Do you remember those commercials? This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. And the egg frying in the pan? I did not understand these commercials as a kid, but I used to love saying that phrase at random times throughout my early “tween” years. Anyway, I think of this because South Carolina had their primary election – and NEWT GINGRICH won it. So, obviously South Carolina is the egg in the frying pan. Just saying.

In other news, my best friend and I INSTALLED A DOOR YESTERDAY. By ourselves. We felt bad ass, and pretty awesome. We took down my bathroom door and put in the new one. Crowbars, rusty boxcutter, ghetto hammer and all.

 Crow bar!! I took out the inside frame, she took out the outside frame. And then we high-fived. We are still girls – despite our manly tendencies.

The new door! Believe me, it’s beautiful and far more exciting because we did it ourselves!

Let’s see, I learned a lesson about race from an eight year old I work with. Yup. He separated all of my dolls that live in the doll house in my office into three categories- White, Black, Asian. Then he proceeded to bring all the “Asian” dolls to my desk and told me they were living in Asia, stealing our jobs because they are smarter than us. The Black dolls went all together into a small plastic tub because “they are poor, and used to be slaves” and the White dolls went into the house and were lined up watching TV. All 10 of them. Glad to see racial politics are alive and well in Maine (sarcasm intended).

We launched our first Giveaway this week, and I really hope you’ll go enter it and give these people some competition. I promise, it’s an awesome scrapbook software and you will love it. Go enter! And let any of your scrapbooking/crafty friends know about it!

That’s it for me. I’m off to work on Monday’s blog post about how to diagnose a Blogger. Stay tuned!

Happy Sunday!

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
• Link up your post below.
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

Welcome to another Saturday with the engineering geek!  I want to again draw your attention to/compliment my wife on the banner, which has been perfected over the week.  It took a lot of hard work with various photo-editing software and spatial configurations (well it was hard work for her…I layed on the bed and watched He-Man DVDs in my Ninja Turtle boxers).  I feel very grateful for everything she does for the blog and for letting me be a one-seventh writer on it.

And speaking of awesomeness–check out our sweet new domain name!  That was also Jenn, and she put my name first!  How lucky am I?

Also, check out my new BUTTON!  All pencil-sketchy to go with my comic book obsession interest!

I also want to apologize for the snail’s pace I’ve had in responding to comments on my posts.  I value your input and resolve to get on it a little bit quicker!

Speaking of input, today’s post shall be interactive!  I’m going to tell a tale of our lives and ask for some feedback, opinions, and maybe some guidance!  It’ll be a first for the Blogosphere (except that I’m sure it won’t be)!

For those of you that are unfamiliar with our northeastern U.S. culture, one of our two major supermarket chains in Maine is Hannaford.  Pretty much one in every town, at least until you really get into the boonies, then it’s like every other town.  And they extend into all of New England, I believe, though maybe not quite so concentrated.

Also for those of you unfamiliar, I was suckered into hired by my current employer to be the plumbing/fire protection designer that is in charge of doing supermarket projects. I’ve done probably 30-40 stores in the past 6 years. Currently, we’re doing quite a bit of Hannaford work.

So last summer I’m at the newly remodeled Dover, NH store doing my final walkthrough before the grand reopening.  We was told that this was the first store to have something new:  a sort of “grocery drive-thru” aptly called “Hannaford To Go”.   See, you order on-line and then drive to the store and they walk out a nearby door and hand you your groceries.  Nearby coolers at the front of the store keep it fresh until you arrive.  Neat, huh?

The other thing we were told is that the North Windham store would be next!  This was the Hannaford I grew up with, being from Windham.  It’s currently the second closest Hannaford to us, but it’s closest to our commute and across the street from our gym so we end up grabbing groceries there a lot.

A few months later, it was done and I tried it out.  I’ve found it to be a great service for those times that I just need to pick up a few of the usual items on the way home from work.  I get in my order in the morning, drive-up, hit a button and tell them my name, and they take my payment and put my groceries in my trunk for me!  There is a $5.00 service fee but it’s well worth it.

After doing this two or three times, I happened to be with Jenn when we were picking up our “Hannaford To Go”.  She drove up, hit the button and gave them my name.  Keep in mind that our winter in Maine has been very mild this year.  Sunny and in the 40’s has been the norm until a week or so ago.  This night happened to be cold with a very nasty cold wind.  This was the first such night the weather had been wintery when I had been at the drive-thru.   Instead of the cheery woman coming out to take our payment, we got a shivering middle-aged woman, bundled in a puffy coat and knit hat, trying her best to be cheery even though she had obviously drawn the short straw with her coworkers.  Her cheeks were all pinkish red and I admit that I started to feel a little bad for her.

