Saturday, January 31, 2009
My 25.
1. I'm very reserved, quiet, and serious which makes me seem aloof and a wee bit snobbish, but I'm not.
2. I take after my dad, Don.
3. I'm a vegetarian.
4. It took pursuing my "dream" career in Chicago to realize dreams don't always end up like you want, and they are rarely ever "dream-like". And that's okay because no one finds strength in living a dream life.
5. I worry about everything, especially about what other people think of me (and I find, this gets worse the older I get...isn't it supposed to be the other way around?).
6. My most happy time was my semester abroad in Valencia, Spain where I met the most amazing and wonderful people and saw the most amazing and wonderful places.
7. I love Miami University. (Don and Max were right all along, and I'll make my kid go there too).
8. The two people I admire most are my mom, Max, and my sister, Brandy.
9. I have a lot of shows for someone with so little time to watch them.
10.My favorite food is pizza, and the best pizza is LaRosa's. (traditional crust, extra cheese, and extra sauce.)
11. I can't wait to be a mom someday.
12. I prefer cold weather over hot weather any day. And my favorite would be mid 40s to low 60s right after it rains.
13. I wish I cooked more, journaled more, traveled more, saved more, and spent less time on the internet.
14. I don't make friends easily but the ones I do, I keep forever.
15. I don't like that Chicago doesn't have an efficient recycling program. (Drives me mad actually).
16. My 2009 goal is the Thanksgiving Day 10K run.
17. I love to take long walks and let my mind wander. (Brutus is the best walking companion.)
18. I love to read and I love movies, but really, I just think I like a good story, no matter the medium.
19. I love all things Audrey Hepburn.
20. I try very hard to keep the art of letter writing (even if its a brief note on a postcard) alive.
21. I don't like my birthday and haven't since 2001.
22. I realized recently that I am an adult and on my own, and this is both scary and safe at the same time.
23. One word. Cheese.
24. Clinton (my brother, not the former president--although I like him too)has always been my hero (even if I don't always agree with him).
25. I wrote my list over this past week whenever I was on the "el" which leads me to my last and final "me-ism". I don't like to drive, and therefore love public transportation.
That's a lot of "I's" but I guess that's the point, right? Hope you enjoyed. Next post will be a single gal's rant...
xo Am
AND a brief PSA--Go see "Slumdog Millionaire" and "MILK" if you haven't already. They are two of the best movies I've seen in a while. And my little heart/friend, Kristina, sang back up vocals on the "Slumdog" score which is nominated for an Oscar.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Bucket List
( ) Gone on a blind date
( x ) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( x ) Been to
( ) Been to
( x ) Been to
( ) Been to
( X ) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
( X ) Been lost
( X) Gone to
( X ) Swam in the ocean
( X ) Cried yourself to sleep
( X ) Played cops and robbers
( X ) Recently colored with crayons
(x ) Sang Karaoke
( x ) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the
( X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( x) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( X ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( X ) Danced in the rain
( X ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( x ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
( ) Watched the sunrise with someone
( X ) Blown bubbles
( X ) Gone ice-skating
( X ) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea diving
( ) Driven across the
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( x ) Lived in more than one country
( X ) Laid down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
( ) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( X ) Enjoyed the beauty of
( x ) Seen the Statue of
( ) Gone to the top of
(x) Been on a cruise
( X ) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled(rode) by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
(x) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
( ) Been to
(x) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to
(X) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Father Winter Has Arrived
And not to sound bitter or cold, no pun intended, but everyone in Ohio who is complaining about the weather at least you can get in your car and drive where ever you need to go. Unfortunately, my coat is nice and down but I don't have a portable heater underneath it all. (I did have 3 layers on bottom and 5 layers on top plus the long coat) and I still was cold. Enough complaining, I chose to move here...Here are a few pictures I took from around the city.
I'm hoping that I'll take better snowy pictures once it warms up, but that's all I got now. And oh yeah my first week of second semester wasn't too bad...no crying on the el, yet. And I'll end with a picture of the cat. Sorry if I have already posted a picture of this but it's so cute.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Ringin' in a New Year
Me and the Cat getting ready for the BSC Championship Game. Boomer!
But back to the real reason I am gracing you all with a second post in one week…New Year’s Eve 2009! I made my way back to the
Me with my good friend, Sarah! Thanks to her I was out on NYE.
AOII sisters! Sarah, Amber, Colleen, me, and Danielle at the girls apartment before the party.
Me and Amber with friends from Cincinnati, Jess and Sharon (who was Sarah's roommate at MU) at Joe's .
It was a MU/AOII reunion, I ran into my little, Amanda!
We did the all included (drinks, apps, champagne toast, breakfast buffet, and shuttle back to the North Side). It was at Joe’s on Weed where a cover band from Miami of OH, the RumRunners, rocked out. (Note to self if I want a Midnight Kiss don’t go to a party with a bunch of groupies, umm…girls outnumbered guys by A LOT). We did a group hug instead.
On the dance floor waiting for the band to start.
RumRunners lead singer. We were super close, lots elbows to the stomach to get these spots.
When you go out with all girls and the drinks are flowing, you spend a lot of time in the bathroom line. So here is our standard BR line picture. Me and lovely ladies, Amber and Sarah.
