Clearly I’m A Masochist

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

Not the sexual kind–so if you were hoping to find that kind of site–this isn’t it.  But thanks for stopping by.

I am pretty sure that next to glutton for punishment, in some random online dictionary, you will find my picture.  Just when things look to be settling down and getting easier, I decide to complicate them.

Case in point–

It’s the holidays and I just signed up for Weight Watchers and bought a dozen homemade snickerdoodle cookies at a event this weekend.  Snickerdoodles are my FAVORITE.  I can’t not eat them and holy hell they are 3 points each.  Shit.

My course load for school is winding down.  I only have two classes to take and they are both a little on the “relaxed” side.  I was looking forward to a relaxing semester.  So, I accepted the offer to teach a class I have never taught in the Spring (it starts in 6 weeks).  Not only is it online but it is also ITV.  Yep.  I get to teach to a group of students who are far away and on TV.  The camera adds how much?   I must Keep away from Snickerdoodles and up my exercising.

Now I get to teach the course of my dreams.  But dreams are never as good in reality as they are in our heads.  I’ll be teaching TFA teachers how to teach.  Sounds interesting and fun doesn’t it.  I really am looking forward to it, but it’ll be difficult and I want to do it well.

My calm spring has now turned into a crazy spring.  But it doesn’t surprise me or anyone else who knows me.  That is what is irritating.  When did I get so predictable?

World AIDS Day

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

I write this in honor of those who have in any way been touched by AIDS.  Today is World Aids Day, and I write in honor of the mothers around the world who see their only choice to give up their children while knowing they themselves are going to die.  In the US, HIV/AIDS is not a death sentence.  In the developing world, AIDS is just that–a death sentence.

Africa_onecolorunites

There are children whose life’s are changed each day by AIDS–they watch their parents and loved ones die.  They themselves get sick and perish.  It is a travesty that this disease that can be managed is allowed to ravage those who we don’t see as fit to be saved.  These could have been my children.   By 2010, there will be 20 million AIDS orphans around the world.  HIV is a completely manageable disease.  We could, if we unite as a world, abolish HIV.  It is possible.  We need drug companies to step up and help reach the dream of 2015 (no new children born with HIV).  We need to learn more about HIV/AIDS.

I can only imagine the fear that HIV+/Living with AIDS birth mothers live with on a daily basis–worried about passing the disease onto their children/babies.  Having to give them up/abandon them because they cannot breastfeed because of the disease and knowing that their babies will die if they don’t give them up–from lack of food.  This breaks my heart.  While I have a family built through adoption, I wish that no woman/family have to give up their children because they can’t get medical care or have access to other ways to nourish their children.

What can you do?  What will you do?

(Most of this post was previously posted last year)

The Finish Line

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / Leave a comment

WooHoo…Another November done. 30 days….30 posts. All this writing obviously has not encouraged me to cease using ellipses–or dashes.

By now everyone is aware of WikiLeaks and all the documents they have and are leaking. I will say it upfront–I don’t understand. I am all for transparency of government but at some point–we don’t need to know everything. Maybe I’m alone in this, but really do we need, as citizens, to know the communication of our diplomats? At what point are those public domains? It just irritates me that these things happen when they don’t need to. It’s a bit like caring what Tiger Woods does and releasing text messages.  Really…none of my business.  None of anyone’s business.  Just because someone is elected or even just revered doesn’t give us Carte Blanche into their lives.

Maybe I’m An Elitist Or Just Mean

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 1 Comment

Just because a person wants To do or be something doesn’t mean they get to. It’s really that simple. I wanted to be a veterinarian; sadly, I can’t do math or learn chemistry. I want to get my PhD; luckily, I have the type of intelligence I need for that.

I fielded a call in my office today from one of the graduate departments at my university. The professor had a student in her office who wants to go to grad school, but her undergrad GPA is WAY WAY below the minimum for even provisional acceptance. The professor wanted to know what options the person had. NONE, I wanted to shout. It is great that people want to better themselves and have more options. But grad school is a privilege not a right. I had to work really hard to get where I am, and it wasn’t easy. I am tired of the sense of entitlement we have. We have a right to an education and it should be good-but students bear a good portion of the responsibility.

I wish we could all live our dreams-but some of the dreams just aren’t possible. We have to accept that and accept our own responsibility in our successes and failures.

The Light

/ Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

Showing off her ballet moves


Isn’t he handsome?


Family Pyrimad

It has been a busy weekend–who am I kidding it’s been a busy 5 months or so.  As the holiday season approaches that means things are getting ready to settle down-two weeks off work, no classes or homework.  Just good old family time.  I’m really looking forward to it.  Because I get to spend the days with the two most amazing kids in the world (I might be biased–but it’s true :)).  Hope your holidays are as bright as mine.