She took the credit card from Jenn and double-checked her form for our order.  EVERY other time it’s “Everything’s ok!  We didn’t have to substitute anything!”  This time was “We were out of the bags of apples you randomly picked off our website and don’t really have a huge vested interest in, so instead we hand-picked you a bag of loose apples ourselves, making sure they were the same type and similar weight.  You don’t have to take them if they’re not good enough for you.”

Ok, so my description has a little bit of a “Jenn spin” on it–as soon as we accepted our substitution and the woman walked off, Jenn started judging us for being a part of this process, which she likened to slavery.  And she told me she felt like we were “weird rich people” that can’t be bothered to get out of our car and go into the store.  She was even more surprised by this whole thing when the woman wheeled out the cart and put them in the trunk for us.

She told me that this would be my job from now on, because I have loose morals.  Apparently, someone who has worked to help the poor and the homeless for many years has moral trouble having grocery slaves using Hannaford To Go.  I partially see her point on this particular outing.  I’ll also note that we were the only ones there taking advantage of this service making it more awkward.  Typically when I go there is one to three other vehicles at the drive thru.

So is using this service morally wrong?  Or was it just bad circumstances giving Jenn a bad first impression?Yes, they are getting our groceries for us, bringing them to us, putting them in the trunk for us, substituting items for us, and taking our credit card back and forth so we can just sit there.  But it’s soemthing the store is playing up right now, and there IS an extra $5 fee (which Jenn has noted the poor employee probably sees little to none of).

I will most likely keep using this service.  It may feel a little awkward one certain types of days, but oh well, I paid and I’m lazy when I can be.  Jenn will never use this service again.  What do you think?

Welcome to the Return of Kid Quote Friday! New! Improved! With a Button! Next week there will be a link up, so if you are reading this right now and want to link up next Friday with funny things your kids say (or kids you know, kids you work with, etc) PLEASE join me!!

If you’re new here, I’m a social worker (therapist) and I work with kids. They are hilarious, and I have started sharing some of the funniest quotes. 

Now, on to the quotes!

“Well Jenn, I’ll miss working with you. If you ever need therapy you can call me. Or Spiderman. You know, whoever is easier to reach.” (8 y.o.)

“Aren’t you kind of old to like Bruno Mars? Should you be more of a classical person?” (11 y.o.)

 “You know what’s really hard on the soul, Jenn? A bad hair day.” (8 y.o.)

Kid: So, what are you doing the rest of the day?
Me: Well, I am working with other kids.
Kid: OTHER KIDS? Like, other than me ?!!! (7 y.o. )

“Mrs. Gilman, are boys born weird?” (12 y.o.)

“You know Jenn, I could buy you a big diamond ring. We could be married and I could borrow your cookie monster gloves.” (8 y.o.)

Me: Did you stay up until midnight on New Years Eve?
Kid: Yup! Did you?
Me: Nope, I didn’t quite make it.
Kid: (gently pats my arm) That’s okay. You’re old. You need your sleep. (5 y.o.)

Kid: “Jenn, HoHo has some esssplain’ to do.”
Me: “Santa? Why? Did he forget something?”
Kid: “Yes. Why you no come to my house for Christmas? I asssked!!” (4 y.o.)

“You know Jenn, what Santa does is TECHNICALLY breaking and entering but Dad says Santa is above the law, I guess because he flies and all so he can’t be below the law!” (7 y.o.)

Happy Friday, everyone!

I have a confession.

Even though I am working hard to take more pictures to remember these days and moments in time, I hardly ever DO anything with them. Unless you count uploading them to Facebook (which takes FOREVER). And, it probably shouldn’t really count.

So when I was presented the opportunity to use My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software, I was so excited! Even better? I get to giveaway a FREE version of the software to one of my lovely readers (a $40 value!).


I set out to download my copy almost immediately. The download takes a little while, because it is a big piece of software. Make sure you follow directions and turn off your computer’s “sleep” and “hibernate” settings so it doesn’t mess up your download!


Since I had most recently uploaded my Christmas pictures, I decided I would use this opportunity to create a scrapbook for the holidays. 

