People ask me what my blog is about, and every time I pause. I know I’m supposed to have an elevator speech prepared, I guess it’s time I start thinking about that.

This blog has been through so many iterations. I started the first CoffeeJitters blog on LiveJournal back in 2001. It’s hard to [...]]]>

People ask me what my blog is about, and every time I pause. I know I’m supposed to have an elevator speech prepared, I guess it’s time I start thinking about that.

This blog has been through so many iterations. I started the first CoffeeJitters blog on LiveJournal back in 2001. It’s hard to believe it’s been more than ten years since that first blog post. A lot has changed over that decade.

CoffeeJitters has been a single girl making her way in the world blog, a wedding blog, an infertility blog, a photography blog, a quitting my job and going back to school full time blog, a wow! I’m pregnant! blog, a mommy blog, a cancer blog, and a trying to relearn how to dream after cancer blog.

Mostly, it’s a love letter to my daughter and husband, and an ongoing autobiography. It is my story, and my practice honing my voice. It is my chance to be heard.

I think in a way, that’s what a lot of us bloggers are doing. I keep picturing all the bloggers of the world at their computers furiously typing away in a clackity-clack version of the Whos that Horton heard, yelling at the top of their lungs, “We Exist!”

Blogging allows us to make our mark on the world. To show that we exist. To have a voice and have it heard. To contribute to the ongoing story of the human race.

My studies recently have centered a great deal around women’s history throughout the world, and the difficulty involved in truly understanding what a woman’s life was like. Mens stories were recorded, by men. Women’s stories… not so much.

I look at blogging in comparison to that and I think: what a gift we are leaving for future generations. Is there any comparable resource in history to the wide range of women’s stories now available? Sure, there’s a good deal of exaggeration. That also exists in our history books. But there is so much more variety of stories and lifestyles represented. I’m proud to be a part of this movement. I’m so happy that future generations will have such a wealth of information about their ancestors – us. (On second thought, maybe I’d better go clean up a few of my posts)

This pregnancy feels like it’s [...]]]> A short paper and three finals on Monday and I’m done with school for the quarter. It’s funny how time shrinks and expands according to what you’ve got on your plate.  I’ve got another 17 chapters to read in texts before those tests.  Time has been flying by this week.

This pregnancy feels like it’s lasting forever.  April is a lifetime away.  Unless, of course, I think about everything that needs to get done before baby arrives.  On that note: Anyone willing to trade a safe, reliable, sturdy, 4 door car for a rusted out pickup with a blue book value that’s less than the insurance payment?

Most days, the fact that Mr. H and I go to different schools with different schedules is not an issue. This week has been a different story. As I mentioned earlier, Mr. H graduated from UW on Saturday which has had him in party mode since he turned in his final paper on Friday. [...]]]>

Most days, the fact that Mr. H and I go to different schools with different schedules is not an issue. This week has been a different story. As I mentioned earlier, Mr. H graduated from UW on Saturday which has had him in party mode since he turned in his final paper on Friday. I, on the other hand, still have finals and papers due this week.

The party/not to party debate has been raging for the past five days.

Aside from the fact that I still have a serious amount of studying and writing to do, there is also the fact that Mr. H is a good five years younger than me and much less of a lightweight when it comes to partying.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good party. It’s just so much easier to enjoy when I’m not stressing out about whether or not I will be able get my #$%& together and finish this quarter with adequate grades.

Obviously I lost that battle, because this is just one quarter for me and its Graduation for him. The last, and coolest, party we attended this weekend was on Sunday night and it was thrown by one of the students in Mr. H’s Persian program.

Those students in the Persian Studies program know how to throw a party.

I’ve been busy this week.

I have one final final and I’m done for the quarter. Then I can breath, sleep, party…

A very big day.

As with most very big days, it involved a lot of waiting.

And people herded like animals into areas where they can do some more waiting.

There were some important people, like Quincy Jones and Bill Gates.

There were speeches.

And more speeches.

Oh my goodness, my head is swimming. I’m so proud of [...]]]>
This evening we attended the convocation for the Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Department at the University of Washington. My husband is one of 21 graduating with a Bachelors Degree from this department, and one of 3 with a degree in Persian (Iran).

Oh my goodness, my head is swimming. I’m so proud of him I’m in danger of bursting into tears at any given moment.

On a side note, why do they schedule these events prior to finals and papers being due? He’s going to end up pulling an all-nighter tonight in order to get a paper in tomorrow and he’s got finals tomorrow and Thursday. Enough already. Schedule these parties after finals. Thank you.

The actual graduation ceremony is on Saturday. And there will be several more parties after that. Then of course he has a summer long French Intensive Seminar and starts his Masters program in the fall.

I’m really hoping that this weather will turn around because the ceremony is outdoors at Husky Stadium and he still isn’t 100% after that bout with pneumonia. He doesn’t need to sit in the rain and wind for hours.

I’m good to go on the classes. Ended up with literature, american [...]]]> I took my floating holiday from work to go take the placement testing and register for classes. I aced the writing and tanked on the math – no surprise there. I’ll just study up on the math and retake the test next quarter.

I’m good to go on the classes. Ended up with literature, american history, and communications. now I just need to come up with the money to pay for tuition, books, rent.

I have a great deal of confidence that the money is just going to fall out of the the sky and land in my lap when the due dates roll around.

no, really, i do.

I can’t begin to tell you the relief that comes with that decision. The sensation of relief far out-weighs my terror over how we are going to get our bills paid, and each day I am more convinced that [...]]]> I have recently decided to quit my job and go back to school full time.

I can’t begin to tell you the relief that comes with that decision. The sensation of relief far out-weighs my terror over how we are going to get our bills paid, and each day I am more convinced that I have made the right decision.

This is going to be an interesting couple of years with both of us as full time students and little hope of any kind of financial aid. We’ll see what happens.

Today my office was filled with red noses and for the first time this year – not because of [...]]]> It’s been over 70 for the past three days in a row – and the first weekend without rain this year – causing Seattlites to cry “What is that great shining orb in the sky?!?”

Today my office was filled with red noses and for the first time this year – not because of the ever circulating and evolving flu.

How odd so many more than usual called in sick today…

Unfortunately I have to go straight from work to class, and I wont be done with that till 10. Not that I spent much time playing outside this weekend anyways. Nope – big old sunbeam right plumb in the middle of my bed and I curled up and napped in it just like a cat.