With the girls at the bar. (probably the reason why Matthew got a call late that night, I guess Hilary Clinton isn't the only one worried about those middle of the night phone calls.)


It was so much fun! I am very superstitious about how you spend NYE and how that predicts your coming year which means great news for me because mine will be filled with great friends. I don’t like to be down on life, but my 2008 sucked so I was happy to ring in a New Year, cheers to a New Years. And I’ve already been good on my resolutions, training for the Thanksgiving 10k and went to church.
Well if this is semester is anything like last semester you all probably won’t hear from me until May but I’ll do my best to post a few things up here. Love to all and Happy New Years! xo Amber
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Christmas in Cincinnati!
So I arrived in Cincinnati by MegaBus late Friday night before Christmas (with of course no food in the fridge, Max is the only cook that keeps her cupboards and refrigerator empty but we were able to find some cheese and crackers). Lucky for me Half Day Cafe is right around the corner and a trip back to the Wyo wouldn't be complete without a Saturday morning breakfast of 2 of everything, hold the meat. And the days after that we were filled with errands, a shopping trip to Kenwood (!), movies, church, Playhouse in the Park, and a looong day of sofa shopping.
But let's get right down to it, Christmas morning. Mary, Don's daughter, came over with her hubby, Kevin, and their babes, Taylor and Samantha, in tow.
After all the Christmas morning fun, I read and read somemore and watched a few movies. (I'm telling you this whole "on break from school thing is tough"). And then more family! Don's daughter Sarah and her family, and his son, Michael, came over for his wife for dinner on Saturday afternoon and more Christmas time festivities.
Well until next time, hopefully it will be soon and about my night on the town for NYE, take care! xo, Amber
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Public What?
Inquisitor asks “What do you do?”
I reply “I’m in graduate school.”
Slightly interested inquisitor then asks “Oh! For what?”
I respond with a smile and anticipating the end of the conversation “History.”
Inquisitor then yawns and politely asks “Oh, what type? Are you going to be a teacher?”
And then I reply “No, it’s public history…”
Blank stare. And then, with a whisper “And what is that?”
So for those of you not sure what I am doing at Loyola University Chicago here is a little description. I wrote the next two paragraphs for an introduction to public history paper assignment. Hope it clears up the air about what I am actually doing in Chicago...
"As a new and upcoming field, many people are unaware of what public history is and how, if at all, it is different from the history they learned growing up. As a new field its definition is being refined and cannot be narrowed to one brief sentence. Public history is the presentation and interpretation of history for a specific audience, and it is grounded in practice, experience and concrete examples. One could even consider a public historian a mediator between the public and history. But public history can also bridge the gap between professional history and popular history, because it is rooted in culture and society outside of the academic lecture. The field brings a balance to the specialization of history and gives generalized history context using an interdisciplinary approach. One must keep in mind that public history is not one size fits all, and it is important to recognize the need to adapt when dealing with history, the public and various components. Because of this public historians weigh the ethical issues of history differently from traditional historians in their research.
The Public History Resource Center (PHRC) considers these elements and many more in its definition of public history. The contributing scholars of PHRC define public history as history which can be seen, heard, read and interpreted by a popular audience by expanding on the methods of academic historians and emphasizing non-traditional evidence. It is the belief that history belongs to the public and that history matters in the day to day lives of people. It is the presentation of historical knowledge to a general audience which can take many forms: museum presentations, television documentaries, historic preservation projects, collections and recording projects. Public history also provides employment for historians outside of academia through practically applied methods and the retranslation of traditional historical knowledge. Also included is the responsibility of public historians to consider the ethical and efficient management of a group’s heritage and history."
There ya have it, folks. With my semester almost wrapped up, I have gotten the chance to dip my toe into a few projects: oral histories, transcriptions (yuck!), historical tours and reading and writing lots and lots. I am also getting some practical use at a historical society north of the city. Ok, enough procrastinating, I am off to work on a final project. [Insert comment on how lame I am here.]
xo
Am
Friday, November 14, 2008
At the Rally with Amber (and President Elect Obama)!
Even though the gates opened at 8:30 PM for ticket holders, I had this little inconvenience I like to call "grad school" and so I wasn't able to get downtown until 8:30 and drop off my purse at Kathryn's (my plus 1 and new friend from Loyola) and then jumped back on the el and headed south to Grant Park. Braving the crowds and long lines going through a securities we finally reached the rally around 9ish and it was packed...
And then the grand news came that America elected Barack Obama as the next president of the United States! And the amount emotions I felt at the time and following are too numerous to list but lets just say I was moved to tears by his speech and the significance of that moment and still can't put articulately into words. And so with my fellow Chicagoains (even Oprah was there) and fellow Americans I watched and listened (I had no idea that such a large group of people could be so quiet) with anticipation as President Elect Obama addressed the country.
We were pretty far back so I had to take pictures of the screen and it was extra zoomed and my hand wouldn't stay still so I apologize for the blurriness.
And then I headed north on the train which took forever because it was so crowded. And I apologize that I didn't capture the euphoria of that night (my fault for procrastinating) but it was a significant night and as a professional historian who spends considerable amount of time studying these significant moments (and interpreting them) I feel so lucky to have been there. Although I don't wish away time I look forward to hear and see what historians say about this election and that night. So regardless if you agree with me or not, this was a great night for America!
