It's been a while

So I have been neglecting this blog for the last... oh... 10 months or so? So I thought it was high time for an update.

• Still smoke free!!!! I have officially kicked it. I still find myself walking closer than normal to people who are smoking... but I no longer have the urge to tackle them for their cigarette! Progress is progress, right?
• I am still in school. Pretty much for the next 8 years you can just assume that I am still in school. I lost my 4.0, got a B in calculus =( But, I'm still doing well. This semester my core classses are organic chemistry and evolutionary biology, with a critical thinking/composition class on the side. Long story short: this semester is kicking my booty! My last three chemistry classes have been relatively simple because they had a great deal of focus on the mathmatical aspects - organic chemistry is a whole new monster to tackle. But, I'm focussed.
• Christiana and I have finally come to a decision about our future, and on October 1st she is going to be reenlisting. So, this time next year we will be somewhere else, but as of now we have no idea where. The plan now is that she is going to retire from the army at her 20yrs (she will be 40) and that is about when I will have finished my degrees.

So, that's the big stuff I think... Oh yeah, and today is our 2nd anniversary =D And I just have to say, that I love Christiana more today than I did when we got married, and tomorrow I will love her more than I do today, and that increase will never cease. She is supportive, sweet, funny and absolutely gorgeous; I am the luckiest guy in the world. She is my best friend, and I just love hanging out with her.

So that's all for now - I would post some pictures but this blog design cuts them off in weird ways... not sure how to fix that. So, you get none!! But you don't need pictures, just know that Christiana has gotten even more attractive, and I'm a little more goofy looking.

Ta ta for now,

Dylan

Re-post from 2008 for Chris

Disclaimer: Be aware that I am aware that these may not be funny at all to the unaware. But to those in awareness, that is to say, who are aware of the jokes behind it all, they are funny.

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It's time to quit

Learned how to play "All My Loving" by the Beatles tonight at guitar class. Last week was "Hey Jude" - I need to practice more, they are not as easy as some of the others we've been doing. I miss my piano. Guitar is fun, but it just doesn't give me the same sense of release as the piano did.

Christiana and I have survived week one of the P90X workout - 83 more days to go! I'm sore, but I've been sleeping so much better because my body is exhausted every day. I'll post before and after pictures when I'm done.

School is going well - only a few weeks until finals. And when finals are over - I'm going to quit smoking. Yep, it's true - I bought the patch and everything. I think I'll probably blog more often while I quit, trying to find things to keep me occupied.

Here's a picture of Christiana and I with the kids - we got Jameson a santa hat to wear but he kept trying to eat it. Funny that he was perfectly content when I put him in a pink tu-tu last month... Anyway!



Have a good week everybody
-Dylan

my views on healthcare reform

I am not writing about Obama’s healthcare reform plan. I’m not debating about the different arguments of republicans or democrats or the faults or merits of their plans. I am writing about what I think.

Christiana told me of a man in the army who was very republican, anti government healthcare, etc. That is, until he found out he has MS. Since it’s considered a preexisting condition, the army doesn’t have to do anything about it. So suddenly he’s going to be kicked out of the army with no insurance and a lifetime of medical needs ahead of him. Now he is all for universal healthcare.

There is another man in the south that started up a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to drive children to doctors appointments, because their families can’t even afford to drive them there.

Maybe the bills going on right now about healthcare reform are flawed. Maybe it should all be thrown out and started over again. But it SHOULD happen. Just because you disagree with HOW something is being done doesn’t mean that the cause isn’t worthy. Healthcare for everyone; that any man woman or child can go see a doctor if they are sick or in pain. Why wouldn’t we want that? Because it means higher taxes? I do not enjoy paying taxes any more than anyone else – but if ever there was a cause worthy of my money, this is it.

We think it’s so noble when we hear of doctors volunteering their time to go to third world countries and help the people there. In fact, we think it’s such a worthy cause that many of us make donations so they can do this! So I ask you, why not here? Why would you do that for a stranger and not your neighbor?

Perhaps I am biased. I am, after all, one of those millions of people who know that when my insurance contract runs out – I’m going to be in big trouble.

My point is this: You can disagree with how people are going about healthcare reform. You can argue that this isn’t the way to do it. But please don’t blanket the entire idea with a sense of impending doom. Stop arguing over who’s right and who’s wrong and this person said this. It IS a worthy cause. If we can spend billions of dollars to pay for a war, and hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out financial firms, we can damn well spend some money to get kids in to see a doctor.

So many people speculate on the possible negative things that would happen if we implement healthcare reform. It’s true, some of these worries even have some merit. But we know what will happen if we don’t do anything. People are just going to keep dying.

If you’re reading this, then you’re my friend or part of my family. You’re an intelligent person, with a kind heart. Use that intelligence to find solutions instead of arguing and forwarding emails warning of the evils and possible downfalls.

That’s all. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

-Dylan

Petitioning the Academic Council

I have a dilemma.

My biology professor has offered to get me an internship at the University of California next summer in a biology lab. I'd be doing my own research project, and it pays! It's pretty much perfect.

Problem!
In order to be eligible for this internship, I need to get my next 2 biology courses done. One this fall, one in the spring.
The biology I need to take this fall has a co-requisite of a certain chemistry class, which would normally be no big deal. The problem is, the chemistry class has a prerequisite of either Chem2 or high school chemistry.

Problem with taking Chem2: I don't have time! If I take chem2, I won't finish my requirements in time for the internship.

Problem with high school chemistry: I didn't take it! I joined the army instead!!

So I have to petition the college Academic Council this coming Tuesday and convince them to, as my adviser put it, "ignore their own policies and make an exception just for you."

Basically, if I fail, the internship goes to someone else and I lose the opportunity of a lifetime. I do have a 4.0 on my side - but that only gets you so far. My adviser advised me to get a letter from my professor in support of this plan - unfortunately, he's speaking at a big biology conference at the Burgess Shale right now and I have no way to get a hold of him.

Blah!!

Any great ideas as to how to make myself look as smart and dedicated as possible?

-Dylan

every beginning is another beginning's end

It's finals week. I just finished my biology lecture exam and the lab practical. Only 3 more finals to go this week and I'm done with the semester!!

At least... I get one week off, the I start summer semester. I do believe it will be like this for the next several years.

So, sorry I haven't been posting anything exciting - it's cause I haven't done anything exciting. Study study study.

Jameson is growing at a steady pound a week - I think he may get a bit bigger than we thought...

-Dylan

Pictures of the kids :) and some dear...