22 years, Trina vs TJ, update on my mom, a great book

Hello everyone. Hope that your weekend has been lovely. The weather here has been great. I have two more days of teaching left, then, I am done. Looking forward to 12 weeks of vacation.

I'll start with an update on my mom. She went in on Thursday for a minor procedure on her heart. Well, the Dr. slipped or something and cut a hole where he shouldn't have. She was in intensive care for one night, showed a lot of improvement, then moved to the normal care wing. We expected her to come home yesterday however, tests showed blood on the lungs as well as a blood clot. Last I heard, the Dr was doing something to prevent the clot from moving. We are all very concerned about these recent events, yet hopeful for a full recovery. I talked to my mother this afternoon and she is about the same. I ask that you all keep my mother (and father for that matter) in your thoughts and prayers. I am fortunate to have friends of all faiths--so I really feel that all of our bases will be covered. Whether you are praying to God, Mohammad, Mother Earth, Buddha, Jesus, Saints, Angels, The Dali Lama, or any other higher power--make sure to mention my family. I will keep you all posted. Thanks so much.

Ok-so yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of my high school graduation. I remember it well. I thought I'd look at how I have either changed or stayed the same since then. Fun Fun. First--just in case you don't know about the town I grew up in--here it is in a nutshell. I grew up in New Hartford, Iowa population 650. Yes, that says 650. My graduating class consisted on 23 people--20 of which I saw at the 20 year high school reunion. My town was and still is 99.99% white. The school that I attended was K-12--in other words, we all grew up together, looked the same, and knew each other well. I would consider Jamee Maurer Klein and Mary Huff honorary members of the class because they were with us except for the last year. Ok-here is the list:

Things about me that haven't changed since 1989
1. I still love Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and pretty much all other music from that era. Michael Jackson!
2. I'm still optimistic about my future
3. I still love to roller skate!!
4. I still think the Big Mac is amazing
5. I still don't need the math I learned in school
6. I still drive a mustang and think it's a sweet car.
7. I still talk to Devona Neiman almost everyday (facebook)
8. I still love being on stage
9. I still want to be a comedian
10. I still am not a morning person
11. I still think that the show "Roseanne" is the greatest sitcom ever.  (Modern Family is a close second)
12. I still don't appreciate "classic" literature like I am supposed to.
13. I still love to watch people breakdance
14. I am still afraid of snakes
15. I still have about the same amount in my savings account--which is next to nothing
16. I still think metal lunchboxes are awesome
17. I still use the word awesome
18. I am still not a parent
19. I still have all of my papers in unorganized piles
20. I still just "wing it" most of the time
21. My Cousin Jackie is still one of my closest friends
22. I still love John Hughes movies

Things about me that have changed since 1989
1. I can no longer run a mile in under 6 minutes
2. I no longer wear acid washed jeans--or a size 3 for that matter
3. I am now "out" and proud
4. I no longer fear authority--not at all!
5. I no longer strive to impress others
6. I now have to drink diet soda.
7. I now call pop soda
8. I now have neighbors who are not white
9. I am no longer interested in camping or kayaking
10. I no longer wear feminine clothes
11. I no longer try to fit in
12. I now actually read books instead of just pretending to
13. I  now think office supplies and socks are great Christmas gifts
14. I weigh about 45lbs more-yikes
15. I am now a Buddhist
16. I am now much more politically aware
17. I am now well traveled and well educated
18. I am now afraid of flying
19. I no longer own a walkman or a VCR
20. My hair is no longer huge--and neither are my glasses for that matter
21. I no longer drink alcohol.
22. I no longer shave my legs

I can probably think of a million more but that's it for now. Ok, so my given name is Trina but my friends all know me as TJ--well, most of my friends do. Here's how it works. Everyone that has known me for more than 20 years calls me Trina. All of my family members (even those under age 20) call me Trina. People that met me after 1992 call me TJ. All of my students call me TJ--except a few ESL students that cannot say their Js. They call me professor Trina which I love. Some people are two-timers, meaning that they call me TJ sometimes but Trina other times. My cousin Janelle calls me little T. I love that. I'm sure that most of you couldn't care less about this--just thought I'd share. TJ stands for Trina Jo BTW. Mt friend Jamie calls me Teej. I'm sure I've been called a lot of other names, both good and bad, but I just wanted to focus on TJ and Trina.

Just finished the book I'm Perfect and You're Doomed which is a memoir about a girl's upbringing in the Jehovahs Witness religion. The book was awesome. I recommend it to anyone with a good sense of humor. The author had very dry wit and seemed like she was a lot to handle as a teen. She's wicked smart yet whiny and her story made me laugh a lot. I am currently working on my memoir. Anybody got any title ideas?

Ok-that's it for today. Thanks for reading everyone. Comments are awesome. One love.