For my first try with the scrapbook software, I used their “auto-fill” option. I will note that the time it took to upload photos was less than two minutes! I was amazed! (TAKE THAT FACEBOOK!) The program filled 12 scrapbook pages and I went through to add text, and make sure the photos were oriented correctly.


The software is extremely intuitive, even if you have  minimal experience with editing software. There are some more advanced options for you scrapbooking-ninjas, so you aren’t left out either. 

WAIT! That is not all this bad boy can do. It’s hard to see on the screenshot, but you can ADD MUSIC TO YOUR SCRAPBOOK! It’s like they knew me already. As most of you know already, I love music. I have a constant soundtrack in my head. And now? My scrapbooks can have an actual soundtrack! AMAZING! Plus, you can add video as well! 


There are an amazing number of designs to choose from, AND you can go to the website and purchase other ones as well! It’s like going to a craft store without going to a craft store! That means you can stay in your pajamas and no one will judge you!

If you’re anything like me, you are asking yourself a question right now. SO HOW DO YOU SHARE A DIGITAL SCRAPBOOK? The cool thing with this software, is that there are multiple ways to share, including a special nod to the iPeople, with a ready made way to share your scrapbook on an iPod! You can also make a DVD, a movie, or the old fashioned printing way. But how nice is it to be able to send your long-distance relatives a copy of your scrapbook? Then they have one too (without having to do all the work!) I imagine that Grandparents especially would love this feature. You can also turn your project into a calendar or a photobook right from your own scrapbook! Magical! 

Okay, now down to business, how do you get to enter the giveaway? 

1. Go to http://www.mymemories.com/, browse around and then come back and leave me a comment about your favorite digitial scrapbooking kit, or theme. If you do not leave me a comment with your favorite kit/theme, your entry will not count. Please note, your e-mail must be attached to your comment. If it is not linked via blogger, please include your e-mail in your comment.

2. For an extra entry you can “like” My Memories on Facebook and come back to tell me. You’ll be entered again!

3. Still itching for one more entry? Go ahead and “follow” them on Twitter and come back to tell me. You’ll be entered again!

That means you can get a total of three entries into this awesome drawing! 

All entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Thursday January 26. A winner will be chosen using Random.Org on Friday January 27, because who doesn’t like good news on a Friday?

But even if you DON’T win the software, the folks at My Memories are giving you the opportunity to purchase this software, with $10 off! That means you can create scrapbooks, calendars, movies, photobooks and more for $30. It doesn’t get much better than that. Just throw the software in your virtual cart, and put in the promo code STMMMS77980.

Happy Creating, everyone!

Sometimes I wake up with it in my head.

Sometimes I fall asleep thinking about it.

Sometimes my stomach aches at the thought of it.

Sometimes my heart soars with the hope that surrounds it.

Sometimes tears form where there were none.

Sometimes a lump forms in my throat at the joy of other’s news.

Sometimes I am a shell within myself.

Sometimes I am an advocate for myself, and for you, who has been where I am.

Sometimes I curse the universe.

Sometimes I have faith in the universe.

Sometimes I make up games with my husband about it, to bring humor to a painful situation.

Sometimes I’m not thinking about it at all.

Sometimes I feel strong.

Sometimes I feel broken.

Sometimes I feel like I talk about it too much.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t acknowledge it enough.

Sometimes I gather strength from friends around me.

Sometimes I can’t stand to be around others.

Conflicted but clear.

Isolated, but connected.

Infertility.

A devastating word.

But not a defining one.

Not for me.

Except it is…sometimes.

All day long, I roam around writing letters that I’ll never send in my mind. I’ve seen over time, a few bloggers do this kind of format and I thought it would be fun. Here are a few letters on my mind today.

There is a side of me that I have not blogged about. Mostly because I’m not interested in creating a major debate, and I generally avoid talking about religion and politics in mixed company.

But today, on Martin Luther King Jr. day, I know the blogosphere will be littered with inspirational quotes and reflections on the life of a man that I greatly admire.

So I will out myself, today.

I am …. liberal.::gasp:: Okay, so you may have guessed this already. I mean, I am a “bleeding heart” social worker after all.

