shortly after my aunt arrived from Colorado. She wasn't feeling good when she got to our house, so she went upstairs and laid down for a while. About 11pm that night she had so much pain that we decided to take her to the ER at Evergreen Hospital. She, my mom, and my grandmother were there until about 2:30am, at which point they sent my aunt home w/ pain meds. However, the pain persisted the next day, and so my mom took my aunt to our docotor to get checked out. He thought it was apendicitis, so sent her to the hospital to get a second opinion. The doctor there agreed, and ordered a CAT scan to make sure, and yup, apedicitis it was. Then the waiting game began, as all the ORs were occupied. Once my aunt finally got in, they removed her apendix w/ no trouble (it thankfully haddn't burst), but had to keep her overnight for observation. She was able to come home the next day (Friday), but wasn't up to going to my sister's graduation, unfortunatly.

Meanwhile in another part of town...my dad's parents had just arrived on Thursday. Just as he was getting home after work, his mom (my grandmother) went out to greet him, but missed a step of the walkway and went tumbling down. 29 stitches, 1 cast, and a few broken ribs later she was home w/ a wonderfly black eye.

And amongst all of this, I was still trying to finish my Ecology paper.

Despite the insanity, God was good and gave me the strength to finish my paper last night: 24 pages (including graphs, figures, and 3 appendicies). Now I only have my Plant Tax project and my finals to go, then I'm done!!

Calm before the storm

This is it. I'm sitting here at school, taking a quick break from computing data for my huge lab paper, ignoring the fact that in a few hours I will have a near impossible time getting it done. You see, tonight, family arrives for the graduation gala that will be our house for the next week and a half.

My youngest sister is graduating from high school on Friday, and I graduate a week from Sunday, so my grandparents and my aunt are saying at our house for the graduations (actually, my aunt leaves this Sunday). This means that mucho family stuff will be happening, and I will have an even harder time than usual getting my paper finished. I still only have the materials and methods section done (although, I have sent thought of what I still need to add to it). The past two days of paper-work have been doing the crazy calculations, which have taken WAY longer than I originally anticipated. I think I've finally finished them, but now I have no idea what they mean. : /

Oh well, it will be good to have the family here, even though I still have so much stuff to do. Oh, and BTW: I picked up my graduation cap and gown yesterday. Kinda' weird and kinda' cool. It makes it seem all the more real that I'll be graduating in a week and a half.