The finale

I'm doing something this summer that I've NEVER done before. A whole new experience for Pam - and a three to four month long one at that.

Ready? Drum roll please.

*ratta tatta ratta tatta ratta tatta tat*

This summer. I, Pamda Bear, will be working between 15-20 hours per week, taking no classes, and spending the remainder of my free time...relaxing.

WOAH! You weren't expecting that, were ya?

The main plan: North Carolina with my best friend/boyfriend, Tim. We're going to be staying with my cousin, his fiancee, and her little boy at their place in the mountains. Afterwards, we're going to be staying with my aunt and uncle for a night...and then we're off to a beach house. That's right - a little house right on the water. Late night and early morning walks on the beach, lounging around in the sand with a Steinbeck novel, and falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. It's going to be the perfect blend of family time and Tim and Pam (also known as "Pim") time.

Here's a list of goals for the rest of the summer:

• Hit up as many parks as possible.
• Read any book that I want, as many as I want.
• Watch every Jack Lemmon movie.
• Play guitar.
  
• Rinse, lather, and repeat.

I'm beyond excited. :)

New blog worth following

For all of those who are raising children, or who have an interest in children in general, you should check out my friend Naomi's blog - http://toraiseanation.blogspot.com

Naomi has been an amazing nanny for many years, and I've learned so much from her. She's working on writing a book, and from the discussions we've had about what kind of stuff she wants to include in it, it's going to be a must-read for anyone who wants to effectively raise children in this day and age. She's using this blog to get some feedback...and ya'll should check it out.

Call me crazy - and horribly overwhelmed.

Step 1: Take on too many jobs for money
Step 2: Take on too many jobs for no money
Step 3: Take classes that demand more time than any other class at Oakland U
Step 4: Make sure all of these factors clash at the same time
Step 5: Curl into the fetal position, suck on thumb, and cry.

Yeah - livin' the dream, people. I'm livin' the dream.

It's funny, because people always tell me that these are the best years of life. I guess I haven't quite seen the light yet, not because my life is miserable, but because I'm running around too much during the semester, and therefore I can't stop and take everything in.

I've been working on a paper for my communism class - and an intense one at that. I have to identify the economic, political, and social problems of education from a socialist's perspective, propose a set of solutions, and anticipate the arguments against said solutions. It's insanely difficult - within the past day and a half, I've perused five essays, eight books, and notes from Marx's work that I've read throughout the course of the semester. But the positive side of all of this is, despite the fact that I'm working so hard that I lose track of time, I think I may have found my calling.

I want to work on education reform. I'm not sure how. I'm not sure why. But the fact of the matter is the K-12 education system in America is so horribly flawed that there needs to be no bullshit, intelligent people that stand up and say that changes need to be made. All of these readings have really inspired me, not just because of the fact that there are so many problems within the system, but because the solutions are right in front of us, and they're actually possible. It's exciting to think that my future children really could have something better than what I had.

On a funny note, while I was working on this paper two days ago, I went and I stretched my back after being hunched over my computer for an extensive period of time...and something popped. I couldn't move. That's right - I threw out my back working on a paper. I'm just that intense.