When I started in social worker, I wanted to avoid the profession I do now. I did not want to be a direct service provider. I wanted to be a community organizer. I wanted to work to make and change social policy. I refused to accept an internship at a social service agency, and I instead created my own internship with the support of my adviser/mentor. I worked with a poor people’s organization – in that it was created and run by people living in poverty. It was called Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER) and it was affiliated with the national group Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPERHC). I did A LOT of work with this group and created lasting memories and friendships. I went to Venezuela to the World Social Forum and talked to so many people about the healthcare crisis in the United States. We held rallies, educational forums, and held a forum for people to talk about how poverty has affected them. At the point, the group has dissolved, because of burnout, lack of money, and a variety of other things that cause small organizing groups to dissolve.

Most days, I feel guilty. Because I “gave in” to working in the direct service field, I have little invovlement in community organizing because I wanted to be able to pay my bills – and those jobs barely (if at all) pay a living wage – because they can’t afford to. We live in a society that no longer values community and labor organizing. A society that works very hard to divide us. Some days my job only has a loose connection to the idea of social work, and only because I am working with those in poverty – but it’s very hard to truly empower them within the current political and economical system. There are so many catch-22’s, so many stigmas, so many barriers.

One way I continue to keep one foot in the policy world is by working on books with my former professor/mentor. We have a book due to be published in 2013, following homelessness as a social issue from the 1970’s up through today. Now we are working on a book that is studying if poverty has lasting effects on people even once they get money (by studying celebrities that we born and raised in poverty). I hope that these books will be used in classrooms, as a testament to the lasting effects of poverty and as a critique of why homelessness is no longer a burning topic in the United States. I hope that these books will be read by anyone who is looking to learn, to change, to be a part of ending poverty.

I hope once I move to NC to head back to school for my Ph.D. and be able to pioneer a project that will make a social difference.

I vote.

I talk to people about Universal Health Care, welfare reform, and things that I’ve learned from the “front lines” of working with people in poverty (and living in it for many years).

It never seems like enough. It’s easy to feel swallowed up in a world that seems like it is going to youknowwhere in a youknowwhat. But if we give up, things will never change. And I think the one thing most of us can agree on is that things need to change.

Martin Luther King Jr was only one person. But he made a difference. Because he didn’t give up. He kept going. He had a mission, a vision, yes – a dream. So whatever it is that you can do to participate in the world, do it! No matter what your political view!  I believe wholeheartedly that apathy is even worse than conservative views 😉 I leave you now with a few quotes to litter the blogosphere with.

Winter is in full swing here in the Northeast. After lulling us into a false sense of security with 40 degree weather last weekend, winter has slapped us back into reality with a big snowstorm and below zero weather. We are all kind of walking around in a haze, remembing the fact that we live in Maine and oh yeah, it’s supposed to be freaking cold (that’swhywe’removingtoNC!) But hey, Fadra , if you want to live in Maine we could totally do a house swap. It’s totally awesome 😉

Did I mention that I got an iPod touch? No? Well I did. So now, I am an iPerson who can use things like “FaceTime” and more importantly Instagram (username “LibraJenn” if you are interested). I can also do important things like play Pogo games, Tetris, and oh yeah LISTEN TO MY MUSIC! It’s pretty awesome. My Mom was so impressed she ordered one for herself after my raving review (I’m expecting my cut from Apple to arrive in the mail any day now!) And my husband is jonesing for one. Anyway you can now expect my Stream of Consciousness to include easy to access and upload Instagram photos. I can sense your excitement!

At the ripe old Google Friend Connect Age of 54, my blog will be hosting it’s very own giveaway! I was contacted by Liz at My Memories who asked me if I want to review their digital scrapbooking software, My Memory Suite! HECK YEAH! After all, one of my new years resolution is to get back to taking photos, and this will help me actually DO SOMETHING with the photos! So stay posted everyone, you’ll have a chance to win your own copy of the software and/or a code to get $10 off!

Also, the blog had a big week of people stopping by to check us out! I guess, y’all have a lot of problems with sleep , and are looking for reasons why not to do a triathlon. There are also a lot of you out there who are introverts, just like my best friend. You probably all have perfectly painted walls because you use painters tape. Whatever. In any case, I am glad to be back at this blogging thing and connecting with everyone again. It feels good and I’m excited to watch the blog grow. You may have noticed we have a new webpage, we bought our domain through blogspot – in preparation for moving to WordPress eventually. So we are officially now http://caseyandjenn.com – woohoooo! Plus I figured out how to do a header. Pretty much a good week all around.

How was your week?

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
• Link up your post below.
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love