Leap Day

Well, it's Leap Day! The day that comes only once every four years. Yet with the exception of writing February 29 on everything, it strangely feels just like any other day to me. However, I do think it's neat for the people who were born on Leap Day. How funny is it that someone turning 20 today is only celebrating a birthday on their actual birthdate for the 5th time? Here's an interesting article I found on MSNBC.com about Leap Day and its origins.

Snow pictures

Here are the snow pictures I promised earlier. I snapped a couple before leaving the house for school this morning and then took several more on the UT campus.


A view of the side of my yard.











It seems like a stretch to call the tiny bit of snow accumulation at UT a dusting, but I did come across this beautiful bed of pansies covered in snow.









The Torchbearer at UT stands strong and proud as snow swirls all around it.

Snow!

It has actually snowed in East Tennessee! I took a few pictures of the pretty white stuff this morning, which I will post later this evening when I get home from school. In the meantime, check out the news coverage of the snow at WBIR.com and knoxnews.com. They are posting continual weather and traffic updates, lists of school closings and delays and pictures of the snow submitted from viewers and readers across East Tennessee. Check it out!

"Give Our Georgia Friends a Drink Day"

As someone who is closely following all of the news in the Georgia/Tennessee border dispute, I found this newest twist in the story interesting. According to knoxnews.com, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield is sending a truckload of bottled water down to the Georgia legislature along with "a declaration offering a 'cool, wet kiss of friendship.'" Littlefield said he means it all as a joke, although I believe there may perhaps be a subtle message as well. Namely, Tennessee is sorry for the serious lack of water Georgia is facing as the result of the drought, but don't even think about messing with our border.

Sleep is a rare and precious commodity

Ask a college student if they get enough sleep and he or she will probably laugh at you. I know I would. Sleep? What's that? You mean people actually get enough sleep?

I live in a state of almost constant sleep deprivation. How are you expected to get 8 hours of sleep a night AND keep up with a 17-credit-hour school schedule, work nights at a part-time job, complete enough out of class work to make good grades, hang out with your friends enough to convince them you're still alive and try to catch a few precious minutes every once in a blue moon to yourself? It's impossible.

So, being the curious (or nerdy) and really tired person that I am, I decided to Google "sleep deprivation" and then "sleep" and see what I could come up with. The search garnered some interesting results. First of all, apparently there's a non-profit organization called the National Sleep Foundation. Who knew? I never would have guessed such an organization existed. There's actually some pretty neat information on their site about sleep needs for people of all ages, sleep disorders and treatments, tips on sleeping better and more. You can also find out how sleep works.

However, I cracked up in the middle of the computer lab at school when I saw this: March 3 - 9 is National Sleep Awareness Week. Sleep Awareness Week? There really is such a thing? I always thought that was a synonym for spring break. Yet apparently there really is a Sleep Awareness Week, and the NSF hosts activities such as a Great American Sleep Challenge, learning conferences and the 2008 Healthy Sleep Community Award presentation. So the week of March 3-9 be sure to appreciate the sleep you get each night and try to get plenty of it! Sleep is important and for many of us it is a rare and precious commodity.

Look out blogosphere--here I come!

I have finally entered the blogosphere! I know, I know, it's about time. I'm ashamed to admit that I've had this account for a while but have yet to post anything. So here's my first of hopefully many posts! I will try to update this frequently with whatever happens to be on my mind or going on in my life at any given moment. Thus, I decided to subtitle the blog "Random musings from the mind of Liz." I almost included a "read if you dare" warning. If I seem random or off my rocker at times, just tell yourself that the words here are just the rambling thoughts of a girl trying to process her day. Maybe that can rationalize occasional madness. :)

Hopefully, what I share in this blog will give you a little glimpse into my life. I plan to share information on here such as what God has been teaching me lately, thoughts on recent news and political issues, book and movie reviews, new recipes, photos (and hopefully soon, video!) and perhaps even links to some of my articles for class assignments. We'll see what happens. Maybe something that has touched my life recently will have a positive impact on you as well.

Well, off to continue more web design homework. Welcome to my blog and thanks for reading!